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Astrologer's Notes:
AstroDPsychology:A Synthesis |
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Traditional, Event-Oriented Astrology |
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by Glenn Perry, Ph.D., MFT |
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It wasn't until the advent of humanistic psychology in the 1960's that astrologers began to think seriously about the chart in terms of growth and transformation. For those who began studying astrology only recently, it might seem that it was always this way. But it was not. Although Jung once said, "Astrology represents the summation of the psychological knowledge of antiquity," the fact is that there was very little in astrology prior to the 1960's that bore much relationship to what we would generally consider "psychological" today.
Over the past decade, there has been a revival of ancient techniques in astrology, largely due to the research of "the three Roberts" -- Hand, Schmidt, and Zoller. From a historical perspective, their work has been invaluable. However, today's practitioner should not be overzealous in assuming that ancient techniques are necessarily better simply because they are older. After all, ancient astrologers were working under some serious disadvantages. For one, they were seriously uneducated, at least by modern standards. Second, they lacked the advantage of computer technology, worked with questionable birth times (if any), and didn't know about or use research methods; thus many of their pronouncements are highly questionable. And three, they were mired in a fatalistic, deterministic world-view in which the possibility for choice and evolution was unrecognized.
This third point is especially important from the perspective of psychological astrology. The rate of social change in earlier times was exceedingly slow. Existence was simple, brutish, and short. Most people were locked into a life whose opportunities were narrowed by economic and social realities over which they had little control. They lacked opportunities for marital choice, higher education, professional advancement, and self-actualization, all of which are readily available in the post-modern world of the 21st century (at least in western culture). Accordingly, traditional astrologers minimized the importance of free will and placed their emphasis on fate.
Ancient peoples initially perceived the planets as gods that ruled over the various processes of Nature, much as a king ruled over his subjects. The conceived relationship between celestial and terrestrial events was linear, dualistic, and hierarchical: a superior power had dominion over an inferior one. While later and deeper forms of astrological philosophy recognized that macrocosm and microcosm were actually interpenetrating and thus their relationship was not linear or dualistic, this view declined with the collapse of the Hellenistic culture in the 3rd century. A simpler model prevailed during the medieval period and persisted in one form or another right up to the 2nd half of this century. Human beings were perceived as fated recipients of cosmic forces that could be propitiated but not denied.
Such a gloomy determinism was reinforced by a value laden terminology that too often described the birthchart in ominous terms, e.g., malefic, evil aspect, debilitation, affliction, detriment, fall, destroyer of life, hell of the zodiac, and so on. Of course, there were "good" parts to astrology as well, such as benefics and exaltations, but these only served to underscore the determinism of the system. Planets were variously conceived as transmitters of mysterious rays or electromagnetic forces that impacted upon the individual at birth. Understandably, this induced individuals to focus their attention outwards to see what malice or affection the gods might have in store for them. The rigid determinism of traditional astrology did not allow for the possibility of change or growth in consciousness. Instead, people more likely consulted the stars as a means of avoiding a calamitous fate or of exploiting opportunities for manipulating circumstances to personal advantage.
The implication of traditional, event-oriented astrology was that the individual was a potential victim of an indifferent universe over which he had little or no control. Accordingly, astrologers were only too eager to give people what they wanted-predictions, advice, warnings, and simplistic solutions to what we now recognize to be complex, psychological problems. At best, traditional astrologers were well meaning individuals interested in the prediction of events and the description of character, and they did no harm. At worst, they were fear-peddling parasites that exploited the insecurities and anxieties of the people who purchased their services, and they did great harm.
The vast majority of mundane predictions about illnesses, accidents, divorces, shipwrecks, earthquakes, scandals, inheritances, marriages, job promotions, and the like, were utterly useless except to create an addiction to the astrologer whose pronouncements appeared to offer some promise of control over the events in question. But no astrologer could predict with certainty exactly what the events would be, under precisely what circumstances they would take place, or how they would affect the person. Especially lacking in such predictions was the meaning and purpose that the event might have beyond its immediate effects. What relationship did it have to the consciousness of the experiencer? What opportunities did it offer for self-insight and growth in awareness?
Likewise, the traditional astrologer's description of character was generally limited to superficial trait descriptions heavily laden with moral judgments and glib advice. At best, the astrologer confirmed what the individual already intuitively knew. At worst, the astrologer confused or upset the individual with interpretations that were shallow, insensitive, judgmental, overly negative, or just plain wrong. There was little if any attempt to address the deeper dimensions of the chart that hinted at unconscious beliefs and fundamental drives that underlay surface behavior. Character was seen as either static and unalterable, or easily modified by following the cosmically informed counsel of one's astrologer.
Such assumptions appear naive from the perspective of modern, depth psychology. We now recognize that while changing one's inborn character can be extraordinarily difficult, it can be achieved through courage, persistence, and hard work. In subsequent installments of this column, we will review how a psychologically informed astrology can assist that work.
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"Astrology is a religion inasmuch as it reveals the anatomy and psychology of God."
~ Manly Palmer Hall
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Glenn Perry,
Ph.D., MFT
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Glenn Perry, Ph.D., MFT
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
Director of the Association for Astrological Psychology
Board Member of the International Society of Astrological Research
Glenn Perry lectures and conducts workshops throughout the world on the application of astrology to the fields of counseling and psychotherapy.
He has written four books, including "Essays In Psychological Astrology," and teaches classes in Astro-Psychology at various colleges on the west coast.
Information on Glenn's books, tapes, and on-line mentorship program can be obtained at:
www.aaperry.com.
E-mail: aaperry@attbi.com
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