Astrology and the Modern Psyche: An Astrologer Looks at Depth Psychology

by Dane Rudhyar

This unique book provides a rare perspective on the development of both modern astrology and modern psychology and on their increasingly dynamic relationship. It deals with the fundamental issues of astrological psychology in a way that makes it required reading for students of this exciting field. Especially valuable is the astrological discussion of Depth-Psychology's pioneers with special emphasis on Jung's concepts. In addition, the sections on the astrologer's role as a consultant and on astrology as an aid to self- development make this book immediately useful for all students of astrology.

Genres: Astrology

182 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1976

About the author

French-American astrologer, one of the most noted and respected astrologers of the 20th century.

He was called a modern renaissance man for his ability to express himself in many fields; music, painting, poetry, philosophy and metaphysics.

He wrote for national magazines since the '30s and was the author of many books.

Reviews

[Yitzchok · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing and insightful book that I read exactly when I really needed to hear these concepts. I read part of it on Rosh Hashonna 2016 and it changed my outlook in a very positive way.

Excerpts from “Astrology and The Modern Psyche” –By Dane Rudhyar
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The Astrological Chart: A Path to Harmony and Wholeness

What I am discussing here is the process of development toward harmony and wholeness, a process which must take into consideration everything the chart contains and which is oriented toward an intuitional perception of the chart as a whole. The chart is a “chord” of energies and functions.

…There is nothing “spectacular” in any birth-chart. None is inherently “better” or “more fortunate” than any other. Some depict a relatively smoother path than others, but every person has latent within him the power necessary to harmonize his personality. …If the task is harder, the power is commensurably greater: the proportion between the difficulty and the power necessary to overcome it is basically the same in all individuals.

…He, (Dr. Kunkel), adds these characteristic words: “What does G-d want you to discover, or to understand, or to do? This question is the first beginning of your spiritual reaction.”

Astrologically speaking, this means: What does this birth-chart want me to discover, to understand, to do? Why these squares? To what refusal to act or refusal to understand and be illumined do they refer?

And as this progressed Sun of mine meets my natal Neptune, what mysterious alchemy of consciousness must I learn to perform; with what metamorphosis of ego must “I” cooperate?

“I” that am ego, yet far more than ego; “I” that am the potentiality of total, all-inclusive Selfhood. – Pages: 128-129
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Good and Better: “Better” Mistaken for “Evil”

To be objective toward the things one likes and to one’s ego implies a process of severance which, in turn, necessitates (almost inevitably) suffering and the experience of evil and contradiction. Evil, as understood in the European tradition, is G-d’s adversary. It is G-d inverted or negated. Evil perpetually stands against all established and therefore static values – against what we normally consider as peace, law and order, health and happiness. But just because it denies what is, evil can be necessary to force us to give up the “good” for the “better”.

“Something good is unfortunately not eternally good, for otherwise there would be nothing better. If the better is to come, then the good must stand aside.” – Jung

In its very first manifestation, the “better” often takes on the appearance of evil, because it is thrown out of correct perspective and deviated by its occurring within an irrelevant frame of reference. This produces fear in the minds and souls still bound to this now obsolete frame of reference; they react violently and senselessly, thus giving to the first unsteady and inchoate manifestation of the new character of evil. Indeed, the evil nature of any new life-development consistent with human growth is an expression of the resistance and the fears of those forces (in society or the individual) whose privileged position depends on the preservation of the old order.

In astrology, this resistance and the fight necessary to overcome it are represented by planetary squares. – Pages: 121-122
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Fear into Faith

Of all the great enemies of man, the greatest is fear. We have seen how fear arises in the process of development of the personality when the maturing individual finds himself confronted by the shadow cast by his refusal to constructively face the challenges of a new order of life and consciousness.

…The devoted and eager (perhaps over-eager!) practice of astrology in relation to one’s own life often tends to give rise to an insistent, even if elusive, fear: the fear of “bad” aspects. The fervent and concentrated study of one’s own birth-chart and progressions must of necessity intensify whatever the chart contains. The personality’s attention being consciously focused upon the potentialities which the chart reveals, these potentialities are thereby impelled to actually manifest with greater vigor. Anyone put in the spotlight reveals himself at his best or at his worst! Light is energy; consciousness releases power. To be conscious of a possibility ahead is to activate its coming to a focus of manifestation.

The essential point is, however, that no such possibility includes as a predetermined and set factor the human meaning of what it will be when actualized. Any possibility can become either a positive or a negative actuality. Fear tends to make of it a negative manifestation; faith turns it into a positive fact. Fear, as a first reaction or impression, may not be avoidable; yet, if fear can be transmuted into faith before the potentiality becomes an actuality, no harm need be done.

Indeed, it is by means of the repeated transmutations of fear of impending changes into faith in the creative spirit of renewal that personality reaches individual maturity and power; for to reach maturity is to have won over the fear of responsibility and of losing oneself into a greater Self. …The true life of personality is a life of ever-renewed victory; there are no final victories.

The central problem of the education to personality is therefore the transmutation of fear into faith. Astrologically speaking, this means acquiring a constructive attitude to one’s “bad” aspects, and to any so-called evil or unfortunate features in one’s birth-chart. Whoever develops or stresses a negative attitude of fear with regard to any and all such astrological factors rouses, consolidates, and gives added power to the Shadow. “The meeting with the Shadow” is the meeting with oneself – but, if one faces oneself with courage and with faith in the Self, the Shadow vanishes. It vanishes when caught between two lights: the light of one’s courage and the radiance of G-d’s Grace. – Pages: 123-124
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Yitz: In the Progressed Moon Phases I see the seven year period’s between New Moon to First Quarter and Full Moon to Last Quarter as the establishment of the new order. This is a time of “good” with a direction, purpose and established order. Then the First or Last Quarter strikes with its Square and it breaks up the established order and what we perceived as “good”.

The Seven year period’s between First Quarter and Full Moon and Last Quarter to New Moon is one of turmoil as we struggle to let go of the old order that we established. This is where Jung’s quote is being actualized:

“Something good is unfortunately not eternally good, for otherwise there would be nothing better. If the better is to come, then the good must stand aside.” – Jung

It is the time when we struggle with the results of the square and letting go of ingrained habits and ways of thinking in order to arrive at the next level of our growth, the “better” which we can manifest at the New and Full Moons. As Dane Rudhyar states:

“The true life of personality is a life of ever-renewed victory; there are no final victories.”

This is also true of Major planetary transits, Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, etc. that Square our natal planets. They are here to help us change from good to better. It is fear of change that makes these periods so stressful. Change of our routines, change of our comforts, of our security and our ways of being that we have settled into. The key struggle is turning fear into faith.

Look at the seasons. Nature is constantly changing with four major turning points each year. Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. At each stage there is a major investment or development in a process of growth. Budding trees, flowers, fruits, etc during Spring. Then their blossoming during Summer. Their faltering and dying during Fall. Hibernating and regenerating during Winter in order to prepare for the next cycle. Think of fear and faith in terms of the seasons. Does it make sense for the Summer to Fear Fall? Or Winter to Fear Spring?

When we can accept that life is an evolving journey from establishing good to letting go in hopes of better: Of continual growth which requires change and challenge to foster personal elevation. When we strive to incorporate a perspective of faith instead of fear, then we can more joyfully and peacefully accept life’s changing seasons.

The key is to accept and embrace life’s (and astrological) squares with equanimity and faith. To focus and reiterate to ourselves that this is a continual journey from Good to Better. …Or at least strive to do so as much as we can.
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3 Key Points to Review from Book Excerpts

All Charts are Created Equal
1. “None is inherently “better” or “more fortunate” than any other. Some depict a relatively smoother path than others, but every person has latent within him the power necessary to harmonize his personality. …If the task is harder, the power is commensurably greater”

Squares or Challenges are not “Evil” but rather the “Better” replacing the “Good” which we are accustomed to and sometimes cling to.
2. “Something good is unfortunately not eternally good, for otherwise there would be nothing better. If the better is to come, then the good must stand aside.” – Jung
Indeed, the evil nature of any new life-development consistent with human growth is an expression of the resistance and the fears of those forces whose privileged position depends on the preservation of the old order. …In astrology, this resistance and the fight necessary to overcome it are represented by planetary squares.”

Ongoing Life Journey to Turn Fear into Faith
3. “Fear tends to make of it a negative manifestation; faith turns it into a positive fact. Fear, as a first reaction or impression, may not be avoidable; yet, if fear can be transmuted into faith before the potentiality becomes an actuality, no harm need be done. …The true life of personality is a life of ever-renewed victory; there are no final victories. The central problem of the education to personality is therefore the transmutation of fear into faith. …If one faces oneself with courage and with faith in the Self, the Shadow vanishes. It vanishes when caught between two lights: the light of one’s courage and the radiance of G-d’s Grace.
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[Michaella Montana · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What’s happening” and “what’s going on?” are questions that beings have been asking since the beginning of consciousness. It can seem impossible to know everything happening on the planet, but when looking up at the sky, there is a certain relief in the clarity of the configurations that those who look up can trace. Thus, astrology exists deep in the archetypal past of humanity, ever since beings perceived the night sky.

This perception of the sky is reflected in language as Rudhyar etymologically reminds us that “’To consider’ (from sidera, stars) literally means to commune with the stars. It is to feel, think, and act in terms of the vibrant wholeness of any moment, of any situation, and of our individual nature”(p.129). Because of this, astrology can be understood as psychological, and this connection is what Rudhyar eloquently details in this book. His words are so good I quoted quite heavily in this review, but hopefully they can provide some ideas for astrological “consideration” for anyone interested in astrology and psychology. And thank you for considering this review :)

Okay so one might think, just because people have been looking up at the sky to look for order for a long enough time to make it archetypal in evolution doesn’t actually make an astrology chart “true” scientifically. Also, why the birthchart sky anyway?

Well there are certain patterns across humanity that everyone shares. The emerging from a womb is a common experience on birthdays and that first breath outside the mother is an archetypal experience of individual existence. This is why the birthday is important to individuation because it is the first experience on one’s own. This is an ongoing process of becoming through the individual-collective polarity. Thus astrology is more of a rooted language that shows archetypal similarities around human development than a science needed to be proven by statistics.

To make this case for the astrological psyche, Rudhyar has to find a psychology to pair with astrology, thus there is a discussion of the evolution of psychology to then meet with the astrology that can be considered archetypally and wholistically useful. He includes analyses of the psychologists’ astrology charts, such as Freud, Jung, Adler, Kunkel, Moreno, and Assaglioli, while extracting the relevant themes for the psychology that could be astrological. Jung is for sure the favorite, so this review will mostly just include Jungian concepts.

Rudhyar writes “(Jung) has established a ‘new’ frame of reference for psychological thinking; and, as psychology is destined to assume an ever-increasing function in the evolution of human thought, a new civilization- now struggling toward adequate formulations and concrete manifestations in the fabric of social and personal living- is and will be profoundly indebted to Carl Jung” (p. 20).

These themes have been confusing to me for a while, but through the framework of astrology Rudhyar has created a golden thread through some of the most confusing subjects in depth psychology. The chapters are a combination of essays, all offering perspectives on how astrology can be applied to the changing modern psyche.

The Jungian concepts of collective unconscious, archetypes, individuation, Self and dreams can be applied to the birthchart. The way Rudhyar digested Jung for the sake of studying astrology gives clarity to both astrology and psychology. Somehow when one puts two subjects together the result is sometimes more clear than either one alone.

The first Jungian psychological concept to consider astrologically is the collective unconscious.

To describe the Jungian concept of the collective unconscious, Rudhyar writes:

“Above all, Jung differentiates between a ‘personal’ unconscious (Freud’s subconscious) and a ‘collective’ unconscious…Freud (at least at that time) insisted on limiting himself to the field of personal conflicts having recognizable causes in the objective events of an individual’s early life. Jung, on the other hand, began to probe into the common humanity of all human beings, that is, into the psychic heritage the past ages of human evolution have bequeathed to every new born individual.” (p. 20-21).

Why is this Jungian collective unconscious important to astrology? Well as stated before, individuality emerges from unconsciousness the same way a baby emerges from the womb. You can’t have consciousness without unconsciousness, and all humans share the stages of unconsciousness in the ontogeny recapitulating phylogeny way. This is why we feel astrology to be true unconsciously, in that it feels like we are remembering an archetype from the collective unconscious, even if it seems we are just doing confirmation bias in astrology.

Further, the understanding of the collective unconscious is important to astrology in connecting the planets to archetypal meanings, for archetypes are common structures in the collective unconscious.

Rudhyar suggests that “Planets up to and including Saturn (are) “planets of the conscious” and planets beyond are “planets of the collective unconscious” (p.23). Saturn is thus important as the meeting between conscious and unconscious, between individual structure and collective unconscious. Rudhyar suggests that “Saturn means structure and where anything fits in structure- thus a thing’s place in a man or a definite, rhythmic, schedule and process. Because of this, all astrology is actually based on the Saturn function, for what the natal chart does is simply to establish your place in the space-time unfoldment of the solar system. It shows where you fit and your fitness for whatever happens to you.” (p. 135).

Thus Saturn is both the structure of astrology and the definer of the individual meeting between all conscious and unconscious contents- the astrology chart being a content of the collective unconscious as well. Then the trans-saturnian planets “Uranus, Neptune and Pluto refer to the less tangible zone surrounding the well-defined body- to the aura, to those functions which relate the strictly physical organism to the larger cosmic whole- say the galaxy.” (p.134)

However, before delving into the planetary symbolism psychologically we still need to understand archetypes and how the birthchart itself is an archetype.

Archetypes

Archetypes are structures in the collective unconscious, hence the necessity of the discussion of the foundation of the collective unconscious detailed above.

Rudhyar writes “Archetypes are, in Jung’s philosophy, focal points or fields of force in the collective unconscious; that is, they are images determining and controlling the most fundamental activities of what we have called ‘man’s common humanity.’ They express the most primordial and most common responses of all human beings to a few basic situations; and they appear as symbolic images in our dreams, as well as in all myths or religious conceptions.” (p.30).

Looking up to the night sky for a feeling of understanding is an ancient response of human beings to the chaotic uncertainty of earthly life and who one is, therefore it is an archetypal experience. This doesn’t mean that it is a scientifically provable process or that it is predictable. It reflects an inherited psychological yearning for understanding.

Rudhyar thus clarifies that archetypes are not literally predictive. He writes: “What is important to realize, however, is that only their(archetypes) form is determined, not their contents; that their ‘ultimate core of meaning may be delimited but never described (Rudhyar quoting Jung, CW, V. 9i, p. 267)”(p.30). Similarly, the astrology charts show form rather than concrete predictions of the factual contents of life.

Studying the birthchart as an archetype therefore is a meeting between unconscious and conscious, because the “birthchart is an archetype in the unconscious, perhaps the most powerful of all archetypes...because it is based upon mankind’s primordial experience of the sky- a wondrous realization of transcendental order in the midst of a life of earthly chaos.” (p.31-32).

In other words it helps answer the questions, who am I and what is going on? The act of studying the sky is archetypal, and the subject of this experience, the birthchart, is also an archetype. Rudhyar writes “For a person to study his birth-chart means to discover the order of the sky at the root of his being.” (p.32). We are archetypally cosmic and the act of realizing this is also archetypal.

Further, the planetary symbols of astrology can also be seen as archetypal. Rudhyar writes: “because these are common human structures of all individuals, because the experience of the sky is fundamental in human experience and touches the very roots of human consciousness, and because all human beings strive, however varied the roads they follow, toward one single evolutionary purpose which is both the central self and the Image of God in every individual, the symbols of astrology have a universal validity.” (p.43).

What I like about this idea is that everyone has all the planets and signs, so there can be commonality rather than divisiveness in studying this subject that is at the root of the desire for understanding. And because birthcharts are archetypes in the collective unconscious, every person has this understanding latent within them. Truly astrology then can be about remembering one’s individuality.

Further, as a structure, “Astrology tells you what ‘may’ be actualized, not what ‘will’ happen, but because it can reveal the inherent structural order of an individual’s selfhood, it can ‘educate’ this individual in meeting the confrontations of his everyday life with orderliness and objectivity-that is, in terms of what Zen calls his ‘fundamental nature’. The true astrologer is a specialist in structural values concerning personality unfoldment, a specialist in human destiny.” (p.178).

Anima and Ego

In addition to relating the archetypes of the conscious and collective unconscious to the pre-saturnian and post-saturnian planets, Rudhyar relates Jungian concepts of anima and ego to astrology- anima as lunar compensation in Saturn-moon pair.

How do the moon and Saturn act together consciously?

Rudhyar writes “As long as the ego rules as the center of personality, and as long as the remote planets Uranus and Neptune do not succeed in challenging and dissolving the Saturnian grip over the personality, Saturn controls the release of solar energy (or universal spirit) through the forms periodically built by the Moon (the physiological and the ego-ruled structures of the body and consciousness)”(p.40).

One might say, but the moon is the earth’s satellite and therefore not trans-saturnian and thus not part of the collective unconscious as an archetype like the Jungian anima. Can the moon be both part of consciousness with Saturn and part of the collective unconscious as anima?

Rudhyar thinks so.

He writes: “The other aspect of the Moon is Luna, the power behind the internalized manifestations of the life-force- the anima of men and the animus of women.”(p.42).

Rudhyar brilliantly suggests that the moon can act as the anima in compensatory action to the saturnian ego as the moon can contain light from the sun that was channeled through the collective conscious planets Uranus, Neptune and pluto that Saturn didn’t realize yet.

Rudhyar writes, “The challenge of the collective unconscious to the ego-centered consciousness operates primarily under the power of Uranus. But while Uranus is the challenger, the energy liberated by the challenge is also released by the Moon. All life-energy comes essentially from the Sun, but it is released in a differentiated form by the Moon.” (p.40).

Thus the moon can be part of both conscious and unconscious, in the same way Saturn links the conscious and unconscious. This is also why the anima is so linked to technology in compensation for too much persona and ego (Saturn).

Individuation

Individuation is emerging from the collective unconscious as a defined and conscious person, beginning with the first breath and ongoing in development throughout ones life. This includes transits and the constant polarity between the saturnian and trans-saturnian planets.

Again there is necessary polarity between conscious and unconscious for the psyche. Rudhyar writes “(The process of individuation) is universal because it is based upon the cyclic interaction and the constant struggle between the two poles of life- individual and collective.” (p.23).

The first breath is out of the womb of the mother, and into the celestial mother of the sky, thus individualizing out of generic human nature into individual nature. Individuation is then continuous throughout an individual’s life as the saturnian ego keeps emerging from the unconscious polarity and differentiates and personalizes collective contents.

However, the process of individuation including the individual and collective can sometimes be confused with identity, thus the need for the distinction between the individual and the Self- another Jungian term.

The Self

When we study the birth chart it can sometimes seem “self-centered” as we try to figure out who we are. When understanding the birthchart the idea of the Self from Jung is helpful. Who is this “I” that is searching for how to know him/herself? Is the ego the I that is conscious of itself?

Rudhyar states, “The ego is not the center of consciousness, but is a frame of reference in relation to which the raw data of experience becomes conscious” (p.95). Saturn is a structure of consciousness that makes the experiences conscious rather than the consciousness itself. Saturn also makes the archetype of the astrology chart conscious and allows for experiences to become conscious through the lens of the chart.

The relationship between the saturnian ego and experiences is what brings consciousness. Rudhyar writes “Consciousness (as known to man) is a relationship between subject and object, between the “I” and the world- both inner world and outer world” (p.85). It’s interesting how Saturn can make conscious both the inner experiences from the inner “planets of the consciousness” up to Saturn and the outer planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Consciousness is a product of the relational filtration.

If consciousness is a result of relationship, then what is the Self? Is it the Sun?

Rudhyar says “the visible Sun, however, should not be considered as the Self. It is only the point of release of the energy of the Self.” (p. 91) The Saturnian ego and moon structure the distribution of this energy normally, but there is energy stored in the collective unconscious planets too that sometimes builds up which can be released through the lunar anima.

So then what is the Self?

Rudhyar writes “The Self can only be symbolized in it’s essential reality by space-space in fullness of being” (p.91). This makes it a nice fit for astrology because the birthchart is basically space. Here again we see how astrology can help clarify the concepts from Jung while also being clarified by Jung.

The Self contains the saturnian ego in the relational space of the astrology chart, but also contains the pull of the galaxy and beyond. It is thus a dynamic form of space, one could think of it as being alive.

Rudhyar writes:
“The solar system, with the Sun at its core, is a cosmic unit and, in a symbolic sense at least, a ‘living organism.’ It is for this reason that, by studying the related cyclic motions of the planets, the astrologer can understand better, and to some extent foresee, the periodic ebbs and flows of life and consciousness within a human being. (p.150).

Thus, as one views the solar system as an organism, one can apply that feeling of vitality from the birth chart to the dynamic life of the astrology client.

Dreams

The final Jungian concept that can inform an astrological practice is that of dreams. Dreams come from the collective unconscious planets, thus are links to the galactic space of self. Rudhyar describes three types of dreams: Uranian, Neptunian and Plutonian.

“The Uranian type of dream is a direct challenge to the narrowness, self-satisfied inertia, selfishness or ruthlessness of the saturnian ego.” (p.155).

‘Neptune… answers by dreams to any disturbance in or danger to the complex functions performed by Jupiter.” (p.156).

“(Plutonian dreams) may be the projections and symbols of profound experiences of self-renewal and of expansion of the very essence of self” (p.156).

A study of the birthchart could help deepen contact with dreams, maybe relaxing the saturnian ego and allow room for the messages from the collective unconscious planets of self, as one can recognize the messages from Uranus, Neptune and pluto. Dreams can thus help the fulfillment of Self through the polarity of the collective, and also helping the interaction between conscious and unconscious for integration. One can then respect the structure of the saturnian ego without being limited and defined by it, allowing room for the space of Self.

Rudhyar concludes with the message:

“For we are all our own most basic problem; and astrology should help us meet it objectively and serenely, without evasion and without the sense of insecurity that our intellectual ego can create” (p.182).

Writing this review was a challenge to my insecure intellectual ego but since the subject contained the trans-saturnian planets I hope the result was a galactic filtration that could be useful to those looking to integrate psychology and astrology.

Through reading this book one can get a sense of why astrology “works” psychologically. Astrology is an archetypal gift from the collective unconscious that gives form to our being, helping us emerge out of the unconsciousness only to then relate back to the unconscious in an ongoing oscillation of spatial Self-becoming. Astrology is both clarified by modern psychology and gives clarity to modern psychology. The only addition I might have wanted from the book would be a discussion directly applying depth psychology to the houses, including the interaction of the saturnian and trans-saturnian houses in each case, but something tells me that can be found in other works by Rudhyar.

From outer space to the words in this book, Rudhyar shows that Astrology and the Modern Psyche truly are a match made in heaven.