|
Each one of us is a reflection of the entire cosmos
as it exists in space and time at the moment of our birth. This means
that each one of us contains the pattern of the entire cosmos within.
The archetypal [19], or universal, symbolism of each
planet is modified and personalised according to its placement in our
birth charts. In this way, the planets will function as a unique, personalised,
cast of characters. Each planet has its own personality, motivation,
attitude, desires, goals and expressions, right down to its own way
of walking and talking, its own body posture and the particular clothes
it wears! Roberto Assagioli, the founder of Psychosynthesis, believed
that we each contain a multiplicity of selves, or ‘sub-personalities’. [20] “Each
of us is a crowd...and in every corner of my soul there is an altar
to a different god.” [21] The
problem, as Jung pointed out, is how to find ourselves in the crowd.
The astrologer’s task is to assess how the archetypal
meaning - or ‘eternal pattern’ - has become modified and personalised
for each individual. This careful analysis lies at the heart of the
art and craft of psychological astrology, with its goal of promoting
self awareness and psychic integration, since almost invariably, at
least a few of our planets, or sub-personalities, will have become
distorted along the way, and will be functioning in a negative, defensive
or self-destructive way, or will have fallen into the unconscious so
that we are unaware of the power they hold over us. We need to honour
all the planetary gods on their own terms, lay our offerings on the
steps of each of their temples in order to appease them and gain their
support. The psychological astrologer attempts to identify which planets
may have become distorted or degraded. It is possible to enter into
a dialogue with all the planets in order to promote a deeper, more
profound and empowering relationship to them. At the core of each planet
lies its pure archetypal quality, along with vital and creative elements
of our being. We do have the potential to access the ‘gifts of the
planetary gods’, however negative they may seem to us at first.
|
