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The Wessex Astrologer Ltd - Clare Martin

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152 pages

English

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This book, a transcript of the first term of Clare Martin's introductory course in astrology given for the Centre for Psychological Astrology, continues her clear, insightful and innovative presentation of the basics of astrological study. In this first of three volumes, the basic building blocks of astrological language are presented, not in the dry, 'cookbook' manner which mars so many astrology texts, but in the lively and relaxed format of the classroom. Questions from students punctuate the teaching, making the material accessible, fluent and immediately applicable to everyday life. The reader is taken on a fascinating journey through the solar system, the ancient planetary gods, and the energies and motivations symbolised by their astrological equivalents; and then through the signs of the zodiac, their elements and qualities, and the ways in which different planets express through them. The inclusion of the psychological dimension of human life, as well as the profound symbolism of alchemy as a parallel map of the individual journey, make this a fascinating in-depth exploration which will expand the understanding, not only of the student with no previous knowledge, but also of the most experienced astrological practitioner.

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Sociologie, société et politique

Astrology

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Publié par	The Wessex Astrologer Ltd
Date de parution	06 novembre 2020
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781910531174
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	5 Mo

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Mapping the Psyche
An Introduction to Psychological Astrology
Volume 1: The Planets and the Zodiac Signs
Clare Martin
Published in 2016 by The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, 4A Woodside Road Bournemouth BH5 2AZ www.wessexastrologer.com
Clare Martin 2016
Clare Martin asserts the moral right to be recognised as the author of this work.
Cover Design by Jonathan Taylor Cover picture, Emblema 5 Auri Potabilis Chimice Praeparati The tree of life and the influences of the heavens. 17th century engraving by Wolfgang Kilian (1581-1662), Augsburg US National Library of the History of Medicine
A catalogue record for this book is available at The British Library
ISBN 9781910531167 Previous edition by the CPA Press (2007) 9781900869324
No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher. A reviewer may quote brief passages.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Lesson 1: Introduction to the Planets
The Solar System
Planetary Symbols
Planetary Correspondences
Vertical Thinking
Lesson 2: The Cast of Characters
The Seven Planets of the Old World
The Sun
The Moon
Mercury
Lesson 3: Venus and Mars
Venus
Mars
Lesson 4: Jupiter and Saturn
Jupiter
Saturn
The Old World
Lesson 5: The Outer Planets
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
Chiron
Lesson 6: Introduction to the Signs of the Zodiac
The Zodiac in Time
The Symbols for the Zodiac Signs
Planetary Rulers of the Signs
Planets in Exaltation, Detriment and Fall
Lesson 7: Constructing the Zodiac
Number Symbolism
The Tetractys as a Developmental Model
Polarity in the Birth Chart
Lesson 8: Modes and Elements
Modes: Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable signs
The Four Elements
Lesson 9: The Fire and Earth Signs
Aries
Leo
Sagittarius
Taurus
Virgo
Capricorn
Lesson 10: The Air and Water Signs
Gemini
Libra
Aquarius
Cancer
Scorpio
Pisces
Bibliography and Recommended Reading
Introduction
Astrology is a form of imagination emerging from nature and having direct relevance for everyday life. It is an applied poetics, a vision of life on earth stimulated by movements in the heavens, which can take us into areas of self-reflection as no other system of symbols and images can. 1
Over the years of teaching introduction courses in astrology, I have often wondered why, in this day and age, when we should know better, so many of us continue to be drawn to astrology. When I ask a new group of students what brought them here at this time in their lives, I often get the impression that they have not chosen astrology but that it has chosen them. It is not uncommon to hear students say that they have been interested in astrology for years and, in a sense, have been resisting it for years, but have found that, in the end, it won t go away. And so we eventually find ourselves in a class, not really knowing what it will mean to us, if anything, or where it will take us, because something in us has decided that it is time to learn.
These classes are for that something in us which I have gradually come to think of as a kind of shamanic calling. Could it be that astrologers are actually chosen for their role by the spirits of the universe ? 2 Certainly, many of us have experienced the standard signatures of the shamanic calling: that astrology comes upon us in spite of ourselves; that we often attempt to avoid making a commitment to astrology, for the very good reason that astrology is a demanding vocation which we sense will change our lives forever; that as we become mediators between the worlds, with one foot in the other realms, we can no longer live fully in the world. Ultimately astrology is not a technique but an initiation into a way of life which, because of its mysterious familiarity, often feels like a coming home.
Astrology is a saving kind of knowledge, an apprehension of the mysteries which run deep in nature and in the individual, a transforming knowledge which can only be acquired through learning that is far beyond intellect alone. 3
Astrology and psychological astrology are difficult to define exactly. Perhaps astrology can best be described as a mythical and magical language and, as with all languages, every astrologer will develop their own way of interpreting and communicating its meaning. This course draws primarily on the work of C. G. Jung, who has given us a particular vocabulary which enables us to restore astrology to what I believe to be its rightful place, as one of the four great pillars of western esotericism, along with kabbalah, alchemy and magic. 4 In the esoteric traditions, the universe is perceived as an organic, alive and sacred whole, in which everything is woven together in one cosmic web, where all orders of manifest and unmanifest life are related, because all share in the sanctity of the original source . 5
For psychological astrologers the relationship between astrology and alchemy seems to be particularly significant. Historically, these twin sciences were not only strongly linked, but inseparable. The alchemists were practical people, and their approach is useful for the psychological astrologer since it encourages our active participation and personal engagement with the natal chart. In other words, there is a job to be done.
The basis of alchemy is that nature, and natural man, are not created perfect. In our original state, we are a confusion of spirit, soul and body , unconscious of ourselves to a large degree, and therefore, according to Jung, capable only of collective functioning. The astrological birth chart remains exactly the same for our entire lives. There is no guarantee that we will be any more integrated, evolved, or conscious by the time we die than when we were born. In our natural state we live under the sometimes tyrannical dominion of the planets. But what we do with our birth chart, and how we choose to live it, is up to us. A psychological approach works against our natural state in the service of increasing consciousness.
The alchemists were deliberately working against the natural order of things by helping nature do what she could not do for herself.
Nature does not produce anything that is perfect in itself; man must bring things to their perfection - this work is called alchemy ... Things are created and given into our hands, but not in the ultimate form that is proper to them... In the seed is inherent from the beginning the purpose and function... For alchemy means: to carry to its end something that has not yet been completed; to obtain the lead from the ore and to transform it into what it is made for. 6
Alchemy is fundamentally optimistic. The opus alchemicum not only changes, perfects or redeems Nature, but also brings to perfection human existence . 7
Like the alchemist and the magician, the psychological astrologer participates actively in a dialogue with nature. A psychological approach is not unlike the great work or magnum opus of the alchemists. Both involve a careful and deliberate cooperation in the task of creating consciousness. This is no easy option since it involves prolonged periods of self analysis, the courage to confront and integrate our own hidden darknesses, to recognise our self righteousness, defensiveness and deepest fears, and the decision to take personal responsibility for ourselves, rather than being content to live as passive victims of what we suppose to be our pre-determined fate .
The process of psychological differentiation is no light work; it needs the tenacity and patience of the alchemist, who must purify the body from all superfluities in the fiercest heat of the furnace. 8
The illusion that all our problems are caused by outside forces or can be blamed, for example, on our birth charts comes to an end when we start to take back our projections and to look at things from within. The process of individuation, of deliberately working against the natural order of things , leads to the creation of what Jung called the Self , an internal structure which gives us a feeling of standing on solid ground, on a patch of inner eternity which even physical death cannot touch .
The magnum opus had two aims: the rescue of the human soul and the salvation of the cosmos . 10 This means that, however small and unimportant our individual efforts may seem, we will nevertheless be playing our own small part in helping nature do what she is unable to do for herself:
Once a vision of life as an organic whole is accepted in principle, humanity becomes in one sense a co-creator with nature, in so far as it can foster, ignore or destroy its identity with nature, for nature s continued existence depends ultimately on the kind of consciousness we bring to bear on it. 11
Notes
1 . Thomas Moore, The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life.
2 . Caitlin Matthews, Singing the Soul Back Home: Shamanic Wisdom for Every Day.
3 . Frances A. Yates, description of Hermetic knowledge in Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition.
4 . Thorwald Dethlefsen, The Challenge of Fate, p.13.
5 . Anne Baring and Jules Cashford, The Myth of the Goddess, Preface, p.xi.
6 . Paracelsus, quoted in Inner Alchemy, Parabola, Volume III, Number 3.
7 . Mircea Eliade, Inner Alchemy, Parabola , Volume III, Number 3
8 . C. G. Jung, Psychology of the Transference, p.132
9. Marie Louise von Franz, C.G. Jung, His Myth in Our Time.
10 . C. G. Jung Speaking in a 1952 interview, Eranos Foundation.
11 . A. Baring and Jules Cashford, The Myth of the Goddess, p.681.
LESSON 1 Introduction to the Planets
The Solar System
The astrological tradition is thousands of years old, originating from the meticulous observations and careful recordings by the Mesopotamian priest/astrologers of the ever-changing positions of the seven planets visible to the naked eye, both in relation to each other and against the backdrop of the stars and constellations. A horoscope (or time map) is a representation of the positio