Our psyche is set up in accord with thestructure
of the universe, and what happens in the macrocosm likewise happens in the
infinitesimal and most subjective reaches of the psyche
--C.G.Jung
Memories, Dreams, Reflections
A New View of Depth Psychology’s Link to the Astrological Tradition
As a practicing astrologer, I have studied many books on
astrology but this new work by Richard Tarnas is by far the best one I have
read in many years. Tarnas, a respected
scholar and cultural historian, wrote his first book, The Passion of the
Western Mind, in 1991. It was a best seller and is still widely used in
universities today.
Tarnas describes his latest book, Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View, as
scandalous because it supports astrology by presenting the results of his 30
year long study of planetary alignments and how they correlate to historic
patterns of human culture. This work
outlines a fundamental transformation in the way we see and understand our
world. He combines astrology with Jung’s
theories of archetypes, the collective unconscious and synchronicity. I believe
that this book is destined to be a classic, not only among astrologers, but
philosophers, historians and students of culture as well.
Cosmos and Psyche builds on the work of Carl Jung's idea of
archetypes. Tarnas says, “We can define an archetype as a universal principle,
or force that affects—impels, structures, permeates—the human psyche and the
world of human experience on many levels. One could think of them in mythic
terms as gods and goddesses.” Essentially, archetypes are living symbols that
we all share. They reside in our psyche but they also manifest in the physical
world. Many contemporary astrologers see
the archetypes of modern psychology as a description of the planetary energies.
Astrologers have always believed that these planetary archetypes reside in us
and outside of us, hence the hermetic belief of “as above, so below.” Tarnas believes that, “The astrological
tradition can be seen as essentially continuing and deepening the depth
psychology project, to make conscious the unconscious to help free the
conscious self from being a puppet of unconscious forces.”
Astrologers find the archetypes in the natal chart and use
the movement of the planets around the natal chart, called transits, to
identify the maturing or transformation of the basic natal archetypes.
Astrological counseling helps to reveal the natal archetypes so that they
become more conscious to the client and also brings understanding of the
changes in their life based on the transits.
Of transits, Tarnas states that, “A considerable body of evidence
suggests that the movements of the planets named Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Mars,
and Mercury tend to coincide with patterns of human experience that closely
resemble the character of those planets’ mythical counterparts.”
In the main body of the work, Tarnas looks at world transits
and how planetary cycles of the outer planets; Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
and Pluto coincide with cultural and historical movements. His conclusion is that there does exist a
significant correspondence between planetary movements and human affairs.
As an example, Tarnas traces the Uranus/Pluto conjunctions
and oppositions from 318 BCE to show how
this cycle corresponded to radical mass movements for freedom. Uranus is The Great Awakener, the archetypal
symbol for individual freedom and creative ideas and Pluto is the symbol for
power and mass upheavals. In aspect,
these two dynamic archetypes fuse, combine and increase their force and
correspond to archetypally similar events on earth.
The most recent examples of Uranus/Pluto cycle are:
1. 1787-1798 – Uranus
Opposite Pluto. This was the time of
the French Revolution, which Tarnas describes as “an upsurge of tremendous
rebellious and liberating energies sweeping the world, with radical change
affecting many societies.” Also during
this time Mary Wollstonecraft’s published A
Vindication of the Rights of Women.
In the US,
Britain and France
there was the first widespread call for the abolition of slavery. The US
Constitution and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
were written during this period.
2. 1845 to 1856 – Uranus Conjunct Pluto. A wave of revolutionary upheavals in almost
every capital of Europe such as Paris,
Berlin, Vienna,
Budapest, Dresden,Badn,
Prague, Rome,
Milan occurred during these
years. The Communist Manifeso and Thoreau’s On the Duty of Civil Disobedience were written at this time. Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman led
antislavery efforts in the US
and the women’s rights movement began with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B.
Anthony. There were also upheavals in China..
3. 1896-1907 Uranus Opposite Pluto. There was a rise of radical labor movements
throughout Europeand North American and also the founding of socialist parties
in England, the
US, Russia
and France. Emma Goldman, Eugene Debs, Rosa Luxemburg,
Upton Sinclair and other reformers and radical leaders were active at this time. Other revolutionary activities were the Boxer
Rebellion in China,
the rise of revolutionary Chinese nationalist movements and the civil
disobedience movement led by Gandhi.
4. 1960-1972 - Uranus Conjunct Pluto. This period, as the examples above, coincided
precisely with a time of tremendous innovation and revolutionary impulses
across the world, with both great social upheaval and liberating change
occurring in many countries on the planet. During that time in the United
States we had the civil rights movement, the women’s rights movement, founding
of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the Freedom Riders, numerous
demonstrations and marches, the civil rights acts of 1965 and 1968 and the
hippies. There was also civil unrest all
over the globe. Tarnas predicts similar upheavals and liberating energies for
the next fifteen years starting in 2007 with the square
of Uranus and Pluto. The transit will bring about the next
evolution of the energies that were started in the Uranus/Pluto conjunction
period of 1960-1972.
Tarnas also traces historical events related to other
planetary cycles. For instance, he describes the Saturn/Pluto cycle which
culminated in the world trade center and pentagon attacks on Sep 11, 2001,
Saturn, the wise old man, is the archetype of the established order and
material structures and Pluto, the embittered man, is the archetype of power,
death, rebirth and transformation. He
traces the Uranus/Neptune cycle and the emergence of new religions. Uranus is the Great Awakener and Neptune represents our spiritual yearnings. The Jupiter/Uranus cycles heralded
breakthroughs in music and literature.
Jupiter is expansive, moving outside the boundaries and Uranus represents
new, free and creative energies.
As Tarnas describes these world transits, he also shows us
how the people who became identified with these events are those with natal
aspects that correspond to the aspects of the planetary cycle. In other words they share the same
archetypes. Some examples are Mary Wollstonecraft,
Susan B. Anthony and Gloria Steinem all born with Uranus Square Pluto. They contributed in a major way to the
Uranus/Pluto events during three of the eras when these planetary cycles were
eminent. It’s as if those of us with
certain natal planetary aspects are fated to take an important role in or be
highly influenced by the activities manifested during the planetary cycles that
match these aspects.
After all of his research, Tarnas came to the conclusion
that “The universe is a fundamentally and irreducibly interconnected whole,
informed by creative intelligence and pervaded by patterns of meaning and order
that extends through every level and that are expressed through a constant
correspondence between astronomical events and human events.” He believes that the universe is not only
conscious but it is also caring and sentient. I believe that the ideas in this
book will stimulate a paradigm shift in how we view the world and our place in
it, how we understand history and also how we can look to the future and see
what energies will be impacting the world in years to come.
Do yourself a favor a get a copy of the book. I promise you that it will dramatically
transform the way you view world history and culture.
Janet Hartley Kane
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