What Is Psychological Astrology?

By Glenn Perry

In many ways, astrology was the first psychology in that it constituted an early means for understanding the nature of the human being. Rooted in the premise that cosmos mirrors psyche, the ancients systematically observed how the nature and cycles of the planets corresponded to the nature and experiences of human beings. However, our progenitors practiced an exceedingly simplistic form of astrology in comparison to what we are capable of today.

Ancient and medieval astrologers were preoccupied with so-called "good" and "bad" planetary positions—malefic planets, evil aspects, debilitations, falls, afflictions, and other such ominous categories of meaning. While they were obviously aware that people were subject to a process of ageing that culminated in death, there was little or no concept of evolution, that is, of the psycho-spiritual growth of the individual. Because early astrologers were wedded to a fatalistic and deterministic model of the cosmos, it precluded them from appreciating how... learning and change can, in turn, alter fate. Accordingly, astrology was largely limited to superficial trait descriptions, fated events, and dubious predictions of good and bad times for various enterprises.

It wasn't until the first half of the 20th century, following Darwin and then Freud, that the concept of psychological growth and evolution actually entered public awareness. Unencumbered by presuppositions of a fixed character and unalterable fate, early psychologists grounded their theories in that which was observable—human physiology and outward behavior. From these early observations, psychologists developed theories of the human personality.

Psychology was not limited to merely describing types of personality. It was also capable of explaining how people change and develop over time. In this regard, psychology began to carve out territory that had not previously been explored in the field of astrology.

By the latter half of the 20th century, astrologers began incorporating psychological concepts into their thinking. Practitioners realized that they could benefit from the best of both worlds. By the end of the 20th century, innovators were exploring how Jungian, psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioral, and various other models might fruitfully be integrated into a new hybrid—AstroPsychology. This project is ongoing.

Psychological astrology is essentially a reformulation of contemporary astrology in terms of psychological concepts and practices. Perhaps the defining attribute of a psychological approach is its focus on integrating the birth chart and, thus, supporting the human potential for growth and change. Outside of this one primary focus there is no single, uniform approach, although almost by definition psychological astrology is transpersonally oriented.

As a transpersonal theory, psychological astrology adds significant breadth and depth to psychology, transforming it into a more spiritualized model that links psyche to cosmos and reconnects humanity with its divine heritage. In so doing, it challenges the deterministic presumption of psychology that consciousness is merely an epiphenomenon of its biological substrate and social milieu. Biological determinism and social determinism are but modern versions of the celestial determinism that characterized ancient astrology.

The point is that psychological astrology is decidedly not deterministic; rather, it regards the psyche as its own cause, an eternal, irreducible essence that is self-generating and capable of manifesting in biological and social conditions. This, in effect, is what the chart symbolizes---an exteriorization of the soul's pattern in terms of physiology, personality, and environment. From this perspective, the psyche is reflected in, but not caused by, the positions of the planets at the moment of birth.

In sum, psychological astrology is both a personality theory and a diagnostic tool. As a personality theory, it reveals how the structure and dynamics of the psyche are mirrored in external conditions. As a diagnostic tool, astrology provides unparalleled insight into the underlying, characterological issues that produce suffering. Perhaps the horoscope is best understood as an unfolding story in which fate is altered by the development and unfoldment of character.