Belle-fille's Recorder

Deviating from my original "mission statement" of discussing the charts of people in the news, I'm taking a look at the chart of my belle-fille, Maylis (22.1.1977, 08.15, Amiens).

The French "belle-fille" and "belle-mere" (that's me!) sounds far nicer than the English daughter/mother-in-law, translating literally as beautiful daughter/mother. I like that!

Maylis's chart looks like an open mouth, eager to taste and take things in, and open ( perhaps sometimes vulnerable?) to meeting other people, and/or situations as well. I choose her chart to look at right now because she has created her own blog, http://maylisandhugh.blogspot.com

and she has an on-line gallery showcasing her photography: www.maylisphotgraphy.com

Maylis's chart shows heaps of talent which is embedded within the 3 Small Talent triangles she has: one in the lower, unconscious, hemisphere of the chart pinned by Mars, Venus & Jupiter, one is pinned by Moon, Mercury and Uranus, and spans Houses 2-9, and the other is in the upper, consious, hemisphere pinned by Saturn, Neptune & Pluto. The presence of a Small Talent Triangle in a chart suggests the person has a still-developing talent or ability. There is inherent potential to be had, but this has to consciously worked at so that the development of the talent is on-going throughout their lifetime. Maylis's talent appears - to me at least! - to be connected to photography and the use of image. Many of her photographs have a special "something" about them, and this I relate to the presence of both Neptune and Saturn (for practically "grounding" and manifesting the images that she sees - she learned to develop them herself too, before digital cameras came along) in the upper Talent triangle.

Look closer and you will see that this upper hemisphere aspect pattern does not stand alone; it is attached to a Search figure, and is actually a part of the larger quadrangular figure called a Recorder. This is described by the Hubers in "Aspect Pattern Astrology" as functioning like a recorder which "stores, among other things, feelings, situations and destinies, and can replay them in such a way that one imagines they are there."

What is interesting is that the Small Talent triangle in the lower half of the chart links directly into the Recorder, via Mars in Capricorn in the 12th House. Mars acts as a fulcrum, energising both upper and lower aspect patterns, and appears as the possible moving force not only in activating the talent embedded within her chart, but also as the driving force for the open mouth image.

Take a look at her on-line gallery, where you can also buy copies of her work, and see for yourself an example of how something that shows up in a chart can be expressed in real life. www. maylisphotography.com

"I don't do predictions"

An article with this title in a newsletter for professional astrologers set me thinking about this particular phrase, as it’s one that I use often when setting up a meeting with a client. The saying “I don’t do predictions” was something that a astrologer had picked up on. It had jarred with him when he’d heard a graduate of the Astrological Psychology Association - not me! - use this very phrase. His article with the “I don’t do predictions” title was about prediction of all kinds, and was not just aimed at astrology. It was well-reasoned and the points raised were clearly discussed. He comes from a scientific background; the APa graduate from an arts background. Having used this same phrase myself countless times, I understood where she was coming from - but could I understand his viewpoint as well? This set me thinking about prediction in general, both in the astrological context and in the wider framework of the scientific world.

Prediction and foretellingIf you look up the word “Prediction” in a dictionary, you will find its definition is “foretelling”. Literally, it means to “speak before” (pre-dict) an event. Most of us want daily predictions. We watch or listen to the weather forecast, and our lives are quite strongly influenced by predictions made by meteorologists. We will tuck an umbrella into a bag if rain is forecast without even thinking about it. But what about scientists who predict, for example, the effects of global warming? They have been doing this for countless years and yet it is only now that it has become headline news. Yes, global warming is happening. Of course, scientists can only predict trends and suggest possible outcomes, which is what I suppose those astrologers who do predictions would say!

And what about astronomers who always seem able to state categorically that the distance between Planet A and Planet B is so many million light years ? They are predicting or foretelling in a way. As a child I could never understand how they could know such things, state them publicly and be believed! How could they know? No-one ever having never travelled that distance before! It’s all based on scientific modelling and the knitting together of known facts. But don’t quote me on that.

Global eventsI have read in astrological journals about the workings of the planets, where transits for the coming months are discussed and interpretations made on their movements and positions and how these might relate to worldwide events. I am not trying to knock the skills and techniques used by the well-seasoned and experienced astrologers who write these articles - everyone has their own special interest. Yet the raging sceptic in me shouts “Why?!” Why bother to do this (apart, perhaps from engaging in a mental exercise) as more often than not what is predicted or foretold bears no resemblance to what actually happens. A couple of cases in point are the terrorist attack on the twin towers and the war in Iraq. The only occasion I recall over the past 20 years of an astrological prediction being spot on accurate was when veteran astrologer Dennis Elwell predicted the sinking of the “Herald of Free Enterprise” ferry off the coast at Zeebrugge. He had written to P&O Ferries well in advance of this event, warning them of dangers to shipping at this time; they ignored his warnings and the ferry went down with a huge and tragic loss of life.

Although I don’t do predictions, I can't close myself off from a large number of members of the astrological community just because they “do predictions”, and I don’t. I have many good astrological friends who are skilled at predictive techniques, and I embrace “astrodiversity” even though it leads down many paths I would not wish to follow. As a novice astrologer, I learned predicting techniques, and had to use and apply them as part of the course I was studying. I felt very uncomfortable when I tried to commit my findings to paper, in the form of a mock report aimed at the person whose chart I was looking at. Fortunately this was not for real, and was part of an assignment. I never did it for real. It just didn’t feel right. Stuck in a limbo where I could not progress further without embracing predictions, I heard Bruno and Louise Huber speak at a conference in the 1980’s and what they offered in the way of person-centred astrological psychology struck a profound chord for me.

Four questionsLouise spoke of four different questions about astrology. These were:

1) Future 2) Character 3) Development 4) Meaning of Life

• FutureLouise suggested that Saturn rules questions about the future. People ask “What will happen to me?” or “What does the future hold for me?” There is a fear of the future, a need to know what is just around the corner, a need to be in control and a dependence on being told what will happen by the astrologer. Methods used in answering such questions are prediction, and the use of progressions and transits. It is a formative part of any astrologer’s learning experience to experiment with progressions and transits.
• Character
  Louise saw questions about character traits being ruled by the Moon. People will ask the astrologer to elaborate on what problems they have, or what abilities they have. They are more in touch with their emotional needs and seek clarification for these areas of their lives. The methods used to answer such questions will be to apply character analysis together with some psychological methods, drawing perhaps of the work of Freud and Jung and using other techniques such as Gestalt and Transactional Analysis.
• DevelopmentBy this, Louise meant personal development. Here the Sun rules. Questions might be about independence, autonomy and freedom. The person will ask “What can I do to reach self-realisation?” Methods used to answer these questions would be Psychosynthesis and the Huber Method which involves the whole chart and person, the 5 levels of human existence, the aspect structure as life motivation, the integration of the three-fold personality, the Dynamic Calculations, the House Chart and Age Progression. Here we are moving away from the “stuckness” of Saturn and the emotional responses of the Moon. We enter the realm ruled by the Sun, which represents the mind, the decision-making process and the will. If we can claim our Sun, and become truly autonomous, we will not need to ask an astrologer “What does the future hold for me?” as we’ll be out there creating it for ourselves!
• Meaning of LifeThese are the questions where the transpersonal planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto rule. The questions are deep and penetrating and include such topics as “Where am I coming from and where am I going?” and “What is the meaning of my life?” Methods used to answer these questions include esoteric astrology, which gives an understanding of the evolution of humankind. Transformation and spiritual crises would be considered along with the laws of spiritual growth. The circle in the centre of the chart would be used, plus the Low Point experience, the Moon Node chart and the use of all three charts in an astrological counselling session. These questions take us beyond the realm of the Sun and our own autonomy and move us towards asking “What can I do that will make a difference to my family, my society, and ultimately to the world?”

Code of Ethics
Still thinking of what set my mind turning over this “I don’t do predictions” statement, I am reminded of the APA Code of Ethics. Written by Bruno Huber and used by APA since it was founded in 1983, it includes the following clause:

“We regard astrology exclusively as a diagnostic tool, with which we recognise differences in character, problems of the human psyche and of psychological-spiritual development. Thus, astrological knowledge should above all be used to gain self-knowledge and as therapeutic help, as well as a means for solving conflicts - and not for prediction of the future.”

Did I get to understand where the scientists might be coming from? Well, yes, in a way I did. I know many people with a scientific background and I listen to and respect the views and opinions of those with a scientific background – and in turn I expect them to listen to and respect me, and my astrology. But some aspects of the scientific do seem to smack of the sterner side of Saturn - certainty laced with a shot of rigidity, stirred well with plenty of facts. Then modelled to perfection to present a forecast or prediction which many people in positions of power hang on to tightly. The good news is that more leading edge scientists are beginning to agree that things cannot be so cut and dried, that science is not always right because there are things that can’t be explained - so those transpersonal planets are maybe doing their bit in ways we cannot yet begin to imagine!

As for astrological predictions, cue here the development of the Sun - the individual, the self, the will, the autonomy of the person, the ability to choose and create our own lives - and enter the essence of the Transpersonal planets which will help us understand what really is the meaning of our lives.

Astrological psychology - how to start with a chart

If I'm going to be commenting on the charts of other people, it seems only right that the playing field should be level to begin with, and that I should show my own chart and say a few things about it. I've been studying it, learning about it and better understanding it - and myself - for the past 23 years, and one of things that I and other tutors of API (UK) always do at the start of our workshops is to put our own chart up for the group and talk about it. So here is mine.

Visual image is where we start from - and even non-astrologers can do this! The coloured aspect lines in the central area of the chart, pointing towards the Moon, can be viewed as a bird's beak, the inquisitive nose of a small mammal, or as a the nose cone of a rocket. There is a sense of movement, of going somewhere with purpose; yes, this is me!

The colour of the red/green/blue aspect lines show the quality of energy available to the individual. If each colour is counted in my chart there is a predominance of red. Red aspects indicate activity, "doing" energy; green aspects confer awareness and sensitivity and blue ones indicate the ability to rest, relax and enjoy the moment. I have only two blue so it's not easy to sit back and do nothing - the excess of red aspects means I always want to be on the go, and find it harder to switch off and relax. This is all part of my unconsious inner motivation.

The shape that the aspect lines make is predominantly triangular. Again, this says a lot about my motivation. Triangular shapes (known as Aspect Patterns) show a motivation which is flexible, adaptable and able to go with the flow.

The overall direction the aspect lines and patterns take is predominantly horizontal, indicating that I am more interested in making contact with people, and working with them, than in carving out a prominent niche for myself. People come first, and have always been part of my work and professional life.

Which part of the chart has the greatest concentration of planets? Left or right? Top or bottom? Without a doubt, the left, or "I" side of my chart is packed with planets. This suggests I need my own space, and that I am focussed on knowing and developing myself. All true...but what about the horizontal direction of my chart, the working with people? The Moon - the planet at the "nose cone" end of the rocket - is the only one on the right, or "You" side, and it acts as the part of my personality which is sensitive to the needs of others. And on the "You" or "people person" side of the chart it is a very useful tool indeed to have there.

For more details on how to look at charts in this way, see tabs at the top of the page giving info on all my books and books by Bruno and Louise Huber on Astrological Psychology and visit the APA website for details of courses and training offered in Astrological Psychology.

What is astrological psychology?

Based on 50 years of extensive research and developed by Swiss astrologers/psychologists Bruno & Louise Huber, Astrological Psychology combines the best of traditional astrological knowledge with modern growth psychology, providing a powerful tool for self-understanding and psychological and spiritual growth.

Astrological Psychology is not about predicting the future, nor is it about telling people what to do or how to live their lives. It offers an immediate and illuminating method of using astrology, which is practised professionally by astrological counsellors and psychologists and those in the helping professions, as well as students of the Huber Method who use it for themselves.

The Huber Method is taught throughout the English-speaking world by the Astrological Psychology Association, and it gives people insights into their strengths and weaknesses, what makes them tick and which areas of life offer the greatest potential.

Using astrological psychology, this blog will offer observations and commentary on the charts and lives of people in the news.