Astrology for Babies: The Family Model

The Family Model is a technique exclusive to the Huber Method of Astrological Psychology, and it can be very helpful for parents to understand something of what this indicates in the charts of their own babies. This could be especially so for new parents, but the Family Model is relevant at all stages of development, from childhood and way into teenage years. The Family Model of parents and child is represented in the chart by the Sun (Father), Saturn (Mother) and Moon (child).

The Sun represents the outgoing, independent and leadership qualities which the child will look for and seek to emulate as it becomes less dependent on the care and protection of the mother. This normally starts to happen when the child reaches the age of 3 or 4, when he or she seeks independence and tests out how far it's possible to travel away from the security and symbiotic relationship with the mother. Ideally, the Sun is positioned in the upper half of the chart, the higher the better.

Saturn represents the mother figure who provides security and safety for the child as it grows and develops. She is the person who instills in the child the guidelines to help it fit into the world and environment into which it has been born; she sets the limits and boundaries and reminds the child to clean its teeth, wash its hands etc. She makes the child's physical well-being and survival her priority. The love which is vital to the development of every child comes from other aspects of the mother's personality, but it is the mothering and caring, mentoring principle which is associated with Saturn. Because Saturn is concerned with stability and security, it is best placed in the bottom half of the chart.

The Moon is representative of the baby or child itself. It responds to and in the moment, often picking up and mirroring what it senses from the environment. Babies and children have many needs, and the Moon represents the emotional needs which, in young babies and children, are indicated through gurgles, tears, laughter and happy mimicking of the sounds they hear as they develop language and an understanding of the world around them. The child needs to develop and grow through contact with others, so contact and love are vital. The Moon is best placed along the horizontal I/You axis of the chart, in the area of the Ascendant/Descendant, where it will be able to relate to others most effectively and reflect on how this applies to itself.

The "ideal" placement of Sun, Moon and Saturn doesn't happen too often as the child learns and grows through experiencing an environment which will spur it on to move forward and develop in life rather then be presented with something "perfect" to begin with. The Sun might be at the bottom of the chart, Saturn at the top, and the Moon anywhere else in between! The different positions of these planets can offer an understanding for parents, and for the child itself when it's older, of what the environment is presenting, and what there is to learn.

This 3 year old has the Moon right on the Descendant, on the You side of the chart, making it easy to make contact with the world as well as pick up on, sense and mirror what it is learning from the world about feelings and emotions, and its own emotional sense of self.

Both Sun and Saturn are high up in the chart; good for the Sun to be there but maybe not so "perfect" for Saturn, as mother figure to be there too. Saturn is, in fact, the highest of the 3 Family Model planets and is placed strongly on the MC - the highest point of the chart. This suggests, in the context of the Family Model, that the child could view both parents as role models, but with mother coming out strongest! She could appear, to the child, to be the one who "rules" the household. In fact, this is a mum who now works and has her own career (as many working mums do) but who is very mindful of and responsive to the needs of her child and who cared for her child full time before returning to work.

The forthcoming new book on Astrological Psychology and the Huber Method, "Family, Relationships and Health", covers the Family Model in detail. The book is due to be published in July/August, and will be available from the APA on-line Book Shop.