Book Review - Piercing the Eggshell

This book review is a guest blog post, written by Caroline Adlestone, Editor of "Conjunction". I'm pleased to be sharing it since Caroline has spoken warmly about the book, clearly setting out why she liked it, along with outlining what readers might gain from it.

 A “New Science of Man”,

Review of Piercing the Eggshell, The Hubers and their Astrological Psychology, edited by Barry and Joyce Hopewell.

“We envisioned a nobler man in a nobler world, and realised that we both wanted to contribute actively to increasing the quality of human consciousness.” So said Bruno Huber as he looked back on the lives of himself and Louise in 1987, 19 years after the formation of API Switzerland.

 Much of this biography of the extraordinary life and work of the Hubers is recorded in their own words. This direct transmission enriches the book and gives us a personal voice of Bruno and Louise Huber. The many writings from which the material is sourced are deftly and seamlessly incorporated chronologically into a compelling narrative. We are taken on a journey of wonder, excitement and sometimes intense, story-telling. In 12 chapters the reader is taken through the lives of the Hubers, the development of astrological psychology, the creation and growth of API Switzerland and its influence throughout the world.

The title of the book Piercing the Eggshell is a reference to the possibility of a connection to the higher self or soul by breaking through the encapsulated ego. It refers to Roberto Assagioli’s Egg model and Bruno’s subsequent Amphora diagram which incorporates the astrological symbols of the planets.

Bruno and Louise Huber

The book is beautifully illustrated throughout and the many photographs add to the intimacy of the story being told. The use of charts adroitly gives depth and added resonance to the storyline for those who can understand and gives clear and tangible examples of how the method works to those unfamiliar with astrological psychology. And for non-Huber astrologers there is a very lucid description of the Huber method in chapter one. The clarity given to the technical side of astrological psychology means this book can be read by everyone.

The history of the many translated and truncated publications of the Hubers is expertly explained by the editors, Barry and Joyce, who have been publishers of the Huber's books in English since 2003.

The Hubers’ early life story is told from the world war period in which they grew up, emerging from the Third Reich into a world in which they both felt as though they wanted to understand and to help people. The story continues to their fated meeting – six months before she met him Louise had seen Bruno in a meditation – he fell in love and had to marry her, and only her. We follow them through their setting up of the Arcane School in Geneva and their formative and magical years in Florence in a stimulating spiritual environment with Roberto Assagioli. Their dedication and tenacity was always driven by their single-focussed goal.

In a literal sense, Bruno once remarkably journeyed 700km on his bicycle across the Alps over a 2500 metre high pass to be with Assagioli in Arezzo as there was no other way of getting there. Those early days were hugely interesting, fertile and creative but they were also fraught with insecurity of the unknown. Something that to Louise was not easy. Their own individual personal growth is shared by each of them with candour. The depth of their own understanding of themselves and the workings of their inner minds. seems natural when you consider how Bruno and Louise’s youthful lives were steeped in many kinds of exploratory depth psychologies and spiritual development. And also how in the Huber method we look deeply into ourselves through chart interpretation.

Something that the book especially exudes is the joyful experience of connections with the Hubers, whether learning, teaching, or socialising, life in all its dimensions and colour is present in these pages.

Bruno’s process of coming to the gestalt in the chart is unveiled as it develops. The book draws the reader to a recognition of the development of the unique and stunning mandalas and the clear visual impact of the charts that we now recognise as Huber charts. The charts came about as a result of Bruno’s many artistic interests and pursuits as well as his artistic nature. The study of colour and his visual sensitivity are aspects that led to the creation of the charts. 

Chart of Bruno Huber

Spanish astrologer Lola Ferrer sums it up beautifully when she speaks of the Beauty that came through Bruno, “that inborn ability to connect with what is harmonious and bring it to earth.”

She describes the chart as “a perfect piece of cosmos arrested in time.”

“Bruno’s clear and artistic design of the horoscope … the colour lines that could geometrically reveal the innermost soul of the moment captured in the chart.”

The artistic qualities blended beautifully with the scientific innovations. It was this combination of intuitive and technical aspects that brought about the uniqueness of astrological psychology.

There are many gems that come to light in the book, such as details of life in Switzerland. Joyce’s description of the physical API school, as she descriptively takes us through the garden and the house, is precious and provides wonderful memories and experiences related “before they are lost in the mists of time.” 

 

International group of students at the API Centre, Adliswil

We see the nature of Bruno and Louise’s polarised personalities and their relationship. Bruno the scientist, psychologist and thinker and Louise, the organiser with her deep esoteric roots, with evolution as the all-embracing goal to which she was committed in all she did, complemented each other. Any crises in the relationship were seen as opportunities for growth. And “the little game of partnership” (Louise) was subsumed in their higher objective of building AP.I.

The position of astrological psychology within the wider world of astrology is elucidated in the book. In some ways astrological psychology can be seen as a niche area within the astrological world and this subject is not shied away from in the book. The Hubers created a “new science”, which is a “closed system” and does not work with other astrological systems. That astrological psychology is not predictive and is for self-awareness is well-known. But it differs from other astrologies in that it does not rely on the traditional medieval view of astrology. Bruno had a mistrust of the “old patterned astrology” and it deeply mattered to him that the old methods didn’t fit psychologically.

Bruno teaching

Astrological psychology is a deeply researched form of psychology and Bruno encouraged questioning and constant research into the system.He was insistent that we take nothing at face value without experimenting with it in our own charts and those of others. This is the sort of research that was so important to him. Needless to say, this is exciting and inspiring and I am sure will lead many to want to discover for themselves what it’s all about.

It is notable that the success of the English-speaking Huber School is highlighted, not least that the English Course manuals were translated into German!, and then into Spanish, and were instrumental to API teaching, and shows the professionalism of the English Huber School from the very beginning.

The depth of sincerity of all of those whose lives were touched by the Hubers and their dedication to the Huber method is especially felt in the crescendo of outpouring of love and gratitude from those who knew them in the penultimate chapter of the book.

I didn’t want the book to end but fortunately we have several volumes of the Hubers’ work to enjoy for years to come. And we can keep on experimenting with the Huber method, the work is endless.