The Journey of Psychosynthesis

 

Astrological Psychology and Psychosynthesis go hand in. Bruno and Louise Huber, who researched and developed the Huber Method - the innovative approach to astrology that I write about here - worked alongside Roberto Assagioli, the founder of Psychosynthesis.

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Will Parfitt’s latest book offers a comprehensive and very readable overview of Psychosynthesis. But it’s more than just a book; it’s a well-structured treasure trove of insightful practical lessons and exercises for anyone seeking to increase their self awareness and make the best choices they can as they journey through life.

Based on his work and experience of more than forty years as a psychotherapist and trainer, Will has drawn on the Psychosynthesis distance learning course he created, and he shares it in this book. The reader is guided, at their own pace, on a journey to the centre of their true self. Travelling this path, the reader – who could more appropriately be called “the explorer”, since this is a journey of discovery – is encouraged at each stage to gently open to their unique wholeness. The journey is one to be savoured, not rushed, with pauses for review and consolidation along the way.

Regardless of whether you’re new to Psychosynthesis, or are an old hand at practising this approach to self awareness, the material for this journey is well-written, clearly laid out, and presented in a relaxed and engaging style. It hits the spot. Will doesn’t talk up or down; his words speak directly from his centre. Throughout the journey, readers are encouraged to take part in the practical exercises which can be both enlightening and challenging. A break and a period for reflection is recommended at the conclusion of each lesson. The reader is encouraged to record and consolidate what they have experienced before moving on.

Life crises and turning points are focussed on, as are sub-personalities – those different parts of us - which are the diverse aspects and roles of the personality with their own individual wants and needs. One lesson covers the art of self-identification, focusing on how we do this and how it colours and influences all we encounter in everyday life. Here, Will encourages the reader to disidentify from the different roles of these sub-personalities or selves, and become the driver in their life rather than one of the passengers. There are exercises that are both challenging and empowering for anyone who has ever asked themselves “Who am I?” as it is oh-so-easy to identify with and be attached to one of our many “selves” - our sub-personalities. Learning how to connect with our core self and choose to be attached or not attached to our various sub-personalities offers the reader freedom.

On disidentification from our thoughts, feelings, roles and mental attitude, Will asserts that if we are able to disidentify from a sub-personality “we will have it rather than it having us.” On a personal level, those words resonated for me, and I will use them as a reminder and mantra when I find myself coming from a sub-personality.

The Journey of Psychosynthesis is one which will lead you to your core, your centre and your soul. If you’re a newcomer to Psychosynthesis you may want to embark on this journey and see it through sequentially from start to finish. If you’re already familiar with Psychosynthesis I can think of no better way of refreshing your perspective on whatever is going on in your life by choosing an appropriate staging post from the book and focussing on that. Will asserts that once you have the basics of Psychosynthesis, you can work with what emerges from inside, not following a pre-set plan but making the best choices you can.

You can read about how Bruno and Louise worked, studied and trained in Psychosynthesis with Roberto Assagioli in Florence in Piercing the Eggshell.

 

The Moon in your birth chart

 

This was a "supermoon", photo taken on 27th April 2021

 

 

 

I've revisited this post I wrote about the Moon some time ago, because the Moon  strongly and symbolically relates to our feelings, and feelings.....oh boy, they can, from time to time, get us into hot water. They can be repressed, bubbling and seething away away beneath the surface, and they can burst out suddenly and unexpectedly in a whole rush of emotion.

So a few suggestions and thoughts about the Moon might set you on a journey of exploration of how your own Moon/emotions/feelings is or can be. 

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The Moon in astrological psychology represents the sense of self we gain through our feelings and emotions, and in the natal chart it can indicate how we might go about getting our emotional needs met. The Moon is also an indicator of the inner child.

It can signify our spontaneous and fun-loving child-like responses, and it also acts like a mirror, reflecting what's going on around us because it can sense and pick up on atmospheres and feelings very easily. It's an important sensing tool, the part of us that feels.

Of course, the way the Moon operates and expresses itself out in the world will be coloured by the Zodiac Sign it's in, which acts like a "costume" which clothes the Moon and modifies its expression. On a basic bottom line level, its expression is influenced by the Element (Fire, Earth, Air or Water) of that Sign, so I'll make a few suggestions here:

Fire Sign Moons - those in fiery Aries, Leo and Sagittarius - will tend towards optimism and enthusiasm. Fiery Moons want to be noticed. They will be lively, expressive and outspoken with energetic feelings that demand attention.

Earth Sign Moons - those in earthy Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn - will have a strong practical streak. They may be a bit fussy, but they are down-to-earth and generally enjoy sensual things, espcially Taurus Moons. They will appreciate good quality in all areas of life.

Air Sign Moons - those in airy Gemini, Libra and Aquarius - love to communicate and share ideas with others, so they enjoy seeing friends and family, chatting and catching up on news, attending talks, lectures and events which will stimulate the mind.

Water Sign Moons - those in watery Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces - tend to be very emotionally sensitive and tuned in to the feelings of others. They can be very caring, needing to express their feelings and regard for others in tangible ways. But they can also be moody, living life through their feeling nature.

The Moon, representing the sense of self we get through our feelings, is often a part of the personality which is neglected or repressed. We may have been brought up not to show our feelings; they might have been regarded as unacceptable or not something to share or talk about in the environment we grew up in. But they are there all the same, and sometimes they need our attention. 

 

It's worth noting here that the sign the Moon is in is only one layer of understanding and interpreting it in a chart. The aspect pattern it's in, the other planets it connects with and the house/area of life experience it's in all have to be considered.

In this video I talk about some of the ways we can work on developing and understanding the Moon and our feeling nature. There is more on this in my book The Living Birth Chart. Click on the Books by Joyce Hopewell tab at the top of the page.

 

Saturn and the art of self-preservation

This warning sign stopped me in my tracks. It was displayed in Big Bend National Park in Texas. I'd been there before and knew there were mountain lions about - but BEARS too?! That was news to me and my Saturn sub-personality immdiately focussed on safety and self-preservation as I noted all the warnings on the info board and committed them to memory. I wasn't up for taking any chances.

 

I have written about Saturn before - you can read it here -  but this time I want to look at how the qualities of this often-maligned planet can play an essential part in our own self-preservation. We may find ourselves in danger  - meeting a bear or lion or alligator on a path in a national park, we need to know the "rules" of how to manage this. The sign I saw laid these out quite clearly. That was Saturn in care-taking mode with the best interests of public safety involved, along with suggestions of how people could take responsibility for themselves.

"Rules" - there's a Saturnian word to conjure with. Depends which kind of rules they are - the restrictive, controlling "do not" type, or the more benevolent and protective guidelines, encouraging self-awareness and offering choice. You can ignore them (possibly at your peril) or take them on board and be responsible for your own safety.

 

In my co-authored book, The Cosmic Egg Timer, I describe Saturn as "...the planet that swings into action when we need to know exactly where we stand - so to have social structures, guidelines and rules to abide by are all part of Saturn's realm".

Appreciating and nurturing our own Saturnian qualities can be a useful tool in keeping ourselves safe and sussing out situations which might prove a bit dodgy. Of course, there will be more than Saturn involved here if we're using our senses to judge a situation. Eyes and sight (Jupiter) will be involved, as will hearing and sound (Mercury) along with the ability to leg it/the fight-flight response (Mars).

 

As an ego planet, Saturn gives us a physical sense of self, gained through the body, which is composed of various life-supporting systems, such as the skeletal, respiratory, circulatory and digestive systems, to name just a few.

I say in my book that "The psychological drive associated with Saturn is security. Saturn is concerned with structure and form, always seeking to organise, preserve and maintain things within manageable limits.....In astrological psychology we see Saturn in a positive light. It's value should not be underestimated as it plays an essential role in our psychological make up."

Bearing in mind that, like all planets, it can operate at different levels of consciousness, at it's highest level it gives us the ability to act wisely, with dignity and maturity.

 

 

Be prepared - You may meet an alligator on a path!

 

 

Piercing the Eggshell – the story of Bruno and Louise Huber

What did you do during the first big lockdown on 2019?

Unexpectedly, along with Barry Hopewell as co-author, I researched and helped compile a biography of Bruno and Louse Huber, pioneers of the Huber Method of Astrological Psychology. This non-predictive use of astrology combined together with psychology is now used worldwide as an astrological psychological tool to help people realise their own potential and, ultimately, contribute to making the world a bit better than it is right now.

The Huber’s story is a fascinating, real-life one, and tells of the obstacles they had to overcome, the sacrifices they had to make and the determination they had to hold on with in order to realise their vision of doing something for humanity.

It wasn’t easy, but these two were people were very special, driven and motivated beyond personal gain and in pursuit of more spiritual goals and the evolution of humankind. They were influenced and helped by Italian psychiatrist Roberto Assagioli, who founded Psychosynthesis, and they founded the Astrological Psychology Institute in Zurich in the early 1960s.

Bruno and Louise presenting an English Huber School student with her Diploma in Astrological Psychology

Since then, their well-researched approach, teaching and books on what is now known as The Huber Method, is used in many countries around the world. It focusses on personal and spiritual growth and on moving us as participating humans, into living our lives as kinder, and more aware people.

 

So why is the title of the book "Piercing the Eggshell"? 

 

Bruno Huber often likened a personal spiritual awakening to that sudden "aha" moment as when a chick emerges from it's shell, pokes it's head up into the world around it and sees that it is a whole lot bigger than the world it has been used to inside the shell. In the same way, we can metaphorically pierce our own eggshell and expand our awareness and capacity for growth. This is described more fully on p.84 of the book, along with a description of Bruno's Amphora Model, shown on the front cover.

 

"The shell represents the mental arguments we have to protect us but the impetus to break out comes from within as our spirituality is awakened. When this happens we leave the realms of normal consciousness and reach for answers 'out there' beyond our normal range. It means taking risks, but it's a movement of mind and consciousness." (book extract, p. 85)

You don’t need to know any astrology to enjoy the book as it’s an intriguing stand-alone read, but if you do understand some astrology you’ll probably get a lot more from it – and if you don’t know any astrology it might inspire to find out more. The photos and the few charts it contains are all in full colour, and there are many personal accounts and memories of Bruno and Louise contributed by students who knew them and worked with them, myself included.

Piercing the Eggshell is available from all good booksellers and from Amazon, as well as being available as an e-book. Click on the link for full details.

But best of all, go read it and be impressed – not that we wrote it – but by what these two remarkable people did and what their gift to humanity is.

Bruno and Louise Huber - two remarkable people

Also see more info on this book, which has been translated into German and Spanish, here and here, and has been favourably reviewed by an non-astrologer:

Fascinating Biography 

"Piercing the Eggshell" reviewed by Will Parfitt, Psychosynthesis therapist and author.

If you are an astrologer I would think this book is a must, even if you don't follow the Huber style of astrology; the story of how the Hubers created this new, very workable approach is interesting even to a non-astrologer like myself. 

Better still, for astrologers and non-astrologers, this is a tale of two people's indomitable will to create a new psychological science using astrological connections to include and raise consciousness to a deeper spiritual connection. A fascinating and most unusual biography, very interestingly illustrated with relevant photos.

I was particularly interested in the influence of Roberto Assagioli and Psychosynthesis on their work and the development of Huber astrology, and how whilst he fully supported them in their explorations, even giving Bruno Huber access to all his client notes, they worked hard to collate, edit and where necessary translate his writings into what became the key work in the Psychosynthesis world. 

 

Bittersweet

 

Sun, clouds and sea, Isle of Barra

In the book Bittersweet – how sorrow and longing make us whole by Susan Cain, the author explores something you might recognise immediately, just by reading the title, especially if you’re the kind of person who’s drawn to what is poignant in life. This set me thinking astrologically about which planet or planets might be associated with what is bittersweet in life, and I came up with strong possibilities for these being Moon, Venus and Neptune, but of course it doesn't stop there and readers may have their own ideas - if so, please share/comment.

In astrological psychology, the Moon represents the sense of self we gain through our feelings and emotions, and in the natal chart it can indicate how we might go about getting our emotional needs met. The Moon is also an indicator of the inner child. It can signify our spontaneous and fun-loving child-like responses, and it also acts like a mirror, reflecting what's going on around us because it can sense and pick up on atmospheres and feelings very easily. It's an important sensing tool, the part of us that feels.

Venus represents the drive to be selective and choose, using discrimination. Venus is associated with our ability to form relationships, to develop and express our aestheic tastes and preferences, to pursue what is harmonious and beautiful and, as a sensory organ, to use our physical sense of taste. The energies of Venus will be as fully engaged when you're eating a meal, as when you're visiting an art gallery, deciding on a colour scheme, listening to a piece of music or forming a new friendship. And, of course, falling in love.

Neptune notches things up to a higher and often far more inclusive level. Neptune is most likely to be the source of kindness, unconditional acceptance and non-judgemental love at its highest level - the level of mind - where "there is a desire for universal love as the highest ideal"  to quote from their book, The Planets, by Bruno and Louise Huber. 

On Neptune, they continue, "There is a heightened sensitivity and a refined awareness of communication (empathy) that breaks through all walls and flows from heart to heart.This is what Assagioli called loving understanding".

Could this be you, or me, putting this loving understanding into action and remembering to do and be this in our everyday lives? Of course, we all lapse, but if we forget about being kind, pleasant, helpful, inclusive and positive towards others, we stand in line to get an unpleasant reminder if the vitriol comes out in response! 

 

So how does this fit in with the idea of bittersweet?

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines Bittersweetness as

“a tendency to states of longing, poignancy, and sorrow; an acute awareness of passing time; and a curiously piercing joy at the beauty of the world.”

To that I’d add yearning, the desire to be reunited with something or someone who is no longer there, or to search after an elusive goal, place or state of mind which we seek in order to feel whole, fufilled or spirit-full. Bittersweet includes both the light and the dark, exploring how the combination and meeting of sadness and joy can trigger our own creativity and open a portal to something greater than our personal selves. It can be transformative, and can be recognised as something we already “knew” when we meet it (but had forgotten about).

Bittersweet is found in sad (often beautiful) music with minor key notes…..in browsing old family photographs…..in rainy days….in intense reactions to music, art, nature and beauty, and is often accompanied by goosebumps. I’d add, based on my own experience of bittersweet, that a flash of insight, or a sudden recognition of a half-remembered, dream-like something from the past could be bittersweet too.

The book contains a short quiz to help the reader identify whether or not they are a bittersweet type, and it’s also available on line, as is her curated list of bittersweet music. You may want to try that out.

Cain shares examples of bittersweet experiences in her own life and draws on the experiences of others she meets during her thorough research for this book. She shows how a bittersweet state of mind is the quiet force which helps us transcend our personal and collective pain, whether from a death or breakup, addiction or illness. She asserts that if we don’t acknowledge our own heartache we can end up inflicting it on others, maybe through abuse, domination, or neglect. Once we realise that all humans know—or will know—loss and suffering, we can turn toward one another, rather than turn away, and connect with joy as well as sadness in a bittersweet moment.

I’ll share a couple of quotes from the book. If you read it, I hope you gain as much from it as I did:

Most of all, bittersweetness shows us how to respond to pain: by acknowledging it, and attempting to turn it into art, the way musicians do, or healing, or innovation, or anything else that nourishes the soul.

The love you lost, or the love you wished for but never had: that love exists eternally. It shifts its shape, but it’s always there. The task is to recognise it in its new form.

For more info see Susan Cain’s website