Taking responsibility, making choices

Model of Rosa Parks choosing & taking responsibility by sitting in a "whites only" bus seat. Montgomery Civil Rights Center, Alabama

It seems that our prime minister and government here in the UK are focussing just a little bit more on the need to be cautious, wary and considerate of others after 10 days of what has felt like a "way hey!" gung-ho, let's-let-it-all-hang-out approach to the easing of coronavirus restrictions.

Words of caution are creeping in (Q - why weren't they emphasised right from the start?) as many commercial outlets are still requesting people wear face coverings. The large crowds at the Euro2020 matches, the opening up of nightclubs and the return of open air festivals are crowd magnets. Scenes of people mixing and mingling as if nothing has happened begs the question of how many people will pick up the virus from this so-called return to normal? Numbers of cases from 19th July are yet to be seen, even though  cases generally appear to be going down. That's because the figures shown are for prior to this date. We'll know more in a couple of week's time.

Coronavirus, the pandemic, Covid-19, the Alpha, Beta and Delta variants - call it and them what you will - the current situation we're right now in the UK is one where the importance and significance of being autonomous, making wise choices and taking responsibility for ourselves and our actions is paramount.

Regardless of whatever the government and scientists say (personally, I think the scientists have the edge here, and have had for some time) we have to be responsible for ourselves and consider the needs and safety of other members of our society - the "herd" if you like - regardless of who they are, what they do, what they look like and whether or not they have been vaccinated. Just because the government has said we can get back to normal it doesn't mean we should.

One of the key features of astrological psychology as a tool for personal growth is that it places taking responsibility for ourselves, our lives and what goes on within them into our hands, and our hands alone. It becomes more difficult to blame anyone else if things go wrong as the buck stops with us. This might be the government's plan, but in my opinion personal responsibility should have been emphasised and reiterated long, long ago. People need frequent reminding of such things.

Here comes the astrological psychology bit. Using the birth chart as a tool and a non-predictive guide, we find it offers us choices. Once we’re aware that we can exercise choice in our everyday lives, things are unlikely to be the same again because we’ll be responsible for the direction our life takes, and no-one else.

At this point I want to briefly mention the fact that underpinning the Huber Method of astrological psychology is Assagioli’s psychosynthesis, which leads us - through the use of the birth chart -  towards integration of the personality. This is a kind of ever “onwards and upwards” approach towards our own individual wholeness.

An important way of working towards this greater wholeness can be achieved by developing our own sense of self, which is astrological psychology is symbolised by the Sun. The Sun can be likened to the conductor of an orchestra, the captain of a ship, the leader of an expedition - it's the Sun/conductor/captain/leader who calls the shots, makes the choices and the decisions.

However you wish to see the role of the Sun, it’s a very significant planet, and one which is involved in the development of our sense of self, our autonomy, our ability to take responsibility - and as well to accept that yes, we do sometimes make mistakes.

 The Sun, the sense of self and the will   

The Sun in astrological psychology is linked to the use of the will in psychosynthesis. We have 3 main types of will:

• the strong will which gives us determination and the capacity to keep going
  
• the skilful will which endows us with sound common sense and the ability to be flexible and adaptive as we work towards our goals, and
  
• the good will which enables us to include others and to work selflessly for their benefit as well as our own. 

If we're individually putting our Sun/sense of self to work in the current pandemic situation we're anxious to move on from, then all aspects of our individual  will which we might engage with are relevant. There's the need to be strong and determined and keep going through these challenging times. There's the ability to be flexible and adapt our behaviour along the way, and the situation also requires a large amount of good will towards others as well as ourselves, so it becomes a win-win situation where we can all help and support each other. 

 

I suspect anti-vaxxers and "no mask" wearers are unlikely to agree with much of this; it's my personal viewpoint formed over years of experience of working with people using astrological psychology and psychosynthesis, plus a good dollop of common sense.

A Tribute to Richard Lewellyn

 

                                               

The astrological world has lost a very special person.

Richard Llewellyn, founder of the English Huber School (which became the Astrological PsychologyAssociation) passed away on 9^th February. He was 95.

Richard was instrumental in making the Huber Method of Astrological Psychology available to the English-speaking world.

Richard with Bruno & Louise

He had already studied astrology with the Mayo school, and served as Membership Secretary for the UK Astrological Association. But he was finding the traditional approach to the subject less satisfying. In 1981 he was introduced to the work of Bruno and Louise Huber by Pam Tyler, an American astrologer living in London.

 

Strongly drawn to the psychological approach of the Hubers, Richard travelled to Switzerland to attend several seminars run by Bruno and Louise. He found the Huber Method - details of which were only available in German - so significant and important that he decided to create a school offering home study courses which would teach it in English.

In 1983, he and Pam Tyler founded what was to become the English Huber School and Richard set about writing up what he’d learned from the Hubers. Based on the notes he’d made during his visits to Switzerland, together with insights he’d gained into his own chart when working with Bruno and Louise, he created a correspondence diploma course in astrological psychology for the English-speaking world. The course was launched and the first student enrolled in 1984.

Richard’s energy and determination made this all happen. I wouldn’t be writing this now had it not been for him; I was amongst the first five students to complete the course and gain my diploma from Bruno and Louise in Zürich in 1987. A brief look at Richard’s chart will go some way towards explaining where his indomitable energy might have come from. 

Richard Llewellyn 14.8.1925, 06.19. Sidcup, UK

With his 12^th house Leo Sun conjunct Neptune he was warm, friendly and fun to be with This was always coupled with sensitivity but my goodness, watch out for that unaspected Mars in1st! There was no holding him back when a new project was taking off.

His chart, with its high ratio of red aspects, reflects this general enthusiastic “let’s get things going” motivation. Many students who attended his workshops will remember this well; Richard was fun to work with and learn from. But if we look more specifically at the one complete aspect pattern in his chart, the Provocative Figure, Richard’s calling and mission become clearer.

Provocative Figure

His chart, with its high ratio of red aspects, reflects this general enthusiastic “let’s get things going” motivation. Many students who attended his workshops will remember this well; Richard was fun to work with and learn from. But if we look more specifically at the one complete aspect pattern in his chart, the Provocative Figure, Richard’s calling and mission become clearer.

One meaning of the word “provoke” is to irritate and annoy, yet it also means to call forth, awaken, encourage and speak in favour of. The Hubers, in their book Aspect Pattern Astrology, speak of how the Provocative Figure might be expressed, “…..the person authorises himself and has the courage to bring things into the open that would otherwise remain hidden”.

That is exactly what Richard did. Note that Uranus - one of the planets involved in this aspect pattern – is strongly placed in the 8^th house, suggesting that sharing this unique approach to astrology would make it accessible for the good of all, to benefit society and the wider world. This is perfectly aligned with Assagioli’s psychosynthesis, which underlies the work of the Hubers together with the philosophy of the Ancient Wisdom, as channelled by Alice Bailey in the Arcane School. Bruno and Louise had been involved in establishing the Arcane School in Geneva, and they’d worked with Assagioli in Florence for three years.

In my book, Aspect Patterns in Colour, I use the Provocative Figure in Richard’s chart as an example of how this aspect pattern works, mainly because I was able to observe it in action and understand it better as he was my friend as well as my colleague. Richard and I cooperated in writing TheCosmic Egg Timer, an introduction to astrological psychology, which includes many of the practical exercises we used in the experiential workshops we co-facilitated.

I learned so much from working alongside Richard, and enjoyed our frequent astrological discussions. Not only was he was a good astrologer, he was a psychosynthesis counsellor too, bringing his skills to the workshops we ran and helping to guide students to a deeper understanding of themselves. He facilitated astrological psychology and psychosynthesis workshops in Brazil, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden and Italy, as well as here in Britain.

More recently, as his health began to fail, Richard shared reminiscences of his time spent with the Hubers when he visited Switzerland ahead of creating the diploma course. He contributed new and valuable information about Bruno and Louise Huber for Piercing the Eggshell, the biography of their lives which was published in November 2020. It’s satisfying that Richard was able to see this book, and he was delighted to receive a copy. Without a doubt it would not have been written had it not been for him.

After retiring as Principal Emeritus of APA, Richard returned to service with the Astrological Association and, with partner Elly Gibbs, helped establish and maintain the AA's huge library of audio recordings of astrological talks, including those by the Hubers, for the benefit of all astrologers. In 2013 he received the Charles Harvey award for exceptional service to astrology.

This is a tribute to Richard the astrologer, but I’m writing this as a close friend as well as a colleague and I have countless good memories of being with him when we were taking time off from facilitating residential workshops or attending conferences to give talks. I remember with pleasure standing with him on a Welsh hilltop in 1999, in a circle formed by our families, as we experienced the solar eclipse, sharing walks on Dartmoor and in North Wales, enjoying visits to concerts and the opera, swimming in the Mediterranean during time off from teaching in Barcelona and going with him to receive darshan from Mother Meera in Germany.

Richard had been living with cancer for some time, yet retained his sense of humour despite the numerous operations he underwent. We often exchanged emails and spoke on the phone, and on the few occasions we were able to meet in the past year during the easing of lockdowns, it was always a pleasure for us both to reconnect and talk, sometimes about astrology, but usually about a diverse variety of other things too.

He passed away at home, cared for by Elly and close members of his family. 

Thanks for everything, Richard. I’ll miss you.

 

With Richard on his retirement as Principal Emeritus

Piercing the Eggshell - the story of Bruno and Louise Huber

It's a while since this book was published. Have you read it yet? It's essential reading if you're into the Huber Method of astrological psychology.

During the UK lockdown in 2019 and along with my other half Barry as co-author, I researched and helped compile a biography of Bruno and Louse Huber, pioneers of the Huber Method of Astrological Psychology. You can hear how we came to do it from this short video we made to launch the book, published on 10th November 2020.

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.

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.

You don't need to know any astrology to enjoy it 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.

Piercing the Eggshell is available from all good booksellers and from Amazon. Read a synopsis of it here.

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.

 

 

Aspect Patterns: Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi, Politician, 19.6.1945. Chart set for noon (no time available), Rangoon, Burma.

This is an extract from my new book
Aspect Patterns in Colour
available right now from the APA on-line Book Shop and from Amazon.

Recently released from house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi has two Small Learning Triangle aspect patterns in her chart. You can read more about her chart and taspect patterns in the charts of many other well-known people in Aspect Patterns in Colour.

Small Learning triangles are found around the periphery of the chart and do not enclose the central core. They are concerned with learning specific skills and the area of the chart that they span will be where this learning will take place, and be applied. Composed of all three aspect colours, red, green and blue, the aspect which is the longest will show which part of the learning process is most important. Red longest will indicate the activity of learning; green longest shows learning takes place for the sheer joy of learning, and with blue longest, the completion of the learning task will give the greatest satisfaction.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s small Learning triangle has the red aspect as the longest, so the actual effort and work involved in the learning task will be the most significant. As the direction of the triangle is retrograde, lessons associated with it may be more challenging; harnessing the energy of Mars and Pluto and discovering how to ground and express these successfully through Saturn comes to mind here. The large Learning triangle which includes Sun/Mercury and Neptune has the green quincunx as the longest aspect, indicating the learning itself is of most importance here. Suu Kyi has studied philosophy, politics, and economics at universities in India, UK and USA, and has a natural talent for languages. She is also a powerful orator.

D-Day Landings: 65th anniversary

The 65th anniversary of the 2nd World War allied D-Day landings in Normandy, northern France, is on 6th June 2009. The chart is set up for 06.30, the time the landings began on 6th June 1944, along a stretch of the coast of Normandy near Ouistreham.

The chart image shown in the aspect structure is reminiscent of the landing craft which transported soldiers from the ships standing off shore to the beaches of Normandy. War-like Mars conjunct Pluto is at the blue pointed end of the triangular Ambivalence figure aspect pattern; on the landing craft, this was the fulcrum which opened the ramp which the disembarking soldiers had to move down into the sea and on to the beach, guns raised and ready. Countless numbers were under fire and perished in this brave endeavour. The linear aspects which zigzag across the prow of the landing vessel image look like cross fire.

In 2004, the 60th anniversary of D-Day was celebrated in France amidst much publicity, and with much press coverage. It's interesting to see that the Age Point was conjunct Mercury at the time of this ceremony; everyone seemed to know about it and it was attended by veterans who took part in the landings operation. The veterans were presented with a medal by the Mayor of Caen. Amongst them was Richard Llewellyn, Founder of the UK Astrological Psychology Institute.

The 65th anniversary and its associated ceremonies and celebrations does not seem to be attracting quite as much attention, even though the Age Point is conjunct the 11th House Sun in the chart for this event. 65 years on the 2nd World war might seem a long time ago to many readers, and of little significance. But my colleague and co-author Richard Llewellyn, was involved together with a paratrooper cousin I never knew. Both took part in the landings. My cousin survived the beaches but was later shot by a sniper weeks before the war ended, and before I was born.

I'm taking this opportunity to honour the heroes, survivors and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Bruno Huber - the Pioneer of Astrological Psychology

Bruno Huber was born on 29.11.1930 at 12.55 local time in Zurich, Switzerland. This is a opportunity to share something of his chart with readers and an appreciation of the man and his work, as well as a tribute to him and the

Bruno was a true pioneer in the field of both astrology and psychology, as he blended together the psychosynthesis of Roberto Assagioli, with whom he studied and worked alongside in Florence, with the very best of traditional and conventional astrology, drawing from its basic foundations and roots. With this combination of modern growth and spiritually oriented psychology (psychosynthesis is sometimes known as “the psychology with a soul”) and sound astrological understanding, Bruno created an astrological psychology fit for the 21st century and beyond.

I wrote about Bruno’s chart in my book The Cosmic Egg Timer, saying “Using the senses and intuition as we look at this chart, we may be struck by its strong, upward-reaching appearance. This may be the chart of someone who has high aspirations, who seeks to move upwards in their own individuation process. Blending this with the technical know-how we already may have about working with the chart image, we may see mountains in the overall chart structure, and a series of mountain peaks reaching across the top of the chart. These spring from a pyramid shape which gives a broad and solid base to the image in the central area of the chart. The shaping of the aspect structure as a whole suggests a combination of Fixed motivation (the four-sided “pyramid” figure) and Mutable motivation ( the large triangular shapes).

The triangular shapes dominate and stand out, suggesting more emphasis on a Mutable motivation than one which is Fixed. There is a feeling of quivering, actively sensitive movement in this chart, with the “mountain peaks” at the top hinting at different focal points of interest, ambition, achievement and heights to be scaled, yet always moving upwards from the solid base across in the lower half of the chart. As well as reflecting the essence of the man, the mountain peaks are reminiscent of his native Switzerland. In reality, Bruno was no stranger to the mountains as he skied and cycled in them. And his life’s work involved intense empirical research into human potential, problems of the human psyche and of the psychological-spiritual development of the individual, using the unique blend of astrology and psychosynthesis which is now known as the Huber Method.”

Mercury, the planet associated with communication, sits at the top of Bruno’s chart, right on the MC (midheaven) and on top of one of the mountain peaks mentioned. He was an excellent communicator and teacher - I always found his talks, lectures and seminars very stimulating. Not onloy that, he was able to relate directly to his audience - he was a very warm, human being. Mercury is one of the planets in the Dominant Learning triangle in the chart and links with the Jupiter/Pluto conjunction, highlighting Bruno’s transformative perception of astrology and psychology, which he ably communicated to the world via that mountain-peak Mercury. Uranus, the planet associated with research, is strongly placed on the 2nd house cusp, and connects via a blue aspect to the Sun atop another of the mountain peaks. On-going learning, empirical research and the constant exploration of new but well-founded ideas in the areas of astrology and psychology were a significant feature of Bruno’s life and work, and were lifeblood to him.

His untimely death in 1999 means that although he is still missed by those whose lives were touched by him (myself included) he would surely be full of joy to see that his work is being continued, not only  his native Switzerland through the smaller schools and teaching centres for astrological psychology which Bruno envisaged as part of his legacy, but throughout the world.

 

The work of Bruno and Louise Huber, and the story of how they founded this worldwide movement and study of astrological psychology is outlined in  a new book, Piercing the Eggshell - The Hubers and their Astrological Psychology, published November 2020.

 

In the UK the Astrological Psychology Association continues to offer in-depth teaching material - together with the option of having a personal tutor - with the Diploma Study Course available in full colour.

 

In Spain the Spanish Huber School offers on-line tuition.

 

The books written by Bruno and Louise are  available in English from the APA Book Shop, so Bruno’s work and the work of the Huber’s continues to be there for students of astrological psychology worldwide.

See my short introductory video on astrological psychology on my Astrochat channel on You Tube.

A Tribute to Neill

My friend Neill died this morning. He was 37.

As a tribute to his life I want to say a few things about him, alongside his chart. It's not the first time I've looked at his chart because between us we've looked at it several times over the years, the first time being when he was 18 or 19, when I first got to know him.


Neill was born on 12.6.1970 at 21.00 in Beaconsfield, UK. His chart resembles a 4-sided box kite, held by 2 strings attached to the Moon's Node in the 2nd House. The Node is not a planet and has no energy or drive of its own; it can only indicate the way forward by the House and Sign it's positioned in. Remove it from the aspect pattern and the kite flies free; hear its call and the message is "develop your sensitivity, acknowledge and nurture your talents and abilities".

Neill did that. He trained at Goldsmith's College in London as an artist; he took a further degree in landscaping and architecture, he trained in T'ai Chi and became a teacher of this martial art, and he was a Buddhist. He was an accomplished gardener and his garden has numerous bonsai trees in different ceramic containers. The trees are exquisitely sculpted and positioned for maximum "chi" energy.

With Sun in Gemini, you might expect someone who talked a lot and always had plenty to say. Not Neill. His interests were diverse but he wasn't a talkative person. Often he didn't want or need to talk, but when he did it was on depth subjects where we shared common interests, sometimes laced with a very zen-type of humour!

Neill was something of a loner. His Moon, high in the 9th House of the chart and sandwiched between Uranus and Pluto may be an indication of this, together with his very definite air of being "different" and not a run-of-the- mill person by any means. The Buddhist principles that he aimed to live by were very important to his lifestyle, and his favourite picture of White Tara, one of the feminine Buddhist deities, reminded him of the qualities of compassion and the ability to self-heal as he coped with the rare form of cancer that he had.

The last time I saw him, we talked about White Tara and shared a meditation, using her mantra. This was quality time and I feel priviledged to have had this as our "goodbye".

May you be full of bliss Neill, and may your kite fly high and free.

People of Goodwill: Satish Kumar

Satish Kumar is Editor of Resurgence magazine, founder of the Schumacher Society and the Small School project in Hartland, Devon, and is a peace activist and ecological campaigner. He became a Jain monk at the age of 9, and leaving his family he followed the strict regime of the Jains until he was 18. He was involved in the campaign to gain land for the landless poor in India when he worked with Vinoba Bhave, a disciple of Gandhi. In 1962 as his Age Point entered Sagittarius, he walked from India to America with no money and en route delivered symbolic packets of "peace tea" to leaders of the four nuclear powers. He lives in England, and broadcasts regularly, sometimes presenting his "Thought for the Day" on BBC Radio 4's "Today" programme. He has also been a guest on the long-running radio show "Desert Island Discs". I've met Satish several times and he gave permission for me to use his chart. His data - 9.8.1936, 04.00, Sri Dungargarth, India - appears in the opening pages of his autobiography "No Destination".

His chart contains the striking image of a large, strong pyramid. This four-sided figure gives a Fixed motivation, and the aspects are predominantly blue (Fixed motivation again). For aspect patterns he has a Large Talent triangle and two Small Learning triangles, suggesting a life motivation of putting his inherent skills and abilities to use, but always learning more at every turn of life's path. The lower half of the chart is emphasised, with 7 planets present. Satish's life has been one of connection with the earth and the community from his early childhood days in India: learning from his mother how to farm the land, his later work to help reclaim land for the poor and his strong involvement in ecological issues now.

The 2nd House of the chart is emphasised. His Sun is strongly placed on the 2nd cusp and the theme of "possessions" ( which is related to 2nd House) is a significant feature of his life. He had few when he was a wandering Jain monk as personal possessions and money were forbidden. His unaspected Saturn is not only symbolic of the beloved mother he gave up when he became a monk, but also of his ability to learn how to find security in whatever situation he found himself. Walking from India to America without money is a graphic example of this.

With Moon conjunct Uranus, and riding high in the chart, Satish is never likely to "conform", and he is dedicated to bringing insight and inspiration to others aspiring to live more consciously. At 18, Satish came into contact with the ideas and teaching of Gandhi and started to question leading a spiritual existence without practically grounding and expressing this spirituality in the real world around him. His Age Point was quincunx Uranus when he rebelled and escaped from the Jains. He shares his wisdom and experiences in the inspiring talks he gives, and founded "Resurgence" magazine to disseminate these ideas. The magazine now has world-wide readership.

Satish recently appeared on a 2-part TV documentary presented by scientist Richard Dawkins, who labels Satish and others like him (including astrologers) as "Enemies of Reason". Are we deluded and superstitious? Is Satish really an enemy of reason? Only to Dawkins, I guess, who had better watch out, as I'll be looking at his chart next!

People of Goodwill - GreenAbby

Occasionally I will feature the chart of someone NOT in the news. This will be a person who’s getting on with their life and is not hitting the headlines at all. But they may be doing something of goodwill, or making a contribution to life which will benefit others, or living bravely and fearlessly. The charts of real people can offer as much as those of people in the news, so as a counter balance to the headline-hitters, I’ll be including charts of People of Goodwill.



I make no apologies for introducing GreenAbby as the first Person of Goodwill. She’s my daughter (born 11.8.1976, 21.40, Crewe) and I happen to be very proud of her because she’s running in her third sponsored charity run. On May 6th, she’ll be taking part in the Great Edinburgh Run in to raise money for Climb, the charity which supports children with inherited metabolic conditions. Abby has such a condition; running helps improve her fitness and health, and the density of her bones. She’s aiming to raise £300 and if you’d like to sponsor her you can do so by clicking here.

Where might this urge to do something to help and benefit others come from? She wants to give something back to the charity which has helped her. Is it possible to see this in her chart? I’m going to select a few features which just might have some bearing on this.

• She has a very “You” sided chart, indicating that she’s strongly motivated to make contact with and work with others. She has 4 planets in the 6th House of work and service, including the Sun.

• Mars is stressed before the DC. It’s the first planet or quality you might encounter if you met her, and it’s the only planet aspecting her Sun, making it instrumental in helping her express the 6th House Sun qualities.

• Her Age Point is currently approaching an exact conjunction with the Sun in 6th, emphasising a growing recognition of her own Leo sense of self as well as the area of life where this can be most effectively expressed.

• Her Moon in Pisces is the tension ruler of the whole chart. It sits alone in the 12th House but is linked to most planets on the “You” side. It acts as a sensitive receptor for what is picked up and experienced in her interactions with others, but this may be filtered, felt and understood in the privacy of the “I” side of the chart and the 12th House.

The spiritual path of the individual is indicated by the Sign on the Ascendant. The esoteric Seed Thought for each Sign describes how we might develop the spiritual quality of the AC Sign. The Seed Thought for Pisces, her Moon and AC Sign, is “I leave the Father’s Home and turning back I save”.

News Update, 2nd May: She has just been nominated for a "Thinking Blogger Award" by Barbara, who is herself a holder of this award. A real accolade as her Age Point moves on to her Sun!