Art, Archetype, and Astrology

Richard Tarnas defines an archetype as “a universal principle or force that affects--impels, structures, permeates--the human psyche and human behavior on many levels.” Since the time of the earliest cave paintings and communal rituals of indigenous people, these universal patterns have been made visible and tangible through the arts (painting, music, poetry, dance, and drama). Archetypal patterns are also revealed through myths, fairy tales, and religious motifs, in cultures around the globe. Astrology is yet another system based on the universal archetypes, and even astronomy has named planets and asteroids after mythological beings. In his essay, An Introduction to Archetypal Astrology (http://www.cosmosandpsyche.com/pdf/IntroductiontoAstrology.pdf), Tarnas explains the connection between archetypes and astrology:

“Jung thought of archetypes as the basic constituents of the human psyche, shared cross-culturally by all human beings, and he regarded them as universal expressions of a collective unconscious. Much earlier, the Platonic tradition considered archetypes to be not only psychological but also cosmic and objective, as primordial forms of a Universal Mind that transcended the human psyche. Astrology would appear to support the Platonic view as well as the Jungian, since it gives evidence that Jungian archetypes are not only visible in human psychology, in human experience and behavior, but are also linked to the macrocosm itself--to the planets and their movements in the heavens. Astrology thus supports the ancient idea of an anima mundi, or world soul, in which the human psyche participates. From this perspective, what Jung called the collective unconscious can be viewed as being ultimately embedded within the cosmos itself.”

Due to the universal nature of archetypes, we can see the same archetypes showing up in diverse cultures during different eras of human history, clothed in a variety of garb and bearing numerous names. Yet each is used to symbolize the same themes, energies, characteristics, or qualities. For example, the Great Mother archetype is seen as Mother Mary in Western culture, Kwan Yin in China, Tara in Tibet, and Isis, in ancient Egypt.

In art history, we can see the goddess, Venus, portrayed in many forms, from the famous Venus de Milo sculpture, created in Greece (c. 130-100 BC), to Botticelli’s Birth of Venus (c. 1485–87), to Michael Parkes’ contemporary Venus (2007).

These same universal forces that inform culture and religion are flowing within us and around us all of the time. Both astrology and the arts provide powerful ways to understand, consciously experience, and physically embody these invisible forces that underlie our existence. Let’s use the archetype of Aries, for an example.

Aries is often called “The Warrior”. Wherever we have Aries in our birth chart is an area where we would do well to be assertive, bold, and courageous. We can look at a Rembrandt painting of the warrior god, Mars, or watch a war movie, such as “Saving Private Ryan” or sing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”. We can take a martial arts class, do the warrior pose in yoga, or pick up a sword and actually feel Aries in our own bodies. Each of these approaches will further your understanding of the Aries archetype and assist you in using the energy of Aries in your daily life.

As an experiential astrologer, I believe that interacting with the archetypes of astrology through the expressive arts is an especially potent way to learn astrology and to work with the dynamics of your own chart. You can paint the emotional intensity of Scorpio, sing Sanskrit chants to invoke Pisces, write love poems to touch Libra, or delight Taurus with a sensual dance.

If you would like to see the archetypes of astrology come to life before your eyes and feel them move within your being, please join Sajit and Eric, at our upcoming classes in Asheville. For details about the classes, click here: http://www.soulvisionconsulting.com/classes.html.
If you are a kinesthetic learner, Sajit offers astrology consultations that combine movement work along with astrological insights, to assist you in experiencing the energies of your chart in your body and learning how to effectively use these energies in your life.

Sajit Greene, M.A.
Astrological Counselor and Authentic Expression Coach
www.SoulVisionConsulting.com

Bridging Worlds: Liberation and Manifestation

This post is an excerpt from Elements & Evolution: The Spiritual Landscape of Astrology.

There is a focus on liberation in most spiritual models, and rightfully so. Shouldn’t we learn how to move beyond the ego and reach greater soul realization? On the other hand, there are those who advocate living in the “real world” of our most immediate sur­roundings as the best way to truly be “spiritual.” These two approaches are aligned respectively with the yang (air, fire) and yin (earth, water) elements. Depending on our particular attunement to the elements, there is often a preference for either liberation or manifestation. These two different approaches can easily polarize, but progressing to the fire level and consciously bringing that aware­ness into the parameters of everyday life is to bridge worlds. Being in the world but not of it is the ideal being championed in this book (Elements & Evolution: The Spiritual Landscape of Astrology). This integration is the true masterwork.

Almost everyone currently alive has Neptune sextile Pluto in the natal chart. (Note that Pluto is transpersonal, though it concerns the interface of the transpersonal with the psychology and emotional status of the separate self). The Neptune/Pluto sextile concerns the integration of the transcendent (Neptune) with the psychological (Pluto) and gives us a context to learn how to balance the two channels. Ancient wisdom traditions rooted in mystical ex­perience (Neptune, liberation) long predate the opening of psycho­logical insight which has flourished in recent decades, especially since the Uranus/Pluto conjunction of the 1960s. Indeed, spiritual practices which include the emotional and psychological realms (manifestation) are becoming more widespread. Now at the Ura­nus/Pluto square, our task is to further this integrative process and honor all levels of reality simultaneously.

It is indeed true that we are developing upwards, not downwards. We move from the personal to the transpersonal and increasingly broaden our awareness. At the same time, the manifesting channel is just as relevant, as Spirit is continually emerging through us. In fact, an overemphasis on liberation results in what has been termed the “spiritual bypass” in which painful experience is denied or glossed over in favor of emotional suppression and glib opti­mism.

Ascending (air, fire) spirituality is attractive for those who, consciously or not, may want to evade the unpleasantness of painful experiences. Joining with lofty spiritual teachings and having peak experiences can be truly affirming and exalting. Many spiritual paths, however, do not adequately address the psychological, emotional, and somatic (water, earth) realms. This oversight is a common criticism of the New Age movement, though this ten­dency for bypass can be found in many paths.

We are just as involved with the manifesting channel as we are the liberating. Although less immediate than our everyday real­ity, transpersonal realms inform our experience while also envelop­ing us. Inspiration and creativity come from Spirit for us to deliver into the world. Spirit is continually whispering to us in the guises of synchronicities, spirit guides, or our dreams. Ignorance of such guidance does not diminish its reality or relevance. Fixation on the yin elements to the exclusion of meta­phys­ical exploration is also quite common, as this stance aligns with our mainstream paradigm of reality. Modern psychology and many body-centered modalities rightfully address water and earth but neglect the spiritual dimension.

Though most charts carry a particular elemental emphasis (by way of the planetary placements), we all have all four of them in our charts, just as we all have bodies, hearts, minds, and souls. Sometimes we make excuses by claiming that since an element is weak in our chart, we are “off the hook” concerning that element’s function. This attitude is misguided and a recipe for imbalance and the resulting consequences. If there is an element with less empha­sis, it may actually require more effort and focus to properly inte­grate it. The key is to engage with all four elements no matter what our inherent attunement is.

Eric Meyers, M.A.
Astrological Counselor, Author, and Teacher
www.SoulVisionConsulting.com