Jung & Astrology

Carl Jung was among one of the earliest psychologists to recognize
the value of astrology. (29) He explored the theoretical basis of
astrology in addition to the relationship between archetypes, and
the planets and signs. He also demonstrated an interest in the
technical interpretations of the houses, transits, and equinox
precessions. (30) In his writings, Jung referenced astrology in
connection with his theories as well as noted his respect for its
practice. It appeared likely that he believed astrology could
contribute to the study of the human psyche and asserted to using it
in his practice for this purpose.

Jung's concepts exposed a comfortable relationship between
psychology and astrology, creating a natural inquisitiveness
regarding the connections between the two subjects. Many astrologers
have devoted significant time studying the relationship between
Jungian psychology and astrology; nevertheless, no strong standard
exists today between the planetary meanings and his psychological
system. (31) A basic study of Jung's writings however, compels us to
make comparisons between the two topics.

There appeared to be many parallels between astrology and Jung's
psychological theories, too numerous to give proper consideration
here. However, we will briefly address some of the astrological
correlations that relate to the premises touched on above. It is
likely that many astrologers associated the two psychological types –
extrovert and introvert – to the polar opposites of the positive
(Yang) and negative (Yin) zodiac signs. Furthermore, Jung's four
functions – intuition, sensation, thinking, and feeling – may be
correlated strongly to the four elements – fire, earth, air, and
water, respectively. (32)

Fascinated with mythological figures and lore, Jung spent
considerable time committed to exploring its depths and relation to
the unconscious. As touched on above, mythology became fundamentally
integrated with Jung's theory of archetypes. In his search for
greater understanding about the human psyche, Jung studied eastern
philosophy, occult practices, physics, and astrology. In his
astrological studies, Jung mentioned in a letter to Freud that
astrology "seems indispensable for a proper understanding of
mythology." (33) Jung further disclosed that astrology was also an
archetypal language that defined the drives of human
beings. "Astrology," he says, "like the collective unconscious with
which psychology is concerned, consists of symbolic configurations:
the planets are the gods, symbols of the power of the unconscious."
(34) Summarizing his findings, Jung wrote,

The collective unconscious. . . appears to consist of mythological
motifs or primordial images, for which reason the myths of all
nations are its real exponents. In fact the whole of mythology could
be taken as a sort of projection of the collective unconscious. We
can see this most clearly if we look at the heavenly constellations,
whose originally chaotic forms are organized through the projection
of images. This explains the influence of the stars as asserted by
astrologers. These influences are nothing but unconscious,
introspective perceptions of the collective unconscious. (35)

Based on these quotes and the material covered thus far, we know
Jung viewed archetypes, such as astrological constellations, to be
part of the collective unconscious. He believed these archetypes to
be inherent and deeply embedded in human nature, and when they
pushed into a more conscious state, they often displayed themselves
as instincts, conditioned attitudes, or compulsive behavior.

Based on his opinions of archetypes and their external
manifestations it is likely that Jung believed astrology was
beneficial primarily as a tool to explore the depths of an
individual's psyche. He indicated the truth of this in a letter to
Freud (1911),

I make horoscopic calculations in order to find a clue to the core
of psychological truth. . . .I dare say that we shall one day
discover in astrology a good deal of knowledge that has been
intuitively projected into the heavens. For instance, it appears
that the signs of the zodiac are character pictures, in other words
libido symbols which depict the typical qualities of the libido at a
given moment. (36)

He also noted astrology's use to explore the psyche while attempting
to sooth Freud's concerns on the rewards of his astrological
meanderings,

Please don't worry about my wonderings in these infinitudes. I shall
return laden with rich booting for our knowledge of the human
psyche . . For a while longer I must intoxicate myself on magic
perfumes in order to fathom the secrets that lie hidden in the
abysses of the unconscious. . .

Jung further described his use of astrology to acquire a deeper
understanding of a client's unconscious motivations in a letter to
B.V. Raman,

As I am a psychologist I'm chiefly interested in the particular
light the horoscope sheds on certain complications in the character.
In cases of difficult psychological diagnosis I usually get a
horoscope in order to have a further point of view from an entirely
different angle. I must say that I very often found that the
astrological data elucidated certain points which I otherwise would
have been unable to understand. From such experiences I formed the
opinion that astrology is of particular interest to the
psychologist, since it contains a sort of psychological experience
which we call `projected' – this means that we find the
psychological facts as it were in the constellations. (37)

The above collection of letters and writings clearly support the
premise that astrology was a tool to explore the human psyche. Jung
was a psychologist first and foremost, and used astrology primarily
as a tool to uncover the depths of the psyche.

Jung also recognized that astrology could be used as a means to
identify periods of life crises because human experience was shown
to correlate to planetary motion. He stated, "I have observed many
cases where a well-defined psychological phase of an analogous event
has been accompanied by a transit (particularly when Saturn and
Uranus were affected)." (38) This discovery must have been exciting
for Jung as it provided further insight into the meaning of psychic
events.

excerpt from:

http://www.ascendinglight.com/astrology/jung_and_rudhyar.htm

Carl Jung and Dane Rudhyar: Viewpoints on Astrology by Tishelle
Betterman