Alice Bailey (1880 - 1949) combined astrology with theosophy, metaphysics,

reincarnation, and karma. Leo divided astrology into exoteric astrology, esoteric
astrology, and occult astrology. He also interpreted the astrological chart in
terms of personality characteristics, moral development, and spiritual aims.
In more recent times, psychological astrology has tended to follow some but not
all of the new developments in psychology. Sigmund Freud’s (1856 – 1939)
psychoanalysis of the early 1900’s created a great stir and stimulated the
disciplines of psychology, psychiatry, and psychotherapy. However, it furthered
psychological astrology very little. Freud’s concept of unconscious,
psychodynamic forces was welcomed. It validated the occult understanding of
the mind-which underlies astrology and other metaphysical sciences, but it
added little to the practice of astrology. Only a few astrologers took up a purely
psychodynamic approach.
Swiss psychiatrist Carl G. Jung (1875 - 1961) developed his own school of
psychology which he called analytical psychology. Jung believed that dreams,
symbols, mythology, synchronicity, types, archetypes, and the collective
unconscious were essential concerns of psychology. He viewed astrology,
alchemy, and other occult arts as legitimate practices in their own right and used
them together with analytical psychology.
It was Jung’s analytical psychology that resulted in psychological astrology
practically replacing predictive astrology and mushrooming into what it is today.
Jung’s analytical psychology also gave rise to archetypal psychology—the study
of archetypes-and type psychology—the study of psychological types.
Coincidently, archetypal astrology, which focuses on the workings of archetypes
in an individual’s life, and type astrology, which focuses on how one’s type
impacts his life, developed.
Modern psychological astrology took strides forward with the works of the
American theologian and astrologer Marc Edmund Jones (1888 – 1980) and the
French composer and astrologer Dane Rudhyar (1895– 1985). Jones enriched
astrology by providing deep, psychological and philosophical interpretations of
the basic astrological symbols. He introduced astrologers to the use of the Sabian
symbols and to the gestalt approach to chart interpretation, that is, to
interpreting
the visual patterns of the planets as a whole.
Rudhyar com bined natal astrology with Bailey’s theosophy and astrology and
Jung’s analytical psychology. He also included key concepts developed by
Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939) and Alfred Adler (1870 – 1937). Later, Rudhyar
incorporated concepts from existential-humanistic psychology, especially those
of Carl Rogers (1902– 1987) and Abraham Maslow (1908 - 1970), and
developed his humanistic person-centered astrology. When transpersonal
psychology emerged from the existential-humanistic tradition, Rudhyar
emphasized the transpersonal features of astrology, thus originating
transpersonal astrology.
The American psychologist Glenn Perry divided natal astrology into consulting
(or counseling astrology) and psychological astrology. Consulting astrology
refers to any form of consulting or counseling using astrology, providing
practical guidance for personality issues and problems of everyday living.4
Psychological astrology refers to the use of astrology for the promotion of
personality healing and transformation.5 Perry proposed that consulting or
counseling astrology is analogous to counseling psychology whereas
psychological astrology is analogous to psychotherapy.
Cosmic Psychology
Cosmic psychology is a modified form of astrology that has been used to
diagnose and treat physical, psychological, and spiritual disease. Research
astrologer Nicholas de Vore (1882-1960) defined cosmic psychology as: The
science of diagnosis whereby the maladjustment of the individual to life can be
treated by correctional thinking.6 Cosmic psychology deals with reactions
developed in the individual by virtue of growth and development during his first
day of life, through the law of adaptability to cosmic ray frequencies then
present in the Earth’s magnetic field; and with experiences resulting from
environmental stimulation of a preconditioned pattern of emotional reactions.7
Cosmic psychology recognizes three forces —momentum, gravitation, and
radiation—that condition and stimulate bodily growth and functioning, and
mental and spiritual perception.8 The individual psychological reaction pattern
thus represents Effects diagnosed from an identifiable pattern of Causation. The
cosmic psychologist seeks either to prevent or cure, on the premise that health is
a product of right thinking. Cosmic psychology uses the Sun, Moon, planets,
signs, houses, aspects, and transits. It does not employ progressions or
directions.9
The Hamburg School of Astrology—Forerunner of Uranian Astrology
In the 1920’s the German surveyor, astronomer, and astrologer Alfred Witte
(1878-1941) established the Hamburg School of Astrology.10 He experimented
with numerous traditional astrological techniques such as houses, signs,
rulerships, aspects, and parts. He dropped these in favor of planetary midpoints
and the patterns that planets and their midpoints made when using only the
aspects of the 1sixth harmonic, that is, the conjunction, opposition, square,
semisquare, sesquiquadrate, semioctile, 3/1sixth, 5/1sixth, and 7/1sixth.
Witte also introduced the hypothetical transneptunian planets-Cupido, Hades,
Zeus, and Kronos. In 1924, fellow astrologer Friedrich Sieggrün added the
hypothetical transneptunian planets-Apollon, Admetos, Vulkanus, and Poseidon.
Witte disagreed with Sieggrün’s additions, but most students of the Hamburg
School use the transneptunians of both Witte and Sieggrün. Pluto was discovered
in 1930. Since 1992 astronomers discovered Chiron and identified several
groups of transneptunian bodies—the trojans, the centaurs, the Kuiper Belt, the
Plutinos or Plutoids, the Oort Cloud, and the detached objects. It has been
suggested that some of these bodies may be Witte and Sieggrün’s
transneptunians.
The Hamburg School ran afoul of Adolph Hitler and the Nazis. Witte’s books
were banned and burned. However, following Witte’s death and the end of
World War II, Witte’s Hamburg School morphed into today’s school called
Uranian astrology.
Cosmobiology
The German physician Reinhold Ebertin (1901-1988) studied astrology under
Witte and founded the school of astrology known as cosmobiology. In line with
his medical training, Ebertin researched astrological indications of medical,
physical, and hereditary diseases and conditions. Ebertin’s research relied
heavily on several of Witte’s favorite techniques—midpoints, planetary patterns,
and hard aspects. Unlike Witte, Ebertin found favor with Hitler and the Nazis,
and he was allowed to publish his The Combination of Stellar Influences in
1940. Ebertin’s The Combination became the main text for his cosmobiology.
According to Ebertin, cosmobiology is a scientific discipline concerned with the
possible correlation between the cosmos and organic life and the effects of
cosmic rhythms and stellar motion on man, all his potentials and dispositions, his
character and the possible turns of fate; it researches these correlations and
effects as mirrored by earth’s plant and animal life as a whole. In this endeavor,
Cosmobiology utilises modern-day methods of scientific research, such as
statistics, analysis, and computer programming. It is of prime importance,
however, in view of the scientific effort expended, not to overlook the
macrocosmic and microcosmic interrelations incapable of measurement.11
Ebertin defined cosmobiology as the correlations between the cosmos and the
individual, in terms of psychological and sociological makeup, and the timing of
specific events in one’s life. Cosmobiology begins with the traditional natal chart
and the tropical zodiac. It uses the Midheaven and Ascendant but not the
astrological houses. In addition to midpoints, planetary patterns, and hard
aspects, cosmobiology uses harmonics, cosmograms, graphic ephemerides, tight
orbs, solar arc directions, and transits. As an astrological technique,
cosmobiology uses personal points, planets, and their midpoints to pinpoint
psychological, physical, and sociological life events. It employs the 90° and the
45° dials in order to identify patterns that are difficult to find on the
traditional
360° wheel.