Astrological Psychology

The Huber Method - A Different Approach To Astrology.

By Bruno Huber (1930-1999) 

Astrological Psychology is a branch of psychology which uses Astrology as a diagnostic tool. It is primarily based on the insights of depth psychology, but also on humanistic and transpersonal psychology. In concept it is closest to Robert Assagioli's Psychosynthesis. Astrological Psychology starts from the concept of a living, self-regulating and inherently healthy being and not, like most psychologies, from the standpoint of pathology. "You are sick only for as long as you think you are" and to find the causes for our feelings of dis-ease is the central tenet of astrological psychology.

The basic purpose of Astrological Psychology, through its teaching, advisory or therapeutic approach, is to increase our understanding and to stimulate our own thought processes. It is not to dish out ready-made recipes, nor to offer easy solutions but, in short, to offer us a useful instrument for self-discovery so that we can learn to accept ourselves for what we are and what we may be, as this will enable us to live freer, happier and more creative lives.

First and foremost it offers a holistic approach to our human condition. This does not just apply to psychological concepts, as it includes our choice of astrological techniques. The methodology of Astrological Psychology therefore has to comply with the prerequisite that all its constituent parts have to work together to form a coherent whole. It is therefore, a method complete in itself, but it does not have to be closed to further developments or refinements.

Even so, it was for this very reason unavoidable that some techniques of traditional astrology had to be excluded because, although logical and valid within themselves, they did not fit into the whole picture. For example, techniques not used are those which depict man as being dependent and without free will, plus those which create a "loop" effect and thereby distort the whole picture.

Above all there are the various techniques of foretelling the future, which are largely reductionist, and usually deal with events which are perceived as happening to us from the outside. It is the state of our inner being which determines the nature of our reality, how the available energies affect us, which external events make an impression upon us and how we experience them, evaluate them and respond to them. This reactive world in Astrological Psychology is expressed and interpreted by the Age Point and Age Progression. This is a steady progression through time which shows how we work our way through our chart and thus, in the course of a life time, experience all the various facets of our character.

The choice of techniques employed has been influenced by an important organic principle: Simplification. Today's method of using our intellect is predominantly linear and logical, the cause and effect approach which proceeds via precise analytical steps. It has the tendency to divide a whole organism into its individual constituent parts, and thereby leads to fragmentation and over-complication, until in the end we lose sight of both means and aims. A multitude of techniques doesn't actually help us to arrive at a valid chart interpretation; in fact it only succeeds in making it more difficult.

It is often maintained in astrological thinking and teaching that an interpretation can only be valid when it has been confirmed by a variety of techniques. In Astrological Psychology we think the opposite; if we feel we have to make a number of parallel pronouncements in order to achieve clarity it simply means that we haven't sufficiently exploited the primary information at our disposal. That is why we state very clearly the basic tenets of our method; they were discussed by Ptolemy.

It is often maintained in astrological thinking and teaching that an interpretation can only be valid when it has been confirmed by a variety of techniques. In Astrological Psychology we think the opposite; if we feel we have to make a number of parallel pronouncements in order to achieve clarity it simply means that we haven't sufficiently exploited the primary information at our disposal. That is why we state very clearly the basic tenets of our method; they were discussed by Ptolemy.

The following are the four fundamental tools:

1. The aspect figures - all aspects are multiples of 30° -they show motivation

2. The 10 planets and the North Node - the tools at our disposal

3. The 12 Signs of the Zodiac - our genetic makeup, the archetypes.

4. The 12 Houses, or fields - our conditioning, learned behavior

These four fundamental tools are clearly distinguished and interpreted consecutively, always keeping in mind the existential level they manifest on. Some of the main features of the Huber Method are discussed below:

A clear graphic representation of the native’s chart is a basic requirement for a better sensory perception of the uniqueness and the proportions of the chart. Each of the elements mentioned above has its own space assigned in the chart and the colors used allow an astrologer to obtain a global vision of the distribution of the qualities.

Clear limitations for the meanings of the Planets. The meanings of the planets must fall within prescribed parameters. The experience of many years has allowed The Hubers to reduce the meaning of the planetary symbols and arrive at their essential contents, so that overlapping no longer takes place among planetary definitions. This is a strict necessity in order to carry out the investigation, otherwise impressions that disable the obtaining of clear result take place.

Aspect Figures. The interpretation of the individual aspects has been problematic: the consecutive application of the definitions of the aspects can outline incongruities and even contradictions with no solution in the interpretation. In general a planet  not only receives an aspect but it is rather  connected to two or more planets by means of several aspects. These aspects should be interpreted as united, since the individual aspects that are part of a figure are influenced mutually. But to fuse the different individual interpretations of aspects conceptually is something practically impossible. The solution to this problem is to consider the fact that the aspect figures (triangular, square and polygonal) have their own meaning independently of the planets. The figures act by way of meta concept for the contained planets in the same ones. For that reason, in astrological psychology, the person’s chart is interpreted fundamentally starting with the aspect structure. The planets, the signs and the houses are interpreted on a second level like execution organs and performance areas. In this way, the interpretation offers a person's proportionate image (a holistic image).

Intensity Curve. The Intensity Curve that exists within each house is similar to a sine curve. A thorough investigation must be done to understand the intensity of the effect (the force of the performance) of a planet on a person’s psyche according to its position in the house.

The maximum effect of this curve is at the peak and the minimum is at a point indicated by the Golden Mean, called Low Point. This curve provides precise information on the available energy to each planet – and in consequence its usability in the life. This information is indispensable for carrying out a differentiated psychological diagnosis.

The House Chart, Dynamic Calculations and the Dynamic Quadrant are innovations whose development has been possible thanks to the discovery of the Intensity Curve. These elements allow an astrologer to differentiate and distinguish between innate behavior (hereditary or genetic disposition) on one hand and learned behavior on the other (education, influence of the environment, and conditioning).

These instruments provide the key to approach one of the main groups of psychological problems: the conflicts and pressures that take place in childhood and adolescence due to contrasting educational efforts among adults, typical of the environment, and a person’s genetic characteristics. This definition can be adjusted further by keeping the personal family environment in mind

The Family Model is determined by the positions of the Sun, the Moon and Saturn in a chart, and shows a person’s subjective experience regarding the relationship with their parents or, with people or institutions that, by way of substitution, have played their part. That gives an understanding of the type of union with the father and with the mother, as well as of possible dysfunctions relating to opposite sex and exteriorized problems of partnerships. Here it shows the true root of personal power and the persons person’s relationship to society.

Through the Sun, Moon and Saturn's positions in the chart and aspects among them the personality traits of the adult are also deduced. The person's identity and integrity on the three levels – mental, emotional and physical, are formed during childhood. These have their  origin in the experience of their family pattern (father's traits, mother and so on).

In astrological psychology a counselor generally works with three charts: the Radix or Natal chart as the foundation, the House chart and the Lunar Node chart. The latter incorporates the dimension of the unconscious that Jung described as ' The Shadow self'.

This is a very simple summary of the methods that define the Huber Method; a method that uses the basic tools of traditional astrology as a road map to guide a counselor in their quest to better describe the hidden shadow of the human phenomenon .