1. Sun and Moon Principles
2. Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto
3. Aspects of Transformation in the Natal Chart
4. Astrological Elements & Personal Transformation

Once we see reincarnation and Karma (see Karma – What is it?) as facts of life and then dedicate ourselves to self-transformation based upon a spiritual ideal, once we accept that there is a reality higher than what our physical senses perceive, it becomes apparent that most important solutions come not from the outer world, but from within. As the Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung has pointed out many times in his writings, that with which you are not consciously in touch happens to you as fate, the more one is consciously in touch with one’s inner life, the more astrology can support you as “a means of clarifying the stages of self-development which we should welcome and use as opportunities for personal transformation” (Stephen Arroyo).

According to Arroyo, all of astrology deals with transformation when applied to individuals’ lives. Specifically, he mentions different kinds of personal transformation based on considering the planetary configuration as follows:

• SUN: Transformation of the identity and mode of creative energy expression.
• MOON: Transformation of one’s feelings about oneself and how comfortable one is with oneself.
• MERCURY: Transformation of one’s mode of thinking & perception, and of the way in which one expresses one’s intelligence.
• VENUS: Transformation of one’s emotional values and mode of expressing and understanding one’s needs for closeness.
• MARS: Transformation of the capacity to assert one’s will and to know what one really wants.
• JUPITER: Transformation of one’s beliefs, aspirations, and long-term plans for the future – all of which promise some kind of improvement.
• SATURN: Transformation of one’s ambitions, priorities, and work structure.
• URANUS: Transformation of one’s sense of freedom, individual purpose, and personal uniqueness.
• NEPTUNE: Transformation of one’s spiritual and/or social ideals.
• PLUTO: Transformation of the use of one’s inner powers and resources, particularly the mind and will power.

In order to experience these transformations in a healthy and relatively harmonious way, one must have the right attitude toward and relationship with the various energies and powers that the planets represent.

Sun and Moon Principles

In the two Indian scriptures, the Vedas and the Shastras, it is written that individual souls come down from the astral regions to this material world along the rays of the Sun and Moon. But when the soul incarnates into the realms of duality, it seems that the soul polarizes according to the Sun and Moon positions. In other words, it is reflected into two aspects of being, manifesting as conscious and unconscious, active and passive, male and female – it is the Sun and Moon principle.

Although the scientific world-view describes the Sun as immensely larger than the Moon, when seen from the earth, both appear to be the same size; hence, symbolically, the lunar and solar forces in our lives are of absolutely equal importance.

The Sun and Moon positions in the natal chart also reflect our experience of the parents and our relationship to them. The Sun and Moon positions and especially their aspects usually symbolize one’s inner experience of the parents, what the parents as a couple represented to the person. But we should be clear about the fact that the birth chart primarily shows our experience, not necessarily the ‘objective’ facts of the situation.

Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto

Through the “influence” of these three transcendent forces, a human being experiences great changes in his thought patterns, level of consciousness, lifestyle, and capacity for self-expression. The trans-Saturnian planets most immediately influence the deepest psychic life of the individual, and a more aware person is capable of being a channel for the expression of the purest, most refined, and most constructive manifestations of these forces.

The trans-Saturnians, as observed from the Earth, move slowly; therefore, each remains in one sign of the zodiac for many years. Thus, we find entire generations of men and women experiencing generally similar changes, although the specific focus of the changes differs from person to person, according to the house positions and aspects with other planets.

We can see in chart comparisons how the cosmic evolutionary forces operate through each individual, coming to a specific focus in the relationship of one person to another. The perennial ‘generation gap’ is a good example of how the trans-Saturnian planets correspond with the experience of pressure toward growth and more inclusive consciousness. Encountering people of different generations, therefore, can be more difficult than relating to our peers. Such relationships necessitate that we grow in order to become more inclusive.

The basic personal factors in any individual’s life are always the same and motivate distinct orientations in an individual’s conscious life. Astrologically, these forces are symbolized by the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Jupiter and Saturn constitute an intermediary step between the personal planets and the transpersonal, impersonal forces of the trans-Saturnians, since they so often have to do with our participation in society and with socially-coloured norms, beliefs, and ambitions. The factors symbolized by these seven planets are, to some extent, modifiable through conscious experience and by the concentrated use of the will. Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, on the other hand, are totally beyond conscious control, but a person can control his attitude toward their influence in his life. He can modify his conscious orientation toward the manifestations of these greater forces. In terms of their function, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto always prompt change in the area of life affected. Willpower and determination alone are never enough to cope with these energies.

In addition to the natal house positions and aspects, the transits of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are also highly significant. Transits of these planets over sensitive points in the natal chart are the most penetrating and far reaching of all transits; and their ultimate effects are the most comprehensive and long lasting. None of the three alone can be called the planet of ‘intuition’ or psychic power since they deal with higher planes of being with the following differentiation:

• Uranus represents mental understanding of higher levels, levels of consciousness where dualities are united in the living truth.
• Neptune represents an emotional attunement to higher levels, a yearning for and infatuation with higher planes of being.
• Pluto represents a commitment to act upon our needs for transformation, to incorporate the higher levels of consciousness into our very being, knowing that all desires and attachments will have to be brought to the surface and purged and that all our true motives will have to be faced.

Aspects of Transformation in the Natal Chart

Arroyo’s favourite law of aspect is that:

“The planets in the signs represent the basic urges toward expression and needs for fulfilment, but the aspects veal the actual state of the energy flow and how much personal effort is needed in order to express a particular urge or to fulfil a particular need.”

Stephen Arroyo

One option to classify aspects is to divide them into two groups: dynamic or challenging aspects, and harmonious or flowing aspects. The harmonious aspects show that the two energies (or the two dimensions of the individual’s being) involved vibrate in harmony and reinforce each other within the person’s energy field. In other words, the harmonious aspects indicate a state of being and attunement that is inwardly stable and strong, the energy can flow rather easily; but this does not mean that the energies cannot be misused in a given person or situation. The challenging aspects show that the energies involved do not vibrate in harmony, but rather tend to interfere with each other’s expression and to create stress. This irritation or instability can, however, prompt the individual toward some sort of definite action in order to resolve the tension. The reason is that, when the stress reaches its peak, even more energy is released, and this additional energy can be consciously directed toward some constructive goal, or it can simply explode and cause problems in the individual’s life.

Planets involved in the challenging aspects give us an insight into what sort of karma we should deal with in this lifetime, because it often seems that a planet in a challenging aspect reflects a previous misuse of that particular energy in the past and the negative habit carries over into the present.

Here is how Arroyo summarizes the types of attachments indicated in challenging aspects with planets in our natal chart:

• SUN: too much attachment to being someone special.
• MOON: too much attachment to the past, to family and racial background, and to earthly peace (in the sense of expecting the outer world to be perfect).
• MERCURY: too much attachment to intellect and mental pride.
• VENUS: too much attachment to physical comfort, emotional satisfaction, and to other people in general.
• MARS: too much attachment to action, achievement, winning over another person, and attainment of one’s own desires.
• JUPITER: too much attachment to doing things in a big way (and thus a lack of humility).
• SATURN: too much attachment to social approval, power, authority, and reputation.

Astrological Elements & Personal Transformation

The elements have traditionally been divided into two groups: fire and are being consider active and self-expressive, and water and earth considered passive, receptive, and self-repressive. Marc Edmund Jones, being called the dean of American astrology, has written that air and fire are “manipulative and extensional” expressions of energy, whereas earth and water are “sustaining and intensive.” This classification of elements carries the fact that the signs of the same element and of the elements in the same group are considered to be generally more compatible than elements of different groups.

The four elements are particularly useful in understanding the essential nature of any individual’s psychological makeup. Every individual is composed of all four elements but in various proportions. Elements that are lacking emphasis in the natal chart would indicate specific realms of life activity with which one is not consciously in contact, and hence an attunement regarding these elements must be consciously cultivated and developed in order for the individual to be able to participate in that field of experience required for a full and well-rounded life. Likewise, those who have an over-emphasis on a particular element in the natal chart tend to over-value that realm of experience, to the detriment of their potential for wholeness.

• Imbalance of fire: If one has too little emphasis in the fire signs, the fiery energy is lacking and the digestion is likely to be weak; there are tendencies to be lack of spiritedness, not to trust life itself, to be devoid of faith and optimism, to be scared of challenges, etc. On the other hand, too much emphasis on fire means the individual tends to be overly active, restless, and overly concerned with making something happen in the world. They also tend to have problems dealing with others due to their impulsiveness, self-centredness, and unrestrained desire to act directly at all costs.
• Imbalance of earth: Those having too little emphasis on the earth element are not naturally attuned to the physical world, the physical body, or to the limitations and requirements of survival in the material plane. They often feel like they don’t fit into any niche in society’s structure, and often has trouble finding a life’s work that is satisfying. However, this lack of earth can have some very beneficial effects, for the person accepts no limitation to what is possible, either spiritually or in his creative efforts, which, together with time, may lead to fruitful results, but only if the individual has at least learned to accept the basic requirements of earthly living. Those with too great an emphasis on the earth element, on the other hand, tend to rely too much on things as they appear to be. There can be a narrowness of vision, and/or an obsessive concern with what works rather than with what ideals one should shoot for, and often a considerable lack of imagination. Naturally, these people will exemplify a remarkable strength and efficiency in most cases, and they need to channel their energy into a specific work that challenges them. However, the world of work and practical affairs often tends to dominate their entire lives and they also tend to possess cynicism and scepticism qualities if they have no ideal or inspiration to infuse life with significance.
• Imbalance of air: Those with too little emphasis on the air element in their natal charts are normally too involved in action, feelings, and material concerns to consider the implications of their involvements. It is the lack of perception, together with the inability to reflect on life and themselves that will create problems for these people. They often find themselves burdened by involvements that were not sufficiently considered beforehand or by a lack of satisfaction in close relationships stemming from their inability to cooperate effectively. Those with too much emphasis on the air element, on the contrary, have an over-active mind which must be guided and controlled. They usually live in their head and can become a dabbler in all sorts of curiosities without having much effect or developing much depth within themselves if there is little earth or fire to motivate him to act on the ideas. Physically, this type of person can be so out of touch with his body that he allows the mind to run away with him until he is utterly exhausted.
• Imbalance of Water: Too little emphasis on the element water can manifest as a wide range of psychological, emotional, and physical problems. Most of these people have great difficulty entering into the feelings of others with empathy and compassion, as well as getting in touch with their own feelings and emotional needs. A lack of the water element also manifests as an innate distrust of intuitive knowledge. They also seem to be fanatically fearful of pain, with the result that their disregard of their emotional needs insures that they will experience more pain. Those with an over-emphasis on the water element are extremely sensitive to any experience, which can lead either to profoundly penetrating intuition or over-reacting to the slightest stimulus. If the emotions are totally out of control and if these people habitually function in a state of apprehensive self-protectiveness, they can easily become devitalized by fears, negative reaction patterns, and timidity.

In a society where we have to find our own means of initiation and transformation, astrology could play the role of a helpful tool, among many other possible tools to guide us through various initiations, transformations, and crucial transitions. However, it is also necessary to mention an important limitation of astrology: although the archetypal karmic patterns are clearly symbolized in a birth chart, the precise way those patterns will manifest and the exact karmic encounters that the person will experience cannot be known from the chart alone. It is the work of our own awareness to make use of this structure of life potential and allow the true transformation, psychologically and spiritually, to happen with the purpose of achieving the state of higher consciousness on the long and uneven journey to the real freedom of the soul.

Sources:

1. Stephen Arroyo, M.A, ‘Astrology, Psychology and the Four Elements – An energy approach to Astrology & its used in the counselling arts’, CRCS Publications, 1975.
2. Stephen Arroyo, ‘Astrology, Karma & Transformation’, 2^nd Edition, CRCS Publications, 1992.