The Role of Astrology in the Group Counselling Experience, Part Three: A New Par

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The Role of Astrology in the Group Counselling Experience, Part

Three: A New Paradigm of Problem Solving

 

Sat, Mar 13, 2004

 

It has been more than several weeks since I last shared my

reflections on the group investigation/counseling exercise I have

been a part of from Nov 8 forward. Many professional and personal

issues have intruded to a large extent: client concerns, research

projects, the recent web site project and "real world" concerns have

all slowed down my intended scheduling of post-meeting reports.

However, in light of today's meeting, which I will discuss below, I

think these delays have actually been more helpful to me in terms of

being able to assess things in a more holistic manner, looking at the

process in overall terms. These reflections, along with any other

future writings, will serve as the backdrop for further investigation

into methods of problem solving not specifically mentioned within the

literature and approach of the Western Post-Rudhyar Astrological

Model. As today marked the final meeting of the first cycle of

meetings, again it is synchronistically appropriate that I now find

the time to be able to reflect on the experiences I had with this

group, and the profound role that Astrology has played in it on a

variety of levels.

 

Premise of The Study Group Exercise

Although I have mentioned this in previous reflections, I will

briefly re-state them here for the benefit of those who are only now

just discovering these thoughts. On Nov 8, 2003, I, along with a

group of other interested individuals of varying degrees, decided to

form a study group designed to investigate and examine a variety of

phenomena commonly characterized as "personal problems"; because so

many of us, and/or many of the people close to us, have

these "problems", we wanted to know why they were so very pervasive,

and what, if anything, could be done about it. The Nov 8 meeting was

a formation meeting, as well as the start of Part One of a two part

study and investigation process, which would examine these "problems"

on a variety of different levels.

 

There were four broad themes under which we decided we would look at

these many and varied "problems", and these themes were:

 

1. Alienation

2. Arrested Development

3. Codependency

4. Individualism

 

It was decided that, as we had a diverse and profound skill-set among

the group, that we would seek to define and understand these themes

in their clinical, or personal, context, and how they relate (are

connected to) the group, or socio-political context. Those who were

formally trained in dealing with these issues in the former context

were called upon to offer the clinical perspective of these issues,

and those who were professionals in the latter area were similarily

asked to give the broader social and political origin, context and

impact of the same phenomena. In so doing, the group was much better

prepared to look at these issues in a much more rounded and holistic

way, rather than relying on just one approach alone.

 

Part One, of which all of my writings have been based on, was a

series of meetings primarily designed to discuss these matters from

the first perspective, i.e., the clinical or personal view. Part Two,

which begins two weeks from today (and to whose Astrology I will

comment later), intends to deal with the latter part of the question,

from the group/collective, socio-political context.

 

Both parts are divided up into 10 bi-weekly meetings, four hours in

length each to accomodate everyone's participation.

 

Our motto, to which we refer every time we meet, is "Change Yourself,

to Change the World". The whole idea behind these meetings is one

that is both transformative and transactional, that is to say, that

this exercise, if properly done and internalized, should empower both

the individual members as well as the group overall, to effectively

deal with those things previously characterized as "personal

problems" in a whole way, in order to bring about the change all of

the members of the group say they want. To that end then, this is not

just a study group - it is an empowerment group, an action for change

group.

 

We were careful to strike a balance in terms of male and female

members, and to instill the concept of rotating chairpersonship and

shared responsibility - all essential toward fostering the "safe

place" environment needed for the necessary revealing of personal

histories in the presence of others for understanding and

enlightenment. Furthermore, our one firm "rule" was "no lurking" -

everyone had to participate in the meetings in terms of speaking from

their own experience on each of the Four Themes outlined above.

Again, this was done to make certain that each of the participants

was meaningfully engaged and to make certain that each member had a

sufficient understanding of the analytical tools we were endeavoring

to understand in our attempts to examine these issues.

 

Considerations of Astrology's Role in the Process

This entire exercise really opened my eyes to the approach currently

pursued within the Western Astrological Model, that is to say, the

one-on-one counselor/client approach, usually within a fixed time

frame (for most, somewhere around an hour). This model, which has

been strongly put forth in the years after the onset of the

Psychological Era, has been written and expounded on by many credible

astrologers in the field - much of it having a real and practical

basis in getting results. However, I have always wondered about the

primacy of this approach, based in part on my ever-increasing

awareness of alternate worldviews (specifically, those who are non-

European/Western/Anglo-American), as well as my own direct experience

working with this model in the lives of everyday people who

approached me for advice and understanding. Most Western astrologers

do not consider ongoing astrological counsel (say, once a week, or

twice a month), although the reasons for this are not clearly

explained and understood (at least not to me). However, many of these

same astrologers will agree that "updates" (times when the client

comes back on a yearly or semi-annual basis) are appropriate, which

to me seems, again on the basis of many of my clients, highly

suspect. Without question there are instances were SST (Single

Session Therapy, the psychological counseling model now highly

regarded and emulated by many Western astrologers) can, has and will

continue to be highly effective for handling the issues and problems

of many people; however, I posit that this approach, taken alone and

applied in a "one-size fits all" manner, is incomplete (and possibly

even inaccurate), when it comes to assessing the range of issues the

study group that I am a part of seeks to examine and address.

 

It seems to me to be very presumptive, that on the basis of an one-

hour meeting, a person who has absorbed a great deal of concepts,

ideas and issues on a range of things over the course of a lifetime,

will be able to sort them out to a managable degree and begin to

function in a more rounded way. Again, while I do not doubt that this

approach can and does work for some people, I would argue that it

does not for at least as many. Furthermore - and this is something I

loved in my experience with the study group - most Western

astrologers (many of whom purport to be "Holistic", which is to say,

that they are aware of environmental conditions) seem to be almost

myopic with their view of the individual over everything else

(indeed, it is a part of our culture: "Man against Nature", "The Lone

Wolf", the fascination with eagles and the like; there are many other

examples; check my comments on "Individualism" below); the collective

themes and imperatives do not seem to be taken into account as well

as the individual impulses, drives and needs. Clearly, this is an

outgrowth of the Western worldview, where the individual is the prime

consideration over everything else (at least, it has a much greater

priority). My researches into what could be considered alternate

worldview astrological approaches, along with the study group

exercise, has caused me to fundamentally re-think my views on these

matters significantly.

 

In an earlier installment of reflections, I mentioned a form of

Horary Astrology (Pransa) in Southern India known as the Astamangala.

It is a communal based, group oriented horary astrological process

and investigation into matters that pertain to, and will have a

marked impact on, the community under question. No individual charts

are used, and under the best of circumstances, this process/ritual is

to be performed with an entire panel of astrologers. The study group

experience gave me the chance to adapt some of the core precepts of

this ancient practice to the present day circumstances, in order to

gain a greater insight on our coming together as a group - why we

were there, what we hope to accomplish, and the "side issues" we may

not be aware of that remain "big ticket items" that needed to be

addressed if we were to be successful. Vedic Astrology, contrary to

its "reputation" in the West, has a long track record of proactive

problem solving (as is evident in the many chapters in its classical

works on remedial methods, etc), and here again I saw a clear link

between this view and that espoused by our group (to take all that we

learned and act on it in practical, concrete ways). From what I have

seen thus far, the results, both astrologically and otherwise, look

very promising.

 

The Opposition - Astrology's Way of Understanding Dialectics

The major method we, as the group, decided we would examine the Four

Themes would be through the dialectical method - dealing with the

unity and struggle of opposites. This is not an alien concept at all

in Astrology (any style) for it recognizes both the inherent

contradiction in, and necessity to unify both ends of, the opposing

ends of a spectrum (any zodiacal sign axis). In fact, it is this

relationship that propels further development and growth, going from

a process that brings about awareness, then polarization, then

struggle and finally then unity - and the process starts all over

again. In light of this fundamental truth then, it is no accident at

all that, in the Study Group Formation Chart, the chart reflects

a "birth" right before a Lunar Eclipse, with the Sun in Scorpio and

the Moon in Taurus. A Sun/Moon blend in this Sign axis, is perhaps

the most formidable, as it suggest deep-seated tendencies that can

either greatly help our hurt the entity under consideration. In that

we have formed to change ourselves, thereby changing our world, this

blend/axis speaks strongly to the notion of instituting deep reforms

of some kind, usually through the breakdown and rebuilding of

structures to make this happen. In that this axis also shows an

applying Moon opposed Sun, it supercedes all other aspects in this

chart and suggests that this concept, or theme, will be dominant

throughout the process.

 

Individual Meeting Charts - Comments and Observations

After my second installment of reflections, it was suggested to me by

several astrological colleagues that I consider casting the charts of

each individual meeting, due to the possibility that such ancillary

charts could provide additional clues into the overall process of the

study group. Since that time, I have casted and compared these charts

to that of the formation chart of the study group, and I must say, I

have found some very interesting features among the "lesser" charts.

What I have found most striking is that all of these charts

are "echoes" of the formation chart: for example, of the nine charts

cast since the very first meeting, the overwhelming majority of them

have Venus in the 12th house, usually in aspect to Mars, or Mars

itself in the 12th along with Venus; and Neptune is usually either

angular (in the 1st or 10th Houses), often in aspect (hard) to one of

the Lights. In the formation chart itself, Venus is square Mars, with

Mars in Pisces in the 2nd House and ruling the 4th, and Venus in

Sagittarius and placed in the 12th. Neptune squares the Sun-Moon

axis, from the 2nd. I take the former aspect structures (Venus-Mars)

to mean that themes of relationship and sexuality merge perhaps

problematically with "family secrets" - and indeed, several of the

group members have reported sexual molestation and the like on lots

of levels. One of the original female members has not returned to the

group because of her fears of discussing these key themes even when

it was she that posed such questions to the group for answers! The

latter symbolism, Neptune, I take to mean the role of the larger

collective in all of this, to what extent does that "make" things go

left or right. The Neptune occurance here also relates to "isms"

and/or "osms" that we have all adhered to (often blindly) and that

are under critical review.

 

Understanding Individualism

Without going into too many specifics, the study group spent our last

two meetings on understanding the essence of Individualism from a

variety of levels.

What I found to be most interesting, when we had one of our mental

health professionals give the clinical definition of Individualism,

was that he could not find any! He said that the mental health

community does not consider such an issue to be a mental or emotional

disorder. We came away from this situation with the thought that the

worldview in which the mental health field has grown up in, perhaps

values individualism in the ways that was defined by our more socio-

politically skilled members. We all agreed that this was so.

 

The major concern was in having trouble distinguishing non-conformity

from the more socio-political phenomena known as Individualism. The

former speaks to that spark of independence we all have as humans;

the latter speaks to a way of thinking and seeing the world that

seeks to justify anti-social behaviors (such as greed) as normative.

An example was given in terms of the current situation in Iraq and

the larger Middle East, what I like to call the "SUV question". It

was pointed out that, even after Sep 11, 2001, even after the many

revelations made about the role of the many players on the geo-

political scene, many people will STILL go out and get that 50,000-

plus dollar vehicle that they don't need and consumes lots of gas -

simply because they can. That's Individualism.

 

Another example was given in terms of Relationships, something I

think all astrologers would be very mindful to consider; in this

example, the supposition was that Romantic love as it has come to be

known in the Western world (and rapidly going elsewhere, due to

globalization, i.e, Americanization) is not only anti-thetical to the

history and development of human beings but is also part and parcel

of a worldview that supports and justifies Individualism. So, we can

better understand why some people (many, from the looks of things

here) have so many problems in relationships, because it is due to

their own individual desires and wants and less dependent on the

needs of the collective to which they belong. "Romantic love" rose in

direct proportion to Individualism, historically, which leads us to

the present.

 

The latter point was significantly resonant for me, as a large

portion of my clientele comes from a worldview where it is still

common practice for collective and communal (family, parental)

imperatives to hold sway when the question of selecting marital mates

comes up. In fact, for many of my Indian clients, the whole notion

of "romantic love" - going out, and finding a person you want to have

some level of "relationship" with, based on your own subjective

criteria - is greatly frowned upon. While there are certainly

problems with any system or theory of knowledge when taken to

extremes, still, this way of doing things endures because it works -

or does it? As Individualism encroaches more and more onto the

interior of India, romantic love (or as they call it in India,

a "love marriage") is likely to follow suit.

 

Still, couples overall stay together longer in other areas of the

world who have and act on these alternate worldviews. Again, I won't

belabor the details of these understandings, but I will say that as

one who has to deal with relationship problems of major import on a

regular basis, I have been seriously considering this worldview as a

possible option and solution for my clients. I am still investigating

into the ways in which I can implement these strategies in the

current environment and times in which I find myself and my clients.

 

At any rate, the last two meetings on Individualism was highly

beneficial to everyone concerned, especially in light of the

aforementioned Venus-Mars factors in the formation chart (and today's

meeting had the Moon tightly conjunct Pluto in Sagittarius in the

7th), along with the presence of Saturn in the 7th House - in Cancer,

the sign of the family. Saturn also made a sextile to the Moon in

Taurus in the 4th House - an intimate connection between the

communal/familial/collective interests and those pertaining to

relationships, particularly of the marital kind.

 

Conclusion

Over the past 10 meetings, it has become very clear to me that not

only is the group counselling method an incisive tool for deeper

understanding and potential action, but that Astrology's role in that

process is crucial in both aspects of that process. While the group

has experienced a slight degree of attrition (originally starting out

with upwards of 20 members, and today's meetings had 12 in

attendance), those who have remained and internalized the analytical

tools have greatly been enhanced both as individuals and as parts of

a larger collective. I can personally vouchsafe for the improvements

it has made in my life accross the board - in terms of assisting my

clients, in my own relationship with my other half, in my

understanding of the development of the world and my role in it. I

have seen members of this group go from tight-lipped and cross-armed

to totally engaged and willing to grapple with personal

contradictions in the presence of the others in the group. Moreover,

the group plans to be much more active in our communities, sharing

what we have learned, and passing on this process to others, so that

when the word "family" and/or "community" is uttered, it has real,

substantive meaning. As we move into Part Two, the "Change the World"

part of our study group process, I am very confident that we are

doing so having been so deeply - and beneficially - changed

ourselves.

 

Salaam,

Mu'Min M. Bey

 

Study Group Chart Data

 

Formation Chart

Sat, Nov 8, 2003

10AM EST

Phila, PA

Placidus Asc: 26 Sag

 

2nd Meeting

Sat, Nov 22, 2003

10AM EST

Phila, PA

Placidus Asc: 9 Cap

 

3rd Meeting

Sat, Dec 6, 2003

10AM EST

Phila, PA

Placidus Asc: 23 Cap

 

4th Meeting

Sat, Dec 20, 2003

10AM EST

Phila, PA

Placidus Asc: 10 Aqr

 

5th Meeting

Sat, Jan 3, 2004

10AM EST

Phila, PA

Placidus Asc: 00 Pis

 

6th Meeting

Sat, Jan 17, 2004

10AM EST

Phila, PA

Placidus Asc: 23 Pis

 

7th Meeting

Sat, Jan 31, 2004

10AM EST

Phila, PA

Placidus Asc: 16 Ari

 

8th Meeting

Sat Feb 14, 2004

10AM EST

Phila, PA

Placidus Asc: 8 Tau

 

9th Meeting

Sat Feb 28, 2004

10AM EST

Phila, PA

Placidus Asc: 27 Tau

 

10th Meeting

Sat Mar 13, 2004

10AM EST

Phila, PA

Placidus Asc: 13 Gem