Astrology is the study of fate, and the Enneagram is the study of free will, and mindfulness and manifestation are how we get from fate to free will.
Both Astrology and the Enneagram present us with maps of our soul; they are different ways of saying similar things, but the distinctions they provide are valuable in their function as siblings. Astrology is a visual map of you as a unique individual- the snowflake if you will. It’s a .jpeg that was snapped mid-sentence as the planetary gods were conversing at the moment of your birth, constellating in a “psychic archetype” within you. As psychoanalyst Carl Jung would have said, the natal horoscope is “not only… a psychological map of character and complexes, but … a meaningful narrative or, in effect, a personal mythic journey.1“
The Enneagram is also a map, but in a different way. Whereas Astrology might be compared to a pop-up book that, upon opening, that tells a tale of the hero’s journey of your soul, the Enneagram is more of a map of your specific personality type that has a vertical element to it that shows us how to grow in emotional intelligence along a personalized ladder from unconscious to conscious.
Used in a therapy setting, both maps of the psyche are profound vehicles for growth. I can’t imagine doing my practice without either one; they’ve both been indespensible to me, and I’m passionate about helping others along their unique path to growth via their Astrological chart and their Enneagram type.
We start with either one- whichever you know best. If you don’t know your Enneagram type, we’ll start with your astrological chart and figure out your type from there. Then we’ll identify where in the two maps you’re getting stuck by identifying the kinks and blockages and come up with strategies for working through them.
My Approach Includes:
The Enneagram
A personality typing system like Myers-Briggs, but with a spiritual dimension to it.
Jungianism
Carl Jung (and Freud) were the first to articulate the modern understanding of the unconscious.
Astrology
The practice of discerning the dynamics of the personality through the position of the planets at the moment of one’s birth.
Mindfulness
The practice of observing oneself and sensing into the body with compassion.
*A word about our challening political times
Jung on using Astrology to work towards greater free will:
“The journey through the planetary houses boils down to becoming conscious of the good and the bad qualities in our character, [which] means no more than maximum consciousness, which amounts to maximal freedom of the will.”
C.G. Jung2
Great Books to Accompany You on Your Journey
The Enneagram
There are two classics by Don Riso and Russ Hudson, two of the original modern teachers of the Enneagram: Personality Types and The Wisdom of the Enneagram. Either one is an essential book for your bookshelf.
Projection and the Unconscious
Part of integrating our shadow self is to become aware of what we’re projecting onto others. Robert A. Johnson was a revered and wonderful synthesizer of Carl Jung’s teachings.
The Neuroscience behind Mindfulness
The plasticity of our brains means that our charts don’t condemn us to a lifetime of inner conflict- learning the science behind self-observations makes it easier to re-parent ourselves as adults.