Values that astrology can contribute to the counseling arts.
1. Utilizing astrology can provide a perspective upon and a detachment from our mind and ego patterns in order that we may again occasionally perceive what is real; for as long as we are victimized by these patterns, we are in total darkness. The birthchart reveals these patterns in a clear way thar enables us to deal more effectively with our habits and with ourselves.
2. Astrology helps one to develop patience; for when it is seen that the primary structural aspects of one's existence are subject to an already-established periodicity and cyclic rhythm it is much easier to dwell in the present with a patient acceptance of the here and now and with the knowledge that the present phase will end when it has outlived its purpose.
3. Astrology provides a pattern of growth and development that is far superior to any other psychological tool. It indicates what one should be working on, the essential meaning of a particular experience or phase of life, what inner patterns one is coming to terms with, the approximate duration of any particular phase of experience, and an accurate way of timing crucial changes in life.
4. Astrology enables one to tune-in on their inner powers and to use the power of thought, will and creative vitality to mold a better way of being. By paying attention to astrological cycles, we can see when we the opportunity to develop new approaches to life and when we will be tested to see if our present approaches are truly fulfilling and creative.
5. Astrological study or familiarity with astrological practice through a counseling experience enables one to understand more deeply the Universal Laws that pervade all of life and help the individual to rely upon these universal truths in one's own inner life. Among these laws are: order, compensation (or balance), cause and effect (karma), vibration, cycles, polarity, "what ye think ye become" and "like begets like".
6. Astrology in the counseling arts reveals how any experience fits into the larger pattern of order that constitutes one's basic life structure or life plan.
7. Astrology gives us a sense of perspective and a means of gaining awareness on our lives, so that we don't get "hung up" on one experience, frustration or blockage. It can get us in touch with the dynamism and cyclic nature of all life.
8. Astrology can provide us with faith in something greater than mere ego consciousness and therefore faith in one's real self.
9. Astrology helps the counselor or therapist to "get inside" the client, to attune to him according to the client's own nature rather than projecting his unconscious assumptions on the individual. It also enables him to choose appropriate treatment or therapy for a particular person.
10. Astrology can provide us with the key to the initiations (the crucial times of confrontation and marked growth) in every person's life.
11. Astrology provides a means whereby the client's deepest feelings and unconscious yearnings may be brought to awareness and given form. What originally was a vague, troublesome annoyance can then be transformed into a reservoir of newly-liberated creative energy, often giving the individual a clear sense of new direction and meaning in life.
12. Astrology enables the person to determine the type of activity in which their life-energies can flow with the greatest amount of ease and satisfaction.
13. Astrology can help people to have a greater confidence in themselves by confirming the intimations, feelings and inner knowledge that they may have been afraid to express or to trust. Rather than the often-voiced criticism of astrology that it makes one weaker by depending on forces outside the self, the proper use of astrology can help an individual to develop a greater degree of self-reliance and self-confidence.
14. Astrology can help us to know that "all the world is a stage" and that we are merely playing a part in this vast drama. Such a realization can give us a sense of perspective and humor that alone makes life easier to deal with.
15. Astrology show us that within us are many interacting dynamics that our being in the material world comprises many forces, needs and urges. Astrology helps us to identify with the totality of this living process rather than identifying, as most people do, with one or two limited dimensions of experience.
16. The use of astrology in the counseling arts enables the counselor to help the person to align himself with the truth of his nature and being, rather than molding him to fit a man-made theory of how he should be.
– Stephen Arroyo in Astrology, Psychology and The Four Elements.
