Laura Andrikopoulos

Myth, enchantment and psychological astrology

Abstract

James Hillman's (1926-2011) archetypal psychology aimed to take psyche out of the consulting room and back to the cosmos, through cultivation of a mythical consciousness that recognises all reality as symbolic and metaphorical. A life-long lover of astrology, Hillman has been identified as a reformer from within psychological astrology, with his archetypal perspective offering potential for a re- enchanted expression of the subject. However, earlier varieties of psychological astrology, which have been labelled as disenchanting, show a strong concern with mythology. This paper examines what difference there is, if any, in the role and function of mythology in different twentieth-century psychological astrologies and the relationship between such use and characterisations of (dis)enchantment.

Biography

Laura Andrikopoulos is a tutor for the MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, leading the 'Sky and Psyche' module. She is also a PhD candidate at the same university, researching the psychologisation of western astrology in the twentieth century. Her research interests focus on the theory and practice of modern astrology and she is a former President of the Faculty of Astrological Studies, UK. She is co-editor of the book Journey Through Astrology, which charts the experience of discovering and engaging with astrology in the contemporary world.