Astropoetics

Mary's Shadow Story

This series of 7 posts on Healing the Astrological Shadow is based on an article written by Joe Landwehr and published in The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #151: June/July 2010, pp. 48-54.

Although it is possible to look at a person's birthchart for potential shadow material, it's important to remember that this may or may not manifest in a given life. It is potentially damaging to assume that because a given signature exists in a chart, it inevitably indicates shadow material. Conversely, absence of a shadow signature does not mean that some aspect of the birthchart might not operate in a shadowy way.  We can speculate about where in a birthchart the shadow is most likely to manifest, but then we must look to the story for confirmation of our theories.

A poignant example of a shadow wound can be found in the case study of a former student.  The chart for this student – whom I will call Mary – is presented below. Mary’s shadow wound is formed by an out-of-sign square between Pluto/Moon/Jupiter in the 12th house and Saturn at the Nadir in the 3rd house.  Pluto and Jupiter are retrograde.  Virgo is rising.

As Mary described herself growing up, she was "a talented and sensitive child who had been placed in a stifling and unresponsive family." Her fondest memory before the age of 7 was “of joyously running around the house naked. . . and [her] mother affectionately laughing at the sight."  One of Mary’s early teachers, who contributed to her shadow wounding (at Saturn’s first transiting square to the natal pattern) felt a need to “take her down a notch” because she was exhibiting “too much self-confidence and . . . [her] opinion of [herself] was too high."  This confident, talented, self-assured child, running naked through life with joyful merriment was reflected by her 12th house Moon/Jupiter conjunction in Leo. 

Given that Mary’s Moon/Jupiter sits at the heart of a powerful shadow pattern, bracketed by both Saturn and Pluto, it was perhaps inevitable that this carefree, precocious wild child would experience a clipping of her wings.  True to form, the initial wounding took place at age 4 (during transiting Saturn’s first semi-square to the pattern), when her father left.  Before that, Mary was compelled to function in an atmosphere she described as "embattled."  The tension between her parents finally erupted during the semi-square, with this breach in the marriage.  While her father’s decision to leave likely had nothing to do with her, Mary blamed herself for his departure, and felt rejected by him.  Mary projected the blame onto her mother, but underneath, she began festering a classic Type 1 shadow wound.

After this traumatic event, Mary became "the one who 'started things'. It seemed to be [her] role in the family to bring things out into the open at any cost.  And yet at the same time, [she was] terribly sensitive to the others and would become tortured and depressed over their slightest disapproval or misunderstanding.. . . [She was] a bundle of sensitivity and violent emotions with no idea how to handle them."  This is her description of the shadow-side of her rising Moon/Jupiter retrograde.

Mary’s shadow wound was further exacerbated by her sisters, who invaded her childhood privacy and sought to humiliate her in front of family and friends.  Mary’s 3rd house of siblings is ruled by Pluto, which conjuncts Moon/Jupiter retrograde and squares Saturn in the 3rd, forming the backbone of a potent shadow pattern in which siblings could be a catalyst.  In Mary’s words, her sisters attempted to “squash any of [her] tendencies to stick out in both negative and positive ways."  Since “sticking out” is what the Moon in Leo most desires to do, having these tendencies squashed was a negation of her Moon.  Like Cinderella, Mary was “hardly ever allowed to be part of [her sisters’] plans or activities.. . . [Yet they] were… the chief violators of [her] highly valued privacy."  Within the context of her shadow wound, this violation of privacy can be understood as a denial of her right to exist.

After the age of 8, Mary withdrew and squelched her natural enthusiasms and talents.  Previously outgoing, after the primal wounding, she became sullen, cautious and withdrawn, occasionally erupting in anger, despite her caution, as an attempt to create more breathing room for herself.  This is the portrait of an intensely lonely child, for whom the world was not a safe space.  In the face of this lack of safety (Saturn-Pluto), she (Moon/Jupiter) shut down and became limited, compromised, and distorted by her shadow wounds.
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The Astrological Timing of the Wounding/ Healing Process

Having identified the natal pattern related to Mary’s shadow wound, it comes as no surprise that the timing of events related to both the wounding and the healing process correlated with transits to this pattern. Since Saturn and Pluto are the agents of shadow wounding in this pattern, Saturn and Pluto transits (particularly by hard aspect) are potentially critical triggers to both the wounding and the healing process.  In Mary’s experience, Saturn was the more potent trigger – in keeping with the fact that hers was a Type 1 wound.

Transiting Saturn was semi-square its natal position (and sesquiquadrate to the rest of the pattern) when her father left her mother, and the initial wounding by abandonment took place. 

During another hard Saturn transit to the natal pattern, Mary found herself in the middle of a "desperately unhappy time. . .; [she was] miserable in [her first] marriage in which [she] felt trapped” by the Hasidic Jewish community to which her first husband belonged.  These feelings of entrapment came to head when she experienced "serious complications" during a pregnancy. "[Her] husband didn't adequately care for [her] during [her] recovery.. . . [She] felt terribly isolated and unable to tell anyone about what had happened."  She was essentially betrayed and abandoned by her first husband, in a repeat of the primal wounding she experienced at age 4.

I began working with Mary when transiting Saturn was trine her 12th house stellium and approaching a quincunx to her natal Saturn, triggering the pattern again.  She was just about to join her fiancé, a man 23 years her senior – a father figure, and a suitable stand-in for Saturn in an ongoing saga through which Mary sought healing for her shadow wounds.

At first blush, “John” appeared to be the perfect partner for Mary.  As Mary described him, "he seemed to have a peaceful core that was not ruffled or bent out of shape no matter what [she] said or did.  He was not one to be controlled or be in control, and he had a way of handing [her] issues squarely back to [her] when there was any conflict . . . [She] remain[ed] in awe of his ability to simply let the small stuff wash over and drift away of its own accord." 

Despite John’s unflappability, Mary soon began to experience herself "without rights, means, or emotional support," and acutely aware of "all the constrictions and incompatibilities" she was “forced” to live with within the context of her relationship.  What is more, John considered Mary’s desire for privacy to be an "ego game," echoing her early relationship to sisters who routinely invaded her space, shamed her, and then took delight in tormenting her when she got upset.  Again, as in childhood and as in her marriage to her first husband, she began to feel trapped. 

As the relationship became more claustrophobic, John began to express "the wish that he could be free of [Mary]," in conformance to Mary’s wounded expectation.  During this critical transit, over the Christmas holidays, Mary nearly broke up with John twice.  But she hung in there, at one point marveling that "someone with fixed Saturn at Nadir squaring that fixed stellium in the 12th house" could move into a childlike space of fun and play.  Given that it was originally her Moon/Jupiter retrograde that was wounded, I took this as a hopeful sign that some healing had begun.

Mary’s shadow wounds cannot be easily dismissed by a positive interpretation of the difficult shadow pattern in her chart.  Mary chose an arduous route.  Both the identification of the shadow pattern in her chart and the tracking of the story line associated with this pattern bear this out.  The good news at the heart of her story, and the promise of her birthchart, is her right to be here in all of her resplendent (Moon/Jupiter in Leo) glory, even in the midst of life’s most intense difficulties (Saturn square Pluto).  This is a right that Mary would inevitably learn to claim, or not, as her natal pattern was triggered in various ways throughout the various cycles in which it participated over the course of a lifetime.

1. Rodden data rating A, mother’s memory.  The birth data is not supplied here to maintain confidentiality.  The full case study can be found as Chapter Twelve of my book: Landwehr, Joe. Tracking the Soul With An Astrology of Consciousness. Mountain View, MO: Ancient Tower Press, 2007.

All quotes in this case study are from my correspondence with Mary over the course of our work together.

Important Note:  Though everything astrological – every house, sign, planet, aspect and planetary pattern – has its shadow-side, it's important to remember that this may or may not manifest in a given life.  Never assume that because a given signature exists in a chart, it inevitably indicates shadow material.  Conversely, absence of a shadow signature does not mean that some aspect of the birthchart might not operate in a shadowy way. 

Posts in this series on Healing the Astrological Shadow: 

1. What is the Shadow and How are we Wounded?
2. The Shadow in the Birthchart: Planets
3. Shadow Patterns in the Houses: Dark Angles
4. Shadow Patterns: Cadent Houses
5. Shadow Patterns: Water Houses
6. Shadow Patterns: Dark Signs
7. Mary's Shadow Story

 

 

The Astropoetic School of Soul-Discovery offers a 3 1/2 day mobile workshop on Healing the Astrological Shadow.  Go here for more.

Shadow Patterns: Dark Signs

This series of 7 posts on Healing the Astrological Shadow is based on an article written by Joe Landwehr and published in The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #151: June/July 2010, pp. 48-54.

 

As with the planets and houses, every sign has its shadow.  There are a few signs that seem to be more closely associated with the shadow than the others, primarily when these signs are emphasized by stellium, when the apex of a shadow pattern culminates in one of these signs, or when a shadow planet sits in the 12th house close to the Ascendant in one of these signs.

The first shadow sign is Virgo.  Where Virgo is emphasized in one of these ways, self-esteem is often a major issue.  The person with concentrated Virgo energy can feel they are not good enough.  They tend to suffer from self-judgment through comparison with others or against some unattainable ideal; and they will be driven to prove themselves worthy of something or someone.  Placement of one or more shadow planets in Virgo can be a factor in Type 1 and 2 shadow patterns (see first post for more on the types).

The second shadow sign is Scorpio.  Where Scorpio is emphasized, there is usually some secret judged too horrible or shameful to reveal.  Or there can be major issues around the inability to trust another – jealousy issues, fear of betrayal, rejection, abandonment, and infidelity.  As a shadow sign, Scorpio can occasionally harbor memories of abuse – sexual, emotional, or physical – that have been blocked and now lay buried.  When Scorpio is emphasized in a shadow dynamic, such memories can play a part in the aspect of self that has been repressed or rejected.

Jungian astrologer Liz Greene associates the sign Gemini with shadow material [1].  In mythology, Gemini encompasses the archetypal motif of the twins, one of which is an embodiment of everything that is deemed good, worthy, and noble, and the other, an embodiment of all that is evil, reprehensible, and undesirable. 

In Gemini, light is paired with darkness, and one is perpetually faced with the inner enemy, who cannot be wholly conquered yet who must be eternally fought.  Where Gemini is emphasized within a shadow dynamic, this archetype can play itself out through rivalry with a sibling.  It can also manifest as an internal ambivalence that perpetually sabotages the best conscious efforts of the individual to actualize his or her potential.

Jung associated the shadow with the trickster, who according to Greene, represented “the mysterious momentum of the unconscious, sometimes destructive, sometimes humorous, sometimes terrifying; but always ambiguous and always fertile”[2].  Where Gemini is emphasized as part of a shadow play, there is often a chaotic flux of forces beyond the individual’s control, and the energy of the trickster is tangible until Gemini is able to assume responsibility for its internal contradictions.

1. Greene, Liz. The Astrology of Fate. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, 1984, p. 191.
2. Ibid, p. 195.

So far in this series of posts on Healing the Astrological Shadow, I've described where in a birthchart the shadow is most likely to manifest.  In practice, these theories must always be corroborated by the life story of the client whose chart we are exploring. In the next post, I'll tell Mary's story to illustrate how these theories play out in the actual experience of a former student.

Important Note:  Though everything astrological – every house, sign, planet, aspect and planetary pattern – has its shadow-side, it's important to remember that this may or may not manifest in a given life.  Never assume that because a given signature exists in a chart, it inevitably indicates shadow material.  Conversely, absence of a shadow signature does not mean that some aspect of the birthchart might not operate in a shadowy way. 

Posts in this series on Healing the Astrological Shadow: 

1. What is the Shadow and How are we Wounded?
2. The Shadow in the Birthchart: Planets
3. Shadow Patterns in the Houses: Dark Angles
4. Shadow Patterns: Cadent Houses
5. Shadow Patterns: Water Houses
6. Shadow Patterns: Dark Signs
7. Mary's Shadow Story

 

The Astropoetic School of Soul-Discovery offers a 3 1/2 day mobile workshop on Healing the Astrological Shadow.  Go here for more.

Shadow Patterns: Water Houses

This series of 7 posts on Healing the Astrological Shadow is based on an article written by Joe Landwehr and published in The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #151: June/July 2010, pp. 48-54.

 

Water represents the feeling realm, where psychological complexes evolve and dissolve in the alchemical cauldron of life.  This is where we connect most deeply with soul, and where we encounter our most profound rites of personal transformation.  In the water houses, we are most likely to contact the unconscious contents of our psyche, as well as shadow wounds. 

Shadow Patterns: Cadent Houses

This series of 7 posts on Healing the Astrological Shadow is based on an article written by Joe Landwehr and published in The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #151: June/July 2010, pp. 48-54.

 

Every house, sign, planet, aspect and planetary pattern – has its shadow-side, which may or may not manifest in a given life.  Among the houses, cadent houses and water houses are most likely to be home to shadow material.  In this post, I explore cadent houses; in the next one we'll look at water houses.

As a general rule, planets on the cadent side of an angle will be more shadowy than planets on the angular side.  Cadent houses are where we assimilate the lessons life is teaching us.  When the feedback that we are challenged to integrate in the learning of these lessons is in stark contrast to our image of ourselves, it can involve confrontation with the shadow. Alternately, we can think of cadent houses as casting a shadow in relation to the angular houses that come immediately after them.

Shadow Patterns in the Houses: Dark Angles

This series of 7 posts on Healing the Astrological Shadow is based on an article written by Joe Landwehr and published in The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #151: June/July 2010, pp. 48-54.

 

In previous posts I looked at what we mean by shadow and identified three types of shadow wounds.  Then I introduced two important shadow planets -  Pluto and Saturn.  Here, I will discuss how the astrological signature for the shadow wound is arranged in what I call soul space – as depicted in the hemispheres, quadrants and houses of the birthchart.

It is a tenet of astrology that planets near the angles are more potent, and the same is true of planets functioning as shadow indicators – particularly those near the Descendant or Nadir, which can be considered the dark angles of the birthchart.

The Shadow in the Birthchart: Planets

This series of 7 posts on Healing the Astrological Shadow is based on an article written by Joe Landwehr and published in The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #151: June/July 2010, pp. 48-54.

 

In the previous post in this series on Healing the Astrological Shadow, I looked at what we mean by shadow and identified three types of shadow wounds.  Now, I'll look more closely at the astrological symbols for this, beginning with shadow planets Pluto and Saturn.

Identifying a shadow pattern can be complicated, since everything astrological – every house, sign, planet, aspect and planetary pattern – has its shadow-side, which may or may not manifest in a given life.  It is potentially damaging to assume that because a given signature exists in a chart, it inevitably indicates shadow material. Conversely, absence of a shadow signature does not mean that some aspect of the birthchart might not operate in a shadowy way.  We can speculate about where in a birthchart the shadow is most likely to manifest, but then we must look to the story for confirmation of our theories.

Healing the Astrological Shadow, Part 1 of 7

This series of 7 posts is based on an article written by Joe Landwehr and published in The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #151: June/July 2010, pp. 48-54.

 

What is the Shadow and How are we Wounded?

Though none of us would consciously choose to be wounded, wounding is an initiation onto a soul journey uniquely our own.  As we deal with the consequences of our shadow wounding, we learn and gradually become whole.

Aside from the hurt of the initial wounding, the pain and suffering inherent in the shadow arise because it is mostly unconscious.  Its true nature is not obvious.  We dare not look it directly in the face for fear that we will be hurt again.

When the shadow is triggered, we get frustrated or angry, or experience another difficult emotion.  We don’t see a source for these feelings inside ourselves, so we project them outward into our relationships.  We blame others for our misery.  We feel victimized and powerless. 

What we don’t see is that some unclaimed piece of us – hidden in shadow – is undergoing a painful birthing process.  The essence of shadow work is to shift our focus from whatever it is outside of us that is triggering our pain to whatever it is inside of us that is struggling to be born.  This is largely a matter of taking responsibility for our pain and making what is unconscious, conscious. 

The challenge is to realize that others are not causing our suffering, that we are not victims, and that we can choose a different kind of experience.  As we go more deeply into the process, we begin to realize that the power we feel we don’t have is held by the shadow – that part of ourselves that we have given away through projection onto others.

Jung considered the shadow to be the guardian of the threshold to the unconscious, and a primary catalyst to individuation.  The shadow encompasses some aspect of the psyche that is wounded and requires healing.  This healing represents a lifelong journey that circles around what I call a core issue.  Core issues provide a focal point for emotional, psychological and spiritual growth over the course of a lifetime.

All shadow wounds are unique to the person who suffers them, and require some investigation.  Using our knowledge of shadow theory and astrology, we can dialogue with our clients to illuminate what has been held in darkness.  We can identify a signature for the shadow in the birthchart, explore memories related to key transits and progressions to the shadow pattern, and gradually piece together an intimately personal picture.   

I'll look in more depth at shadow patterns in the birthchart in the next posts in this series and end by telling Mary's story  First, let's look more closely at shadow wounds. 

Astrology: If Not Science, Then What?

Part 8 (ends series)

In this series, I have been exploring whether or not astrology can legitimately be called a science, and how the practice of astrology is distorted when squeezed into a scientific mold.  Now it is time to ask:

If astrology is not a science, then what is it? 

My contention is that astrology functions best as a language of symbolism, describing the relationship between celestial patterns and earthly phenomena in a poetic way.  This is a language that I call Astropoetics. 

Part 8 (ends series)

In this series, I have been exploring whether or not astrology can legitimately be called a science, and how the practice of astrology is distorted when squeezed into a scientific mold.  Now it is time to ask:

If astrology is not a science, then what is it? 

My contention is that astrology functions best as a language of symbolism, describing the relationship between celestial patterns and earthly phenomena in a poetic way.  This is a language that I call Astropoetics. 

Part 8 (ends series)

In this series, I have been exploring whether or not astrology can legitimately be called a science, and how the practice of astrology is distorted when squeezed into a scientific mold.  Now it is time to ask:

If astrology is not a science, then what is it? 

My contention is that astrology functions best as a language of symbolism, describing the relationship between celestial patterns and earthly phenomena in a poetic way.  This is a language that I call Astropoetics. 

Part 8 (ends series)

In this series, I have been exploring whether or not astrology can legitimately be called a science, and how the practice of astrology is distorted when squeezed into a scientific mold.  Now it is time to ask:

If astrology is not a science, then what is it? 

My contention is that astrology functions best as a language of symbolism, describing the relationship between celestial patterns and earthly phenomena in a poetic way.  This is a language that I call Astropoetics. 

Qualitative Time and Non-causal Phenomena in Astrology Have no Place in Science

Why Astrology is Not a Science: Part 7 of 8

As insurmountable as the philosophical hurdles to a scientific practice of astrology presented in the previous posts in this series are, they are at least hurdles that we share with other helping professions.  The last two hurdles I want to mention briefly in this article, cut more specifically to the core of what is unique about astrology.

Why Astrology is Not a Science: Part 7 of 8

As insurmountable as the philosophical hurdles to a scientific practice of astrology presented in the previous posts in this series are, they are at least hurdles that we share with other helping professions.  The last two hurdles I want to mention briefly in this article, cut more specifically to the core of what is unique about astrology.

Why Astrology is Not a Science: Part 7 of 8

As insurmountable as the philosophical hurdles to a scientific practice of astrology presented in the previous posts in this series are, they are at least hurdles that we share with other helping professions.  The last two hurdles I want to mention briefly in this article, cut more specifically to the core of what is unique about astrology.

Why Astrology is Not a Science: Part 7 of 8

As insurmountable as the philosophical hurdles to a scientific practice of astrology presented in the previous posts in this series are, they are at least hurdles that we share with other helping professions.  The last two hurdles I want to mention briefly in this article, cut more specifically to the core of what is unique about astrology.

Astrology Facilitates a Quest for Meaning that Science can't Recognize

Why Astrology is Not a Science: Part 6 of 8

As astrologer and client work together to illuminate a given pattern in psychological space and time, meaning gradually emerges. Since science by definition has nothing to say about meaning, or subjective understanding, or the sense of purpose that arises from the whole of one’s being, we face fundamental a problem if we try to call astrology a science.

Unlike more strictly medical modalities, but not unlike humanistic or transpersonal approaches to psychology, astrology has the added capability of facilitating the quest for meaning.  The astrologer cannot infuse a birthchart with meaning, but he or she can help the client discover its meaning through a process of symbol amplification – circling around possible interpretations of a given astrological dynamic until some kind of “aha” experience allows the client to make a connection between symbolism and life. 

Through the use of techniques of timing – transits, progressions, solar arc progressions, etc. - the astrologer can also help the client gain perspective about how his or her relationship to the same symbols evolve over the course of a lifetime.  As astrologer and client work together to illuminate a given pattern in psychological space and time, meaning gradually emerges.