Astro-Psychology & Shadow Work

Astro-psychology is the intersection of astrology and depth psychology. It treats your birth chart as a map of your psyche—your conscious ego, your shadow, your wounds, and your potential for healing. Instead of using astrology to predict events, you use it to understand yourself and work through your patterns. This approach was pioneered by Carl Jung (who was obsessed with astrology) and later developed by astrologers like Liz Greene, Stephen Arroyo, and Howard Sasportas. The idea is simple: your chart shows the psychological blueprint you were born with. Your planets represent different parts of your personality. Your aspects show internal conflicts or harmonies. Your houses reveal where you'll encounter life's lessons. Astro-psychology asks: Why do I keep repeating the same relationship patterns? Why do I self-sabotage when I'm close to success? Why do I feel like I'm not living my purpose? The answers are in your chart—not as fate, but as clues to your unconscious programming. When you combine astrology with shadow work (the process of integrating your repressed or disowned parts), you get a powerful tool for self-awareness and transformation. This isn't "woo-woo"—it's a structured way to understand your psychology through symbolism.

Chiron is called "the wounded healer" in astrology. It's a small celestial body (technically a comet, not a planet) that represents your core wound—the place where you feel most broken, inadequate, or "not enough." But here's the paradox: your Chiron placement is also where you have the most potential to heal others. **How Chiron works:** — It shows where you were hurt early in life (often in childhood) — That wound becomes a lifelong sensitivity, a sore spot — But because you've experienced that pain, you develop deep empathy and wisdom around it — You become the person who can help others heal what you're still healing in yourself **Chiron by sign:** — **Aries:** Wound around identity, self-worth, assertiveness. "Am I allowed to take up space?" — **Taurus:** Wound around security, worthiness, material stability. "Am I enough as I am?" — **Gemini:** Wound around communication, intelligence, being heard. "Does my voice matter?" — **Cancer:** Wound around belonging, family, emotional safety. "Am I allowed to need?" — **Leo:** Wound around visibility, creativity, being seen. "Am I too much? Not enough?" — **Virgo:** Wound around perfection, usefulness, health. "Am I valuable if I'm not perfect?" — **Libra:** Wound around relationships, harmony, worthiness of love. "Can I be loved as I am?" — **Scorpio:** Wound around power, trust, vulnerability. "Is it safe to let people in?" — **Sagittarius:** Wound around meaning, faith, belonging. "Do I fit anywhere?" — **Capricorn:** Wound around achievement, responsibility, authority. "Am I worthy if I'm not successful?" — **Aquarius:** Wound around belonging, difference, acceptance. "Am I too weird to belong?" — **Pisces:** Wound around boundaries, reality, sensitivity. "Am I too much to handle?" **Chiron by house:** The house shows *where* this wound plays out. Chiron in the 7th house means your wound shows up in partnerships. Chiron in the 10th house means it affects your career and public life. Chiron in the 4th house means family and home trigger it. **Healing Chiron:** You don't "fix" Chiron—you integrate it. You stop seeing your sensitivity as a flaw and start seeing it as your superpower. You help others heal what you're healing. You turn your wound into your medicine.

Your moon sign is your emotional operating system. It's how you process feelings, what makes you feel safe, and what you needed as a child (whether you got it or not). Most people relate more to their moon sign than their sun sign because the moon governs your inner world—the part of you that shows up in private, in relationships, and when you're stressed. **The moon shows:** — What you need to feel emotionally secure — How you were nurtured (or not) as a child — Your unconscious emotional patterns — What you do when you're overwhelmed or hurt — How you nurture yourself and others **Moon wounds by sign:** — **Aries Moon:** Needed independence and action; may have been punished for anger or intensity — **Taurus Moon:** Needed stability and physical comfort; may have experienced financial or emotional instability — **Gemini Moon:** Needed mental stimulation and communication; may have been dismissed or misunderstood — **Cancer Moon:** Needed emotional closeness and safety; may have experienced emotional unavailability or enmeshment — **Leo Moon:** Needed attention and validation; may have been ignored or shamed for wanting recognition — **Virgo Moon:** Needed order and usefulness; may have been criticized or felt they had to "earn" love — **Libra Moon:** Needed harmony and partnership; may have been peacekeeper or had needs dismissed for "keeping the peace" — **Scorpio Moon:** Needed emotional depth and trust; may have experienced betrayal or emotional intensity that wasn't held — **Sagittarius Moon:** Needed freedom and adventure; may have felt trapped or judged for being "too much" — **Capricorn Moon:** Needed structure and achievement; may have been parentified or had to "grow up too fast" — **Aquarius Moon:** Needed space and acceptance; may have felt like an outsider or emotionally detached from family — **Pisces Moon:** Needed gentleness and imagination; may have been overwhelmed by emotions or felt too sensitive for the world **Healing your moon:** Learn what your moon actually needs (not what you think it should need). If you're a Gemini moon, stop apologizing for needing variety and mental stimulation. If you're a Cancer moon, stop calling yourself "too emotional"—you're not broken, you're sensitive, and that's valid. Your moon is your inner child. Reparent yourself by giving yourself what you needed back then.

Saturn is the planet of structure, discipline, time, and hard-won wisdom. It's where life will test you, where you'll face delays and obstacles, and where you'll eventually build something real and lasting. Saturn isn't trying to punish you—it's trying to teach you. **What Saturn represents:** — Your greatest fears and insecurities — The area of life where you'll face the most challenges — Where you need to "do the work" and build discipline — Your capacity for long-term success and mastery — Your relationship with authority, responsibility, and time **Saturn by house:** — **1st house:** Insecure about identity, appearance, or self-worth; learns confidence slowly — **2nd house:** Struggles with money, self-worth, or material security; learns financial discipline — **3rd house:** Difficulty with communication or learning; becomes a powerful communicator through practice — **4th house:** Challenging family dynamics or home life; learns to create their own foundation — **5th house:** Blocked creativity or fear of self-expression; learns to create despite fear — **6th house:** Health challenges or perfectionism around work; learns sustainable routines — **7th house:** Relationship challenges or fear of commitment; learns partnership through experience — **8th house:** Fear of intimacy, loss, or change; learns to surrender control — **9th house:** Struggles with faith, meaning, or belonging; becomes the teacher/philosopher — **10th house:** Career obstacles or fear of failure; achieves long-term success through persistence — **11th house:** Difficulty with friendships or community; builds meaningful connections over time — **12th house:** Unconscious fears or isolation; learns spiritual depth and compassion **Saturn aspects:** — **Saturn-Sun:** Core identity feels blocked or criticized; learns self-authority — **Saturn-Moon:** Emotional repression or difficulty feeling safe; learns emotional resilience — **Saturn-Venus:** Fear of love or worthiness; learns to love sustainably — **Saturn-Mars:** Blocked action or fear of conflict; learns strategic action **Working with Saturn:** Saturn rewards effort, discipline, and time. If you avoid the lessons, they get louder. If you lean in and do the work, Saturn becomes your greatest ally. It's not the fun planet, but it's the one that builds real, lasting success.

Pluto is the planet of death, rebirth, power, and the underworld. Wherever Pluto sits in your chart, that area of life will be *intense*. You'll experience extremes, power struggles, obsession, and ultimately, transformation. Pluto doesn't do surface-level—it demands that you go all the way down, face your shadow, and emerge transformed. **What Pluto represents:** — Your relationship with power, control, and intensity — Where you'll experience transformation (often through crisis) — Your shadow self—the parts you hide or deny — Deep psychological patterns, often from trauma or survival mechanisms — Where you have the potential for profound healing and empowerment **Pluto by house:** — **1st house:** Intense presence, powerful identity, constant reinvention — **2nd house:** Obsession with security, power through resources, transforming self-worth — **3rd house:** Intense communication, psychological insight, transforming how you think — **4th house:** Deep family wounds, emotional intensity, transforming your roots — **5th house:** Intense creativity or romance, transforming through self-expression — **6th house:** Obsessive work habits, health crises as catalysts, transforming daily life — **7th house:** Intense relationships, power struggles in partnerships, transforming through intimacy — **8th house:** (Pluto's natural house) Deep psychological work, sexuality, shared resources, confronting mortality — **9th house:** Intense beliefs, transforming worldview, philosophical crises — **10th house:** Powerful career ambitions, public transformation, legacy — **11th house:** Intense friendships, transforming through community or social causes — **12th house:** Deep subconscious work, hidden transformation, spiritual rebirth **Pluto aspects:** — **Pluto-Sun:** Identity goes through constant death/rebirth; powerful presence — **Pluto-Moon:** Intense emotions, fear of vulnerability, emotional transformation — **Pluto-Venus:** Obsessive love, transforming through relationships, power dynamics in intimacy — **Pluto-Mars:** Intense drive, power struggles, rage as a catalyst for change **Healing with Pluto:** You can't control Pluto—you can only surrender to the transformation. Pluto transits and natal placements ask: "Are you willing to let go of who you were to become who you're meant to be?" The answer is often painful, but the result is empowerment.

The North and South Nodes aren't planets—they're points where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic. But in astrology, they represent your soul's journey in this lifetime. The South Node is your past (past life skills, comfort zone, what comes easy). The North Node is your growth edge (where you're headed, what you're here to develop). **South Node = Your Comfort Zone (and Your Rut)** This is what you're already good at. It's familiar, safe, and easy. But if you stay here, you stagnate. The South Node represents skills you mastered in past lives (if you believe in that) or early in this life. It's your default mode—but it's not where growth happens. **North Node = Your Growth Edge (and Your Purpose)** This is what you're here to learn. It's uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and scary. But it's also where your soul wants to go. The North Node is your life assignment—the qualities, skills, and experiences you're meant to develop. **Nodes by sign (18-month cycles):** — **Aries North/Libra South:** Learn independence, self-assertion, courage (stop people-pleasing) — **Taurus North/Scorpio South:** Learn stability, self-worth, simplicity (stop seeking intensity) — **Gemini North/Sagittarius South:** Learn curiosity, communication, flexibility (stop preaching) — **Cancer North/Capricorn South:** Learn emotional connection, nurturing, home (stop overworking) — **Leo North/Aquarius South:** Learn self-expression, creativity, confidence (stop hiding in the crowd) — **Virgo North/Pisces South:** Learn organization, discernment, practicality (stop escaping reality) — **Libra North/Aries South:** Learn partnership, diplomacy, balance (stop being selfish) — **Scorpio North/Taurus South:** Learn depth, transformation, intimacy (stop clinging to comfort) — **Sagittarius North/Gemini South:** Learn faith, meaning, big-picture thinking (stop overthinking) — **Capricorn North/Cancer South:** Learn discipline, achievement, responsibility (stop being overly emotional) — **Aquarius North/Leo South:** Learn community, innovation, objectivity (stop making it all about you) — **Pisces North/Virgo South:** Learn faith, compassion, surrender (stop trying to control everything) **Working with the Nodes:** You can't skip the South Node—it's part of you. But leaning too hard on it keeps you stuck. The growth happens when you intentionally move toward your North Node, even when it's uncomfortable. It's not easy, but it's what you're here for.