Archetypal Astrology and Personal Mythology
Part I: Fire, Earth, Air and Water: The Elements of the Zodiac
An online course with Safron Rossi, hosted by Pacifica Graduate Institute
The four elements of the Earth with the twelve signs of the zodiac, from Des Proprietez des Choses' by Barthelemy l'Anglais, 1445-50. © Archives Charmet / Bridgeman Images
“Myth is the secret opening through which the inexhaustible energies of the cosmos pour into the human cultural manifestation.”
To study myths is to access the secret opening where our personal experience meets the archetypal patterns of the psyche. No symbolic art offers so potent a way of exploring this meeting place than astrology. Full of the gods, astrology and myth are deeply entwined. From an archetypal psychological perspective, astrology can be a practice that helps us find and hold to the powers that animate our lives. Centering us in the deep principles that the psyche needs for its well-being and transformation, archetypal astrology is a soul-making practice.
This six-week online course explores the elemental images of the zodiac—fire, earth, air and water—as archetypal spheres of awareness. We will draw on Greek myths and alchemy in order to explore this elemental dimension of the zodiac signs.
Throughout the course we will examine alchemical images, myth, and poetry to more deeply see the elemental imagination at work in our life and astrological birth chart. We will also look in depth at James Hillman’s insights on alchemy from the vantage point of astrology.
“Astrology provides images to be pondered for their symbolic richness and mythical amplification; they afford archetypal data, divine gifts.”
The course is Part 1 of a two-part series. Part II: The Planets in Myth and Psyche, a 12-week course, will be offered in 2022.
Course Details:
Six-week online course, beginning July 31 – September 4 2021
Course participants will receive a detailed syllabus with weekly readings and viewings drawn from myth, archetypal psychology, poetry, literature, music and film.
This course will include:
Online discussion via D2L learning platform
A pre-recorded lecture for each of the six modules
Live two-hour Zoom session with Safron Rossi each Saturday at 10 am Pacific Time, 1 pm ET, 5 pm GMT. Recordings of each session will be made available.
Fee schedule: Current Pacifica Students $450, Alums $550, General $650.
To register, visit The Retreat at Pacifica Graduate Institute
Who is the course for?
People interested in learning how to understand and apply archetypal astrology to their own life experiences
Depth psychologists and therapists of any orientation wishing to use archetypal astrology in their practice as a guide to the psyche
People interested in the relationship between astrology and alchemy
People interested in the archetypal psychology of James Hillman
People wishing to begin training in archetypal astrology
What will you gain by taking the course?
An understanding of the relationship of astrology and alchemy, and how their symbolic language relates to Jungian and archetypal psychology
Knowledge of astrology as personal mythology
Familiarity with the four elements of astrology and alchemy, and insight into the archetypal nature of the four elements
Fluency with the twelve zodiac signs as spheres of awareness and their qualities, themes, and myths
The capacity to develop a deeper grasp of the archetypal patterns of your own life, as revealed through your astrological birth chart
Overview of weekly topics
Module 1: Introduction to the Elements in Astrology and Alchemy
Module 2: Earth: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Module 3: Fire: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Module 4: Water: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Module 5: Air: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Module 6: Elemental Entanglements - The Signs in Aspect