The Hero’s Journey
The Search for Identity from a Psychological, Mythological, and Astrological Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/jsrnc.v1i2.220Keywords:
astrology, psychology, mythologyAbstract
The intention of this paper is to ascertain whether the search for one’s highest and true being is inherent in humanity, how it can best be accomplished, and with what possible results. To this end, I have tried to identify common themes in psychology, myth, and astrology. This article begins with an exploration of the tenets of the main exponents of growth-oriented psychologies. I will then look at the role of mythology and its symbolic language. Consequently, I will analyse current developments within astrology and what the influence of psychology has been. Looking then for possible correlations between psychology and astrology, I will use, as my principal example, the archetype of the Self and the symbolism of the astrological sun. I will suggest that the theme most deeply-rooted in the
human psyche is that of the hero’s journey and I will examine what this means in the different disciplines.
References
Arroyo, S. 1988 [1975] L’Astrologia e i Quattro Elementi (Roma: Astrolabio).
Assagioli, R. 1975 [1965] Psychosynthesis (London: Turnstone Books).
Aziz, R. 1990 C.G. Jung’s Psychology of Religion and Synchronicity (Albany: State University of New York Press).
Campbell, J. 1993 [1949] The Hero with a Thousand Faces (London: Fontana Press).
Ferrucci, P. 1995 [1982] What We May Be (London: Thorsons).
Forrest, S. 1998 [1988] The Inner Sky—How to Make Wiser Choices for a More Fulfilling Life (San Diego, CA: ACS Publications).
Frankl, V. 1997 Man’s Search for Ultimate Meaning (New York: Insight Books).
von Franz, M.L. 1982 [1977] Individuation in Fairy Tales (Dallas, TX: Spring Publications).
Frick, W.B. 1971 Humanistic Psychology: Interviews with Maslow, Murphy, and Rogers (Columbus, OH: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company).
Fromm, E. 1966 Man for Himself—An Inquiry into the Psychology of Ethics (New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston).
Greene, L. 1995 [1984] The Astrology of Fate (York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser Inc.).
[1996] The Art of Stealing Fire (London: CPA Press).
Apollo’s Chariot—The Meaning of the Astrological Sun (London: CPA Press).
Greene, L. and H. Sasportas 1992 The Luminaries—The Psychology of the Sun and Moon in the Horoscope (York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser Inc.).
Hand, R. 1989 Planeten in Teken, Huis en Aspect (Amsterdam: Schors).
Jaffé, A. 1975 The Myth of Meaning (New York: Penguin Books Inc.).
Jung C.G. 1966a [1953] Two Essays on Analytical Psychology (Collected Works Volume 7; Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press).
b [1954] The Practice of Psychotherapy (Collected Works Volume 16; Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press).
[1923] Psychological Types (Collected Works Volume 6; Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press).
[1960] The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche (Collected Works Volume 8; London: Routledge & Kegan Paul).
[1958] Answer to Job (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press).
[1951] Aion (Collected Works Volume 9.2; Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press).
[1959] The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (Collected Works Volume 9.1; Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press).
[1933] Modern Man in Search of a Soul (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul).
Maslow, A. 1968 Toward a Psychology of Being (New York: D. Van Nostrand Company).
[1954] Motivation and Personality (New York: Harper & Row, 3rd edn).
[1964] Religions, Values, and Peak-Experiences (New York: Penguin Books).
May, R. 1992 The Cry for Myth (New York: Delta Publishing).
Neumann, E. 1995 The Origins and History of Consciousness (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press).
Perry, G. 1998a An Introduction to AstroPsychology (San Rafael, CA: The Association for Astrological Psychology).
b Essays on Psychological Astrology (San Rafael, CA: The Association for Astrological Psychology).
Phillipson, G. 2000 Astrology in the Year Zero (London: Flare Publications).
Rogers, C. 1980 A Way of Being (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company).
Rudhyar, D. 1970 The Astrology of Self-Actualization and the New Morality (Lakemont Georgia: CSA Press).
[1972] Person Centred Astrology (New York: Aurora Press).
The Astrology of Transformation (Wheaton, IL.: The Theosophical Publishing House).
Sasportas, H. 1998 Direction and Destiny in the Birth Chart (London: CPA Press).
Segal, R.A. 1998 Jung on Mythology (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press).
Tarnas, R. 1994 Prometheus the Awakener: The Archetypal Meaning of the Planet Uranus (Putnam, CT: Spring Publications).
Voss, A. 2000 ‘The Astrology of Marsilio Ficino: Divination or Science?’ Culture and Cosmos 4.2: 29-45.
Willis, R., and P. Curry 2004 Astrology, Science and Culture: Pulling Down the Moon (Oxford: Berg).
Wuthnow, R. 1976 The Consciousness Revolution (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press).
