Archetypes and the Planets – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In this episode we explore ancient Babylonian star lore as a synchronistic “heavenly writing” that links sky and earth through meaning rather than physical causation, drawing on the work of scholars like Francesca Rochberg and Gavin White’s book Babylonian Star-lore. These works allow us to connect Babylonian ideas about constellations, portals of the dead, and ancestral sky myths with Jung’s notion of synchronicity, Marie-Louise von Franz’s insights into number and myth, and Rick Tarnas’s view of the living cosmos. The conversation ranges through cultural astronomy (including Bernadette Brady’s work), the misdating and later dismissal of the Corpus Hermeticum, and historical episodes such as George Smith’s discovery of the Babylonian flood tablets in Ashurbanipal’s library, which emerged alongside Darwin, Nietzsche, Marx, and Freud in a period that shook religious certainties. We also discuss how indigenous and Babylonian sky stories encode seasonal tasks and ritual responses to planetary configurations, Along the way, we return repeatedly to the need for a living, metaphorical relationship with the cosmos, arguing that when astrology is treated as a qualitative language of time rather than a failed “science,” it restores a sense of dialogue with an ensouled universe.

In this episode, we trace how the Romantic era still shapes inner life and culture, moving from Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley to Frankenstein and Guillermo del Toro’s new film to ask what they reveal about technology, AI, and the rejected “other.” We follow the radical lives and charts of Wollstonecraft and Shelley, reading Frankenstein as a warning from a mechanistic worldview that exiles feeling, relationship, and the feminine. Along the way we track Saturn–Neptune cycles and Pluto in Aquarius from the French Revolution and the steam engine to today’s AI moment, draw on Liz Greene’s view of artists as Saturn–Neptune mediators of the imaginal, and weave in works that speak to this moment including del Toro’s Frankenstein, and Rosalía’s orchestral track Berghain. We consider whether we may again be at a threshold when any new renaissance of consciousness will hinge on bringing feeling, imagination, and the feminine principle back into both psyche and culture.

Books and other material mentioned in the episode:

1. Andrea Wulf, “Magnificent Rebels: The First Romantics and the Invention of the Self” 

2. Charlotte Gordon, “Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley” 

3. Thomas Elsner, “A Flash of Golden Fire: The Birth, Death, and Rebirth of the Modern Soul in Coleridge’s ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’”

4. Liz Greene, “Neptune and the Quest for Redemption”

5. Neil Howe, “The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us about How and When This Crisis Will End” 

Film and television 6) Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” 

1. Simon Schama, “The Romantics and Us” (BBC series on Romantic art, politics, and the modern self):

Music 8) Rosalía, “Berghain” (single with Björk and Yves Tumor, from the album Lux) Official video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TKYd-pHo1A

Podcasts and online resources

10) Chasing Consciousness podcast episode with Jungian analyst Monica Wikman on dreams of the dying and the death process [September 24, 2025]

In this episode we discuss the life and work of Emma Jung, Carl Jung's wife, challenging common misconceptions about her role in his career. We explore Emma Jung's contributions to Jungian psychology, particularly her research on the Grail myth, highlighting her intellectual independence and significant impact on his theories. Using their birth charts to guide us, we explore the complexities of their relationship, emphasizing both its challenges and enduring bond. Finally, we also touch upon Emma Jung's family background, her unique perspective, and her lasting legacy within the Jungian community. 

Books Mentioned: Labyrinths: Emma Jung, Her Marriage to Carl, and the Early Years of Psychoanalysis, Catrine Clay

The Grail Legend, Emma Jung and Marie-Louise von Franz

In this episode we discuss various issues related to astrological predictions regarding the outcome of the 2024 elections, including failed predictions, technique, philosophy, and ethics. Why do we seek certain knowledge of outcomes, and is this what astrology is “for?” Are we called to commit to our best guesses, as in dream interpretation? Our conversation ranges into speculation about Pluto’s era-defining journey through Aquarius, which will last until 2044, and how the feminine principle may show up as outer planets shift into masculine signs. 

In The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, CG Jung wrote: "[I]n all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order, in all caprice a fixed law, for everything that works is grounded on its opposite”.

In this episode, we discuss Dr. Bernadette Brady's book, Cosmos, Chaosmos and Astrology. This book explores the evolution of astrology from its origins in ancient creation myths to its modern-day interpretation. In that journey, Brady maps some of the philosophy and practices of astrology onto the findings of chaos theory and complexity. The work offers a view of astrology which is neither a pseudo-science looking for a causal agent nor a subject that requires a spiritual component. This is an important work and one which helps make sense of a subject that is all too often dismissed or misunderstood.

Other books mentioned:

The Moment of Astrology: Origins in Divination, Geoffrey Cornelius

Cosmos and Psyche, Richard Tarnas

Archetypes and Strange Attractors, John R. Van Eenwyk

In this episode, we welcome Anita Ashland to discuss the connections between the Jungian typological model and the birth chart. Our conversation delves into the various typologies, with special emphasis on the "inferior function" - a critical aspect that simultaneously exposes our vulnerabilities and unlocks our potential for personal development. The books we mention include:

Marianne Meister, The Key to the Self

John Beebe, Energies and Patterns in Psychological Type

Daryl Sharp, Personality Types

Marie Louise von Franz & James Hillman, Lectures on Jung's Typology

You can find Anita Ashland at AnitaAshland.com 

She is on Instagram: @anita.ashland 

Her blog: ReadingInDepth.com

We're back after a short summer break exploring lunar cycles and their relationship to broader planetary movements. We examine the Moon's role in progressed charts, highlighting the significance of progressed Sun-Moon conjunctions that mark new 29-year cycles. Our discussion draws on insights from Dane Rudhyar, Robert Blaschke, Esther Harding, Nor Hall, and Irene Claremont de Castillejo.

In this episode, we explore dreams from both ancient and modern perspectives. We discuss how dreams can be viewed subjectively and objectively, considering personal experiences alongside universal symbols. We also look into possible connections between astrological elements and dream content. The conversation covers the potential healing effects of dreams and how they might aid in emotional processing and problem-solving. Finally, we examine the practice of group dreamwork, considering how sharing dreams with others can benefit individuals and communities. Books mentioned include: The Interpretation of Dreams, Artemidorus; Works of Sahl & Masha’Allah [translated by Benjamin Dykes]; Healing Dreams, Marc Iain Barasch; The Way of the Dream, Marie-Louise von Franz; Where People Fly And Water Runs Uphill, Jeremy Taylor; Your Secret Self: Illuminating the Mysteries of the Twelfth House, Tracy Marks.

In this episode, we delve into the impact of illness on the narrative of one’s life by examining the contributions of Marion Woodman and Monika Wikman. Both are Jungian analysts whose extensive commentary on the topic stems from their own paths to healing. Particularly noteworthy is Woodman’s focus on the body, marking her as a key figure in the dramatic integration of this theme into broader discussions. The literature reviewed includes Woodman’s works “Bone” and “Addiction to Perfection,” Monika Wikman’s “Pregnant Darkness,” and the writings of Dr. John Sarno.

In this episode we take a look at the phenomenon of projection through the lens of the birth chart. Projection is a term increasingly being thrown around in the current political climate but what is it exactly? Why do we project and how do we retrieve our projections? Books mentioned include: 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘦-𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, Marie Louise von Franz; 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵, James Hollis; 𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, Liz Greene; 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴, Richard Idemon.