Through the Looking Glass: A Search for the Self in the Mirror of Relationships (Seminars in Psychological Astrology, Vol 5) PDF
Preview Through the Looking Glass: A Search for the Self in the Mirror of Relationships (Seminars in Psychological Astrology, Vol 5)
Through the Looking Glass A Search for the Self in the Mirror of Relationships by Richard Idemon Edited by Howard Sasportas The Wessex Astrologer Published in 2010 by The Wessex Astrologer Ltd 4A Woodside Road Bournemouth BH5 2AZ England www.wessexastrologer.com First published in 1992 by Samuel Weiser 9780877287216 © The Richard Idemon Trust ISBN 9781902405445 A catalogue record of this book is available at The British Library Credit: The Baleful Head, c.1876 (gouache) by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, (1833–98) © Southampton City Art Gallery, Hampshire, England /The Bridgeman Art Library Nationality/copyright status: English/out of copyright This version used by kind permission. Cover design by Dave at Creative Byte, Poole, Dorset Printed and bound in the UK by Cambrian Printers, Aberystwyth No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the express permission of the publisher. A reviewer may quote brief passages. Richard Idemon (1938–1987) Contents Preface by the Trustees of the Richard Idemon Trust Foreword by Liz Greene Editor’s Note Introduction PART ONE The Basics of Relating Your Personal Mythology, Basic Ground and Hidden Agendas The Moon: Naming Your Inner Child The Parent-Child Relationship: Breaking the Psychological Umbilical Cord Lunar Aspects: What You Need to Feel Nurtured PART TWO Realizing the Self Eros and Projection in Adult Relationships What is This Thing Called Love? Mars: Self-Assertion in Relationship PART THREE Practical Applications of Synastry Relationship Significators in the Natal Chart Relationship Significators in the Chart of Isadora Duncan The Art of Synastry: Comparing the Charts of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald Group Discussion and Conclusion P REFACE Richard Idemon’s untimely death on February 22, 1987, shortly after his forty-ninth birthday, left a significant void in the astrological community and we are enormously grateful that his unique contribution lives on in this and other presentations. Richard’s insights bring added depth and dimension to our understanding of the human condition and his method of integrating Jungian psychology and myth with astrology demonstrates his capacity to correlate other disciplines with astrology’s symbolic language. Extremely bright and well-read, he was conversant in many fields; a literary pundit, history buff, thespian, gourmet, world traveler, bon vivant, and connoisseur of life, all of which contributed to his charismatic style as a teacher and anecdotal story-teller, and to his objectivity as a psychotherapist. The hundreds of students Richard taught at his School of Astro- Psychological Studies in San Francisco and the countless people he reached in the years he lectured throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and Africa continually beseeched him to set down his observations and wisdom in book form. Shortly before he fell ill, he made a commitment to himself to fulfill these requests and was in the process of gathering together his research and material to actualize that pledge. However, during his long illness he came to know his condition was incurable and there would not be time for him to do the writing himself, so he set up The Richard Idemon Literary Trust, which he endowed with the responsibility to publish his life’s work. We, the three trustees Richard appointed to bring his request to fruition, all knew and loved him well: Michael McCloskey, his trusted attorney and devoted student of many years; Jeff Jawer, a fellow astrologer and loyal, sensitive ally; and Gina Ceaglio, his confidante and vigilant friend who tried with loving care to ease the pain in his final months of life. The Richard Idemon Literary Trust F OREWORD Richard Idemon invited me to run an astrology seminar with him in 1982, when he first spoke to me about his dream of teaching astrology in a “retreat” setting of beauty, tranquillity, and historical interest. Although I had heard him lecture at various conferences in America and Europe, and was always inspired and delighted by his rare ability to bring astrological symbolism alive in the imagination as well as in the intellect of his audience, I had never worked with him before. He wanted to organise a programme of yearly seminars with me under the auspices of his School of Astro-Psychological Studies, with each year’s residential location being different but equally exciting; and we discussed with enthusiasm the various places in the world which might provide the kind of ambience he was looking for. We agreed that participation needed to be limited, to preserve a group rather than a lecture hall atmosphere and to encourage questions and discussion. The first concrete product of this developing partnership was born in 1983—a week-long seminar given in Orvieto, a medieval hill-town in central Italy. Its theme was “The Hero’s Journey,” and all the vast mythic panoply of the planets and the signs sprang to life against the backdrop of La Badia, a 12th- century monastery transformed into a luxury hotel that overlooked the ancient towers of the town and the Etruscan tombs below. The pleasure and stimulation of working with Richard was such that I had no reservation about committing myself to the next year’s project, and the next year’s after that. Since my home was in Europe and Richard’s in America, it seemed logical to alternate continents. For our first American venue he chose a wonderful resort hotel in the Green Mountains of Vermont, with all the timeless charm of an old New England hostel– the Sugarbush Inn. This conference, “Through the Looking Glass,” with the complex drama of human relationships as its theme, was the result of a year’s careful planning. Because the number of participants in this seminar, given in August 1985, was much smaller than at most residential astrological conferences, we were able to work with a relatively intimate and informal group atmosphere. Richard was at his very best–a magical blend of wit, warmth, and honesty, with the personal charisma of the accomplished actor (which he had once been) and the profound insight of the trained psychotherapist blended to produce his unique and powerful style of teaching. By the time we had organised and arrived at our third conference, called “The Magic Thread” and held in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in 1986, Richard was already fatally ill—although few people knew it, and his energy and presentation seemed as exciting and dynamic as ever. But there would be no more of these extraordinary seminars which embodied his ideal of how astrology should be taught, with techniques and locations that spoke to the soul as well as the mind and provided visual and imaginative food as well as intellectual stimulation. In 1987, Richard died, leaving behind him his school and a rich legacy of taped lectures, seminars, and workshops, but no published book. He had told me that he had always wanted to write a book, but had somehow never sat down and done it—more a tragedy for the astrological world than for him personally, since he was perpetually busy generating new ideas through his teaching and received his rewards, like any truly dedicated actor, from the immediate and inevitably positive response and participation of his audience. The book which follows is a transcription of Richard’s lectures and discussions from our joint seminar given in Vermont. Howard Sasportas has done a superbly sumpathetic job of editing this material, and Richard’s ironic humour and deep understanding of myth and metaphor shine through without any sense of another person intruding on his personal style. His death is a terrible loss, not only to those of us who knew him well, but to the whole field of astrology, because he was one of the most original, gifted, and insightful astrologers I have ever met. He was also great fun to listen to, since he had the rare grace of being able to laugh-not only at life but also at himself. I am grateful that his work has found its way into print at last. Liz Greene London, December 1991
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