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Some of you are probably familiar with the Johari window - perhaps not the term, but the meaning is familiar to you.
The Johari window classifies personality and behavioral traits according to whether or not we are aware of them ourselves and/or our environment. This results in four groupings of
precisely these characteristics:
- Things we see about ourselves and that others see about us
- Things that we see about ourselves but others do not
- Things that we do not see about ourselves, but others do
- Things that we do not see about ourselves and that others do not see either
The logic is understandable and makes sense. It creates awareness of the fact that our perception and the perception of other people is not complete. We can do a lot with this
information. It not only sharpens our view of our own perspective, but also that of other people. This enables us to get to know ourselves better, discover new sides to ourselves
and make our interactions with other people more constructive.
The requirement is, of course, that we are open to hearing other people's perspectives about us - because as we can see in the groupings above, we are “blind” in some places when
it comes to ourselves. If other people can see something in us that we don't see ourselves, this offers the potential for us to “learn to see”. In this way, more and more things
from the third grouping move into the first. In the same way, we can move things from the second grouping to the first if we want to be more open with other people.
In principle, this is nothing new, but that doesn't make it any less valuable.
However, even with this approach - sharing and changing perspectives - we will reach our limits at some point. The attentive reader will have noticed that there is a grouping that
eludes not only our own perception, but also that of other people: We don't see it, and neither do others. It is a black box. It is invisible. And yet it is there.
What do we do with this information?
As a first step, we can of course practice humility and accept that we will probably never be able to consciously perceive everything about ourselves. Just knowing this sometimes
brings us back down to earth, and that's a good thing.
Modesty works well against excessive ambition, but our curiosity (fortunately!) still remains. Somehow, at some point, you do wonder what else lies dormant inside you.
This is where astrological psychology comes into play. In principle, it is no different to other personality models such as MBTI, the Enneagram or the Big Five, except that it
uses external factors (constellations) as the basis for its classifications and interpretations. The origins of Western astrology go back to ancient Egypt; the origins of
astrological directions in other cultures go back a similar distance.
Whether celestial constellations have an influence on our personality is, of course, a question of faith, which is why astrology is rarely recognized as a science. However, if you
want to believe in this fundamental connection, you will find that astrological psychology captures the complexity of human beings far more than the personality models mentioned
above, for example - and that it follows a very clear logic.
Astrology is based on physical facts, namely the constellation of the major stars in our universe. There is nothing to shift back and forth here - a birth chart is calculated and
that's it. Contrary to popular opinion, the interpretation is also linked to a clear logic. If you really look into it in detail, you will find that there is surprisingly little
room for subjective opinion. Differences in interpretation usually result from different levels of knowledge or subjective filters - of which we in psychology are just as little
free of.
So the logic is clear; and what about the famous cliché of stereotypical thinking?
“My friend is also a Libra, but I'm completely different!”
The reason why we assume that astrology is pigeonholed is because magazines and the media are only too happy to distribute superficial information that misrepresents the facts.
Unfortunately, astrology cannot be simplified, because this destroys the fundamental concept - looking at people in all their complexity.
It may come as a surprise to some of you: We are all “Libra” at some point. The only question is where and how intensely it comes to light.
What we commonly refer to as a zodiac sign is simply the sign of the zodiac in which the sun is located (as seen from the earth). In astrology, however, it is not only the sun
that plays a role, but also the moon, Saturn and all the other common planets that we know from children's books. Sometimes several planets are in the same zodiac sign, sometimes
just one. Sometimes zodiac signs remain empty; and even these are taken into account in the interpretation.
We look at a dozen areas of life and almost a dozen stars for each person; this results in over 20 different “characteristics”. When we have finished, we look at the relationships
between these characteristics - do they get along or not, do they fit together or not. This makes a birth chart so complex that it could hardly be explained “just like that” in
half an hour.
So if you like stereotyped thinking, you're in the wrong place with astrology.
But let's go back to the Johari window. You remember that there was a grouping that neither we ourselves nor others can see in us. And we talked about the curiosity of wanting to
get to know something about it anyway.
So what could be a more suitable tool than a personality model that is not based on our primary perception, but on external, physical factors?
Astrological psychology does not take into account what we want to see or what we do not want to see. The observations are based on centuries of experience. And the basis - the
constellation of the universe - is fixed and cannot be changed.
There is really no more fitting invitation to explore this group of the Johari window.
And that is what makes astrological psychology so special: you gain insights about yourself that you can hardly find in any other way. It expands our consciousness and allows us
to see more than before.
This is a dream come true for anyone who likes to live consciously and wants to learn.
And there is also a place for critics: because in the end, nobody tells you how you should be and what you should do. Understanding our own birth chart opens up possibilities -
which ones we believe in or which ones we take is always up to us.