Dr Seuss vs Dr Freud

Dr Seuss (2 March 1904). You'll see how he fits in at the end.

My friend P the psychotherapist, came around for dinner the other night.

I know she's rather dubious about my chosen career but she's also curious. She asked me how often I like to see a client. I told her, truthfully, that often once was enough; occasionally someone might want two or three successive sessions. I explained that some people come annually for a kind of health check, but I didn't necessarily expect it, and some people come whenever their life reaches a crisis for a top up and a look at the transits.

"Essentially," I said, "it's up to the client."

And I noticed a quickly-concealed look of surprise on her face.



"It's a lousy business-model," I quipped, thinking of how psychotherapy can go on once a week for years or even decades.

Sigmund Freud (6 May 1856) had some crazy ideas

"Yes, but, you know, for me, I think just once would be unethical," she replied. It was my turn to be surprised. (Unethical how?) The conversation turned to other things, but it left me wondering about the differences between  astrology and  psychotherapy.

After all, the goal of both disciplines is basically the same: to help people to know themselves.
But unlike a psychotherapist, an astrologer is not necessarily seeking to "cure" you or change you or label you.

People go to a therapist when they feel there is something wrong with them; people come to an astrologer when life is not going quite according to plan – or just if they feel they need some clarity.
 
An astrologer is trying to reveal the world to you, trying to show how your life, your character, your circumstances and your world create a complex piece of music that you need to sing.

The aim of astrology, of this astrologer anyway, is to set you free, to show you a little bit of the tune, help you read the music and then set you off on your improv. Whenever you feel you have lost the beat, you can come back to check rhythm, but essentially your life's symphony is yours to conduct, compose and enjoy.

Dr Seuss puts it better than I ever could:

"You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go."

from Oh, The Places You'll Go - a favourite in our house

That is what I want astrology to do for people.