Carl Jung, the father of archetypal psychology, practiced astrology and was well aware of the value astrology provided as a healing tool. In a letter to Sigmund Freud he wrote,
“My evenings are taken up very largely with astrology. I made horoscopic [natal] calculations in order to find a clue to the core of psychological truth… I dare say that we shall one day discover in astrology a good deal of knowledge which has been intuitively projected into the heavens.”Astrology is especially helpful in seemingly difficult cases that defy standard psychological theory. In a letter to Professor B.V.Raman dated September 6, 1947, Jung wrote:
“As I am a psychologist, I’m chiefly interested in the particular light the horoscope [natal chart] sheds on certain complications in the character. In cases of difficult psychological diagnosis I usually get a horoscope [natal chart] in order to have a further point of view from an entirely different angle. I must say that I have very often found that the astrological data elucidated certain points which I otherwise would have been unable to understand.”
Jung’s thoughts on astrology clearly demonstrate that he found it to have considerable value:
“…a splendid method that can lead to deeper self-knowledge and personal growth.””Obviously astrology offers much to psychology, but that which the latter can contribute to its elder sister is less obvious.””Astrology is assured recognition from psychology, without further restriction, because astrology represents the summation of all psychological knowledge of antiquity.” C.G. Jung, commentary on The Secret of the Golden Flower.
Albert Einstein also found obvious value in astrology as well:
“Astrology is a science in itself and contains an illuminating body of knowledge. It taught me many things, and I am greatly indebted to it.”Isaac Newton, it is reported, wanted to study mathematics at Cambridge so he could test astrology. In reponse to chiding form Haley (the discoverer of the comet) for believing such a superstition, Newton replied, “It is evident that you have not looked into astrology; I have.”
Some other historical figures who have practiced or have studied astrology include:
Hippocrates, Ptolemy, Francis Bacon (envisioned reforming astrology), Thomas Jefferson, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Shakespeare, Dante, Paracelsus, Benjamin Franklin (practiced and published on astrology), Lord Napier (inventor of logarithms), Galileo, Copernicus, Julius Caesar, Queen Elizabeth I, and Johannes Kepler (in his day he was more famous for the uncanny accuracy of his astrological predictions than for his three laws of planetary motion).