Preface
I was very pleased to be asked to write the preface to Life Passages, in which John Grove synthesizes age progression through the twelve houses of the horoscope—the method devised by Bruno and Louise Huber—with the eight stages of psycho-social development identified by Erik Erikson—the German-born, American psychotherapist who coined the phrase, ‘identity crisis’—and he applies these methods to the processing of personal material that arises from within at strategic times of change accompanied by vivid dreams. John is a psychotherapist with extensive experience of working with veterans and interpreting dreams, who has a Diploma of the Astrological Psychology Association and is ideally qualified to write this sequel to his earlier work, Dreams and Astrological Psychology: The Way through the Maze of the Unconscious. Time Passages is a more tightly constructed volume that concentrates on establishing connections between the Life Clock of astrological psychology, developmental psychological profiles, and dreams that represent a turning point in the lives of individuals. A selection of revealing case studies illustrates John’s findings.
The quest to identify correspondences between astrological significators and dreams has a long history, dating back to classical and biblical eras. Notably, the Renaissance astrologer Girolamo Cardano kept a dream diary on which the psychotherapist C G Jung gave a series of lectures in the 1930s. Cardano’s dreams stimulated him intellectually, and he looked for clues to understanding the immediate future, so he took a different perspective from Jung, Huber, and Grove, who use astrological and dream interpretation to guide the individual towards wholeness and strength.
The Huber Life Clock adds all-important timing to events in the outer and inner lives of individuals. Its location in house and sign, and its relationship to specific planets can help client and counsellor to make sense of images that emerge in dreams at pivotal moments, and connect them with the motivational patterns shown on an accurately drawn astrological chart. As well as being rooted in esoteric wisdom and attuned to the hermetic maxim ‘as above, so below’, astrological psychology’s birth chart is a precise psychological map, and its method is assimilated with the psychosynthesis of Roberto Assagioli, as reiterated by Louise Huber in her interview with Verena Bachmann (2003). This volume emphasizes the importance of using visual and symbolic language to develop a healthy ego in preparation for the spiritual path, and images that arise from the unconscious in dreams can be assimilated into consciousness with the help of astrological interpretation.
Following the Introduction, Chapter 1 presents the seventy-two-year cycle of the Life Clock with its loud and soft phases and rhythms, together with psycho-social tasks from infancy to late adulthood. Notwithstanding the acknowledged need to revise Erikson’s dated definitions of sexual identity in a contemporary context, overall the combined framework of reference stands up well. This first chapter culminates with an analysis of an important dream the author had at the age of 24, just after his age point entered the fifth house. At this time, he finally left behind the security of the family home and took a challenging job overseas.  John is at his very best when illustrating his points with case histories, and giving honest portrayals of himself and those who are willing to share their experience with a wider public.
Chapter 2 takes a closer look at life tasks, and emphasizes how necessary it is to differentiate between wants, desires, and self-gratification on the one hand, and what one actually needs to do to develop a healthy ego on the other. The threefold personality of Huber astrology and Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs provide helpful tools for working in a supportive therapeutic environment. Tensions between inherited behaviour traits and environmental pressure are explored in some depth, with a couple of illustrative case histories, testing the ego as it strengthens and prepares for initiation.
In Chapter 3, the focus is on dream patterns, how to create the right environment for capturing dreams, and how to assimilate such ephemeral material from unknown worlds into waking consciousness. This sets the scene for the six case histories of dreams at critical moments in life, featured in Chapter 4.
The final chapter sums up the advantages of using the Huber method of astrological consultation with dream interpretation to achieve personal integrity and psychosynthesis, preparing the way for a spiritual path, a perspective on life supported by astrological interpretation that I fully endorse.
Sue Lewis, MA (Western Esotericism), DipAPI, DFAstrolS
7 April 2017
John D. Grove has been a practicing psychotherapist for 40 years and an astrologer since 1972. With his years of experience of combining psychology principles and astrology, in Life Passages John uses the horoscope as a tool for psycho-spiritual insights. Bruno and Louise Huber’s seventy two phases of psychological development are compared to Erik Erikson’s Eight Stages of Man to demonstrate the Life Clock’s validity. John provides volunteer’s dreams which synchroinize with Age Point Progression in contact with sensitive points in the horoscope. He asserts that environmental life events can trigger dreams which can impact dreamer’s attitudes creating profound identity changes supporting growth. He provides techniques for dream incubation, recall and journaling of daily events that go with dreams amplification.
John D. GroveLife Passages
Life Passages
John D. Grove
When Age Point Aspects and Dreams Coincide