TETRAGON
Tetragon is an alternate, though rarely used, term for square, an aspect of 90°.TEZCATLIPOCA
Tezcatlipoca, asteroid 1,980 (the 1,980th asteroid to be discovered, on June 19, 1950),
is approximately 6.2 kilometers in diameter and has an orbital period of 2.2 years. Tez-
catlipoca was named after the dark god of Aztec mythology. J. Lee Lehman associates
it with the dark side of life. Jacob Schwartz gives this asteroid’s astrological signifi-
cance as “the god of darkness, the anti-hero, those who take without giving.”Sources:
Kowal, Charles T. Asteroids: Their Nature and Utilization.Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Ellis
Horwood Limited, 1988.
Lehman, J. Lee. The Ultimate Asteroid Book.West Chester, PA: Whitford Press, 1988.
Schwartz, Jacob. Asteroid Name Encyclopedia.St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1995.THERAPEUTICASTROLOGY
Therapeutic astrology, or “astrotherapy,” can be defined as the application of astrology
to psychotherapy. More specifically, it is the attempt to integrate astrological princi-
ples with psychological concepts and practices, particularly as these relate to working
with clients on an ongoing basis. As clinical psychology is concerned with the exami-
nation and treatment of patients, therapeutic astrology would be any form of treat-
ment utilizing astrological precepts for the purpose of treating emotional and behav-
ioral problems, removing or modifying existing symptoms, and promoting positive
personality growth and fulfillment.
Just as there are many forms of psychotherapy, there are many forms of
astrotherapy as well. Efforts have been made to integrate astrology with humanistic,
Jungian, psychoanalytic, gestalt, psychosynthesis, object relations, and transpersonal
therapies. There is, in short, no single form of astrotherapy. It is rather a general tool
for fostering empathic understanding of the client’s internal world.
Like an X ray of consciousness, a birth chart reveals the mental and emotional
processes that constitute psychic structure. It assists the therapist in understanding the
intrapsychic dynamics that underlay the presenting problem and so enables the thera-
pist to better support the client’s efforts at changing emotional, cognitive, and behav-
ioral patterns. Because the language of astrology is symbolic, and thus without restrict-
ed meanings for its component variables, it can be translated into almost any psycho-
logical model or type of therapy.Astrology as a Diagnostic Tool
In its application to psychotherapy, astrology is primarily used as a diagnostic
tool rather than as a form of treatment. Because every chart is unique, astrology func-
tions as a diagnostic assessment device of unparalleled richness. Many therapists areTetragon
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