Laurence Hillman - Planets in Play: How to Reimagine Your Life Through the Language of Astrology

First and foremost, I am indebted to my many clients, who, over several decades, have trusted me with reading their charts. I consider this a privilege. It is in conversations with all of you that I developed most of the ideas for this book.

I am also grateful to my friends, who have supported me throughout the writing process. In addition, Ray Grasse and Rick Foster, you reviewed and commented on endless pages of raw material and you continue to bless my life with your insights and gifts. I also thank Todd Shore for always keeping my computers buzzing, an essential part of writing this book. To Mitch Horowitz, my editor and navigator through the complex world of publishing, I thank you for this opportunity, for your support, and for your friendship.

In my family, first to my father, James Hillman, I tip my hat and thank you for the many gifts of mind that you have bestowed on me. To my children, Marissa and Gabrielle, I am grateful for your patience, as time in my office also means time away from you. Finally, to my wife, Cindy, I am truly fortunate with your presence in my life and your seemingly inextinguishable support for what I do.

This book is also in memory of Clarke Johnston, 19182007. In your words: So long, my friend.

N icolas Cage, in the movie National Treasure , discovers a pair of glasses made by Benjamin Franklin. He puts them on and examines the back of the Declaration of Independence, which he happens to have stolen. He is looking for secrets about a hidden treasure. The glasses have three sets of multicolored lenses. When he lifts certain lenses by pushing down on various levers, different hidden messages become visible on the back of the parchment.

In this book we, too, find hidden knowledge in a precious document. We, too, are looking for revealing secrets, yet we will examine the astrological treasure map. Our discoveries promise you a new and enriched view of your inner life, a perspective that is both penetrating and imaginative. We will explore how a creative use of astrology gives you choices about your life and how you proceed from there. We are looking for nothing less than a Personal Declaration of Independence: from behavior that perhaps has been inadequate for you to a life with distinct choices that are congruent with who you are.

As we are about to undertake this adventure, as we begin to explore the vast and complex treasure that lies within us, it would follow that we need a pair of glasses that allow us to see beneath the surface. To achieve this, we, adventurers like Cage, must put aside our current worldview if it comes to us through fixed lenses. Only then does the hidden knowledge, always there but not always visible, emerge. This variable set of lenses is astrology applied with imagination.

There is, to my knowledge, no other tool that has the perceptive power of the astrological language to describe a persons inner life. I have witnessed a room full of astrologers looking at the map of a friend of mine, whom I knew well, but who was not present at this gathering. The astrologers had never met him and knew nothing about him or his circumstances. They were able to describe the major challenges in his psychological life, his natural inner resources, his longings, his vulnerabilities, his opportunities for growth, and the difficulties he would have to overcome if he is to grow. All they had to go by was the time, the place, and the date of his birth. How is this possible? To do their in-depth reading of him, they had drawn up a map of the heavens, his natal chart (sometimes called birth chart ). I would call such a chart a treasure map.

This book is aimed both at those new to astrology, as well as those already acquainted with this ancient art. If you are new to this subject, I hope that what follows will prove to be an exciting adventure. I hope that it helps you recognize and reimagine your inner patterns and thereby gives you many new choices about how to shape your life, if some of those patterns are not working for you. For those with some, or extensive, background in astrology, my wish is that you may significantly add to what you already know with layers of understanding from mythology, archetypal psychology, symbolism, and Jungian thought.

The structure of this book is simple. First, I will introduce a metaphor to you that over the years has proven to be very useful. Once you grasp the ideas in Chapter 1, you will have a powerful set of lenses to recognize the ten characters that live in you. In Chapter 2, I offer you ways to enter your map quickly and accurately. You can do this for your own natal chart (see Resources, and the frontispiece) or for one drawn up for anyone whom you want to understand more deeply. In Chapters 3 through 12, I cover each inner character in detail. I end the book with many resources. Practical tips and stories abound throughout this book.