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“The mythic questions of our lives are profoundly addressed in this fascinating and unique orchestration of archetypal astrology and depth psychology. Hillman and Spencer guide the soul's journey with radical insight and luminous teaching.”
--Jean Houston, Ph.D. author of
"A Mythic Life" and "Jump Time"
“This is one of the user-friendliest books
on astrology I’ve read. The stories are captivating and the
vision inspiring. This is astrology at its best, expertly
presented and focused on specific issues in real life. Anyone
who has yet to discover the intelligence and usefulness of good
astrology could begin with this thoughtful and penetrating
book.”
--Thomas Moore, author of "Care of
the Soul" and "The Soul’s Religion"
“Laurence Hillman and Donna Spencer take us out of the tyranny of feeling bound to our past and open the sense of destiny experience, allowing soul to breathe again as it feels the call from the future. An extraordinary book, full of practical significance and beautiful, moving stories bridging depth psychology and vibrant astrology. If you want to feel your purpose for being here, with very specific indications of your life work and love, this book shows the way.”
--Robert Sardello,
author of "Love and the World" and "The Power of Soul"
"This short and clearly written book is the product of a fertile
collaboration between a therapist and an astrologer. Laurence
Hillman, who has been an astrologer for 25 years, is the son of
psychologist and author James Hillman. Donna Spencer has had a
private psychotherapy practice for more than 30 years and has done
postdoctoral studies with Milton H. Erickson and Gerhard Adler, on
the workings of the unconscious mind. Hillman and Spencer have
developed the "Practice," a method of working with clients; the
two look "at the same pattern but from a different point of view."
The book's emphasis is on psychology; the astrological method used
here is basic, yet penetrating: Alignment is shown in the chart by
the North Node, which indicates one's calling and serves as an
integrating motif for the entire horoscope. Alignments
is a gentle and deceptively simple book. Using basic astrology and
clear language, the authors present a powerful tool for
self-awareness. Practicing astrologers may enjoy this book as a
reminder of the fundamental technique that can have a
life-changing impact on your clients. Certainly, readers who are
just beginning to explore the confluence of archetypal astrology
and depth psychology will not find a more elegant and open
invitation than that presented by Laurence Hillman and Donna
Spencer in their moving book."
--The
Mountain Astrologer, reviewed by Mary Plumb,
September 2003
"Laurence Hillman (yes, he is the son of psychologist James
Hillman) has been an active astrologer for 25 years. Here he teams
up with Donna Spencer, a psychotherapist also seasoned in her
craft, to present a radical, readable, and inspiring method for
aligning your personality with your calling. This book is based on
the premise that our life has meaning and that we are privy to
know what our specific purpose is for being here. In a
psychological setting, astrological theory is translated into a
practical recommendation with tangible results."
--Branches
of Light, Fall/Winter 2002/2003
"Explaining the basic
premise of astrology to the layperson is a daunting task. Laurence
Hillman and Donna Spencer accomplish this by linking psychology
and astrology through an understanding of synchronicity, “the
strong parallels between interior and exterior events that are
emphatically endowed with meaning.” Archetypal images in astrology
are a means for discussing the soulful energies that connect a
person with the universe, bridging the gap between our collective
and our personal unconscious or soul. Becoming aware of the
synchronicities in our lives is “a sign that the deepest part of
us is being awakened to its alignment or misalignment with the
universe.” As an astrologer, I have come to honor the importance
of the North Node in such work, as a key to the spiritual path of
an individual. Likewise, the South Node as an indicator of the
obstacles or ways in which we get dragged back into past life
situations, rather than dwelling in the rich opportunities that
exist for us in the present.
Hillman and Spencer come to a similar conclusion in
Alignments. In describing one’s calling, the authors
speak of how the role of being the awakener of yourself becomes an
instrument of the awakening of humankind. Rather than an
astrological cookbook to finding your own Node (despite a brief
section on the meanings of your North and South nodes by house
position), Alignments offers a more philosophical
and personal look at the sacred task of aligning your personality
with your purpose. Hillman and Spencer then discuss how they apply
this information to their own lives, and in helping their clients
integrate the symbolic wisdom of astrology with the analytical
psychology of Jung."
--Spirit of Change
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 Publisher's Summary:
This
book is based upon the premise that our life has meaning and that
we are privy to know what our specific purpose is for being here.
In a psychological setting, astrological ideas and theory are
translated into practical therapy with tangible results. No longer
is the "patient" gloomily working out his or her issues.
Instead, there is a focus, a direction to the therapy process that
guides a person towards his or her specific calling in life. This
book presents a new, radical, and inspiring method for aligning
one's personality with one's calling.
The
authors, a psychotherapist and an astrologer, both seasoned in
their crafts, have designed a book which develops practical
methods of discovering an individual's calling in life; enables
the reader to evaluate if their lives are on track or off track
with this particular calling; describes an original and succinct
theory with practical examples; presents a new look at
relationships - based on calling - which deepens the partnership
of marriage, friendship, and parenting,; sees calamities, dreams
and synchronicities as wake-up calls to finding one's calling; and
deals with these serious subjects in a humorous and lighthearted
way.
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