Authors at Astrodienst
Liz Greene Publications

Besides the many books listed here, Liz Greene has written articles for magazines all over the world. Regrettably, it would be beyond the scope of these pages to keep our readers informed of them.

To order any one of the following titles, or for up-to-date information on the availability of the books by Liz Greene, please visit www.amazon.com

• Saturn: A New Look at an Old Devil
  Paperback - June 1976
  Samuel Weiser; ISBN: 0877283060
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• Mythic Tarot
  Paperback Bk&Access edition (October 2001)
  Fireside; ISBN: 0743219198
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• The Mythic Tarot (Book, Cards and Cloth)
  Paperback reissue edition (September 1987)
  Fireside; ISBN: 0671618636, limited availability
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• The Astrological Neptune and the Quest for Redemption
  Hardcover - 528 pages (April 1996)
  Samuel Weiser; ISBN: 0877288577
  Other Editions: Paperback - 538 pages (October 2000)
  Nicolas Hays; ISBN: 1578631971
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• Astrology for Lovers
  Paperback - 368 pages (September 1990)
  Samuel Weiser; ISBN: 0877287023
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• The Astrology Kit: Everything You Need to Cast Horoscopes for Yourself, Your Family & Friends
  by Grant Lewi, Liz Greene
  Hardcover - (January 1988)
  St Martins Pr (Trade); ISBN: 0312013507
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• The Astrology of Fate
  Paperback - 378 pages (January 1986)
  Samuel Weiser; ISBN: 0877286361
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• The Inner Planets : Building Blocks of Personal Reality
  (Seminars in Psychological Astrology, Vol 4)
  by Liz Greene, Howard Sasportas (Contributor)
  Paperback - 352 pages (April 1993)
  Samuel Weiser; ISBN: 0877287414
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• The Luminaries : The Psychology of the Sun and Moon in the Horoscope
  (Seminars in Psychological Astrology, Vol 3)
  by Liz Greene, Howard Sasportas (Contributor)
  Paperback - 256 pages (April 1992)
  Samuel Weiser; ISBN: 0877287503
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• The Mythic Journey : The Meaning of Myth As a Guide to Life
  by Liz Greene, Juliet Sharman-Burke (Contributor)
  Paperback - 288 pages Eddison-sa edition (March 2000) Fireside; ISBN: 0684869470
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• New Insights in Modern Astrology
  by Stephen Arroyo, Liz Greene
  Paperback - 208 pages Revised edition (November 1991)
  CRCS Publications; ISBN: 0916360474
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• Relating : An Astrological Guide to Living With Others on a Small Planet
  by Liz Greene
  Paperback - 289 pages 2 edition (June 1978)
  Samuel Weiser; ISBN: 0877284180
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• The Development of the Personality
  (Seminars in Psychological Astrology ; V. 1)
  by Liz Greene, Howard Sasportas (Contributor)
  Paperback - 336 pages Vol 001 (April 1991)
  Samuel Weiser; ISBN: 0877286736
  Availability: This title is out of print.
• Dynamics of the Unconscious
  (Seminars in Psychological Astrology, Vol 2)
  by Liz Greene, Howard Sasportas (Contributor)
  Paperback - 384 pages (November 1988)
  Samuel Weiser; ISBN: 0877286744
  Availability: This title is out of print.
• The Outer Planets and Their Cycles: The Astrology of the Collective
  by Liz. Greene
  Paperback - 182 pages 2nd edition (May 1996)
  CRCS Publications; ISBN: 0916360601
  Availability: This title is out of print.
• The Dreamer of the Vine
  by Liz Greene
  ASIN: 0370302958
  Availability: This title is out of print.
• The Jupiter/Saturn Conference Lectures
  by Liz Greene
  Availability: This title is out of print.
• Looking at Astrology
  by Liz Greene
  ASIN: 0684812681
  Availability: This title is out of print.
• Nostradamus : A Novel
  by Liz Greene
  ASIN: 0553235966
  Availability: This title is out of print.
• The Puppet Master : A Novel
  by Liz Greene
  ASIN: 0140190503
  Availability: This title is out of print.

CPA Centre for Psychological Astrology

The CPA Press

• Barriers and Boundaries - The Horoscope and the Defences of the Personality
  by Liz Greene
• The Astrologer, the Counsellor and the Priest
  by Liz Greene and Juliet Sharman-Burke
• The Family Inheritance: Parental Images in the Horoscope by Juliet Sharman-Burke
• To the Edge and Beyond: Saturn, Chiron, Pholus and the Centaurs
  by Melanie Reinhart
• Venus and Jupiter: Bridging the Ideal and the Real by Erin Sullivan
• The Astrological Moon
  by Darby Costello
• The Art of Stealing Fire - Uranus in the Horoscope
  by Liz Greene
• Incarnation The Nodes and the Four Angles
  by Melanie Reinhart
• The Horoscope in Manifestation - Prediction and Psychological Dynamics
  by Liz Greene
• Direction and Destiny in the Birth Chart
  by Howard Sasportas
• Water and Fire
  by Darby Costello
• Where in the World? Astro*Carto*Graphy and Relocation Charts
  by Erin Sullivan
• Planetary Threads: Patterns of Relating Among Family and Friends
  by Lynn Bell
• Relationships and How to Survive Them
  by Liz Greene
• Earth and Air
  by Darby Costello
• Astrology, History and Apocalypse
  by Nicholas Campion
• Apollo's Chariot - The Meaning of the Astrological Sun
  by Liz Greene
• The Mars Quartet - Four Seminars on the Astrology of the Red Planet
  by Lynn Bell, Darby Costello, Liz Greene and Melanie Reinhart
• Anima Mundi - The Astrology of the Individual and the Collective
  by Charles Harvey
• The Dark of the Soul - Psycholpathology in the Horoscope
  by Liz Greene
• When Chimpanzees Dream Astrology - An Introduction to the Quadrants of the Horoscope
  by Alexander Graf von Schlieffen

Order CPA Press books at www.midheavenbooks.com

Books by Liz Greene at amazon.com

Authors at Astrodienst
Interview with Liz Greene
about the Horoscope "Career and Vocation"

P.I.:
Your new report, "Career and Vocation", is about to be launched. What can your readers expect?

Liz Greene:
A great many people have no idea what direction to go in because they don't understand themselves. Even when they train, they base their decisions on whether there's a market need. They ask questions like, "Is there a job opening here?" or "Can I make any money if I do this job?" This isn't the way to find any real satisfaction in what you do. You've got to move from the inside out. Before you begin the issue of training or choosing a university programme, you have to know something about who you are and what kinds of things you love; what you value and what your skills are; what you're good at and what you're not good at. Once you have a pretty good picture of these things, you can make a more intelligent choice about what sort of direction to go in. Vocation is not about finding a job that makes money, it's about feeling that you're living a useful life by doing something that you love. You can then develop your aptitudes in service of that, rather than choosing a job simply to pay for the rent or the weekly groceries. One has to move from the inside out, rather than from the outside in. The report is meant to give insights on that level. One needs to foster more of a psychological attitude to work, rather than looking at it as a purely external thing.

P.I.:
Do you give the reader any advice on what sort of a job to look for?

Liz Greene:
Not in a specific sense. The programme is not going to tell anyone what particular job is exactly right. A horoscope cannot be that specific. It's not going to spare one the actual labour of thinking for oneself. It gives general guidelines. For example, someone may have an aptitude for working with people - they may be sensitive, tactful, and deeply concerned with people's welfare. That's a vocation. There are many jobs that could come under the general umbrella of "the Carer": a therapist, a counsellor, a teacher, a certain kind of lawyer, a personnel director. If the general umbrella makes sense, the specific job is more likely to fall in place.

K.B.:
Are there certain planets and constellations that play an important role in these interpretations?

Liz Greene:
To some extent, yes. But I think vocation really involves the whole chart. Traditionally, astrologers look at the 10th or 6th houses, or the sign at the MC. That doesn't really work. Vocation is about the whole person, and finding something that can satisfy as many parts of that whole person as possible. In part of the programme, I focus quite strongly on the Sun, because the Sun has a lot to do with the individual's feeling of being someone special and having a special destiny or purpose in life. But that's only one part of it. The whole chart has to be considered.

P.I.:
What sort of issues are addressed?

Liz Greene:
The first part of the programme is about the overall way the individual looks at life - the best-adapted mode of perception and the basic strengths of the temperament. It goes into whether the person is more mentally oriented or more tactile, whether they are highly imaginative or more inclined to interact with the world on a feeling level. It's a general overview, and it immediately becomes clear that certain kinds of work won't be suitable for certain temperaments. For example, if someone has a very lively mind and a lot of intellectual curiosity, and they have a job where they fill envelopes or stuff boxes all day, they are going to end up hating every minute of it.

The second part is more detailed, and goes into specific aptitudes and skills. It's based on the whole chart, although particular factors may be highlighted. There's an emphasis on "What are you good at?" and "What kind of working environment will be most pleasing to you?" Some people need to work in a team, some do well in more institutionalised structures, some prefer working on their own. The report goes into personal issues like this.

The next part deals with limitations and conflicts that one might need to be aware of. These are not necessarily flaws or things people "do wrong". But we all have limits. There are certain innate areas of difficulty, and there's not a lot of point in trying to make yourself be something you're not. Some limitations can be very creative, if you know what they are. You can work with them and turn them into an advantage.

The final part has three sections. There's a section dealing with how the individual works with others; it describes their particular issues in work relationships, if there are any special issues. Someone might not really enjoy the company of others, or they may be too controlling toward others. Then there's a section which deals with particular fears and anxieties with regard to achievement and success, if there are any. This section is concerned with where the deepest insecurities might lie and what they might be about.

Finally, there's a section dealing with what success really means to that individual. People measure success very differently. For some people, its material - they feel successful because they have a beautiful home or a lot of money in the bank. To other people, this doesn't matter at all, as long as they feel useful, or they've helped others, or they've been loyal to an artistic vision. The final section is about the person's deepest values, which show what they need to do in order to feel they have really made the best of their life.

P.I.:
Can someone's vocation change as he or she grows older?

Liz Greene:
In a superficial sense, yes. People change direction all the time. Some take a very long time finding a direction. So, on the surface, yes, people change. But the core of the person doesn't really change. Usually, when somebody goes through a lot of different working situations, they're either trying to find something which really suits them, or they're going through different external expressions which all come from the same core. Someone might start off as a therapist and then decide they're going to train as a doctor, and then give that up and become an astrologer or a healer, but you'll see the same inner thread running through all these external forms. They have the same core. There is an unchanging essence in all of us, which is what the birth chart portrays. A sense of vocation develops over the course of a lifetime. With many people it develops very slowly; they may not really feel they've found their vocation until they reach the middle part of life, or sometimes even the latter part. And they're constantly looking for it and trying different things. The core of the person from which a sense of vocation arises has something that remains constant. The closer you get to expressing this core, the more fulfilled you will be in your work.

P.I.:
So it's really the same issue on different levels?

Liz Greene:
Yes, exactly. The deepest purpose of this kind of astrological work is to get to the core, rather than being preoccupied by the external "try-ons" that people go through. The individual's life is always characteristic of the individual - there's nothing in it that's random. When people make choices, such as moving from one job to another, it may look as though there's no connection. But there is, and finding this connection will show us what this person is really looking for. What is the search for? What are they really striving towards? The closer one can get to that, the more likely one is to choose a work vehicle that reflects the whole individual as much as possible. No external vehicle can entirely mirror the inside of the person, but if it is sufficiently "right", then one can say, "Yes, this is what I'm meant to be doing, this is rewarding, this is satisfying." Even if there are conflicts, there is a sense being in the right place and of loving what one does. It has to come from the heart, and that doesn't change. The things that we truly love don't change.

P.I.:
Would you advise the use of the horoscope in a professional context, by businesses or employers?

Liz Greene:
I think it can be very valuable if it is used wisely and without personal prejudice. There needs to be some sophistication on the part of whoever is doing the employing. They shouldn't be too rigid in their judgement. Then a horoscope can be enormously helpful. The horoscope can't say, "This person will perform their work well", because all sorts of things can happen, and people don't always use their full potential. The individual might be happy for a while and then get into conflict with someone else in the office, or decide to go and have a baby. If you're looking for an employee who is comfortable accepting orders and is able to produce routine work in a conscientious way, you need to find someone whose temperament is suited to that kind of position. There are certain temperaments that will have difficulty fitting into this kind of work structure. And if you hire someone who doesn't fit, they will always be waiting for the chance to have something more, and if they can't have something more, they'll leave. Knowing things like that can be very valuable for the employer, and certainly, a horoscope can indicate this. It's not a judgement on whether the person is a good or bad worker, or a good or bad person. They simply may have strengths in an area that doesn't fit the job requirements. On the other hand, the person may be very good at exactly the sort of position you want to fill. In this sense, I think the analysis can be a very valuable tool for employers, as long as it is not used judgementally or to predict the unpredictable.

K.B.:
How can people find a vocation in our times, when job-requirements are changing so quickly and a lot of business is conceived on a short-term basis?

Liz Greene:
I've tried to address that issue in the way in which the programme is framed. That's why it's not possible to be specific and say that someone should work for a certain company, or that they should do a particular type of job. The technology may move on so quickly that a particular job may not exist in a couple of years. It's the core of the individual that the programme addresses.
The challenge is to understand what one loves, because even though external structures will change in the job market, the spirit that animates an individual's vocation will remain. Of course it's a nuisance if you suddenly find that the company you work for is going down. But if you know who you are and what you have to offer, you can find something else that resonates in the same way. If you have to learn new skills, that's all right, because the motive is there to learn them.

K.B.:
So it's really always about the core ...

Liz Greene:
Yes. I think that's what vocation is all about. This is why so many people are miserable in their jobs - it never occurs to them that a person's work has to reflect the person. If you love ritual, rhythm, and routine, you can enjoy laying bricks, which can be a true art form and a beautiful thing for a craftsman. But equally, if bricks suddenly disappeared from the list of usable building materials, you could still bring that love of making things in rhythmical patterns to any material you're working with. We look too much at the external world when we start thinking about what we want to do with our lives. We ask, "How can I be successful? Where will I make the most money? What do my parents want me to do? What kind of job would be the most respectable and earn me a place in the community?" We keep looking outside, rather than finding out who we are, what we want to contribute to the world, and what we love and value.

K.B.:
So many people are swamped by constant input, floods of information, demands for new skills, new technologies, cultural uprootedness. How can they cope?

Liz Greene:
When people feel swamped by chaos, it's often because there's no sense of a core. They have no sense of a centre, and so everything hits them from the outside and they fragment. They don't know what to listen to. Where is the truth? The cultural shifts, the bombardment of information, the technological changes, the current lack of security in work - there is tremendous instability in the world at the moment. The only way to cope with all this flux is to have something inside that is very solid, where you know what you are, what you're good at, and what you love doing. Once you've got that, you can make the adaptations that are required. You might not like all of them, but nobody promised that life would be fair. It all depends on whether or not you can make the necessary adaptations based on a solid sense of self. A person can always learn new skills - you can learn how to use a computer, you can learn another language, you can learn new artistic techniques if you apply yourself. But you can't learn to be someone else.

This interview took place in autumn 2000 with Karin Baasch and Peter Isler.

Authors at Astrodienst
Interview with Liz Greene
Astrology and Computer Horoscopes

Question:
In 1987, you and Alois Treindl created the first AstroIntelligence computer horoscope together - the "Psychological Horoscope Analysis". Being a psychologist and counselling astrologer, what was your motivation to join in the creation of a computer generated horoscope? What fascinates you about this work?

Liz Greene:
Initially my motivation in working on a computer-generated horoscope was curiosity: if it were possible for the computer to be programmed to synthesise horoscope factors according to an "expert system" rather than the usual linear, non-synthesised interpretations on which all other computer-generated horoscopes are based, could it come close to a valid description of character and psychological motivation? I had no clear idea of what would come out, or even if it would work at all. I was very surprised by the results. I do not think it would have been possible with any other programmer, since Alois is quite brilliant in this field, and unique in terms of his ability to combine computer science with a knowledge of astrology.

Question:
Is it possible to understand a person's personality with the help of a computer generated horoscope?

Liz Greene:
If the factors in the horoscope are synthesised and considered as a dynamic energy pattern rather than a static list of personality traits, yes, a computer-generated horoscope can offer quite profound insights into a person’s inherent character and development pattern. The difficulty with most computer-generated reports is that the human psyche operates according to particular laws and energy dynamics which affect the way different parts of the horoscope are expressed. If psychological knowledge is not applied to the birth horoscope and blended with the different chart configurations in a computer-generated report, one winds up with merely a list of characteristics many of which contradict each other, and there is no central focus or sense of a living individual at the core.

Question:
How does an AstroIntelligence horoscope compare with face-to-face astrological counselling? Can such a written report replace personal dialogue?

Liz Greene:
A written report cannot replace the personal dialogue between an astrologer and a client, although it can be immensely helpful. The most important factor which is missing in a computer-generated horoscope, however sophisticated it might be, is that the computer cannot determine in what ways the individual has applied free will and choice in terms of how they express the different dimensions of the birth chart. A birth chart cannot indicate consciousness, and a person who has chosen to do inner work and has made the effort tointegrate the hidden sides of their personality will express planets, signs and aspects quite differently from a very unconscious person who simply acts without reflection and blames their problems and conflicts on everyone else. The difference here lies in the level of expression, rather than in the basic character itself. The inherent personality is given in the horoscope, and also the likely ways in which it will unfold over time. But the more conscious we are, the less "fated" we are by our unconscious complexes and compulsions. Only a dialogue with the client can reveal to what extent the individual has accepted responsibility for their own psyche and their own life.

Question:
Apart from the Psychological Horoscope, you have written several others like the Child's Horoscope, Career and Vocation or the Relationship Horoscope. Do you have any plans for further projects?

Liz Greene:
We have discussed several possibilities for new projects, and one or two of these will probably be developed over the next year or so. The favourite at the moment is a programme dealing with the issue of what happens to us on a psychological level when we leave our birth place and relocate somewhere else in the world. As the world’s population is becoming increasingly mobile, this is a very interesting area to explore, and many people have already requested such a programme. We cannot trade in our birth chart by moving somewhere else, and it would not be wise to base such an important life decision merely on the evidence of a relocation chart; but there are subtle changes in the way we express our birth charts which could be very helpful to understand when such a move actually does take place.

Astrology in a modern world

Question:
Astrology has been practised for more than 3000 years. Do you think such an old "science" has the potential to help with the solution of the complex problems of our modern world - on an individual as well as collective level?

Liz Greene:
Although our views of the cosmos have changed over three millennia, and our technology has altered our way of relating to external reality, the essential nature of human beings has not changed much, if at all, over that time. Astrology is the first psychology and is still perhaps the most sophisticated one, and it continues to be a tremendously helpful symbolic map of the essential patterns of development within both individuals and collectives. The remarkable thing about the astrological map is that it has so many layers and levels, and is compatible with many different psychological and spiritual perspectives. Studying the horoscopes of nations and their leaders can certainly help us to gain a deeper understanding of world events. But ultimately the complex problems of the modern world can only be solved by individuals who are willing to take up the responsibility of living their own lives more consciously and creatively. Here astrology is perhaps the most useful tool of all, because it can offer so many insights into self-understanding. And self-understanding is essential if we wish to make intelligent and constructive choices that might contribute to a better world.

Question:
In his book "Psychology of the future", the well-known American psychiatrist Stanislav Grof writes that he has found astrology to be an indispensable tool in understanding the human psyche. Can you envisage the integration of astrological concepts in the wider field of psychology in the near future?

Liz Greene:
Astrology has been integrated for a long time into the area of what is known as depth psychology; Jung used birth horoscopes to gain insight into his patients, and courses in astrology have been taught at various Jungian Institutes around the world for many years. There are also many Psychosynthesis practitioners who use astrology to augment their understanding of their clients. The value of astrological interpretation has already made its mark in many spheres of modern psychology. Clinical psychology as taught at universities has also begun to be influenced by astrology, at least in the United Kingdom, where astrological research has been carried out at the University of London and Southampton University. Post-graduate courses in the history of astrology are being taught at other UK universities such as the University of Kent, the University of Leicester and Bath Spa University College. Something similar appears to be happening in the US as well. There seems to be a growing interest in incorporating astrology into academic programmes, including those in psychology. I believe it will not be long before it becomes more or less accepted as a valuable tool in psychology and psychotherapy. The value of the astrological map as a picture of the individual’s inherent psychological patterning is enormous, and so is the applicability of astrology to particular times in life when a person is going through important experiences that need to be understood more deeply. The entry of Uranus into Pisces and, after a few more years, Neptune into Pisces, is likely to shift our focus from technology and collective thinking to the inner world, the imagination, the spirit and the hidden dimensions of reality. This will undoubtedly bring astrology into the limelight as an avenue of exploration of these deeper levels of life.

© Astrodienst / Liz Greene, 2003

Authors at Astrodienst
Seminars