Towards an Embodied Astrology
Embodiment as a Paradigm for Astrological Practice
John David Wadsworth
MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology
Bath Spa University · 17 May 2006
About This Research
In 2006, John David Wadsworth submitted Towards an Embodied Astrology: Embodiment as a Paradigm for Astrological Practice as part of his MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at Bath Spa University.
The dissertation explores a different way of understanding astrological practice: not simply as a system of interpretation or prediction, but as a living, participatory experience through which meaning may emerge.
Drawing upon phenomenology, anthropology, philosophy and ecological thought, Wadsworth examines how astrological symbolism can be experienced through the body, imagination, ritual and creative expression. The research also includes a case study of experiential astrology and Astrodrama, informed by interviews with practitioners.
At the heart of the thesis is a question about the role of the astrologer: rather than acting solely as an expert who interprets a chart, might the astrologer also serve as a facilitator of embodied understanding?
Original Academic Abstract (2006)
This thesis aims to develop the paradigm of embodiment already extant in philosophical and anthropological discourse as an alternative theoretical framework through which to re-evaluate the practice of astrology. It problematises conceptual religious, scientific and psychological assumptions about astrology and advocates instead a phenomenological approach that admits, in practice, the potential for the pre-conceptual realisation of astrological symbolism, as an embodied poetics of lived experience.
In support of the argument, I will draw on the work of scholars whose theses support the idea that as human beings, we are always, already involved in an animistic participation with a more-than-human corporeal field, rich in agency. I will discuss how an embodied engagement with astrological symbolism might afford a temporal realisation of a greater than human perspective; furthermore, that it is realisable only within a contextualised moment of ecological perceptual cohesion, where traditional ontological and epistemological divisions are dissolved. I will address the issues this raises for astrology. Rather than being sought out only for his interpretive expertise, might the astrologer be confronted with a very different role, as a facilitator of embodied understanding?
Key Research Themes
From Prediction to Participation
The dissertation questions approaches to astrology that treat the birth chart as a fixed description of character or destiny. Instead, Wadsworth explores astrology as a participatory practice, in which meaning emerges through an individual's active relationship with astrological symbols and the circumstances of their life.
Embodiment and Lived Experience
Drawing particularly on the phenomenology of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the research considers the body as fundamental to perception and understanding. Astrological meaning, in this perspective, is not simply something interpreted intellectually. It may also be experienced through movement, sensation, imagination and direct engagement.
Symbolism, Metaphor and Ritual
Wadsworth examines how astrological symbols can become meaningful through their active expression rather than remaining fixed concepts. Ritual, metaphor and creative participation are considered as ways of encountering symbolism within a particular moment, place and lived experience.
Astrology, Ecology and the More-Than-Human World
The thesis explores connections between embodied experience, animism and ecological thought. Drawing on philosophers and scholars including David Abram, it considers whether astrology can foster a more reciprocal relationship between human beings, the natural world and the wider cosmos.
Experiential Astrology and Astrodrama
The dissertation includes an exploratory case study of experiential astrology and Astrodrama, supported by interviews with three practitioners. It examines how movement, role-play, group interaction and creative expression can provide different ways of engaging with astrological symbolism.
The study also considers the changing role of the astrologer: from an authoritative interpreter towards a facilitator who supports participants in discovering meaning through their own experience.
Read the Original Dissertation
John David Wadsworth's original 2006 MA dissertation, Towards an Embodied Astrology: Embodiment as a Paradigm for Astrological Practice, is available below.
Submitted to Bath Spa University as part of the MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology, the research examines embodiment as an alternative framework for understanding astrological practice, including its philosophical foundations and its application through experiential astrology and Astrodrama.
The original research documents are provided for students, practitioners and researchers wishing to explore the academic work in greater depth.
124 pages
5 pages
24 pages — original practitioner interviews and supporting research material.
How to Cite This Research
Wadsworth, John David (2006). Towards an Embodied Astrology: Embodiment as a Paradigm for Astrological Practice. MA dissertation, Bath Spa University.
From Academic Research to the Kairos Approach
John Wadsworth's 2006 research explored astrology as a living, participatory practice in which understanding develops through direct experience, imagination and engagement with symbolic meaning.
These themes are reflected in his work at the Kairos School of Astrology, where astrology is approached not simply as a technical system to be mastered, but as a means of exploring human experience, psychological patterns, mythology and personal development.
John's teaching and experiential work encourage students and participants to engage actively with astrological symbolism, rather than relying solely upon predetermined interpretations.
His work with Astrodrama provides a particularly direct connection to the dissertation's exploration of embodiment, creative participation and the changing role of the astrologer.