"Being psychoanalysts the astrological thinking should not be alien to us. The basic concept of psychoanalysis and astrology is the idea of very early conditioning that is unconscious and that will be acted out in later life. Psychoanalysis looks at the conditioning in early life whereas astrology looks at the even earlier cosmic conditioning. Both suggest that the development of personality is based on early conditioning and both have a similar aim: making what is unconscious conscious.
We "only" have to assume that there is beside the personal and the collectiveunconscious still a deeper layer to our psyche - the cosmic unconscious. It would mirror our being part of the cosmic order, its rhythms and laws, and contain our conditioning by them as can be seen in the horoscope. Thus the horoscope gives us one more access to the understanding of the psyche.
Sceptics will think that I may project onto my client what I then might find confirmed. But in facing this dilemma psychoanalysis and astrology are also similar - the analyst as well might be projecting a foregone conclusion onto his client."
- Fritz Riemann, excerpts from an address given at the '4. International Forum for Psychoanalysis', New York, 1972
