Befriending the Malefics
Finally some news for the newsletter!
Okay, gather around, I have a brand new offering I’m thrilled to share with you but first, some context: This May marked my eighth anniversary as a consulting psychological astrologer (and the fourth anniversary of trying to find my feet again through these relentless midlife transits that come for us all) and while eight is not nearly as poetic as seven, this is when the Dweller at the Threshold (Saturn) decided to grant me passage. And how: Over the last 48 hours (much less, actually), I fell into a blissful hyper-focus zone I haven’t had the privilege of losing myself in, in a long time. I found myself typing away everything below as the Malefics broke through with compulsive force, demanding an offering (by which I mean, the theme picked and wrote itself).
What makes this somewhat baffling to me is the timing. Tomorrow (Jun 9th) is the much awaited Venus-Jupiter conjunction in Cancer which has been understandably gathering fantastic press in the astrological community, given that it’s the conjunction of both BENEFICS in the sign of Jupiter’s exaltation (and the sign where both traditional malefics, Mars and Saturn are debilitated). So it makes no sense from an electional astrology perspective (basically finding the right time to do something) to be offering this at this time. I suppose this is where the Jungian bit comes in: I implicitly trust what breaks through organically. And as I considered it, it just makes sense to me that this moment —ripe with the openness, nourishment, generosity, forgiveness, goodwill and all-round TLC—is precisely what’s needed to bring tenderness, healing, wisdom and consciousness to the parts of us that have been exiled for so long, that the only way they can get our attention is by showing up as Malefics.
So without further ado, I bring you my first offspring (okay technically my client work was the first and my book was the second) from eight years of labour. May it find anyone who needs it (though I’d much appreciate you sharing widely).
Befriending the Malefics: 4 weeks of incubation and inquiry
Jungian astrology as psychic hygiene (aka how this works)
You pick up one or two threads of your story, or a current life situation or event that you consider “difficult” in some way —driving you mad, bleeding you dry, making you go in circles (you get the drift) and tell me briefly about it in writing (along with your birth info)
I listen closely to your narrative and trace it back to your natal chart/active transits/progressions to find those places that match the archetypal heartbeat of your story
I send you weekly journaling/painting/dancing (upto you) prompts tailored specifically to meet the parts of your chart that ancient astrologers might have deemed ‘malefic’ and Jungians would call ‘unconscious’ in relation to the themes you brought up
If you’re completely new to working in this way or unfamiliar with astrology or Jungian approaches, I may send you additional guidance or point you to resources on what to look out for, how to notice what comes up, what to do with it and ways of incubating a dream
You engage with the material and any additional exercises or recommendations I send you, independently (based on resonance); making a note of anything that feels like special intel from the unconscious
If you happen to have a dream, you send it to me in writing. I may have some questions for you about the dream. After which, I’ll send you some ideas on being and working with the dream images; more prompts (if that works for you) or exercises, once again, tethering the dream to the chart to the specific waking life situation/story
As you continue to engage with the astrological and dream material, we’ll also start tracking the shadow as it shows up as rivals and frenemies; internally, as envy, bitterness, anger, disgust, despair; relational drama, compulsions, fatigue, bodily symptoms and on and on in relation to your initial question. We’ll do some fun, even comedic exercises to get around strong defences
Again, you notice what comes up, you document it all in the same place, effectively creating an energetic container for the work. This is important—it’s a cue to the unconscious that you’re devoted
The work continues whether or not you recall your dreams though with this level of engagement, the dreams usually come, and as long as we remain open and keep the fires stoked by noting down even the fragments that might drop into consciousness, the more the unconscious opens up to us, yielding its secrets, wisdom and medicine —not only in dreams but in moments of synchronicity, unusual encounters with the natural world, ‘paranormal’ experiences, as new impulses, interests, facets of self you haven’t met before, memories or long-buried emotion that seem to rise to the surface
Who is this for?
Anyone with the hunger and bandwidth for sustained inner work and just happens to love or is intrigued by astrology and dreamwork as primary pathways to the unconscious
Anyone who is already in some form of depth work but finds that 60 mins a week or once in a fortnight is hardly enough to do justice to dreams especially during active seasons and would like to establish a daily practice that supports the primary work with the analyst or therapist, while also attuning to astrological transits
While this is no substitute for therapy (let alone Jungian analysis) nor even a substitute for 1:1 video/in-person sessions with me or any astrologer, my intention is to meet a very different need: the long gaps between sessions when outer life demands crowd out any space made during sessions and hard-won revelations and desires slip quickly back into the unconscious; once again creating resistance, repeating cycles, keeping us stuck (clearly I’m speaking from painful experience)
Anyone who loves Jungian and astrological approaches to life/psyche but hasn’t been able to afford their preferred type of work and is stuck in the all-or-nothing trap. Again, I’ve been here, and this is not the same thing but if we do it right, it’s an earnest step in the right direction
The format and ways of engaging with this
While this is designed for a 30-day period, you may choose to continue for as long as you need to/wish to. You may also switch to a different topic/part of your chart. It is entirely tailored to your specific story, transits, chart, life.
This is entirely email-driven. I will send you weekly material, apart from engaging with any dreams or noteworthy experiences you may have in between. I’ll be accessible by email to clarify any doubts or offer assistance but ‘within reason’ (I will not be able to read and respond to essays). If there is too much coming up (which is a good thing) you might want to consider setting up a separate dreamwork/astrology session with me via video call or you may take it to your therapist or analyst or other practitioners
While astrology and Jungian dreamwork are the primary approaches, I’ve gathered a treasure trove of ideas and practices from every rabbit hole —largely esoteric, some mainstream, both effective —I’ve plunged headlong into in the last decade. I’m happy to share anything you are open to trying (to be clear this isn’t medical advice or anything remotely unsafe; more like lifting your arms and making sounds that might make you feel a little ridiculous but hey, this work is not for wimps who cannot handle a little ridicule :D)
Some technical clarifications
While this particular immersion is called Befriending the Malefics, I don’t mean malefics in a strictly traditional sense (Mars and Saturn) but more broadly as anything in a chart that may be deemed “difficult” or from a Jungian point of view, “highly charged complexes.” This may include such things as planets in the 6th, 8th or 12th houses, planets that are weakened by essential dignity (or the lack thereof), out of sect planets, certain planetary aspects and aspect patterns (such as t-squares, yods, stelliums, grand crosses), planets that are singletons, unaspected or out of bounds; then of course there is Chiron and hard aspects to outer planets (in horary astrology, tight conjunctions to outer planets are all considered malefic in some way). The list is long but to be clear, it all comes down to your chart (Venus and Jupiter may be more malefic than Mars and Saturn in your chart) and any active transits or progressions that may be drawing your attention to the problem in question
We will not be working with every hotspot in your chart and every active transit or progression but only those that fit the archetypal picture of the pattern/situation you’re reaching out about
The more specific and focussed your concern, the more you get out of the work. This is why I’m restricting it to one or two themes
Working in-depth with the natal chart hinges on accurate birth time, without which we will still have a great deal of information but it simply won’t be the full picture. The time determines the ascendant, a highly sensitive and singularly important piece of the chart, which also goes on to determine the houses (or the areas of life that are highlighted by planetary activity)
And if you were born on a day when the moon or any planet changed signs, then we lose that piece as well unless you have a window for your birth time, which can help. That said, we’ll still have three huge chunks of the story: all or most planets in their respective signs, as well as the aspects they form with each other (this latter piece is central to archetypal astrology because it determines not only the major portion of where the charge lies, but also its nature and how it drives the plot of your story). By extension, we can also work with transits and progressions to your chart minus the angles (highly significant) and houses. TLDR: No, this is not the whole picture, but it is Something (yes, capital S)
Phew-kay. Now a quick overview of what you get
1:1 engagement by email
Weekly material (spanning 4 weeks) tailored to your chart/ life/situation/dreams etc. for in-depth inquiry and engagement with your chosen themes
Guidance, exercises (some fun, some less so), suggestions and resources to make the process meaningful for you
More engagement between this time should you report dreams or other noteworthy (related) experiences
Email access through the month for any questions/assistance (within reason)
Designed for a month but you can stay on the program for as long as you wish to or switch to an entirely new topic (one that’s on offer or entirely of your choosing)
All at $120 (the full price of a 90 minute reading via video call with me)
But what you really get
Beginning a dialogue and a living relationship with the unconscious to foster a connection with the Self - the numinous centre of your being
Experiencing the planetary archetypes as forces that underpin your reality, as opposed to concepts and abstractions
Seeing for yourself how astrology is the language of the Cosmos, and while the zeigeist will most certainly change, astrology insists on staying alive through hundreds of years of being persecuted, dismissed and ridiculed. But I digress. I meant you’ll get to see how something ancient in you still remembers this Language of the Cosmos, which is still available to heal that profound sense of disconnection you feel within, and re-attune your ears to the Music of the Spheres
It’s taken me years of going in circles to finally birth this, so I want to get it right
I want to begin with a beta phase (max limit of 15 for this phase) with those who have the hunger and the bandwidth to work with me on this first offering and promise to give me constructive feedback
In return, I’m giving you this (a whole month’s engagement) at the full price of any 90 minute reading with me via video call (such as the natal analysis):
$120/INR 10K
*for the first month only
**though I wholeheartedly intend to keep it accessible
Now a little about me
I’m Judy Balan and this is my eighth year as a consulting psychological/Jungian/archetypal astrologer. In former lives, I’ve been a novelist, columnist, blogger, branding/advertising consultant and more until astrology and Jung derailed all my plans in the best way. I’m also the author of the book Why Am I Like This: A Journey into Psychological Astrology (part memoir, part primer) published by Simon & Schuster, India in 2023
I am not a therapist and what I do falls under the broad framework of Astrological Counselling though I do have a Post Graduate Diploma in Jungian Studies from the Society of Psychology and Healing (SOPH), UK — a trust run by the Marian Association and offered as a one-year intensive version of the MA originally offered in affiliation with Middlesex University
Unfortunately this wonderful course (at the time, the only legit and affordable training in Jungian approaches to the psyche offered long-distance with personal mentoring and a strong focus on dreamwork) is no longer available with the sudden passing of my dear mentor, Beverly Martin in 2022. I still miss her terribly. She taught me so much but most of all, what it feels like ‘to be held’ in a session. We had many plans of doing further work (especially with groups) just as soon as I finished my book, which she helped nurture. And her passing left me lost and paralysed in this area for a long time after. This aside, I’ve done countless worshops and immersives (at the receiving end to be clear), not to mention the client work itself, but most of what I bring to the table, comes from simply being an exquisitely mad and hungry human
One last thing
Diving deep into the unconscious is risky business and can bring up a ton of discomfort (to say the least). In signing up for this, you confirm that you are mentally and emotionally stable, well-supported (ideally you’ve been in/currently in some form of longterm therapy but family, friends, creative outlets and a life well occupied, go a long way too) and able to handle any dark or heavy pieces that may emerge in the work we do.
If you are currently under medication or otherwise struggle with clinical conditions, you are still welcome provided you have the blessing of your primary healthcare providers
That’s about it. We start the actual work anytime from July 1st onwards (since it’s 1:1 work, it’s a start anytime, stay as long as you wish and cancel anytime policy. For this beta phase though, I can only take in 15 people max. so basically the first 15 to email me at: balan.judy@gmail.com (or you can simply hit reply here though that’s tricky because it sometimes ends up in spam).
If you’ve read this far, you’re hardcore. Thank you. If this resonates, I’d love for you to join this one or any future immersions. Either way, I’d be super grateful if you shared this with anyone you think might be interested.
So much love and a big exhale,
Judy