"Therapy from the Stars"
An Interview with Astrologer and Psychotherapist Jeffrey Kishner
by Samuel F. Reynolds

    

Jeff Kishner

As I was starting my practice about five years ago in NYC, I saw flyers around town for an astrologer/therapist who also did astrology for the movies. (More on that later.)  I was intrigued.  So wanting to know more and surreptitiously (Scorpionically) scope out the "competition," I e-mailed Jeff Kishner for a free astrology chart he offered.  His reply is what endeared me to him.   He wrote back something like this, "Sure.  But aren't you Sam Reynolds, the astrologer I see advertised around at the (Park Slope Food) Coop?  Can't you do your own chart? ;)"  But he sent a chart anyway.  I wrote back, with the scrambled egg still on my cyber-face, and he was not only gracious, but invited me to dinner with his family at his home in Park Slope.  We've been close friends since.

As I've gotten to know Jeff, not only am I warmed by his genuine love for astrology, but I love how he uses astrology to complement his psychotherapeutic career.  One limitation that many astrologers face in their practices is that they can help clients identify their "issues," but most don't have the training to help work through them.  That's not true with Jeff!  Jeff has been studying psychology since he was an undergrad at Cornell University and went on to get his graduate degree at the noted California Institute of Integral Studies.  Jeff has also combined his lifelong interest in film with his astrological approach to the human psyche. 

We were able to catch up with Jeff, just as he's been fiendishly working on his own blog and newsletters.  (We also list the "URLs" at the end of the interview.) 

What made you become an astrologer?

I was earning my master's degree in counseling psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and a friend convinced me to take an astrology class there, taught by Richard Tarnas. Before that class, I didn't believe in astrology. "Rick" (Richard Tarnas) and my friend only paid attention to angles between the planets, ignoring signs and houses. I found over a few years of study that -- working only with planets -- there was a strong correspondence between planetary aspects and the themes in an individual's chart.  I have since incorporated signs and houses and other important aspects of chart analysis, because they enhance my understanding of a person. After I graduated and moved to NY, I felt I had studied deeply enough to offer professional services.

How did you come to combine psychology with astrology?  Were they always linked in your mind somehow?

The combination was a natural outgrowth of my interest in both subjects. Astrology and psychology each offer insights into human personality. I thoroughly studied the works of psychological astrologers and found that the application of developmental psychology and other concepts worked well with astrological concepts. I don't necessarily consider myself a psychological astrologer in my consultations, but I do draw on psychoanalytic concepts when I go deeply with a client.

One limitation that many astrologers face in their practices
is that they can help clients identify their "issues,"
but most don't have the training or certification
to help work through them. 
That's not true with Jeff!

What does astrology mean for you?  What can astrology do in people's lives in your opinion?

The significance of astrology to me is that there is a divine order to the Universe, and that we are born at a specific time and location so that we can spiritually evolve. Astrology helps people grow into who they are "called" to be. On a more mundane level, it helps people navigate times of transition by understanding cycles of change. If you know that you are supposed to be breaking down structures in your life, then you can consciously explore what parts of your life are rigid, so that the restructuring comes from within rather outside of yourself.

You also have a prominent interest in film and you've written extensively about it.  In fact, you've co-edited a book about it.  How does film come together with astrology? 

Film directors with vision tend to play out in their movies the themes of their natal chart. For example, Steven Spielberg often has a child who has been abandoned or is in danger in his movies; this can be seen by a stressful connection between the Moon -- which symbolizes children -- and Saturn and Pluto, which are planets of hardship and destruction.


Film is such a powerful medium, in that it can translate archetypal conflicts into an art form that impacts viewers on a visceral level. It can be easy to observe the play of planetary archetypes in a movie when you understand the language of astrology.

What projects are you currently working on?

I have been writing every weekday at Seduction Central, which is an accessible and humorous blog about the astrology of love, sex and romance. It provides me an opportunity to reach a larger audience than those readers who are serious students of astrology. It is very Sun sign oriented, but does offer insight into how different people approach common issues in relationships.

 

How can I find out more?

Visit my "family" of websites: 

http://jeffreykishner.com
Seduction Central: http://jeffreykishner.com/astrology/love/
Lunar Tunes: http://jeffreykishner.com/lunartunes/

You can also reach Jeffrey Kishner by phone or e-mail at:

PHONE   347.423.4631         EMAIL  jeffreykishner@yahoo.com

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