Roots of Phobias ?

 Hat-tip for pic:  here

Another random look at a page of 20th century astrologer C.E.O. Carter's "An Encyclopaedia of Psychological Astrology", first published 1924, re-printed at various points throughout 20th century. This time I opened the book at the "M"s, and on the page containing his ideas on possible astrological roots of morbid fears or phobias. As most of us have at least one of these, I flexed my copy-typing fingers and.....

Morbid Fears (Phobias)

These diseases, partly mental and partly physical, are at the present moment somewhat before the public owing to the prominence given to them by the modern psychologist, who claims to have treated them with considerable success. They consist, generally speaking, of irrational fears or aversions. The native may be in other respects to all intents and purposes strong and healthy, but under special conditions he is attacked by fears or nervous seizures which are not justified by those conditions from the standpoint of the normal human being. Their study is of great interest to astrologers, although I am not aware of their having as yet received from them the attention they deserve.

We might expect to find these conditions indicated basically by Neptunian afflictions to those portions of the horoscope that have influence upon the health (the three hylegiacal [see below for explanation] points and the 6th and 8th houses mainly). One might also expect the watery signs to be to the fore, and also Gemini and the 3rd, owing to their mental relation. Further, it may be expected that in nearly all cases a neurasthenic condition will be shown (v. Neurasthenia [see below]). The precise nature of the "fear" will probably be best shown by the horoscope as a whole, although further investigation might reveal this as depending upon certain recognizable features.

In so far as the psycho-analyst regards these phobias as being due to the efforts to rise into consciousness of supressed complexes, formed in the "unconscious" around some event, generally in infancy, which has been forgotten by the conscious mind, we might expect Scorpio the "repressed" sign par excellence, to figure prominently, as well as Pluto, and Saturnian action might be anticipated, since Saturn binds down and is active in all self-control.

But in point of fact any indication in a horoscope of a struggle between positive and negative elements - especially between Fire and Water, since these are emotional and instinctive - may set up conditions which can develop into some trouble such as we are discussing. The danger is still greater if the houses corresponding to the watery trigon are involved.


Neurasthenia
This covers a variety of conditions of different degrees of severity and originating in many ways. We nearly always find them characterized by Mercury being afflicted in or from a Saturn sign, 26 Aquarius appearing particularly severe in this respect, or by Saturn itself. Degrees commonly involved are 10 Taurus and 25 Gemini-Sagittarius, and one or both of these I have found involved in nearly every case. The worse the afflictions the more severe the malady.

Wikipedia on Neurasthenia

Skyscript on "hylegiacal"

An 'hylegiacal' or 'aphetic' place relates to the houses in which Ptolemy claimed that any planet to be admitted as hyleg must be located. These are (in order of preference): - the 1st, 10th, 11th, 7th or 9th house.

I've been trying to apply the above to my own chart. While I don't like flying insects, or scampering mice, I don't really class these as serious phobias. I'm scared of deep water - that's a definite phobia traceable to a couple of occasions when I felt as though I were drowning, during my childhood, once in a swimming pool, once in a popular local swimming place close to a waterfall. The obvious antidote to this would have been to learn to swim well, but I couldn't be enticed back to a swimming pool in order to do so! Another dislike, stress-incuding, but hardly a phobia, is having involvement with doctors and hospitals, this I can conquer, the deep water thing, I cannot.

So - the deep water thing: Neptune (he ruled deep water) in Virgo in my chart is inconjunct/quincunx Aries Moon, but sextile Mars in Scorpio, maybe between those two mildly contradictory aspects lies the answer? Houses involved could be 4 or 5 and 10 or 11 depending on exact time of birth.

Anyone else have a phobia they'd care to relate to astrological factors in their natal chart?