Barbault, André (1921-)

Contemporary French astrologer, born at Champignelled/ Yonne, France, on October 1, 1921. Barbault began his study of astrology in the mid-1930s and a short time later discovered Sigmund Freud. He saw Freudian psychology as an excellent tool for assisting in astrological interpretation. Barbault emerged from the disruptions of World War II as a professional astrologer and a charter member of the Centre International d'Astrologie, founded in 1946. He was vice president of the center for 14 years, during which time he published his first books, De la Psychanalyses de l'Astrologie (1961) and Traité pratique d'Astrologie (1961), an exposition of his Freudian theories and a basic astrological textbook.

In 1967 Barbault attained a level of international fame by opening Ordinastral-Astroflash, a computerized astrology service capable of turning out hundreds of charts daily for Parisians. It was the first such service in the world and in spite of the criticisms of more traditional colleagues quickly spread internationally. Countering critics of the popularizing effects of the computer, Barbault also founded l'Astrologie, an academic journal of astrological studies.

Barbault's psychological approach to astrology has come to characterize French astrology. However, he has spent much of his mature years in the equally fascinating realm of mundane astrology, attempting to correlate astrological facts with historical events. His first such study was published in 1967 as Les Astres et l'historie. This led to a system of predicting political events from astrological studies. Barbault has written more than thirty books, but they have yet to be translated into English.

Sources:

Barbault, André. Les Astres et l'historie. Paris, J. J. Pauvert, 1967.

——. De la Psychanalyses de l'Astrologie. Paris: Editions du Seuil, 1961.

——. Traité pratique d'Astrologie. Paris, 1961.

Brau, Jean-Louis, Helen Weaver, and Allan Edmands, eds. Larousse Encyclopedia of Astrology. New York: New American Library, 1982.