Sasportas, Howard (1948-1992)

Howard Sasportas, an important voice in contemporary astrology supportive of the psychological interpretation of astrological theory, was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on April 12, 1948. He studied at Antioch University in New York, and received his master's degree in humanistic psychology. Shortly afterward, in 1973, he moved to England, where he pursued his psychological studies at the Psychosynthesis and Education Trust. (Psychosynthesis, developed by Italian psychotherapist Roberto Assagioli, is a form of psychotherapy that has been found compatible with occult perspectives.) He also developed an interest in astrology. As his interest grew, he became an associate of the Faculty of Astrological Studies, a prominent British astrological organization founded by a group of leading astrologers including Margaret Hone and Charles E. O. Carter. He became a stellar student and in 1979 was awarded the school's gold medal. That same year he also joined the school's staff as a tutor.

Sasportas' astrological career led him to make the acquaintance of Liz Greene, another exponent of the psychological approach to astrological interpretation. Together, in 1983, they founded the Centre for Psychological Astrology in London. The school offered a spectrum of seminars and a broad course of study in psychology and mythology, in addition to a standard curriculum in astrology.

Beginning in 1985, Sasportas authored a set of books, including the three volumes of the "Seminars in Psychological Astrology" series with Liz Greene, that quickly became popular texts for his colleagues. Then in 1987 he became the series editor for the Arkana Astrology series published by Viking-Penguin. He not only assembled volumes from some of the most important voices in contemporary astrology for the series, but contributed what most consider to be his finest volume, The Gods of Change. Unfortunately, at the height of his career, he passed away in London on May 12, 1992.

Sources:

Sasportas, Howard. The Gods of Change: Pain, Crisis, and the Transits of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. New York: Arkana, 1989.

——. The Twelve Houses. Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, UK: Aquarian Press, 1985.

Sasportas, Howard, and Liz Greene. The Development of Personality. Vol. 1. Seminar in Psychology Astrology. York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, 1987.

——. The Dynamic of the Unconscious. Vol. 2. Seminar in Psychology Astrology. York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, 1989.

——. The Luminaries: Sun and Moon. Vol. 3. Seminar in Psychology Astrology. York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, 1992.