Alan Schaub is both professional astrologer and psychologist/counselor who unapologetically combines the two disciplines while working with clients at his office in Nevada City.

Just as Carl Jung attempted to expand on the work of Sigmund Freud, Schaub sees astrology as further amplification of the myths and archetypes that Jung expounded.

It's not a connection that many in the field of psychology are ready to make, but Schaub is fearless in his belief that astrology should be a major component of the counseling process.

While in graduate school at Eastern Washington University, near Spokane, Schaub first put forward

the idea of conducting an experiment meant to scientifically prove the validity of astrology.

Apparently, the faculty was not swayed.

“I proposed to do an experiment that would scientifically test astrology to see if it is reliable, but I was turned down,” Schaub said.

“What they said is that ‘astrology is unscientific and so there was no reason to test It.' My response to that was, ‘How can you say that something doesn't work unless you actually test it? It seems unscientific to me to assume that something doesn't work. People from all over the world have been using astrology since the beginning of civilization.”

Undeterred, Schaub decided to continue testing the notion that astrology could be a valuable tool in understanding human

behavior.

He believes the connection between psychology and astrology is undeniable.

“If I have a gift, it's in seeing relationships,” Schaub said. “In the study of psychology, one of my favorite psychologists was Carl Jung. I'm fascinated by the study of archetypes and symbolism and one of the people who took his work and progressed it further was Joseph Campbell.

“I was greatly interested in his use of Jungian archetypes to understand the deep meaning of mythology, and how those things give meaning to our lives.”

Schaub's resume is impressive. He has worked with children with special needs for 25 years.

He moved to this area several years ago, thinking of trying to land a job in a local school system as a psychologist.

Still believing in the value of astrology to help people, he decided, in his words, to follow his passion instead. He calls his business True Will Astrology and says that most of the people seeking his services first come for astrology purposes, but continue coming back for additional counseling.

“Everyone is sort of skeptical of astrology, but of all the tools that I've learned, or tests that I could use to help other individuals, I've found astrology to be the most powerful and the most reliable,” Schaub said.

”So I decided to start practicing what I preach and doing what I feel is my passion.”

Schaub says that anyone who has studied astrology in depth can see the parallels to Jung and Campbell's work.

“Astrology and mythology speak the same language,” Schaub said. “If you look at where the planet Venus is in your chart, Venus represents how you love, what you love and how you want to be loved in return.

“Venus in Greek mythology was the goddess of love, so it's the same language. If you understand those myths when you're looking at a chart, the stories speak to you.”

Schaub is quick to admit that there are probably many who would deem his approach to psychology and counseling as not valid, but he seems up for the challenge of converting nonbelievers.

“I consider myself scientifically minded and have a degree in psychology and two master's degrees, but there's always that issue of credibility,” Schaub said.

“But what I decided was that I was not going to allow society's misconceptions about astrology to prevent me from helping people the way that I wanted to.”

He invites scrutiny, asking those who may be interested in his services to find out what has been written about him, what the people he has worked with are saying.

“I'm really receptive to skepticism and even criticism,” Schaub said. “I would challenge people to read some of the reviews that people have written about my work. I've had people tell me that I've saved their lives.

“I've had couples say that their marriage survived because of my assistance. I've worked with entire families, helping them to resolve conflicts through astrology.”

Agree with him, or dismiss him entirely, it's difficult not to see Schaub as a sort of pioneer. Blending astrology with psychology is a path few have undertaken.

“I think I have some unique insights into the world because I combine these different modalities,” he said.

True Will Astrology is located at the Sacred Bee, inside the Miner's Village at 206 Sacramento St., Suite 203 in Nevada City.

His telephone number is (714) 323-3352 and his web page address is www.truewillastrology.com.

Tom Kellar is a freelance writer who lives in Cedar Ridge. He can be reached at thomaskellar@hotmail.com.