I am now well into my second decade of giving astrology readings to clients who I do not know outside of the work. Tonight I thought to pause and reflect on the work itself and some advice I might give to those just starting out. With a strong Capricorn ascendant I have always been drawn towards traditional astrology and aside from reading Steven Forrests book The Inner Sky and a number of Stephen Arroyos books, I have not dwelled much on Psychological Astrology. In contemplating the matter though, I find most readings are actually psychological in a wholistic sense.
In the course of giving an astrology reading, the actual explanation of when and how future events will occur, or a past events have occurred takes about 5 minutes of a 90 minute reading. The rest of the 90 minute session is about finding the myth that fits the exactitude of the event. By myth, I do not mean classical myth, but the real human experience of the native and how they need to relate to an event to feel whole and have meaning.
Astrology is mythological, it is the richness of language sculpting meaning into the mundane vast space of our infinitely small lives. As the eyes and mind of the entire divine from a minute perspective, it is a deep human need to feel the richness of being. But in moments of quietness, or the gaps between our emotional dramas, we are distinctly aware of lack of substance or purpose. One might ponder, this may even be why we are addicted to emotional drama and perpetuate it upon each other endlessly.
Even that drama though, is a richness of being, and one that follows cyclical laws of experience. These cycles of being are described by our birth charts and the events they foretell that we go through. We fall into ancient patterns of myth over and over again, and astrology is a gift to guide us into the understanding of those myths. This need to have purpose for our lives, a reason for being, is what fills the remaining 85 minutes of a reading and where the real value in good astrology lay. This is true whether we are psychological astrologers or traditional predictive astrologers.
Psychological astrology has been challenged by the revival of traditional techniques and predictive astrology in the last two decades and been made the better for it. Now, a new crop of astrologers is arising out of the forms of millennial and post millennial clay, absorbed in the incredible capacity of traditional astrology, its spell craft, its predictive abilities, and it’s outrageous techniques. It would be wise then for them to not get lost in the magical reflection of the art, but to come and understand the groundwork of human being as a whole, so they can guide their clients to becoming better humans. In other words, to become at least to some extent, connected to the psychology of astrology.
Humans who are enriched by their own mythology and connectedness to the all are humans who are content to be better people and make a better world. This is where the good in astrology lay. Otherwise, unfortunately, the art of astrology can lead to scary places where the ego is reified and those who have other mythologies than our own are demonized. Or, even worse, where we spend countless hours paranoid about what transits are about to arise for us, and what they might mean or do to us. This path is not the path of astrology as a tool for wisdom, it becomes a dark art for becoming lost in yourself and a waste of human potential.
So please, if you practice astrology, study the mythologies of the world, and how we are a human whole. Each one of us arising from our own genetic and astrological uniqueness with our own wisdom tradition, both historically and culturally. With this understanding study the art not just for prosperity or power, but to contribute to a better humanity. Then you will be practicing a truly spiritual astrology and be a guide for the betterment of your clients.
If but one of my young astrologer friends sees value in these words and takes it to heart, I will be very happy. Thank you.
