The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,

          Hath had elsewhere its setting

               And cometh from afar;

William Wordsworth, Ode on Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood

Splendor in the Grass

I remember having what seemed to be no interest in astrology. And then one day in my backyard I opened a book that my twin sister had given me several years before, The Inner Sky by Steven Forrest. I lay in the grass and my mind began to quicken. The words were hungrily ingested, satisfying a huge appetite I had no idea existed.

This staggering idea began to fall into consideration: could the cosmos know about me? Am I designed in a certain way by order of planetary motion? Do I contain within me, a sun and moon? 

I now recognize that voracious appetite to be a religious one, not that I follow any religion. But I do yearn for meaningful order in my life. I would like to connect to meaning and grow my own meaning. I am hungry for a sense of purpose and I am eager to know where to begin or continue my work.

What astrology seemed to provide for me was a starting point, a simple nod to the question: do I matter in this grand scope of a universe? The more resonance I felt personally with my individual planetary map the more the cosmos answered this question in a resounding affirmative.

Such an idea was exhilarating and deeply comforting. The problem was, I soon began to get bored with astrology books.

Over-scrutinized Symbols

One fine summer I attended a seminar led by Stephen Forrest. He gave a very interesting presentation followed by a Q and A afterwards. I distinctly remember the woman in front of me raising her hand with her pen in her mouth, being called upon and immediately putting her pen to work in her notebook while asking “is the quincunx of a semi-trine indicative….”, okay maybe I don’t remember exactly what she asked. It was far too abstract and instantly mind-numbing. She didn’t look up from her notes while she asked as she was too lost in her own mental maze. Stephen handled the question gently, albeit with slight perplexity of her robotics. He gently reminded the room that astrology is somewhere in the middle of a science and an art.

Much can be missed when we scrutinize these symbols and let them ram around the narrow hallways of our thinking. We must loosen the reins, step back and grow aware of the larger picture. 

What I remember most about the seminar was Steven’s overall cheerfulness and warmth. He told my boyfriend and I that we were excellent listeners. When we asked questions he proved to also be an excellent listener. He seemed to share his power with the room, with anyone that was willing to grow with him and understand more based on what new ideas were arising then and there. 

I knew that if I were to pursue astrology I would like it to have a similar effect on me. I would like it to supply me with a renewed zest and openness towards others. I would like it to augment my natural curiosity, and I would like my own aura to be the proof in the pudding.

In other words, I realized that the aim of astrology was not to know everything there is to know. It was to help guide a person towards a more satisfying and fruitful way of living.

Carl Jung said that he never had a patient over the age of thirty-five who wasn’t cured by adopting some kind of a religious attitude. A religious attitude has nothing to do with doctrine. It merely has to do with caring enough about the life you lead to cultivate it as best you can. 

More Light, Please!

The art of astrology is the art of observation and reflection. The observation is carried out into the farthest realms possible. The reflection extends into the innermost realms. What begins in objective observation transforms into subjective reflection to then extend back out again in refreshed objective observation. The observer is refreshed and changed. Not only this but the observer has the capacity to change and refresh the things in their world. 

Astrology takes the idea of relating to something and extends it as far out as it can go. The distance has been pondered for milenia. Archetypes have arisen and within them a kind of living meaning that can be rediscovered and refreshed by each individual soul that seeks its guidance.

Whether looking at the birth chart or the chart for the day ahead, astrology offers a curious objective map from which an observer can relate. 

Does it mean anything? Well this question is hard to answer. Unless it is answered subjectively. It is similar to the question, what is the meaning of life? Who can answer this? But if you change the question to what is the meaning of my life you can begin to conceive of an answer. 

Does the chart before you mean anything to you?

Does it mean anything to you that you are a Leo with a Moon in Libra?

Have you learned the basic signatures of these archetypes enough to let your imagination bring fresh imagery to your mind? And from this imagery springs new life like flowers in a garden. Some images are beautiful, nourishing and worth cultivating. Other images are obstructing these beauties and need to be weeded out. 

Voltaire suggested that we cultivate our own garden. Astrology provides an archetypal map, a blueprint. The imagination colors the prospective bounty. The real work is in the living of a life that recognizes an inherent design within.

The real work is in helping our life’s Star continue to rise. 

Schedule a nature reading to ponder your celestial signatures!