Using Astrology for Spiritual Growth and Healing

[Spiritwind]

I could have started this under several headings, but it seems to best fit here.

Astrology may very well be part of the elaborate system of funneling energy in various different ways, and in different areas of our lives, to actually keep each of us in a archetypal prison of sorts. But, I also still hold to the idea that knowing the parameters of our prison walls may still end up leading us to true freedom.

Instead of seeing the planets, signs, houses, and geometric aspects with each other as an arbitrary set of assigned meanings, I see them more as particular flavors, much like spices, of energy that, through careful observation, can be regulated, and the flow of these energies directed in such a way as to work for an individual, rather than against their development. The type of development I am referring to is primarily psychological and spiritual.

I think I am going to use my own chart as an example of how I have applied this system in my personal life, since I have used it extensively as part of my toolkit for making life work, along with many other tools acquired along the way. I was one of those people who basically left home without a toolbox, and the few I had didn't work. Not hard to imagine what it is like to do a job, any particular job, without the right tools.

So, to start with, I was born at 5:25 am on February 3, 1958, in Paso Robles, CA, USA. I have always used to Koch system, for those it has some meaning to. And I must state right here, there are numerous systems of astrology. Vedic astrology has been around for a very long time. I honor and respect them all and do not feel one is right over another system. When used intuitively as a spiritual aid, I believe they can all be used effectively with good results. I do not use astrology to necessarily predict the future, except in terms of energy, likely energies to be encountered, how they might express themselves negatively, and how to consciously regulate the flow of that energy in a way that can become a force for positive growth. 

I have accurately predicted a number of events that did come to pass when using astrology in this way, but that has been more of a by product, and I will give examples of how that has worked for me and others as well. I have to admit I am still surprised when someone tells me years later I said something when sharing my understanding of how to read their charts that was uncannily accurate. I don't even remember 90% of what I say after I've said it. But, anyway, I'll jump right into it on my next post and welcome other's to share as well.

[Spiritwind]

The whole reason I studied astrology so diligently starting in 1993 was because I was pregnant with my third child and already knowing that I would be largely alone to raise her, again. I had definitely recognized, by then, that I was living some kind of pattern that wasn't working well for me. I had a friend who worked from home doing readings for a hotline. I thought, what a great job. I could work from home and wouldn't have to have my daughter spend her first years in a daycare. So I set about learning the system well enough to work for this hotline, which I did finally, five years later. It didn't pan out to be the great job I thought it would be, but did set me on a course of self discovery that has served me well in the long run.

I sent away for my first computer generated report that was about 25 or so pages long. The first thing that seemed to be a repeated theme throughout was that to achieve the true freedom I craved I would first have to learn about responsibility and discipline. This caused a deep sense of internal anxiety, as these words were not what I wanted to hear at the time. These were like cuss words to me. I had a chip on my shoulders the size of the state of Texas, basically pissed at the world and hated anything having to do with authority and imposed boundaries. This was a tall order for me. The other thing I had trouble accepting was my part in how my life had gone. I absolutely could not at first accept that I had at least co-created on some level every aspect of my life. I remember being angry as I thought about this. No one in their right mind would have chosen my early life, I thought. I have come a long ways since then.

Even though I now believe that we did not all knowingly create and set the course for our lives, without some outside interference of the not so benevolent kind, we can still use this template of understanding to understand the parameters of our designed reality matrix. So that first step of accepting responsibility absolutely did hold a key to the freedom and independence I so desperately thought I wanted. There was no one, no therapist or even friend to be mad at. The information either fit, upon honest self reflection, or it didn't. And it did, in my case. Another thing that jumped out at me is that if I had indeed chosen this experience, based on the configuration of the planets as they were found on the day of my birth, I had chosen a particularly difficult path. 

I had been taught, through my self taught studies of astrology, to look at certain things as a starting point. So one of the first things I looked at was the sign, house, and aspects of my sun and moon, and also my rising sign. The rising sign is determined by your exact time of birth, with a new sign being on the eastern horizon every two hours. This then determines the placement of the planets in your chart. In my case, I had Capricorn rising, sun in Aquarius in my first house, and moon in Leo in my seventh. That wasn't that meaningful until I added the rest of the players. Then it became obvious that I had what is called a T-square configuration, with planets in my first opposing planets in my seventh, and all squaring planets on my mid-heaven (top of the chart). The fourth and tenth house is said to represent parental influences, and the seventh is all about close relationships, partners, marriage, or even in business. Well, duh, it tells me then that my early parental influences affected my ability to have a healthy balanced relationship in my adult life. It told me I might have a subconscious blind spot in this area, and guess what? This began a complete and exhaustive form of psychological archaeology that has continued to this day. 

[Spiritwind]

It really just amazed me as I continued to study and apply these concepts. It seemed my life was all there laid out for me to see. I had Neptune, Jupiter, and the north node of the moon all in Scorpio hovering between the end of my ninth house and beginning of my tenth. They were all squaring the moon and Uranus in the seventh, and sun and Venus in the first. The ninth house has to do with beliefs, spiritual leanings, and higher law. The tenth has to do with parental influences as well as social standing, ambitions, outer success. Neptune has to do with consciousness and creativity, as well as glamour and illusions, and can include escapist behaviors. Jupiter is very expansive. With both these planets squaring my moon/emotions/female relationships/past and Venus/affections/resources/desires, it is not surprising that this paralleled with a mother who was emotionally abusive and unavailable, and that I engaged in escapist behaviors such as alcohol and drugs. And my mother did make me nervous (moon conjunct/next to Uranus and being opposite of my sun and Venus). Now, I'm not saying she was a terrible person. I have come a long ways from seeing anyone as a one sided easily summed up kind of personality. She was a complex mix of many things. But as a child I did internalize a subconscious belief or story about my life that needed to be examined in a more adult fashion. 

This has become even more abundantly clear to me over the years as I have done many readings for people. When I did have a business, I had a very well dressed couple come in and each have a reading. I had never met them before and they were both very skeptical. They both appeared successful and self assured about life. But when I just said out loud what I saw, especially the woman's chart, just like I did for myself above, she began to get very emotional and tear up as I described the energetic influences from early in her life. I knew I had hit a nerve. This was not an uncommon experience. It seems no matter how old you are, your emotional self stores the memories of all that you have experienced as if it was yesterday. It can even be from beyond this life. That is one of the reasons I have found this system of understanding so useful. You could also tell that she had done an excellent job of pushing those memories deep into her subconscious, but they had not gone away. 

It is my current belief based on my personal experience that these emotional memories must be revisited, at least on some level, and consciously transmuted and released. I was also relieved to see, from studying my chart, that my natural spiritual tendencies and interests would be part of my healing and would indeed help lead me to a greater sense of balance and inner peace. This has definitely been the case. I will try to upload a picture of my chart as a visual will go a long ways for anyone who is interested but new to this subject. My laptop crashed and my computer skills are somewhat limited so it may be a few more days yet. 

[Innocent Warrior]

"It is my current belief based on my personal experience that these emotional memories must be revisited, at least on some level, and consciously transmuted and released."

I agree, also based on my personal experience. For me it was out of need. An issue would become pressing, I would then look at the belief at the root of the issue and where it came from and once I dis-identified with the belief I could just let it go and live my true belief. I called this process healing for many years and thought I was fixing myself but for some time now I have been able to experience it as a continuous cycle of expansion.

The simple yet powerful act of observing, without judgement, holds all lies up to the light of truth and they simply vanish if we allow them to. That amazes me.

I don't know anything about astrology but it's been popping up here and there lately, so I'm enjoying your thread, thanks.