Astrology is a symbolic language. To some it is a tool for divination. *To others it is evidence of an underlying self organizing system that reveals itself when we learn how to read it. Maybe these are of the same order?
Let’s break it down a bit. The principle behind astrology is that planetary cycles correlate with events and happenings. These events and happenings can be mundane or psychological or both. In the form of astrology I practice, the happenings are read as missives from the soul.
The challenge comes not in the description of events, noting for example that the pile-up of Saturn/Pluto/Jupiter and Mars in Capricorn coincided with the Covid-19 lockdowns in March of 2020, but in the anticipation or prediction of events. What if we reframe the challenge? What if we seek meaning instead of describing or forecasting?
The dictionary definition of divination is limited to prediction or prophecy, attempts to see what is coming. But what is behind this seeking? What is our motivation to foresee? And what if we go deeper into the meaning of divination. To divine as in to see the divine in, to know there is inherent meaning in the world, if only we can learn to understand what is being conveyed.
We seek council when we are uncertain or anxious, when we have lost the flow, or when we are trying to make big decisions. When we lose touch with ourself, question our underlying belief system or faith, or face times of uncertainty, we can feel untethered and exposed. We want protection, we want to know what is coming, we want to be prepared. Perhaps we even want to shape or co-create.
It is during these times that we or our clients turn to systems of divination, whether they be astrology, tarot, dream interpretation or others. It becomes important for the practitioner to know their own mind in order to guide another to hear their own wisdom. What exactly do we as practitioners think is happening during an astrological consultation?
This is where the philosophy behind horary astrology can be of assistance. Horary astrology happens in the moment. From the moment the question is asked, there is an underlying belief that the lost object is waiting, even wanting to be found. (Of course, if the lost one does not want to be found, no divination technique will work!)
What if we begin to think of ourselves as lost entitities waiting to be found by our own inquiries? What if our understanding of ourselves and events begins to take shape as soon as we ask the question?
What if we allow our astrology practice to be guided by the question in the moment? If a client asks a specific question, then we take it on faith that the answer will reveal itself through the interaction of the client, the practitioner and the chart. What is needed is a readiness to listen for the revelation via symbols, images or direct knowing. What is needed is a belief in the divining mind.
*Callback to Sam Reynolds' closing talk at NORWAC 2024
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