Astrology Actually: The Beginner's Guide to Astrological Principles
Astrology is enjoying an interesting swing of perception. For too long, astrology was regularly treated with derision and portrayed lightly in mainstream media. It seemed anyone associated with it would also be treated so and not taken seriously. I felt I had to be a closet astrologer while working in a corporate science-driven world.
Most of us are familiar with the lights of astrology: the planets; the houses; as well as its rulers and aspects.
In recent years, astrology is getting increasingly more popular. Astrology is now promoted and more people are learning about the nuts and bolts of astrology. This is great as its principles are based on hermetic laws, and if understood, is a great tool that can guarantee improvements in various areas of life.
Astrology and the hermetic laws
Did you know that how these work is drawn from the principles of Hermeticism? The seven principles are the foundation of Hermeticism, a branch of spiritual philosophy which comes out of Ancient Egypt. They are outlined in texts like the Emerald Tablet and the Corpus Hermeticum— attributed to the ancient sage Hermes Trismegistus— and are summarized in the nineteenth century text known as The Kybalion. These seven principles state the seven fundamental facts of reality.
However, as a result of its popularity, information is inaccurately attributed to it, whether these are misunderstandings of astrological concepts or direct misinformation.
I thought that writing a crash course could help — a simple one to establish what it is, how it works, key points, advice, etc. It is a lot of content to go over so I will keep it simple and direct, and share in parts as far as people are interested. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them.
Principles from astrology
Physical reality is less relevant than you think.
Deaths, drama, and danger occur daily, and sometimes it is personal and painful. Yet individual events do not determine a destiny or ability.
Often in astrological predictions, what’s happening “wrongly” everyday is counted as a failure, but with the long view of astrology, that’s just a physical state in a long runway of inevitable personal growth and development. You choose everyday whether to spiral up or down in your physical reality.
Your natal chart reflects the cosmos within you. Regardless of what you see, you already have what you want. In your physical reality, all you are looking at is an old picture; rather, look towards the new one.
“The All is Mind; the Universe is Mental.”
This principle is based on the idea of mentalism. Our thoughts affect the world “outside of” us, since that which appears to be outside of us is only an extension of the mind which we ourselves also are.
Time is a cycle
Your past, present, and future are all happening now. Think about what you did yesterday, when did that happen? It happened just now in your imagination.
Same with the future, it’s all now.
Guess what? Good Economists and financial strategists rely on cycles as much as any astrologer, as do geologists, astronomers, marketer…
Choose to have what you seek in life now.
Don’t be too hard on yourself
In astrology, the natal chart, or birth chart, is but a starting blueprint that is revealed and triggered by progressed chart.
Also, like anything, life itself is a skill. You have been exercising your potential to some degree your whole life, and learning to consciously expand it takes practice. So practice being what you need to be in the role you take on in life: you may be a daughter, wife, mother, employer, employee, etc. Your roles change, while the ego resists change. Practice growing and flowing, regardless of what you “think you are”.
Practice different thoughts and feelings, and experience the change in behaviour. When we read our charts, we learn compassion for our blind spots.
We also realise there’s little sense in beating ourselves up or using pain as motivation, when it is really a big picture game to play.
Failure does not exist.
In astrology, the only way you can fail is if you give up on life itself. You’d have to sign the exit card. Life is constantly evolving to bring you opportunities to grow and excel. Some of it are challenging indeed, and seem to last a length of time enough to erode our self belief and make us feel as if we have “failed”.
Yet, what have we failed? Only others’ expectations of us, how much to earn, who to marry, what to do and when to do it.
Astrology teaches it is not possible to be a failure. It is all tailor made for you! No one else can have exactly the same perspective and/or threads unfolding in life. If you persist in your life, you find and fulfil your higher purpose(s). Your destiny is always calling you, as surely as the stars are always shining. There is no way around it, except for which paths you choose.