“Astrology is a universal language of energy.” – Stephen Arroyo
For centuries, astrology has been considered a tool of divination, and was used by ancient civilizations as a guide for daily life, to predict seasonal shifts, and to interpret celestial cycles to connect with the divine. Aquarius, ruled by Uranus—God of the heavens and the night sky—is also the ruler of astrology. As an Aquarius rising with many Uranus aspects, I was always intrigued by the art of astrology (and years later, all forms of divination), but kept my interest limited to The Secret Language of Birthdays for many years. Because of astrology’s reputation of being a hoax-y pseudoscience, I resisted what I was naturally drawn to for most of my life. Back then I knew nothing about this mysterious metaphysical art, I only knew what other people thought—that it wasn’t “real” or that it was heresy, and often thrown into the same category as Miss Cleo and pet psychics. I resisted doing any research of my own, as many do, denying my own curiosity and attraction.
About ten years ago, I finally caved and bought an astrology book. Just as I’d presumed would happen, my mother (a Virgo sun/Capricorn moon), scoffed at me when she saw me reading it. Slightly wounded but determined (like my Taurus sun), I kept reading. But I found the book very confusing and hard to understand. Astrology truly is a different language, It can take years and years of dedication and practice to even grasp its basics... Some even say it takes a lifetime of study to even scratch the surface. So, my first attempt at learning about astrology was kind of a dead-end in a lot of ways. It felt overwhelming and defeating, like trying to teach yourself Latin or Sanskrit with zero linguistic background. It wasn’t until I experienced a profound spiritual crisis a couple of years later that I dove in again, this time looking for answers. What were my questions? I couldn’t even tell you now, but I remember getting a few astrology readings and beginning to study my natal chart and feeling like I resonated with something deep and profound. It was as if all these things I had known and felt, but hadn’t put into words, were written out for me through this mystical, cosmic language. The answers I sought weren’t really related to myself at the time, but on my quest to find the truth, I found a much deeper understanding of myself than I had intended (which ended up being more enlightening and healing than nine solid years of Jungian analysis).
“Astrology is assured recognition from psychology, without further restriction, because astrology represents the summation of all psychological knowledge of antiquity.” – Carl Jung
In my pursuit to understand the mysteries of the Universe, I began to decode my own inner mysteries, which then paradoxically gave me answers to my original questions that were the catalyst for the journey in the first place. I was beginning to understand life and myself in a completely new way. I was beginning to sense some order and meaning in my seemingly chaotic life. It was as if I had woken up from a long slumber.
“Astrological techniques can become as valuable to the depth psychologist as dream interpretation. They would inform him, not of future events or even fixed patterns that a given person is ‘up against’ and to which he continues to react throughout his life in his own peculiar, individual manner as the characteristic way his particular life is embodied in the cosmic whole.” -Edward Whitmont
It was then that I began to take astrology more seriously. As a practicing therapist, I kept my studies to myself for a while. But after getting referred many jaded clients at the rehab I was then working at, I began to do their charts too. And they became interested. And eventually I had a line out my office door, and a reputation of being some sort of witch. Lol.
It wasn’t lost on me that the deeper I was able to know and understand myself, the deeper and more able I was to know and understand my clients. I was shepherded into a new realm of therapeutic work, a much deeper and more mystical one. It was amazing, and fun and different. It was giving people (myself included) a belief in some sort of divine order and a way to rebuild their/our lost connection to something greater. And for the spiritually-starved modern man, this was a deeply healing experience. But of course with this controversial new offering of therapeutic astrology, I also encountered some resistant skeptics who were unwavering in their opinion that astrology was bullshit. Although I’ve always said it’s not my job to convince anyone of whether or not astrology is valid, it made me sad to see what these people were missing out on in terms of exploring the uncharted territory of their psyches. I merely wanted to share the experience of consciousness and self-awareness, and convey how astrology can make that arduous and abstract process a little more tangible. As Oprah said, “What I know for sure about spirituality, is that it’s ultimately about self-awareness,” and astrology, in my opinion, might be the greatest and most direct tool in attaining it.
“Astrology can be for the healing arts (medicine, psychology, psychiatry, etc.), what the periodic table is for chemistry.” –S. Arroyo
But let’s address the skepticism, because, why not? Something that resonated most with me in my astrological studies was the idea that the people or scientists who were trying to “disprove” astrology were using a statistical approach, which has been incredibly useful in dealing with groups and quantities. However, in relation to individuals and qualities, which is the focal point of Western astrology, a different technique is needed. This is basically like saying that if something cannot be proven or measured by the Scientific Method (which was invented in the 17th century), then it is not real and should be disregarded. But just because something isn’t “logical” or can’t be quantified by traditional, scientific means doesn’t mean it’s not real. Nor does it mean it should be cast away. The Scientific Method also can’t quantify or explain the complexities of the feeling of love (although they certainly have tried). Simplifying something as mysterious and complex as love and reducing it down to “the motivation to procreate,” insults the intricacy of human nature and feeling. Respectably, the scientifically-based mind is always seeking to make sense of things, to insert order and logic into mystery and chaos. But some things are meant to remain a mystery to our limited human minds, and I’m sure that cosmic law and the divine order of the Universe also evade measurement by something as structured as the Scientific Method.
“Astrology provides the only system in which there are external referents for the categories which are visible, predictable, and capable of complexity infinitely beyond any personality classification devised by psychology.” - Zipporah Dobbins
Some form of astrology can be found in almost all ancient cultures around the world. The ancient Greeks used it, along with mathematics, medicine and engineering. In the Hellenistic period, astrology was as respected as any other science. In fact, it was widely acknowledged as a basic way of knowledge (I’m not saying all ancient techniques were winners).
In the Middle Ages as the Christian Church gained more power, and with the beginning of the scientific approach, astrology, along with many other methods of healing, ritual and feminine arts, were disregarded and lost to the modern person. Now, hundreds of years later, astrology is on the rise again, and I hope that one day it will be common place for psychologists and therapists to be trained in the art, because what it offers to the patient seeking answers, connection or the alleviation of suffering, is immeasurable. Astrology provides a comprehensive personality assessment system that quite frankly puts the rest of them to shame.
“A psychology based upon observable behavior, assuming that only “objective” data is worthwhile, is really no psychology at all. To restrict the domain of psychology to the laboratory study of animals to the overt behavior patterns of human beings is inconsistent with the definition of the supposed subject of study: the psyche itself, that mind-soul-spirit quality that pervades all human endeavors and perhaps all of creation.” -Stephen Arroyo
Astrology can be used to illuminate the interior life and fuel self-reflection. It can be a source of connection to the cosmos and a greater understanding of the Universe and it’s mysteries. But in order to understand the Universe, one must first connect to and decode the Self. What astrology can bring to psychology is something that has unfortunately been removed from the study itself and our lives in general. That something is the meaning of the word psyche: soul. To be able to bring soul back to a subject that has, in our modern time, based itself on quantifiable, objective behaviors, will draw more people in to explore their inner realms and become more self-aware. Ultimately, this will not just be great for the individual, but for society as a whole. And this is the highest purpose of the Aquarian, to elevate humanity