Astrology can be helpful in many ways, and if you are unfamiliar with some of the ways, then my hope that this blog post will help you begin to implement this rich resource into your life!
What originally drew me to Astrology, the study of celestial bodies and their impact to our lives on Earth, was how its symbolic language can come to life once I could understand the cycles. Once I saw it, the events in my life, my personality, my preferences, my choices, etc. all made sense and the journey of life no longer felt “random”; rather guided by a benevolent universe, who is actively engaging with me. Let me explain more.
First, Astrology helps make meaning of time. As I mentioned above, Astrology is the mastery of cycles as we look at the sky. The first cycle I became in tune with, and I recommend for you if you are new to Astrology, is the Moon cycle. It is easy to track and such a natural cycle, which tunes into the rhythm of our everyday lives. Such as when the Moon is in Virgo, you will feel a push to do more cleaning out and organizing.
Second, Astrology helps you to have more compassion on yourself. For a long time, I thought my hip fracture at 28 was a harsh lesson from God. In fact, in the church I grew up in, it was normal to think that when something that you did not like was happening to you, it was a sign that you were actually not living aligned to God and his ways. This mentality created a sense of trying to maintain perfection, which was futile. We know well that as humans, perfection is embraced, but is not certain. Once I learned that my hip fracture had more to do with a difficult Sun-Saturn aspect in my natal chart, I realized the importance of taking care of my bones. If I had known about Astrology before then, I would have taken better care of my bones as I am more susceptible. I no longer felt it was my fault and there was something I could actually do to empower my choices of taking care of myself! What a more freeing outlook than the one I had about myself.
Third, Astrology helps you accept others more benevolently. In my experience, the main issue with relationships is how one perceives the other. For example, a friend of mine hardly returns my phone calls. I can view her absent-minded action as rude and dismissive, and I may decide to resent her for it. However, a more practical approach would be if I understood she is a Gemini, which is defined by the element of air, and she can have the tendency to get lost in her thoughts, so I can approach it with more patience because I know she is not blowing me off, she simply functions in a different way than I do. Now, I have changed my perception and I do not take things personally and the friendship continues in its natural way of accepting one another.
Finally, Astrology can help you keep a positive mind set and reduce your triggers. I notice when I hit a wall, I can either stay in a negative, unhelpful mindset or I can feed myself good things in order to bounce back. I also noticed over the years that I feel especially drained and triggered to think about my losses when the Moon is transiting my natal South Node, and when the transiting Moon is opposite my Chiron. Now that I know this, I can track those cycles and what days they will land, and make sure I am well-rested, telling myself uplifting comments, listening to upbeat music. etc to overcome those difficult feelings, which always pass- until next month, where I prepare again and learn more.
I hope this have helped you understand the benefits of beginning to look at the cycles in your own life. Happy growing!