The Significance of Astrology and Sign Greed

[Written on March 1, 2004 – 1:46:28 AM]

I believe in the significance of Astrology, not from a standpoint of absolute predestination, but as a weather pane for our psychological patterns, emotional tendencies and life opportunities.  Of course, my favorite month – that of Pisces – is upon us, and that brings with it a special energy, in the life of Pisceans at least.  But the Sun Sign is only part of the equation, isn’t it?  And Eastern vs. Western Astrology read the positions differently – in the Eastern tradition, for example, my Sun Sign is actually Aquarius.  What does this all mean?  Is it even worth paying attention to?  Could so much time and energy have been invested on putting together such intricate systems of believe, as some modern day scientists would have us believe?  I do not think so, and have sufficient astrological verification in my own life experience to be fairly convinced of my position.  Of course, I am always open to changing my mind should I come across some other type of evidence.  What I have learned, in my  astrological research, is that astrology is a very effective complement to psychoanalysis and predictor of personalities.  It has forced me to open my mind and respect the differences between people.  One of the fathers of modern psychology himself, and also one of my favorite thinkers – Carl Jung – affirmed the significance of Astrology in many of his discussions, including the following:

“Astrology is of particular interest to the psychologist, since it contains a sort of psychological experience which we call projected – this means that we find the psychological facts as it were in the constellations. This originally gave rise to the idea that these factors derive from the stars, whereas they are merely in a relation of synchronicity with them. I admit that this is a very curious fact which throws a peculiar light on the structure of the human mind.”

– C.G. Jung in 1947 in a letter to prof. B.V. Raman

No matter what we read about human nature, true understanding comes through experience.  Astrology, like the field of Psychology, was developed in this way – by observing and participating in human behavior.

Question: Does one supersede or evolve past their innate traits as they are defined by astrology?  By growing one’s consciousness, does one rise above their nature and get to choose what they want to be?  Or, as per David Hawkins, is life all about knowing what you are and being true to it?

I like how Shams-e-Tabrizi handles the issue of predestination vs. free will, which is obviously relevant to religion and astrological theory.  He says “There are some people who know a lot about predestination – if you look only with the eye of predestination, you may miss a lot.  You can’t sit back and say, ‘We’ll just go to sleep and wait to see what God will command.'”  What Shams concludes is that there is a certain amount of predestination, but that service is in our power; therefore, we should use our free will for service, which draws goodness to you, moving you towards liberation.

Sign Greed: In line with this over-dependence on predestination as a justification for laziness, I have noticed that many people are generally too heavily invested in their signs.  They don’t want to work for results, and would prefer for someone to just tell them what they are.  People who are at a low level of consciousness use this predetermined birth sign to rationalize circumstances, faults and life overall.  All of us humans are prone to error; that is innate in us, regardless of our sign.  Understanding our particular nature through astrology can be very helpful in the soul searching or truth seeking process.  But many get stuck, caught up and too egotistical about their signs, as if they own it or have exclusive rights – let’s call that SIGN GREED. In spite of my limited education in astrology (at this time), I presume that some signs are more prone than others to such greed, but the process of overcoming the ego, and consequently this greed, is one in which every man must engage in order to transcend the limits of the linear, material world.

How one reads their horoscope says a lot about their level of awareness.  If we are hopeful and nervous about what we read, it shows insecurity, a relative lack of knowledge, and that we don’t truly understand how to utilize astrology as a tool for growth.