Astrology of the Soul

Today the science of Astrology has been debased in some ways by the desire for a quick and simple sound bite of information and a fundamental focus found in many magazines, on Astrology that only takes into account the position of the sun and not the full natal chart.

A birth chart isn't duplicated for 25,000 years because all the planets are traveling at different speeds around the sun. A full birth chart looks at the sign positions of all the planets, the axis that was active when the individual was born, the nodes, the eclipses and so on. The paradox is that while we live in an era of vast quantities of superficial media friendly information flowing constantly; it is now possible to quickly and easily calculate the most complex mathematical astrological material.

The heavens have always captivated the human imagination and attention. The presence of its patterns and cycles revealed a reality to our forbears that implied the existence of a designer and for this reason the heavens were observed and studied by all the ancient cultures. They looked to the sky to learn how to live in harmony with the cycles of nature and to uncover a practical method which could give form to the philosophy "as above so below".

As far as we know, Astrology, mankind's first religion, was developed by the ancient Babylonians thousands of years ago when they observed that events on earth could be correlated to celestial phenomena. This knowledge was passed on to the Persians, the Egyptians and then on to India and the Americas, developing and mutating itself through each stage of history.

It is only fairly recently that the hard science of Astronomy which is the study of the observable universe and the study of Astrology which is the interpretation of that universe on human affairs, have gone their separate ways.

In Astrology, your life is intimately connected to the celestial activities that distinguish the heavens at the time of your birth. A horoscope is a specific map, setting out the positions of the sun, moon and planets as well as the sign that hovered on the horizon at your birth to reveal intricate mathematical relationships that portray your personal blueprint and potential for development. This map can reveal your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual gifts and challenges. Always bearing in mind of course, your own free will to choose to exercise those gifts or take up those challenges.

Especially noteworthy and part of the new Astrology of our era is a focus on nodal points which reveal what many astrologers consider our soul urges or those deeper underlying drives that can sit below the level of the more obvious personality. Nodal points are the locations where the path of the earth and the moon intersect forming the north and south nodes. The north and south nodes are sometimes called the head and tail of the sky dragon and the location of the sky dragon in your chart is of the utmost importance because it reveals the direction in which you are heading as well as the place that you are emerging from.

One of the proponents of this approach is Jan Spiller, an Astrologist, and a New York Times best selling author of the book "Astrology of the Soul" which distills 20 years of her work.

In her words;
"Astrology, if explored from a psychological or scientific level, has nothing to do with belief.. It has to do with gaining knowledge and doing experiments"

Whatever your personal views, these new directions in Astrology make interesting and thought provoking reading.

Kristen Jones