Getting Started with Astrology

We replaced the sixty year old circuit panel in our house this summer. Our old panel buzzed menacingly on regular basis. Also, being an old design there was  no main switch to shut power off to the house. The buzzing had something to do with the water heater circuit breakers having welded themselves to the panel.

Resistance

Resistance is a funny thing. Electrical circuit resistance turns electricity into heat or noise. So we have less electricity to power our toys and tools. Resistance in our minds and spiritual energy systems works the same way. Emotions and intuitions are often trying to get our attention! Something needs to change to keep learning, thriving, and expanding.

In my case, I have been resisting diving into astrology for years. Like my old panel the resistance was causing some internal buzzing. Over time the buzzing kept getting louder and louder.

Natural Systems for Divination

In the spirit of always growing I like to review my approach to magick, divination, and related tools periodically.  A couple of weeks ago I was doing one of these reviews and I realized something. The foundations of my magickal practices which work best for me have consistently been in or related to nature.

Yes, some entities have come to me without that focus. Working with them hasn’t been a problem. The foundations though for the last forty plus years have always been related to direct or indirect experience with nature.

The one exception is divination where Tarot and oracle cards have been my primary tools. Results with Tarot have been great, no complaints there. Whether for myself or others I have been able to find stories in the cards which are accurate, insightful, and timely.

Not working directly with a natural system though has been making my magickal circuit panel buzz and heat up. As I pondered my practices I realized astrology was a potentially great fit. For some reason, I wasn’t seeing the planets and other celestial objects as aspects of nature let alone entities in their own right! I really have no idea why I took so long to make this connection.

I suspect I was thinking of astrology as an over-intellectualized system lacking an intuitive aspect and nature connection. Too mechanical maybe? The deeper I peered into astrology the more I realized how off-base I have been.  Our ancestors have been aware of the planets, moon, and stars going as far back as you care to look. For some reason, I wasn’t ready. Now I am.

Getting Started with Astrology

Deep dive time!  The initial texts I am using are:

• The Inner Sky by Steven Forrest
• Mundane Astrology by H.S. Green, Raphael, C.E.O. Carter
• Parker’s Astrology by Julia and Derek Parker

Parker’s Astrology is an amazing catalog of pretty much everything you need to get started. I have only been able to take a peek but there are lots of great pictures and diagrams. The section on hand calculating charts looked comprehensive.

Mundane Astrology is about the Astrology of Nations and States. While I haven’t had a chance to study it yet, astrology of politics and economics seems like a very useful tool these days. Let you know what I think about the book later.

The Inner Sky was suggested by a member of a forum I frequent. It is certainly informative and easy to read which is helpful when trying to absorb a new subject.

There are certainly a lot of terms to remember. The math isn’t too difficult so far. The visualization of the planets and other parts of the chart is definitely satisfying to my brain.

Path of the Budding Astrologer

What has surprised me has been the variety of ways to do astrology. I really wasn’t aware of how many different approaches to astrology people use.  I knew there were different systems in different cultures around the world. Apparently that’s just the start as there are various historical and contemporary philosophies and approaches as well. I even found a 3-dimensional charting system. Which I admit both has some merit from my naive perspective and just looks fascinating when animated.

My guess is like everything else in the occult there isn’t one best solution or approach. Finding what works best for the individual astrologer is the secret to success.