|
Basic
Concepts of Astrology
Excerpt from G. Bogart, Astrology and Spiritual Awakening
(Berkeley, CA: Dawn Mountain Press, 1994)
Astrology is the study
of the ever-changing pattern of the planets and stars in relation
to human experience. Astrologers examine planetary positions
at the moment of a person's birth in order to discern themes,
characteristics, and interests that may be emphasized over
the course of that person's life. Dane Rudhyar (1976a) taught that
the birth chart is a "seed pattern," a set of "celestial
instructions" revealing what an individual potentially
can become and the kinds of experience and actions that may
be necessary to fulfill one's life purpose.
The astrological birth chart can be viewed as a roadmap provided by the Creator.
This roadmap provides individualized guidance through life's changes and challenges
- the sharp turns, steep climbs, and occasional plateaus that all of us experience.
To understand your birth chart, it is important to grasp the meaning of five
basic factors: planets, signs, houses, cycles, and aspects. We will examine
each of these topics briefly, as well as transits and progressions, two methods
astrologers use to determine the timing of events and experiences.
The Planets
The planets represent the many facets of the personality: the Sun symbolizes
the core of the personality, the basic life purpose, the conscious sense
of self, a quality that must be developed and expressed by an individual.
The Moon represents one's moods, and needs, the quality of one's emotional
and feeling life. Mercury symbolizes how one speaks, thinks, analyzes, and
communicates verbally. Venus signifies one's way of interacting with others,
the manner in which one relates, expresses love, and seeks to be loved by
others. It is also a symbol of what one values and finds desirable, beautiful,
and attractive. Mars symbolizes one's way of asserting oneself and pursuing
whatever is considered desirable and attractive. It is the symbol of the
will, the vital energy that fuels activity and achievement. It also signifies
how we express our anger, desires, and sexuality. Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus,
and Mars are called the "personal
planets."
Jupiter and Saturn are the two "social planets." Jupiter
represents one's capacity for planning and aspiration, and
the urge for expansion, growth, improvement, conceptual understanding,
adventure, and social participation. Saturn represents the
urge for stabilization of our lives through focused and sustained
effort. It symbolizes the maturity and the hard work needed
to meet the pressures of material existence and to actualize the
aspirations of Jupiter. Saturn also represents the desire for
security and tangible accomplishment, social adjustment, conformity
to tradition, and our ability to adapt to and function within
larger social institutions.
Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are called the "transpersonal planets." Physically,
they are outside the orbit of Saturn and symbolically they operate beyond
the laws of Saturn - defined by family, tradition, and cultural
institutions. These planets are often felt to disrupt and transform
the structures developed by Saturn. Uranus impacts the life
through rebellion, defiance, unconventional behavior, expression
of uniqueness, scientific pursuits, progressive or radical
politics, and sudden changes of attitude or direction. Neptune
operates through expansion, transcendence, religion or spirituality,
development of intuitive or psychic capacities, or through
avoidance and escapist behaviors. Pluto transforms through
catharsis, purgation of outmoded attitudes or behaviors, and
elimination of psychic impurities such as hatred, greed, resentment,
or jealousy.
The
Signs of the Zodiac
Each planet is placed in a sign, which shows the quality of energy with which
the planet expresses itself. The signs are divisions of the ecliptic, the path
of the Sun's apparent motion around the Earth (from the Earth's perspective;
in actuality the Earth orbits around the Sun). Imagine the ecliptic as a band
of light surrounding the Earth with twelve colors, with each color representing
one of the twelve zodiacal signs. Now visualize a planet like Mars passing
through red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, or black zones. Mars will
express itself with a particular modality, quality, or style depending on which
sign it is placed in at a given time. Signs modify and give a specific coloration
to each planet. They also symbolize the cyclic passage of the seasons, with
Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn corresponding respectively to the beginning
of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.
Most people know their Sun sign and a few, popular phrases describing the qualities
associated with that sign. Taureans, for example, are said to be stubborn,
Leo natives to be vain, proud, and theatrical, and so forth. However, the zodiacal
signs must be understood as a whole, as a sequence of symbols that describe
twelve phases of the cycle of evolution. Let me briefly describe the story
described by the zodiac.
Imagine a condition of formlessness, a vast ocean of potentialities in which
no distinct entities exist, a condition of expansiveness, emptiness, and nothingness.
This is the phase called Pisces. It is an oceanic condition that is shrouded
in mist, uncertainty, and peace. It is the state of quiescence that precedes
creation.
Then, a discrete, individual form begins to crystalize and seeks to become
autonomous and to distinguish itself from the collective, the undifferentiated
ocean of potentiality symbolized by Pisces. This phase of emergence of individual
identity is called Aries. Aries, considered the first zodiacal sign in Western
astrology, represents the moment of spring, the birth of individual identity.
Symbolically, we could compare it to the moment of a child being born and crying
out, as is to announce, "I am here!" In Aries one cultivates the
strength of the physical body and personal will and focuses on oneself and
one's desires.
Subsequently, the child must learn to stand on its own and, eventually, to
procure food and shelter. This is the Taurus phase of substantiation of personality.
In Taurus, the person must concretize the identity that emerged in Aries through
concrete, productive, pragmatic activities that enable him or her to survive
and sustain herself biologically. In this phase, the capacity for sensory experience
evolves and brings the person into physical contact with the world.
In the next phase of growth, called Gemini, one becomes curious to explore
one's surroundings, and to investigate and name the many objects one perceives.
It is thus considered the phase of extension of the personality out into its
environment. In Gemini, the mind develops and linguistic ability emerges, enabling
one to communicate and to acquire and exchange information.
Next, in Cancer, one becomes tired of roaming in search of new experiences
and begins to seek to orient oneself by putting down roots in a particular
location. One now feels the nesting instinct and seeks to establish a home,
a sense of family, a safe environment, and to focus one's attention on some
limited area of activity. Cancer is thus the phase of orientation or focalization.
It is also the phase in which one evolves the capacity to feel, to care, and
to build emotional bonds with others.
Then, having established a home, during the Leo phase of the life-cycle one
becomes ready to play, take risks, and demonstrate the full powers of one's
personality. This is the phase of self-expression and creativity, the dramatic
externalization of the self. Here one seeks enjoyment, celebration of life
and of one's capacities, and expression of one's love and one's individual
talents in a visible manner that will be appreciated, praised, and admired
by others.
In the next phase, Virgo, one begins to step back, analyze oneself, and recognize
one's imperfections. Here one develops self-reflectiveness and may become intensely
dissatisfied with oneself, often growing anxious and self-critical as a result.
This is the phase in which one seeks purification, self-improvement through
discipline or technique, training, employment, or apprenticeship. Here personal
crises catalyze adjustments of one's actions in preparation for the new challenges
of the second six signs.
The first six signs, Aries through Virgo, are focused on the process of individual
growth, the development of individual potentials. However, the second six signs
mark a new phase, focused on the tasks of social integration of the individual.
In Libra, one begins to recognize the existence of others, to perceive them
as attractive, and to seek to love, share, cooperate, and relate harmoniously
and congenially. Thus, this stage focuses on interaction and connection. At
this stage one experiences attraction to others and begins to learn about the
dynamics of courtship. This is the phase of relationship and appreciation of
beauty, and marks the entry into the social hemisphere of existence.
However, after the initial phase of loving, joyous, interaction in which relationships
form and grow, a new stage is reached when two individuals attempt to not just
court each other, but to actually live and work together and to find a social
purpose for their relationship. In the phase of the life-cycle called Scorpio,
the energies of relationship become productive as the two individuals attempt
to work toward some common end. However, joint financial or emotional investments
and commitments create new challenges; for as two people try to cooperate and
work together, conflicts of will and differences of opinion inevitably arise.
In Scorpio one experiences the subtle dynamics of power, anger, control, mistrust,
jealousy, resentment, dominance, hostility, and aggression that arise in many
deep and committed human interactions. Scorpio is concerned with the profound
process of regeneration the individual may experience as a consequence of interpersonal
crisis and the adjustments that all relationships require. The regeneration
may also stem from traumatic events or a brush with death.
Subsequently, in Sagittarius, one steps back from the prior modes of experience
and tries to understand it all. This is the phase of comprehension or conceptualization;
for here one is concerned with defining beliefs, theories, and moral or philosophical
doctrines that can guide one's way through life and make one's varied experiences
meaningful. Sagittarius is the phase of learning, education, travel, pilgrimmage,
or other experiences that expand one's intellectual and cultural horizon.
In the phase of Capricorn, the challenge is then to apply the principles defined
in Sagittarius within the domain of social structures and institutions. Here
the predominant concern is to find one's appropriate place within the social
hierarchy. This is the stage at which one attempts to rise in stature and to
achieve great things that will win recognition in the world. In Capricorn one
strives for success by actualizing some personally meaningful project. It is
the phase of accomplishment, and of incarnation of one's ideals.
In Aquarius, one begins to look beyond personal ambitions and achievements
and to recognize oneself as a member of a collective, a member of a society
at a particular moment of time and history. A new concern arises with furthering
the welfare of the group, the society as a whole, and to envision new ideals
and goals for the future. To pursue these ideals and goals, it is important
to join together with other like-minded individuals in groups, political parties,
communities, collectives, cooperatives. This is the pinnacle of the process
of social integration, just as Leo, the opposite sign, was the pinnacle of
the process of individualization. Here one is challenged to broaden one's awareness
beyond personal concerns to social and historical issues. Thus, this is the
phase of participation, and involvement in all activities promoting innovation,
social change, or scientific discovery.
Finally, returning to the phase of Pisces, the evolutionary movement leads
beyond even this socially focused activity and identification with a group
and toward union with the source of all life: God, Spirit, the infinite, the
divine being, the void. Here one is asked to relinquish control and all personal
concern and to become one, once again, with the great ocean from which our
existence as individuals emerges. During this phase of expansion or universalization,
one has the opportunity to transcend oneself, and move into an expanded consciousness,
awareness of God, Emptiness, or the infinite. At times this loss of individual
control may be associated with experiences of powerlessness, helplessness,
or victimization. However, Pisces may also in some cases be the phase of enlightenment
through merging into consciousness, the formless Spirit, the source or matrix
of existence.
The Astrological Houses
Each planet is placed not only in a sign but also in a house of the birth chart.
The houses are divisions of the space that surround an individual at the moment
of birth. Using the exact date, place, and time of birth, astrologers determine
the position of the point directly overhead at the moment of birth (the "midheaven" or "MC"),
the point exactly opposite the MC (the "nadir" or "IC"),
the point on the Eastern horizon (the "ascendant," often called the "rising
sign") and the point on the Western horizon (the "descendant").
These four angles define four quadrants of the sky, which are then further
subdivided into the twelve divisions of the sky that we call the astrological
houses. The houses represent specific situations and fields of life, and cover
the full spectrum of human experience. Each of the twelve houses has some correspondence
with one of the twelve signs. For example, in house 10 one deals with situations
and concerns related to those that are the focus of the tenth sign, Capricorn.
House 1 concerns self-image and the formation of identity. House 2 concerns
survival issues, money and other personal resources. House 3 concerns one's
ability to communicate, think, speak, and one's capacity for mobility and free
interchange with the environment and with siblings, neighbors, or other people
whom one encounters in the course of daily life. House 4 concerns family life,
domestic/housing issues, personal memory, one's sense of stability and orientation,
and deep emotional responses. House 5 concerns self-expression, creativity,
play, enjoyment, and children. House 6 concerns health, employment, training
situations, self-purification, and self-analysis. House 7 is the realm of significant
relationships with other persons, such as friendship and marriage. House 8
concerns the deepening of relationship through exchange of financial, emotional
and sexual energies, and development of the capacity for intimacy, commitment,
and responsibility to another. House 9 concerns the formation of concepts and
belief systems that bestow meaning upon experience, especially as these are
cultivated through study and travel. House 10 is the realm in which we apply
our beliefs and principles in profession, vocation, career, contribution to
society. House 11 concerns our awareness of our social and historical circumstances
and our response to them, as well as participation in collectives, cooperatives,
community affairs, political movements, professional organizations, or any
group concerned with the future and human welfare. House 12 is the realm of
solitude, voluntary retreat, introspection, altruistic activity, awareness
of ancestral or karmic forces and the collective unconscious, and exploration
of the inner, psychological world through meditation, dreams, or fantasy.
Each house is said to have a "dispositor," a planetary
ruler determined by the sign on the cusp of the house. For example,
if Leo is the sign on your 10th house cusp, then the Sun (ruler
of Leo) is the dispositor of your 10th house.
Cycles
A central astrological concept is the principle of the cyclic nature of existence.
All of life follows a cyclic pattern of birth, growth, decay, and new beginnings.
Dane Rudhyar popularized the metaphor of the vegetation cycle to illustrate
this point: in spring seeds sprout, put down roots, and grow stalks and branches.
During summer flowering, fruits are produced. In autumn, leaves wither and
fall to the ground to become raw material for future cycles. Finally, seeds
are released that lie dormant through the winter, waiting to sprout in the
subsequent spring, when a new cycle begins.
The monthly phases of the Sun and Moon exemplify this cycle of
growth, decay, and rebirth. At New Moon, an impulse is released
as the Moon receives new light from the Sun. This impulse develops
during the first half of the lunation cycle, which emphasizes
growth of form. A turning point is reached at the First Quarter,
which Rudhyar called a "crisis in action," a moment when decisive
action is required to overcome the inertia of the past and to carry forth the
new impulse into actuality. At the Full Moon phase the process culminates in
an illumination of purpose, leading to an objective awareness of the meaning
of this cycle of existence. The plant, or the cycle of development, has reached
its symbolic and existential fruition.
Subsequently, during the second half of the cycle there is a
completion and reevaluation of the structures developed in the
first half. A process of dissolution of form begins now, based
on the realizations of the Full Moon phase; and this dissolution
of form may be accompanied by a growth in awareness. At the Third
Quarter phase, a "crisis in consciousness" occurs. Aspects of the
past may need to be repudiated, and old beliefs may be adjusted or relinquished.
Finally, as the cycle nears completion during the Balsamic Moon phase (the
waning crescent Moon), there is a release of the past, a letting go, and a
period of waiting in preparation for a new cycle that will commence at the
next New Moon.
A human life follows a similar pattern of development. The entire lifetime
constitutes the individual's cycle of existence, in which there are beginning,
middle, and ending phases. The first half of life, for example, is often a
process of struggling to establish a stable personal identity and material
existence and can be broadly characterized as a process of growth of form.
Later in life, while growth of form may indeed continue, it is also common
to reevaluate the pursuits and achievements of youth and to give greater attention
to questions of meaning and growth of awareness.
The birth moment is the inception of a new life-cycle, containing
an implicit pattern of development that can potentially unfold
during the remainder of the life-cycle. Thus, the birth chart
is said to operate as a "seed pattern" for
the person's life. More specifically, the birthmap helps us identify themes
and areas of activity that are likely to be emphasized over the course of a
lifetime. It also enables us to understand the numerous, interconnected subcycles,
operating within the life-cycle as a whole, defined by the transits of the
planets - each of which has a particular purpose and intention.
All events and experiences gain heightened significance when situated within
the context of cycles. Just as each month there is a New Moon, a First Quarter
Moon, a Full Moon, and a Third Quarter Moon, so, too, there are identifiable
phases in all human experience. Thus, some periods can be interpreted as moments
of new beginnings, while others may be viewed as moments requiring decisive
action or changes of attitude, or as moments of completion and preparation
for a new cycle.
Through reflection on astrological symbolism we come to understand that everything
is cyclic and occurs in phases. From this perspective, enlightenment means
understanding these cycles of development and cooperating with them. Knowledge
of astrology teaches us when to act and when to wait, when to plant and when
to harvest, when to dig in at home and when to set forth in pilgrimage, when
to meditate or remain silent, and when to step forward and speak.
Interplanetary
Aspects
Just as the lunation cycle has a number of major phases, all of
the other planets enact cyclic relationships with one another.
The significant phases of these relationships are called "aspects." Aspects show how the planetary
functions link up and work together within the personality. Two planets placed
together (like the New Moon) are said to be in "conjunction," whereas
if they are directly opposite one another (180 degrees), they are in "opposition" (like
the Full Moon). If they are 90 degrees apart, they form a "square" aspect.
The "trine" is a 120 degree aspect, and the "sextile" is
a 60 degree aspect between two planets. Other important aspects include the "quincunx" (150
degrees), the "semi-square" (45 degrees), and the "sesquiquadrate" (135
degrees). Each aspect has a slightly different flavor, with the trine and sextile
showing inherent skills, talents, and the harmonious interplay of planetary
energies. The other aspects represent areas where change and adjustment are
necessary to allow expression of facets of the self that may at times be in
conflict with one another. Even if planets are not in a classical aspect, they
are also related to one another through their midpoints, the point midway between
their two zodiacal placements. Tierney (1983) provides a thorough explanation
of aspects. For discussion of midpoints, refer to Harding & Harvey (1990).
Transits
Examination of the signs, house placements, and aspects of the planets in the
birth chart yields a symbolic portrait of the full complexity of the individual.
Astrology also enables us to understand the timing of our experience of the
many potentials indicated in the birth chart. The birth chart is brought to
life, as it were, by transits, the continuing movements of planets through
the sky, which activate the planets and angles of the birthmap. The Moon's
transit through the twelve signs each month symbolizes our constantly changing
emotional lives. The Sun, Venus, and Mercury pass through the entire chart
every year; the transits of these inner planets show, respectively, the changing
focus of our vital energy, our affections, and our mental attention. Mars takes
two years to transit through the entire birth chart; its movement through the
signs and houses shows where we need to take the initiative and assert ourselves
vigorously to promote movement and change, even if this leads occassionally
to minor frictions, irritations, and tensions. Jupiter takes twelve years to
transit through the twelve signs and houses and brings growth of aspirations,
plans, and desire for improvement and expansion. Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and
Pluto are slower-moving planets, and their transits are considered more momentous
and more productive of deep changes in an individual's life. These transits
are discussed at length in later chapters (also see Arroyo, 1978). The study
of transits enables us to understand the kinds of developmental pressures and
growth processes an individual may be experiencing at any given time. For example,
Saturn transits (such as its return to its birth position) are always processes
of maturation asking us to become more responsible in a particular area of
life. In contast, Uranus transits challenge us to break free and take chances
in ways that may seem a bit wild and reckless.
An important dimension of transits mentioned frequently in this book is the
study of interplanetary cycles, which examines the phasic aspects formed by
pairs of transiting planets. Just as the New Moon and Full Moon represent the
monthly conjunction and opposition of the Sun and Moon, the transiting cycles
of other planetary pairs also have great significance. For example, the cycle
of Venus and Mars helps us understand the process of joining our affections
and our passions into the experience of romantic, sexual love. One interplanetary
transit mentioned frequently in Part III of this book is the twenty-year cycle
of Jupiter and Saturn, which symbolizes the process of forming and actualizing
a sense of social destiny, one's goals for accomplishment within the domain
of society and culture (Ruperti, 1978). In studying interplanetary cycles,
instead of following the transit of one planet in relation to natal planets
and houses, one follows the movement of two transiting planets in relation
to one another, from their conjunction, to their first quarter square, to opposition,
to third quarter square, to their subsequent conjunction. The phases of the
Jupiter-Saturn cycle measure important stages in the maturation and growth
of a career or a calling in life.
Progressions
Transits are concerned with how environmental pressures activate
the inherent psychological characteristics or personality traits
indicated by the natal chart. However, most astrologers do not
view human beings as fixed and static entities, but rather as persons
who are continually growing and changing. The birth pattern is
like a snapshot of the sky frozen in time, which contains an implicit
continuation and resolution of the birth moment. Astrologers posit
a correspondence between the planetary positions in the days after birth and
developments in the corresponding years of the individual's life. Thus, if
we examine the positions of the planets in the days immediately after birth,
we observe changes in the birth pattern, showing the continuation or "follow
through" of the birth moment. This is the method astrologers call "secondary
progressions," using the formula one day after birth equals one year of
life to measure changes occurring within the birth pattern and the individual
life-world that it symbolizes. The combination of transits and progressions
give astrologers two powerful means of measuring the kinds of experiences and
evolutionary development an individual may face during a particular period.
The
Appropriate Attitude Toward Astrological Symbolism
An ongoing topic of debate in the field of astrology is the question of whether
or not we are fated to experience certain events. It is clear to most people
who engage in a serious study of astrology that a great deal of predictive
accuracy is indeed possible using methods such as transits and progressions
(Tyl, 1991). Nevertheless, this does not necessarily imply that all events
are predestined or can be foreseen astrologically.
Liz Greene's book The
Astrology of Fate is an extended
meditation on the nature of fate, prediction, and destiny in astrology. Greene
describes the story of King Henri II of France, who went to two different astrologers,
both of whom predicted that on a certain date the King would die in a duel
from a blow to the head. Sure enough, his death occurred exactly as predicted.
Greene examined the king's chart to see if she could figure out what the astrologers
had looked at to predict his death. She concluded that they had focused on
the king's Sun in Aries square Saturn (Aries rules battles, duels, and the
head). However, she reasoned, she herself had done many charts of people with
the same configuration but not one of them had suffered a fate similar to that
of King Henri.
How could this be? Could it be that the predestined, "fated" quality
of planetary combinations no longer holds for modern persons? Could the modern
psyche have changed in such a way that we longer need to exteriorize events
in order to experience the energies and archetypes of planetary combinations?
Greene contends that through the mediation of symbols we can overcome the compulsion
to externalize events as an expression of planetary forces and can instead
internalize, and thereby transform, these energies through the magical power
of symbols. She writes,
Psychic energy tends to transform
from instinctual compulsion to meaningful inner experience through
the mediation of the symbol. In other words, psychic energy "introverts" if
the image which corresponds to the outer compulsion emerges within
the individual and if he [sic] is able to contain that compulsion
through the mediating power of the image. . . . We are ultimately
the inheritors of Ficino and the alchemists, who believed that
the transformation of one's own substance was the only possible
answer to fate. Paradoxically, this entails an embrace of one's
fate. (L. Greene, The Astrology of Fate
(York Beach, MN: Samuel Weiser, 1985), pp. 151, 153)
I believe that this is the kind of understanding that is most useful in the
study of natal astrology. Chart interpretation becomes increasingly subtle
as we learn to work cooperatively with the planetary archetypes and view each
of their tests as means of embracing our fate and transforming our inner substance.
The magnificence of astrology is that it enables us to see such internal psychological
and spiritual evolution come to life vividly in events that can be timed quite
accurately using transits, progressions, and other methods.
Finally, consider these words of Hazrat Inayat Khan, a great Sufi master who
lived earlier in this century:
Be firm in faith through life's tests
and trials. . . . It matters little whether you are on the top
of the mountain or at the foot of it, if you are happy where
you are. . . . The one who is able to keep his [her] equilibrium
without being annoyed, without being troubled, gains that mastery
which is needed in the evolution of life. . . . Stand through
life firm as a rock in the sea, undisturbed and unmoved by its
ever-rising waters (The Complete Sayings
of Hazrat Inayat Khan (New Lebanon, NY: Sufi Order Publications,1978).
When practiced wisely, astrology teaches us to live through each event and
experience consciously, viewing it as a test or initiation, with the noble
attitude toward the changes of time invoked by Inayat Khan. Through reflection
on astrological symbols and the nature of cycles, we learn to remain even-minded,
hopeful, and composed under all conditions, to make appropriate responses and
well-timed choices, and to meet all experiences with which life presents us
as initiatory lessons leading to transformation. Study of the birth chart suggests
how we might express the many different components of the personality (the
planets) and navigate wisely all phases of the wheel of life symbolized by
the twelve signs and houses. Moreover, astrology can not only guide us toward
actualization of our individual potentials, but also depicts the steps we need
to take to pursue the path of self-transcendence and spiritual awakening. That
is the topic of my book, Astrology and Spiritual Awakening.
|
