Astrology has a history of being used to foretell disastrous events. In ancient times, when political rulers had court astrologers, it was a way to prepare for war and famine, and to maintain social control. This is likely where astrology gained such a bad reputation.
But modern psychology and society have played their own parts in teaching us to indulge in the cognitive distortion of catastrophe thinking. Modern politics are built on fear-mongering. Parenting has become an exercise in constant warnings about safety. Schools focus on tackling problems by starting with assuming there are big problems to solve -- and of course there are! And in today’s world it seems we’re all, to one degree or another, waiting for another shoe to drop.
As I keep teaching, astrology is as much about manifesting positive potentials as falling victim to negative dynamics. Which one happens to you at any given time has as much to do with what you believe, what you tell yourself, and what you expect, as what the planets are doing.
It troubles me that I normally hear astrology only getting the blame when people experience events or emotions that they don’t like. This too often happens when Mercury is in retrograde. It’s a form of seeking something other than ourselves to hold accountable, instead of simply noticing reality, accepting, and looking for alternatives. When we look for something to blame for feeling nervous or upset or stuff breaking or getting screwed up, we are really acting like we have no responsibility for creating any part of what we experience in life. It’s quite a disempowering way to be.
Why is it that I almost never hear the other side? When do we give astrology the credit when things go right, when we wake up feeling good, when a job offer gets made or a proposal, and all the rest of the daily good things that happen? Who says, Jupiter conjunct my Sun really boosted my confidence today?
Personally, I don’t think we get to blame astrology for the negatives we experience if we don’t also credit astrology for the positives. But even more than that, as a trained psychologist, I think we do ourselves a huge disservice when we act as if outside forces are running our lives without any participation on our part. That’s just not what’s going on, and it’s a deeply unhealthy psychological approach to coping with daily life.
So for those of you who can read a chart, take a look at the one above and find the positives you can manifest for yourself today. Here’s a start – Jupiter just went direct after months of being retrograde. Where is this transiting Jupiter in your own chart and will you let it expand for you?