"The planets made me do it"

Victimhood or entanglement?

I posted this response to a Note a while back, and it has been on my mind off and on ever since. There is more to the story here.

In a culture that teaches us to give away power, what I said is true: pop astrology is often tainted by cause-and-effect “the planets made me do it/feel it.”

And yet, those of us attuned to planetary placements and movements know that we feel their effects.

I’ve posted about that, too.

But feeling the planets doesn’t mean being at the mercy of forces beyond your control. The whole point is becoming conscious of subtle energetic forces that can’t be seen or heard or measured in the materialistic paradigm. The skeptics always want to argue about how astrology could possibly “work”, not realizing the technology on which they rely for the answer is simply inadequate for the job.

You, however, have a sensitivity that goes far beyond the instruments in the lab or hospital. Clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience are all subtle forms of the senses of the body, and practice builds capacity with them. The practice of astrology is a process of tuning in to the planets and cosmic forces. Even the most intellectual forms of astrology build subtle awareness of astro-energies simply by focusing your attention.

Reading about quantum entanglement, I can’t help wondering if what we do with astrology is a way of enhancing that entanglement with the planets. Or, maybe it is simply building awareness of the entanglement that already exists. In mystical astrology, the soul is said to pass through the influence of each planet as it comes into form on Earth - Saturn first and the Moon last. In the process of becoming human, each of us is attuned to every planet as we process through their influence.

You are born with an imprint of the heavens

The natal chart shows you the patterns of the planets with which you are imprinted, setting up your specific life assignment of alchemical integration. Each planet and placement has both pitfalls and gifts; it’s your job to claim and integrate the gifts, even if you have to travel through the pitfalls to get there. People often ask about fate and free will as if you can only have one; but in the improv theater called life, the answer is “yes, and”.

As the planets continue to move through space and time, they interact with your personal planetary imprint, bringing forth different aspects to be alchemized. They certainly have effects: the astro-weather is another dimension of the weather here at home. Sometimes it rains, sometimes it’s warm and sunny, and then there is the occasional twister powerful enough to topple trees and homes. Just as the effects of the weather depend upon how close it comes to your home, the level of effect you feel of a particular astro-weather event depends on how closely it interacts with your chart.

Anyone studying astrology has dozens (or hundreds) of examples of how specific planetary forces have showed up in their life or the lives of clients. The study of mundane astrology catalogues the way these energies show up in the world, often in a very literal manner.

The question of what causes things to happen, or causes you to feel or act a certain way, is generally underpinned by the assumption that you are at the mercy of outside influences, and have no say in what you do with them or how your life unfolds. Yet, there are any number of disciplines specifically designed to support you in choosing your response to any particular force. All of them start with becoming more conscious of what you are thinking/feeling/sensing and go from there.

The call and response of the cosmos

We are in a conversation with the world in every minute of every day. The planets “speak”, we hear them - more clearly if we are attuned to them - and we join the conversation with how we respond. When Mars fires you up in concert with Uranus wanting to build and release tension, those planetary forces are available to cooperate with when you are conscious of what is going on. Maybe the forces express through an undesirable event or an uncomfortable set of sensations. As with any conversation, you don’t control what the other person says or how they say it. But you get to speak next.

And, as in any relationship, your best bet is to listen deeply and start your reply with “yes, and”.

Get assistance to listen deeply to the planetary forces speaking with and through you:

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