The Philosophy of Astrology

Astrology is a tool for understanding your destiny. Obviously, it is founded on the supposition that destiny exists. This is a very reasonable supposition, because every part of the universe moves like a pre-ordained mathematical clockwork that reeks of destiny.

But, why? Why does destiny exist? And why do you have a specific destiny?

Do we get our destinies by chance? Is it by chance that one person is born to become a successful hair dresser, while another is destined to be a ruined stock broker? Well, that wouldn’t make any sense at all, honestly, because destiny itself antithetical to chance. Destiny means things that are supposed to happen, not things that happen at random.

Look at the word itself, destiny. Do you see the same root in the word “destination”? A destination is “the place you intend to reach.” Destiny has intention. It is not allotted by chance. It follows a reason, a pattern, a law: cause-and-effect.

What is the cause of your destiny? Your freewill! Your free choices today determine the inescapable circumstances of your future. The decisions you made in the past, therefore, determine your present fates and fortunes. This cause-and-effect is a universal principle, but it is very well developed and explained in the ancient and classical Sanskrit literature of India, called by the term karma.

But there is another problem to address: A birth chart, the most essential tool of astrology, depicts the moment of birth; directly implying that we are we born with a destiny. If destiny is a result of our past freewill, why should we start out with destiny already determined?

The only answer is that birth is not the beginning of our existence!

We forget this. As soon as we are born, with each and every breath we identify more and more solidly with the body we inhabit, and forget that our existence extends above, beyond, before and after that body. Nonetheless our past extends beyond the date and time on our birth certificate and into a vast span of limitless time that even words like “ancient” cannot do justice.

Again, this is a universal concept, but the philosophical and spiritual traditions of India have really explored and explained this principle, “reincarnation.”

This sort of talk is a “trip” and “blows our minds” – which is great. But there are practical reasons I think it is the most important thing to get straight first, before going further into astrology or into a reading:

• Whatever happens to you – regardless if it’s something you prefer or dislike – is supposed to happen to you.
• It’s supposed to happen to you because you made some decisions in the past that require you to experience it.
• You require these experiences because they are instrumental in your evolution as a living being.
• The right way to approach you destiny then, is with open arms.

So: Never be afraid of your destiny.

We are an embryo in the cosmic womb. Our universal, loving mother is trying to mature us; trying to make us capable to be born into the real world. It is only smallness of mind that allows us to fear or hate some destiny our mother has allotted for our evolution.

Before you go further, stop here for a while. At the very least, spend a few deep breaths imbibing this concept into your understanding.

When you are ready to go further, always remember this: The wins and losses of this tiny lifetime are no more significant than scores in a video game. What is significant is that we use these wins and losses to make progress in the direction our universal mother is ushering us. Do not use astrology in an attempt to tinker with the ups and downs of an infinitesimal fragment of lifetime. Use it to help you embrace the ups and downs of this lifetime in a positive manner, as vehicles for evolution towards birth into the real, spiritual world of selflessness and divine love.