posted February 21, 2012 09:24 AM            

As I continue on my journey of self discovery, I bump into this question occasionally. I still haven't settled on an answer, I just know I enjoy playing with astrology, so I continue until the question arises again.

As spiritual lives go, I was a pretty lucky kid. My parents were both avidly tormented people seeking absolution from their past, through the church. I was raised to interact with “God” the same way other children communicated with imaginary friends. My Mercury is in the 9th House, so I'm not surprised at the notion of carrying on conversations with God in one's own head. Throughout my childhood I remember the only things I prayed for were wisdom and understanding, I wanted nothing more than to understand why I was here and deepen my relationship with the creator. By high school God was still following me around, but the close relationship was challenging many of the conventional beliefs regarding the divine. I lost interest in church and found more interest in the evolutionary leaps offered by psychedelics. I had grown up in a conservative, drug (and even television) free environment, but I began to discover I had an almost supernatural knack for consuming inhuman amounts of mind altering substances, without batting an eye. The more intense the ride, the more I felt a deepening in my connection with God. It was like I was studying for my masters degree in schitzophrenia. The last time I ate acid, I consumed 25 hits of government-grade, liquid LSD. At the end of that trip I decided I wanted to see what it was like to die, so I slid out of my body like a snake leaves behind old skin.

The last part of consciousness to leave my body, left from my face, and it felt like I had peeled my self away from a mask. I could even bring my consciousness close to the eye holes and see back into the room where my body lay. As my consciousness drew further away from my face, I noticed the mask was attached to a giant sphere. The sphere seemed to be covered cheek to cheek in masks and in that discovery, a voice/feeling/event occurred. The message was that each mask represented the perspective of everyone I have known, will know, and will never know. As I looked through the eye holes of my old mask again, I could see the faces of each mask inside the sphere. I knew I could direct my consciousness to any of the masks and know exactly what the person would mean to me and their potential to effect my own perspective. As my conscious drew further back, I could see endless spheres floating around and connected by a vine-like energy path. Another voice/feeling/event occurred to me, “you can experience life through any of these masks. Go back as your friends, your dog, or a completely different being in another universe.... it's all just different perspectives”. In that moment I decided I wasn't done being me and slid back into my body.

In retrospect I was a little bummed that it didn’t occur to me to explore other options besides the “shove my face in a giant grape game”. When I slid back into my body, I was completely sober and lost all interest in taking drugs again. I also felt like I was walking around with my crown chakra pulled down around my knees, several years after. It took me almost 10 years to ground my self enough for the random ejections out of the body to stop.

I told this story because I feel I may be on the precipice of a similar experience with astrology. Astrology (like LSD) is a physical tool which can be followed into deeper spiritual understanding, obsession with these tools leads to suffering however. For lack of a better explanation, astrology exists inside the grape. It defines and is defined by objects. Just as we use words, grunts, tones, and inflection to create communicative landscapes, the true beauty behind each of our masks, uses objects to create experiential landscapes. Astrology further defines the flavor, shade, tone, trajectory, and shape of each object and acts as a key for translating the message from beyond the grape (Note to self: Message From Beyond The Grape...Awesome band name). At what point do we take the astrology glasses off and engage the world without the security of definition?

What are your views on astrology's purpose in the grand scheme of things?

How would you approach a life without the luxuries of defining systems like astrology?

Do you believe there is such a thing as too much and where do you draw the line?

I should have gone to sleep like 3 hours ago so excuse me if there is a lot of babbling

posted February 21, 2012 10:45 AM            

I think the time to let go is when you've found all the answers you were in search of through studying astrology. It's the point where the river has run dry in a sense. I reached that point not to long ago where I realized I had hit the ceiling with astrology. In a sense I'd reached a place of stagnation and resentment. Astrology was no longer enlightening me it was limiting me. In which I realized the only way for me to end my research amicably with astrology and other occult subjects was to reorganize my perception of them, and accept them as both enlightening and potentially limiting.

posted February 21, 2012 05:02 PM            

virgo always wants details, more details and information. Jupiter is well aspected with close trine to mercury and square to mars in 5th.

North Node in scorpio in 10th again needs deep and meaningful, never superficial.

SaggiMC an trained legal secretary, love higher education eventually after seeing to needs of family. have chart ruler Uranus in 7th close trine to MC. I'm qualified to teach in Adult Education in UK, and qualfied as guest lecturer for cruise ships and do public speaking on Astrology....

posted February 21, 2012 05:12 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by RedScorp:
^Omglol @ the staring at blades of grass bit...

---

Trippy!

posted February 21, 2012 05:15 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by SaggiMC:
xiiro,
wow that's one deep, trip on LSD. As my ID suggests Saggi MC. I feel I'm here to teach, ruler of MC Jupiter in in 8th house in virgo retro and always wants deep and meaninful investigations into the psyche, life after death cycles etc.

virgo always wants details, more details and information. Jupiter is well aspected with close trine to mercury and square to mars in 5th.

North Node in scorpio in 10th again needs deep and meaningful, never superficial.

SaggiMC an trained legal secretary, love higher education eventually after seeing to needs of family. have chart ruler Uranus in 7th close trine to MC. I'm qualified to teach in Adult Education in UK, and qualfied as guest lecturer for cruise ships and do public speaking on Astrology....

---

posted February 21, 2012 05:34 PM            

It's a tool given to us by higher beings so that we can reach our true potential as human beings i.e being able to predict the future and whatnot. It allows us to know the truth without being lead astray no matter what.

2.How would you approach a life without the luxuries of defining systems like astrology?

It would be non existent.

3.Do you believe there is such a thing as too much and where do you draw the line?

No. I think too much at a time yes but as long as you are living you are still here to learn something.

posted February 21, 2012 08:32 PM            

Interesting. To be honest, astrology has always been an 'ebb and flow' type of activity for me. When I first started investigating it, I was 14 and Linda's books were the first ones I had read. I found that over time, I would delve deeply into it for short spurts of time, as the events of my life would dictate, and while I do contribute to various astrology forums now, I am in an 'ebb' period with it, so to speak.

Truly, for me it is a tool, both for self-understanding and sometimes for the understanding of others (though I dare say, I use it more for myself). I try to keep it as such, because, at the end of the day, we are all spirit and we all come from the same source. Signs/planets/aspects etc are like guideposts for people, but they aren't the essence of people. So yes, in that way, astrology taken too far CAN be limiting in its definition of 'the other.'

posted February 21, 2012 08:40 PM            

Honestly I use astrology to better understand others. The way I think already seems so different from everyone else that I thought if I didn't think about other people and accommodate/adjust around their perceptions I'd be unpopular. I normally just read tons of information on each sign's behavior and personality. Sure, there's aspects and houses and they factor in but.... when dealing with others on a day to day basis I find none of that comes into play as much. I think it's made me a chameleon of sorts ( (trying to) mirror each sign I come in contact with, but I'm also a lot more understanding than my cosmic make-up permits.

]How would you approach a life without the luxuries of defining systems like astrology?

I've thought about that too, that I must have been lost at the time I found astrology (I was 11) and needed a guideline. But after successfully experimenting on people by mimicking their sign's behavior and pattern of thinking, body language... and finding they opened up to me a lot faster than if I were to be myself, I figured there was something to astrology. I do admit I think I would analyze people less if I didn't know astrology. I'd probably have a simpler personality.

Do you believe there is such a thing as too much and where do you draw the line?

posted February 21, 2012 10:13 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by hannaramaa:

Yes. I'm also into Tarot, and when it gets to the point of analyzing a "look" you THINK you've gotten... it's too far. Metaphysics (in my opinion) are not for tedious things that are forgotten tomorrow. What's considered "tedious" is subjective, and I acknowledge that too. I'm saying when you're afraid to move an inch because the planets aren't aligned, or you have this aspect or you withdraw because you become consumed by delineating charts... you should give yourself a break. Moderation is key in everything.

---

I read tarot professionally for about 8 years and this was the major reason I changed careers. I went into professional reading, thinking I was going to help people and discovered a big number of clients don't really want help. They seek psychic insight, because they just want to know, but they don't want to change the habits which lead to suffering, when those habits are presented to them. In some cases, it seems people seek out complications so they will have a reason to run to their psychic. The clients I had were loyal and a niche group, because I never forced the message in the direction they insisted on. If someone asked me about a prospective boyfriend and the cards wanted to talk about their recently deceased grandfather, that was the topic of discussion. The clients who were devoted to improving their life, stuck around long enough to discover their relationship with their grandfather played a major emotional part in their future with the prospective boyfriend. After an hour, the client would usually know all the familial, behavioral, and karmic reasons for why they were involved in the arising issue. They walked out the door seeing their available paths and how those paths applied to their personal growth goals. They werent told "yes" or "no", they were told, "choose your outcome".

I was the type of reader who suggested abuse hotlines instead of black candles (which the store owner wasn't too thrilled about either) and would end a reading without charging if the person was unreceptive to the process (another thing that ticked off the boss). Pluto is conjunct NN in my 6th house, so if I am going to do work, it is going to be in productive service of others and it will not be a waste of my or someone else's time/energy. Unfortunately I saw my fair share of people (and was guilty my self at one time of) using tarot, astrology, religion, etc... as insurance from the unknown or worse, potentially painful experiences. Nothing causes more pain than ignorance though. It reminds me of the Osho Zen Deck card "Lazyness" http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P739wL-lrq8/SMvSX0n9J_I/AAAAAAAABiQ/FkqoZAkZB0g/s320/001.jpg

posted February 21, 2012 10:26 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by maira:
Astrology appealed to me because I'm into maths and I need logic and order (I believe this is the reason why my intuition needs stimulation; too much reasoning, not enough right brain activity).

---

That's awesome! I was always horrible at math, but astrology actually made more of a rational mathematically minded person =)

posted February 21, 2012 10:47 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Xiiro:
I read tarot professionally for about 8 years and this was the major reason I changed careers. I went into professional reading, thinking I was going to help people and discovered a big number of clients don't really want help. They seek psychic insight, because they just want to know, but they don't want to change the habits which lead to suffering, when those habits are presented to them. In some cases, it seems people seek out complications so they will have a reason to run to their psychic. The clients I had were loyal and a niche group, because I never forced the message in the direction they insisted on. If someone asked me about a prospective boyfriend and the cards wanted to talk about their recently deceased grandfather, that was the topic of discussion. The clients who were devoted to improving their life, stuck around long enough to discover their relationship with their grandfather played a major emotional part in their future with the prospective boyfriend. After an hour, the client would usually know all the familial, behavioral, and karmic reasons for why they were involved in the arising issue. They walked out the door seeing their available paths and how those paths applied to their personal growth goals. They werent told "yes" or "no", they were told, "choose your outcome".

I was the type of reader who suggested abuse hotlines instead of black candles (which the store owner wasn't too thrilled about either) and would end a reading without charging if the person was unreceptive to the process (another thing that ticked off the boss). Pluto is conjunct NN in my 6th house, so if I am going to do work, it is going to be in productive service of others and it will not be a waste of my or someone else's time/energy. Unfortunately I saw my fair share of people (and was guilty my self at one time of) using tarot, astrology, religion, etc... as insurance from the unknown or worse, potentially painful experiences. Nothing causes more pain than ignorance though. It reminds me of the Osho Zen Deck card "Lazyness" [URL=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P739wL-lrq8/SMvSX0n9J_I/AAAAAAAABiQ/FkqoZAkZB0g/s320/001.jpg]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P739wL-lrq8/SMvSX0n9J_I/AAAAAAAABiQ/FkqoZAkZB0g/s320/001.jpg[/ URL]

---

I completely agree. I've been reading Tarot as an amateur (but am quite good, enough to do so professionally though I don't have the time) for two or three years and it is a fine line. On one hand you have the repeat offenders who ask the same question over and over. To be honest as I got older I took advantage of the comfort "knowing" brought. However, I realize things happen because of the path your on and not because of what cards you draw. The cards only reflect what we already know inside ourselves (although I have picked up on some crazy things during readings that were more intuitive than technical). A lot of those I read for are women wanting to know about future lovers because they're lonely and as an independent woman myself, it's frustrating.

I'm also so relieved to here you were wise yet practical in your approach. I've been to other Tarot readers who suggest the black candle to me and I feel sorry for those who are taken advantage of with this scheme. I also have Pluto in my 6th house, so I understand.

posted February 22, 2012 08:38 AM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by enchantress299:
Hmm...

Interesting. To be honest, astrology has always been an 'ebb and flow' type of activity for me. When I first started investigating it, I was 14 and Linda's books were the first ones I had read. I found that over time, I would delve deeply into it for short spurts of time, as the events of my life would dictate, and while I do contribute to various astrology forums now, I am in an 'ebb' period with it, so to speak.

Truly, for me it is a tool, both for self-understanding and sometimes for the understanding of others (though I dare say, I use it more for myself). I try to keep it as such, because, at the end of the day, we are all spirit and we all come from the same source. Signs/planets/aspects etc are like guideposts for people, but they aren't the essence of people. So yes, in that way, astrology taken too far CAN be limiting in its definition of 'the other.'

Hope that makes sense...

---

This is how I feel about it, too.

I loved astrology since I was young, loved Linda Goodman's Love Signs book. When I was close to college graduation, I was sitting in a bar with an acquaintance and a weird Scorpio "townie," talking astrology, and I had this moment of clarity. I realized and announced that I wanted to be an astrologer for a living. Neither of my companions cared whatsoever, but I felt it deep in my bones.

When I sobered up, I realized there was no way I could do that, I was too much in debt and could never pay the bills that way. I was scared of myself, frightened that I would try to "follow my heart" and wind up high and homeless in New Mexico.

That fear is part of what made me join an orthodox Christian church. Astrology was forbidden, and I was like, good riddance, that stuff is too much for me, I just want to be normal!

But just as water seeks its own level, in my bones I love astrology and was bound to come back to it eventually. It's helped me recover from being a judgmental person, it helps me see what is what.

We have to spend our days doing something...to me this is artistry...a pursuit that yields beautiful, orderly answers sometimes.

It's woven into my whole mind, but I walk away from active study when my head is too full, or the meanings are too heavy, or some loaded prophecy sinks my mood. And I think learning to still the mind is just as important as opening it up.