The Language of Astrology
 idja
hear the one about the hit man who couldn't make a living? He had
the Moon in Pisces, and he kept bursting into tears and letting his
victims go! ...Until one day he met a confounded career counsellor with Pluto
in the 10th square Saturn in the 7th: She kept lining up client
interviews with her Godfather, but no one ever came back to say how
it went! Finally they started their own agency called Extortion
Employment—now he shoots people with a camera and she makes them job
offers they can't refuse!"
If you are
fluent in "Astrologese," this story will make sense and (hopefully)
tickle your funny bone! The story illustrates how astrology can add
a unique dimension that helps us understand the characters'
behaviour and motives. Our poor, pathetic hit man can't disengage
his compassionate and sensitive Pisces Moon long enough to do his
job, and our perplexed career counsellor doesn't get it that her
Plutonian Godfather is scaring off her 7th House clients! Together
they create a solution in which the hit man can still be involved in
something underhanded (without killing anyone) by providing the
means for his friend to exert some Plutonian control over her 7th
House clients.
Learning The Language
Astrology is a
language of symbols which offers a profound model of human
experience. It is a system with an alphabet, words, grammar and
sentences. The glyphs form the alphabet. The planets are the
functions or actions being done (verb/noun). The signs are the
quality or style of action (adverb/ adjective). And the houses are
fields of experience where the actions take place (clause/context).
Just like a
normal language, Astrologese can be translated into English. For
example, when someone discloses that their Sun is in Aquarius in the
9th House, they reveal something about their central sense of
purpose and identity (Sun), which expresses itself in an unusual,
off-the-beaten-track way (Aquarius). This person shines brightest
when dispensing their unconventional insights to others (9th House).
"Astrologese"
can describe the relationships between these concepts, functions and
actions, as symbolized by the aspects. Say our Aquarian friend also
has Jupiter in Libra in the 5th House: this alone says that s/he
expands and flourishes (Jupiter) when interacting with others
(Libra) in fun and creative situations (5th House). If the person's
Sun and Jupiter are also in a trine aspect (120°), we know that
their unconventional nature (Sun) and their fun, flirtatious quality
(Jupiter) combine easily and work well together (trine).
Learning any
language requires you to grasp the basic spelling, grammar, rules
and word meanings. You can then build on this foundation to
comprehend more complex and subtle concepts. For instance, you must
first understand the meanings of "a square peg" and "a round hole,"
before you could even begin to fathom the idea of a square peg
trying to fit into a round hole.
Similarly,
students of Astrologese typically begin with basic keywords and
associations of the planets, signs and houses. They learn that
astrological grammar follows certain guidelines: a planet resides in
a sign and house, not the other way around.
("Ya, like you'd never talk about
having Pluto in Uranus—at least, not in proper company....")
These symbols can then be synthesized to form meaningful
interpretations. Within the structure of these basics, it's possible
to spin wondrous tales about the dynamics operating in someone's
life.
Your "Language
Baguage"
The process of
translating from Astrologese into English can be a tricky one. The
more skilled your use of English (or whatever your language of
choice is), the better your translation skills will be from
Astrologese. Besides our articulation skills, we also bring our
entire worldview, beliefs, biases and preferences to our use of
Astrologese, greatly affecting the translated result. One astrologer
will see your chart in a certain light, while another astrologer
will see a whole different side of you. This is not necessarily a
reflection of the astrologer's proficiency, but a natural phenomenon
in which astrology becomes coloured by the personal perspective of
its interpreter.
Astrology is
primarily a neutral medium. A horoscope is merely a snapshot in
time: a two-dimensional map of the three-dimensional sky at a
specific cross-section of time and space. There is nothing in the
chart to say that its owner is a saint or sinner, male or female,
black/red/yellow/white/green, or even that its owner is human!
("It could even be MY chart, and I
ain't no Human!") It could be the
chart of a company, a boat launch, a planet's discovery—or even your
pet iguana's solar return!
("I ain't no iguana either...")
Because of it's
neutrality, astrology becomes a willing, reflective surface upon
which to project our personal beliefs, biases, hopes and fears. It's
often too easy, for instance, to see only the intimidating control
of Saturn in Scorpio, or the easy-flowing benevolence of Jupiter
trine Venus. Our worldview may resist a more complex view of these
configurations. For example, a Scorpio Saturn can also signify the
ability to keep clear, concise boundaries with people in intimate
situations; and Jupiter trine Venus could indicate someone who can't
say no, even when it's in their best interest. Being aware of our
personal expectations and beliefs is crucial for alerting us to
facets of the chart (and, therefore, the person) that we may be
blind to.
What's In A Name...?
To name a thing
is powerful magic! When a language gives a name to something, it
acknowledges and validates its existence. It opens the door to
further discussion, assessment and understanding of that thing. This
named entity then becomes incorporated into the worldview of whoever
learns and uses that language, permeating the perceptions,
expectations and beliefs of that person. Similarly, to exclude
something from a language is to be ignorant of or deny its reality,
or to presume its non-existence—any of which shuts the door to
further exploration.
It's awfully
hard to talk about something we have no words for, and the lack of
words may affect whether we perceive it at all. As our understanding
of life expands and matures, we search for more words to name,
examine and understand our experiences. This is why and how
languages evolve: they develop and grow in order to keep up with the
changing experiences of its communicators.
To name a thing
is to answer the question: What is it? But answers beg more
questions: Why? How? What if...? As we reach beyond the parameters
of our known world, we require new words to describe and explore
what we find there. Sometimes the language obliges us with a word
that echoes our experience, but often it is ill-equipped to address
certain obscure areas. Spirituality is a classic example, where
conventional language tends to fall short of a satisfactory and
meaningful vocabulary.
("Ya—ever tried to describe the
Goddess?") When people search for
understanding and don't find it in society's conventional worldview,
they often turn to metaphysics. Students of astrology are typically
hungry for answers about aspects of life disregarded or overlooked
by the mainstream culture.
Astrology is a
cohesive system of names (planets, signs, houses, aspects), each of
which governs a range of seemingly unrelated experiences, ideas and
things. Jupiter, for instance, symbolizes language, teaching,
travel, law, higher education, religion, learning, philosophy,
morals, expansion and understanding. The archetype of Jupiter is the
common essence running through these fragments, and is harder to
describe. We can say that these areas all involve reaching for a
broader understanding of life; that our Jupiter nature quests after
a higher Truth, through which we may know the best of who we are.
However, just as
words don't translate fully between languages, this definition is
approximate and incomplete
("—and it's just a whole lot
easier to say 'Jupiter'!") By
cataloguing and working with the forms of expression that are common
to "Jupiter-ness," we may come to an inner knowing about the more
abstract, underlying concept. It's comparable to identifying an
image in the background negative shape left behind by the
foreground, like a donut hole is defined by the donut—its existence
is implied more than decreed.
You Are What You
Perceive
In the same way
that a language is modified by its users to reflect their changing
lives, language also affects change in its users. The correlation
between words not only reflects the experiences of its users, but
also shapes and directs their perception and evaluation of those
experiences.
When you work
with the vocabulary of astrological symbols (planets, etc.), you
introduce fresh ideas into your knowledge and belief system.
Astrology offers a system of ready-made associations which converge
in specific archetypes (like Jupiter's list of concepts, above). By
stretching your mind to make connections between these archetypal
expressions, you shine new light on your experience of them. You
begin to create new negative shapes in your consciousness, which
evolve into substantial ideas in their own right.
Naming something
can also close the door to further discussion, which sometimes
happens when something is "labelled." We name things so that we can
easily refer to them; however, labels can also prevent us from
seeing their deeper, more complex nature. For instance, if we label
someone a "slow learner," we may stop there in our experience of
them, never seeing the unique person inside, with his or her own
virtues and faults, hopes and fears, talents and struggles,
feelings, dreams and goals. Convenience can block our candid
perception of people and things, taking them for granted.
In the same way,
Astrologese can be used to help us see certain characteristics in
the person, or to blind us to them. This is especially a danger when
we look at the chart piecemeal, instead of as a holistic, changing
dynamic. Mercury in Pisces, for example, can indicate a person whose
mental style is intuitive or illogical. However, if that person's
Mercury also trines Saturn and their Sun is in Aquarius, it can
indicate someone who is capable of conventional logic if they are
allowed to reason things out at their own methodical pace. Such a
person may struggle with linear logic as a child, but learn this
skill in adulthood. It is important to remember that the chart is
only the map, not the person's experience of the territory or where
they are in their journey through it.
What's An Astrology
For?
In learning
astrology, you have access to new insights and clues for dealing
with life's problems. Suppose you discover that your demanding,
workaholic, @%#&*$ boss has Mars in Capricorn. For starters, it can
be reassuring to know there is something in their makeup that drives
their behaviour; that you're not "just" being triggered into your
own struggles with authority figures.
("...reflected, perhaps, by
your own Sun square Saturn?")
Knowing this
about your boss can help you find alternate ways to deal with him or
her. Mars in Capricorn tends to combine an ambitious, authoritative
and (over)responsible approach (Capricorn) to one's motivation and
activities (Mars). This suggests your boss's Capricorn nature may be
more accepting of your allergy to overtime if you present it in an
organized, respectful way, emphasizing other responsibilities in
your life which must take precedence (in other words, framed in
Capricorn values).
However, it
would belittle astrology to use it merely as a way of finding new
and improved ways to duck out of overtime or suck up to your boss.
Ultimately, it is a "sacred science" through which we are introduced
to an esoteric and enlightened view of life. In learning astrology,
we are initiated into a sphere of knowledge which far surpasses the
conventional wisdom and awareness of the masses. We have access to a
higher understanding of human nature and the meaning of life, which
requires a disciplined mind and an ethical spirit to use it wisely
and responsibly.
As you continue
your learning in astrology, using it in your personal and/or
professional life, ask yourself: Are you are using it simply as a
quick-and-dirty oracle for finding easy answers? Or, are you open to
being shaped and realigned by its transformative magic? Astrology is
not a foolproof recipe showing the right and wrong ways to live your
life; nor is it a static stone tablet imprinted with indelible
commandments of who you must be. It is a profound linguistic map
that portrays the dynamic, evolving territory of your psyche and
life. Whether you navigate through it or get lost in it, preserve it
or pollute it, how you traverse and explore that territory is always
up to you.
© 1996, 2004, 2005 Wendy Guy.
All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from Transitions Astrology
Newsletter, Gemini-Cancer-Leo 1996 issue.
|
