Cleaning the Lens – An Introduction to Evolutionary Astrology

Contributing writer for Wake Up World

Have you felt that your astrological sun sign description doesn’t quite fit you? Or read your horoscope and found it to be far from your reality? What is it about astrology that so many people believe in?

The way I see it, there’s nothing to disbelieve. We are a part of nature, the earth, the solar system, the universe, and it would be arrogant to think we aren’t affected by their energies, right? Well, metaphysical astrology is the ancient study of those energetic affects. Given the complexity of those ever-shifting energies, the problem isn’t whether or not to believe in astrology, but instead, whether you have found a pure, undistorted expression of it — one that goes much deeper than pop-culture sun-sign astrology.

Introduction to Astrology

Astrology is a symbolical language that serves the purpose of expressing a body of information to the heart, where it can be felt and understood. It returns to conscious awareness in the form of insight and self-awareness. In other words, it is a language of intuition.

[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”110028″]

Our society was built on that intuitive aspect of ourselves not being respected or responded to. So, as we shift toward a reality in which we value our intuitive selves just as much as the logical processes, the more will we find astrology to be an insightful and powerful tool, to heal, empower and guide.

The focus of this article (the first chapter in a series) is cleaning the lens. Here I am going to show you the dirt that covers the lens through which the mainstream sees astrology today, and start to wipe it clean. I promise you, it’s a lot simpler than you think! And a lot more in depth! So… sit back, get yourself comfortable, and over the next couple of minutes, we’ll embark on a new journey.

During this dialog, don’t be afraid of the language I use. If it seems unusual, just be open to exploring this information without prejudice. Allow your heart not your head to discern.

Cleaning the Lens

I want to start off this conversation by exploring key factors that most of the human race is subjected to; patriarchal laws that have severed our connection to ourselves and unnaturally distorted our societies. In “developed” nations, each and every one of us has been conditioned in this reality. The very framework of our society removes our own natural internal judgment system and replaces it with a system of external authority. Although our man-made rules are very far from the natural laws of the universe, we pass down behavior and belief systems that condition people to live a certain way — systems that have led to many to reject their non-physical reality and to disbelieve anything that cannot be seen or heard.

The problem with this is that much of our experience is outside the realm of the physical – like our emotions for example. By rejecting the metaphysical, we are rejecting a huge part of ourselves. This leads to further disconnection from the truth of how source (Life) energy works. It manifests in many forms.

At the moment, and in the past, there is little in our society to promote spiritual growth. Our purpose has become distorted. But right now, we are cutting through the noise of what is true and what is distortion. We are awakening to the idea that God is inside of ourselves, not an almighty being that governs us with a rigid judgment system (a topic for another article).

Many mainstream astrology books are a product of this same distortion. Consciously trying to understand the deeper truths that lie within the zodiac can be difficult, when the very structure of our reality is designed to keep us away from self-knowledge and true spiritual healing. Despite this, astrology, as a study of our relationship to the universe around us, is well worth exploring. The more we are able to learn about ourselves and our true nature, the closer we are able to connect to source. This in turn strengthens our inner authority and our inner, natural judgment system.

Now that we have discussed how conditioning and definitions may affect the way we see our world, and by extension, astrology, I would like to start cleaning the lens through which you see this ancient art, and reveal the deeper truths that exists.

Breaking the Shackles

As we grow, we become more aware of the world we have created and how we have defined it. So, in the spirit of breaking the shackles of our inherited beliefs, I invite you to let go of all the outdated and outmoded definitions that we have attached to our reality – including astrology – and remain open to what I am about to share with you.

When we discuss astrology, we need to include the dimensions of the soul, our spirit, the human connection, our human story and our emotional reality.

For example Cancer/Capricorn reflect our inner and outer security. We see this in nature with a crab. The crab has a strong outer shell (Capricorn) which protects the inner soft squishy center (Cancer). Look at how humans express this. The outer shell of your home is the Capricorn and the inner contains are the family — Cancer. This is one reflection. Look at how bones are structured. The bone is the outer structure and the bone marrow (Cancer) is protected by the outer shell. Pretty neat isn’t it?

We balance the idea of connectedness with the knowledge that the zodiac DOES NOT enact or control life. It merely reflects to us expressions of nature and how it works.

As an example; the beginning of a cycle in our lives and in nature has certain traits to it. It shows us newness, excitement, feelings of anxiety and a desire to explore. Think about how you felt the first time you started a new job or changed direction in your life. Where you met with those feelings I just mentioned? In the zodiac the sign I am talking about here is Aries the archetype of beginnings.

We remove this idea of prediction.

The correct application of this idea needs to be understood like this. It cannot happen, we cannot predict a certain expression of an energy to 100%. Any astrologer that predicts actions and outcomes is leading you down an untruthful road. What can be done or should be done is offer insight into an area of your life (or our lives) that will have more focus on it – be it a challenge, an opportunity or both.

For example, if you have Pluto transiting your ascendant you can be sure that who you are and how you see yourself will be transformed, but we cannot know how this will look, or exactly what will change. When a planet’s current position touches a planet that is in our astrology chart, we are invited to become aware of the nature of the energy pattern of our lives. We can evolve through that energy by tapping into that area of our lives, acknowledge it, and make changes if necessary. This is how astrology can aid us — by pointing us in the right direction.

When using astrology one needs to observe the behavior of reality, then correlate it back to the astrological symbols and the energies their represent. This is the reverse of how it has been done in the past. But there is no one size fits all and there never will be. We are individual beings with free choice, so astrology must be applied individually, in the context of each being’s current reality.

Artwork by Stuart Griggs used by kind permission.

Metaphysical Astrology

Unfortunately, the mainstream’s fascination with the instant gratification of predictive sun-sign astrology has created a demand for an entirely unreliable expression of astrology. Predictive astrology feeds our perceived need for security and comfort. When we come across our horoscope and read it, we are (consciously or unconsciously) seeking the security of knowing how the future will turn out; how our relationship will be or when we will become rich. But, as I said, there is no one size fits all.

I would like to show you some simple examples that show how astrology works when we consider the deeper, Metaphysical aspects of our reality. Ultimately that is what I am trying to accomplish with this conversation…. To connect heaven and earth. To show that in our universe, physical / physics and non-physical / metaphysics coexist and work together. One functions in harmony with the other. They are constantly interacting.

Let’s take the sign Taurus, the sign of the bull. When reading a generalized description of the sign, we will see things like money, possessions, capital, investment and in a deeper way, our values. These are all correct interpretations of the sign… But WHY? What is it about Taurus that makes us reflect that expression of energy?

The Taurus archetype reflects the need for survival, our perception of survival, and how we go about accomplishing it. This sign is also linked with the need for security and your own beliefs attached to that concept. That is the bottom line of the Taurus archetype.

Notice how I use the word ‘reflects’? Taurus does not enact survival, it only reflects an aspect of our nature which is connected to the overall structure of life on Earth.

Here is a slightly more complex description of how the sign works in our lives.

Taurus is survival. We define our needs based on what we think we need to survive. These needs then create our value system – including how we value ourselves. How we value ourselves is directly linked with what we believe about ourselves and our personal truth. This is then linked with our Ego.

So what we value (Taurus) and what our truth is (Sagittarius) become our sense of identity (Cancer). This connection of signs in the zodiac reflects how a community, country or political party will define itself too. “We have a belief that we value and it’s our identity.”

Just from this one basic description of how the zodiac works, you can see how complex and personal our relationship to the signs — to our celestial environment – can be.

I’m going to give another example here, my personal favorite…

The sign Aquarius. People that come into this life with the sun sign in Aquarius come in with the energy signature of deep memories of oppression imposed in their lives. Outmoded astrology definitions will see the Aquarius archetype as highly individualistic, erratic and rebellious; the weirdo; the odd one out. And again, this is correct. But WHY? For what reason?

Seeded in the Aquarius archetype is the need to break free from conformity and to allow for a fresh, detached perspective to be had. When this expression interacts with something outdated or constrained, the status quo is challenged by something it does not yet understand and the contrast creates feelings of judgment, separation and isolation.

Imagine someone from the future coming to you right now. The contrast between your reality and theirs would confuse you, and traumatize them. This example can illustrate the Aquarius energy. As the Aquarius archetype reflects non conformity, those people often have a difficult time living in the world of conformity. In fact, where ever you have the planet Uranus in your birth it chart will show you where you will meet resistance from outmoded structures. Naturally aligned with the Aquarian energy, Uranus is in the sign Aries at the moment — and can you see all around you that the world is freeing (Aquarius) themselves (Aries).

The last aspect of this I would like to share with you is this. I am going to take it another level deeper and if you are feeling lost or not quite understanding me, that is okay. All I am wanting convey here is how much there actually is here, and how deep we can actually go into our karma using astrology as a tool. It gives us a powerful way of unraveling our multi layered self; to become more de-conditioned.

The Understanding of Karma

Karma is a subconscious core belief that is conditioned or imprinted in you. This belief is then expressed into your reality. When you see it in your reality, you are then confirming to yourself (and your subconscious) that it exists. As above, so below. Your inner world is linked with your outer reality. Cancer and Capricorn. Mother and Father. Where do you get most of your imprinting? Early home life. So when you look at these signs in your birth chart, we can see exactly how to de-condition karmic patterns. Again, pretty neat huh?

To illustrate this point: a person is born into a family dynamic where one or both parents are emotionally unavailable. He himself is an emotional person. As the young person grows up, an aspect of his reality will reflect the emotional understanding that was not nurtured. Unconsciously this young person draws people into his life who are emotionally unavailable too, because he is reflecting this outwardly, creating a pattern in which he repeatedly proves to himself that no one gets him, or that he does not know anyone that is able to emotionally connect. A cycle of non-emotional growth can be a product of this.

Astrology comes in and looks at aspects of the birth chart, is able to pinpoint the place that trauma has occurred, allowing this to be brought to the conscious mind and then healed through a deeper understanding. It is not always that simple in terms of healing, but becoming aware of a certain dynamic that plays out into your life can be incredibly healing in itself – and is a necessary starting point to healing.

The themes of our lives reflect karmic dynamics to us. I am sure many of you have experienced what I call the Saturn cycles. These four very important points in our lives shape important imprinting on our journey.

At the age of 7 we experience our first Saturn cycle point – we become awake to our own mortality and our physical limitations. This is our first maturing step. At the age of 14 we have the start of our need for social interaction. We leave behind the dolls and little kids games and we start becoming little adults, and also exploring our bodies. At 21, the next part of our Saturn cycle is about throwing off the last 21 years of household parental rules. We move from home and we begin our journey towards independence. And then the 28 to 30 year mark is when the planet Saturn returns to the original point it was at when you were born – a time known as the “Saturn Return”.

The Saturn Return is a tough time because all of the karmic lessons you went through during the ages of 7, 14, and 21 now get stacked on top of each other and you are asked to grow and mature – to take responsibility. You become aware of your age, and that you are now getting older. So it’s time to act. Dramatic change is often the result; it is classic during this period of time to get married, buy a house, have a child and to let go relationships that are no longer working for you.

A Moment to Reflect

Just take a moment to reflect on all this, and how it relates to your own life.

As we end this first step in our journey of exploring this ancient art, I hope you can start to see astrology through a cleaner lens; see the powerful and unparalleled support to deepen self-knowledge and become more awake to the human journey. It can shed light on how we create karmic patterns and why, and reveal aspects of our deepest selves, giving us opportunities to shift our level of consciousness. It can shed light on the importance of understanding our conditioning, our emotional behaviors and memories. When used correctly, it truly is a wonderful healing tool.

Love and light,

Simon

About the author:

Simon Vorster is an evolutionary astrologer and teacher who has been practising astrology for over 11 years. Together with his partner and co-founder of Raising Vibrations, Jennifer Langstone, their work is rooted in helping souls de-condition the self and empower the soul into making new conscious choices. Through their website, Raising Vibrations, and the consulting services they offer, Simon and Jennifer share their thoughts and insights and, using the powerful tool of evolutionary astrology, help and guide others to find their own spiritual paths, live authentically in the moment and understand ways they are able to positively effect their own spiritual evolution.