A Grounded and Non-Woo Framework
Astrology is an ancient art of philosophy, statecraft and planning with roots stretching back to ancient Mesopotamia. It was used by kings and clergy for centuries, and it is in the public domain that at least one recent US president was a fan too.
In our times it is often misunderstood as woolly and vague mystical comfort or rigid, fatalistic prediction.
I disagree with both camps.
To me astrology is a practical tool for pattern recognition and strategic planning.
By identifying cyclical astrological patterns we can start to actively work on ourselves and with our future.
We are, in fact, engaging in scenario planning. Which, according to neuroscience, comes with real benefits.
- Mental rehearsal makes novel situations feel slightly more familiar before they actually happen.
- Systematic scenario building helps bypass rigid mental models and biases. This expands the range of choices your brain considers valid.
- By seeing obstacles ahead of time, you map out behavioural responses so you do not have to encounter a crisis completely cold.
Simply put, by actively envisioning your future with the help of astrological cycles and patterns, you help your brain rehearse, open up and prepare.
Done well astrology can be both liberating, comforting and extremely productive.
The Stories You Tell Yourself Shape Your Reality
We construct our reality and our identity through narrative. Especially through the stories we tell ourselves about who we are. These stories can be empowering or disempowering, they can help us take action in the world or they can leave us passive and stuck.
That’s why my approach to natal astrology aims to empower. I want to offer uplifting and resilient narratives rooted in your natal chart.
Research shows that people who frame their struggles as growth show higher resilience and better mental health.
There is a growing body of work showing that narrative and story-telling can shift stubborn neural pathways and that this in turn helps shape our emerging future self.
By using natal astrology to come up with more empowering stories about ourselves we can literally start to rewire our reality.
An Ensouled Universe Without the “Woo”
You cannot fully escape the “woo” with astrology. I could not practice this ancient art without acknowledging that fact.
Astrology, at its core, is a mystical art that links us to an ancient world and worldview. To acknowledge that fact does not require abandoning intellectual rigour or embracing pseudoscience.
Astrology is a system that can help reshape how we think about our modern world, it connects us to a lineage of thinkers and philosophers that goes further back than Christianity, it connects us to the seasons and to rhythms that have shaped human lives and livelihoods for centuries and it places us in an ensouled universe from which we can draw nourishment and strength.