Consciousness permeates the universe, and human beings are one of the countless expressions of Universal Consciousness. We each come into life for a reason. I believe that the central purpose of any life is to discover one's true nature and to live in alignment with this realization.
Life is a learning experience. It is meaningful. But it is also complicated. No system of thought or belief, whether astrology, religion, science, political ideology, or art, will ever give us easy answers to life's difficult questions. Though I believe life is meaningful, I do not believe that this meaning can ever come in the form of a simple dictionary definition. I agree with Joseph Campbell that, rather than seeking meaning in life, "what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive."
Pain in life is unavoidable, but suffering is optional. Much of the suffering we experience stems from our pursuit of life experiences that do not resonate with our innermost being. We waste time and energy trying to be what we think we should be, all the while closing ourselves off to our true nature. In embracing our true nature, giving up our resistance to the current of life, we come to feel the "rapture of being alive". Whereas once we may have been like a potted plant, through the process of individuation, we can become like a wild plant growing in a forest, according to its own organic pattern, in deep dialogue with the other organisms of the forest. We become, at once, more individual and more universal.
Astrology is a uniquely powerful tool for helping us to understand our soul's intentions in this lifetime. The birth chart, as a map of the psyche, helps us stand back from our life for a moment, putting our feelings, experiences, and stories into a cosmic context. It shows our deepest soul yearnings, as well as the various gifts and challenges that we experience in our personalities, relationships, and circumstances. Exploring these themes, we can deepen our imagination of life, and through this deeper imagination, deepen our actual experience of life. Approached in this way, astrology can enable radical transformation and radical self-acceptance, both essential ingredients on a path of true healing.
Life is a learning experience. It is meaningful. But it is also complicated. No system of thought or belief, whether astrology, religion, science, political ideology, or art, will ever give us easy answers to life's difficult questions. Though I believe life is meaningful, I do not believe that this meaning can ever come in the form of a simple dictionary definition. I agree with Joseph Campbell that, rather than seeking meaning in life, "what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive."
Pain in life is unavoidable, but suffering is optional. Much of the suffering we experience stems from our pursuit of life experiences that do not resonate with our innermost being. We waste time and energy trying to be what we think we should be, all the while closing ourselves off to our true nature. In embracing our true nature, giving up our resistance to the current of life, we come to feel the "rapture of being alive". Whereas once we may have been like a potted plant, through the process of individuation, we can become like a wild plant growing in a forest, according to its own organic pattern, in deep dialogue with the other organisms of the forest. We become, at once, more individual and more universal.
Astrology is a uniquely powerful tool for helping us to understand our soul's intentions in this lifetime. The birth chart, as a map of the psyche, helps us stand back from our life for a moment, putting our feelings, experiences, and stories into a cosmic context. It shows our deepest soul yearnings, as well as the various gifts and challenges that we experience in our personalities, relationships, and circumstances. Exploring these themes, we can deepen our imagination of life, and through this deeper imagination, deepen our actual experience of life. Approached in this way, astrology can enable radical transformation and radical self-acceptance, both essential ingredients on a path of true healing.