Ellen Longo's Astrology Blog

Hello everyone.

Today I thought I’d step back to absolute fundamentals and share a tool I use when examining natal charts and transits.  These are my personal guidelines for my astrology work.

Every astrologer understands the field according to their own background, spiritual beliefs, education, and astrological system they practice.  There are probably as many takes on astrology as there are astrologers.

Master Astrologer Dane Rudhyar used a term I really like when talking about astrology.  He called a chart interpretation, a “life interpretation.” Yet in order to interpret a life one has to question, what is life, why are we alive, does life have meaning?  An astrologer dives deeply into these issues throughout their study and our answers to these questions completely inform our astrological interpretations.  To me, this is what makes the practice of astrology so compelling.

Here are the principles I use in my astrology practice.

• My spiritual master calls life the “gateway to enlightenment.”  This resonates with me.  If life is the gateway to enlightenment, then life is an opportunity and the natal chart is a snapshot of the moment that opportunity was taken.
• Every moment is auspicious.  Each birth moment is auspicious because Life has decided to enact a certain play, beginning at a certain moment in this space and time.  The moment of the birthchart is a translation of the infinite Life into everyday life in this realm.  So the study of the birthchart is the study of a sacred moment.
• This moment of birth was chosen.  The incarnating soul chose a certain destiny, a certain birthchart, and this birthchart brings the right experiences to the person in order to fulfill their destiny.
• The birthchart shows what can be attained here which cannot be attained anywhere else.  Each of us incarnated on this plane to achieve something.  What is it?
• Each person has something to learn and something to offer.  We ask of the chart:  what is this person learning; what is this person offering?
• During an astrology session the client’s frame of reference is altered from day to day matters to their life as a whole.  It is a consideration of the whole life and its purpose.  Therefore the session is worthy of careful preparation and deepest respect.
• There are no bad aspects, no bad placement of planets in signs.  The chart shows where a person is challenging themselves so they can grow in understanding and virtues.
• There are no bad transits.  Some transits are more challenging than others, but these call on our strengths and impel us to put them into action.
• In the first Saturn cycle, from age 0 to about 29, a person is growing into their capacity to offer to the world; in the second Saturn cycle, about 29 to about 58, a person offers and learns from their offering; in the third Saturn cycle about 58 to 88 a person is ready to pass on their knowledge.  The fourth cycle?  I’m not sure.  Perhaps just silence.
• There are always new levels to discover in astrology.  We can always go deeper.  We will never uncover the whole key because what we are studying are the ways of the universe and they are vast and ever-new; patterned yet each moment completely unique.
• There will always be mystery in astrology; that’s part of the fun of it.

To other astrologers out there:  any points you’d like to add to the list?

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