The material in this article is taken from Bob’ s soon to be released book, Timing Spiritual Transformation, CHAPTER 3: PLANETS AND SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT. This material has been edited and revised to make it fit with the current theme.
“ God alone is real, and the goal of life is to unite with Him through love.”- Meher Baba
W e learn many subjects in life.
When we study astrology though, it is not just another subject that finds a place in our mental filing system; it becomes a path in life. Some fields of knowledge are like this, they not only tell us about some aspect of life, they become a context or container for all other experiences. These fields of knowledge become a spiritual path, or yoga.
Astrology is more than a philosophy, perspective, or point of view; astrology is a way of self development, a spiritual path meant to raise our consciousness. In India we often refer to“ yoga” as a disciplined activity or way of life that is meant to lead us to union with God. There are many different schools, branches, and types of yoga. It is helpful if we understand astrology as a form of yoga so that we can see how it is helpful in organizing impressions which are totally natural to the human condition.
By our very nature as human beings, we are destined to project beyond our own life in our thinking. The universe and everything in it is teleological, we grow by some grand design at our own unique pace or speed. When we began doing astrology our consciousness was already working beyond the confines of our personal life limitations; we were driven to see and experience a bigger picture of life; at least in a vague sense we were looking for something beyond the needs of our own physical life. Our identification had moved from thinking that we were reducible to our physical body to experiencing a wider horizon.
Astrology is a mental discipline, but when considered as a type of yoga we can see how the very process of learning it opens us up to such a larger picture of life. It challenges us to see, not just the world, but also ourselves in an expanded context. Our identity changes, we know that we are more than just our own bodies. We work to find out whom, in fact, we really are. This happens in stages as we come to understand our horoscope and the symbolism of astrology at an ever increasing and more profound level.
As human beings we are prompted to serve something beyond our own limited lives. As astrologers we desire to understand this inner prompting, just as we want to understand everything else in life. In the process of mentally exploring with astrology, other aspects of our personality are stimulated. When this happens we become enthusiastic and want to respond emotionally. Out of our understanding of a larger context of life and feeling of identification with a larger sphere of being, we desire to do something for others... this is an opening of the will to serve. We wish our behavior to match our understanding and our elevated feelings.
When we are called to serve, whether we consciously realize it or not, we are being prompted to grow spiritually; to raise our own consciousness. When we put the needs of anything before our own desires, we break down the boundaries of our limited self... so, what kinds of things can do this? Love can do this, for one thing. The path of love is one of continually helping us to let go of the false belief that our tiny small self is our Real Self. The love that a mother has for her child, a father for his family, or a citizen of a country for his nation are all examples where we can be prompted to put the needs of something before our own desires. The romantic love between two lovers can cause them to forget their own concerns as they become lost in the feelings of liberation produced by their love for each other. For students of yoga, when this romantic love is directed toward God it is called Bhakti, or the yoga of love.
As students of astrology, we are prompted to think deeply on many subjects as we wish to understand things about life and the nature of existence. This happens as we dig deeper into life’ s mysteries, as we follow the trail of ideas, as we uncover the meaning of planetary placements in a person’ s horoscope. As we understand the purpose and meaning of our lives, we disburden ourselves from our narrow selfishness as we are able to understand the relative worth or worthless-
o P A ❥ The o rganization for Professional Astrology 4 T h e C A r e e r A s T r o l o g e r s P r i n g 2 0 1 2