Enhancing
Your
Astrology
Practice
Column by
Kay Taylor
A
strology is a spiri-
tual art. Astrology
provides the
framework for spiritual
evolution for the astrol-
oger and it provides the
opportunity for the astrologer to show up as
a spiritual guide for a client. This is true even
if you are doing horary, financial or other
non-psychological astrology, because all
facets of life are indeed part of the spiritual
path from a non-dual approach. In non-dual
philosophy it is understood we are all spiritual
beings living a physical existence and that
everything we do is sacred.
In dual philosophy there is an underlying
belief is that our human life is ‘less than’
and a perfect being or aspiration directs us.
A non-dual approach leads us to absolute
choice centered, empowering astrology. A
dual approach leads us to the concept of
preordained fate in our astrology. Most of us
fall somewhere in between, understanding
the chart as a roadmap of the soul’s path
that guides and directs us along the lines of
fate, and allows consciousness to determine
choice within predetermined karmic patterns
that are poised to come to fruition in this life.
As the Buddhists say, we are on a river; we
can flow along the river we’re on, maybe mean-
dering from side to side, but we can’t move to
another river. (Unless we portage of course, car-
rying our heavy canoe to another river, a task
too daunting for most). So we stay on our river,
and astrology helps us navigate wisely.
How does this matter for
‘Enhancing Your Practice’?
I want to set the stage of astrology as spir-
itual practice as I write the upcoming col-
umns. Yoga philosophy gives us a wonderful
set of precepts called ‘Yamas’ and Niyamas’
that can be used as tools to deepen our
personal spiritual practice of life, and can
be applied to being an astrologer. Yamas
The
Career
Astrologer
translate to restraints and include nonvio-
lence, truthfulness, nonstealing, nonexcess
and nonpossessiveness. The Niyamas are
observances and are more positively framed
intentions (purity, contentment, self-disci-
pline, self-study and surrender).
Ahimsa — ‘Nonviolence’
Of course, you say, you are not
violent at all. A lighter translation
of ahimsa might be non-harming.
And even here you imagine you
are not harming anyone. Let’s go
deeper. Yamas are subtle.
For you, as an astrologer, how
are you harming yourself? Are you
eating well, taking care of your
body, aware of your capacity to
become stressed or overly busy?
So often when we are in the serving/heal-
ing professions we give in excess to others
and treat ourselves less than kindly. As an
astrologer, our body and mind are our tools.
Without physical health and mental clarity,
we simply cannot do our work well. We are
channels of information and insight gleaned
from years of study, but also from the magic
of the moment. If our physical health is
impaired, our inner lens will be grey. We will
not feel empathically nor see clearly.
Here’s an ahimsa checklist for you whether
you are a professional astrologer or not. It’s
always a good time to wonder if your choic-
es are harming you or bringing you closer
to your highest potential. There is no right
answer or perfect choice; these are simply
questions to contemplate honestly. On the
physical level:
• do you get enough sleep?
• do you consider your body’s nutritional
needs and follow your inner truth as much
as possible, knowing that excess rigidity
might also be harmful?
• are you mindful of the effects of mind
altering substances (including caffeine and
sugar) on your body, mind and emotions,
including how low, moderate or excess
use affects (or perhaps doesn’t affect) your
astrology practice?
• do you exercise regularly?
• do you find time to be in nature?
• do you consider a healthy, balanced sched-
ule for you? Balance is different for every-
one and involves listening to your deepest
intuition about your personal needs.
• do you have healers you work with regular-
ly to keep you in optimum shape, not just
waiting to become sick?
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On an emotional or mental level, we can
benefit from looking at our inner dialog
because how we talk to ourselves will leak
out into how we think about and talk to
others. In consulting sessions our language
is extremely important. Our clients will feel
the empathy and compassion with which
we think about them. This affects the heal-
ing potential of their experience, and also
their likelihood to be returning clients. If
you don’t like your client it’s important to
contemplate why that is, and either heal that
within yourself or choose to refer them to
someone else.
Although normally it’s pretty easy for me
to enjoy and care for my clients, I once had
a client I found very annoying and hard to
sit with. She was needy and in pain, and also
very judgmental and critical, unable to hear
anything I said without resistance. I know
we’ve all known that person … and prob-
ably we’ve all been that person at least on
occasion! I knew I had to do something to
heal my own attitude, or refer her to some-
one else. When I sat with her chart and com-
pared it to mine, and then to my mother’s
chart, I could see very clearly how she was
mirroring core issues. She was embodying
the worst of my personality traits, and my
mother’s, all wrapped into one person! Once
I could see that my heart softened. I had to
accept my ‘flaws’ and cultivate another level
of forgiveness for my mom. I made a point
of feeling love and compassion deliberately
when I talked to her, and soon I developed
true positive feelings toward her. She has
remained my client for many years.
It takes inner work to be able to see our-
selv