College of Thelema: Thelemic Education

I've always found that its helpful to understand that astrology is at its core- the study of external symbols and our relationship to them, how we construct the experience of what they signify using the full spectrum of our consciousness- and what this means when determining the course of our fate.

When an individual works with a chart, they are presented with a complex of consistent symbolism that they can then use to create a narrative for themselves, adjust their karma (karma as defined in dzogchen buddhism), and apply their will. Anything that outsources a person's fate to the movement of planets through constellations that aren't even relevant in 2011 is pretty silly, and its why astrology "fails" reliably by scientific conventions when the investigations and experiments begin on such shaky ground.

I'm also skeptical about so-called "statistical" evidence that I'm hearing about...

Ozymandius, I think that Ken Wilber's integral model would give proper perspective on a sound approach to working with astrology.

I worked with this card recently and here are a few of the ways it took shape in my world of experience:

Personality: Esoteric concepts were externalized. For example, whenever I saw a straight line, played a competitive game with someone, formed an argument, engaged in exercise- I actually felt like I was "talking" to Mars. Concepts became personified, symbolically yes, but still very real. And always providing insight into how I actually relate to these forces internally by clearly seeing how I project these forces in my environment. Instead of being cold impersonal concepts they became very personal, relevant to my precise situation, hot, directly accessible, laid bare.

Fertility/ Sterility: This realization picked up from the previous theme of projection that I explored with personality. First of all, once I owned my projections as a part of myself, skillfull means burst forth. I intuitively felt this is what Collective Intelligence was referring to. But, that was only the beginning- I felt also that this caused me to grow- this owning of my projections. A very important point is that this related to growth in how I expressed myself to others- especially through my artwork. I noticed my style evolve. The Zodiac. Twelve styles of consciousness. I noticed that I often associate Jupiter with evolution but The Sun was more focused, getting my whole being to work in concert, collectively, to express itself in the piece that I was working on in a particular , distinct style/ angle. They say that the defining attribute of any good artist is a steady "hand"- a fan will know that this particular artist created a piece even if they weren't told before hand- this is like writers writing with a strong voice: a style. You can tell Anne Rice is Anne Rice whether she is writing about vampires or witches or Yeshua. Basquiat's work at first glance seems it could be drawn by a child; but it could only have been drawn by Basquiat's inner child. This is The Sun at work...
Creativity was abound during this time- and made me feel as if my previous hard work was worth it- it sterilized my past setbacks and made them OK. (Mental Flash: Jesus Christ???) My work, the fruits of my labor took on a strong redemptive quality and made me forgive and forget... but perhaps forget something important? Hubris. Vanity. Pride.