Astrology as a Spiritual Practice: How to Transform Your Life with Astrology

"Astrology transformed my life - not overnight and not without effort; but with stubborn devotion, and constant practice"

A few years ago, I was in a really dark place. I guess you could say I hit the bottom. Three close family members died within a few months; my marriage was disintegrating; I was living in a new place with no sense of community. Worst of all, I had completely lost my faith.

This last piece wasn’t new. Decades earlier I had become disillusioned with religion, after years of seeking, studying and traveling to so-called holy places. It wasn't just the corruption or divisions that bothered me. It was also the hierarchies and hypocrisy. So, for years, I had declared myself an atheist.

But at this point, with my life in disarray, I desperately needed to believe in something.

It was around this time that I started to pray – not to the Christian God I was raised with, and not to the ineffable, cosmic consciousness I intellectually considered a possibility. I began praying to the planets.

Believe me, I know it sounds weird, maybe even crazy. But there are times in life when things get so bad and we feel so desperate we will literally try anything.

At first, I didn’t even realize it was praying. I used to go on these long, long walks with my dog and just talk out loud. I complained and I cried and I begged for help. After weeks of wailing into the wind I finally stopped to ask myself: “Who are you talking to?”

It dawned on me then, that I was talking to the planets: to Venus and Saturn, to Mars and Mother Moon. Not only that, I was addressing the planets as if they were real beings - gods even. After years as a devout atheist, I had to acknowledge that I was praying to the old Gods.

This is how I started to use astrology in my everyday life.

But it didn’t stop there. I began to dabble with astrological magic and electional astrology (choosing auspicious conditions to initiate action). I learned numerous predictive timing techniques and I began to study my own chart as a guide for self analysis. Eventually astrology became the framework for understanding myself, my relationships, and the world around me.

Astrology transformed my life - not overnight and not without effort; but with stubborn devotion, and constant practice I have learned to trust this as a spiritual path.

Over the years, I have discovered different ways to incorporate astrology into my life through thought and action. I’d like to share some of these with you.

1. Gratitude: journaling about your blessings or just speaking them aloud shifts your focus from scarcity to plenitude. You start focusing on what you have instead of what you lack and this is potent magic. I talk to my gods every day while I’m walking Shiva and thank them for my blessings. (Is it a coincidence that dog is an anagram for god? I think not)

2. Prayer: whether you believe in one God, many deities or just the God principle within, prayer is about centering yourself and finding alignment with something greater. Call it meditation, or mindfulness or whatever you prefer. Prayer puts you in a receptive state and calms the nervous system. Prayer expresses the possibility that the Gods want to know you just as much as you want to know them.

3. Self acceptance: It’s a well-worn cliché that you can’t love another until you love yourself. But I think it’s more accurate to say that you can’t properly receive love from others until you love yourself. This isn’t necessarily easy or fast. Accepting your whole self - including the ugly broken bits - is probably a lifelong endeavour. But I believe it’s the only way to transform your life and relationships.

4. Support: You need support. Whether it’s a community, a therapist, a friend or a priest, you need to be able to talk about your inner life.

This is one reason that I started the Cosmic Coffee Club. You need somewhere safe to question yourself and do the inner work that leads to transformation. We all do.

5. Risk taking: This is about courage. Once you have established some of these other practices like gratitude and prayer; once you start talking to your shadow and you’ve found some support; it then becomes possible to risk being vulnerable.Taking risks is essential for change and growth. Taking risks is how you stoke your inner fire. It’s how life begins to sparkle and creativity thrives.

6. Faith: it’s a Universal law that as soon as you make a choice, it will be tested. As soon as you decide on a path or a plan, you will be tempted to give up and abandon yourself. Astrology can really help with this one because it confirms who you are and why you’ve chosen this path. It can provide you with foreknowledge about what’s coming and when it might end. This is also about leaning on your support system to fortify your resolve.

7. Timing: Astrology is the study of Cosmic rhythms. It draws on centuries of observation about how the movement of the planets and lights correspond to earthly timing and trends. Astrology lets us know the season we are in so that we may act appropriately. It tells us when to plant our seeds and when to water them. It tells us when to prune and when to harvest. It tells us when to wait, to rest, to replenish and to let go.

These are the 7 pillars of my astrological practice and for living a life full of meaning and magic. I haven't mastered them, not by a long-shot. That's why I call it a "practice."

Astrology is an ancient tradition, dating back thousands of years. It's Universal, observed around the world in diverse cultures in remarkably similar ways. It's accessible to everyone - you don't need a priest or an intermediary to connect you with the stars. It's natural, seasonal and simple. All you have to do is look up.

I know Astrology isn't for everyone but it works for me. If this resonates with you, get in touch. It would be my honor to work with you and to support your journey.

Peace my Friends,

Lizanne

Categories: Ancient Astrology, Aries, Astrology, birth chart readings, community, gratitude, how to transform your life, novascotiaastrologer, prayer, spiritituality, support, taking risks, Taurus, transformation, zodiac signs