The Evolutionary Astrology Bug Bit Me
Astrology had always felt like a different language to me, inaccessible and beyond my comprehension. It has a set of sigils to represent planets, symbols to connect one planet to another, houses in which the planets live, and signs to describe how the planets act. Then, all of these interactions must be combined, analyzed, and interpreted. Only after that can it all be translated into a language that any average person can process and utilize. It is much more than a quirky, spiritual pseudoscience. It is an otherworldly language and an intuitive art form that requires one to become deeply introspective, open-minded, trusting, and truthful.
Several years ago, this all felt impossible for me to believe and trust, let alone use or share. I read each planet, sign, and house as separate entities, trying to put myself together with pieces that would not fit. At the same time, too many of the pieces did not make sense to me. I may have accepted that I was born under an Aries moon, but was I really an Aries moon person? It made no sense. I believed that I was a Leo rising, but could those qualities truly be showing on my face for all to see? It was too much, too weird, too complicated. My ego could not allow it.
Only when I suddenly discovered Evolutionary Astrology did the pieces begin to change shape, form, and dimension. In all honesty, they ceased to be separate pieces. Through Evolutionary Astrology, I began to see myself - my natal chart - as one ebbing, flowing, pumping, evolving, living thing. It was all of a sudden perfect. I could see who I was so clearly, where I was going, and why I came here in the first place. I was no longer an Aquarius Venus, Mars, and Saturn or a fourth house Pluto; I was Hannah.
The Evolutionary Astrology bug bit me and I never looked back.
My best friend and astrological confidante was with me on the journey that is finding one’s astrological doctrine. We had dabbled in a variety of ancient and modern ways of perceiving the cosmos, all the while trying to decipher our natal charts without making much progress. Neither of us remembers how we came upon Evolutionary Astrology. We are not even sure who saw it first. All we know is that when we became aware of its existence, that was that. Suddenly, all other avenues into establishing an astrological lifestyle seemed futile, if not absurd.
Our reasons, which are all apparent in our natal charts, of course, stem from the overwhelming yearning to figure out our truest soul’s purpose in this lifetime, gain a fundamental understanding of the nature of reality, and evolve through and past the most limiting of our human conditions. There does not seem to be any practice, in all of psychology, spirituality, religion, or astrology that offers such a path without using a word that is synonymous with “evolution.” In his first bestselling book, The Inner Sky, master Evolutionary Astrologer, immensely wise soul, and spiritual teacher, Steven Forrest writes, “Astrology’s principal advantage is speed. Without it, we may stumble around for years trying to sort out good information about who we are from all the phony truths and empty dreams with which we have been programmed. Psychotherapy may accelerate the process. So might a dynamic marriage… But all those processes take time… On the other hand, an astrological reading consumes only an afternoon. In a matter of two of three hours a level of self-awareness can be generated that might take years to put together in any other way.” (Forrest, 2012, page 3)
Many are content with accepting who they are, living today as they lived yesterday, and following in the footsteps of their predecessors. Some, such as you and I, are not. We have a burning desire, coming from somewhere deep within, to grow into the person we know we were born to become. This process, as you and I know, is not simple. The destination cannot be located. The path is not paved or even mowed. It’s all weeds and overgrowth with no sight of the horizon ahead. We must just constantly trust that our inner compass is leading the way.
One valuable tool to bring along on this journey is Evolutionary Astrology. This tool, whether you learn how to use it or find someone else who can, is like the map. Again, in The Inner Sky, Steven Forrest writes, “Physically, a birth chart is simply a map.” (Forrest, 2012, 16) When you first calculate your own birth chart, it will look like a two-dimensional paper pizza with alien symbols and a bunch of random numerical degrees. When you pair that pizza with a tall glass of astrological knowledge, spiritual wisdom, and a desire to know thyself deeply, it truly does become a map.
Where did you pick up a certain behavior? It’s on the map. Where have you made mistakes that you may or may not have learned from? It’s on the map. Where have you given away your power and where should you go to get it back? It’s on the map. Where will you go if you follow your truth toward your soul’s purpose? It’s on the map. Follow the map of yourself and guess what you will find.
You.
