Astrology - “oh my stars and garters!"
By
Allan Ritchie
“I am an Aries. Although I do not believe in astrology, I think this is exactly the right sign to have been born under.” Anne Lamott
There is little in the world that is more refuted than astrology, well except for maybe tarot reading. So we are devoting an issue of Tarot Reflections to the topic of Astrology.
The modern, western world would like to ridicule astrology so they can embrace the cold rationality of the scientific worldview. Still in most newspaper in the country we find a daily horoscope column. Those that read these column daily seldom take it that seriously but still they read them. We live in a society and a culture that embraces the rational and legitimize the logical yet we reach out to the mysterious edge for the truth. Many still know that there is a knowledge that can be grasped just outside of the reach of the logical.
We, tarot readers, know a thing or two about the human condition and world views. Every person has an understanding of the world that they hold and use to make sense of what exists around them and still within each of us are contradictions in what we believe. For me I am torn between my belief that tarot works and my disbelief in natal astrology. My deeper contradiction is that I know there is a truth in astrology. Even deeper still is that it is essential to my understanding of the cards. I feel that contradiction with every turn of the cards. What I don’t believe forms the basis of that which I do.
In the creation of my tarot craft nothing was more useful to the formation of meaning and understanding than western astrology. With a great debt to the Golden Dawn who incorporated the tarot along with western esoteric hermetic systems, we have a path to individual tarot card meanings. The integral structural format that astrology can lend to the tarot is approachable, formative and complex.
It is hard to overestimate the usefulness of astrology in understanding the tarot. Are you looking for a way to understand timing in your readings? The Wheel of the year can be laid out in the minor suits in ten day sections. Are you looking to understand elemental dignities and the way that they support and conflict with each other? The use of elements, modalities and polarity of signs is ripe for the picking. Do you struggle with how to pick a significator for a client? The court cards can easily broken down in to the twelve astrological signs and in addition to that there are twelve major trumps that correspond to each of the astrological signs.
There is an essence to the astrological correspondences when used with tarot craft that creates a magical fusion of the tangible, practical cards and the ethereal, super-natural cosmos. The power to manifest the full universe of potential in a reading is the promise we have when we combine these two practices. You can create any set of meanings for the cards as you desire.This is the mysterious edge of truth that we explore with both astrology and tarot.
Believe it or not there is a value to study the possibilities. The stars are the limit!