19 May 2025 12:20pm

Astrology is a system/practice that has brought me so much learning and inspiration over the years but, if I’m being honest, my own beliefs and approach often do not align with many of the ways astrology is talked about and wielded. Astrological systems (there are many different schools— Western/Greco-Roman, Egyptian, Hindu/Vedic, Chinese, etc!) have evolved over time, and with time. In recent years, it seems peoples’ interests (including my own) have deepened beyond quippy magazine sun sign horoscopes, which is heartening and exciting, but also seems to have come with an avalanche of opportunistic hot-takes. I’d be lying if I said criticisms of astrology (both my own and external) didn’t make me want to distance myself or qualify/clarify the motivations of my interest. 

So, I suppose, in a sense, here’s that ...

I consider myself a reflective astrology enthusiast, not an astrologer — one who practices and encourages an approach of self-reflection and lots and lots (and lots) of discernment. My approach falls under what would be considered Jungian / psychological astrology, but again (importantly) I am simply a depth psychology enthusiast not a psychologist or analyst. 

So already you can probably sense that there are quite a few nuances to where I stand on using and talking about astrology. For starters, I do not believe events/traits happen *because* of astrological alignments (which is the approach of Mundane Astrology), but *sometimes alongside* energies that our ancestors poetically attributed to the patterns made by the moving bodies in our skies. Lately (and maybe always?), there is a dangerous tendency to chalk up bad behaviour and/or the frightful state of the world to the astrological flavour of the week. I say dangerous because that approach A) is insulting (and sometimes genuinely harmful) to people in crisis and B) essentially discards personal responsibility and agency from the equation. Feeling or noticing an energetic influence is one thing (and astrological language can be very helpful for expressing this!), but forgetting our discernment and the power of our free will is a slippery slope that leads to… well, something like where the world is now.

This is one of many reasons why I specify that my approach to astrology is *reflective*. To me, the treasure that astrology can offer cannot be found in the ‘blaming the universe for misfortune and hardship’ narrative, or even any kind of grandiose predictions of success, love, or a golden era. Instead, I think we could all benefit from a little grounded (and, yes, mystical) anchoring, rather than generic predictions or promises of doom and gloom (which often just results in anxiety and/or self-fulfilling prophecies).

The treasure that astrology can offer, I believe, is found in using it as *a map of our wholeness* that highlights certain areas of life (indicated by each House’s associations) and Self (indicated by Placements of celestial bodies in your natal chart) that might benefit from our focus over a certain time period. Or, the map might offer some insights into a certain pattern that keeps repeating. Or a hollow echo-y void that never seems to fill with life force. Or that particular sign that you just can’t stand might give you some shadow material to work with (spoiler: it’s in your chart too…!)

These are things only YOU can confirm (or deny) about yourself and your lived experience, which is why explaining what the houses, signs, and celestial bodies represent is usually the extent of the interpretation I tend to offer in my readings and workshops. The rest of the connection-making is very personal, and up to you to initiate/unpack if/when the time is right.

Reflective astrology is much more about *strengths-based empowerment* and much less about interpretive gatekeeping. Once you have a basic grasp on how to read an astrology chart (which is what I aim to offer in my Elemental pocket guide and workshops), it can become a prompt for you to check-in with yourself and a way for you to make the call on how/if a planetary signature or transit applies to your own life.

Not every Mercury retrograde will be a disaster, not every full moon will make you cry, not every Leo sun likes the spotlight,  not every eclipse will feel initiatory or transformational, not every birth chart will instantly feel like it fits like a glove, etc etc etc. On the other hand, your Saturn placement might tell you something about the structures and boundaries of your life, the Moon can give you some insights into your emotional world, and your Pluto placement might tell you something about the defining characteristics of your generation’s role/impact/power in society.

So, when I say I'm an astrology enthusiast I am definitely not turning a blind eye to the red flags that are out there-- things like assigning astrological causation to political or geographic events, othering and stereotyping people based on surface-level labelling of signs/archetypes, astrologers promoting fear and dread over introspection or growth… AND I don’t think we need to throw out a beautiful ancient tool with the murky 21st century bathwater. Actually, quite the opposite.

Let’s use it to prompt some deeper thinking around areas of life, gifts and shadows, barriers and challenges, repetitive patterns, points of ease and growth, etc. A structure for prompting guided inquiry into ourselves and our relationships. That kind of approach seems way more grounded and useful to me.

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TLDR version:

We all carry a bit of each sign -- each archetype -- within us. We all interact with each element. Each energy. Each area of life.

You are not your Sun Sign

Not your Moon or Rising

You are made of the whole sky

Each element
Each shadow
Each gift

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P.S.  I also think astrology (a heuristic psycho-spiritual practice) and astronomy (an evidence-based scientific field) can actually beautifully complement one another (and for a long time were considered one and the same…!) Let me know if you’d like to read a future blog post on this topic.