HOW CAN THIS BE USED SAFELY?

There are a few stages of working with Astrology. Firstly one must spend some time with the birth chart and gain an appreciation of the basic structure of the psyche. These are the patterns which will be set off whenever a transit or progression contacts these points. Do this as outlined earlier and by having your chart interpreted by a competent Astrologer. Spend time becoming familiar with the planets as energies and how they fit together in your life. When interpreting the tensions within the birthchart also interpret them as though they were positives. This allows you to see the positive option to bad habits of energy use.

Then start to watch the quicker moving planets movement over your chart, observing how it becomes 'set off'. Remember each planet governs a certain sphere of life, so that sphere will be activated by that planet. If you are watching the Moon this will be matters of an emotional nature which cause ups and downs. Mother, family and home may all be involved. If it is Mercury, your mental awakeness, issues around communication and travel will be effected and so on. This exercise allows you to see how you are a puppet on a string and how you are not. Be sure to just observe here. Live out your life as you have in the past. Begin to watch the cause and effect nature of things and how an action taken under one influence or birth chart structure occurs again when this same area is stimulated.

Transits and progressions are acting as the planetary mechanisms for bringing our already determined events of destiny and karma to us. They are coming anyway, all we have to do is look out for them. Look into the past and see what planetary influences where active, at what time and what were the events they brought up. Observe especially the periods when the outer planets moved over major structures in your chart. What happened?

Astrology really works on cycles. All the planets are cyclic. Their relationships to one another are cyclic as are their relationships to your birth chart. The seven year cycles are the four cardinal points of the Saturn cycle and therefore related to the process of an individual becoming responsible for themselves. Jupiter cycles are twelve years long and relate to the person becoming socially aware to the communities ideals and morals and so on. Any planetary influence should be observed as part of its cycle and certainly in relation to the last times it ran over other parts of any planetary pattern you have in your chart.

Pitfalls & Solutions
It is possible to predict an event in fine detail and its possible outcome. However it does take time and often it is not practical to put in the amount of time and energy needed to get every detail. The way this is done is that each predictive technique gives one bit of the picture. So the more techniques you use the more bits of the picture you have and so the more detailed is the relief of the event. The more information you receive though the greater the possibly of becoming totally confused by all the information. Generally one looks for the dominant themes running through all the techniques used.

Once you have all this information, a possible scenario can be devised. There is a problem though. The harder you look for your scenario and the more formed you make it, the less you are open to what life is bringing you. So while you are looking in one corner, life may have presented your gift in the other and you were not there. This is a real pitfall, however not one to give up Astrology for. We Humans are pretty smart however a touch of humility goes a long way when attempting to predict the manifestation of the cosmos.

After observing the birth chart for some time you will gain an understanding of how the energy works. When transits or progressions move over your chart they will generally manifest along those established lines. The more unusual events generally arise when several planetary events all occur at once.

The future always develops out of the present. So events as they unfold now influence the details of tomorrow. These details are more and more difficult to predict the further you go into the future. So while there are some advantages in having a long term overview in general terms, there is little advantage in looking more than a few years ahead. An exercise exploring the big cycles of ones life is certainly worthwhile though and can provide an image of the importance of a present situation in the context of the whole life.

When looking into the future one looks for the big events and mostly at their timing. Astrology is the clock of the Universe and Astrologers its time keepers. The big events are transits of Pluto, Neptune , Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter and Chiron.

These provide the outline for when a period of influence becomes active. From this outline a general picture of what influences can occur can be imagined. Imagine both the tensions and the positive ways in which even a tension can come about. Meditate on how any energy can be used in its most positive way.

It is then important to leave your expectations as imaginations and live your life and watch. Just be in life and observe what is going on. Observe what the events coming at you are, during the periods of influence. As they arise identify them and see where they are coming from. Once they are identified it is then possible to gain a picture of their life cycle, by plotting the retrograde and forward motion of the planets movement over the months ahead.

Consider how these events are replays of the past and how they are steps into the future. Observe your Astral body’s reaction to these events. Then consider your response. You have several things on your side in this situation. There is some objective awareness of the phenomena pulling the strings, the events and their timing of unfoldment. Here there is choice. Observe the tense manifestations and observe the positive manifestations as well. Rarely does an influence only manifest in one way. Generally there are at least four or five ways it is manifesting at one time. Look at resolving the tension and focus on capitalising on the positives. Do more of those. With greater choice and objectivity comes responsibility. How can you act in a manner that brings graceful resolve to circumstance and leads to healing and joy for all concerned?

Any action will create reaction. Our choice can be to create positive reaction while experiencing and releasing the negativity of the past, rather than perpetuating the same cycles which may not have been working. Insanity is doing the same things in a recurring situation and expecting a different result.

This is a powerful tool and it can be misused. And it can be used well too.

Outer planetary transits indicate the doorways to greater awareness, psychic sensitivity and spirit centredness. Consciousness is a spiral. Each time we pass the same way, it can be at another turn of the spiral. So an aspect which created jealousy and fear at one time, can be moved over time into a state of personal strength and security. This then allows for a broader acceptance of an individual’s love nature being expressed as they wish. What would have once created drama can now create love. By being conscious of the door being opened it is possible to be waiting to walk through, with grace.

All we really have to do is say yes to the opportunity.

The cosmos inclines, it does not compel.
Astrology provides the timing.
You provide the state of consciousness.