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Religion and Astrology

Religion  and Astrology

As the Sun shines upon my heart, so may my heart shine upon others!

The Upanishads

In Interfaith work we are moved by and interested in exploring that which touches our souls and connects us all. Nature is one of those divine, delicious and powerful factors that hold us all in awe.

Light is a foundational factor in nature, Religion and culture. Like the sun it impacts us all.

Light is held as sacred from antiquity.
All Religions have rituals and other ways of acknowledging the pivotal role of light to the creation and continuation of life.
We now know from modern research in Quantum Physics that light, like sound, travels in waves and impact all living things.

Astrology is the study of the science and poetry of light and the language of time. The word itself is composed of two parts: the first part is aster, meaning star, in which the ancient documents and contemporary physics both tell is composed of points of light, and ology, meaning the study of.  In the ancient Vedic scripture, thousands of years old, it tells is that Astrology is Jyotisa or literally “light from God”; jyoti – light, isa – God. A knowledge of Astrology helps us understand  both the outer light that shines on us from the heavenly bodies and our own inner light or soul. In addition to the outer zodiac of time and the stars there is the inner zodiac or the subtle body. When we understand more about our souls purpose our lives are enriched and our motivations and intentions become clarified as we connect with the quality of spontaneous right action. Astrology and related subjects are valid sciences applicable to both the divine and mundane sphere because they are non-causal, rather, they are representative of higher universal laws.

Living in harmony with universal law provides us with guidance through the ups and downs of life.

A famous Bhagavad-gita verse (BG 2.14) states:

matra-sparsas tu kaunteya
sitosna-sukha-duhkha-dah
agamapayino ‘nityas
tams titiksasva bharata

“O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.”  

Maintaining some objectivity seems easy to understand when nothing is troubling us. Challenges arise when we are beset by some obstacle or crisis. At these times there is a tendency for us to lose objectivity. Astrological guidance can inform us when a particular effect will begin to manifest, how long it will last, and it can provide some spiritual remedies and guidance to help us find balance and comfort.

Until the eighteenth century Physicians in Europe were required to study Astrology, and many of the classical Physicians such as Hippocrates were Astrologers. One well known Physician of the twentieth century who was an Astrologer and used it in his work was Dr. Carl Jung, founder of Analytic Psychology. Here is one of his many quotes about Astrology:

So far as the personality is still potential, it can be called transcendent, and so far as it is unconscious, it is indistinguishable from all those things that carry its projections…[that is,] symbols of the outside world and the cosmic symbols. These form the psychological basis for the conception of man as a macrocosm through the astrological components of his character.

 Dr. Carl Jung – Psychiatrist, Astrologer and founder of Analytic Psychology

In a sense we could say that the stars talk to us because celestial light is a universal form of communication or language we can draw on to help us in living.  We can learn to understand the language of light and this is called Astrology.
The wave forms in light change from moment to moment and place to place and that is why each being and each event has its own energetic or vibrational imprint which we refer to as an Astrological chart.

Astronomy and Astrology were studied together for many centuries. From ancient times to the present  solar and lunar eclipses, equinoxes and solstices were observed and documented through drawings on rock faces and caves all around the world. These sacred sites and other writings show us that change in light patterns and movement of heavenly bodies has an impact on humans, animals and vegetation. This art is studied by Astrologers, Astronomers and Archeologists alike and there is an increasing interest in communication among these disciplines as each possesses a valid body of knowledge and collaboration amongst the disciplines is helping us answer questions about how various cultures viewed the heavens. If we consider that Astronomy is the science of the stars, and Astrology the poetry of the stars, then we begin to understand that these two disciplines need to be rejoined once again in the same way that Medicine and spirituality are currently being brought together again. These are intertwined areas of study, and an understanding of each is synergistic, lending insight to both.

In the northern hemisphere we just experienced the spring equinox. The return of the sun is celebrated around the world. The photo gallery link I am including with this article illustrates a few of the ways that Astrology is celebrated in world culture and Religions. The zodiac has been celebrated as sacred art for thousands of years. Many cathedrals in Europe including Chartres and Notre Dame have Astrological Zodiacs still present on their stained glass windows. In Israel there are ancient Synagogues with beautiful Zodiac mosaic work on their floors. The Astrological Mandala is a circle of life that unites us and the language of Astrology, and comes to us in the ancient myths and stories. Like the Interfaith Ministry, Astrology is a bridge across cultures and traditions, illuminating universal truths that we all share.

Please enjoy this photo gallery of Astrological images from around the world.

http://www.startalkastro.com/page5.php

Bibliography

http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/encyclopedia/astrology.htm

http://www.vedicsociety.org/vedic-origins-of-the-zodiac-the-hymns-of-dirghatamas-in-the-rig-a-236.html

      Jung, Carl Gustav.  Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1973.

      Tarnas, Rick.  Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View. New York: Plume, 2007.

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   Tedlock, Barbara.  The Woman in the Shaman’s Body: Reclaiming the Feminine in Religion and Medicine. New York: Bantam, 2005.

Author

Rev. Dr. Katherine O’Connell/Pema Khandro is the Chancellor of East-West Interfaith Seminary, an online global Interfaith Ministry Training Program. She is an author, an Interfaith Minister, a Jungian Psychologist, Professor of both Western and Chinese Medicine, and an Astrologer for over 40 years.

You may contact East-West Seminary at www.interfaithseminaries.net

Or email Raven4848@yahoo.com