How Astrology Can Work As An Oracle
Why we yearn for answers
There is something very human about wanting to know our purpose, that we’re on the right path and even just why we are here. I heard a Dolores Cannon video on why we “forget our mission and goals” when we come to earth. I mean wouldn’t that be so great if we remembered what the things were that we wanted to achieve and complete in this life time?!
But that’s not what Earth as a school is about according to the information Dolores has received. It’s been described as that would be like having the answers given to you right before a test. If that happens then it’s not really a test is it? That’s kind of easy. The work is in having to figure it out. The work is in having to trust yourself, trust your path and trust the twists and turns of life.
I feel this is where Astrology can come in. NOT as a cheat to the test, because if you truly know astrology, you’ll know that it’s not definite, but rather it shows potentials (which are very nuanced). I feel in this way Astrology is like an Oracle.
Art by HHeninge
What is an Oracle
At first thought, I think a lot of us believe that the Oracle will give us direct answers to the questions we seek. But oracles often speak in a kind of roundabout way, one that demands we bring our own awareness and intuition into focus to be able to decipher the true meaning underneath.
The Oracle of Delphi (the Pythia, priestess of Apollo) was famous for her cryptic messages, when people came to her seeking clarity. Her answers were often phrased as riddles or very ambiguous statements that were designed to be thought provoking, rather than a black and white answer. They were at best poetic rather than direct.
When King Croesus asked her if he should go to war with Persia, she responded, “if you go to war, a great empire will fall”. The King thought that empire would be the Persians, but it was his own empire that went down.
So whilst Oracles can impart wisdom, they rarely give a direct answer as we might imagine or hope for. I think if you ever watched the Matrix you would have seen this in action. If you’ve seen the movie when Neo goes to see the Oracle the words “Temet Nosce” are on a plaque above her door which means “know thyself” (this is the exact words that were also written at The Temple of Apollo at Delphi).
There’s a few interactions between Neo and the Oracle in the matrix but perhaps my favourite is,
"Oh, don't worry about the vase.""What vase?" [Neo turns, knocks it over] "What's really going to bake your noodle later on is, would you still have broken it if I hadn't said anything?"
So the oracles words shape the outcome in way, but doesn’t directly dictate it. If she hadn’t said anything at all, would the outcome have been the same?
"You didn't come here to make the choice. You've already made it. You're here to try to understand why you made it."
This is where Astrology comes to mind for me.
I know people often come to astrology or for a reading wanting a direct answer and that a ‘good’ astrologer will be able to tell them exactly what they should do, or which decision to make. But in fact, that’s not really what a good astrologer can do (unless they’re crazy psychic), but that aside it always comes back to “YOU ARE THE ANSWER” or “Know Thy Self” no matter how frustrating that is when you desperately want to know something. Only you can make the decision, everything else is guidance to help you reach that decision for yourself. But that guidance and step in seeking the clarity can very much shape the outcome, just like in the vase example.
How Astrology Can Work as an Oracle
One of the most ancient aspects of astrology are the symbols that in different combinations make up the ‘glyphs’ of each planet. These symbols then carry the meaning of the archetype they represent. The position of the planets relative to each other and then relative to where the planets are now gives us themes and patterns that are likely to be playing out in our lives. This is the process of divination.
Divination is ancient and the word originates from latin divinare "to be inspired by a god" or "to foresee." It’s a process that is more about accessing wisdom or insight from within you that is beyond the thinking analytical mind (again I refer to this as “inner astrology” aka your intuition and metacognition). Carl Jung referred to this process as synchronicity. The symbols aren’t ‘causing’ anything to happen, and yet they can mirror something that is already moving within us, potentially allowing what is unconscious to move to the conscious.
This information conveyed through an astrologer (or a person who can read a chart including yourself) can then act as a kind of key in a persons mind, giving focus as to what they could be reflecting on in their life. This contemplation naturally brings about the persons ‘inner astrology’ - what I refer to as their intuition, self awareness and inner senses to deeply tune into how they are feeling, what comes up for them in response to the archetypal themes being shared through the astrology.
Astrology is amazing at looking at dates, eclipses, transits and progressions amongst many other astrological techniques that paint enough of a picture to really stimulate someones line of thinking in terms of the answers they seek. It’s like a poetic answer, wisdom phrase and sophisticated riddle that the Oracle of Delphi might share. There is meaning and truth, but only you can decipher it. In the Matrix movie, Morpheus said to Neo, "What was said was for you and for you alone." That’s exactly true of your astrology too. That’s why we love movie scenes like this as they deeply resonate with our own hero’s journey.
Most important thing to remember with Astrology, is that this is a correlation between us and the planetary movements rather than a causation. We are astrology and we're experiencing everything internally.
That’s why Astrology when used with our ‘inner astrology” (metacognition and intuition) can really act like an Oracle to help us find the answers inside of us.
It can prompt us and very much be a guidance that shapes the outcome of our life without dictating exactly what will happen.
If this resonated with you, then you might like to take a look at my Spiritual Nutrition Astrology Fundamentals Course which covers planetary glyphs, aspects, inner astrology and so much more.
Or you can dive into a reading or 6 session mentoring journey with me to deeply explore your chart and be held through whatever you’re navigating right now in your life. More here.
A snippet of the Spiritual Nutrition Astrology Fundamentals Workbook.
