Hello, my brother in Christ! I've stumbled across your substack today and I believe this is something the Lord desired me to find! I have recently within the last month or so been studying astrology and discerning its meaning and use, and how God was desiring us to participate in the music of the heavens! So I was very excited to find your stack! This particular post is SO GOOD, wow, I am blown away! And it solidifies SO many things for me in my own journey through this art and discipline! Especially this line: "The ‘music’ that the planets turn to is the same ‘music’ our souls dance to. . ." 🤯🤯🤯 EXACTLY! You've perfectly encapsulated the beauty and the resonance of learning the placement and symbols of the heavens! I am just so excited! I thought I wouldn't ever be able to find a Christian with both a solid understanding of God's Word and an interest in learning/practicing astrology, but to find some of like-mind makes me feel encouraged about what the Lord has been teaching me through this self-study. Thank you, thank you! You have a head start on me in regards to how long you have been studying/practicing, so I can't wait to learn more from your substack here! 😊
I write a lot, I often write paragraphs to posts that I am interested in and then delete most of it and write even more paragraphs, but this time I want to keep my questions focused and well-aimed to bring out the best discussion. This is my well-aimed question:
Do you think that, because the "music of God" is behind all of the cosmos, that one could use anything to symbolically reflect on one's life? I see that you've brought up Tarot, so I presume that you see Tarot and astrology along similarly veins of justification. But could you use anything, provided that you had a rich symbolic library to interpret? Could I interpret the clouds, given a good set of correspondences? What about the licence plates on cars? I'm not asking this facetiously, I'm genuinely curious on your thoughts.
I appreciate your comments a lot! I'm glad my writing provides food for thought.
I will clarify that I do NOT practice Tarot card reading, although I have dabbled with it a tiny bit in the past. While I think the symbols in Tarot are quite fascinating and can illustrate very powerful archetypes, Tarot can be a very dangerous tool that has potential to damage the mind and soul. Because its symbols are so potent, it is an extremely powerful piece of technology that can be used to perpetually generate synchronicities. But I believe this is very akin to having a "spiritual experience" through the usage of psychedelics. It seduces the user into taking more psychedelics or asking the Tarot cards more questions, causing them to spiral into madness. I have seen it firsthand with several people, both with psychedelics and Tarot. Synchronicities are truly a joyous thing to experience, but they must not be forced. God can speak through anything, clouds and license plates like you mentioned. But He will make it very obvious to you when it happens. I think when we start to seek these experiences out instead of seeking out the God that causes these things to happen, we are in great danger.
Regarding astrology, I would personally say that it is in a different category than Tarot. Mainly because these are celestial objects that God Himself created and are operating in the sky whether we are aware of them or not, whereas Tarot symbols are artifices that have been synthesized by human beings. Also, the planets and stars are predictable and their cycles have been consistent since we have been observing them. Tarot card readings are purely based on random chance.
I hope this was helpful! Again, this is just my amateur opinion.
Very interesting. I do think that Tarot and astrology have enough differences to be set apart, at least by a bit. Actually, you're absolutely right that the fact that Tarot decks are artificial rather than natural phenomena means that they are quite different. But I'd like to push here a bit, and see what gives: let's think about this. With Tarot, both the symbols and their meanings were man-made: a human artist drew the Magician card, utilizing preexisting symbology to fabricate a symbol with particular salience in speaking to a particular bundle of meanings. Considering this, it becomes clear that the meaning of the Magician is built right into the structure of the drawing. It communicates what it's author set out to communicate. In contrast, no one but God could have set the planets and stars out in the universe. They were and are by God's design alone. Yet clearly the *meanings* of the planets and the signs of the zodiac were man-made, or at least man-mediated, right? Because it takes a conscious decision on the part of ancient peoples to decide to divide the sky into 12 sectors, and for that matter it must have been a gradual evolution of human legend-telling which landed us with the animals and symbols of the zodiac signs. Further still, when we come to (for instance) the planet Mars as "meaning" some complex constellation of violence, ambition, vigor, blood, etc., we have a conundrum. The most likely reason why Mars was associated with these things in the ancient past is because of its visibly redder hue than the other planets in the sky. Red brings to mind blood as one potent bearer of the color on earth, and so we built out from there a rich tapestry of symbolic meanings centered just on the one planet on its own. But to what extent can we say that Mars "means" everything that we've said it means, *to God?* It would require something like the claim that "ancient astrologers were divinely inspired, by the true God of the universe and not by the polytheistic gods of their culture, to assign the meanings that they did to the cosmos in order to construct astrology as we know it today." to assert that the meanings of astrological symbols were as much from God's word as the planets themselves. Or perhaps that's a narrow view. I think it's at least worth contemplating, especially since astrology emerged in an ancient polytheistic culture whose values and, indeed, whose very gods were can still be seen that in both the names of the planets and their meanings, much in the same way that you can learn a great deal about the cultural context in which Tarot emerged by engaging with Tarot symbols. What are your thoughts?
Very good point. I would retort to this by saying that the symbolism surrounding the planets and the stars are not arbitrarily assigned, but rather based on the observations of the cycles of nature. My intuition and research makes me believe that the ancients who developed this symbolic language of astrology were greatly in tune with these cycles and developed symbols that concisely depicted how these cycles correlate with earthly events. For example, I would guess that Mars is not associated with war and aggression merely because it is red, but rather because ancient peoples noticed that whenever that planet was in a certain place, conflicts would arise. I met an older woman one time who grew up during the Great Depression; she said that an old piece of farmer’s wisdom that her dad taught her was that when Venus was in a certain sign, that was the best time to plant peas. I think that example perfectly captures the point I’m trying to make. The symbolism of astrology was most likely developed from the “bottom-up” through observations of the natural world over time. Whereas Tarot card symbolism is a “top-down” phenomena. While the symbols in Tarot can very powerfully capture archetypes that occur in real life, the cards themselves are not grounded in the cycles of physical reality like the planets are. They are abstractions that have been taken out of space and time. And whereas astrology is an extremely ancient practice, Tarot is a practice that can only be traced back to the 18th century.
Thank you so much! It means so much to me that you enjoy my research <3
Flattered you are reaching out to me on this topic, but unfortunately I have been asked this question before and I always give the same answer: most of what I write is entirely original. It is my own synthesis of different astrological and theological materials that I have read.
It's rare that you will ever find material that is both astrological and explicitly Christian. I know there is an old book written back in 1647 by William Lilly called "Christian Astrology" but as far as I know that is the only text that unifies the topic.
As far as Orthodox theology goes, I recommend reading St. Maximus the Confessor, St. Gregory the Theologian, St. Basil the Great to get an idea of ancient Christian cosmology. As far as astrology goes, most of what I know comes from various websites and videos I have watched, combined with my own field research. One of my favorite websites is http://advanced-astrology.com/ I hope this helps!
It is worth noting, I think, that the 3 Wise Men divined the birth of Jesus Christ and even pinpointed his location via star reading. There was also the Urim and Thummim, or the casting of lots, which seems to have been abandoned after Pentecost.
I took it to mean that any viable source of information that points to the truth will eventually point to Jesus Christ, even if divination is prohibited in general.
Hello, my brother in Christ! I've stumbled across your substack today and I believe this is something the Lord desired me to find! I have recently within the last month or so been studying astrology and discerning its meaning and use, and how God was desiring us to participate in the music of the heavens! So I was very excited to find your stack! This particular post is SO GOOD, wow, I am blown away! And it solidifies SO many things for me in my own journey through this art and discipline! Especially this line: "The ‘music’ that the planets turn to is the same ‘music’ our souls dance to. . ." 🤯🤯🤯 EXACTLY! You've perfectly encapsulated the beauty and the resonance of learning the placement and symbols of the heavens! I am just so excited! I thought I wouldn't ever be able to find a Christian with both a solid understanding of God's Word and an interest in learning/practicing astrology, but to find some of like-mind makes me feel encouraged about what the Lord has been teaching me through this self-study. Thank you, thank you! You have a head start on me in regards to how long you have been studying/practicing, so I can't wait to learn more from your substack here! 😊
Very good article!
I write a lot, I often write paragraphs to posts that I am interested in and then delete most of it and write even more paragraphs, but this time I want to keep my questions focused and well-aimed to bring out the best discussion. This is my well-aimed question:
Do you think that, because the "music of God" is behind all of the cosmos, that one could use anything to symbolically reflect on one's life? I see that you've brought up Tarot, so I presume that you see Tarot and astrology along similarly veins of justification. But could you use anything, provided that you had a rich symbolic library to interpret? Could I interpret the clouds, given a good set of correspondences? What about the licence plates on cars? I'm not asking this facetiously, I'm genuinely curious on your thoughts.
I appreciate your comments a lot! I'm glad my writing provides food for thought.
I will clarify that I do NOT practice Tarot card reading, although I have dabbled with it a tiny bit in the past. While I think the symbols in Tarot are quite fascinating and can illustrate very powerful archetypes, Tarot can be a very dangerous tool that has potential to damage the mind and soul. Because its symbols are so potent, it is an extremely powerful piece of technology that can be used to perpetually generate synchronicities. But I believe this is very akin to having a "spiritual experience" through the usage of psychedelics. It seduces the user into taking more psychedelics or asking the Tarot cards more questions, causing them to spiral into madness. I have seen it firsthand with several people, both with psychedelics and Tarot. Synchronicities are truly a joyous thing to experience, but they must not be forced. God can speak through anything, clouds and license plates like you mentioned. But He will make it very obvious to you when it happens. I think when we start to seek these experiences out instead of seeking out the God that causes these things to happen, we are in great danger.
Regarding astrology, I would personally say that it is in a different category than Tarot. Mainly because these are celestial objects that God Himself created and are operating in the sky whether we are aware of them or not, whereas Tarot symbols are artifices that have been synthesized by human beings. Also, the planets and stars are predictable and their cycles have been consistent since we have been observing them. Tarot card readings are purely based on random chance.
I hope this was helpful! Again, this is just my amateur opinion.
Very interesting. I do think that Tarot and astrology have enough differences to be set apart, at least by a bit. Actually, you're absolutely right that the fact that Tarot decks are artificial rather than natural phenomena means that they are quite different. But I'd like to push here a bit, and see what gives: let's think about this. With Tarot, both the symbols and their meanings were man-made: a human artist drew the Magician card, utilizing preexisting symbology to fabricate a symbol with particular salience in speaking to a particular bundle of meanings. Considering this, it becomes clear that the meaning of the Magician is built right into the structure of the drawing. It communicates what it's author set out to communicate. In contrast, no one but God could have set the planets and stars out in the universe. They were and are by God's design alone. Yet clearly the *meanings* of the planets and the signs of the zodiac were man-made, or at least man-mediated, right? Because it takes a conscious decision on the part of ancient peoples to decide to divide the sky into 12 sectors, and for that matter it must have been a gradual evolution of human legend-telling which landed us with the animals and symbols of the zodiac signs. Further still, when we come to (for instance) the planet Mars as "meaning" some complex constellation of violence, ambition, vigor, blood, etc., we have a conundrum. The most likely reason why Mars was associated with these things in the ancient past is because of its visibly redder hue than the other planets in the sky. Red brings to mind blood as one potent bearer of the color on earth, and so we built out from there a rich tapestry of symbolic meanings centered just on the one planet on its own. But to what extent can we say that Mars "means" everything that we've said it means, *to God?* It would require something like the claim that "ancient astrologers were divinely inspired, by the true God of the universe and not by the polytheistic gods of their culture, to assign the meanings that they did to the cosmos in order to construct astrology as we know it today." to assert that the meanings of astrological symbols were as much from God's word as the planets themselves. Or perhaps that's a narrow view. I think it's at least worth contemplating, especially since astrology emerged in an ancient polytheistic culture whose values and, indeed, whose very gods were can still be seen that in both the names of the planets and their meanings, much in the same way that you can learn a great deal about the cultural context in which Tarot emerged by engaging with Tarot symbols. What are your thoughts?
Very good point. I would retort to this by saying that the symbolism surrounding the planets and the stars are not arbitrarily assigned, but rather based on the observations of the cycles of nature. My intuition and research makes me believe that the ancients who developed this symbolic language of astrology were greatly in tune with these cycles and developed symbols that concisely depicted how these cycles correlate with earthly events. For example, I would guess that Mars is not associated with war and aggression merely because it is red, but rather because ancient peoples noticed that whenever that planet was in a certain place, conflicts would arise. I met an older woman one time who grew up during the Great Depression; she said that an old piece of farmer’s wisdom that her dad taught her was that when Venus was in a certain sign, that was the best time to plant peas. I think that example perfectly captures the point I’m trying to make. The symbolism of astrology was most likely developed from the “bottom-up” through observations of the natural world over time. Whereas Tarot card symbolism is a “top-down” phenomena. While the symbols in Tarot can very powerfully capture archetypes that occur in real life, the cards themselves are not grounded in the cycles of physical reality like the planets are. They are abstractions that have been taken out of space and time. And whereas astrology is an extremely ancient practice, Tarot is a practice that can only be traced back to the 18th century.
Hope that made sense!
Ah! This! This is fascinating. I'll be chewing on this for a while, you've made an excellent point worth pondering over. Pleasure discussing, Ioannis.
I have been enjoying your comments! They have been very helpful in refining my thinking. Much appreciated!
Awesome
I’ve really enjoyed reading your articles relating to astrology, they are great, would you recommend any books for those interested in learning more?
Thank you so much! It means so much to me that you enjoy my research <3
Flattered you are reaching out to me on this topic, but unfortunately I have been asked this question before and I always give the same answer: most of what I write is entirely original. It is my own synthesis of different astrological and theological materials that I have read.
It's rare that you will ever find material that is both astrological and explicitly Christian. I know there is an old book written back in 1647 by William Lilly called "Christian Astrology" but as far as I know that is the only text that unifies the topic.
As far as Orthodox theology goes, I recommend reading St. Maximus the Confessor, St. Gregory the Theologian, St. Basil the Great to get an idea of ancient Christian cosmology. As far as astrology goes, most of what I know comes from various websites and videos I have watched, combined with my own field research. One of my favorite websites is http://advanced-astrology.com/ I hope this helps!
It is worth noting, I think, that the 3 Wise Men divined the birth of Jesus Christ and even pinpointed his location via star reading. There was also the Urim and Thummim, or the casting of lots, which seems to have been abandoned after Pentecost.
I took it to mean that any viable source of information that points to the truth will eventually point to Jesus Christ, even if divination is prohibited in general.