Wednesday, December 22, 2010
The Magi
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Retrograde Mercury
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Beginner's Mind
A deep bow to Suzuki Roshi for the title of this post -- it was the title of his first book. And a deep bow of apology to you, the reader, for the length of time since my last post. I've been dealing with ulnar nerve impingement in my right arm and tendinitis in both hands which forced me to stop using my computer. Thankfully, I have found a wonderful solution which I am using right now––Dragon Dictation––that enables me to use my computer completely by voice. Enough about me. Let's talk astrology.
Every once in a while I pick up a recently published book by some well-known, well-respected astrologer just to see what's being run up the flagpole these days. In one such book I am presently reading the author purportedly explains how to do an astrological consultation, all the while exhorting the reader to, above all else, keep it simple. Yet in their very first example they cite an obscure, minor aspect to explain an over-archingly predominant trait in a famous person's personality. I was dumbfounded. In the example chart one finds a planet rising in the first house that has long traditionally been associated with all of the elements of the personality trait that are being pointed to. Even a beginning astrological student would be puzzled as to why this is not mentioned and why instead we are to attribute things to something far less obvious. Ok, fine, if something works for you, great, use it. But when your “system” of astrology becomes attached to any one particular facet of astrological science to the point of missing the big picture then you have, to use the Zen metaphor, mistaken the finger for the moon.
My point is, we must be wary of becoming experts. Trust what we see, not how we see it. Don't get me wrong. Yes, I've done my homework, I know my symbols, aspects, signs… I've learned it all and I've learned it well. But in the end I am always reminded that I'm looking at a living thing. That I am not going to be able to figure it out on one level. If all of my chart preparations don't leave me in a place where I realize I am looking only at one thing, one living thing then I've missed the boat, I've missed the person.
Again, let there be no mistake, I am not at all suggesting overlooking the identification, study and understanding of the many, many details in the science of a horoscope. That is an essential prerequisite. You will not be able to articulate what you are seeing without this necessary groundwork. But we can't forget, as my dear friend and astrological mentor, Barbara Watters, continually reminded me, “Always go back to the chart.” What am I seeing? If I think, oh, it couldn't be that simple, that obvious, could it? The answer is almost always yes.