Astrology and Agency
Astrology is a vast tradition—spanning culture, time, and philosophy. The question of free will is a philosophical issue at the root of astrological practice. Each astrological tradition has its own complex of answers to the question of free will. However, in the current postmodern era, astrology is largely shaped and defined by the individual than a distinct cultural tradition. In light of this, tradition is left to the fate of becoming another question or unconscious artifact. The philosophy of the astrologer thus emerges as a primary consideration, especially for the querent.
In my view, the therapeutic function of any given healing art depends on its ability to restore agency in the individual. A patient may extrovert their agency, projecting it upon the practitioner. In astrological practice, this manifests as the querent who just wants “answers” and who constantly seeks to evade life via apparent foreknowledge. Such querents are purely interested in the predictive application of astrology and its ability to dictate life for them.
Predictive astrology is rooted in the philosophy that the course of life is determined by the “gods”, or in this case, the planets. The Sanskrit term for planet, graha, literally means “that which seizes”. Indeed, we are influenced by forces apparently external to us, but not to an absolute degree. We are more potently influenced by the pattern-reaction of our own actions, rippling through time. This is to say that karma is the primary creator of our life, not the gods. In Vedic times, life itself was conceived in dependence upon the gods, and therefore, the daily mode of life was defined by appropriately-timed rituals.
Descriptive astrology is rooted in the philosophy that the human being naturally stands between Heaven and Earth, as the mediator of its own existence, in unity with the totality of nature. From this perspective, the purpose of astrology is to help us recognize and participate in our relationship to the macrocosm.
Whether gods, planets, or elemental spirits, these concepts function more appropriately as images, approximations that attempt to language the unconscious. Language evolves with the influence of culture, of time and place. Astrology is thus an ever-revolving language for the unconscious. Its universal symbols contain the truth of every time and place, of every person and plant. This means that astrology can help us understand the psycho-spiritual truths underlying the older ideas of gods and spirits.
Seen in this way, astrology can help catalyze the process of individuation throughout a person’s life. Astrology describes constitutional patterns and the dynamic of those microcosmic patterns in the context of the macrocosm. The natal chart is the mirror of the unconscious—in its past, present, and future. The alchemy of self-understanding leads to the conscious creation of a wholesome future—individuated while interdependent, unique in the undifferentiated field of consciousness.
We can no longer rely on the idea of tradition to define an astrological approach for us. Instead, we need to ask ourselves what we believe. For example, the idea of “Vedic astrology” is itself questionable. What is “Vedic astrology”? Vedic astrology is a reference to the Indian astrological tradition. But the present form of it is more accurately post-Vedic in formation. Thus, the usage of “Vedic” in this context is more of a device for establishing resonance with the antiquity of Indian philosophical knowledge (and, by extension, with the advent of all religious knowledge via the Rig Veda).
Modern proponents of Vedic astrology claim the sidereal zodiac as its defining feature. Yet, this assertion remains bound to the conventions of 20th century Indian astrologers and can hardly be substantiated in classical texts. In my view, the defining feature of Indian astrology is not zodiacal in nature but philosophical in nature. The zodiac issue is a fabrication that forms the superficial facade of Indian astrology. Indian astrology should not be defined by its techniques but on its emphasis—especially on the nature of karma, reincarnation, the four aims of life (dharma, artha, kama, moksha), states of consciousness, and the means for healthy living.