To get the most out of an astrological reading, you have to have the courage to put into action the recommendations of the astrologer. This requires trust and at least a modicum of willingness to explore the possibilities. Still, astrology is only as good as the astrologer. Schedule an appointment with a half-baked astrologer and, provided you are sincere, you will get half-baked results.

Astrologers are the problem with modern astrology. And there is one simple reason: astrologers are not embracing the process of unfolding their own understanding with the same enthusiasm as they approach learning the rules and techniques of astrology. This is not at all saying all modern astrologers are half-baked but in over 27 years of practicing astrology as a professional, this astrologer has found few astrologers intensely engaged in their own spiritual unfoldment.

What is the result? The result is that modern astrology has become overly focused on a person’s predicted outcomes and not on their unfoldment as a spiritual being. Predictions are based upon a person’s conditioned mind and ignore their higher possibilities.  After all, astrology is a map of one’s karma at the moment they are born, leaving open the possibility that in their current incarnation, one can make choices that changes the momentum and direction of the karma they were born with.

Astrology is a tool for enlightenment and enlightenment is living without conditioning of any kind. In this state, a person acts from the pure creative impulse of Consciousness and not because some story from their past is dictating how they should act and react. It is when the astrologer loses sight of the reason for astrology’s existence, that he then reduces astrology to nothing more than a crystal ball. Predictions have their place and can help people avoid suffering or embrace opportunity but astrology is more than that; it is a means by which one can let go of the need for predictions, instead, every act they do is in perfect harmony with who they really are and that is in perfect harmony with Consciousness.

Astrologers must do their own homework and continue to gain understanding into the mysteries of existence and their own human nature. Only then will astrology be legitimized in the world as an authentic means to unleashing human potential.

…to live the life you dream. You have all the necessary ingredients within you; after all, you were made in the image of the Creator, right? Just as a child has all the ingredients to be a perfect human being, so, too, you have everything within you to create and manifest the life you want: unlimited success, unbounded love, perfect health. In short, you have unlimited potential.

Why, then, do you struggle?

Because you don’t know how to access and maintain your greatness. Instead, it lies buried under lifetimes of pain and unbridled passion. Both have tricked you into believing you are small. Seriously? Is the cosmos small? Is Consciousness limited? Then how can you feel so powerless as one born from the stars, from the very hand of God?

In truth, astrology is a system to help you gain mastery over your life through clarity. Though it is not the only system that accomplishes this, it is one of the original “limbs of yoga” that has stood the test of time, in fact, over thousands of years. And the reason being is because it works and because, in truth, it is a tool for enlightenment.

Let us bring the word enlightenment down from the clouds. Being “enlightened” is simply you without any “conditioning“. Each moment, each experience, whether in body or mind, is lodged in your psychic body as an impression, pleasant or unpleasant. These impressions must be expressed sooner or later through the law of karma or dissolved through understanding. How much karma does one have? The world renown spiritual master Swami Muktananda once said we have as much karma as every grain of sand on every beach throughout the world. That is a lot of karma!

What’s more is that these impressions serve as subconscious forces acting upon your faculty of discrimination, that part of your intellect from where we choose the beneficial over the temporarily pleasurable. Because of these impressions, this past life conditioning, you are subconsciously making choices “to keep safe” and to experience pleasure where you think it resides. In the end, you feel drained and frustrated, success and joy eluding you once again.

What to do? In my experience, the first and most important step is to find an authentic spiritual teacher who has “been there and done that” and who can guide you through your karma, helping you dissolve a good chunk of it through spiritual understanding and experience. After this, embracing esoteric and holistic systems can be very beneficial by serving as tools to help deepen your spiritual understanding. Astrology is one such tool.

Astrology arose from the great seers of India who wanted to help humankind live to their highest potential, as children of God and not slaves to ignorance. Astrology is a means to bring you more awareness of your conditioned past so that you can choose a better direction for your life. Right now, your past is a ball and chain that keeps you from making the best choices for yourself and others. What you think is a noble want or desire is, most often, simply a voice from the past telling you to go in a certain direction lest you suffer.

But you know better…

You know those deep urges you have, the ones that speak to you when you lie awake at night or when you walk in solitude along a rocky coast, the sea pulling at another you? These are the urges of your infinite self, urges that if you learn to embrace purely, that is, without condition, will take you on an unbelievable journey within your own self, a journey of Love and joy, peace and gratitude. When that happens, there is no way your outer life remains stagnant and dry. Instead, it becomes a reflection of the greatness within you, a greatness that has always been yours and always will be.

Astrology is not the end of all ends but it is a tool to help set your soul free.

Astrology’s primary intention is to provide you with a baseline from which to make better choices. At its core, Elemental Astrology reveals the impetus from one lifetime to the next so you can “go with the flow” and follow the path that will bring you the greatest joy, success and fulfillment. In doing so, you will learn to root out those hidden,  self-defeating tendencies through right action allowing you to welcome success into your life.

You may wonder why it is necessary to know about a painful past, a past you don’t even remember. In one word, compassion; that is, compassion for yourself. If, for example, an astrology consultation reveals that your unresolved pain is making it difficult for you to realize your full capacity to create income, the first thing this does is to allow you to breathe easier. Too often, we go through life feeling like fate is against us, don’t we? The wall between you and what you desire seems to be insurmountable. Everything you do to break through that wall ends in frustration. Knowing there is a reason behind this difficulty besides “bad luck” or your shortcomings helps you realize that you can do something to let that pain go, that you can “take back your life.”

And the way you take back your life is by following the blueprint for success shown by your astrological chart. This blueprint is open ended. It is a process of personal growth and unfoldment. By knowing the fundamental forces behind this incarnation, you can follow the path of least resistance, the areas of life that will bring you the most fulfillment in the quickest way possible.

This path comes with its own set of challenges, of course, because it is fueled by your desires. Desire is a very powerful force but difficult to control. It can move mountains, but sometimes the mountain should not be moved; sometimes it should be climbed or simply regarded and accepted for what it is.

Not all desires take you where you want to go. Some make it harder for you to achieve the success you seek. For this reason, discrimination is needed. Discrimination, in simple terms, is the capacity to know what will take you where you want to go and what will not. When you see the path clearly, you are able to choose the best path for you and avoid choices that leave you feeling depleted, de-energized and defeated.

Knowing yourself is the magic pill you seek. In reality, the path shown by astrology is made up of your deepest desire, the desire to be free from all suffering. In the heart of every human being is the longing to know who they are, where they came from and to where it is they are going. Though you don’t always realize it, everything you do, every desire you wish to fulfill is an attempt to answer these questions.

Why astrology? To help you answer those questions.