Artwork by James Koehnline (left & right) and Nancy Zbik
(center)
Oracular
Astrology
Questioning
the Trend to Legitimatization
(excerpted
from ASTROLOGIK ©1999 Antero Alli)
As
socioeconomic conditions destabilize, a disoriented
populace naturally responds with more anxiety about
their uncertain futures. We want answers. Security
is in high demand these days; all types of security.
Many turn to religion for moral security. Those
who can find no answers there look to alternative
ideologies, astrology being one of many to choose
from. Some folks can find emotional security in
marriage, while others bank on the economic security
of investment income.
Over
the past ten years or so numerous astrological publications,
conferences, and their adjoining communities have
drawn considerable attention to, what I perceive
as, a misguided security need for legitimizing astrology.
The term "legitimatize", as used here
refers to a scholastic, and eventually federally-approved,
testing policy for evaluating prospective astrologers’ accuracy, competence and integrity as future professionals
in a rapidly expanding astrological marketplace.
Who creates and grades these tests? Test standards
and evaluation procedures are currently under design
and implementation by self-made institutes, organizations
and corporations dedicated to, not only expanding
public awareness of astrology but, raising the status
of astrology and astrologers to that of doctors,
teachers, scientists and other university-degreed
professionals. Very Saturn...perhaps too much Saturn.
Astrological
Franchises Vs. Oracular Astrology
In
this article I wish to offer alternative, and probably
unpopular, views on the practice of astrology and
the current bandwagon effect of its proposed legitimization.
My position here is not to fight against what I
see as an inevitable astrological trend but to fight
for a far more Uranian vision of astrology. Will "astrology licenses" be required to read
charts for money? What common denominator of consciousness
will licensing standards reflect? Will graduates
of these degree-granting institutes franchise these
standards by forming their own astrology academies?
What
is meant by "oracular" refers to the ageless
archetype of the muse, a mythical and sometimes
human figure who speaks and acts truthfully without
any regard or consideration for social, economic
or political consequences. For good reasons, a muse
maintains a sociological posture at the fringe of
any village or hub of mainstream values; the sage,
the shaman, the witch, the crone. Once in awhile,
revolutionary Uranus triumphs over Saturn. Muses
infiltrate society via cultural camouflage of humor
(Lenny Bruce), cinema (Charlie Chaplin), poetry
(Sylvia Plath), politics (Martin Luther King), theatre
(Arthur Miller), music (Kurt Cobain) and psychology
(Wilhelm Reich). But when their camouflage wears
thin, Uranian truth-sayers are exposed and the restricting
archetype of Saturn gains prominence. Then, our
contemporary oracles (see previous examples) encounter
various degrees of conflict, persecution and banishment
from consensus reality agencies of local and federal
governments.
An oracular approach to astrology serves the community
at large by acting on that community as an an outsider
viewpoint. When residing and working in denser social
regions, it is easy to lose perspective of life
beyond the local hive; we lose sight of the forest
for the trees. Realizing and admitting this loss
of Big Picture vision motivates some people to find
a good astrologer. So, why would anyone want to
standardize astrology to conform to mainstream values
? Wouldn’t this diminish astrology’s potency
and effectiveness as an oracular symbology (telling
the truth, regardless of social, economic and political
considerations) ?
Attainment of any state-sanctioned, government approval
for teaching and practicing astrology can only serve
to assimilate and homogenize astrology into the
mainstream. How important is it to see astrology
on the cover of TIME magazine? As important as an
epitaph, I fear. Are we taking astrology too seriously
? If so, it may help explain some of the media skepticism
confronting astrology today. How can we expect others
to take astrology, and the astrological community,
seriously if we are filling that psychic space with
our own self-importance? Does the reputation of
astrology really need this kind of hype during these
times? Who amongst us is ready to be made an example
by fearful, bigoted sectors of the populace seeking
their next scapegoat? As astrologers, I think we
tend to get ahead of ourselves with this naive assumption
that we are living in more enlightened times than
actually exist, or can exist, for the general populace.
Now
Thyself, Know Your Bias
Perhaps, we have grown too enchanted by the grandeur
of the language or, for predicting future transits;
I don’t know. I do know from personal experience
how out of touch astrologers can get with the street
level of reality when we are justifying life to
ourselves and our clients in terms of planets, houses
and signs. I question the underlying motives for
this surge to legitimatize astrology. I have no
degrees in Psychology yet human hindsight tells
me this syndrome acts like a well-meaning attempt
to heal early childhood wounds. But trying to replace
an absence of unconditional parental love, with
approval from a larger parental body called government,
can never bring back the missed love; that hurt
must be mourned, forgiven and released. That’s
if we want to move on and grow up. Some astrology
institutes make manual horoscope calculation and
construction mandatory procedure for passing their
certification programs. This is the 21st century;
can we pick up the pace here?!
Old world values aside, the accuracy and speed of astrological computer software frees the astrologer to address the real work of astrology: interpretation. And lest we forget, astrologers are map-readers; interpreters of signs and symbols. At most, astrology is an interpretive medium. With erudite translation, anyone can learn to provide an accurate symbolic diagnosis of the person, relationship or corporation of any given horoscope.
What precedes and underlies
even the most skillful translation, however, is
something called bias. It should go without saying
-- my apologies for any redundancies -- that all
astrological interpretations reflect the subjective
bias of the interpreter; the idiosyncratic filter
of beliefs, ethics, values and personal psychology
that an astrologer uses to interpret symbols. Contrary
to what some astrologers think, there can be no
such thing as "pure information" or "absolute
objective truths" when interpreting an astrology
chart. You can grow adamant and impassioned about
your point of view (and you may even be right!)
but it still remains your opinion; forget this fact
and, your perspective rapidly calcifies into stone,
cold dogma (or bigotry and paranoia, if allowed
to).
Interpretation
Is Everything
If interpretation really is everything and if astrology
can never actually provide absolute answers or explanations
to real life problems then, why hire an astrologer in
the first place ?! Good question. As an astrologer,
I like to think that my services offer something
more dynamic than the passive provision of pat answers.
By unveiling multiple points of view, for example,
more information can contribute to a bigger picture
of any given dynamic or situation. With enough meaningful
data, clients can begin piecing together their own
options for making their own decisions, while expanding
awareness of their own lives. Do people really need
advice? Advice can be a very tricky business. Is
advice what their hard-earned money pays for? Can
we really ever help anyone ? More good questions.
Given the chance to think for themselves and make
their own choices, I think most people would make
the extra effort to do so. But these liberating
options must be offered and then, earned by the
client. As a Uranian astrologer, my bias stems from
a strong belief in freedom -- for myself and for
others -- when it comes to talking with people about
their charts. My purpose: to say what I see and
what it means to me. My process is to do so by acting
on the client as a liberating influence. I am not
there to act as Saturn and define them; more like
Uranus, I startle them with options for redefining
themselves. While this approach sees a diminishing
return of the same clientele, all seem to leave
grateful and with enough hands-on, inner work to
apply on their own time; without me. My conscience
is freed from the guilt I’d feel had I supported
their psychological dependency on my services. What
is my intent as an astrologer? If liberation expresses
the intention of the transpersonal force of Uranus,
that is what I serve.
When an astrologer presents a client with, what
sounds to that client like, fixed answers, set solutions
and absolute beliefs about the client’s chart
and hence, his or her life then that astrologer
is practicing a heavy-handed, overtly authoritative
approach to astrology; too much Saturn. This gives
the client basically two options: 1) Accept everything
the astrologer says as truth or 2) Question the
authority of that astrologer and, obtain second
or third opinions wherever the data feels suspect.
Economic incentives aside, which of these two options
would you encourage in your client? (Honestly now).
The
Difficult Practice of Oracular Astrology
Another
problem with any overtly saturnine approach to astrology
is this economic incentive for encouraging the same
clients to keep returning, as if they needed quarterly,
semiannual and/or annual checkups. Surely you have
seen others do this or have, perhaps, done this
yourself. This relationship dynamic mirrors the
way state-sanctioned doctors, psychotherapists and
attorneys maintain economic ties with their patients
and clients. And, lest we remain naive or ego-inflated,
astrology is not a science nor a psychotherapy nor
is it legal counsel; astrology is a language. Client-dependency
also replicates a kind of parent/child dynamic that
unfortunately inflates a false sense of self-importance
in the astrologer, who grows attached to feeling
needed by his or her clients. If you can live with
this in full awareness of its consequences, then
this approach is for you; welcome to papa Saturn’s
Astrology Academy. If you’re having trouble
fitting in, you may be a maverick; welcome to Uranus.
Maverick status, in any chosen profession, customarily
begins with self-employment; you are the boss, worker
and publicity agent all in one. Your most valuable
asset -- your time -- is returned to you. You own
your own time. All this glorious freedom is paid
for by assuming more responsibility for yourself;
far and away more than choosing to follow or copy
external standards and values. This kind of self-responsibility
is, by its sociological context, very difficult.
A society that consistently rewards conformity is
often threatened by autonomous outsiders who depend
less on its more conservative values.
Real freedom
in this society is an uphill struggle. If this
kind of difficulty, with its occasional and inevitable
adversity, fail to discourage you then maybe you
have what it takes to earn your own freedom in this
world. Your hard-earned autonomy depends on maintaining
high levels of self-honesty every day of your life;
a willingness and ability to keep playing it straight
with yourself with little regard for protecting
your self-image, or ego. With enough direct experience
of the life you are living, you can begin determining
the nature of your bias, or where you are coming
from.
Based
on what you see, feel and know to be true, what
are you willing to stand for, fight for and even
die for? This forms the basis of your convictions.
Add to this passion, a Ï humility for realizing
that no matter how fervently you feel about something,
it is still just your point of view; your opinion.
Know that from another outside vantage, your precious
opinion may appear ludicrous or false and, even
heretical. If you can live with these devastating
contradictions, you are better prepared to interact
with compassion and intelligence when interpreting
the many contrary angles in astrology charts and
the people they represent.
Once you know where you
are coming from -- ideologically and ethically --
you also have what it takes to develop a knack for
knowing where others are coming from, too. This
can enable you to see through their pretense, their
well-meaning charades and their frustrations to
the deeper, underlying truths guiding their lives.
It is this deeper self that the oracle speaks to
and confirms the existence of. And, in doing so,
acts as a force of liberation to the client’s
innate sense of truth. This can be unsettling to
those who have denied themselves for years but ultimately,
I believe, they’ll be grateful for the shock
of freedom to their being.
One
Hundred Percent Integrity
What does it take to develop an oracular approach
to astrology? One hundred per cent integrity and
a little courage. Inner strength, or character,
develops through an active struggle to stay completely
honest with yourself, especially amidst a society
showing little or no support for your efforts. The
internal reward for persisting with your personal
integrity is, however, beyond measure; it ·is
profound. One hundred percent integrity means knowing
what you can stand behind with your totality intact;
with your whole being. Whether this is your word,
or your perception, or your instincts, this is your
place of total commitment. As commitment is tested
over time, a confidence is born out of a courage
to face the truth about yourself regardless of the
nature of that truth or the ego, or self-image,
buffering you from more direct experience of it.
Learning to face and live with the truth about yourself
prepares you for bearing the truth about others.
This becomes especially useful with the acceptance
and knowledge of your flaws and shortcomings.
If, for instance, you see an aspect in someone’s
astrology chart symbolizing events you personally
have had little or no experience with, your integrity
demands that you say so (rather than fabricate a
wise-sounding lie). To touch and enliven the very
being of another, you must first know how to come
from this place within yourself. And in my humbled
experience, the greatest impediment to being has
been understanding; understanding way too much and
realizing far too little. Since childhood most of
us have been taught, by parents and teachers, to
understand much and realize little. I was never
taught the difference; that habit had to be learned
on my own. Until our concepts of ourselves and the
world coincide more truthfully with actual existing
realities, our being can be said to be lagging behind
our understanding.
This is how conceptual mind stunts
our capacity for the direct experience and realization
so essential to nurture the being; we are truly
giants raised as dwarves! One reason people seek
out oracular astrologers is to support the awakening
chrysalis of their inner being. The cocoon of spiritual
amnesia cracks and the being is hungry for practical
information to engage in its spiritual rebirth.
Where
the Oracle Dares to Tread
Oracular astrology may not be for everybody; not
everyone is cut out to offer this approach and,
only a small percentile of people seeking astrologers
(maybe 10%) want, or need, an oracular-type reading.
This is not meant to sound elitist; it is elitist.
And, not elitist in the "holier than thou"
or weirder than thou" sense, either. Oracles
tend to be elitist by virtue of their inability
or unwillingness to conform to the molds and values
established by consensus mainstream society. Oracles
are a growing minority of fringe-dwellers living
near society’s margins for reasons of their
own.
Many oracular personalities -- astrologers
and non-astrologers, alike -- find themselves living
in the city; feeding on the buzz of a denser culture.
Oracles that can afford it establish dual residencies;
one in-hive, another beyond, rotating their lives
between outback rural regions and the concrete metropolitan
jungles. To sustain aesthetic and philosophical
distance in the city, urban oracles find ways to
creatively marginalize themselves -- by becoming
artists, writers, musicians or astrologers -- to
enforce the isolation their unique perspective thrives
on.
Or perhaps, they choose a suitably reclusive lifestyle
to stay closer to their solace of solitude. This
kind of creative alienation may not always come
as a conscious act or choice but from a compromise
the deeper, inner being is willing to make to stay
alive. Can anyone be an oracle? The oracle can be
anybody and, anyone can be an oracle; it is nothing
special. It is, also, not always a matter of decision
but fate or personality which, as Robert
Hand suggests, may be a modern word for fate. Some
of us are predisposed to an oracular temperament
for telling the truth and acting truthfully with
no regard for socioeconomic or political consequences.
So why institutionalize
and legitimatize astrology ? Have we not heard the
news?! Truth does not sell (without hype). And,
advertising is big, big business in the hungry ghost
realms of unfulfilled dreams, promises and lies.
excerpted
from
ASTROLOGIK: The Oracular Art of
Astrology
by Antero Alli (Vertical Pool, 1999)
Another
excerpt from ASTROLOGIK
"Black
Moon Rising: Depression as Symptomatic of Creative
State"