Why I Believe in Astrology
To convey why I believe in astrology, we have to start at the beginning. My interest in astrology began with my sister when she introduced me to my first Spirit Daughter Moon Workbook. It was the Cancer one. I remember reading it on a hot summer evening right before we drove almost cross-country to move my sister back home to Massachusetts from Colorado. I was fascinated by how much information Jill Wintersteen, creator of Spirit Daughter, included in this workbook. At the time, I didn’t understand the difference between sun seasons, new moons, or full moons.
But I knew there was something more to astrology than I had always thought. My introduction to astrology is probably similar to many others: the daily horoscope you find in magazines. I was quick to find out there’s much more to it than that.
So began my journey into the world of astrology. I began consistently reading and completing Spirit Daughter’s new and full moon workbooks, which became more sophisticated over time. I learned that I had a birth chart and how to read it to learn more about myself. Once I learned how to read mine, I quickly learned how to read everyone else’s, given I knew their date, time, and location of birth (I may have stolen a glance at my husband’s birth certificate to get this information). I’ve even checked my dog’s birth charts, to the best of my ability. If you’re curious, we have a Leo German Short-Haired Pointer and a Scorpio mix.
So do I believe in astrology? Here are my top three reasons:
It encourages personal growth
It’s based in psychology
It brings me joy
Below, I explain these reasons in more detail. Keep reading if you’re curious.
1. Astrology encourages personal growth
Since I began learning about astrology, I’ve grown more than I have in the rest of my lifetime. Now, since I started learning, I’ve moved in with my then-boyfriend, gotten engaged and married, had five career changes, and started seeing a therapist regularly. So I understand that astrology isn’t the only thing in my life causing me to grow.
However, I will say it’s made me more open to personal growth and has helped me gain a better understanding of myself, including my strengths and weaknesses. Once I learned about my birth chart, I had a new lens with which to view myself. I learned more about my Cancer comfort zones, Capricorn aspirations, and Scorpio career tendencies. I learned how I needed to shift my energy and which times of the year are most conducive to doing so.
Because each season has a different energy and focus, by the end of the year, you’ve had time to hit on a variety of areas in your life in which to grow. Each season also builds upon the next. With Aries, once you understand your life purpose, you can begin attracting the abundance you need to live it during the following Taurus Season, and so on.
Within your birth chart, you also have twelve houses. Each house represents a different area of your life. There are twelve houses, beginning with the first house of self and continuing to the twelfth house of spirituality. By the end of the year, you’ve hit on all areas of your life. You also understand which energies live in each of these houses and where you need to shift that energy to live your best life.
Once you understand your own chart, it becomes easier to understand how you act in relationships. While Libra Season is the best time of year to work on the balance within your relationships, you’re surrounded by relationships yearlong. Often, relationships present the opportunity to learn what you need to work on. Once you know that about yourself, it’s easier to see where, how, and when your growth areas will present themselves in your relationship and how to overcome them to ultimately grow into a better version of yourself.
And as I mentioned above when I said I’ve looked up my husband’s birth chart, it can be helpful to know where your partners’ areas of growth and weaknesses may lie. Certain signs will interact in different ways with each other. Earth signs tend to get along well with other Earth signs, Water with Water, and so on. Opposing signs can actually have similar cores and can help each other grow. Earth and Water together make mud, which is fertile ground for starting a relationship, but can get slippery at times. Fire and Air make way for lots of passion and action, but can get out of hand quickly.
This is not to say you can’t be with someone who isn’t compatible with you based on your sign. It’s just another tool you can use to navigate the waters of a serious relationship.
2. It’s based in psychology
So how does astrology relate to psychology? And is astrology a type of psychology? These are both questions that came up when I began googling how the two are related. And because personal growth and psychology are so often intertwined, it was easy to jump to my second reason for why I believe in astrology.
As it so happens, Jill Wintersteen, the person I’ve learned the majority of my astrology knowledge from, has a background in psychology. She references psychology in her workbooks.
In addition to her workbooks, Jill teaches courses for different seasons. When I took her Scorpio Shadow Work course, I learned all about shadow work, which deals with the concept of the shadow. In psychology, this refers to the part of the self the ego does not accept, which leads to the ego shutting it off from the rest of the personality. It thereupon becomes a part of you that you no longer associate with yourself, thus it is in your shadow because you cannot see it.
Psychologist Carl Jung was the first to uncover or use the shadow to describe this rejected part of the self. He created archetypes of each type of shadow, but what Jill taught in the shadow work course is that you can also use the different zodiac signs as archetypes. It can help to start with your south node, which some believe is the sign you were in a previous life. The theory behind this is that you came into this life already knowing what you needed from your south node. You task in this lifetime is to become your north node, which is always the opposing sign to your south node. For example, my south node is Cancer so my north node the opposite sign of Capricorn.
Because there are high and low sides to every sign, you can start by looking at the low sides of your south node. These can be a clue to your shadows.
I learned many other things throughout Jill’s shadow work course, all of which came from an astrological lens. I then took her abundance course during Taurus Season, which taught me about scarcity mindset and where it comes from among other things.
3. Astrology brings me joy
something to look forward to, brings joy to my life (link to What Is Marvelous Magical Oils page)
bulleted list
The third reason why I believe in astrology is probably my favorite. So of course I saved it for last so I could end on my favorite note.
Astrology brings me joy. It gives me something to look forward to each day and reminds me there’s so much to discover in life. Every year, I can’t wait to fill in all of the new and full moon dates and sun season start dates in my new planner. I enjoy changing my phone wallpaper, listening to season playlists, making diffuser blends, soaps, and car fresheners to match the seasons.
It also reminds me to be mindful and intentional about what I put out into the world. When I began my astrology journey, I began meditating and taking the time to journal my feelings. I’ve spent more time in nature and learned to appreciate the simple things in life.
And ultimately, it gives me something to believe in. I think this is one of the most important things to have in hard times.
Why believe in astrology?
So why do we as a society believe in astrology? And why do I think you should believe in astrology?
I think it comes down to having something extra in your life that you can turn to when times are tough and you don’t feel like getting out of bed in the morning (believe me, I’ve been there). What’s one small thing you can look forward to in the day? Is it the new focus for the next lunar cycle? Is it taking time to write down your perfect day that would get you out of bed every morning? Is it placing your favorite crystal by your desk because you know it will make you smile whenever you look at it?
Whatever it is, find the thing that brings you joy and extra light to your day. Find something to believe in.