Astrology and Connecting with the Divine
This week I’d like to talk about how we approach and interact with astrology. Astrology, and humanity’s desire to understand its relationship to the universe, has roots that are complex and elusive, reaching far deeper than most of us have the time to explore. Extending back to the earliest civilizations, astrology is rich with profound philosophical underpinnings and symbolic nuances.
A sacred language that is mysterious by design and deeply personal, astrology has the potential to serve as a bridge between the Divine and the seeker, provide insight into the unique plan for our lives, and reveal the wondrous order, intelligence, and interconnectedness of the life force that permeates the universe.
My Encounter with the Divine
One of my earliest childhood memories is of walking home from school alone, through back alleys and neighborhood sidewalks. As a seven year old girl, I often felt anxious and vulnerable on the walk home from school. My mom repeatedly warned me about the dangers of talking to strangers, or stopping anywhere along the way, and instilled a fear in me of being kidnapped and never making it home. As a result, I did my best to walk as fast as I could and be as invisible as possible—my eyes straining to scan the environment as far ahead as possible so I would be prepared if someone approached me or tried to catch me off guard.
Dumpsters loomed beside me as I walked between old apartment buildings and alongside suspicious-looking, beat-up, parked cars. I would imagine one of the building’s back-doors swinging open and a grubby, old man in a dirty white t-shirt grabbing me and pulling me inside. Or a car’s engine revving to life as I walked by and being ordered to get inside as the kidnapper revealed his weapon of choice. These thoughts tormented me each afternoon and made the after-school bell a sound I dreaded to hear while other children happily raced for the door.
It was on one of these walks that I first felt a connection to what I now describe as the Divine or simply Love. On this particular walk, I remember feeling very small and vulnerable. I had seen stories on the news about missing children and heard the horror in my mom and grandma’s voices as they spoke openly about the circumstances. The message was clear, if I slipped up or let my guard down on the way home, I’d be the next missing child posted on the side of a school milk carton.
The loneliness and fear I felt as a child was profound. And yet, somehow, the cheerfulness of summer’s sunshine broke through my inner turmoil that day and I remember standing in awe at the beauty of sunlight filtering dramatically through the intricate bright green leaves of an old maple tree. Time stood still in that moment as my heart filled with the sun’s golden light and a deep sense of comfort. I didn’t need to hear a voice or have proof of what I was feeling. I just knew, as my heart expanded with warmth, gratitude, and humility, that I was not alone.
Even as a child, I knew that I had experienced something special—that the simple beauty and wonder of nature had somehow put me in direct communication with something beyond myself.
And this “Something” loved me and would always be by my side. The way I approached life changed that day. I now looked for hints that my protector, friend, and companion was guiding me. Dreams held more significance, patterns of repeating symbols or words began to catch my attention, and as I got older, the mystery and depth of sacred texts and metaphysics became a source of endless fascination. I was determined to learn as much as I could about this Divine energy and its plans for my life.
Astrology’s Role in Spiritual Development
Many religious and sacred texts promise us that there is a divine plan for our lives. That if we seek it out, we will uncover this plan and are responsible for using our talents and gifts to fulfill it to the best of our abilities. Upon hearing these promises, I remember feeling like I had just been given a juicy teaser to an upcoming feature film with no release date.
As much as I asked, there seemed to be no clear guidance on how to figure out what that plan for my life was or even how to know whether or not I was on the right path. In an effort to give my best to uncover my life’s plan and live aligned with divine will, I prayed, meditated, read many sacred texts and yet still found myself questioning what my role and purpose was.
I remember thinking, if the Divine has a plan for my life that it intends me to fulfill—because no one but me can fill this unique space and serve this purpose the way I can—why has it chosen to conceal its plan from me? Or make the search for my life plan a lifelong quest that I have to wander around aimlessly to find? What if I never find my purpose and my role is never fulfilled?
It was during this period that astrology entered my life, a time when its reputation was a curious mix of intrigue and skepticism. On one hand, astrology was seen as a playful pastime—an entertaining way to understand potential relationship matches and tease out the quirky traits of friends. On the other hand, it was often dismissed as a threat to genuine spiritual growth, sparking debates about its value and impact on deeper self-realization and our faithfulness to whatever religion or belief system we were born into.
Many of the concerns about astrology center on astrology’s potential to lead people away from faith, reliance on God, Source, or the Divine (choose any name that resonates with you as a higher power), or distract us from our spiritual path.
Yet, if the planets were created by the Divine, and the Divine has a will and plan for each of us, is it to much of a stretch to believe that it might also create a language to speak to its creation through?
Humanity has always been fascinated with the sky and has consistently been drawn to observe changes in the heavens and their impact on earth—as if searching for someone “out there” that might be trying to speak to them. We innately want to know the divine will of our Higher Power. As Creator, was this Power unaware that it had created beings with a desire to seek relationship with it through a connection to its creations? If we consider how we approach getting to know a friend or potential love interest—the way we research and eagerly dig into what someone else likes, what they don’t like, what they’ve said, how they’re known to others, and experience these things for ourselves—it becomes obvious why we might look to the heavens and nature to get to know our Creator.
From this perspective, when astrology is treated with respect and its sacredness is honored, it can be understood as a means of interpreting the cosmic order that our Creator has set in place to guide us back to itself—and find fulfillment and deep meaning in our life experiences.
While astrology can be fun and light-hearted, it is at its core a sacred practice that serves to lead us to a greater understanding of ourselves, our relationship to the rest of creation, and bring us closer to our spiritual paths and Creator. This perspective encourages an integrative view of astrology and other belief systems as a complementary practice that helps to deepen our understanding of the Divine and the interconnectedness of all things.
The reliance on symbolism, mythology, and metaphorical language in astrology provides further insight into its intended purpose in our lives. In astrology, planets, signs, and houses serve as symbols that represent complex human experiences, archetypes, and universal principles. As with many other spiritual and philosophical traditions, astrology encourages symbolic thinking to effectively help us bridge the gap between abstract concepts and personal experiences.
The act of finding meaning in something that might seem ordinary or impersonal, like the position of a planet in the sky, can spark creativity, evoke deep emotions, and sometimes lead to profound personal transformation. It allows people to see their lives in a new light, to reinterpret their experiences in a way that brings clarity, purpose, and a renewed sense of connection to the world around them.
In this way, symbols become powerful tools for personal evolution and spiritual development. In the context of astrology, symbolic language is used as a way to connect with the deeper currents of life, to understand one’s place in the cosmos, and to navigate the challenges and opportunities that arise with a sense of purpose and alignment with a greater whole.
We were not left to wander aimlessly in search of our life’s meaning—we’ve been provided with a map that guides us toward the realization of our soul’s true potential. Our curiosity and desire to understand our own inner world is the first step toward connecting with and understanding the nature of the divine.
The Moon-Soul and the Sea
By Rumi
At morning-tide a moon appeared in the sky,
And descended from the sky and gazed on me.
Like a falcon which snatches a bird at the time of hunting,
That moon snatched me up and sourced over the sky.
When I looked at myself, I saw myself no more,
Because in that moon my body became by grace even as soul.
When I travelled in soul, I saw naught save the moon,
Till the secret of the Eternal Theophany was revealed.
The nine spheres of heaven were all merged in that moon,
The vessel of my being was completely hidden in the sea.
The sea broke into waves, and again Wisdom rose
And cast abroad a voice; so it happened and thus it befell.
Foamed the sea, and at every foam-fleck
Something took figure and something was bodied forth.
Every foam-fleck of body, which received a sign from that sea,
Melted straightway and turned to spirit in this Ocean.
About the Poet
Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (1207–1273) was a Persian poet, theologian, and Sufi mystic whose works have had a profound impact on spiritual and literary traditions. His poetry often explores themes of divine love, the nature of the soul, and the quest for spiritual enlightenment.
