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On The Long Road Home

"Homecoming involves the realization that gracefulness requires nothing more but the individual's becoming fully incarnate in his/her own body and historical situation. Grace is the natural mark of a fully human life." Sam Keen

The Hero(ine)'s Journey
The most fascinating thing about astrology is that it demonstrates the design and purpose existing in our lives. We're each living out our own personal mythological "hero(ine)'s journey" - and we're each on the long Road Home...

The astrological birth chart is a "snap-shot" of the exact moment in time and space that we chose to enter the planet. As astrologer Steven Forrest is fond of saying: "it's a sky map."

Your personal "sky map" contains a broad outline of your unique birth potentials that (just as the heavens do) naturally unfold over the course of time. And through the soul's unfolding, your unique inborn potentials crystallize and form over the course of a lifetime. In a nutshell, your soul is continually nudging you on to become who you were always meant and supposed to be.

In Steven Forrest's book entitled The Changing Sky - he discusses what he calls the three main levels of life:

• Physical
• Emotional and Psychological
• Spiritual

Three Levels of Life
The most obvious level is the Physical - the Physical being made up of all the things that we "do." It's that vacation to France, winning a ten million dollar lottery, and the (exciting) beginnings and (dreadful) endings of relationships.

The next level is the Emotional and Psychological that is comprised of our unique thoughts and feelings.

Finally, we have the Spiritual level where we (potentially) find meaning and purpose.

Western Tropical Astrology is:

• The "iffiest" at determining exact manifestations of events on the Physical Level
• Better at predicting the Emotional and Psychological level
• Absolute dynamite at determining the Spiritual Level

Why is this? Why the hedging?

Symbols, Energies, and Combinations
Western Tropical Astrology is all about vibrant living symbols, flowing active energies - and interpreting the varying combinations of those dynamic symbols and energies. The Sun combining energies with Jupiter (or any other planetary combination) can result in a wide range of typical behaviors, actions and/or responses. This is true both when interpreting the birth chart and in the different methods of predicting the "unfolding" of the chart over the course of time.

"The soul is its own source of unfolding."
Heraclitus (Fragment 115 : DK 22B115 Stobée, Anthologie, III, 1, 180.)

And fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view) the "unfolding" of our souls (and of our destiny) is not set in stone.

The Chaos Theory and Prediction
Frankly... the forecasting of future events, based on whatever astrological symbols are involved is (and has always been) a dicey and hazardous endeavor at best.

As demonstrated in the Chaos Theory - as propounded by Quantum Physics - when studying, examining, and making predictions about any complex systems and/or organisms in nature there is most normally a hidden thread and/or pattern underlying what was (on face of things) seemingly chaotic and/or random.

Ultimately, the concept of chaos in Quantum Physics refers, not to "disorder" - but to the issue of whether or not it is possible to make accurate long-term predictions about the behavior of a complex system. The Chaos Theory appears to tell us that the answer is no.

Put simply... in the Chaos Theory, nature knows what it's doing. However, it's easier to see and explain the hidden patterns complex systems after the fact.

This is because the second tenet of the Chaos Theory is that very small intervening variables (events) can (and do) cause complex behaviors or events. This phenomenon has been called the "Lorenz Butterfly Effect," where it's only somewhat "tongue in cheek" asked: "Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil set off a Tornado in Texas?"

Astrology, and the precise forecasting of future events, is much the same. It's most often, when looking in rear view mirror, that the hidden underlying pattern and purpose of the unfolding soul is most clearly revealed.

By the way... although more than a few astrologers will likely have a conniption fit... this particular Chaos Theory limitation of prediction generally holds true for all of the various astrological systems (Tropical, Western Sidereal, Vedic, Mayan, Chinese, etc., etc.).

Aligning With Our Destiny
According to Jungian author Dianne Skafte, Ph.D. in "Listening To The Oracle," in ancient times it was normally considered impious for a pilgrim to consult an oracle for predictions of the future. It was, however, considered proper to ask an oracle how one could become aligned with their destiny.

Speaking only for myself, astrology has generally been most effective in my life when used as one of several augmentative tools that assists in confirming what I already know (or should have known) in the inner-depths of my being.

The very idea of predictive astrology being used to gain a sense of control over one's circumstances reminds me of the wonderful Scottish astrologer Isabelle Pagan (1867-1960) that commented in the 1930 edition of her book "From Pioneer to Poet" that as a rule she avoided making predictions about such things.

"Few have the fortitude to face predictions of calamity without loss of energy; while many, assured of coming luck - especially financial - are inclined to take things easy." Pagan

"Consider this event. Amateur Night at the Harlem Opera House. A skinny, awkward sixteen year old goes fearfully on-stage. She is announced to the crowd: 'The next contestant is a young lady named Ella Fitzgerald... Miss Fitzgerald here is gonna dance for us... Hold it, hold it. Now what's your problem, honey?... Correction, folks. Miss Fitzgerald has changed her mind. She's not gonna dance, she's gonna sing...'

That night, Ella Fitzgerald gave three encores and won first prize. However, 'she had meant to dance.' Was it chance that suddenly changed her mind? Did a singing 'gene' suddenly kick in? Or might that moment have been an annunciation, calling Ella Fitzgerald to her particular fate?"

Again, for me, the most fascinating and useful thing about astrology is that it demonstrates the design and purpose existing in each of our lives. Discovering meaning in our lives is ultimately much more important than the "dog and pony show" of attempting to predict the physical level of reality.

I still remember the incredible rush of excitement I felt when first learning about astrology... Using the lens of astrology, I discovered that I was able to see the events that had taken place in my life (and the people who had entered and exited my life) as being part of a grand design of the universe. And I learned that each and every person was a necessary part of my long Road Home...

• Who they are
• Where they've been
• And where they're going

And it's all contained within their own unique "sky map."

My needs (and the needs of the folks that I come into contact with on a daily basis) are best met through the "lens and focus" of Western Tropical Astrology. I didn't initally get involved in the study of astrology for the purposes of enhancing my chances of winning the lottery or knowing when to take a vacation to France.

In the Western world, we're (generally speaking) already too well "grounded" in physical reality for our own good. Our greatest "needs" and "lacks" point in the direction of being nourished in soul growth and in having an increased understanding and acceptance of our existence and purpose in the universe.

Meaning and Purpose
People growing up in today's Western cultures are literally starved for meaning and purpose in our lives.

It is our greatest need...

It is our greatest desire...

It is our greatest lack...

For those reasons (my being born and raised in the West - and still unconsciously holding predominately Western values and attitudes) Western Tropical Astrology is superior in meeting my needs of moving toward the "Center" and cultivating a sense of meaning, wholeness and completeness in life.

Now available at StarryMart: Steven Forrest's SkyLog Computer Generated Report
Yep! Once upon a time... Dr Z swore up one side and down the other that he would never, ever feel comfortable selling a canned forecasting report at this site. Dr Z finds himself in a position where he is now forced to eat his own words. The fact is that Dr Z feels rather comfortable and cozy selling the canned forecasting report, SkyLog, with interpretations written by Steven Forrest.

List of Suggested Reading:

Predictive Astrology for Novices:
The Changing Sky by Steven Forrest (Buy it Now at Amazon.com)

Predictive Astrology for whatever the next level is called:
Planets in Transit by Rob Hand (Buy it Now at Amazon.com)
Roadmap To Your Future by Bernie Ashman
The Changing Sky by Steven Forrest (it's not just for novices)
The Eagle and the Lark by Bernadette Brady (Buy it Now at Amazon.com)

Uranian and/or Cosmobiological Astrology (if you have to ask, then you don't need to know) Dial Detective by Maria Kay Simms
The Combination of Stellar Influences by Reinhold Ebertin (Buy it Now at Amazon.com)

Special thanks to Nikki Fay for allowing her tremendous works to be shown on The Zodiac Master..

If you enjoyed her fabulous artwork in The Journey 1 - then be sure to check out the Zodiac Master Post Card Section. You can send a friend an Email Postcard with one of the four pictures you saw here in The Journey!