It takes time to learn astrology. The undertaking cannot be rushed. No matter how hard we try, or how much time we devote to the task, mastering astrology requires time, lots of time… years of time. Give yourself space and allow the journey to unfold. Mindfully walk the path of initiation into the mysteries of the Sky and Earth. Be patient and let the Universe unveil itself to you.
Add to this, that we’re all mostly starting from a place of being completely disconnected. We didn’t learn any of this in school. Our elders didn’t have this knowledge to share with us. Society, our families, teachers, friends, barely any of us live in union with our ancestral roots, who lived and breathed their communion with nature. We are starting from infant-like scratch. Give yourself a break if it is coming slowly. Allow the mysteries to permeate your soul one drop at time, in your own time and no one else’s.
This massive undertaking of learning astrology is a marathon, not a sprint.
Astrology is a complex, infinite body of knowledge. Let’s be honest, we can never learn it all. Let’s pat ourselves on the back for even trying. It’s easy to compare our knowledge to others who have been on this path for decades. It’s also surprisingly easy to shame ourselves for what we don’t know rather than priding ourselves on how much we’ve learned.
As the founder of the Shamanic Astrology paradigm, Daniel Giamario says, “Astrology is the highest of the lowest mysteries.” Following that logic our next steps would be fully grasping grace or love (examples of the higher mysteries). We aren’t “should”-ing ourselves over our lack of expertise with these two, right? Why the harsh self-judgement if astrology is taking its own sweet time perfusing our consciousness?
Perhaps, you aren’t comparing yourself to others with more knowledge, but geez I sure have. Lately, I’ve been feeling like I’ll never really get it all. Or, what’s wrong with me that I don’t know everything yet? Jeepers, yes, it is hard inside of me sometimes. My Virgo Moon wants to understand the entire pattern – right now. Then, I got to thinking, I’ll bet I’m not the only one doing this. I am finally accepting astrology is just a really, really, deep, deep topic.
We’re talking about the movements and energies of the cosmos themselves.
Of course, it’s going to take a really long time to feel like we’ve got this stuff in our cells, in our DNA. The cool part is, is that it really is in our DNA, we just have to remember.
Take all these major transits going on right now. We’re in the midst of the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction. The Lunar Eclipse is here with the Full Moon, closing out this massive eclipse window. Mercury just went retrograde. If any of this is pressing into your natal chart then you’re probably feeling the juice. I am! I find there can be a pressure to milk the most out of this cosmic cow, but geez how do we do that?
A fellow student of Shamanic Astrology, Greg Knell, recently said to me, we’re going to understand these cycles with hindsight. (I’m paraphrasing as he said it much more eloquently.) His words really stuck with me. I realized in that instant, heck I don’t have to get it all right now. I’ll get it in the future.
The most important thing I can do right now, is 1. acknowledge the cycles occurring, 2. honor them with ceremony and 3. be present. That last one is a doozy, but it is always the most important. If we can simply (but difficultly) be present, then we are going to be able to follow where the energy is leading us, whether we get it now or not. In the future, with our 20/20 hindsight we’ll be able to connect the dots. Being present is challenging, but it truly is simple and requires no intellectual thought or knowledge. That takes the pressure off. And, we have Mercury retrograde helping us with this!
I’m learning to trust in my timing, rather than forcing a “should-shaming” timing.
I should know more. I should have a deeper understanding. I should study more. I should practice more. I should… should… should. Phew, that word is exhausting… and toxic. Trust in your unique timing. You’re being initiated into the great mysteries of life.
If this week you only want to watch the Hallmark Channel and let your mind rest, trust yourself. Soon enough you’ll want intellectual stimulation again. You’ll be better off for the resting. In our world of data overloading, endless schooling at our keyboard fingertips, and social media comparisons of our insides to everyone else’s outsides, we really need to learn to give ourselves a break, turnoff, and trust in our own timing.
Studying astrology is bringing back long hidden mysteries, where even our tried-and-true guides are ultimately stumbling around in the Kali Yuga darkness with us. They may be farther along in some respects, but we’re all just trying to expand and open our hearts as lines of communication again. In my mind, if we spend a nanosecond in our hearts, we deserve a Macy’s Day Parade.
Trust yourself and be present.
Know you are being initiated into the deepest mysteries of the cosmos and life itself. It’s ok it if takes decades and even a lifetime. You be you and I’ll be me. Together we’ll get to exactly what we came here to be. Blessings on your learning journey!
Here are a few essential oils that help the learning process. Rosemary helps with memory. Peppermint wakes up our senses to better take in information and remember it. Clove helps with memory as well. I like to use them directly on the top of my head.