What does astrology have to do with spirituality and religion? I can only provide my musings and definitions of religion, spirituality, and astrology to answer the question.
Religion
We’ve all been asked at one time or another: “What religion are you”? “What church do you attend”?
This indicates to me that the “common” meaning of the term religion describes something socially or culturally defined, such as a specific communal or congregational system whose members are organized around a common doctrine or dogma.
Organized religion, as “orthodoxy,” describes a belief system that includes an absolute code of proper conduct and beliefs its followers cannot dispute or doubt. There is organization, authority, and a belief that there is only “one” right path, and those who do not hold to this path are condemned to some horrible end.
Though many adherents of orthodox religions regard spirituality as an aspect of their personal religious experience and the words religion and spirituality are often used interchangeably, an important distinction should be made between spirituality “in religion” and spirituality “in contrast to” religion.
More Spiritual Than Religious
Over a period of time, the phrase “more spiritual than religious” came to prominence. To me, this implies a person who doesn’t regard organized religion as the sole or most valuable means of furthering spiritual growth.
Spirituality
In contrast to the standard definition of religion, spirituality is not talk, doctrines, or theories, nor is it sectarianism. Spirituality does not consist of building churches, forming congregations, or attending public worship. It’s not found in books, words, lectures, or organizations. To be spiritual is to realize the divine in all of life.
Generally, those who speak of spirituality “in contrast to religion” accept the existence of many spiritual paths and see no objective proof of any single correct path to follow. The emphasis is on being true to one’s self… finding one’s own way to “God,” “heaven,” “the afterlife,” or “the life after life,” rather than following what the various orthodox religions preach is the correct or only road.
Those who walk the unorthodox, unorganized, personal spiritual path have a faith that is more pluralistic, tolerant, and considerably less dogmatic than most established religions and sects. Most of those of this spiritual bent do not denounce or condemn any belief system… not orthodox religions or even atheism.
New Age Spirituality
The so-called “New Age Spirituality,” often associated with astrology, is an unorganized spiritual movement that seeks Universal truths and the attainment of the highest individual potential… the God within. An individual approach to practices and philosophies characterizes it.
The Overlap
Religion and spirituality cover the gambit of belief systems and practices. But, as you can see, the problem with comparing religion and spirituality… there is an overlap. Many spiritual individuals are involved in organized religion, while many are not.
All of this is to make a point… astrology itself is not religious or spiritual…
Astrology
Ask me to define astrology, and I might answer it’s an imaginative art form based on the world’s oldest “science.” An astrologer uses an agreed-upon classification system and has precise measurements when drafting a “horoscope,” but an astrologer’s interpretation of that horoscope is a creative and imaginative art form.
The horoscope is to an astrologer, much like the microscope is to a biologist, an instrument that allows them to see things that are not readily visible.
The horoscope is an astrologer’s tool, but like a hammer, how the tool is used depends upon whose hands it is in. Put a hammer in inexperienced hands, and you get a mess; put it in the hands of an artist, and you get a sculpture; put it in the hands of a carpenter, and you get a house; put it in the hands of a charlatan, and you get mayhem.
The Philosophical Nature of Astrology
Like the general population, astrologers cover the gambit of belief systems: Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Secular, Pagan, and everything in between. When an astrologer attempts to define the philosophical nature of astrology…it almost always comes down to the astrologer’s own personal belief system.
Liz Greene, who is held in high esteem by astrologers all over the world, has this to say:
“Any single theoretical framework cannot explain astrology but must be viewed against a specific religious, philosophical, social, and political background and, equally importantly, from the perspective of individual practitioners working within a particular milieu in a particular place, in a particular decade of a particular century.”
Click the link below to read the entire article on Astro.com
Many religious and spiritual people are attracted to astrology, and many who study astrology become spiritual. Most astrologers see their craft as a sacred science because it reveals a divine order, even an “intelligent design,” at work in our world and everyday lives.
My Story
As for me, you could say I’m a “religious refugee.” I was raised going to church… Sunday Morning, Sunday, and Wednesday evening… actually, anytime the door was open. But I was a Sunday school teacher’s nightmare. Why? Because I asked questions about the many contradictions in the Bible… such as why there are two very different creation stories in Genesis chapter one and chapter two. Or why did God kill King David’s child to punish David (2 Samuel Chapter 12)… or why did Moses’ army murder women and boys (Numbers 31:17) when one of the commandments God gave Moses to give the people was “Thou shalt not Murder” (Exodus 20:13)?”
So, as a young teen, I walked away from the church my family attended and all organized religions. I thought the Christian “god” didn’t seem like a “good” god, and most of his followers were hypocrites … they claimed to believe and preached one thing while doing another.
“How can one respect, let alone adopt, the values of a people who do not, on any level whatever, live the way they say they do, or the way they say they should?” ~ James Baldwin from The Fire Next Time
Now, fast forward many years to astrology. The study of astrology and everything else astrology led me to study, put me in touch with my spiritual self, made me a better person, helped me not judge others, and provided me with higher explanations for things. Now, when life seems like a series of meaningless events or bad things happen, my astrological understanding of the divine order at work in the Universe gives me faith that all things… good or bad… are not without purpose.
To quote Joseph Campbell in Reflections on the Art of Living.
“Nietzsche was the one who did the job for me. At a certain moment in his life, the idea came to him of what he called ‘the love of your fate.’ Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, ‘This is what I need.’ It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment–not discouragement–you will find the strength is there. Any disaster you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege! This is when the spontaneity of your own nature will have a chance to flow.
Then, when looking back at your life, you will see that the moments which seemed to be great failures followed by wreckage were the incidents that shaped the life you have now. You’ll see that this is really true. Nothing can happen to you that is not positive. Even though it looks and feels at the moment like a negative crisis, it is not. The crisis throws you back, and when you are required to exhibit strength, it comes.”
Musings by Patricia Lantz, Astrologer and MAAS member