Hudson Valley Astrologer

Finding PURPOSE and DIRECTION in life is the quintessential reason for studying astrology. Still, it’s true that many people come to astrology only after some cataclysmic life event, head in hand, and muttering underneath their breath what the fuck just happened? But after searching for any semblance of symbolic rhyme or reason — exasperation and frustration sets in. NOT all is lost however, because what is discovered along the way is that there may be some utility to this odd and ancient practice. If people who are drawn to the sacred science are not seduced by the potential of prediction as the be-all and end-all, then a much greater reason to study astrology emerges. Perhaps that reason is to simply help us answer the question who am I?

Vocational Analysis is an extremely important process to unravel in the pursuit of answering this question. After all, we spend most of our waking hours working “to earn of living.” In the horoscope, the Midheaven (the point of fulfillment) will always be an important component in the construct of discovering the vocation, “our calling” in life.

Howard Sasportas adds in his book Purpose and Destiny in the Horoscope, that the Sun, the Nodes, and exploration of archetypes become critical. He eloquently argues how the symbolism is important, but at the same time he suggests that the chart is not necessarily the final arbiter, or sky script meant to program an infallible path for us. He viewed vocation as not just a career but as a “summons from your deeper Self, a call from somewhere inside to express yourself through some sort of service.”

Being mindful of what Joseph Campbell taught in his Reflections on the Art of Living and The Power of Myth, we can frame being of service in terms that are more in keeping with not subordinating the individual to a collective cause but being in the pursuit of our bliss, our self-realization.

“We’re not on our journey to save the world but to save ourselves. But in doing that you save the world. The influence of a vital person vitalizes.”

~ Joseph Campbell

Astrology, done well, does not leave the individual behind. Pursuing authenticity and an inner calling, rather than abstract ideas or collective goals is the path to self-realization, not some utilitarian outcome. The horoscope is an indispensable tool in this effort of discovery.

HVA

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