Dwelling on the Negative

 

May 27, 2005

 

http://cainer.com/ericfrancis/may27.html

 

Hi Eric:

 

I'm so appreciating your work. I've just recently found it, and it is a resonant blessing for me at this time.

 

My question is: I took a break from astrology for awhile, honestly because a lot of what I was finding in referencing challenging transits/aspects/etc. didn't support a lot of hope for good things to happen, and I would be finding myself in sincere trepidation of what could happen. So, I laid off astrology for awhile to really work with my center and clear the fear. Now, I'm dipping in again and am wondering if you have a perspective on this that could help me feel comfortable going deeper with astrology again. Because, here I am again. Looking at a transit... Uranus conjunct Moon in the 5th house, finding a bit of fear from what I've read. I just would like to be able to get to the point with astrology where it is not about the anticipation of upsetting events, but rather empowering my way forward.

 

Thank you!

Desiree

 

 

Dear Desiree:

 

I would propose that you are putting too much emphasis on commentaries about aspects and not enough on living astrology as a creative experience.

 

Commentaries are important, but astrology is about life, not words. I would say if you're going to get involved with commentaries, the more the merrier. Read them, contrast them, compare them to your experiences, take them apart and put them back together. But they are not gospel. Astrology books are not the Bible and astrology is not a religion. It's a practical tool. If something you study does not help you in practical ways, move on to materials that actually do help.

 

Look up your old transits in your books, and see how they compare to your actual experiences. Do the same for your friends. Note the accurate or helpful parts of the ideas you read; not the parts that are discouraging or not helpful at all.

 

Eventually, you will find writers that you trust and who guide you toward the light and not the darkness.

 

Honestly, I have given up on commentaries about transits, you know, the kind you find in transit books. If I may howl at the Moon for a moment, they are, for the most part, too damned negative and condescending. They tend to make too many presumptions, and I can't count how many times I've encountered the voice of doom in such books, even supposedly enlightened ones. In fact, you don't have to look far to find negative astrology books, and I think that we really need to be quite careful about these influences, because they can shape our experiences quite distinctly.

 

I had an experience with a client a few years back, a holistic doctor I had worked with for quite a long time. She made an appointment with me one day and when our call began, she said, "I went to a different astrologer, and she told me I was going to have the worst year of my life."

 

And I said, "What do you think we've been working on clearing up all these sessions?" That is, in the course of our work, I was looking ahead at her transits, listening to her life story, and tracking her experiences in the present -- and working with her on the issues I was fairly sure would arise at the time of some very intense Pluto transits that I saw coming. This is a counseling based method, rather than predictive. Notice the difference.

 

A transit is not a guarantee of anything except that one planet is going to make an aspect to another one. No astrologer can predict exactly what is going to happen, and if they do, there is a strong chance that it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. When two minds join together and start looking at life and making agreements, that is extremely creative. Together, the astrologer (or author) and the client (or reader) create something. But what do they create?

 

It is true that outer planet transits are often challenging. It is true that people often have difficult experiences. And just as often, their lives are transformed greatly for the better, though I have rarely read a transit that described this happening, or explained how you can work a transit to your greatest advantage. Usually writers treat transits like the person is a passive victim of their chart. This is something that astrology has to grow up from and get over, and I hope it happens soon.

 

And as ones who gain truly valuable experience working with hundreds of clients, or who write for thousands of readers, it's an astrologer's job to help you see the meaning of your transits, to help you prepare for them, and guide you to live them in the highest possible expression. But more than that, it's up to the astrologer and the client to put their minds together and decide what the client really wants to create.

 

If you are working on your transits alone, that is, without the help of a professional astrologer, I suggest you do this for yourself.

 

In addition, I believe it's always helpful for astrology students to have a clear understanding of their lifetime history of transits, and to assess them in the most objective possible way. Look at what you experienced. Look at what decisions you made. Look at what you learned. Look at what you would do differently. As the new transits show up, apply what you've learned. Make your choices consciously. Look at what kinds of growth they represent -- and be as clear about embracing your growth as you possibly can.

 

Yes, the transits come -- and then you get to decide what to do with your life.