The apple fell on Mr. N’s head. He realized Gravity’s existence! So now if we go out on the balcony and throw an apple it will go down, not up. But things kept falling down even before Mr. N stated the law of Gravity. He was just able to realize and explain the reason it is so. In life and on a more spiritual level sometimes going down means there is only one way left to go; up! Still, we have an important choice to make that is to decide whether we are willing to see our fall as an opportunity to rise again, or to stay on the ground. It might seem very obvious what we are to do, but human nature is unpredictable. The problem in my view lies in the difficulty of Man to see the larger picture facts paint - their inner connection and harmony. Man has chosen to remove himself from the Cosmos and to live in his microcosm. However he has done that only on a theoretical or perhaps on a mental level. Practically he is still a part of everything - as everything is part of him. This article is not about seeing the glass half – full, but to see the sets of glasses that make life what it is. The unseen chances and the meaning to what we call coincidences.
The Apple of Knowledge had a dark side as we all know. We might be able to grasp the laws through which Nature works, but we are somehow unable to perceive our connection to it. This is often one reason for handling Astrology as something separate from us and Nature. But Astrology is nothing more than the study of the interaction of heavenly bodies with earthly facts. The astrological language seems exotic to our unaccustomed eyes. But there is nothing exotic about Astrology. The symbols only represent the principles through which Nature manifests in Life, no matter how humble this life might be. And it also shows how our existence and actions, no matter how small or grandeur they may be, reflect in the Cosmos. This is the larger picture.
So, an Apple fell on a head. What is the larger picture in that? Well, it luckily didn’t fall on my head because God knows I would never think about Gravity at that moment! Of all the apples and all the Heads, this was the only perfect meeting: it fell on the right head, at the right time, at the right place. This famous Head chose freely the right apple tree, the right time and state of mind, the right place. How beautiful this moment when a ripe apple meets a ripe idea! That is what the interaction is all about. It is usual though to neglect thinking about it or processing this connection. If we did process it, then it would be easier to understand the Oneness of all things- Man included.
A room with a view
When entering the world of Astrology it might be useful to consider ourselves entering the most perfect Nature’s garden. The trees, creatures, winds, colors, sounds and aromas are perfectly balanced as the astrological symbols exist in equality and harmony. Their movement produces an affect. Our movement in it produces an affect. Therefore we are one. For every situation we will focus on a different thing; sometimes we want to know about the trees, on other times about the Wind and the Birds; our needs of it will be different. Still the garden will always be the same. Of course nothing stays in the same place. But this movement does not change the essence of the things that compose it. A bird remains a bird whether it is located on the grass, on a tree or up in the air. It is only our view which changes, according to our situation.
The idea of Balance is not what we commonly find when rationalizing our lives. But even the discord has a reason to exist. It shows the imbalances of energies and (planetary) principals, or it manifests in order to lead to balance; to our own individual balance and in relevance to our internal or external environment. It is not a rare occasion to discover after a period of such discord that it was necessary in order to make a step forward in our life. Surely, none of us is willing to see the flaws in his way of life. When we become blind, the Cosmos is here to give us back our sight. And here’s a meaning for falling; getting up again and becoming the better version of our selves– to make the most of the Life that is given to us.
Going Up!
To be able to perceive the way astrology provides not only prediction – thus insight- to a specific situation, but also a way to comprehend the larger picture, we must come to an understanding with its principles. Those principles are directly connected with Nature. For instance, we say that the Sun rules Leo and has its detriment in Aquarius. This is not said arbitrarily. When the Sun is in Leo he gives the most of his essence – with the most obvious ones, Light and Heat, on the long summer days. When he is in Aquarius it is winter: His Light and Heat cannot be expressed (in Saturn’s sign, while Saturn has a restrictive nature and he is Cold) and consequently his nature is in Detriment.
The larger picture can only be a way of living, as in some way Astrology is. One cannot go back to his previous way of seeing life when he gains the Knowledge of how things work and connect. Yet, one must be willing to take a step back in order to have a better perspective of what lies before his eyes. When he steps into the picture he loses that ability. Astrology is the tool that offers this great view, only it is a view freed from our personal tendency to cut ourselves off from the rest of the Nature.
The daily discovery of new things, Nature’s secrets and about how this world works makes obvious that there is more to learn. Astrology can surely help in revealing another aspect of Life that we weren’t aware of. It can provide prediction and advice about what we are to do. Nevertheless the way Up cannot be made by balloons full of thin air. There is no Craft that can actually do the work or choose for us. We are the ones that have to make the most of what we've learned in the journey of life and turn our experiences and potential to Steps into Heaven.
