by Robert Wilkinson
This is the next in a series of articles where I try to answer some questions posed by readers of this column a while back. Today we’re examining the question "Doesn't astrology imply a lack of 'faith?'"
As I gave you in part one, this series is really a journey of exploring internal filters and possibilities of shifting angles of perception relative to the part astrology plays in the larger scheme of human existence. In this part, we examine whether knowledge of astrology supersedes our need for faith, do we need faith that Astrology “works,” and how faith relates to perception and belief systems.
I would say that astrology is where faith and reality converge. I don't really need faith to assume that a planet will be at a certain point in its orbit relative to the Sun and the Earth, since it's an observable and measurable phenomenon.
However, in a curious way it is a matter of faith for me to assume that all things will remain in their observable orbits, and not just go hurtling off willy-nilly into space at random points in and time. So is it faith, or reason, to assume that the planets will remain in their orbits?
I believe that astrology enhances our reasoning, as well as our faith. I sure hope that the planets remain in their orbits, since if it were otherwise there would be solar systemic upheaval beyond description. That requires a certain faith in my part that the cosmos will in fact remain more or less in homeostasis.
I believe that we can have reasonable faith that things remain as they are until acted upon by external or internal forces that induce movement. This is a "law" of physics, and seems to work pretty consistently. Still, that implies a faith in the value and “reality” of consistency and replicability.
Faith is both a) the belief in what we believe has been, and b) the belief that what we are promised will be, from whatever source the promise originates. It could be stated that regardless of the origination of every phenomenon, ultimately we confirm or deny our belief in its reality through the five senses and the mind, our only means to measure anything at all in our perception-based existence.
It seems the issue is the degree we can have faith in a thing or not depends largely upon the source of the promise, as well as the biases of our perceptual system. If geophysics determines that our planet has a rate of spin and orbit, then we assume we may believe in it. Still, this is a form of faith, if only faith in observable and replicable measurements, reasoning and conclusions.
Despite the seemingly perpetual replicability in biological processes, we still must take it on faith that two dogs mating will not create a tree or a cat or a butterfly. We may call this "natural law," with all the drapery we put on our observable deductions, but in fact we believe in the replicability of reproduction within a species because of our observations. So we have faith in reason, science, and replicability as we perceive these to be.
Astrology is inherently mathematical. Math is said to be a pure science, in that its principles are the underpinnings of all other sciences, as well as the all the arts and philosophies. Should we have faith in mathematics and its principles?
All music is inherently mathematical, since all sound involves frequencies of some vibration. I do know that I experience harmony when certain frequencies blend with each other, like a D note with an A note, and disharmony when I hear other tones that do not sound like they go well together. We are told this is a perfect analogy for the subtle realms as well.
Not all sub-rays (sub-tones) blend well together. Each “Key of Life” has its own signature notes and scale. In the 3 great “Schools of Evolution” on Earth, each has its methods for achieving its form of expanded awareness and mastery. A Master of Art is not a Master of Science nor a Master of Philosophy, even though each of these will have some understanding and wisdom of the other Paths.
Ultimately, regardless of the Path or sub-paths to a greater Wisdom we’re on, we can use astrological timing to understand when we should leap, when we should hesitate, when we should stick with the plan, and when we need to embrace revolution. So regardless of our issues with various types of faith and belief, we can see through the timing on events how to navigate the various tides of change in our lives.
Astrology is a reliable guide that lets us know when configurations indicate times to choose our behavior wisely, since much seems to be random in this world. Astrology can show us when human free will is at crucial life junctures, and when we must have faith that exercising our free will can lead to a favorable outcome, as well as faith that another’s free will won’t lead us into a ditch.
As we navigate the times of choice and change indicated by astrology, we must simultaneously have faith that what we have learned from our various Teachers regarding karmic law and timing will allow us to avoid actions that create unnecessarily negative effects while generating the positivity needed to decrease suffering, whether our own or another’s. All of this serves to assist our understanding of cycles to see the larger connections in the web of life.
Since astrology is somewhat of a road map and a weather report, if we can believe in these then we can believe in astrology. It offers us valuable information about directions, timing, and the weather, both literal and psychic, so it would seem that it’s as good a belief system as any other belief system, and very much better than some in accuracy. (If my chart assessments were as subject to hit and miss as some local TV weather forecasters and their statements, I wouldn't have many people calling me for readings!)
It is a very good thing to believe in an accurate road map if we're going from point A to point B, since it can assist in clarifying why we are going in a direction or not, and how long it will take to complete the journey. It is also good to believe in a weather report as far as it goes, since if there are clouds moving in a certain direction at a certain rate of speed, we will probably run into rain or even tornados at a certain point in space-time.
Of course, these are not guaranteed to happen, any more than a square is guaranteed to bring conflict. It may, or may not, depending on other factors. At least astrology gives us a sense of the various factors involved, and tries to account for more than it excludes.
In the final analysis, whether we’re discussing physics, chemistry, biology, or any other hard or soft science, to some degree faith is required as we embrace the postulates and theories of what has been observed through centuries and is believed to be "true." We can say we are certain because of "laws" and "facts," but there will also always be exceptions to the rule, such as the anecdotes of those who lift automobiles off their children, though such things are apparently impossible. Or the levitating sages in India and elsewhere, dismissed by rationalists, but observed by thousands through the centuries.
These types of phenomena and apparently superhuman feats do not require that we believe in the ability of a yogi to levitate, or that we believe a person can lift a car. These things happen whether we believe in them or not, or whether we see or hear about them or not. But we must believe that our five senses and our minds are transmitting accurate information or we are lost in this world with no points of reference whatsoever. Again, consider the source.
All things in this world require a certain degree of "belief," including belief in our own ability to discern anything at all in this strange multidimensional reality. How do you know what you know? How do you know you are perceiving a thing accurately, whatever that might mean? How do you know you're believing, or knowing, or perceiving, or experiencing, or any or all of the above, separately or together?
To put it another way, how do you know you are or are not the thin man in the Bard’s ballad, the one to whom he sings "And you know something's happening here and you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?" From one point of view, it's ALL belief, and therefore faith.
© Copyright 2017 Robert Wilkinson
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