Transcending
Our
Natal Charts
by Tracy Marks
An important principle of depth astrology,
which is really an extension of all its other principles, is that we can
transcend our charts. We carry our natal charts within us all our lives, but as
we develop a center within ourselves, learn to trust our inner guidance and
become more attuned to universal energies, we are less at the mercy of the
stresses indicated by our planetary positions.
Perhaps we have Uranus opposition Venus
natally; we may resist being tied down by a loved one, and as a result form
relationships with people who fear to make a commitment, people who give us the
freedom we seek by refusing to be fully available or by leaving us after only a
brief period of time. Throughout our lives we may resist the limitations which
occur in a committed relationship, but our fear of these limitations does not
have to prevent us from forming meaningful commitments.
In time, we may become more aware of the kind
of freedom important to us, more able to define what we are able and unable to
tolerate in a relationship, more capable of expressing our needs to others and
forming relationships which allow us to satisfy the more important of these
needs. We may begin to experience and draw from the light at the center of our
being, therefore becoming a source of illumination to ourselves as well as
others. Through this process we may experience such fulfillment in who we are
that we are less at the mercy of what we may have considered in the past to be
important needs. Our Uranus opposition Venus may at times remain a source of
conflict—an occasional yearning to break free and explore new relationships, to have more territory we can call our
own—but its stresses may no longer dominate our consciousness.
The analogy of a marionette theater is useful
in describing the natal chart. As we expand our awareness, as we become more
capable of rising above our charts and directing our energy rather than being
driven by our lower nature, as we become more familiar with the expressions of
each of our planets and aspects and develop a lifestyle which incorporates all
our conflicting needs, we become the puppeteer rather than the puppets in our
own cosmic drama. We are no longer tangled in our own strings, but rather
situated above the stage, directing the show.
We may, at this point, ask if our aim is to
actually take control over our planets, to be the puppeteer or conductor of our
planetary symphony, or if our aim is to surrender ourselves to God, the
universal Will, the divine plan or whatever we choose to call the highest forces
in the universe. These two approaches, of directing and surrendering, may at
first seem contradictory. However, when we understand that this divine force
operates at the center of the universe and helps us to develop a central Self
that integrates all our divisive selves, the contradictions dissolve.
If we are to become the directors of our
cosmic dramas, then our task is to make sure that the Self that is directing is
not our ego, not our lower needs and desires, not one or two of our planets, but
rather a Self that transcends those planets, a center of consciousness which
incorporates and yet extends beyond our planetary selves. Developing and
becoming attuned to that higher center is, of course, a lifetime (and perhaps
many lifetimes) process.
Let us consider some of the ways we can,
consciously or unconsciously, begin to transcend the lowest dimensions of our
charts and unfold our highest potential. First, we are constantly being given
new opportunities for self development by transits and progressions which awaken
new channels of energy in our natal charts and introduce us to alternative ways
of feeling, thinking and acting.
Throughout the year, the inner planets are
forming every conceivable aspect to our natal planets. Every 27-30 years, our
progressed Moon allows us to experience internally all of the signs and come to
terms emotionally with each of the planets it aspects. Saturn too completes its
cycle around the chart every 29 years, and urges us to concretely
apply each of our planets, to bring
our current phase of each planet's expression to completion so that we will be
ready to experience the next phase.
In the course of a lifetime, the
trans-Saturnian planets aspect all our natal planets; although they may not
complete an entire series of aspects to any one planet as they journey through a
quarter or more of our charts, they introduce each of our planetary selves to
three different modes of transformation—the shattering but liberating tumults of
Uranus, the dissolving but also transcending mists of Neptune, the annihilating
but renewing power of Pluto.
Our solar return charts too are guides to our
becoming—revealing yearly possibilities for unfolding our potential, for
integrating planets, signs and houses which may be at odds in our natal charts.
Years during which planets in natal square or opposition are in conjunction,
trine or sextile in our solar returns are years during which we can most easily
discover alternative means for expressing and integrating these energies. When,
for example, transiting Saturn trines our natal Moon or solar return Saturn
trines either our solar return or natal Moon, we may learn how to blend these
energies advantageously. We may discover how to commit ourselves to an important
task or person, to stabilize rather than repress our feelings, to experience the
satisfactions of behaving maturely and responsibly in many phases of our lives.
If we remain aware of how we are integrating these two planets, then we can
apply the lessons we have reamed the next time we allow ourselves to be
depressed or oppressed by our natal Saturn/Moon square or
opposition.
Second, our relationships provide us with
opportunities for becoming. When we are close to other people, particularly when
we are sexually involved with them or sharing the same living quarters or
otherwise interacting with them in powerful ways, an energy exchange occurs. We
influence them; they influence us. Their presence leads us to behave in ways
which may surprise us because they are activating latent parts of ourselves or
opening new channels of expression.
Comparing charts, we may discover that our
highly afflicted Venus, oversensitive and prone to self deception when at the
mercy of its Neptune opposition, or frequently demanding and restless in love
when expressing the lowest dimensions of its Jupiter square, responds
differently to people whose planets trine or sextile it. We may even enter into
a satisfying marriage with someone whose Mars sextiles our Venus and whose
Saturn trines it, someone whose Martian sexuality and vitality stimulates us
without encouraging us to engage in unrealistic fantasies or expectations, and
whose Saturn awakens in us a sane and mature love, feelings of loyalty and the
desire and capacity to form solid and enduring ties.
We may, on the other hand, discover that our
articulate and consistently rational Mercury in Virgo now experiences difficulty
organizing and communicating its thoughts with this same partner whose Mercury
in Pisces closely opposes it. Our struggle for clarification and better
communication may in time lead not only to deeper understanding with our loved
one, but also to a more intuitive, imaginative and wholistic thinking process,
and to the capacity to speak in a more feeling way and to allow our latent
creativity and spirituality to surface.
The important people in our lives not only
activate different facets of our charts; they also enable us to develop
qualities and modes of being that may not be indicated by our natal charts
alone. We may, of course, lean on their trines and sextiles to our afflicted
planets and depend upon them to ease our conflict; then, when and if these
people depart from our lives, we may be suddenly confronted with those conflicts
and disturbed that we have not made progress in resolving them. But we can also
learn from their influence upon us, become aware of how we express our afflicted
planets in their presence, so that if in time they disappear from our lives, we
can apply what we have learned and consciously continue to express our planets
in favorable ways. It will not be easy, but if we've really reamed from the
experience, it will certainly be possible.
Astrology as a Path into Internal
Depth
One important approach of depth astrology,
related to its emphasis upon the acceptance of all our planetary selves, is that
of allowing ourselves to become emotionally, creatively and spiritually involved
with our birth charts rather than merely using astrology as an intellectual
exercise. The transformation that is possible within us is not likely to be
positive unless we allow ourselves at times to put aside our head knowledge and
really experience our feelings, experience the fear or isolation of our Saturn,
the hunger of our Moon, experience the insecurity, chaos and perhaps even terror
that may be unleashed within us under outer planet transits. We might experience
the extreme tension, nervousness and restlessness of Uranus, the confusions and
vulnerabilities of Neptune, the release of powerful emotional and sexual energy
of Pluto.
Our own fear of being out of control, at the
mercy of our feelings, adrift in an abyss that threatens to engulf us in some
unknown darkness may easily lead us to switch into our minds as soon as
something new happens to us, and to attempt to interpret our experience
astrologically without first fully allowing ourselves to feel what is taking
place inside. Once experienced fully, the desolation of Saturn may lead to an
enriching solitude and satisfying productivity; the sleep-like fogs of Neptune
may awaken our creative inspiration; but unless we allow ourselves to journey
deep into our own experience, for however long it takes to enlighten us, we are
likely to become stuck on the periphery, afraid to go into feelings which are
extremely uncomfortable, and therefore unable to discover the new and
invigorating states of consciousness and activities to which they may
lead.
Usually, we judge an experience as positive
when it feels good, and consider it to be negative when it feels bad. But we can
view our lives from a long-term perspective, in terms of the meaningfulness of
each of its phases and in terms of our personal development and the aims we seek
to fulfill. Then we are likely to discover that some experiences which feel
good, which we consider to be positive, are actually destructive; likewise, some
experiences which feel bad, which we view as negative or destructive, are
actually constructive. Buying a six-course dinner at a French restaurant when we
are unable to pay our rent and are 20 pounds overweight may be enjoyable but
destructive; being abandoned by a lover whose insecurities have prevented us
from pursuing further education may feel devastating, but may lead us to
discover what we really want and to feel free to go after it.
So often we struggle with transits and resist
the changes they bring upon us because we are afraid of experiencing pain,
anxiety, loss or fear, even though such feelings in time may lead to a deeper
peace of mind, even though they allow us to leave behind people or lifestyles or
possessions or places which were harmful to us, and to embrace, in time, more
satisfying alternatives.
In order to integrate ourselves, develop a
lifestyle that constructively expresses each of our planets, and fulfill the
potential of our charts, we must seek not to feel good all of the time, but
rather to become more capable of experiencing and valuing uncomfortable feelings
and states of mind—pain, isolation, nervous tension, oversensitivity, obsession
in order to fulfill aims that are far more important than momentary
satisfactions.
We must therefore begin to assess our
experience in terms of ultimate gains, in terms of our own personal and
spiritual growth and our contribution to society rather than in terms of
pleasant or unpleasant feelings. One way is to consider the possible long-term
influences; another way is to do all we can to deepen our faith, so that we
trust that time will reveal the constructive implications. We can also develop
trust in the wisdom of our subconscious and the wisdom of the universe,
confident that we are being provided with experiences which will aid our soul's
evolution, even though the meaning of those experiences may not be revealed to
us for many years.
 This article was excerpted
from the book:
The Astrology of Self-Discovery:
An In-depth Exploration of the Potentials Revealed in Your Birth Chart
by Tracy Marks.
Info/Order this
book (new and expanded 2009 edition)
About The
Author
Tracy Marks combines her training in
counseling and psychotherapy with many years of experience in astrology.
Currently her main interest is in developing responsible uses of astrology as an
effective tool for self-discovery. This article was excerpted with permission
from her book "The Astrology of Self-Discovery", published by CRCS
Publications, PO Box 1460, Sebastopol, CA 95473. Book may be ordered from the
publisher ($13.95 + $2.25 shipping) or by clicking on the cover to the
right.
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