Astrology has been alive for about 4,000 years, and apparently it is still in very good health. As empires are born and fall, continents move, religions appear and disappear and humanity evolves, Astrology not only survives, but is increasingly creative and vital. Why?

Perhaps Astrology has the potential to update itself constantly, tuning in to the perceptions that emerge from human consciousness evolution. Astrology is a way of perceiving a reality in which everything is interconnected, inside and outside, heaven and Earth, me and those around me, the inner parts in light and shadow.

We believe that the astrological perception is getting to a new phase; a phase linked to realize that we humans are functional beings to a greater whole that transcends us and that takes us out of the important place in which we believe we are within the world. From this point of view, humans are not so special, not more important than the other parts of the system.  In the process, we are getting out of the egocentric perception to move on to the systemic perception, and thus, open up to the holistic vision of Astrology.

The problem of the study of Astrology was the emphasis in the cognitive and mental approaches associated with the prediction of events and the description of predetermined realities.

If Astrology effectively shows a multidimensional reality, we need a holistic approach, because we “apprehend” Astrology with the mind and the heart, with the body and with the soul, from the individual and the group, with the right cerebral hemisphere and with the left.

Astrology was always systemic, and now the consciousness of humanity seems to be prepared to develop it this way. When we say that Astrology is holistic, systemic and integral, we think about it as a fractal system, generator of spirally expanding patterns. The Zodiac for example, is a group of figures projected on the starry sky in which we can see the Sun in its annual journey. And also, the Zodiac is a spiral that evolves, from the point of view of sense and meaning. Holistic Astrology does not predict concrete facts but it lights up the meaning of the facts, and this meaning may be different for each individual or for oneself over time.

'' AstroHology '', towards a holistic approach to Astrology

Astrology is a special way of perceiving reality. The concept of holism leads us to think of the natal chart as a whole composed of parts that interact and feed each other. The functioning of the total system is not predictable through the study of the functioning of each part: “the whole is more than the sum of the parts”.

The holistic concept proceeds from the general systems theory. However, we use this word in a multidimensional way. The perennial philosophy can help in this, since it makes a difference between different levels of reality: matter, body, emotions, mind, soul and spirit.

To do astrology with a holistic approach, we cannot stay only in the mental/cognitive study of astrological factors. If we consider the “what is above is below” correspondence as a synchronicity in which the being born has a correspondence to the energies in heaven at that moment of birth, we are at a symbolic level that is not possible to understand from rational levels, but as it requires symbolic understanding. This is a higher level of complexity that implies alchemy between both hemispheres of the brain, that is, it requires going beyond the limits of the rational mind.

The internalization of knowledge about oneself that comes from the natal chart produces a change in consciousness. And we have to keep in mind that the knowledge we are referring to is not a mental knowledge and association of concepts. It is necessary a bodily/emotional movement to occur as part of the understanding, and it is even possible that a new unknown dimension appears for the person, which is the spiritual dimension.

When we do a natal chart reading it with a holistic approach, we do the analysis of it taking into consideration the astrological factors, but also the resonance with the other person's energy field is also present. And that is where we surrender to the flow of our experience that comes from transpersonal dimensions (of humanity), of our perceptions and the topics the consultant is bringing as thematic to work. If the person feels mobilized, through spiritual information, or the emergence of repressed emotions, the upcoming of insights, the astrological consultation would have make sense.

The conception of the human being as a vibratory field that is in continuous energy exchange with everything that surrounds him (other human beings, other species, the planet Earth, the Universe) is opening us to a new way of Astrology. Astrology has always had to do with the relationship between the stars and the entities that incarnate on Earth. As the conception of the world becomes more complex, we need to expand the limits of Astrology and find new relationships that have always existed, but are now arising into awareness thanks to new revelations about ourselves and the world.

With this new conception of Astrology, an expansion inside and outside occurs. On the one hand, we realize that our psyche is much deeper than what was known in the past, in the origins of psychology. This deep inward search makes at the same time an outward movement. The deeper we go in the psyche, the further we reach outward, to what is beyond ourselves, to the collective, to the transpersonal dimension, and to the Universe. To complement this process, we include several tools from holistic, energy and body therapies, in the study of the Natal Chart and the teaching of Astrology. The learning process is integral, as it includes all the dimensions of our being.

The dimensions of being

From a holistic consciousness, the way of understanding reality has a fractal structure where each part in turn contains the whole. This whole being has dimensions that we can analyze separately to address its complexity, and explore how each of these dimensions is linked to the whole. We will describe this phenomenon in words, even when we know that written language has limitations to achieve it. To understand this description it is necessary that we can open ourselves to a different sensitivity and let the information arrive through different channels of perception.

Astrology describes these different channels with the symbolism of the planets. The matrix of the planets is a structure that is linked to other structures (signs and houses) and from there emerges all the complexity and creativity of what Astrology is.

Each planet is a specific function within the psyche, which corresponds to a quality, and each of them symbolizes different things. Each planet has a function within the whole system. We begin to understand that there are no better or worse signs, neither are there better or worse planets, but that each planet has its corresponding function. And the major system is in psychological terms the development of an operational, mature, healthy psyche.

Each planet will have a special quality, a corresponding archetype, a specific function within each one's psyche, and each planet can be objectified in some kind of person, animals, objects or experiences. It is as if the same quality of the planet can be seen in an abstract way, in a more psychological way or as if it were an external object. We describe each planet in the next article, from the holistic point of view.

The natal chart as a tool in the process of healing

To avoid confusion, we must differentiate the terms cure and healing. The term disease comes from the Latin infirmitas, which means "lack of firmness." The definition of disease according to the World Health Organization (WHO) is that of “alteration or deviation of the physiological state in one or several parts of the body, due to generally known causes, manifested by characteristic symptoms and signs, and whose evolution is more or less predictable.” Generally, the disease is understood as the loss of health.

We speak of cure when a restoration of a damaged or unbalanced part of the organism occurs, when a medical condition remits, when the progress of a disease that affects the physical body stops. It can also refer to the restoration of the balance of some condition in the psychological or mental plane. From this point of view, one might wonder how it is done to achieve healing through Astrology. And here it is important to say that we are not referring to cure, but to healing.

Healing has to do with the rupture or change in some pattern that generates a certain imbalance or illness, be it physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually. The interpretation of the natal chart from a mental point of view is not enough to produce a healing, since this is only a representation in a two-dimensional plane. The complexity of a human being leads us to see that map in two dimensions as a multidimensional complex and it is entering there, through the multiple dimensions that unfold from the chart, that we can consider the Human Being as a whole. We cannot access all dimensions at once, so the being can be unfold throughout life.

The astrologer does not only consider the natal chart in a consultation. There many other things that are part it: the presence of the person, his history, experiences, emotions, thoughts, concerns and fears, the situations that occur to him, the linkages he establishes with others, the energy that is constellated around it . All that is building a whole in continuous movement and where information circulates on multiple levels. The consultation is an interchange of words, energy, questions and answers. The active attention to the consultant state is the fundamental key of our work as holistic astrologers.

Awareness about repetitive or conditioning patterns is essential when trying to resolve the conflicts that afflict us. But becoming aware is not only to understand from a mental point the pain or the repetitive pattern. Information has to go through the body and mobilize the heart. And for this to happen it is also necessary for the consultant to reach the limit of tolerance of that pain. When something hurts us too much, we seek healing even if that process is also painful, because we know that touching the pain of what caused the disease is no less painful than the disease itself. That point of pain is what mobilizes the path to healing.

The same goes for the pain of feeling stuck in life in an existential nonsense. When the pain of being there is greater than the pain of going out of the situation, then we can appropriate all the courage necessary to face change, which can manifest even as a complete rebirth.

In general, the study of the natal chart does not serve the Being but serve the ego. That is, the ego (only a fragment of Being that we are) uses the incredible wisdom of Astrology for its own purposes. The goals of the ego are self-knowledge, self-improvement, have a good life, have healthier relationships, choose more convenient options, being happy, etc. But it is only a phase of a larger process; and something very important of course. If we truly get involved with Astrology, it will have to be transpersonal, including levels that are beyond what the self wants and needs.

So why get involved with Astrology? Doing so will give you a chance that you hadn’t before, thar is the possibility of being more conscious, feeling more vital and complete in the existence point of view. It will not give you security or guarantees, but perhaps it can train you in living in the flow and align yourself with the changing qualities of time. It can give you acceptance regarding what you and others are (because they are your outside). It will probably make you less idealistic and invite you to unfold the potential of your Being in ways that your ego does not know, luckily.