What can evolutionary Astrology do for me?
Despite having become a professional astrologer myself and continuing to study astrology, for the majority of my life I was not really interested in it and barely knew more than sun signs and rising signs. I also had no idea how many different styles of astrology are out there or why I might be interested in them. Part of me wishes someone would have introduced me to evolutionary astrology and the work of Steven Forrest earlier. But another part of me isn’t sure it would have captured me the way it did later in my life.
As a longtime musician, I have had countless experiences of friends recommending some new artist or style of music only for me to find I wasn’t really “feeling it”, only to several months (or years) later find my way back to it and become completely obsessed. BUT often enough, I would also enjoy what I was shown right away. And I am grateful to each of my friends or fellow musicians who led me to some of the artists I now love and who have been part of my life, enriching my days ever since. And for anyone reading this blog, I hope it might do the same in terms of astrology, or more precisely, evolutionary astrology.
This is the kind of post I wish I would have found many years ago; maybe it would have kindled my own curiosity. For one, aside from learning astrology, I had no idea what it could do for me. So here is what I have found it can offer and also why I decided to shift my life to carry this torch to the hearts of others.
There is a lot an astrological reading or astrological counseling can do. But most importantly, in my view, is that the insight it offers is adaptable as we grow, change, and evolve. It can help us understand better how to walk through life and how to play to our strengths. How to not fall prey to our weaknesses and bad habits, and also for what purpose they might be there other than to be in our way.
It can offer a lot of insight on how come we keep running up against the same challenges, be it in career, or relationships, or just within ourselves. As well as some insight on how to resolve those challenges or navigate them better. It is an excellent way to get to know ourselves better and more deeply, which I have been a big advocate for most of my life, but I’ve also struggled with at times. And that’s exactly where I find evolutionary Astrology so valuable; Because it doesn’t view our challenges and problems simply as “character flaws” or “predetermined destiny”.
It views them as our perfectly custom tailored stepping stones for personal- and soul-growth, healing, and embodiment of our natural gifts; Designed to lead us into alignment with our deepest, most inner core, and the world(s) around us. And it offers not just one, but many adaptable suggestions supporting us specifically in finding our individual path, for getting there. Exciting, right!?
Like the image of the wrinkly old wizard I use on my website suggests, the insight and support astrological work with me or any other evolutionary astrologer can provide is not through predicting what will happen precisely. I don’t believe that is possible through astrology. I firmly believe in free will and choice. But alongside free will, I also believe in a particular kind of “fate”. I think we are “fated” to face certain challenges, opportunities, and decisions on our paths in life. Because they offer us an opportunity to grow, to change, and to mature. In my opinion, it is even better than just knowing “what” is to come, to also know “why” we are facing what we are facing. We can do that by shedding some light on the soul’s growth path as written into the natal chart at the time of our birth.
Think of the difference of running into an unexpected obstacle, versus knowing that you will have to climb a mountain or jump over something, and being ready for it. If we take the astrological work further, and look into transits and other astrological techniques, we can even get a sense of the right timing and “when” we each are on particularly sensitive or impactful sections of our life’s path. In other words, maybe we don’t know what “exactly” will happen, but we know the nature and qualities of the questions and experiences we will “wrestle” with one way or another, and how they are particularly meaningful to us and the evolution of our soul. Including the pitfalls and potential these situations carry for us, and some useful clues for staying on the high ground while we are in them.
If we believe in free will, then “fate” becomes a little more flexible, but I think it’s no less real. Maybe it is our “fate” to face the possibility of “sinking with our ship on the open sea”. But much more likely I think, is that we are fated to face something that could be represented by the experience of being on a sinking ship, if we are too stubborn or blind to see our path any other way, before it comes to that.
I want to believe in a benevolent and kind universe/multiverse. And in that, there is just no room for predetermined, fixed outcomes. What exactly happens is not predetermined that narrowly. We have options. Choice! But at the same time, I think it is that same benevolence and kindness that will nearly never “force” us, but “encourage” us to grow and change in ways that serve our hearts, souls, and the bigger mystery of life.
I think If we can get an idea of the “map” our soul is navigating and what kind of tools we are naturally equipped with to walk through our path, we might be able to choose a different course by the time we set sail. We can’t escape the fact that life will provide us with challenges, but we can know the map and learn to read it. We can learn to read the weather and the wave patterns. And we can learn what kind of “ship” we are navigating and how it differs from others.
We can know where the shallow paths in the sea are and where the ship needs patching. Maybe we can’t always avoid going through shallows and causing a few new leaks. But we can know how to get around some major pitfalls and through others as well as possible with just a few small leaks instead of sinking the whole ship. We can know what our soul intended to learn or integrate by facing certain situations and do our best not to run from those lessons.
And if we are wise, that will empower us to make changes to the path, but it also offers us something even more meaningful. A deeper insight within ourselves and the inner peace of intentional alignment with our soul as we walk through life. Of course, a ship is not the only way to travel, and I’d be the first to admit that nobody needs astrology to live a meaningful and fulfilled life. People do it all the time. But while I can technically walk from Berlin to Rome, I just find an “airship” much more enjoyable and effective. And I feel the same way about evolutionary astrology.
Another thing I wish I knew earlier is this. The name “Evolutionary Astrology” implies that it has something to do with growth. As humans, we generally agree that growing as a person is a good thing. Maybe your chosen growth path is on a more psychological level, or on a more soul evolution or spiritual level, or maybe a mix of the two.
Evolutionary astrology, as I learned and practice it, can encompass either or both. Some call the birth chart “the soul’s lesson plan”, some say it “shows everything wrong with you…and how to fix it”, and some say it describes your primary psychological functions, their main motivators and desires, and how you express them in life. To me, a system that can encompass all that with enormous flexibility but also with accuracy is just really cool. And I like that it doesn’t cater to just one view, or point of engagement.
No matter how you’d like to approach it, you don’t have to be a big fan of either metaphysics, psychology, science, or spirituality—but you can be a fan of all of them, like me, to get something out of working with an evolutionary astrologer.
Of course, I can’t really speak for other astrologers, but as far as my own practice goes, all you really need to be is curious, respectful, and looking for perspective that integrates with life. And maybe just what you’d imagine to be the qualities of someone who finds themselves at the doorstep of an old cottage in between worlds, hoping to find a glimpse into the map their soul is navigating. And the chance to walk away with a magic compass with strange symbols on it, you will learn to read better and better over time, charting a path through your life guided by your soul and connection to life itself.
Of course, like any compass or map, it can’t tell you what you’ll do with it or the places it’ll take you. It’s entirely up to you. You either get it right, or not. I personally enjoy figuring out how to get it right and exploring the new ground this compass leads me to.
But you always have the choice to leave it in the corner and stir your ship with your gut. And any time you feel like a map might be useful, or even just interesting to take a look at, is a good time to book a reading or a consultation with the evolutionary astrologer of your choice, or to deepen your understanding of your own natal or moving chart on your own.
Thank you for reading!
~ Merlin