Horoscopes: What They Are and What to Do with Them

So you read your horoscope every day on your favorite website, or you check in monthly, maybe here! Perhaps you like to scan through zodiac signs, looking for your personality traits and compatibility possibilities.

Horoscopes can be a lot of fun to work with, to learn about, and to understand, but they can also be a source of anxiety and stress if taken out of context and too seriously.

To avoid the negative aspects of the zodiac, let’s parse through the history and the importance of context and alignment a bit. Knowledge is power, and understanding where things come from and deciding how you want to use them as tools in your life can change everything.

The History of Horoscopes

The oldest surviving evidence of horoscopes is from more than 2,000 years ago. A board was discovered in Croatia in a cave overlooking the Adriatic Sea. It is inscribed with the signs of the zodiac in the Greco-Roman style.

An ancient astrologer would have used the board to discover a person’s entire birth chart and help him or her better understand their life path and purpose.

Horoscopes descend from astrology, the study of the stars and the planets as they relate to human existence and life, and they are a form of divination.

Astrology, for thousands of years, was inseparable from astronomy. When the two split, it was due to the refusal to believe that humans were connected to the stars. Astronomy now leaves the human part out of the study, focusing its attentions purely on what can be observed and proven, not on what can be felt or inferred.

Helio versus Geo

For millennia, across the globe, most civilizations who studied the stars and planets believed, with reason, that the universe, including the sun, revolved around the earth. They noted that the stars, the planets, and the sun seemed to appear at predictable intervals and predictable locations throughout the year.

The conclusion was that of course the earth was at the center of the universe. This conclusion is called geocentric theory.

When mathematician and astronomer/astrologer Nicolaus Copernicus came along in the 15^th century, during the Rennaissance, and determined that the sun was actually at the center of the universe, the zodiac fell apart for many people. Copernicus’ theory, heliocentric theory, proved to be true.

For many, heliocentrism meant that of course the planets, the stars, and the sun, could not be related to human existence, our personalities, or our daily lives.

Poppycock, they said.

You Are the Universe

And that, as they say, is that, right?

Wrong.

Fortunately, many scientists, philosophers, and mathematicians have come along since to continue to investigate our connection to the cosmos.

Mathematician and theoretical physicist Briane Green has a wonderful book out, The Elegant Universe, in which he explores the possibility that everything in the universe is connected, that every single action is related to another action, and that all of our actions have universal consequences.

Deepak Chopra and quantum physicist Menas Kafatos have a book, You Are the Universe, in which they argue that humans are indeed at the center of the universe, and that the very fact of our existence speaks volumes about the implications of intelligent design.

The evidence seems abundant for those willing to see it. And yet, there will always be those who refuse to believe we are more than a mere accident, with little meaning in the grand cosmos, and that we will merely return to dust upon our deaths.

They will fight hard to argue for meaninglessness, chaos, and happy accidents.

Perhaps, in the end, it is as Nietzsche said, that the only meaning in life is the one we give it.

We get to find our own meaning, goals, and values, and then live according to those.

Horoscopes and the Divine

So what do horoscopes have to do with all of that?

Just like the tarot, crystals, or runes, horoscopes are a divination tool.

The concept of horoscopes is as follows:

12 constellations exist for the sun to pass through, and the constellation the sun was passing through on the date of your birth is your zodiac sign.

Astrologers will of course tell you that horoscopes are much more complex that the mere location of the sun upon your birth.

True horoscopes take into account the year you were born, the alignment of stars and planets and the sun and the moon all at the time of your birth. It is specific to the miracle that is you.

The broader, daily or monthly horoscopes, like the one I run on my blog, are designed to give you a general overview for your constellation and should be taken as an overarching message you can then explore more deeply with your own divination tools.

Divination Tools

If you know anything about divination, law of attraction, or the science of the mind, you will know that the basic thinking is as follows:

Humans are an extension of an infinitely powerful energy, some call it God, some call it The Universe, some call it Spirit, others call it Source Energy.

This energy is not only infinitely powerful but also infinitely wise and all knowing. It sees all possibilities at all times and can move heaven and earth.

We, as humans, were not so much created by this energy but cocreated ourselves from this energy. We are that energy, poured into a human vessel with limitations.

For what purpose?

As the thinking goes, and this is widely universal, even stemming from Hebrew faith, there is great value in limitation.

We can have experiences, which allow our consciousness to expand, that simply cannot be had from the perspective of an all knowing, all powerful, infinitely wise energy.

Energy cannot touch, feel, taste, or sense in the same way humans, with all of our limitations can.

Another important point to know about this energy is that it is the epitome of love. It knows no hate, fear, or sadness, which are innately human experiences (because humans are limited).

This energy wants only what we want for ourselves, and it is always communicating with us to let us know how to get exactly what we want. It knows, of course, the best and quickest way to getting what we want and it will guide us directly.

But we, in our human limitation, are usually blocking that communication in our own anger, frustration, disbelief, lack of faith, or sadness.

The more negative your emotion, the more we block direct communication with the divine.

The more in love we are, the more aligned we are, and the more we allow communication.

That’s why meditation and divination are great ways to clear and silence our minds and open those lines of communication.

Divination tools are like a telephone line to God.

How to Use a Horoscope

Thus, the best way to use any divination tool, including your horoscope, is to clear your thoughts, meditate, open yourself up to the universe, and read your horoscope, your birth chart, your tarot cards, with an open heart and an open mind.

Note: the universe does not ever send you omens, warnings, or cautions.

Every single divination tool, every message from God, is meant to guide you toward something big and beautiful for you.

The Universe does not speak in negatives. It cannot. It is only love.

So start with your horoscope, maybe one like the monthly one I post on my blog, and sit with the message.

Ask yourself how this message resonates with you.

If you feel strong resistance, walk away. You cannot work with resistant energy. Find another tool that works better for you. Or just sit in meditation for 10 minutes every day. Start there, just aligning.

If it resonates with you, it feels good in your body, your emotions respond positively to the message, feel your way deeper into it. Explore your birth chart, investigate ways to get closer to the truths you are hearing.

You can take horoscopes, and any divination tools, as seriously or as lightly as you like.

It has to work for you.

The Universe Has Your Back

Author, speaker, and all around badass spiritual guru Gabrielle Bernstein has some great books, articles, and even a podcast on how to understand your connection to the divine.

She notes that the universe does indeed always have your back. The only thing you need to get everything you want is desire backed by belief, and she teaches you how to get there.

Start small, with your horoscope and some meditation, and then follow the path that works for you on your journey to becoming more aware, more in touch, and more in love and aligned with a universe that promises that everything is always working out for you, even if you can’t always see it.

The most important place to begin is within, with yourself, and with finding the Universe there.

Happy manifesting!