How to Calm Astrology Fear in 6 Steps
If you’ve spent any significant time around astrology, I bet you’ve felt a little thing called astrology fear.
Unofficial definition: when you hear something about your chart or the upcoming astrology that makes you say, Oh, f*ck, and you promptly go into a catastrophe spiral; often instigated by social media or random astrology Googling.
Astrology fear is real. And super common. And not your fault.
There’s huge negativity bias in the astrology industry, probably because most of it is future-oriented. It’s all about the unknown. And unknowns are easy to make up scary stories about.
One of the main reasons I stopped predicting the future as a professional astrologer is that it pushed people out of the present and tended to create worry. I believe the best way to take care of your future is to take care of yourself right now. So next time astrology fear creeps in, follow these six steps to find some relief.
1. Pause.
First, stop and feel the fear before reaching for a distraction. Put a hand on your heart and notice what’s going on in your body. Validate your experience. Tell yourself that it makes sense that you feel this way.
Then, if there’s something you can do to create a little calm, go ahead and do that. Maybe it’s wiggling your toes, maybe it’s taking a few big breaths, or letting out an audible sigh.
2. Talk to it.
Create some separation from your astrology fear by recognizing it as just one part of you instead of the whole. Also notice that this part is acting from a place of protection. Instead of stuffing it down, talk to it directly. The conversation may go something like this…
“Hey, astro fear. I see and hear you. I appreciate you trying to protect me. Is there something I can do for you?”
It may say nothing, or it may give you some very specific instructions. Follow the guidance and soothe this part of yourself.
3. Point to the evidence.
Scared of a Pluto transit coming up? It’s likely you’ve already been through one, maybe a few. You are strong and resilient and your transits prove it. Remind yourself that you’ve lived through thousands of transits already and you’re still here.
If you keep a transit journal, this might be a good time to reread what actually happened during your previous transits and how you dealt with them. If something really challenging happened last time, I’m not saying that it’s going to happen again, and that’s not the point of this reread. The point is to show yourself that you made it through and to remind yourself of the tools and resources that you used along the way. If you don’t keep a transit journal, simply think of a recent challenge and list off all the ways you showed up for yourself.
(Don’t know what a transit is? It’s when a planet in today’s, real-time sky comes around and “talks” to a planet in your natal chart. Transits may correlate with life events or changes. A famous transit that you may have heard of is the Saturn return.)
4. Flip the script.
Even as a professional astrologer, the transits that I think are going to be the “worst ever” can manifest in a way I didn’t expect. And yes, sometimes in a completely bland, unnoticeable way. Instead of assuming something in astrology is “bad”, I prefer to keep my options open and assume it’s going to enhance my life.
If you know a bit about astrology, brainstorm and think about what gifts you could squeeze out of this natal placement or transit. Where’s the positive here? Or at least the neutral?
I hesitate to use a specific example because I don’t want to promote astro fear, but for the sake of learning, let’s pretend you have an opposition from Saturn coming up. Knowing all that you know about Saturn, what are three ways this transit could offer you a benefit or opportunity? Write them down.
This is also when seeing a professional astrologer can help—preferably one that’s not into fear mongering!
If you’re worried about a challenging placement in your natal chart, do the same thing. I believe every placement, even the most difficult, brings you some type of inner gold. Sure, maybe this placement describes some suffering you’ve experienced, but I bet that hardship developed some amazing characteristics and strengths within you. List those out. In practice, I tend to see “difficult” placements manifest as someone’s life mission or passion.
5. Make a plan.
Instead of the passive approach of waiting on the astrology to “do something to you”, you can do something to it. Give the astrology a direct channel or pathway to act through. Make a plan. And again, actually write it out.
Let’s pretend Mercury is about to go retrograde. This happens all the time and it’s a great opportunity to practice calming astrology fear. A Mercury retrograde plan might look a little something like this…
Pause and take a breath before saying yes to a new commitment
Schedule in buffer time before and after appointments so I don’t feel rushed
Review my quarterly goals and make sure they still feel supportive and realistic
6. Prevention.
Do what you can to prevent astro fear from striking again. Limit how much astrology content you consume and be really intentional about where it comes from. If it leaves you feeling scared and yucky, it’s probably not the source for you.
If astrology fear is your constant companion, I suggest taking a break from tracking the astrology weather for a while and focusing on planet channeling instead. Planet channeling is a journaling process that allows you to receive guidance from the planets without having to know all the details of what’s happening up there. This practice can satiate your astrology appetite while also protecting you from potentially activating information.