Want to Learn Astrology? Stop Asking This.
As a pro astrologer, I hear the same two questions over and over:
What’s gonna happen?!
What does it mean?!
But I encourage you to start asking this instead…
What’s happening?
Yes, as in right now.
Depending on the circles you run in, astrology can come across as fluffy and cryptic. But I experience it as very literal. Those glyphs and symbols represent extremely ordinary things—things that you can see and understand right now.
Sure, I had formal astrological education. But the real way I learned astrology was through observation and journaling. I simply lived my life, took notes, and looked for patterns between planets and my experience. There’s nothing I love more than a fresh cup and a fresh page, so this was a natural practice for me.
And you can do it too. It may feel a little itchy and uncomfortable, but I dare you to stop asking, “What does it mean?!” Instead, just record what’s actually happening. Period. That’s it. No special knowledge required. Because here’s the real astrological secret…
What’s happening is the meaning.
Now, you’ve got to know a little bit about what to look for, and your observation tactics will change slightly depending on which planet you want to learn about. But here’s a few pro tips & prompts to get you going.
Start with something obvious, like an ingress.
An ingress is when a planet moves from one zodiac sign to another zodiac sign. For example, Saturn may move out of Aquarius and into Pisces. Planets always ingress in zodiacal order, from Aries to Pisces.
Fast planets like the Moon, Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars do this pretty frequently. You’ll need an astrology app or calendar to tell you the exact date and time the ingress occurs in your location.
Ingresses are great times to begin observing astrology “out in the wild” because they’re pretty obvious. Ingresses are like doorways, where a planet walks out of one room and into another room—or one house to another house. The former room was decorated in one way, the new room in another way.
Your job is to simply notice what’s changed. What’s different? How does your experience a few days ago, before the ingress, differ slightly, or not so slightly, from your experience today?
Also notice…
The vibe. If this ingress were a music or movie genre, what would it be?
Your mindset, mood & energy level
What you’re thinking about
What’s on your schedule this week. What’s the focus? How are you spending your time?
What’s happening in the news
Pay attention to the Moon’s 1st conjunction.
And one final pro tip: If you can find it in your astrology calendar, be sure to put your astro-observation goggles on when the Moon makes its first conjunction to a freshly ingressed planet. The Moon acts like a spotlight or megaphone and will exaggerate the themes.
For example, let’s pretend you’re watching Mercury and it’s just moved out of Pisces and into Aries. Mark your calendar for the day the Moon also moves into Aries. This will occur sometime within the next month. But really pay attention during the hours surrounding the exact time the Moon conjuncts (aka bumps into) Mercury in Aries.
Have fun and trust yourself!