What is Evolutionary Astrology?
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Evolutionary Astrology
Evolutionary astrology is a type of modern astrology that is psychological, spiritual, and archetypal. The fathers of evolutionary astrology are Steven Forrest and Jeffrey Wolf Green; my primary influence is the work and teachings of Steven Forrest.
Evolutionary astrology is the study of the soul’s evolution from lifetime to lifetime. Evolutionary astrology is based less on specific technical approaches and more on a set of philosophical principles. For instance, some evolutionary astrologers focus more on Pluto in the birth chart, while others focus more on the Nodes of the Moon, but most operate under a core philosophy which is laid out as follows.
Our Lives Are Intrinsically Meaningful
The core philosophical belief that guides my work as an evolutionary astrologer is the belief that everyone’s life—whether we are aware of it or not—has a profoundly meaningful purpose and that this purpose is laid out in the natal chart. Through the lens of evolutionary astrology, the natal chart is seen as a blueprint of our soul's evolutionary intentions for this specific lifetime.
The Natal Chart as a Map of the Soul
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The birth chart reflects our soul's evolutionary condition at the moment of birth. As such, the natal chart provides information about the psychological and spiritual wounds, or blindspots, we carried with us into our current lifetime. These blindspots are what I consider our “karma.”
Karma is not about punishment for bad behaviors or reward for good behaviors. Karma is simply habit; ways of being that we have grown accustomed to but are no longer serving us. Karma is our comfort zone. Evolutionary astrology helps bring these habitual karmic behaviors into awareness so they can be worked with consciously and intentionally.
The natal chart not only reveals where we’re coming from (our karma), but also points to the specific direction we need to go in order to continue the process of integration and evolution.
Bringing the Spiritual Down to Earth
Culturally we tend to categorize a very specific set of experiences and activities as “spiritual,” but evolutionary astrology challenges this point of view. According to evolutionary astrology our spiritual evolution happens through living our lives in alignment with the archetypal symbolism in our birth chart. Every birth chart is unique and therefore, each one of us has a spiritual path that is completely unique to us. What might be highly spiritual and growth enhancing for one person, might be the opposite for someone else. There is no one right way to live a life.
Evolutionary astrology helps bridge the spiritual with our everyday lives by expanding our definition of “spiritual.” Someone who’s North Node is in Aries is learning courage, so public speaking, rock climbing, setting a firm boundary with an overbearing boss—activities that challenge them to face their fears are precisely the experiences that will lead toward spiritual growth. Someone with their North Node in Taurus, on the other hand, is learning embodiment and simplicity. So for them, being in nature, calming the nervous system, and relaxing into the wisdom of the body is where the soul growth lies. There are countless roads to Rome and evolutionary astrology celebrates them all.
The Myth of “Lucky” and “Unlucky” Placements
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In evolutionary astrology there is no such thing as good/bad or lucky/unlucky astrological placements. Reality just isn’t this simple, and the soul doesn’t make these kinds of judgments. The brain likes to assign these labels. Experiences that feel painful or uncomfortable, the brain labels as bad or unlucky; the experiences we like, the brain labels the opposite. But from a soul perspective these labels don’t make a lot of sense. The soul desires growth and wholeness, not comfort.
In evolutionary astrology every placement is seen as purposeful, even challenging ones. And “luck” really has nothing to do with it. Luck implies an element of chance or chaos that doesn’t fit within the evolutionary astrological philosophy. From an evolutionary standpoint, we intentionally choose the archetypal patterns in our birth chart because this is the specific experience our soul needs in order to continue growing and moving toward deeper levels of integration.
Conscious Participation is Up to Us
As I said above, evolutionary astrology asserts that our soul purposefully chose the energies in our natal chart, but obviously this choice is not one we remember making. However, there is plenty of choice and freewill in the world of evolutionary astrology. What is written in our natal chart is set in stone, but the way we choose to respond to those energies is completely up to us.
Our lives are a constant co-creation with the energies within and around us. Evolutionary astrology helps us understand these energy currents more deeply so we can work with them, instead of against them. Every archetypal energy in the zodiac has a high, conscious version, a low, unconscious version (often called the Shadow), and infinite shades of gray in between. The more we understand about our chart, the more consciously we can align ourselves with the higher potentials and avoid the less conscious, less integrated manifestations.
Understanding our natal chart through an evolutionary lens is like having a user’s manual for ourselves. It validates what we often already know deep down about who we are and what we need in order to live a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Meet the Author
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Maggie is a counseling astrologer and modern mystic whose approach is therapeutic and psychological. She views the natal chart as a map of the soul, and loves helping others understand the intelligent evolutionary processes at work behind their life experiences. In addition to astrology readings, Maggie also offers tarot readings.
If you would like more information, or would like to schedule a reading with Maggie, book a free 15 minute phone consultation today.
Other Services Offered by Maggie
Maggie is also a licensed therapist in the state of Kansas, specializing in therapy for anxiety, therapy for low self-esteem, therapy for codependency, therapy for highly sensitive people, and grief and bereavement counseling.
Through counseling Maggie helps people overcome shame and the fear of being their true selves. Breaking the cycles of people-pleasing and self-abandonment is possible, and she’s here to help. Maggie offers online therapy throughout the state of Kansas.
Reach out today to schedule your free 15 minute phone consultation, she’d love to hear from you!
