It is estimated that the earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old. This estimate comes from radiometrically dating rocks. Do we know for sure? The answer is no, but this is currently our best method for hazarding a guess. Further, it seems that humans have not always been here. Many life forms have come and gone, not the least of which were the dinosaurs, and there are likely periods for which we have no record or understanding at all of what has occurred here on the big blue planet. But, humans did eventually show up, and we have been struggling to make sense of why since the day we arrived.
There are a tapestry of stories surrounding how we got here and the purpose of this earthly journey. Some of the most intriguing theories are found among the oral traditions of various indigenous groups scattered around the globe. Though not all the same, there is a common golden thread that seems to run through all of them. Notably, the indigenous group with the oldest oral tradition concerning creation is the Aborigines of Australia. It dates back some 65,000 years. It is the story of events that have happened, how the universe came to be, how human beings were created and how their Creator intended for humans to function within the world as they knew it. Aboriginal people view the earth as their “Mother” and the animals as their spiritual kin. There is an interconnectedness between all living things and we are all part of a greater whole which is called life.
It is this interconnectedness that has always spoken to my soul, more than any philosophy, religion or other belief system I have encountered. For me, the thought of being separate, independent, and superior has never really resonated. From a very young age I recognized the connections, the interdependence and our smallness. We are totally dependent on so many things, none of which we control; we are just along for the ride… literally. The ride we are on is called planet earth, a school of sorts. Our planet is spinning at roughly 1000 miles per hour. Additionally, we are trapped in the gravitational pull of the Sun, which is moving at a speed of 45,000 miles per hour towards Lambda Herculis, a star in the constellation of Hercules. This means we are travelling more than a million miles per day through time and space as we follow the Sun on its voyage.
In referring to this ride as a “school of sorts” I am purposely implying that we are actually here to learn something, garner experiences, and to participate in a grand cosmic matriculation. Some of us are taking tougher classes than others but make no mistake we are all in school. And amazingly, we all have individualized lesson plans that I believe we agreed to in advance of entering the hallowed halls of classroom Earth. What makes me say this? Well, I can’t say I have always held this belief. In fact, I suspect part of the human experience is to go through periods of time where we question if any of this has meaning or significance at all. Is it just random? The turning point for me came one Saturday afternoon that I decided to attend a lecture, or should I say, the lecture decided I needed to attend.
I remember the moment very distinctly, it was Wednesday, August 26, 2015, and I was sitting at my desk at work when I literally heard in my mind to check the calendar for the local Unity Spiritual Center to see what might be going on. My eyes were drawn to a lecture that was being given that Saturday entitled “Revisioning the Spirituality of Astrology” by Dr. Robert Hand. Oddly, because I didn’t have the slightest real interest in Astrology, I decided to sign up! Something was prompting me… almost as if I was being compelled to attend.
Saturday arrived and I walked into the main hall at Unity surprised to find that I was one of only two men in attendance (besides Dr. Hand) and the other approximately 80 attendees were women. At the time we signed up for the lecture, we were also asked to submit our birthdate, birth time and birthplace. I didn’t know why but logically assumed it had something to do with the astrology stuff. After a three-hour lecture by Dr. Hand, which I can say kept my attention the whole time (this guy was really smart), he proceeded to ask his wife who was positioned in the back of the room to randomly select a chart from the group of attendees that he was then going to interpret. You guessed it, she called out my name!
Suddenly, my natal chart was on display on a big screen in front of the room. I had no idea what I was looking at. Dr. Hand asked “who’s chart is this?” I hesitantly waved my hand in acknowledgment. He began. Within minutes, I was shifting rather uncomfortably in my chair. This guy somehow knew all about me. Over about a fifteen to twenty-minute period I was completely mesmerized by the accuracy and insight of what was being shared. How was it that he was able to provide such information by looking at a circular chart with all kinds of strange symbols on it? The same voice I had heard on Wednesday in my mind whispered that I needed to find out how.
And so began my sojourn into the study of Astrology. Ironically, the thing that didn’t interest me at all suddenly became my passion over the next year and remains so to this day. By April of 2016 I did my first reading of a natal chart for someone, just as Dr. Hand had done for me. Why the passion? What I had recognized was that for me, this was the missing link. I had always felt, as I have mentioned, that everything was connected in some grand and miraculous way. Further, we, from our human perspective, could not fully comprehend or appreciate this. Suddenly, I found myself connecting our human experience with the position and energy being manifested by the universe at the time of our individual entry into this life. Each of us inheriting these individual slices of time that we in turn follow as our lesson plan, the one that guides our path each moment as we attend Earth school.
Now years later, I can confidently say that this is absolutely true. I have met with hundreds of people at this point and sat with them in what I consider to be a sacred communion. A moment when we, through the wonder of a natal chart, explore and discuss their lesson plan, purpose and much more. If I had not experienced what I did that day in August 2015, I would have never believed it possible. But I did…and I do still. I can never reverse or undo what I have learned, nor would I want to. I do not yet know exactly how or why Astrology works, which is probably a good thing, but I can say the ancient saying attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, “As Above, So Below”, has been proven over and over through my experience as a professional astrologer. The Aborigines, as well as many who have come and gone before us, had it right. It is all connected. I hear the bell ringing now, let’s get back to class.
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