Life Force

To form a more accurate picture of the energies of life it is necessary to look at the dimensions of the eighteen constellations that the Sun, Moon and planets traverse. The astronomical constellations which are observable in the sky are not divided into the twelve neat and equal segments as typically defined in astrology.

To define the constellation dimensions, Astronomical Astrology uses the constellation boundaries as defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and which is observable in the night sky. The most noticeable difference to other forms of astrology, is that not all constellations are of the same dimension. As an example, the constellation Pisces occupies a much larger space of the sky than the constellation of Cancer. The cosmos add complexity as the inclined path through each constellation results in the Sun, Moon and planets each spending different amounts of time travelling through each astronomical constellation.

Considering these two aspects, each constellation fills varying arcs of the sky. This varies quite significantly from 6.5 days for Scorpio to almost 45 days for Virgo. Tying the constellation dimension complexity into the precession of the equinoxes, means that Astronomical Astrology aligns exactly with the observable universe and science.

Increasingly the thoughts of many people are being affected by external sources such as reality TV, and influencers on social media. Every day millions of us are being bombarded by messages, images and videos from these various sources. It is becoming normal that people accept what they see or hear without questioning its content or validity to their own lives. On acceptance, it can then become integrated into your own programmed thinking.

Realise how you can react to situations or events with the programmed thinking which was manufactured for mass consumption. Make the smart choice to not act as if you were participating in an episode of Goggle box. Break free from this social conditioning to be your own life influencer.

Many times in life, we are distracted by things that upset us, cause worry or tension. If you were to closely examine your life, you would find many aspects appear to be out of your control. However, many people continue to try to change these seemingly immovable things in life.

To bring about some true and meaningful change, focus your intentions on the things in life which you can change, rather than dwelling on what apparently is out of your control.

No matter what is going on in your life, you can still choose to be aware and mindful. It is all about choices – you have the power within you to choose how to respond, rather than reacting. The power is within your grasp; pausing your mind provides the opportunity for silences and active intellect to take charge. You can then make informed decisions on how to react to any situation in your life.

This phenomenon of the precession of the equinoxes is due to the long term cyclic wobbling in the orientation of Earth’s axis of rotation. This wobble of 1 degree for every 71.6 years was identified by Sir Isaac Newton and has since been better quantified as we have learnt more about the mechanics of the Solar System. We now know that the precession is caused by the gravitational effects of both the Sun and the Moon coupled with the fact that our planet is not a perfect sphere. Consider that the Earth is tilted and that the Sun’s gravitational pull is stronger on the portion that is tilted towards it, thus creating a torque effect on the planet. This torque coupled with the gravitational effects of the moon, which is tilted out of the plane by five degrees, causes the slow but very gradual wobble of the Earth.

The precession of the Earth’s axis has several noticeable effects. The first noticeable effect of this is that the positions of the north and south celestial poles appear to move in circles. The celestial poles take 25,772 years to create a full circle against the backdrop of seemingly fixed stars. Today, the star Polaris lies approximately at the north celestial pole, this will change over time as other stars become the north star. Second, the precession of the equinoxes moves slowly westwards across the sky, causing a drift in the observed position of the astronomical constellations. What this means is that each astrological star sign now contains the constellation that was formerly to the east. As an example, the tropical astrological star sign of Capricorn now covers a sector of the sky which is filled with the astronomical constellation of Sagittarius.

The location of the vernal equinox has shifted approximately 23 degrees westward over the past 2,000 years, will continue to progress westward at approximately 50.3 arc-seconds each year. When the astronomer Ptolemy mapped 48 constellations in the second century, the vernal equinox occurred in the constellation of Aries. Now due to the continued process of precession, the location of this equinox has shifted westward so that the vernal equinox now appears in the constellation of Pisces. This can be proven by simple observation of the night sky or the use of various apps on your smartphone which can map the stars.

The precession of the equinoxes is the prime reason for the difference between the true astronomical positions of the constellations and (western or tropical) astrology. Astronomical Astrology aligns with the science of astronomy and the real observations of the Sun, Moon and planets across the sky by factoring in the precession of the equinoxes.

As you continue your journey on the pathway of awakening, you will face many challenges. Not all of these challenges seem obvious or straightforward. Every day we all express different thoughts and emotions. However, certain emotions can cause more problems than others as they feed your lower ego.

These lower emotions are typically characterised by fear, arrogance, rage, despondency, jealousy and greed and can be analogous to many aspects of the seven deadly sins. You should strive to recognise any aspects of these lower emotions within you. Where you do find any thoughts, emotions or feelings of this nature, you should do your best to bring these aspects under control, then banish them from every facet of your life. If you allow these emotions to be retained within, they will feed your lower ego with energy, giving the mind the opportunity to then regain its power over you and your life.

Even though the physical form seems solid, science tells us that it is not so, the physical form is largely void. At an anatomical level, our body consists of various systems. These systems are comprised of various cells which perform specific functions necessary for the operation and wellbeing of the entire mechanism. At the microscopic level, the cells are the basic biological and functional unit.

The cells are comprised of smaller components such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and other substances. These cellular components are composed of atoms, which are in turn composed of smaller sub-atomic particles. Between and around these sub-atomic components are vast amounts of apparent nothingness. So while we all appear solid, at the sub-atomic level we appear largely empty. However, there is more to this emptiness. This quantum void is infused with the finite aspects of the universal force to maintain the structure of matter and maintain the illusion of solidity.

Mindfulness can be applied almost anytime and anywhere, be that standing in a queue, sitting at your desk or carrying out household tasks. You can apply aspects of mindfulness through your breathing or observation of sensations in your body.

Mindfulness at its most basic principle is becoming aware, though few of us have considered the winder context this implies. As you work to apply Mindfulness all day, take the opportunity to grow your experience. As you can become aware of your breathing or sensations in your body, you can progress to become aware of your own thoughts. As you increase your awareness, observe how your thoughts arise within your mind and how your reactions can lead to seemingly unconscious thoughts. The more that you become aware of all aspects of your life, the more profound your mindfulness experiences will be.

Have you developed a pattern of tuning to the negative? There is a strong correlation between being optimistic and being physically well. Typically, people who express positive emotions are at a reduced risk of becoming ill. Feeling happy is linked with better general health and longer life.

Positive psychology encompasses a variety of techniques that focus on: developing positive thoughts, positive emotions, developing positive experiences. It also works at a deeper level on improving our positive character traits, such as loyalty, humility and integrity. Positive psychology does not discount that there are negatives that impact our lives. Instead, positive psychology aims to look at the situation to better understand human experiences and determine how to best foster positivity and good thinking.

The major difference between astrology and the observable astronomical constellations is due to the Precession of the Equinoxes. Astronomical Astrology takes into account the rotation, motion and orbits of the earth and planets to build a complete picture of the Galaxy at large.

You may ask, how does an equinox impact the position of the constellations? Equinox means “equal night”, being that time of year when all points on the Earth’s surface experience the same lengths of daylight and darkness. There are two equinoxes each year and the vernal equinox marks the point in time when the Sun crosses the celestial equator and is the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere.

When Greek astronomer Hipparchus compiled his star catalogue in the year 129BC, he found that the positions of the stars did not match up with the older Babylonian observations. He observed that most of the stars and constellations had shifted a constant amount. This indicated to Hipparchus that it was not the stars themselves that had moved but the frame of reference, Earth, which had changed. Hipparchus concluded that the equinoxes were drifting westward along the ecliptic relative to the stars that were believed to be motionless from the perspective of astronomers, and opposite to the motion of the Sun along the ecliptic. The precession of the equinoxes is an ongoing process that has caused a shift in the position of the zodiac as seen from Earth.

Your Spark of Life is the true unemotional component within you. It is an omnipresent force within you, representing the seed of creative energy of the cosmos. Within many ancient writings, it has been described as the capability of Gods within. Such writings have been referring to your creative Spark of Life within, which means that you are a creative being. However, you need to take this in the context that you are an energy being. Expressed more simply, you are part of the Universal Presence manifesting within material life.

How often do you scroll through Instagram or your Facebook feed, looking at the picturesque snippets of other peoples lives? You may flick through glossy magazines and view TV, wondering how the other people get to have the perfect body, fantastic homes or seemingly enviable lives. Increasingly it is becoming easy to be swamped in your insecurities, fears, wants or desires as you compare your life to the world of others.

Take the time to become your own life influencer as you expouse the thought that “I am enough”. Building this thought within you can give you a sense of calm and happiness allowing you to change the direction of your life for the better. Take the opportunity to make it into a mantra, which you repeat every morning or even throughout the day, until it sinks in and your mind accepts it. As you allow this positive aspect to build within your life, you will begin to discover that many things are your own source of happiness. With ongoing positive reinforcement as your own influencer, you can begin to experience that “I am enough, I have enough, I have always been enough and I always will be enough.”

A significant amount of many people’s brainpower is overinvested in worry and concern. Knowing how powerful your mind is, you have the capacity to bring about some change in your life. It will take practice and perseverance; however, thinking anything will occur can be a significant step towards making it happen.

Make an effort to divert some of your mental capacity to evoke more favourable changes in life. Focus on what feels good and find a task that occupies your mind to take the body out of its cycle of negative or disruptive thought.

Some may find new forms of Astrology hard to believe, as they have associated with being a certain star sign for all of their life. However, most forms of astrology do not align with the science of astronomy and the observations of the sky due to two factors: the precession (or drift) of the equinoxes & the dimensions of constellations.

The cornerstone of Astronomical Astrology is the actual observable locations of the Sun, Moon or planets in relation to the eighteen constellations of the extended zodiac.

Astronomical Astrology does not dismiss the aspects of what someone has believed throughout their life, as it must be realised that thoughts are their own energies, which can form a layer of reality around an individual. In which case you may find that you exhibit aspects of the star sign you think you are, but at the time you will find that you react sub-consciously due to the energies which are the actual astronomical aspects.

As you access your Life Force energies, they begin to blossom and radiate into the world. Your Life Force will try to release itself from the emotional instability of the human body. As it does, the Life Force gains control of your life, so that you can live every thought, emotion and feeling with high reasoning.

How long will it take to release the wonder of your Life Force? The awakening of your Life Force has to be controlled by you, as it is necessary to adjust to the energies of your Life Force on a gradual basis. Much depends on your ability to have an open mind to challenge the accepted conditioning that has built up over the years. The awakening of your Life Force depends on your enthusiasm to place your will to the fore through Ekagrata to enter into the silence within your Life Force mind.