THE KITTEN LIFE'S NON-EXHAUSTIVE GUIDE TO ASTROLOGY & THE ESOTERIC
Blind faith can be a useful emotion. Sometimes all we have is blind faith.
I play the lottery every week, and - spoiler alert! - lose literally every time. Yet, despite the odds, each time I get a new ticket, blind faith is quite the motivator for me to happily pass over my five dollars.
Faith – the blind sort or otherwise – is often all we have when we look around at troubling scenes, read troubling headlines, think of a troubling future for our planet and future generations.
But faith is only the first step in all of these instances.
If you are trying to win the lottery, or want the babe at the gym to ask you out, or feel inspired to save the planet, in addition to and definitely before the act of faith comes into play, you have to prepare yourself to beat the odds.
Simply playing the lottery increases the chances of your winning it. Committing to causes, positions and activities that help to advance, rather than hinder, sustainable solutions to environmental issues is a step in the direction of saving the planet. Just like asking that guy/girl at the gym out yourself is the best way to find out if a date is in your future.
With fifteen thousand shades of grey in between “nature” and “nurture,” “luck” and “control,” the eternal debate as to whether Astrology, the Tarot, Palmistry and the like, means anything in this purposefully purposeless Universe of ours is always a fun, if not divisive, choice of topic.
And it all starts with asking the question: should I read my horoscope today? Is reading my horoscope going to change anything?
Will I pull my tarot cards today? Will I believe the cards if they tell me something ominous?
Can I ask for a message from the stars today? Is there such a thing as synchronicity? Is manifestation a sham or is there some truth to it?
Of course you can! You can ask questions until the Universe implodes, but if you choose to do any or all of the above, consider the energy you’re putting into the act.
With all this being said, we thus preface this article aptly titled “The Kitten Life's Non-Exhaustive Guide to Astrology & the Esoteric.” And we here at The Kitten Life hope that you can use this guide to get more out of our monthly tarot readings and esoteric musings, and otherwise make your day to day reality a little more groovy.
1. A horoscope without action is just gibberish
As a conscious person seeking self-actualization and to make the world around you a better place, it’s important to go into anything, astrology or otherwise, with both an open mind and heart, but also with a sense of purpose.
I use my daily horoscope reading as a reflection of my day’s tasks, or the month or even year ahead.
Before reading the message in your local paper, phone app, or checking in with Susan Miller, be sure to reflect on what you’re hoping to read. Of course, these things can always be read mindlessly, but it’s a good opportunity to think on the level of the hours left in front of you to accomplish whatever’s on the docket, and use the info from your horoscope to help navigate the rest of your day.
Many a time have I been in a stressful predicament with a client, family member, or friend, and have used my horoscope to help relativize the situation. “Your loved ones are harbouring upsetting news, proceed with caution!” "You may feel as though you're hitting your head against a wall in a certain situation. Remember that tomorrow is a new day." Albeit vague, these sorts of statements remove a tremendous amount of pressure when you’re basically being told that this has nothing to do with you or them, but circumstances that are beyond your control. And regardless of whether or not that’s true, isn’t it nice not to hold onto unnecessary stress?
2. Look up, Moonchild
The moon is often seen as a symbol of the unconscious realm, illuminating the hidden parts of our ego, and bringing to light deeply held desires and fears. It can be a scary place to go, but go we must if we hope to move forward.
Every 29.5 days, the moon travels around the Earth. And each day a little more of it is revealed to us Earth-dwellers as it becomes illuminated by more and more direct sunlight.
Use the moon cycle to check in on your month.
Try taking an evening walk on the night of a full moon. No iPhone, no music, just time spent looking up at the massive, awe-inspiring, white orb shining down, while reflecting on the past thirty days, and making a mental tally of accomplishments and failures.
What happened this past month as each day a sliver of the completion that was to come revealed itself in the night? What did you learn? What did you fail at? Where were you thirty days ago?
Tie that reflection to the infiniteness of the moon cycle and the short nature of your life. What really matters?
3. Stereotypes are born from a kernel of truth
We are naturally attracted to dichotomies, stereotypes, and explanations of 'why them and no one else.' It can be comforting to read that your tendencies to hole up for days on end getting lost in the iridescent world of your dreams is because you’re a Pisces, or that the conflict you feel between your need to be generous, but also constantly praised for it, is because you’re a Leo.
Similarly, researching the star sign of the person you just started dating, a new boss, or a new friend you're stoked about, is an interesting way to gain perspective into what their inner world might look like and what might be motivating them. But don’t let these traits keep you in a rut, nor over-inflate your self-perception, because there are always, always exceptions to the rule. And definitely don’t use them to pigeon hole others.
4. Pick a card, any card
Buy your best friend a tarot card deck. It’ll be a great investment, I promise. Learn together and start asking questions that matter.
You’ll soon find that it’s not the cards that tell you anything, but your subconscious. You’ll see the answer in the card before you even look up, or are told what its traditional meaning is, because the cards are merely a conduit between you and your purpose. And how lucky are we to have access to something like that in the physical realm!
I have spent the past few years learning the cards, testing out my deck on the questions of others, and making links between the message with the querent's star sign and personality. It’s a fun event, when shared with friends and a good glass of wine, or a refreshing cup of tea, and always produces a ton of laughs, stories and debates about the various solutions to the perceived problems we all have. But every time I do a reading, I make sure to tell the querent, “it’s not the message that counts, it’s what you choose to do with it.”
5. Always, always search for faith
Often, the world can feel like it’s crumbling. Sometimes because it actually is.
But as individuals that make up the collective consciousness, we need to hold out for good. We will overcome.
And if it feels like there’s no hope, maybe turning to the stars will help you find it again.
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