It's often our habit to make assumptions. We think we perceive
something correctly, but we may be off in left field and not
even know it. This can be a serious problem in the practice
of astrology. We glance at a chart and think we have it all
wrapped up neatly. This can be an offense to clients. They don't
want to be put in a box with the last person who had a similar
combination in their charts. Naturally, we all just want to
be seen for who we are, without prejudices and assumptions.
Recently I had a rather humorous lesson about this. My fiancee
and I were going on a drive in a beautiful part of Maui, Hawaii
where we live. I noticed that some of the mango trees looked
sickly with patches of leaves that had turned brown and were
drooping, like in the photo below. Whole hillsides were turning
brown, or so it seemed.
My mind started reeling off assumptions: "The trees are
sick because nature's out of balance", "It's an infestation
of nasty insects," "Isn't anyone doing something about
this?" "See, real evidence of global warming!"
We were passing some of the most pristine natural scenery with
bamboo forests and waterfalls and I was depressed because of
the poor sick mango trees. We passed a ravine where some mango
trees had been chopped down, which only added to my proof that
there was a real problem. When we got to the ranger station
in Kipahulu I asked them about the mango trees. The rangers
looked at me and started laughing, "Those are just the
new mango leaves! They always look like that at this time of
year!"
There is tremendous wisdom in the attitude of not-knowing, and
remaining curious. Once we decide we know the answer we stop
being open to learning the real truth. The Greeks had a proverb,
“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.” A similar quote
from the Zen tradition says, "To know that you don't know
is true wisdom. Thinking you know when you don't is the major
obstacle to realizing truth."
A Zen story tells how a young disciple met with his teacher
for the first time. As is done traditionally, the teacher poured
him a cup of tea. He kept pouring and pouring until the cup
was overflowing and making a mess. The young disciple said,
"What are you doing? The cup is already full?" The
teacher said, "Exactly. You are like this cup that is overflowing.
There is no room in your head for me to teach you anything."
When analyzing a chart I find it helpful to remain open and
not believe first assumptions - to keep an attitude of "maybe."
Maybe it is, maybe it's not. To really know for sure we need
to work hard on the chart and collect many clues that support
our assumptions.
Take for instance, the following chart:
Natal Chart
In this chart, Saturn is the ascendant lord, placed in the malefic
12th house, with Ketu aspected by Rahu, and debilitated Mars.
The ascendant also has the aspect of Mars, as well as Jupiter.
There are quite a few malefic influences on the ascendant and
ascendant lord. Also, the Sun, which is the signficator of the
1st house, and overall health is debilitated and also aspected
by a debilitated Mars. It would be easy to quickly make the
assumption that this is the chart of a sickly person, just like
the mango tree.
However, this is not the case. When you work harder on the chart,
you'll see that there are many powerful yogas, like neecha
banga raja yogas, and other combinations like the what
K.N. Rao likes to call "The Great Parashara Exception,"
that reverse the interpretation. This is the chart of Demi Moore,
the famous actress. Her chart is being analyzed in this month's
astro-profile
article by Marc Boney.
ZERO CIRCLE
Be helpless, dumbfounded,
unable to say yes or no,
then a stretcher will come from grace
to gather us up.
We are too dull-eyed to see that beauty.
If we say we can, we're lying.
If we say "No", we don't see it.
That "No" will behead us
and shut tight our window onto Spirit.
So let us rather not be sure of anything,
beside ourselves, and only that,
so miraculous beings come running to help.
Crazed, lying in a zero circle, mute,
we shall be saying finally,
with tremendous eloquence, "Lead us."
When we have totally surrendered to that beauty,
we shall be a mighty kindness.
-- Jelaluddin Rumi
Sufi mystic poet
(1207-1273 C.E.)
Copyright 2006. Vaughn Paul
Manley. All Rights Reserved. |
