Beyond Labels: How Astrology Can Help Us Understand Our Full Story
Take a moment to pause and answer the following question:
Who are you?
Obsessed with Labels
When asked this question, most people quickly begin to think about the things they identify with most easily…mom, dad, contractor, teacher, brother, IT infrastructure Specialist, humanitarian etc. The most common response to this question (in the West) is probably the job title that someone has. What we are really identifying with when we answer this question are the roles that we play. These are all labels that we self-impose and accept as the basis of our identities. Humans are obsessed with labels and, while they do help us make sense of the world around us, these labels keep us from understanding our true selves.
From childhood, we impose labels onto things and onto ourselves as a natural sense-making activity of our developing self-concept. Our labels are important to us because they form the basis of our identities. But all our labels fall short namely because, while they are markers of our identities, our labels are inadequate for describing our true nature as spiritual Beings. Deep down in each one of us, we all want to know and understand the Source from which we came and our purpose on this planet. And we can’t do that through our labels. This is why spiritual teachers through the ages have taught about the importance of transcending the ‘ego self’—to drop the labels of our identity—to discover who we really are. Labels limit our understanding of the full spiritual beings that we are. You cannot recognize yourself as the full expression of your Being when you are too attached to your other labels.
LGBTQ+, Latinx, BIPOC, Democrat, Republican, white, black…
The human obsession with labels stems from the innate human need to feel a part of something; the need to belong to a group. While I acknowledge that the building of community is important (and often happens through identifying yourself with others by a similar label), the more we align ourselves with labels, the more we divide ourselves, separate ourselves from one another, and siphon ourselves from the fullness of our Being. Also, we are missing a bigger picture. What the collective seems to forget is that we automatically are part of a group by the nature of our incarnation on this planet. We are all humans participating in the experiment of life on Earth. We are all of the Earth; we are of Gaia; our Mother. And our obsession with labels separates us from this—the fact that we are cosmic Beings.
A Cosmic Study
Astrology is the study of cosmic bodies (planets, stars, asteroids) and their relationship to life on Earth. Many people are familiar with their Sun sign—the astrological sign that is representative of the time of year when you were born—whether they have an interest in astrology or not. We say things like: “I’m a Leo,” and “She’s such a Taurus” in common social interactions. And while the knowing of one’s Sun sign is a positive way to foster collective interest in the practice of astrology, your Sun sign is not the whole picture. Not even close. And when we use the signs of the horoscope as labels, we misunderstand the greater practice of astrology and we keep ourselves from knowing our full spiritual nature.
To understand your soul’s journey in this life, astrologers cast a horoscope, or the map of the sky from the moment of your birth. This astrological birth chart is a map of your life’s journey. It is the energetic blueprint that was chosen by your soul and imprinted upon you during birth.
What most people don’t realize is that you are not just your Sun sign. In fact, all twelve signs in the zodiac appear somewhere in each of our birth charts. Think about it. To say you are a Cancer is to say that you are exactly like 1/12th of the population and, of course, that isn’t true. It’s not even logical. Using the signs in this way (as labels) is a limited view of the vast wisdom of astrology. The signs of the zodiac are actually part of an integrated whole that is present in our astrological charts. A full chart reading from an astrologer can give you a clearer picture of the greater story that you are.
Many of us see our lives through a limited perspective, never knowing what lies just below the surface. In much the same way, our labels obscure us from seeing the whole picture of who we are as spiritual Beings. And when we are cut off, we can feel like we don’t know our purpose on this planet.
In 2020, a year when so many things in our world are falling apart right before our eyes, it seems that the more we hold on to our labels, the more and more they divide us. We must move past our self-imposed labels to foster the integration of human experience. We must learn to honor people for who they are. No two souls are the same and yet we are all here for some purpose. What is yours? Your life is your path to discover what it is.
Do you really know yourself? Do you want to explore the nature of your birth chart? If you are looking to discover yourself more fully on a soul level, book a Self-Discovery Reading with me today. It would be my honor to work with you to help you discover more fully the Being that you are.
With love,
Cam
