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Advice from the Stars
January 25, 2019
“Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love, to work, to play, and to look up at the stars.”
Henry Van Dyke Jr.
During Winter, we see more of the night skies than at any other time of year. We look up at the stars with wonder. Some of us look to them for answers - or at least, clues. Especially this amateur astrologer.
My birth chart has me pegged and hooked. On the first of each month I set my alarm to some unnatural hour so that I can read my online horoscope. Nearly every conversation I have with my daughter - whose passion for astrology exceeds my own - nearly every conversation ends with us sharing our latest finds in starry insights. Thanks to a few workshops and a never-ending stack of astrology books on the bedside table, my understanding of signs, houses, planets, aspects, transits, retrogrades, and eclipses continues to grow.
As an amateur, I usually leave the predictions to the pros. Until now. For the benefit of my readership while this New Year is still young, I have consulted the stars. And here's what they have to share in the way of advice....
Be brilliant
Humans have a lot in common with stars; each of us is made of star-stuff. Literally. Astronomers in recent years have concluded that the carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen in our bodies was created in stars over 4.5 billion years ago. According to Chris Impey, professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, "All organic matter containing carbon was produced originally in stars."
It is natural for us to shine.
Let me state it another way: humans have a spark of the divine within them. In some spiritual traditions, that core essence residing within is called the divine flame. And we are urged not to place our light under a bushel, but to let our light shine. So go ahead: be the star of your own life!
Sleep well
At this time of year in the northern hemisphere, the nights are longer and many living creatures go into some form of hibernation. This is nature's way. As a Virgo, I like things to be natural. And as a Virgo, I enjoy being productive and sometimes I burn the candle at both ends.
Yet when I ask myself (my higher self), how might things be if I didn't change my natural sleep patterns with artificial sources of light? The answer is clear: "I would get a much better night's rest."
When I ask the same question to the stars - these sources of divine light - they inspire me with this wisdom: "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Ecclesiastes.
There's a time for everything - including productivity - but it's probably not the middle of the night. And so I am resolved to reset my internal clock to divine timing, to live in harmony with the natural cycles of the earth. When it's time to go to bed, I will put the day to bed. And I will probably be much more productive in the morning anyway. Divine timing considers everything. Good night, sleep tight, and sweet dreams.
Don't fear the dark
Darkness - as we perceive it - does not really exist; there is no such thing as dark. The conceptual idea that we call dark is merely the absence of light. It is nothing, in and of itself, and what is there to fear in nothing?
Nothing is precisely what we most fear! We fear that, when we get to the other side after the change called death, there will be nothing. We live with a similar fear in our everyday lives. We overschedule ourselves because we don't know how to be still; we have trouble establishing a regular meditation practice because we are uncomfortable with the silence.
Yet the dark night sky is filled with stars!
We see these magical, divine, celestial beings only when the sun's light is hidden from us. I am grateful for them winking at me. They encourage me to make friends with silence and embrace the stillness, the nothing-ness. To welcome winter and greet the nighttime as the dear friend that it is.
Find your true north
Steering by starlight - that's how people found their way, back in the day. (Back in the night, I mean). Today we rely on our GPS devices, and the stars are fine with that, they really are. They have much more profound guidance to share with us. Just ask an astrologer, seriously.
Yet another way to find your way is to steer by your inner starlight. Simply use the star inside of you, the divine spark within. Let me put it another way: follow your bliss.
"If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Wherever you are - if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time." Joseph Campbell
Make a wish
Stars are well known for their wish-fulfillment abilities. People have been wishing on stars for eons. Just think about the songs and poems celebrating this:
"When you wish upon a star..." "Twinkle twinkle little star..." "Star light, star bright, first star I've seen tonight..."
Wishing upon a star is a lot like praying to God. Stars are suns. The ancients worshipped our sun as a deity because it was the source of all life as they knew it. So, what is it that you wish for? The stars are listening....
Calendar stars
Inner Compass is listening too. We have several offerings this winter that we hope will ignite your inner spark, including our signature workshop series in which you'll learn how to communicate with spirit, a new astrology workshop that teaches the basics of reading your own birth chart, and a brand new healing workshop (save the date!) in which I'll share some of my favorite, simple, tried-and-true methods of self-healing. And I hope to see your shining light soon!