Astrology in Eco Shamanism extends the work from our immediate environment and the anima mundi (world soul) out into the cosmos, which itself is reflected in our immediate environment and in our sense of our self. The cosmos is full of divine order - the diagram above is the dancing orbits of Venus and Earth around the Sun. Look at the centre and you will see five hearts and as you move outwards they get bigger and bigger. Venus, in astrology, encompasses love and beauty; the rose, in our culture, does the same and each rose petal is heart shaped. This is the divine order within the cosmos above reflected in our earthly paradise.
"As it is above, so it is below.
As it is below, so it is above.
In order to accomplish the miracle of the one thing."
Attributed to Hermes Trismegistus
Whilst working with the soul outside ourselves in Eco Shamanism on an earhtly plane and keeping our focus close is extremely valuable, when we also bring in what is 'above' we become aware of our divine place (and its reflection) within the greater cosmos.
Astrology generally deals with our immediate solar system and the objects within it as they pass in front of (from our point of view) constellations way beyond. This movement is both beautiful and profound and when a comet or a shooting star is visible they bring wonder to us and our skies. Yet there is more, the very nature of the cosmos is coming into question (again). There is a new theory that the cosmos is made of plasma and that 'matter', that is planets and stars etc, is extremely rare. Not only is matter rare, it is also, ironically, plasma itself. This helps us to understand the nature of spirit or soul by suggesting that the cosmos is whole, or 'one thing' and the objects within it are rare and special . . . our planet Earth is rare matter (that is also plasma) in a vast sea of plasma that we cannot see . . . it is a tiny part of the greater whole . . . and we earthlings are specks of special matter that have consciousness . . . which is also plasma. It is suggested that plasma is also conscious, or consciousness. And so we become a part of our universe by being conscious matter. This helps us to see ourselves as profoundly connected to, and part of everything else in, our universe. It is a simple idea . . . that has been at the heart of the consciousness of indigenous cultures since before his or her story came into being.
Eco Shamanism is about 'becoming one with our Earth'. It is also about 'becoming one with our cosmos'. When we marry astrology with eco shamanism we are dealing with rare and special beings of matter that interact within the context of the whole, or plasma. Astrology helps us to see the divine order of these special beings . . . and how we correspond to and with them. Spirit or soul, the element of our cosmos which is not matter but is plasma, feels like the connecting strands and filaments between all the rare and special matter, even though the terms strands and filaments misleads us into thinking of wires or strings when plasma, or spirit, is homogenous, or everywhere . . . including being the strands and filaments.
When we are searching for meaning we often look close at hand to understand and to hold up answers to our lives. Perhaps we are suffering because someone has said something hurtful to us or we’ve stubbed our toe or we feel stuck because of a situation we are in. We may externalise the cause further into our environment, initially within our home, relationships, work etc and then maybe further, to the systems by which we live such as politics, laws, ethics, the media, 'they' etc. Eco Shamanism at this level looks to our environment in an immediate sense, looking for signs, divining meaning, confering with nature, sensing spirit within the bounds of our planet. When we bring an astrological approach to Eco Shamanism we take our awareness beyond ‘matter’ as we know it on our Earth and feel into the numinous qualities of the cosmos, of the planets in our solar system and the bright stars in the constellations beyond. This helps us to connect to ‘meaning’ beyond ourselves as instigators of the answers we seek. It has parallels to homeopathy in terms of ‘like treats like’ and extremely dilute remedies that we cannot fathom on a logical level (planets and stars are so distant we find it difficult to understand that their presence and movement can affect us). There is also a correlation to the flower essence remedies of Edward Bach and his mantra ‘heal thyself’ - we have a divinity which is connected to the cosmos and when we acknowledge this we feel balanced within ourselves. In essence it is akin to trusting in a divine order in nature and the cosmos. This becomes obvious when we look at sacred geometry, number and pattern.
From 2023 there have been major changes afoot in our solar system as the societal planet Pluto dances back and forth between the constellations of Capricorn and Aquarius - it will stay in Aquarius for good from December 2024. We are in a great transition and in order to understand and appreciate our divinity within and without I am offering stand alone Astrological Consultations to individuals and astrologically themed workshops for groups together with a new astrology course called The Constant Cosmos.
If you would like to read more about 'plasma' as consciousness and/or spirit, please try Robert Temple's "A New Science of Heaven".
Qualifications - I have a Certificate of Completion from the Kairos Astrology Foundation Programme in Astrological Studies and a Certficate of Completion in Horary Astrology from the School of Traditional Astrology. I have also been tuned in to astrology and its relationship to our world and environment for over 20 years. I am currently continuing my study with 'Astronomy for Astrologers', also with the School of Traditional Astrology. Most of my shamanic credentials come via the Sacred Trust.
Here is Thrush singing his evensong - a voice from the anima mundi relaying cosmological order - click on the play button below and turn up the volume.
