#DIGNITYBABES - PHILOSOPHY

Let's talk about the difference between modern and traditional astrology. If you've heard of traditional astrology but you're still not really sure what that means and how it's different from modern, this thread is for you.

There are both technical and philosophical differences between modern and traditional astrology. It's important to understand both of these to wrap your head around each kind of astrology. Here's a table to help:

Why is it important to understand this at all? Because understanding where astrology came from and why it is like it is helps you use it better. You can get a lot out of astrology just by consuming content about it, but the real magic happens when you start to learn it.

The MAIN overarching difference between modern and traditional astrology is that modern astrology has a psychological focus, and traditional astrology has a fate/circumstance focus. Modern astrology focuses on the inner world, traditional focuses more on the outer world.

It might seem weird to imagine an astrology that isn't about personality and psychological tendencies. What would be the point of that? Kinda sounds like fortune telling, right? Well, that's because it is. The civilized amongst us prefer the term "divination", though.

And I hate to break it to you, but looking at an omen for the moment you're born (a birth chart) and asserting things about your future personality and psychological makeup is, in fact, prediction via divination. But that's another thread!!

Let's get back to this inner vs outer world discussion, though. The truth is, no one was taking personality tests 2000 years ago. The cultural context was WAY different, and what people needed and wanted from astrology was way different.

The only ppl with the luxury to think about things like personality traits were rich/important enough to be MORE worried about things like their favor in the eyes of the king, whether or not their children would live past infancy, &chances for advancement in the political sphere.

Furthermore, sky-priest-astrologers were so important that it was common for astrology to be ILLEGAL for anyone other than the king or other important people. It wasn’t for “common folk” to get a hold of their destiny… that could threaten the power structure.

Needless to say, we are in a much different context in the 21st century. Most will live past infancy, you're unlikely to be imprisoned for googling you birth chart, and knowing more about your personality and potentials CAN help you advance and survive in life.

All this to say: the cultural and societal context of traditional astrology inform the way the actual techniques were documented, and how they're taught and used. It's important to keep this context in mind when you look at the technical and practical differences between the two.

It may seem obvious to say something like, "If the context was so different back then, why would we use an astrology from back then? We need to address modern day concerns, not appeal to historical authority."

GLAD YOU ASKED! The cool thing about symbolism is that it's timeless.

Astrology is a symbolic language. The symbolism itself is where the juice is, and you can apply that to whatever context you like. The symbolism in traditional techniques build elegant, symmetrical frameworks from which the *essence* of the symbolism can be distilled and applied.

In simpler terms, traditional techniques still work. Really well. You just have to shake off the old language and context, and import them into modern day. Not the easiest task, but INCREDIBLY doable, viable, and important.

This seems like a good place to insert this analogy about reinventing the wheel: https://twitter.com/justjogleason/status/1230295153887281152

Let's look at some of the technical differences between modern and traditional astrology in practice!

RULERSHIPS

Modern rulerships include the outer planets, and highlight association through similarity, affinity, and resonance.

Traditional rulerships use only the 7 traditional planets, and indicate literal rulership: responsibility, resources, hospitality, and circumstances.

You see, rulership and similarity/affinity aren't the same thing, and that's the main difference between the why's of modern and traditional rulership. Neptune may be similar to Pisces, and have an affinity for Pisces; but *rulership* is about ownership and responsibility.

Aries is like Mars BECAUSE Mars is the ruler of Aries, not the other way around. The portion of celestial real estate we call Aries was given to Mars to rule over, and he designed it as one of his abodes. Same with Scorpio. Aries is like is desert home, Scorpio his water home

Mars made each abode to his specifications using the resources available in that celestial real estate: Aries is a hot, dry, fiery land, so he made it a house of conquest, competition, vigor, and victory.

Scorpio is a cool, watery zone, full of vulnerable things like emotions. So Mars made Scorpio with a thick skin, a mind for strategy, and defenses to protect what is vulnerable.

You'll die trying to make it through the mysterious labyrinth of Scorpio, because Mars made it that way to protect what's at the center. The god of war is not only a brawler, but a tactical genius who knows how to arise as victor in more covert ways.

THIS is the traditional concept of Rulership. It's much more than similarity. And if you thought the above examples were cool, google the Thema Mundi & prepare to have your mind blown by how badass the traditional rulership scheme is. Every planet has a a story like this.

THE HOUSES - OUTWARD WITH THE OLD, INWARD WITH THE NEW

The houses are another major differing point between modern and traditional astrology.

A modern approach sees the houses as layers of your psyche, parts of yourself, or how you experience parts of life.

A traditional approach sees the 1st house and it's ruler as the only part of the chart that signifies the native─ the other houses/rules signify circumstances outside the native, and literal other people in the native's life.

This is a good time to remember the contexts here: even something like marriage or partnership was often transactional or political 2k years ago, where as now we have conversations about the 7th house and projection. Big differences!

In a practical sense, what we get from the difference between a modern and traditional house interpretation is a delineation of inner experience (modern), and a delineation of outer experiences (traditional.

Modern astrology excels at describing inner experiences, and traditional astrology excels at describing experiences that come from outside you, having to do with circumstances beyond your control.

For example, modern astrology is really good at looking at the 7th house and telling you what your experience of partnership is like, what you tend to project on others, & what you look for in a partner. Additionally, what partners bring into your life that you may lack yourself.

Traditional astrology is really good at looking at the 7th house and its ruler by sign and house, and *literally* describing parters, down to what they look like, what they do, and where you meet them.

The traditional approach carries with it a fateful flavor. You can't *really* control who walks into your life, and a traditional approach does a great job of describing patterns you continually run into in relationships, even if it's something you don't necessarily want.

This is because from a traditional perspective, the 7th and it's ruler isn't what YOU want from a relationship, it's LITERALLY your relationship partner[s].

If this seems like its taking the power away from the individual, consider this: the first step in shifting your reality is accepting where you are now. Traditional techniques excel in describing your exact predispositions and circumstances, so you can CHOOSE how to engage w/them

We're about to get INTO it here, so buckle up.

Who says your outer experience and circumstances AREN'T in your control? What if your mindset and perceptions effect your reality? What if your inner experience actually informs your outer circumstances?

All very good questions, and their implications are part of what allow me to comfortably blend a modern and traditional approach in my astrology. I think their inner and outer worlds are extremely connected making a modern and traditional approach more compatible than not.

Philosophically, the inner and outer experience reflect one another. To quote the favorite maxim, "That which is above is from that which is below, and that which is below is from that which is above, working the miracles of one." it's always working both ways.

Traditional astrology gives us hella good tools for sussing out exactly what the circumstances of our lives will be. Modern astrology helps us understand this and metabolize it internally. BOTH are SYSTEMS that help us understand ourselves and our worlds from different angles.

A rising tide lifts all boats, unless your boat already has holes in it. You don't have to trash one kind of astrology to prove yours. You just have to keep asking the right questions about the symbolism you're using. Strong symbolism and conceptual structures = leak free boat.