Why Is Ariana Writing About Astrology?

I’m going to be writing a lot about astrology from now on. I know that’s not how I started out but it’s how things are going to go at this point; it’s interesting to me and has been for a long time, since I was a child and learned that the stars were connected to magic (which made total sense). More importantly for me, I’ve started to find ways to incorporate it into my devotion, my magic, my spiritual practice. I make astrological talismans and time rituals around planetary hours or electional windows (sometimes).

I’ve also been stuck in writing about devotional polytheism for a long time. After Sacred Gender I felt like I didn’t have much else to say in that direction; I said what I wanted to about gender and said a whole lot of things I wanted to say about living polytheism too, if you know where to look. I could write a whole book about how I practice but that feels egotistical, weird, and like standing in a public place full of strangers naked. My practice is my practice. Could I write about what lead it to being a beneficial and successful practice? Yes I could, and I’m considering how to do that, but that’s not where I am.

I don’t like writing about magic and witchcraft most of the time because I consider those intensely private. I don’t want to tell randos on the Internet how I protect myself or my home! That’s a terrible idea! I don’t want to talk about my spirit and deity relationships right now either; that feels very private too. A lot of mystical stuff for me is private, I don’t feel like exposing the inner workings of my heart and spirit. That also feels like a terrible idea at the moment.

I want to write, though. I love writing. Just for the better part of a decade I’ve felt stuck in my writing by some of these things and other things. (Also, writing fiction is really hard for me. I have a good imagination and love collaborative storytelling and roleplaying games and other forms of narrative-building, but writing fiction feels like peeling skin and I have no idea why).

Astrology connects to all of those concepts above. What we think of as Western astrology arose out of a combination of Mesopotamian and Egyptian religious-magical-divinatory star worship practices. It was brought into the Hellenistic world by Chaldean teachers and further systematized there. It spread and found a home in India where it grew and still thrives as a powerful religious and spiritual tool. It found a home in Persia where it was used to build cities (Baghdad’s construction was started based on astrological timing), create talismans and other magical items, and divine on all matters mundane and spiritual. It spread to and through Rome and its outposts and found hosting and connection in most European cultures.

Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked Modern astrology is the result of the application of the New Thought movement’s desire for scientific validation to traditional astrology. Traditional astrology really resonates with me; it is spooky and old and has magic and gods and symbols and these are all things that I like.

Anyway, I have digressed, astrology has a long history and origins in being a religious, magical, and spiritual practice. I don’t usually worship Mesopotamian deities but I certainly do Mediterranean deities, who have also grown associated. It gives me magic in the form of talismans but also enriches the magic that I already have. It’s been a boon to me.

Also, not for nothing, I had a reading a couple of years ago where Hekate made it clear that it was going to be part of my career, and an Hermes ritual I attended where Hermes would not give a positive indication of the offerings being received until I promised to divert some of my resources to studying astrology. It’s already tied into what I already do; I’ve just struggled for a few years figuring out how to really make it fit.

So this is why after many years of writing about gods and magic I’m adding astrology in, and I’ll be writing about it quite a bit because it’s something that interests me! It’s one of the things that keeps me going, ties my practices together, makes me happy, and gives me dopamine. It’s not like I’m going to be writing about the other stuff less, but I already wasn’t writing about the other stuff much; this just gives me more to write about. It’s magical, it’s divinatory, it’s oracular, it can (and for me does) include spirit work, it has already adapted to many other systems so works well with my other practices, it’s good for me, and I think it’s neat. It’s got all kinds of cool symbols and most importantly, planets, which I have always thought were cool, and stars, which have always been central to my stuff.

So this is Why Ariana Is Writing About Astrology. There will be more to come.

(As a note I wanted to make the title a Y Kant Tori Read reference but feared too few would get it, but I leave this here for other Tori Amos fans).