Following the Stars Part Two: Uniquely Made
Image by Anna Sun Art
WOULD YOU RATHER LISTEN TO THIS POST INSTEAD OF READ IT?
CLICK HERE
If you read yesterday’s blog, you know that I walked into my first meeting with my astrologer with some preconceived notions about astrology that were rooted in messages I’d been told growing up in a small town in the south. But little by little, pieces of what I believed as a person of faith and what I’d been learning about astrology started to feel aligned instead of opposed.
For example, before my meeting with the astrologer, I had to give her my birthdate, my birth time, and the city I was born in. This would be the basis of determining my astrological chart. Even twins (and I have twin boys and I see this play out in their charts!) who are born minutes apart in the same place on the same day can have subtle variances in their charts and, of course, in their personalities and how they experience the world. So I got to thinking about this. I’d always been told that God created me uniquely. That I am unlike any other human being. There is no other human born on the EXACT same day, EXACT same time, in the EXACT same city. And that’s true.
Even in Genesis, as we learn about God’s creation of the world, I started to see intention in the order of creation. God creates light and darkness first. A few days later, he creates stars, sun, and moon. It even says, “Let there be lights in the heavens and let them be for signs.” Genesis 1:14. Surely if we’re told to use the stars as signs in our lives, and that’s the core of what astrology is used for, it couldn’t be as evil as I’d been told.
Only after creating the universe and the stars does God create humans, his most loved and complex creation, infused with mind, body, and soul. His universe, complete and full of ways to guide us.
And we even see examples of characters in the Bible using the stars to guide them. I will never forget sitting in Sunday school during the Christmas season and learning about the three wise men. How could they find Jesus just by following a star? How was this shining thing in the sky guiding them? It wasn’t until recently, when I began to follow the rabbit hole of my curiosity that I discovered that modern scholars and adaptations of the Christmas story depict the three wise men as astrologers. Somehow, my church always left that part out!
If you feel like you need to hear from someone else about the intersection of Christianity and astrology, check out this article I read early in my research. I wasn’t ready for all the “woo” articles I was finding, and this was one of the few pieces I read that I could relate to as a curious seeker and a person of faith. Since I’d already spent a year traveling full time, exploring and experiencing God in dozens of national parks around the country, I was ready and willing to see how God exists more to me in creation and nature, in stars and sky, than in pews and collection plates.
Since my first foray into astrology, I’ve come to believe that astrology is a map of the soul and shows God’s plan for us in this life.
The Bible is filled with astrological information. Many believe that Jesus represents the Sun and the twelve disciples represent the twelve astrological signs of the zodiac.
We know that there are many interpretations of scripture and interpretations can change from translation to denomination and person to person. For me, I like to focus on what Jesus said and on some of the most powerful verses in the Bible that validate a belief in things that we don’t always understand. And the truth is, from the beginning pages of the Bible, astrology has always been a part of the Christian faith.
When I traveled to Europe and visited historic churches, I saw remnants of astrology in architecture and in art. If there was no truth in astrology as part of the Christian faith, why would our ancestors go to such trouble to include all twelve zodiac signs in church décor across the globe? Christians can study astrology and find ways to understand themselves better and love others more without sacrificing their faith. It isn’t either or.
So as I sought, like many people I know, to reconcile my faith with my quest for more insight into my life, my personality, and my purpose, this information brought me peace.
At the same time, I knew if I told anyone back in my hometown that my knowing and truth-seeking were pulling me toward astrology, they would be more than leery of me. If I believe in it, I’m going straight to hell. That’s the general opinion regarding astrology where I’m from. That never felt true to me, but as a child sitting in a pew, there isn’t much room for questioning or open discussion. I remember being told on more than one occasion. “You shouldn’t question God. You shouldn’t question the bible. You should have faith.”
But the older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve realized that faith and questioning aren’t on opposite ends of the spectrum. Father Richard Rohr once said, “We love closure, resolution, and clarity, while thinking we are people of ‘faith!’ How strange that the very word ‘faith’ has come to mean its exact opposite.”
I realized that if I’m truly confident in my faith, there is no threat in inviting wisdom and insight from unexpected sources to speak into my life. If God is truth and love, then his wisdom can come from many places. Even astrology.
And it didn’t take long for me to see truth, wisdom, and crazy accurate insights revealed through my experience with my astrologer. When she began reading my natal chart (aka the way my birth location, time, and date influenced astrological identifiers and how that likely played out in my life), it validated so many of my life experiences and how my personality is expressed.
Myself and many of my friends probably felt this way the first time we took a personality test like the Myers-Briggs or dove into the Enneagram. We just didn’t grow up demonizing those tools, so it was easier to feel comfortable with them.
When it came down to it, my inner knowing was validated simply by allowing her to interpret my birth chart and life experiences and realizing how accurate those insights were.
I’ll share some of them with you here.
Continue reading below
Special Offer for my Readers
If you want to know more about who you are and how to navigate the world with more peace and empathy, both towards yourself and the people you love, diving into the basics of astrology is a great place to start!
Jessie Eccles is my favorite voice speaking into the astrology space because she’s a straightforward, hardworking mom and business owner and takes a no-nonsense approach to astrology, always sharing complex topics and insights in simple and practical ways.
In her course, Dive Into Your Soul: Astrology Levels 1 & 2, Jessie shares self-paced lessons to help you access peace in the midst of difficult decisions and transitions so you can create a fulfilled and aligned life.
Your code to get 20% off her course is JESSICAZIM
Go grab her course and dive in! Then DM me so we can freak out about all the truth you’ve uncovered along the way!
When I first sat down with the astrologer, I told her, “I am so happy. I just moved to Nashville.
I’ve been wanting to move away from my hometown my whole life and now I finally have. I had a big setback with my career because of covid, but I feel like now that I’m in Nashville, my career is going to take off in a brand new direction. I’m excited. I can feel it. The energy here is so good. So different.”
Truly, I walked into the meeting with specific questions I wanted answers to. I had a big career question mark and was looking at astrology as a way to find direction to what was next. I was ready for change, and I felt like I was absorbing the new energy of this new city.
But the astrologer looked at me with questioning eyes. “No,” she said. “The same energy is still around you.”
I could tell in that moment that she could see something in my chart that she didn’t quite know how to share with me.
“But no,” I said. “The energy here is so different! People here are dreamers. People here are going after things. I went to a networking party last night and could just feel the difference. It feels like I’m finally in a place with people who get me.”
“Yes. Nashville is definitely a higher vibration than Conway, but this next year isn’t about your career…at all.”
“Well then, what’s it about?” I said, confused.
“It’s about completely rebuilding the foundation of your family.”
I wish I could pretend I had no idea what she was talking about. But I instantly knew exactly what she meant. It was something I had known for a while but wasn’t quite ready to face. I had pushed all of that down.
My tell-all memoir
Sleeping with a Stranger is officially available everywhere books are sold, in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook. Since the book’s luanch, I’ve been amazed by how it has been received. From being named a best seller by USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, Amazon and Barnes & Noble to incredibly personal and touching reviews from my amazing readers, it’s been such a wild journey!
Here is one of my favorite Sleeping with a Stranger reviews…
“If you’re even remotely on the fence about getting this book, just go ahead and purchase it! I promise you won’t regret it! I normally don’t write a lot of reviews, but in this case, it was a must! Jessica gives you a total glimpse into her (and her family’s) life. She not only tells the story, but she tells it with a sense of humor while also being completely open and honest. I truly believe everyone can get something out of and/or relate to her story in some way! I honestly cannot emphasize just how much I loved this book! I will definitely be purchasing more to give to friends and family!” — Jwholl, Amazon Reviewer
Brian and I were happy to be in our new home in the most incredible neighborhood in the best town. On the surface, I was elated. I felt free in so many ways. It felt like something I had manifested for 35 years had finally come to fruition. I moved to a city. I was with fellow dreamers. We drove a golf cart to school. I remember looking at Brian as we walked the kids through the school doors saying, “We are so lucky. I am just filled with so much gratitude.” And while that was accurate, it wasn’t true.
Inside, I felt like moving to a new city was the solution to all problems. I needed to go somewhere where I could really be myself, to stop holding myself back or letting myself be held back. Like it was now time to conquer my work and get out of the slump the pandemic had put me in.
So instead of listening to her guidance, I said, “well…I would really like to discuss my career if possible. Is there anything in my chart about my career?”
She told me what she could, but she kept, very kindly, redirecting me to “houses” and “planets” and how so much of my year was about rebuilding my foundation. My family. She even alluded to the fact that I would wake up spiritually.
In the moment, I was frustrated to not get the answers I wanted to my career questions, but looking back, I’m so grateful that I recorded our session and saved it. I listened to it six months later, after those family and foundational changes had come to the surface and Brian and I had legally separated. And I could hear how on point she was about everything. I think about it now how difficult that chart reading must have been for her. I’m so thankful that she was patient with me while staying true to the evidence present in my natal chart.
I also was very honest with her that this experience felt like it went against everything I had been taught, and she shared a few very comforting points. Here’s what stuck out to me:
Astrology is a tool. It’s a snapshot of where everything was aligned the second you were born.
That’s just a fact, a description of what astrology is. The second you were born, planets were in specific places. (Again, this makes me think of how cool God is, how creative he is. Think about it. Each and every one of us, just as we have different fingerprints, no two of us are alike - we also have no two birth charts that are the same.)
I also asked her to explain to me the meanings of some of the terms she was using.
Sun sign– I’m a Pisces.
The sun sign she described as the core of your outward personality. This gives insight into what motivates you and shows who you are becoming.
Moon sign– I’m a Taurus.
The moon sign she described as your more emotional self– instinct. If your sun sign shows who you are becoming, the moon sign gives insight into who you already are.
Rising sign– I’m a Leo.
The rising sign she described as the way you show yourself to the world or how others see you.
See you may be a Pisces and know a Pisces and think all this is BS because y’all are nothing alike. But it is SO MUCH MORE than just your sun sign. Again, you have a one-of-a-kind, totally unique chart to you. It was created JUST FOR YOU. Learning it is so validating and comforting. I’ve always said in my business to my students that it feels good to know the answers. Astrology guides you to some beautiful answers to some of your deepest questions.
And then she shared two planet placements that she explained were very helpful to know, Mercury and Venus.
The two planet placements she shared were Mercury, which focuses on how we communicate, and Venus, which focuses on how we love.
On my natal chart, my Mercury was in Aquarius.
Here’s an excerpt from what my natal chart said about that. “May delight in exposing what she deems biases in others’ ways of thinking. Very quick to contradict others and to offer a different perspective…”
I’m sure given the subject of this blog series, the irony (and the accuracy) isn’t lost on you.
My chart told me that my Venus was in Capricorn…
which means that, in love, Venus in Capricorn people, “want you to know that they are goal-oriented, witty, savvy, and controlled… They want you to see just how competent they are.”
“Venus in Capricorn lovers are attracted to serious, goal-oriented lovers.”
Even just these insights, just a few sentences out of over twenty pages of my natal chart, gave me clarity about my marriage that was both validating and overwhelming.
And as helpful as these initial insights were, what she shared with me next truly changed my life. In that moment and every moment since. It is, in my opinion, the most powerful part of the astrology tool and has helped me in making every decision from that point on with confidence knowing I’m moving in the right direction.
In the next blog, I share that tool and experience with you.
If you would like to read your own natal chart. I have found this site incredibly helpful. You will need to know your birth date, birth time, and the city where you were born. It’s fascinating! Reading and understanding the charts of the people I’m in close relationship with has been INCREDIBLY helpful and has improved my relationships on every level. After you get acquainted with your own chart, I invite you to create a chart for your loved ones. I have charts on Brian, my children, and three of my closest friends. This helps me to be a more empathetic and understanding friend and parent.
I’m committed to keeping the work I share FREE to my readers, not hidden behind a paywall.
If you’d like to support my work so I can continue providing free resources, click the button below then select a giving option. Thank you!
Like this post?
Pin it for later
Check out the full Following the Stars Series here:
This post may contain affiliate links.
Watch my TED Talk
You can dive even deeper into my story of growth and healing by clicking below.
The New Moon reminds us that new beginnings are always possible.
The New Moon in Virgo is inviting you to the places in you where you feel unloved. It’s a time to have compassion for yourself. It’s also a time to define your boundaries with yourself and others.