Heaven's Voice: My Journey into The Stars

Introduction to Christological Astrology. . .

“The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.” Psalm 19:1–4

“My God, it’s full of stars!” 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984).

As an avid science fiction fan, the stars and their worlds have long held a deep fascination for me. Whether it be Star Wars, Star Trek, Interstellar, or Dune, every space odyssey from 2001 to beyond has given me so many mysteries, beauties, and horrors to contemplate within the Black. Isaac Asimov, Hal Clement, Arthur C. Clarke, and Ted Chiang are just some of my favorite science fiction writers who explored both the joys and terrors of space, and all its infinite possibilities. Despite this strong familiarity and affinity to the genre, I have now come to see how the modern and postmodern world has not only blind eyes, but deaf ears, making our current view of the cosmos so so very small and so very limited. "The eternal silence of these infinite spaces frightens me,” said Pascal, and his sentiments are shared by most modern men who only have the ever expanding space full of arbitrarily arranged particles, stars, galaxies, and blackholes to greet them. We feel so alone, it is so dreadfully silent out there. Yet as Ransom discovers in C.S. Lewis’ Out of the Silent Planet, it is Earth who is the silent one in an alive, communal, singing universe! Space was never an endless black void upon which all our existential fears could make themselves known, but it was and is a breathing and speaking reality! The heavens and its spheres are a full on orchestra of sound and glory, active and loud, worshipful and adoring of their Creator! Their songs weave around the Earth in undulating, interweaving, celestial rhythms and joyous praise day by day, and night by night!

Of course, the existential void of modern empiricism is undoubtedly beautiful in its own right, and it spoke to my heart, but being a Christian, that silent, terrifying darkness was never truly dark. “. . .even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.” I could wander into those dreadful infinities with joy in my heart because I never felt the loneliness that threatened to swallow anyone wandering that path. My Faith gave me eyes to see through that darkness and discern God’s glory, as spying a figure far off and rejoicing in their anticipated arrival. I thought this was to be the end of my journeys into space, content to wander that infinite divide for as long as I desired, but through great personal trial and suffering, the teaching and guidance of my Christian and spiritual mentors, edifying fellowship with my sisters in Christ, and reading many, many books - I discover now that it was only ever just the beginning! The universe has flipped! Not only in my Faith, but literally in the Heavens too has Christ descended! Those infinite spaces that seemed so silent, so indifferent in their untouched, fierce beauty are now pressing down and in, threatening to crush out of the sheer magnitude of their celestial glory and starry voices! Can Earth’s atmosphere bear it? My ears have become unstopped, and sound is flooding in, washing upon me!

It is overwhelming to say the least, exciting, thrilling, even frightening at times, but I feel myself being swept up in the melodies! I am aware, though, of the baggage that comes with the word “astrology,” and it is not my intent as of this moment to make a defense of this discipline, but only to invite anyone to join me on the journey, even disagreeing with me if you feel so lead. As a Gemini with powerful Mercury aspects, communication and discourse is kind of my thing. It is the reason why I write, and it is the reason why I create, and now it is the reason why I am beginning this section of my Heretical Sayyadina Substack: Relationship to Eternity: Christological Astrology. For all those who signed up already, remember I did promise you heresy.

It is my intention to develop the skills of an astrologer and amateur astronomer over the next year, and share and document my findings. There is so much I am downloading into my brain at the moment, to hear the music is not the same as understanding the music, and my goal is to discern in what ways God intends for me, and us, to participate in Heaven’s song. Things are going to get all mystical all up in here, but I am not in any way advocating for the occult, as I will - by God’s will and grace - be keeping all things tethered to His Word, guided and informed by the Holy Spirit. I will also be weaving my knowledge of empirical science into my journey as well, for although I have lifted the curtain of modernism and have found it wanting in ways I never even imagined possible, it is still part of the knowledge of God’s universe. There is still value in their findings and observations in deep and unsearchable ways.

How this manifests for me is in my utilization of sidereal astrology primarily. For those who may not be familiar, the kind of astrology that we normally think of and experience in our American culture, from daily horoscopes to telling one another our sun, moon, and rising signs, is not all astrology actually is. In fact that is merely the surface, but astrology itself is very ancient and its database of knowledge profound. It spans so many disciplines of history, mathematics, psychology, politics, philosophy, and of course, astronomy. For in ancient days there was no difference between “astronomer” and “astrologer”. They were one in the same. Even when the geocentric view was transitioning into the heliocentric view of the cosmos, for many astronomers, including Kepler, Brahe, and Galileo, there was no conflict between empirical and metaphysical realities. This is also my view, considering I believe that God made all things, and that there is no flaw or blemish in His works that they should contradict each other. For that reason, I want to be scientifically exact as I can be, as that would have been part of the mark of a good astrologer.

So, sidereal means that I will be viewing the Luminaries (Sun and Moon) and the planets by their actual positions in the Zodiac signs as they are today. Western astrology is currently utilizing the tropical interpretation which is the sky as it was thousands of years ago. You see over time the sky has shifted (from our point of view) because the Earth rotates in a kind of wobble effect, called the axial precession. This is a gravity-induced, slow, and continuous change in the orientation of an astronomical body's rotational axis, so over time the North and South poles will be pointing at different points in the sky. Tropical astrology does not account for this precession. To me this arbitrary “freezing” of the night sky makes no sense, as ancient astrologers were reading, interpreting, and looking at the actual sky in their day! How else can we truly understand the songs and melodies of the stars if we aren’t even tuned in to their frequencies in the present day?

So, that is the position I will be operating from as I move forward, although I will not be excluding tropical astrology by any means. Astrology is very complex and contains its own sects, interpretations, and controversies just like any other human endeavor, so there is so much for me to learn. However, I do find that thinking in “seasonal” terms, which is the way the tropical zodiac functions, can be helpful for more broad generalizations. Astrology is an exact science, but it is also an intuitive art, so knowing what not to include and what isn’t as important is part of the practice as well. Interpreting the sky for someone’s natal chart and personal transits vs understanding the spirit of the ages/seasons that our country/culture might be entering into are going to be focusing on entirely different lines and donegalities. This discipline can be very frustrating in that way for one moment you can hear the notes and see the patterns so clearly, and next you are being swept up in a vague and subjective, mysterious plethora of sound and meaning. This is how I am experiencing it at any rate. As someone with a Virgo Moon, who wants things to be graspable, logical, and orderly, it can be very challenging.

A recent example of sidereal vs tropical astrology was with the Super “Hunter’s Moon” that happened on October 17th. Most, if not all, astrology circles were calling it the “Aries” Supermoon, but in actuality the Moon was in Pisces. The direct, vigorous, fire sign of Aries vs the dreamy, contemplative water sign of Pisces gives us two very different donegalities. I believe that Moon’s melody to us was through Pisces’ strings that day, which was like being bathed in a cool, dark pool, and the Moon’s face was hypnotically resonate. The Moon’s duality (Earth-facing vs Heaven-facing) was amplified and exemplified in Pisces’ elusive and mystical melodies, especially as the Moon was in its perigee, the closest approach to Earth. “And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!”

Moving forward, I will be sharing what I learn, and what the Lord reveals to me regarding the beauties of His creation. I am very excited, and never felt more energized! It makes sense that astrology should resonate with me so much, as it has the precision and rigor of math and science, but the symbolism and creativity of art and story. It is the best of both worlds! I hope you will join me on this journey!

I will list now some resources that will give you the context, thought process, and worldview I am operating under. It is a tiny snapshot of my journey so far:

• Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis by Michael Ward | Pretty much the instigator in throwing me on the trajectory I am on now! Incredible book showing the intersection of medieval cosmology and Lewis’ Space Trilogy and Chronicles of Narnia. C.S. Lewis was the real Slim Shady!

• Man as Microcosm: a Christian Explanation of Astrology: Explaining the mechanisms of natal and mundane astrology using theology from the ancient Church | Incredible read from Ioannis Goldmouth from Mastery of Mystery here on Substack! Pretty much sums up why astrology could be beneficial to us as Christians and glorifying to God! It is an article I am going to be continually referencing as I move forward.

• Symbolism Happens! by The Symbolic World | This is only one video, but I would suggest just all of it, every single episode of The Symbolic World with Jonathan Pageau. This would be a place to start if you aren’t familiar with his work already, though. It’s all Jonathan’s fault! He is the one who shattered the certainty and order of the modern world, which he proved was only ever an illusion! He’s the ‘Pied Piper’ of my generation, luring the children in with his cool beard full of patterns and archetypes and his skater boy Christian Orthodoxy!

• Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View by Richard Tarnas. | I have not read much of this book yet, but I wanted to share just one chapter from it which so succinctly and powerfully communicates the state of our Modern World, and the schism that has developed within Modern Man as a result. Why it is he who has become silent and alone, not the universe!

• Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature by C.S. Lewis | Important resource for understanding the Medieval perspective!

• The Fated Sky: Astrology in History by Benson Bobrick | This is a fascinating read on exactly what it says it is about: astrology in history. This is a refined, complex practice that has been around far, far longer than the Modern Age, and it was an integral part of the unfolding human drama. I think it was very hasty of us to throw it out just because it didn’t fit in with our hip and cool rational, post-enlightenment worldview.

Spheres Surrounded by Angels, Brevari d’amour, late 14th Century.

“Can you hear the music?” Oppenheimer (2023)