By Roderick Benns

(This article originally appeared in American Astrology Magazine.)

You hold in your hands a magazine with a self-imposed mandate for ‘the interests of scientific astrology.’ And yet even in a magazine such as this, the recognition of astrology as almost magical within that scientific context is a given. As much as American Astrology (and a handful of other astrology magazines) ally themselves with science in the investigation of astrology, I believe it also gladly and humbly defers to the awesome power of the indeterminate. So should we all.

We must recognize that within our strong measurements -- which we can learn and fine tune -- there will always exist the potential for adjustability because people are not archetypes. It is simply the nature of our science and our art. This is what makes astrology dynamic, organic and generally compelling. It is also what helps to define the meaning of ‘Level’ in astrology.

When we ascertain a symbol’s Level -- let’s say a planet -- we are not accessing information that exists independent of a person. In actuality, we can only access that planet properly through a person (or event) in the first place. Certainly, we study archetypes to gain mastery over the broad spectrum -- the big brush stroke that gives us our core knowledge and foundation to take our professionalism to new levels.

But to gain mastery over the indeterminate, we study people. A lot of them. And then we study them some more. Until, at one point in the learning process, we realize with a new clarity of purpose that ‘this is how astrology works!’ Level, then, is understanding how life has manifested -- and how it will likely to continue to manifest -- within the personal reality structure of any given person.

Beginning students of astrology almost always make the error of confusing archetypes with people. It is an honest mistake and one that can only be changed with time and continued effort. There is a preconceived notion how a Leo or a Scorpio or a Pisces (pick a sign) will act. Then the young astrologer appears to encounter the shy Leo, the open Scorpio and the Pisces who seems to act with clarity and strength of purpose. Then we begin to understand the nature of individuality -- the level of individual truth which defines each of us. Respecting and acknowledging this is what makes astrology successful in the consultation process. We simply must understand that the horoscope lives only through the heartbeat of the man or woman in front of us -- and not through the paper or screen. (Or, the ‘collective’ heartbeat in mundane astrology.)

The horoscope on your paper could be for a black American male, a French female, the signing of a lease or a squirrel. These are decidedly different lives (or events) and without client disclosure there is next to nothing one can do in determining and appreciating the world of differences implicit in such variety. Depending on education background, socio-cultural norms, religion or spirituality and early environment considerations, your client will respond, reflect and regard the astrological symbols very differently than the next person. Without the lens of Level, without regard for these individual truths, there would surely be failure in the consultation.

As an example, consider:

1. A 58-year old Protestant Kansas farmer with little formal education, who lives near a town of 1,000 and whose father’s father was a farmer on the same land.

2. A 33-year-old downtown Vancouver business woman of Chinese descent who is fluent in English and Mandarin and who practices yoga every morning before going to work.

They are both Sun in Taurus, Moon in Aries. Looking at a basic Sun-Moon blend for both of these people, we would say there is a great deal of energy available to "build and maintain something of value, of beauty." (1) For the U.S. farmer, the value and beauty are in the land, in the familial history that ties the land to his labours. For the Canadian business woman, the value and beauty may be in her ability to earn a living and provide for her aging parents who live with her. Thanks to the education her parents provided, she is where she is today.

In a consultation, you notice challenging outer planetary transits related to the farmer’s key 9th House planets. Do you see a looming crisis related to his spiritual beliefs or a return to school? Do you see travel in the middle of the harvesting season? Nothing is impossible, but is this probable? The consultation knows! The 9th House also rules large animals. Is his livestock threatened in some way? Especially if there are trines and sextiles, will he have some opportunities to get more involved with his church? The questions and creative connections flow within the context of meeting and understanding a person’s background, not in the planetary placements alone.

In the other consultation, you notice the same challenging outer planetary transits related to the business woman’s key 9th House planets. Do you see a need to return to school? Quite possibly (she is younger and has more educational opportunities than our farmer client.) Could she travel? More likely, given her career. These are issues for discussion, not assumptions, and then everything moves forward.

The concept of establishing "level" in astrology has been written about most prolifically by Noel Tyl who eloquently expresses the enormous need for astrology to realize its limitations. He writes in the sweeping and groundbreaking Synthesis and Counselling In Astrology: The Professional Manual, that the level of manifestation among potentials in a horoscope is simply beyond astrology’s scope at this time.

After analyzing the horoscope of convicted murderer Charles Manson, Tyl fully admits that it is difficult to keep value judgement out of a horoscopic analysis when the information in this case is already so well known. He writes that "we do not know why a horoscope takes a ‘‘turn for the worst’’ from society’’s point of view. Level can not be seen in any chart, yet the concept of Level is vital to the proper framing of the horoscope within society’’s perspective. Acknowledging Level helps establish order among deductions and capture reality as it is created by the person. Our science of chaos must be ever aware of the ubiquity of the indeterminate. It is part of the process of synthesis." (2)

In like manner, Dr. Marc Edmund Jones observes in the classic Astrology: How And Why It Works, that "astrology does not create anything. Instead, it facilitates the measure and judgement of what is actually encountered in experience". (3)

Level is ascertained most easily through the assessment of past development within your client’s life. For instance, an astrologer should rightly be assessing background by previously making note of key transits and solar arc activity (and the Secondary Progressed Moon’s movement) in the client’s life. If this background work is given due time at the beginning of a consultation, Level is established for the duration of the discussion. Like a manual 35mm camera, the lens of truth begins to pull in its focus sharp, crisp and clear...but only with your hand turning the lens!

Level is also assessed through the astrologer’s observation of a client’s social niceties, articulation, employment status or any other clue that might point to the cultivation of (or relative lack of) personal development.

For instance, within a consultation you observe ‘John,’ an articulate 50-year old man, neatly dressed for his appointment, although his clothes are many years old. His hair is just so and he has a thoughtful demeanour. You are aware that he has driven to your office from about an hour away where he resides in a small village and works as the local bank manager. He has a wedding ring on, smiles easily, but looks very tired. This is a story. Or, at least, it is the beginning of a story so don’t let your eyes and gut ignore it.

In the first 10 minutes you ask about key measurements from his childhood and learn of a father who was largely absent and a mother who positively doted on her only child (your client). When the father was home, he, too, was pampered. Many years later John married someone who would develop an illness soon after, forcing him into a caretaker’s role. His spouse became more and more tyrannical, having not dealt well at all with her terrible physical condition. She has been incapacitated for nearly 15 years and this man has stayed by his wife’s side faithfully. However, he is obviously feeling the strain (he is meeting you, a consultant, for one thing) and obviously needs some sort of emergence. In the coming six months to a year in John’s chart, your eye notes Pluto arcing toward the Ascendent, Transiting Uranus over the MC and the Secondary Progressed Moon lighting up the IC like a torch! Things need to change in this man’s home life, in his community status, and, especially, within himself.

But there are certain things you can expect here, in terms of manifestation of Level. The first thing (and the big thing) is that John is unlikely to leave his wife. (Of course, this is not something the astrologer should judge, either). His path was laid out long ago, to a certain extent, in that we are all products of our upbringing. He was taught to the core that you wait hand and foot on those you love, no matter what they do or don’t do. You put in your time and you cope. Relatedly, he is a conservative bank manager from a small village. More to the point, he still loves his wife.

Now, obviously, the measurements are crying out here for a revolution. But one man’s revolution is another man’s entrenchment. If your client can resist these measurements (and you must believe that people can resist anything that astrology has to throw at them!) chances are there will be zero development along the life path. Here is where your creative connections come in using your understanding of Level. You know he likes to build professional model trains but never seems to have the time to indulge his hobby. This man is burning out more quickly than a stray battery found in the average kitchen drawer. He needs that emergence mentioned earlier. Perhaps it is time for a new contract, you discuss. A new understanding.

"John, how do you think your wife will react when you tell her you are taking an hour and a half every evening just for yourself, to work on your hobby?" (Notice the implicit rebellion in the statement, as tame and common sense as it may sound to an outsider. Yet it is very much a key step for someone like this. It is realistic, not pie-in-the-sky. It is meant to prod and there are no ‘yes and no’s’ possible.) (3)

"Well, she might just have to get used to it, huh?" he answers. Laughter. Confidence emerging. You continue.

"That job you were offered in the nearby city as manager. How would that further your career?"

He goes on to describe how wonderful this job offer would be, how much he deserves the promotion, if only he could take it -- but he would be about an hour away from his wife and she doesn’t like the sound of that.

"John, there must be an agency, a community health program, whereby someone could look in on your wife from time to time, to put you both more at ease?"

The possibilities race through his mind.

"Well, we did have someone a few years ago but my wife didn’t like her. But maybe we could try again...!" More smiles. More possibilities unfold.

This man may be on his way to a new career challenge and a healthier personal routine that speaks to his own needs as well as his spouse’s. All of this was achieved because the astrologer understood the background enough to securely project the foreground. All of this was actualized -- this real, practical change -- because individual truth is everything, not isolated prediction systems and cold theories. We deduce, ever mindful that change is generally incremental. This is the astrologer’s key piece of information to anticipate a reasonable path for the client.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember in considering any discussion about determining Level is that we still assume the very best is possible of the client within the realm of possibility. For instance, just because we believe, intellectually, that the person in front of us shall never be the next governor of Florida, a famous rock star or the discoverer of a new planet, we still cultivate our expectations on the side of positivism. That same client may yet become the mayor of his small town or a school board representative, he may yet lead his church choir in song or he may find a new passion in an astronomy kit. And maybe he did one of those things because the astrologer assumed something greater in the client than the client saw in himself.

Relatedly, according to Tyl, an astrological consultation must not forsake the spiritual dimensions of life. This line of thought also assumes the most evolved aspects of the client —— the part of him that must relate to more than just the self. Often, it is the part of us that cries out for more development or more nurturing though the client may not realize this without our respectful introduction.

"Not only must we astrologers listen to these other dimensions in our client’’s life, but we must know that that capacity and need for expression of life development are there. We must talk, in part, in those spiritual terms...it is a source of strength and vision," writes Tyl. (4)

In like manner, David Pond in his fine essay simply entitled Astrological Counseling, writes that there are "two truths about each of us: a spiritual truth and a species truth. The chart shows potentialities, but it does not show what level of spiritual awareness your client has attained." (5)

Determining this level of spiritual truth is part of the process of disclosure and synthesis.

When our astrology does not grow beyond memorization work, it does not grow at all. In a dynamic discipline that counts, as its foundation, abstract symbols, one must not pretend that abstractions are not present. They are indeed present, and they are necessary in their broad, archetypal attunements. But interpreting those realities of manifestation through the beating hearts of real men and women is what determining Level and individual truth is all about.

There is a great, great need for your keen, thoughtful observations and for your capacity to reach out in tangible terms. Imparting emotional awareness and empathy is perhaps the most wonderful gift you can give in practicing your artistic science.

References

1. Noel Tyl, Synthesis And Counseling In Astrology: The Professional Manual, St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S., Llewellyn, 1998, p. 79.

2. Tyl, Synthesis, p. 241.

3. Marc Edmund Jones, Astrology: How And Why It Works, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A., Penguin Books, 1945, p. 10.

4. Tyl, Synthesis, p. 736

5. David Pond, Astrological Counselling: The Path To Self-Actualization (essay), St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S., Llewellyn, 1990, p. 27.