Astrological Magic and Myrtlewood

Hey lovelies! This week, I've got something special to share with you that'll offer a little peek behind the curtain of my writing process, especially in the realm of astrology. It’s not just about starry-eyed predictions, but rich with psychological depth and the potential for transformation. If you've ever wondered how the celestial dance of planets and stars finds its way into the magical mysteries of my Myrtlewood books, this is your chance to find out about my approach. So, grab a cuppa, get cosy, and let's explore the starlit pathways that inspire the mystical twists and turns in the Myrtlewood universe! (I'll also be offering some mini astrology readings in December as described below) 🌟✨

Why astrology?

People who don’t know much about astrology often criticise it for being too simple – for putting people into boxes – for stereotyping… which is ironic, because astrology is actually incredibly complex. Equating newspaper horoscopes with astrology is like assuming that all food is actually twinkies, and then criticising food for being anti-nutritious. This comparison is akin to judging the vast ocean by the water in a single bucket. Understanding astrology, much like understanding the biochemistry of nutrition, can take a long time – just to get a reasonably good grasp of one way of doing it. And just like any complex subject, there are lots of schools of thought, and systems, each has its own merits and some work better for some people than others.

I like to think about it like this: for thousands of years, human beings did not possess small pocket-sized devices with screens, or even large screens in their offices and homes for watching things. Instead, they had little choice but to watch the world around them. For thousands of years, people have watched the patterns in nature, in the swirling of water, the migrations of birds, and in the night sky. They watched the movement of visible planetary bodies and identified the planets from the stars. Based on the movements of the planets, they connected them with their own cultural mythology. Mercury, for instance, is fast moving, darting between the others: the messenger. This observation led to the belief that Mercury influences communication and travel. They watched these patterns and associated them with the changes they witnessed in the world around them. There are many cultural similarities in the symbolism of these planetary bodies, especially between Vedic and Western astrology.

It was only in the last few hundred years that the contemporary mythology associated with ‘science’ split from more nuanced cultural understandings in Western thought and went on to colonise local knowledge systems wherever it found them, declaring their understandings as “not real knowledge”. Despite the technological advances afforded by this process, it has cut many people off from mystical and nuanced understandings of the world that our ancestors shared. Astronomy, the ‘real scientific’ study of the stuff we find outside our planet, has been split from astrology for a while now. The former is taken seriously while the latter has been reduced to tacky newspaper horoscopes or steriotypes about 12 types of people in most people’s eyes. This dichotomy overlooks the rich historical and cultural significance of astrology, as well as its layered complexity. This may be to our detriment, as a species well known for its short nearsightedness and inability to recognise broader patterns.

For me, it is the synchronicities that make astrology so validating, and the insights it provides into the patterns of the psyche that make it so useful. As a teenager, before I knew anything at all about astrology, I made up a pattern that represented me. I drew it over and over in my school books. It was a crescent moon with lines going in different directions. I was planning to get a tattoo of it at some point. In my early 20s, I took a night class on astrology with a couple of friends. This was the first time I had the chance to see my birth chart and when I looked at it a shiver ran up my spine.

The pattern in the centre… well, it was the pattern I used to draw over and over. It was the pattern that represented me.

(and yes, I did get a tattoo of it!)

This personal anecdote underscores the profound, often inexplicable connection people can feel with astrology. If you want to see your birth chart, you can look it up here[https://astro-charts.com/tools/new/birth-chart/]. You need to know your time of birth to get an accurate chart, because the houses change every two hours, based on the earth’s rotation and where the horizon line is. If you don’t know the exact time, you can put in an approximate time. You will be able to see which signs the planets are in and how they relate to each other, but the “houses” may not be accurate. It may take a while to understand what it all means and I’m happy to share more with you on this later.

This is what my chart looks like:

A birth chart like this captures the syncronicity of when someone was born. For instance, the Sun was in Leo when I was born, Mercury was Virgo conjunct Venus, and Saturn was in Scorpio. Each of these things carries its own resonance. 

Many spiritual and philosophical teachings from around the world hold that we live in a reflective univers, as within so without, as above so below. There are many ways to see this reflection, such as observing nature, scrying, or using tarot cards, but astrology offers a comprehensive system of symbols and patterns that always seem to make so much sense to me (and to many others). I have been studying it myself, for years, mostly through books and learning through conversations with other people who are interested in it.

The synchronicities have continued, and become more and more convincing. Over a decade ago, I was sitting in an armchair reading a book when I experienced a sudden flood of insights around my fears. I briefly wondered whether Saturn had gotten into Scorpio, as it was supposed to sometime that year. When I checked a few days later, Saturn had indeed crossed over into Scorpio, at just the time when I was being confronted with my Saturn in Scorpio lessons, leading up to my Saturn Return (when it gets back to where it was when someone was born). Saturn is the planet of hard learning, of boundaries and constrictions. It always has powerful lessons and you will see Rosemary and Athena working with this in the Myrtlewood Mysteries books at times.

I’ve noticed this pattern with Saturn more and more over the years. When I have a Saturn square or opposition transit, especially to natal Saturn or my Sun, I often experience a constriction in my chest, a bit like a feeling of being squeezed in a vice. The thing is, I often haven’t been following my transits, but when I have that feeling I go and look them up, and every time, a major Saturn transit is starting! But working with that tension has brought me great courage and strength.

When a Jupiter transit comes along, I often feel buoyant and energised. Jupiter, the planet of abundance, luck and excess often brings me wonderful experiences of expansiveness. Sometimes it feels a bit like drinking a liquid luck potion!

I’ve also noticed other little synchronicities that can be very helpful. For instance, I realised that I sometimes suddenly get the urge to start cleaning, sorting, and de-cluttering when the moon is in Virgo. This has led to better planning of the month to maximise this kind of rare (for me) activity.

I wouldn’t say I’m a fundamentalist about astrology, even ‘believe’ is a very strong word. However, I do find it extremely useful. Looking at my chart and the tensions there (often represented by red lines), and knowing a bit about the mythic archetypes of the planets and luminaries, and the parts of the psyche they represent, really has helped me to understand myself better and the things that there are no particular scientific explanation for.

I don't necessarily believe that the planets are inflicting things upon us, but that they provide one clear and easy to understand map of the patterns of the cosmos and psyche at the moment of our birth, and in everyday life, that we can learn so much from. I also don't believe there are "bad" things in astrology, rather, many of the challenges can lead to uncovering our hidden strengths!

Looking at the transits, where planets are now in relation to their placing when I was born, helps me understand the things that I’m learning about in my life in the present. Astrology, in this sense, acts as a mirror, reflecting not just our personalities but also our ongoing life journey. I don’t even mind if it’s just confirmation bias or some kind of placebo, because it’s helpful and it’s also quite beautiful. It is a symbolic language and a comprehensive system for mapping the psyche that is helpful in my writing and can play out with the character's own journeys.

Everytime I read someone's chart and tell them about the patterns I see there, I have such a great response; people are always thrilled and surprised at the insights and patterns that they recognise, and finds the understandings I share useful in coming to terms with aspects of themselves and what they're going through. 

I'd love to offer astrology readings to all my readers, however, as I don't have the time or capacity to do this, I've decided to offer a complimentary mini astrology reading (which I will provide via a voice recording) to anyone in my top Patreon tier to acknowledge your support for me on this creative journey! If you aren't in the top tier and want to sign up for this special offer, you are most welcome to, just make sure you join before 20 December. 

UPDATE MARCH 2024: Rather than just a one-off offer, supporters at the Myrtlewood Town Circle tier and above now have the opportunity to receive an annual astrology or tarot reading from me. You can https://www.patreon.com/irisbeaglehole/membership

I'd love to share more about astrology in future Patreon posts, so if you have any areas you'd like me to delve into, let me know in the comments!

Blessed be xx

Iris