So far, yet so intimate to our beings, the fixed stars hold whole worlds within their light. My job as an astrologer is to help you understand the unique character of each star, as well as connect those with similar meanings. Doing so helps us highlight different facets of, say, heroism, wisdom, creativity, and helps us know which stars we have to work with a certain subject.
I wanted to begin by focusing on the stars of mysticism— those that help bring humans closer to the otherworldly and divine. By examining the unique relationship each star here has to mysticism, I hope to both show all the ways we can get closer to the divine as well as highlight the different routes the stars present to us.
For those who have these one or more of these stars in paran to your chart, consider how they alter your life or contribute to your mystical/divinatory experiences. And even if you don’t have any of these in your chart, fear not: building a relationship with any star is always an option. Consider these the next time you want to connect to the divine.
On Mysticism
I have long been drawn to the concept of mysticism. It has always had a religious connotation, which, as a devotional babe, I love, but with a weird, feral quality too. Mystics weren’t the same as popes, abbots, priests or pastors. They didn’t seem to need a specific institution or practice to access their insight; only an intimacy with the beating heart of god.
Etymologically, “mysticism” comes from the Greek mystikos meaning "secret, connected with the mysteries," which derives from mystes, “one who was been initiated”. So already, we see a connection between mysticism and the hidden, more specifically the desire to uncover the hidden truths of this world. Evelyn Underhill, in her book on the subject, says that mystics are distinguished by “the finding of a ‘way out’ or a ‘way back’ to some desirable state in which alone they can satisfy their craving for absolute truth”. Mysticism is, in some form, an epistemology, but one that looks beyond the human mind for answers. I am reminded of a college professor who saw me as stuck between the path of the academic and the mystic; he encouraged me towards the former but that points towards a wider devaluing of the wisdom mysticism can provide.
While academia and the conscious intellect can do so much, ignoring the unseen locks us out from wisdom and “powers unknown to ordinary men”. Underhill reminds us that all mystics operate under the “inextinguishable conviction that there are other planes of being than those which his senses report to him”.
Mysticism is the journey of making good on these convictions, these inner stirrings. Properly practiced, mysticism can be a well of knowledge, intimacy and bliss; it can help us with our divinatory potential, our creative practice and can serve as a solid foundation for a magical practice.
Today I want to talk about mysticism through the lens of fixed stars that are considered “mystic”. Already, the stars are attuned to our souls,1 our transcendent spirit that connects us to the divine, as well as animates our life and breath.2 But these stars are singled out for a certain numinous, intuitive quality. Having theses stars in paran to your chart or working with them ritually can help you access the hidden mysteries of the divine, whether that be for making decisions, art; creating connections to the unseen, practicing magic or just reveling your connection to the deepest truths. These stars speak to the power of the inner life, which can often be in conflict with the outward world of fame, commerce and productivity. The more you come into contact with the mystical, the less you may find yourself out of step with the milestones and expectations the outside world has provided us.
May my effort help you understand your own innate numinosity.
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