From My Mailbag:

Recently, I received the following letter. Thinking this correspondence might be of general interest, I share it with you.

Question: I often encounter astrologers, highly regarded and well respected, using the concept of "soul" as part of their self-promotion and astrology teachings. Is it just me?, or is it true there is no concept of "soul" in the basic teachings of astrology, that there is no objective measure or reference or signature? Is it practicing fraud to promote soul or deity or savior through astrology and in interpretations? Is it an imposed overlay from other religions? Of course, with Neptune in Aquarius, there is the confusion between mystical religious faith and occult social faith. Consequently, is the net effect of the use of non-astrology religious concepts in modern astrology to cast astrology as a pseudo-religion, and that equals pseudo-science? What do you think? Should non-astrological terms be used to define astrology?

Perhaps a wide knowledge of astrology includes knowing a lot of foolishness as well as knowing the true nature of reality, but I think one should know the difference. Religious foolishness is not part of modern astrology.

I see this as a real problem for accurate astrological perceptions as well as accurate interpretations. I respect your opinion and would be interested in your view.

Answer: First, I distinguish between spirituality and religion. Simplistically, religion is a structure or container, devised by spiritually-young humans for limiting and containing spiritual growth. Metaphorically speaking, I am convinced that we are literal children/offspring of Deity, intended to grow up to be like our Parent, that we have divine, as well as physical, DNA.

I think that the main problem here is the lack of clarity around the meaning of Soul. Many confuse Soul and Spirit. One assumes that those who practice soul-centered astrology refer to their work as being directed toward spiritual growth. I much prefer to say that directly, and refer to my practice as directed toward personal and spiritual growth for us all.

Implied in that is the idea that we incarnate, time after time, as we become increasingly conscious of our true and total being. There is a sense here that from the beginning, seed, or inception of our being, we have incredible potential, far more than we can conceive. Over many lifetimes we develop increasing awareness of that potential. Ultimately, this journey is about understanding that entering form does not diminish what/who we are. The assistance that growth astrology can provide is to help individuals to see-through the conditioning of childhood and discover a much greater reality-of-being.

In my writings, I distinguish Soul from Spirit in this way:

I interpret Sun as Spirit. The Sun, in its sign, represents the overall spirit of your life. Expressed in religious terms, it might be considered the face of God that we see, and the divine mandate of our lives. I see this mandate as a general theme of a cluster of incarnations. It could be compared to a college degree.

By sign, Sun/Spirit also defines the type of energy you run on, based on our overall intention. It also expresses our overall divine identification, our concept of Deity. It is a general intention or direction of spiritual growth, whether in-body or out-of-body.

I interpret Moon as Soul. We can neither look directly at the Sun, nor the face of God. The Moon reflects a small portion of the Sun’s light in a way that allows us to look directly at it. It becomes the transformer or transducer of Divine/Solar Energy for this incarnation, channeling the correct amount and color of energy into our bodies and lives, for the purpose of this particular incarnation. It can be compared to both the umbilical chord and the silver cord. It is the primary focus of Spirit through our lives. It could be understood as our educational major.

By Sign, the Moon/Soul formats, channels, gives form and shape to Solar/Spiritual energy. It is the directing principle of a specific incarnation. Simplistically, the Sun/Spirit is who we are, while the Moon/Soul is what and how we are doing within this lifetime. It is the bridge between no-form and form, between Heaven and Earth.

To complete the human trinity, we have the Ascendant which roughly translates to body. More accurately, it refers to appearance, or the impression-you-make. It compares to our face and first name–meaning the name we are called.