Causation and Correlation in Astrology

I know someone who periodically tells me, as though he is disclosing a secret that will devastate me, that he does not believe in astrology. This is always a funny thing to respond to because to me it is like telling me that you don’t believe in hammers or in WiFi.

Like, are you saying you don’t think it exists? Because I’m sorry to break it to you, but it does exist. Or, are you saying that you are not willing to try it out because you’ve heard it has adverse effects? If that is the meaning, then fair enough, but it does limit your life’s experience. Or, are you saying that you are not willing to devotionally follow an astrologer’s interpretation of your life, setting aside your own life experience and authority, like many religions would expect you to do? Because if that’s the case, then good for you. You should not do that.

Astrology is the study of the correlation between celestial events and earthly events. At its origins, astrology was math, and it is part of how humans developed math and astronomy. It was only when humans moved toward commodification that we started de-valuing the philosophical, psychological, and spiritual components of early math. We started seeing things that have “value” as things we could sell and commodify, and so we de-valued subjective, lived experience and internal processes because more uniformity equals more sales. And, yet, the subjective, lived, internal experience continues to be core to how humans (and, in my view, other animals) actually experience life. Internal experience may not be everything, but it is a lot.

Photo by Joseph Barrientos on Unsplash (picture of a ship’s helm, which looks suspiciously like a zodiac wheel … hmmm.)

In early astrology, the astrologers saw each of us as leading the ship of our lived experience (our “nativity”), from the helm of our ascendants, as our other parts of self work through their dramas. Now, we describe this same thing through Jungian archetypal shadow work or Internal Family Systems Therapy. But, if we can look at our astrological and human design natal charts, we can often gain awareness over our internal parts, especially the parts we might be inclined to ignore, somewhat more quickly than we can in therapy (and, this is no slight to therapy, which is an amazing and crucial service).

In astrology, seeing parts that we would otherwise ignore is about perspective. If you imagine yourself sitting on your ascendant line, at the helm of your ship, and looking toward your descendant line (the cusp of your 7th house in most house systems), some areas of your chart may be out of your normal view (in early astrology, because of early geometry, these were the houses that were not in aspect to the ascendant, so the 2nd, 6th, 8th, (sometimes) 9th, and 12th houses). The same can be true for each planet. When you sit in your Sun energy, for example, what are the spaces that Sun cannot see in your chart? These are spaces that you are less likely to have conscious awareness of as part of your identity.

Below is a chart from today, where I have circled the spaces I’m talking about in red so that you can compare this to your natal chart if you’d like. The ascendant is to the very left of the chart, and the descendant line is to the far right. I circled the 9th house in purple because it is not as commonly considered an invisible house.

In ancient astrology, the invisible houses were considered “bad” houses, but in modern astrology we have a much more nuanced approach to this. If you think about it, without psychology or support systems for our overall health, it makes sense that the ancients would generalize the invisible as bad. Now, we can access supports that make this less true. For example, in my personal chart, almost all of my planets are in “bad” houses, and issues I have struggled with, including health issues, would have killed me in 400 A.D. Now, we have other technologies that have offered me successful supports.

The invisible is often visible now, and astrology is one of the technologies that makes what was previously invisible visible.

Is astrology pseudoscience? I struggle with the designation of astrology as science. Is a hammer science? Is WiFi science? They are more technology than science, and that is true for astrology as well. If you use a hammer on something that requires a screw driver, you may not get the best results. If you use astrology to solve a problem that requires a medical doctor, you likewise will not get the best results. This does not mean the technology has no merit; it means that like all technologies, it does not have universal application.

I have tested out the technology of astrology for around 25 years and found it to be helpful and supportive in ways that other methodologies have not reached. I have tested out human design for less time, maybe around 8 years, and have likewise found it more enlightening than many business coaches and other supports. This is not to say I only use these modalities. I have a medical doctor, a therapist, an acupuncturist, an energy reader, friends, and many other valid supports that are amazing. Just because one support works does not mean you abandon others that also work.

Ultimately, I think with any technology, we run the risk of using it against ourselves. You can use a hammer to build yourself a cage or you can use a hammer to build yourself a house. From the outside, it might not look that different, but from the inside, you know which you are building. In the same way, we can use horoscopes and chart interpretation to tell us what our life is and relinquish all responsibility, or we can use horoscopes and chart interpretation to support us in becoming more of ourselves, while still maintaining our own sovereignty over our lives.

The stars do not decide how you live your life or cause the events you like or dislike in your life any more than the weather decides how you live your life. But, the energies do make a difference in my experience. Understanding the energies of the cosmos can help you relate to both the comfortable and uncomfortable parts of human experience and thereby live a fuller and more conscious life.

Astrological Resourcing Under Fascism

What do the stars say about where you fit in the resistance?

Protests are happening around the world right now, in the midst of governments and militaries, led by dictators, committing atrocities. I live in the U.S. and so a lot of the focus I see is on federal agents brutalizing people in U.S. neighborhoods, schools, and businesses, but these events are happening around the world. A lot of people I see in the U.S. are feeling overwhelmed in figuring out where they personally fit into helping their communities survive through this darkness and how to hope for and build a better future.

I come from a fundamental belief that we all, collectively and individually, hold responsibility for our actions and inactions that contributed to bringing us to this place. I say that not because of blame, but because of power. When we understand that, even though power is disproportionate and unfair in the world as we know it, we each still have power, we can use it intentionally. And, I believe that it is in each of us showing up with our full power and accountability that we shift to a better future.

Someone said to me recently that if he inherited some of his father’s traits, it did not make him a bad person. This is similar to white people believing that because we inherited an unjust, racist system, but did not create it, we are not “bad.” It may be true that we are not “bad,” because that word does not have a lot of meaning. But if we are adults, we are still responsible and accountable for our actions and inactions that perpetuate violence and violent systems through our actions or our inactions.

While each person’s contribution may be different, each person’s decision to contribute, or ignore harms, matters.

I want to talk a little bit about my background related to this, and then I want to go through an overview of astrological placements that you can look to in order to consider your place in the resistance.

Photo I took in a 2025 protest of a sign with Princess Leia and the words “A woman’s place is in the resistance”

Law, Government, and Tyranny

I have been a civil rights lawyer for a little over a decade. In my third year of law school, I took a class called Federal Jurisdiction, which sounds dry but was actually one of my favorite classes in law school. We had an amazing professor, and much of the class focused on the balance and separation of powers between the three branches of government in the U.S.

One day, as we were finishing up studying the cases around the Nixon and Clinton presidencies, I remember having a realization that there are no guaranteed protections for citizens in the U.S., despite our rhetoric and propaganda about freedom, bravery, and civil rights.

Law students kind of learn this in other classes, like when we read Marbury v. Madison in Constitutional Law and find out the Supreme Court interprets the Constitution because one early justice said that was its job. But, it wasn’t really until I studied the separation of powers at the level of Fed. Jur. that I realized how bleak it was. I remember our professor bringing home to us that if one branch of government decided not to follow the constitution, namely the executive branch, ultimately law enforcement and the military, controlled by the executive branch, would decide what the law is in the U.S., like they do in other militarized countries.

It has only been during times in which we are reluctant to openly engage in violent conflict that we have not been in this type of battle. And, honestly, I am not persuaded we have ever had such a time throughout U.S. history. If you pay attention to the history of Black, Native American, and immigrant communities, I believe it bears out that we have consistently been under militarized rule, though white communities have been trained to ignore, comply, and carry water for that system, calling it Rule of Law.

All Life Has Value, But Not Equality

Most of us in the U.S. have been taught the famous aspirational lines of the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal . . . .” This phrase intentionally left out women, just as the U.S. Constitution clarified that only “free,” or in other words white, men were considered “persons,” explicitly saying that Native and enslaved people had less value at the time of the forming of the U.S. government. Even upon the drafting of those lines, the founders of the U.S. government did not envision all people as equal. In fact, the patriarchal and racist narcissism of dominant culture at the time explicitly held that humans had different value based on what their skin looked like and whether they had internal or external genitalia.

We may aspire to equality, but unless we acknowledge and correct inequality, we will never attain it.

It is obvious to see that people are not born in equal circumstances or with equal natures. Much of U.S. culture is built around gaslighting people into believing that if they have worse circumstances than a billionaire or better circumstances than someone who does not live in a house, it is because of their work ethic.

This trickles insidiously into teachings about working harder at our spirituality or mindset in order to chase expectations that we be rich and skinny. And, chasing those goals tends to benefit people already holding power.

In working with astrology, it becomes clear right away that each person is different and brings different perspective, personal strengths, and personal challenges to our communities. It is in our difference that our value is most obvious.

The resistance needs organizers, activists, protestors, artists, poets, writers, mediums, astrologers, speakers, knitters, bakers, massage therapists, and all other forms of community care.

I say this to acknowledge the injustice of the circumstances we are in, and to say that your contribution or lack of contribution matters.

So where do you fit in?

Astrological Placements

In order to sit with where your strengths are in contributing to community survival and care, consider your entire natal chart (you can get yours at astro.com). First, I will generally go through the signs, and then we can talk about a few placements that may bring some insight.

Signs. This is a brief overview of how each sign may support the resistance and the challenges you may want to watch for and counterbalance. You have each of the signs in your chart, though how your chart engages with the energies of each sign is different from the people around you.

Aries brings courage, drive, speed, and action to the resistance. Aries should watch for getting too stuck on their way being the only way to make change. It is possible to be courageous, lead, and listen, even when it slows you down. If you mess up, take accountability, don’t let it shut you down, and get back out there.

Taurus brings stability, consistency, practicality, and dependability to the resistance. Taurus should watch for needing things to be completely safe and stable before taking action. If protesting in the streets is not the right thing for you, make financial contributions to local organizing, and organize food delivery to your neighbors who might be afraid to go out right now.

Gemini brings quick thinking, writing and speaking abilities, and lightness to the resistance. Gemini should watch for getting distracted by things that don’t matter and using this as an excuse to not take their work seriously. If you were in a protest sign competition, and the prize was the vacation of your dreams, what protest signs and chants would you write? Set a reminder to call representatives every day and use your chat power for the collective good.

Cancer brings care, loyalty, and intuitive understanding of the community’s needs to the resistance. Cancer should watch out for burning themselves out doing emotional labor for people who are not mutually contributing to the resistance. Take your emotional wellness seriously and model what a thriving life looks like for the rest of us. If you have medical or mental health training, be intentional with where you offer it, and think about whether you have room to offer low-cost support to resistance organizers.

Leo brings drive, passion, and the ability to lead to the resistance. Watch out for making the resistance about you and allowing ego wounds to interfere with effectiveness. This isn’t sportsball, but if you are motivated by competition (ummm, you are if you have strong Leo), then make it a competition and also remember that it matters. Organize your local community. If you see people doing it wrong, ask for their consent to do it right. Get buy-in from other people, but don’t let approval-seeking hold you back.

Virgo brings a critical eye, ability to analyze and plan, and organization to the resistance. Watch out for turning criticism against yourself or expecting things to be perfect before you take action. If it’s messy, then it’s a good thing you’re there to make it more clear and tidy. If being out in the streets does not feel safe to you, organize behind the scenes. Write postcards to people making decisions, telling them how to do their jobs better. You can’t completely know the impact you’ll have ahead of time, but the one guarantee is that if you silence yourself ahead of time, you have no impact.

Libra brings a strong sense of justice, ability to communicate with people who are different, and beauty to the resistance. Watch out for worrying about what your family and loved ones think about you over what you need and believe. Use your strong ability to understand others with purpose in order to persuade them to believe we could have a better world. You don’t owe your MAGA relatives your attention. Also, put extra glitter on your protest sign because it is possible to resist and look amazing while you do it. That does not disrespect the seriousness of the issues.

Scorpio brings an intensity, unity of purpose, and effectiveness to the resistance. Watch out for letting personal revenge distract you from the most effective use of your skills (instead use it in favor of your ultimate goals). You know what needs to get done for the power to shift. Instead of ruminating about it, go make sure it gets done.

Sagittarius brings understanding of the big picture, leadership, and adventure to the resistance. Watch out for getting too focused on your personal freedom or the truth as you see it, and missing important input from the people around you. If you see a better future for us, what does it look like? Share your vision with those around you and use your leadership skills to get us there.

Capricorn brings structure, understanding of systems, and caution to the resistance. Watch out for letting your pessimism or rigidity give you an excuse for not participating because you are not willing to be wrong. Plan the speakers at your local protests and organize the rules and resources for people joining. If you had to write the resource guide to create an equitable society, where would you start your research? No time like the present to get that research compiled.

Aquarius brings freedom, invention, and collectivism to the resistance. Watch out for needing group approval before you take action or assuming that your way is the only or best way. If there is anyone who could dream up a better world, it’s you. And don’t let the dream be a substitute for taking action to make the world what you want it to be now. Get out and protest, even if your friends aren’t. Write a utopian novel, instead of a dystopian one. Have a difficult, but honest, conversation with a family member or friend that has the potential to contribute to creating the practical reality of the dream.

Pisces brings spirituality, flexibility, and imagination to the resistance. Watch out for overly flexible thinking that leads you to justify the harm and dehumanization other people commit. You have tremendous access to the collective unconscious and spiritual insight. If protesting does not feel right to you, organize a prayer group, healing circle, or other spiritual circle to send healing energy to those on the front lines and those who have been harmed by fascism. Offer the physical or emotional healing support you are qualified to offer to those in your community who are afraid right now. If you are white, offer to pick up groceries for those in your neighborhood who are afraid to shop. Challenge yourself to have an honest conversation about harm with a MAGA relative.

Planets. Each of the planets, as it shows up in your chart, has the potential to contribute to the resistance, and here are some ways they can do that:

Pluto informs power impacts our lives, including oppression and resistance to oppression.

Neptune informs where we are idealistic and have work to do on our boundaries.

Uranus informs where change, innovation, and freedom are important to us or impact us in a challenging way.

Saturn informs how structure, karma, and rules impact us, and also how we punish ourselves, if we do.

Jupiter informs spaces where we expand and allow ourselves to be big (or where the universe pushes us to be big).

Mars represents how we relate to conflict and how we take action.

Venus represents how we relate to connection, intimacy, and beauty.

Mercury represents how we communicate.

The Moon represents our first, emotional response.

The Sun represents our overall self.

The Ascendant or Rising Sign represents the face we put to the world.

Houses. The houses are the slices of the pie on your natal chart, and they represent areas of life. For considering where you fit into the resistance, I recommend looking especially to these houses:

Third, Fifth, and Eleventh Houses: These inform how you protest, speak out, create, and care for your local community and social groups.

Second, Sixth, and Tenth Houses: These inform your values, habits, and public life and how they may contribute to making the world better.

Eighth, Ninth, and Twelfth Houses: These inform how you spiritually and idealistically participate in healing the collective unconscious.

First, Fourth, and Seventh Houses: These inform how you replenish yourself and build your personal life as a model for a better world.

Overall Takeaways

Each of us has important value to bring toward collective care. It is crucial that we start to see caring for the most vulnerable among us as central to thriving community. Neither equality nor equity are competition, and we have to acknowledge inequity before we can build toward equity.

In order to see where you personally fit into the resistance, keep in mind that the contribution of all the signs are important. Particularly look at your Third and Eleventh houses for how you can best protest as well as offer and receive community care. What signs are in those houses and what clues do they give toward how you protest fascism and build a better world?

Thanks for participating! If you or someone you know would like to dive into their astrology and personal magic, sign up for a consultation here.