Putting in Work

Astrology is all about potential (energy) and what we do with it

I’m back from teaching an astroherbalism class in Costa Rica! The Caribbean coast of Costa Rica always feels like visiting cousins, and my spirit is always grateful for the medicine the jungle and the ocean provide. Coming back home has been…an adjustment and I’ve been chewing on this for a while. This post was inspired by how some people talk about challenging transits in history and serves as an introduction to one of the ways I approach astrology and resist fear-mongering. Paid subscribers get a deeper dive into Jupiter’s upcoming transit into Gemini, its square with Saturn in Pisces, and lessons we can learn from the last time these planets met in the sky. Enjoy!

Starbie B. Interstellar. (2024). 5” x 8”. Paper collage, magazine, reflective paper.

Potential (Energy)

I’ve always been a bit of a science girlie. I love getting to the bottom of things and using different methods to understand the how and why of our environment. As much as I love formulas and experimentation, I never had much love for mathematics until I got into geometry and physics.

Potential energy: the energy stored in an object before forces act on it and put it in motion

Kinetic energy: the energy created when an object is in motion

In physics, potential energy is stored in an object, waiting for some force to act on it. When force is applied to an object, like compressing, throwing, or dropping it, all that potential energy becomes kinetic energy and propels the object in whatever direction the force was applied. I think of astrology in similar terms. The astrological map of the sky tells us of the potential energy through the aspects, signs, and houses the planets are in, and our actions are the force that puts all that potential into motion. It’s helpful to remember, especially during challenging transits, that we are autonomous beings, and even if the astrology of the times looks scary, we are not doomed to be controlled by it nor powerless to its effects.

If history repeats itself, it also allows us to learn and respond better than the last time.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone breathlessly talk about the transits of the outer planets with a malicious twinkle in their eye. “The last time [insert planet] was in [insert sign], [insert war/plague/economic hardship/natural disaster] happened!” they exclaim with excitement over showing off what they’ve learned from skimming a website or two. While they may be telling the truth, they aren’t telling the whole story. Since the beginning of time, humans have always found ways to support each other and resist oppression. Fixating on the hardships that occur under transits while ignoring what was done to resist or get through them can make us feel like there’s nothing we can do, freezing us into inaction. If we highlight the hard times, we should also study how we got through them to learn from them. If history repeats itself, it also allows us to learn from it and respond better than the last time.