On change and inner life
Written By Elisabeth Paul
We live in a time and age where the “outer” life has become the recipient of most of our energy; what goes on outside ourselves is what draws our conscious attention. Little is left of our effort to look inside, as if all the answers to what we search for are found in the world around us - in the collective and the masses.
Our eyes and ears are acutely attuned to taking in information; thoughts, theories, styles - and we either adjust ourselves accordingly, or blame the anonymous collective for all the wrong and ill going on. What we forget is that the very collective is not a third-party authority. It is merely the mirror of the psyche of the average individual in society; the sum of their challenges, problems, hopes, wishes, issues etc. Now, if this is the case there is only one way of contributing to the world around us if we want change, and that is by looking inside - the only place where change is possible in the first place.
Getting to know ourselves better - including our fears and insecurities and the things we’d rather not accept within our psyche (the shadow), is the only starting point if we ever wish to able to understand anyone else.
The individual is being swallowed unknowingly by the big tidal waves of the masses, and in this process personal identity and personality are lost. Our lives are automatized, standardized, and we somehow end up framing a picture of a life we never consciously created for ourselves.
This leads to a number of conditions; such as discontent, inner sense of alienation, frustration, lack of spark and will. But often also emptiness, a life devoid of purpose and meaning. Some become masters of finding substitutes for that lack of meaning and purpose, and the “executor of their lives is more often than not an overemphasized mask (persona).” C. G. Jung.
In my opinion, the task of understanding ourselves better is the key to being able to live more authentically - not without pain of struggle, but a richer life, where “more of our actions may be the true expression of our nature.” C. G. Jung.
How do we go about doing so? There are of course many ways, but astrology is one of the great tools to help us in this process. If we dare to consider the following; that the ancient rich symbolism of astrology can help reflect our innate psychological makeup, our rationality and our instinctual nature - our complexity, then a personal natal chart is an essential map for each individual. This is especially true in a time when our consciousness has become so focused on, and attuned to the map of the world.