By David Cherubim
(Frater Aurora Aureae)
Copyright © 1991 e.v.
From: http://www.thelemicgoldendawn.org/
The Order of the
Thelemic Golden Dawn.
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
The word Astrology is derived from two Greek words, "astra," that is, star, and "logos," that is, logic. Thus Astrology is the Logic or Science of the Stars. In the Art of Magick, the Logos is identified with the Will. Thus Astrology can be defined as the Science of understanding the Will of the Stars. It is one of the most ancient of all the hermetic sciences, and its symbolism and philosophy has influenced the various religious and occult bodies that have existed throughout the course of time.
Astrology is, to all intents and purposes, the Science of the Stars by which we can attain to the essential comprehension of our own true natures. It is a method of self-discovery and self-actualization. Moreover, it is a technique of discipline for the mind by which we can suitably train our reason to efficiently operate in accordance with the laws of our own natures, to adjust ourselves better to our own environments and to understand how best we may accomplish the task for which we have incarnated in the flesh. Astrology teaches us to understand the nature of the stars and how best we may react to their influences in our lives. It is a psychological method and means of comprehending the various cosmic forces that direct us from within, so that we may learn to properly respond to and utilize those cosmic forces.
In Liber Legis (The Book of the Law), I: 3, Nuit, Our Lady of the Stars proclaims, "Every man and every woman is a star." This implies that we all have our own unique Self to realize, and that we all have our own unique Path to pursue in the Universe. This path is defined as our True Will. By studying and applying the Science of the Stars we can attain to a greater understanding concerning the nature of our own True Will. To realize and perform one’s True Will is to fulfil one’s true nature and destiny. Thus Astrology is a most serious method of the Great Work by which we can progress on the Majestic Ladder of the Stars to attain the Supreme Perfection of our own celestial natures.
We are also free to interpret the "star" of Liber Legis I: 3 in a more esoteric sense, referring it to our own personal Star, or Unit of Space, in one of the Constellations of Nuit, who is the Infinite Universe and the Infinite Stars thereof. Crowley asserted that there might be some real connection between a given person and a given star. In certain forms of both ancient and modern mythology, the stars are linked with Angelic Beings. This is a very curious connection in respect of the fact that in the Philosophy of Thelema we view our Star as our Holy Guardian Angel. This Angel, or Star, is our own Inmost Self. It is who we are in truth, a Sun or single concentration of Nuit, a Celestial Unit of Infinite Space.
Astrology is based on the hermetic principle, "As above, so below." The Macrocosm and Microcosm are parallel phenomena. All celestial events above influence us here on earth below; we are all affected by and reflect the movement of the stars; and we are all partakers and human vehicles of the various celestial forces which emanate from the stars. Astrology helps us to determine the action of the stars upon the earth and how they affect our own personal lives, and it further teaches us how best we may respond to them. It is thus a method of expanding our awareness, and of developing self-control. The fruit and flower of self-control is Liberty. When we are able to control our reactions to the influences of the stars, we then live in freedom, which is Life Eternal.
The stars and planets above move in a constant orderly manner, signifying the Eternal Order of the Universe. By understanding and applying the scientific principles of Astrology we can obtain the essential wisdom that all events on earth are terrestrial symbols of the Celestial Order. There is nothing on earth that is not in harmony with the Great Movement of Things. Behind every material phenomenon celestial forces are in operation; there is nothing that is not a center of expression for the Great Will of the Stars. Our every thought, word and deed are manifestations in time and space of the Celestial Will. This does not entail that we have no free Will; on the contrary, it entails that we possess infinite freedom to do our True Will, to pursue our own Path in the Universe. The True Will of every man and every woman is the Will of their Star, and each Star is equally the center of the Whole Universe. Free Will consists in the active realization of one’s Starry Self and in pursuing one’s self-determined orbit in the Celestial Order of Our Lady Nuit. All is freedom in the Great Universe of Stars, and every Star is the Master of its own Destiny!
In the Science of Astrology we are instructed in the divine knowledge that we are all human manifestations and vehicles of the Celestial Will, and that we are all free insofar that we realize this great fact in our lives. It is the degree of our consciousness of this fact that determines the extent of our universal freedom. To be free is the work of the initiate, whereby s/he can accomplish the great miracle of doing his/her own True Will. To be a true initiate is to understand the nature of the Celestial Will, and to become Adept in the Great Work of perfecting oneself as a human vehicle of that Universal Will, so that all may be accomplished in the Sublime Light of one’s Starry Self in the Celestial Heaven of Our Lady Nuit!
Love is the law, love under will.