Charting Your Spiritual Path with Astrology

Charting Your Spiritual Path with Astrology details a proactive method of determining the direction that your spiritual development will take. The power of choice is emphasized as you are shown how to use the information your astrological birth chart provides as a spiritual road map. This book will show you: 

·How to discover the spiritual potential indicated in your astrological birth chart, using a step-by-step method 
·How to overcome experiences that are holding you back from achieving your highest potential 
·How to choose spiritual practices that are right for you 

How many spiritual disciplines have you tried only to find yourself uncomfortable or disatisfied? Here, at last, is a book that shows you how to use astrology to chart a spiritual course tailored to your unique personality. 


About the Author
A professional astrologer for over twenty-five years, Stephanie Jean Clement, Ph.D., was a board member of the American Federation of Astrologers and a faculty member of Kepler College and NORWAC. Her Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology prepared her to work with clients in defining their creative potential and refining their creative process. Her books include Charting Your Career; Dreams: Working Interactive, What Astrology Can Do for You; The Power of the Midheaven; Charting Your Spiritual Path with Astrology; Meditation for Beginners; and Mapping Your Birthchart.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1 
The Sun 
Your Creative Potential 
The Fifth House, Sun, and Leo describe the basis of your individual path toward spiritual well-being. The Sun is the source of all physical life as we know it. It provides the heat, light, and cosmic energy of our planetary system. It evokes the chemical processes of our carbon-based life forms. Metaphorically the Sun is also the source of our mental, emotional, and spiritual energy. When we are born, we are small bundles of energy that can be defined easily in terms of Sun signs. An Aries baby acts very much like an Aries, while an Aquarian child is very different in basic temperament. As children grow, we see the development of the range of the Sun sign’s potential. Development is affected by many of the factors mentioned in the introduction to this book: family circumstances, cultural values, etc. Still, the basic Sun sign characteristics shine through. 
So just what are the Sun sign characteristics that indicate spiritual leanings? Let us begin by looking at conscious mental styles from a Jungian perspective. The psychological types of intuition, sensation, thinking, and feeling correspond to the astrological elements of fire, earth, air, and water. They define four principal ways of approaching the world in our daily activities. The Sun sign reveals the basic style of self-consciousness through the elements. 
The Sun in the Elements 
The elements represent four principal ways we engage in the world. The element of the Sun sign represents the conscious attitude toward the external world. Because the more conscious behavior indicated by the Sun is balanced by the less conscious Moon, it is important to consider them together to get a balanced picture of the psyche. The following descriptions of the Sun (and later descriptions of the Moon) in each element show natural tendencies of thinking style and action. They are taken largely from my book Charting Your Career. 
The Sun in Fire 
Intuitive types listen to their unconscious sources of information, eschewing normal perception. In fact, they are often largely unaware of what is around them in the material world. These people are the inventors, the artists, and the forward thinkers because they can see the possibilities of an idea, often before the means of developing it are apparent. Therefore they pursue what they know the world is not yet prepared for. Intuitives jump to conclusions, but not necessarily without the intermediate steps. They either go through those steps at lightning speed by sizing up an underlying principle or they simply recognize an inevitable match of an idea’s potential with their own desires. 
Intuitives fit into the educational system rather well, as many high school and college courses make use of the deductive skills intuitives share with the thinking type. You may respond well to the timed testing that is prevalent today. You can master the complexities of mathematics because you can grasp the results without having to ground your learning in some physical way. 
Intuitives contribute through theirinventiveness. You are generally willing to sacrifice the pleasure of the moment in the hope of greater future achievement. You are also restless and crave inspiration. Because you thrive in situations where getting to the answer is important, you are good at problem-solving and tasks that require ingenuity. Careers in the creative arts, religious inspiration, and scientific discovery all suit the intuitive type. You can become an inspired leader or promoter. For you the game is more important than winning, the chase more interesting than the end result. 
The Sun in Earth 
Sensation types are primarily interested in practical considerations of the world. They will look at the actualities―facts first. They depend on their five normal senses for perception. They wish to have the experience, not hear about it from others. Sensation types learn by doing, so the learning process may be slower. To be satisfied, they need to go over things carefully. They are not less intelligent because they go slower―they are more careful. When given the time to assimilate information, the sensation type may remember it longer and understand the practical uses in more detail. Studying the theory of engineering may be difficult for the sensation type, but the application is their forte. 
You demand satisfaction all along the way, and will not select occupations that lack positive feedback. You are a healthy consumer, loving life and what it has to offer on the material level, and you are best in careers involving real “stuff.” You would be a good real estate person, interior decorator, or chef. You enjoy working with your hands and can make this part of your vocation or at least an avocation. You would be a good doctor or health care professional. Any career that requires attention to and intimate understanding of the details is suited to the sensation type. 
You generally focus on practical considerations first, and you rely on your five normal senses for perception. You first seek to have an experience, not hear about it from others. You learn by doing, and thus may be a bit slower than some people, but once you know something, you know it forever. You may need to go over things carefully. Once learned, you can apply information to the tasks you set for yourself. 
The sensation type’s approach to the spiritual side of life is no different. You seek the facts. You want a practical application of whatever you are learning. When contact with the spirit world feels ungrounded, you will find a way to reestablish a level of comfort in the work. You also will not be satisfied with your spiritual work until you can express it concretely in the world in some way. 
The Sun in Air 
Thinking types tend to be less personal in their approach to the world. They are focusing on an objective truth that they hope to find, and not on the people in their path. They choose to be logical. They choose to be truthful. They choose to be argumentative―after all, they have argued with themselves enough times! They are usually able to go through a thought process once and then stop, without needing to reevaluate. Air types benefit from an education that includes logical training, but they remain one-sided if they skip over the opportunities to appreciate the people and things around them. They judge the world through a logical process that seldom admits consideration of feelings. 
Thinking types can do well in careers where it is important to organi