How to Gut Check Your Idea with Astrology
Have you ever noticed that some ideas, projects, or business offers gain traction really quickly and others feel like pushing a boulder uphill? I sure have, so I’m guessing you have too. Maybe you’ve put a lot of effort and time into a project only to realize that it’s just not for you. What if I told you that astrology could help you skip this step and reclaim that time? Yep.
Your astrology chart isn’t just a cute personality quiz. It’s a map of your life's potential. It describes all of the things that you're destined to do and destined to make in this lifetime. So, by extension, you can use your astrology chart to gut check your ideas so that you don't waste time swimming upstream with a project that you’re just not designed to make.
In this blog post, I walk you through a three-step process for picking the right idea for right now with astrology. To be transparent, I’m skipping over a lot of heavy-duty astrology in this post to keep it short and sweet.
Step 1: Astrologize the Idea
The first step is to wrap your idea in astrological language and symbolism. Everything you make has an astrological signature. This exercise will help you figure out what that signature is. Grab a piece of paper, write your idea at the top, and answer the following questions:
If this idea were a planet, which planet would it be?
Which of the twelve houses does this idea fit best in?
Which of the twelve zodiac signs best describes this idea?
For example, let’s pretend you want to write a Southern Gothic thriller novel—my favorite. Answering question number one, if this Southern Gothic thriller novel was a planet, which one would it be? Since the content of the novel is scary and makes your hair stand on end, I say it would probably be Mars, the planet of all things that go bump in the night. And since it’s a novel, Mercury, the planet of words, could be a runner-up. (Yes, it’s totally fine to have more than one answer to these questions.)
Second question. Which of the twelve houses does this idea fit best in? Since our example is a book, I’d start with the houses that have to do with writing and publishing (the third and the ninth). But because the content of the novel is frightening and eerie, I could also use some of the “scary” houses to describe the project (the eighth and the twelfth).
Last question. Which of the twelve zodiac signs best describes this idea? Again, this question may have multiple answers and they’ll depend on the content, feel and tone of the project. Just go with your instinct. In our thriller novel example, I’m going to go with Scorpio (creepy).
Great! Now you have an astrological signature for your idea, project, or offer. The next step is to look for a similar signature in your birth chart.
Step 2: Validate the Idea in Your Natal Chart
Remember that your natal chart is a collection of promises for your life. Now that you have an astrological signature for your idea, you want to see if your natal chart “promises” that the idea will come about. To be clear, this is the hardest step, especially if you’re still learning astrology. So, when in doubt, come and see me.
Let’s take a detour and talk about free will for a second. Can you make something that’s not validated in your astrology chart? Of course you can! You’re the boss of you. I’ve done this so many times. However, in my experience, when I run with an idea that’s not supported by my chart, it’s usually not the easiest or most successful thing I’ve ever done. It might also just feel “off” to you, or you might actually feel unfulfilled or unhappy doing it.
No big deal! We do this all the time. We pick things up, realize it's not for us, and then put them down. However, it does take some significant time to pick up an idea, test it out, and realize it’s a dud. With astrology, we can skip that step and save that time.
Okay, back to step two. We're looking for your idea in your natal chart. Looking back over your answers to step one, answer the following questions:
Is the planet that you attached to the idea prominent in your chart, or does it play a unique role?
Is the house that you attached to the idea heavily populated in your chart, or is the ruler of that house prominent?
Is the zodiac sign you attached to the idea heavily featured in your chart?
A planet might be “prominent” if it’s your chart ruler, your midheaven ruler, especially strong or weak, or in an angular house (1, 4, 7, 10). A house or zodiac sign might be “heavily featured” in your chart if it’s your rising sign, Sun sign, Moon sign, or if the sign/house has several planets in it.
Don’t see your idea in the chart? Don’t worry! There are plenty of other places in the chart to look. Here’s a few:
The Chart Ruler
The chart ruler is the planet that rules your ascendant or rising sign. For example, if your rising sign is Leo, the Sun is your chart ruler. Or, if your rising sign is Aquarius, your chart ruler is Saturn.
This planet represents you and your life story. It's arguably the most important planet in your entire chart. In terms of validating an idea, you want to get creative and think about what this planet might make if it were a person. For example, Venus would make things that entertain, that connect, and that beautify. Mercury would make techie things that inform or communicate. Mars would make things that move and are physical.
Then, I want you to think about what house your chart ruler is in and what type of ideas, projects, or offers that house would naturally represent. For example, if your chart ruler is in the seventh house, a high-end coaching package might be a natural fit for you. Or, if your chart ruler is in the third house, a podcast might make perfect sense.
And finally, think about what zodiac sign your chart ruler is in and what type of projects that zodiac sign represents.
The Midheaven Ruler
The midheaven is a point in the top half of your chart. Your midheaven ruler is the planet that rules the zodiac sign your midheaven is in. For example, if your midheaven is in Aquarius, Saturn is your midheaven ruler. This planet represents your career and its potential.
Use the same inquiry points as you did with the chart ruler. What planet is the midheaven ruler and what would that planet make? What house is the midheaven ruler in, and what type of projects would that house represent? And what zodiac sign is the midheaven ruler in, and what type of projects would that sign represent?
Very Strong or Very Weak Planets
Very “strong” or very “weak” planets may also point to ideas, projects or offers that you’re wired to make. “Strong” planets might be in the zodiac signs of their exaltation or rulership. The strength of these planets may reflect something in your life that’s also really strong. This could include a natural talent that you can leverage.
However, it’s also true (and I've seen it time and time again) where planets that are “weak” can point to a problem that you turn into a mission. A “weak” planet might be in the zodiac sign of its detriment or fall, or be “weak” for another reason like combustion. Oftentimes, “weak” planets describe a problem that you’ve lived through that encourages you to help others in a similar position.
Major Aspect Patterns
And finally, another way you can validate an idea is through any major aspect patterns in your chart. For example, if you have a really intense square, or an opposition, or a grand trine, understanding what that aspect means can tell you what type of projects or ideas have some footing in your chart.
Step 3: Check the Timing
Here’s the thing. You can validate an idea in your chart, but it still might not be the right time for the idea to manifest. You can work really hard, and try everything in your power to make it happen…but it just doesn't happen. Astrology teaches that there's a season for everything, and that includes a specific season for certain projects, ideas, and works of art to come to pass.
Not everything in your chart is active all the time. Your chart is like a mansion with a lot of light switches. The lights are switched on in some rooms and off in other rooms. If the lights are on, that part of the chart is active and ready to bring forth its promises. If the lights are off, that part of the chart lies dormant. So, your chart can promise something, but maybe the lights in that room are off right now.
Here's a couple of ways to check if it’s the right time for your idea. (This list is not exhaustive.)
Your Time Lord or Co-Creator Planet
There’s one planet that rules your entire year. It’s called your time lord (I like to call it your co-creator), and it says yay or nay to everything you want to do this year. For example, if your time lord is Mars, that means Mars-like projects have the go-ahead to manifest. But, if your project doesn’t jive well with Mars, it might not get the celestial support it needs come to life.
To figure out which planet is your time lord right now, watch my free mini webinar.
Back to our Southern Gothic thriller novel idea. Remember, we connected this project to Mars or Mercury. So in theory, we would want Mars or Mercury to be the time lord for the year in order for this project to get optimal support.
Long-Term Transits
Long-term transits from slow-moving planets can also activate parts of your natal chart and therefore help bring certain ideas, projects, or offers to life. Now remember, you're receiving transits to your natal chart multiple times per day and most of them don’t matter. (To figure out which ones matter, check out my book Cosmic Year.)
Transits from slow-moving planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto may say yes or no to a project. Here’s a brief breakdown:
Jupiter is usually a green light.
Saturn can go either way. Sometimes Saturn says no, or not yet to an idea. But if Saturn is in a good position, it can help you get very serious, focused, and detailed about a specific idea.
Uranus often gets you really excited about something. It's kind of like rocket fuel.
Neptune might slow your progress or bring in some self-doubt and confusion.
Pluto can be a mixed bag, but in my experience, it can help you focus on something very deeply.
I hope these three steps have helped you clarify if your big idea is the right one for right now. Remember, astrology isn’t telling you what to do. Rather, we’re just using astrology as a tool to sort through your ideas and identify the ones that have the most support right now. Why? Because we want things to flow. We want to minimize feeling stuck or blocked. Astrology can help you identify where the flow is and jump in the stream.