Juliana McCarthy - The Stars Within You: A Modern Guide to Astrology

Roost Books

An imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc.

4720 Walnut Street

Boulder, Colorado 80301

roostbooks.com

2018 by Juliana McCarthy

Illustrations 2018 by Alejandro Cardenas

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Ebook design adapted from printed book design by Laura Shaw Design

Cover art by Alejandro Cardenas

Cover design by Laura Shaw & Daniel Urban-Brown

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: McCarthy, Juliana, author.

Title: The stars within you: a modern guide to astrology / Juliana McCarthy; illustrations by Alejandro Cardenas.

Description: First Edition. | Boulder: Roost Books, 2018.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017050695 | ISBN 9781611805116 (pbk.: alk. paper)

eISBN 9780834841918

Subjects: LCSH: Astrology.

Classification: LCC BF1708.1 .M33 2018 | DDC 133.5dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017050695

v5.3.2

a

CONTENTS

PREFACE

My first introduction to astrology came when I was eighteen years old. I was quiet and reserved, and I didnt really understand myself. Having been a dancer most of my life, I was comfortable onstage, but somehow I clammed up in social situations. The truth was, people perplexed me. Ever since I could remember, I felt like an alien, unable to understand the illogical world of human complexityeven within myself. One day, someone gave me an astrology book, and I began to look up all of my planets and their descriptions. I was amazed by the accuracy, and something began to click for me. Here was a logical system that could help me comprehend the confusing layers of lifes contradictions.

My shyness was easy enough to understand. After all, my Sun and Ascendant are in coy, meek Virgo. Yet I am also terribly romantic, which makes sense because my Venus, planet of love, falls in amorous Libra. My Mars in Leo explains my ability to be onstagemy planet of physical exertion and confidence falls in the sign of entertainment and creative expression. As I continued to learn, I was able to apply these archetypes to others as well, and people actually started making sense. For the first time my mind began opening to magic and the possibility that life has invisible dimensions and auspicious synchronicities.

Suddenly, I had a golden key that was helping me to grasp human psychology, personality, and relationships, and I dove into my astrological studies with obsessive fervor. I looked up the planets of everyone around me, and I began to understand the energies of the planets and signs, their meaning, and how they manifested in the people I knew. Soon, I had learned enough to read charts, and Ive been reading them ever since.

Years later, I found an astrology teacher in Boulder, Colorado. He helped me fill in the gaps, particularly the more complicated facets of astrologylike progressed charts and solar returns. That teacher was the wonderful Kelly Lee Phipps, whose mind was quick and almost inhumanly brilliant. He would talk fast, pulling together complex ideas, giggling, and interrupting with handstands. After a couple of years studying together, Kelly was diagnosed with brain cancer and tragically died a few months later. During the period when he was dying, he told me that I was ready to become a professional astrologer. The timing of his message was potent, so I took the leap, hoping to carry forward his wisdom and legacy.

I love astrology so muchthe art of reading energy maps, which tell the story of who we are through myths and archetypes. I love being a translator for people, helping to reveal their connection to the cosmos. It is beautiful to see people in their fullest potential without even knowing them. In turn, my clients feel that astrology validates what they already knew about themselves but didnt have the language to express. They find comfort in being seen and recognized, and in realizing that they are reflected in the stars. In this way, astrology helps us to accept ourselves more readilyboth our gifts and our struggles. Since the feedback about who we are comes from planets, not people, it helps us face ourselves without defensiveness, owning and embracing every dimension of our intricate beings.

In parallel to my study of astrology, Ive spent many years practicing and studying Buddhism under the teacher Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Inevitably, my spiritual viewpoint has informed how I interpret the stars. This would be true of anyone, whether Buddhist, atheist, or something else. However, in the end what Im most interested in, and what seems to be most helpful in astrological interpretation, is finding where various spiritual, philosophical, and scientific outlooks converge. This is where we find universal truth.

When reading charts, it is helpful to begin from a sensitive and nuanced spiritual standpoint. For example, there is no such thing as a bad placement or aspect. Struggles exist to help us unlock our potentials, opening portals to vulnerability, tenderness, and empathy. This way, we can blend our talents with authenticity and humility, showing up for the world in more meaningful ways.

When approached more subtly, I find astrology to be a wonderful tool not only for self-awareness, but also for opening minds and connecting us with vastness. That our personalities and psychology are aptly reflected by planetary positions is mind-boggling. It has opened me, and many others, to the possibility that life is not as solid as we thinkthat there are more than just the three dimensions of space and one of time. This widens our scope and helps us become more present, without limiting beliefs blocking our perception. It also amplifies our curiosity about others, increasing compassion by deepening our understanding of human nature. Knowing that we all have strugglesand relating to them with more awarenessencourages acceptance of both ourselves and others.

My goal for this book is to pass along my love and fascination for astrology. While it may seem far-fetched or fantastical to some, I ask that you dive in and investigate for yourself. See if the descriptions of natal planets ring true for you and the people around you.

As you learn the art of astrology, I hope you unlock your deepest potential, becoming more of who you are. I hope you can help others to do the same by holding up this powerful and revealing celestial mirror.

May you enjoy your journey into the enchanted land of cosmic myths.

JULIANA McCARTHY

INTRODUCTION

Astrology is a language. If you understand this language, the sky speaks to you.

DANE RUDHYAR

M YTHOLOGY is fundamental to being human. It makes sense of disparate feelings, erratic thoughts, and random events. Without stories, we might lose track of purpose, mindlessly stumbling through our lives. As an ancient practice of systemized mythology connected to the stars, astrology provides a map that helps us better navigate our lives, imbuing us with magic, meaning, and greater self-awareness.

Astrology is also a language. By learning the language of the sky, we can commune with planets and stars, discovering important messages about who we are. The stars are speaking to usastrology teaches us how to listen.

I have often wondered how our nature could be so aptly revealed by cosmic synchronicities. After reading countless astrology charts, the power and usefulness of this practice have been proven to me again and again. Astrology provides continuity within lifes unpredictability. It expands our consciousness, improves our relationships, and reveals the gifts we have to offer the world.

Astrology is so much more than our Sun sign. Many of us have only engaged with astrology to the extent of casually reading our horoscopes in the backs of newspapers and magazines. Here, weve learned that as Scorpios, we are intense and manipulative; as Virgos, we are uptight and neurotic; as Cancers, we are moody and overly sensitive. How limited would we feel if we bought into these reductive, simplistic descriptions of who we are? Astrology is far more dimensional.