Astrology, mythology and Catholic faith: Repositioning
As a recently returned Catholic, I have experienced a significant spiritual and intellectual shift: that is, in view of my new beliefs, committed to ridding the promise of predictive or judicial astrology. As reflected in several of my recent YouTube videos, it’s a gradual and difficult process, and you can clearly see me fighting inconsistencies. However, this shift may have started with my decision to end the annual sign in 2020 and then reduce the frequency of astrological readings as they feel increasingly uncomfortable and mentally incompatible.
During the Covid lockdown I had time to stay away from reading and opened my Etsy Shop, heavenly and holy. Thankfully, this little art project through God’s grace I have floated financially financially during this difficult transition. I started attending Mass in 2023 and was deeply moved by traditional service. However, I worked hard to maintain the state of grace required for communication, not realizing it when teaching astrology in the church. Later I learned how serious this dilemma was.
Although astrology was once a framework for understanding life events and seeking meaning, I have realized that predictive astrology is fundamentally incompatible with Catholic teaching, especially as expressed by Thomas Aquinas and the broader academic tradition. However, instead of giving up the symbolic dimension of astrology, I turned to reflective interactions with myths (especially the archetype of the Asteroid Goddess), a way to explore human psychology without falling into divination errors.
Academic Difference: Nature and Judicial Astrology
The medieval church distinguished two types of astrology. Natural astrology Referring to the study of how celestial bodies influence the physical world – seasons, seasons, weather, and even body humor and temperament. This is considered a legitimate field of natural philosophy. Judicial AstrologyIn contrast, it is claimed that human affairs, choices, and destiny can be predicted based on stars. It is this form of prediction that keeps the church from being mentally dangerous and philosophically unsound.
Thomas Aquinas provides one of the clearest expressions of this distinction Summa theologiae. exist Part 1, Question 115, Article 4He solved whether celestial bodies are the cause of human behavior. He admits that stars have practical effects on the material world:
“Most men follow their passions, which are actions of sensitive appetites, in which people feel the influence of the celestial bodies. Few wise people can resist their passions. Therefore, astrologers are able to predict the truth in most cases, especially in general, especially in the case of reasoning.” (ST I, Q115, A.4)
Here, Aquinas has a crucial difference. Although stars may tend toward physical character, even if temperament, emotions, or tendencies, they cannot determine the will of rationality. Human beings remain free and can resist passion through reason. As he concluded:
“Man has free will, and this is not affected by the stars. Therefore, the astrologer himself says ‘The wise rule the stars’ because he ruled his passion.” (ST I, Q115, A.4, AD 3)
This position is usually summarized in phrases Astra tends to be unnecessarily– “The stars tilt, they won’t force it.” Although not Aquinas’ exact wording, it captures his teaching: Heaven may affect, but cannot determine moral choices.
The Theological Dangers of Judicial Astrology
For Aquinas, judicial astrology is not only a scientific error, but also a spiritual danger. Attributing human choice or destiny to the stars destroys free will, moral responsibility, and most importantly, the divine will. exist Summary against the Gentiles (iii, c.88), he insisted that although celestial bodies may affect human passions, “human free will has the ability to resist them. Therefore, stars are not the sufficient cause of human behavior.”
Furthermore, Aquinas warns that demons can manipulate astrology to deceive humans, further explaining the spiritual risks of religious practice. This concern echoes the Bible’s prohibition of divination (Deuteronomy 18:10-12), the mockers of Isaiah 47:13-14 and Jeremiah 10:2 mock astrologers and do not fear “signs of heaven.” Catholic Church’s catechism follows this line, pointing out:
“All forms of divination will be rejected: appeal to Satan or demon, summoning the dead, or other customs, should falsely reveal the future. (CCC §2116)
Therefore, predicting astrology can be understood both by vetoing human freedom and by usurping trust that belongs alone to God.
Prototype myths and asteroid goddess
However, Aquinas’ rejection of judicial astrology does not require the abandonment of symbolic or mythological reflections in heaven. In fact, his allowance on natural influence makes the possibility of considering stars and myths in a non-dispersible way part of creating a wider symbolic language.
In the modern era, deep psychologists such as Carl Jung and James Hillman have developed a symbolic or prototype astrological approach. Here, celestial figures are not the determinant of fate, but the prototype that resonates with human psychology. Asteroid goddesses such as Ceres and Pallas Athena provide particularly rich mythological material for self-reflection. Consider these myths not to predict the future, but to talk to eternal symbols.
This practice is more closely aligned with literature, art, or psychology than divination. It treats myths as a mirror of the soul, not a script of fate. In this sense, exploring the asteroid goddess through myths can enrich self-understanding while still being loyal to Catholic ban on judicial astrology.
in conclusion
I returned to the Catholic Church and asked me to obey the Bible and the church’s teachings and abandon predictive astrology. Under Aquinas’ guidance, I now clearly see that although stars may tend to physically dispose, they do not force the will and it is wrong to regard them as determinants of fate. At the same time, my love for symbolism and mythology remains intact. By turning to goddess mythology and its archetype resonance, I can create evergreen content that honors imagination, deepens psychological reflections and respects the boundaries set by faith.
