Learning Astrology: 6 Beginner Mistakes You Should Be Aware Of

29 Sep Learning Astrology: 6 Beginner Mistakes You Should Be Aware Of

“Everyone makes mistakes while learning astrology”… is something you’ve heard a lot if you’ve been studying this discipline for a while. The statement is true, but to help soothe the inevitable sting of disappointment as you train to become an expert, I have identified the 6 most common mistakes most people make to help remind you that you are in excellent company.

Beginner Mistakes You Should Watch Out For

1. You decide to stop learning astrology way too early.

Perhaps you didn’t make it through the 12 sun signs because subconsciously in your heart, you believed that astrology is simply all about entertainment and isn’t a discipline that should be taken seriously.

Or perhaps you might have gotten stuck right out of the gate because all the astrology terminologies seem to be a lot complicated than you thought at first (btw, I recently created a detailed guide to astrology terms. Check it out using this link.)

That said, this might not even be the case. Even though you have mastered all the astrology jargon, your biggest hurdle presents itself when it is time to read your natal chart because it seems like a guru level practice that only “seasoned” astrologers can accomplish.

Regardless of what your reason is, the bottom line is you can learn astrology if you put your mind to it. What’s more? Any person can learn and fall head over heels in love with astrology when presented with straightforward, clear tools and frameworks. However, as you probably already know, it all must start with you desiring to take your experience and knowledge in astrology to a whole new level.

When all is said and done, I can’t judge you too harshly myself. While learning astrology, I honestly almost gave up in less than two months mainly because each topic I learned led to three more topics (and that was just too much work for me at the time.)

Luckily, however, I came across a post just like this one and the first thing it had noted is that I should be patient and consistent because all the effort I was putting in will be worth it in the end.

Now that I have been practicing this discipline for years, I can attest that it really is, worth it.

2. You believe that you have total, free will

I remember meeting one of my favorite students today for the first time, and the first thing he made clear is that he thinks there isn’t such a thing as a “difficult Mercury transit” because he is a self-actualized human being.

While this is technically true because at the end of the day you’re responsible for the decisions you make, the forces that push us into those directions are not in our control even one bit. These forces include transits, and as you will realize after comprehensively learning astrology, some transits are tougher than others.

This is particularly true when you have your first Pluto square or Saturn return and you are not yet sufficiently equipped to grapple with the energies of these difficult transits.

With that in mind, I do acknowledge that the more you raise your consciousness and combine that with the knowledge of astrology you’ve acquired over time, the more you’ll be able to “master” your fate and the effects of the planets. However, as with everything else in life, you can never be a 100 percent master at something, especially not destiny.

We’re all students of life and well keep learning from every single experience till our last days. Life is half free will and half fate – we are half yang, half ying, half spirit, half nature, and our lives are mysteries waiting to slowly unfold. It is in this uncertainty of the 50 – 50 splits that we grow the most.

In addition to that, another mistake I see most beginners make while learning astrology (I was guilty of this at the beginning as well) is trying to use astrology as a tool to control or predict their lives.

If you have checked out the post I created recently on 8 popular misconceptions people have about astrology, then you remember I noted that this is a tricky one, perhaps because, of course, most, if not all astrology fans are attracted to astrology particularly because they want to attain some type of control over their lives by checking their transits and learning as much as they can about their natal charts.

And while I do understand the position these individuals might be in, they ought to remember that none of us have the ability to “outsmart” the stars. The best we can do to get the most out of this discipline is to make a conscious decision to start learning astrology from a place of humbleness and curiosity. None of us (not even the best astrologers to ever live) have the ability to control the stars, and neither can we force certain events to take place through waiting for the right transits or voting.

To top it off, do not be afraid of bad transits, and do not try to use the discipline of astrology to “gain” something. Understand that astrology is the universe’s gift to us as humans – and when we decide to start learning astrology from a place of humbleness and curiosity, we automatically get in line with the Universe, which in turn allows us to do the right things in accordance with our primary human design, as well as the co-creation of opportunities we have around us at any given time.

3. You believe that astrology is 100% percent deterministic.

As opposed to beginner mistake #2, you can also be on the other extreme of it and believe way too much in fate. In my experience, this usually takes several forms, such as; “well, if it is meant to be, then I guess it will be”, “According to my natal chart, Saturn is in the 7^th house, so I guess that means I will never tie the knot”, or “Mercury is currently in retrograde – so the best choice would be to hide in my bedroom.”

Several philosophers (who were in support of the theory of fate and determination) went as far as saying that “if someone’s actions and decisions are not determined by their character, then the person shouldn’t be held accountable for anything that they “decide” to do. As you can already tell, if this were how our societies functioned, they would have crumbled a long time ago.

With that in mind, if we start believing too much in fate, we start failing to take responsibility for our decisions and life and instead blame everything that is not going as planned on outside circumstances or “destiny.” Furthermore, if life really was 100 percent predetermined, then it wouldn’t make any sense to be born at all.

We were awarded the opportunity to come into this universe, precisely because there is something fundamental about human design. Something that helps and pushes us to outgrow our destinies.

With that in mind, when you decide to believe that everything is purely deterministic (according to astrology), then you are missing out on the incredible potential of self-transformation and awareness the astrology has to offer.

4. You quickly get stuck in analysis paralysis

Perhaps you’ve become an expert at the theory, you’re familiar with all the aspects, ruling planets, and the 12 zodiac signs. However, when it is time to put all your knowledge together and start reading your natal chart………. You just freeze.

This happens all too common and can be even be experienced by intermediate astrology students. That said, there are two possible reasons for this happening. The first one can be the mistake we’ll look at next (#5) which simply states that you probably jumped some stages while learning astrology and did not get all the solid information.

The 2^nd and most common reason is the fact you didn’t consult anyone so they can teach you the detailed process of reading a natal chart. I have come across thousands of astrology books talking about aspects, planets, retrogrades, and constellations, but I’ve come across almost nothing for sale talking about how a beginner can approach a chart reading (perhaps this is something I should start working on myself  instead of waiting for someone else to. I’ll think about it.)

Anyway, to explain why you might be at a disadvantage, the truth is that there is a first set of skills that one needs when they want to start learning astrology… but a completely distinct set of skills is needed when it comes to learning how to read natal charts.

If, initially, you needed to wear your Mercury hat so you could ingest the “language of astrology”, then later, you will need to find and put on your Jupiter hat so you can apply synthesis to the process of reading birth charts.

5. You believe there are “good planets” and “bad planets”

If you’re just getting started in regards to learning astrology but already think that Saturn is the “bad guy’ and Jupiter “the good guy”, then I am sorry to let you know that you might be a victim of a 16^th-century astrology line of thinking.

I am not saying that there isn’t any type of truth in this. I know, Jupiter boasts the quality of expansion, whereas Saturn has the quality of contraction, and this means that we are way more likely to “feel great” whenever we’re having a Jupiter transit.

During Saturn transits, on the other hand, chances are you won’t feel that good (none of us love discipline and hard work because we aren’t biologically wired to like any of those). That said, if you decide to make friends with Saturn and approach it with curiosity and humility (as noted above), the feeling of accomplishment that Saturn will fill you with will not compare to anything else you have ever experienced.

Every single planet boasts certain roles in our psyche’s structures – and also boast unique things they can teach us about ourselves.

What’s more? Like everything else out there, astrology is evolving. For instance, since the detection of transpersonal planets (which was started by the 1781 discovery of Uranus) new portals of consciousness have opened.

Let’s take Mars, for instance. This planet has an extremely raw and “me-first” action-oriented energy. But in the past when our awareness levels were yet to be that developed, we would usually “give in” to this planet’s primal energy and take reckless actions that we were guaranteed regret later.

This is why Mars has been traditionally associated with war.

That said, these days, most of us do not respond to Mars’ energy the same way. Instead, Mars’ transit becomes a unique opportunity to assert ourselves and take initiatives in a healthier way.

The bottom line is, astrology isn’t black and white. Every bad has it good, and these bads are there to teach us new things so we can rise to our “next levels” of awareness.

6. You skipped some learning stages

While learning astrology, we all usually start by understanding what our zodiac sign is as well as some of the attributes associated with the sign. However, it seems like most of us get stuck in that stage and forget that astrology is way more complex than the 12 signs. Could this be your case? Did you jump steps or try learning astrology too fast?

If it is, then I understand – and the last thing I’ll do is judge you because I was caught up in the same cycle myself. I got excited, and started reading hundreds of articles regarding what Mercury square Saturn means, then started trying every asteroid, aspect, and tool out there.

I’m not trying to say that minor planets or asteroids aren’t relevant, but putting 90 percent of your focus on them before even mastering every astrology fundamental will not only distract you, but could also easily lead you down the wrong paths.

Asteroids, for instance, have the ability to bring extra insights into interpretation, but you ought to note that they by no means shed any light on the more central themes of your chart.

With that in mind, if you’re in your first year of astrology, then I’d like to urge you to pay most of your attention to the main pillars of astrology. After sufficiently deepening your knowledge, you can begin experimenting with minor aspects, asteroids, and other niche techniques.

Conclusion

Whether or not you’ve been making all the mistakes above while learning astrology, You Are Great! The simple fact that you decided to read through this comprehensive list implies that you’re an introspective individual and would like to improve yourself.