when i was little i understood, without anyone telling me, that humans made stories and relationships with stars because that’s where we had come from +++ growing, i learned to identify constellations and wandering deities cloaked in their bright capes of shimmering light and i enjoyed learning all of their different names and characteristics and i heard stories of star people and i learned that all the iron in our blood (all of it!) comes from ancestor stars +++ later i was distressed by the materialistic skepticism and gloomy determinism and boring conformity of western astrology (and, well, everything else) and i eventually found my way to what i call star poetry +++ this practice is rooted in creative experimentation, metaphor, play, curiosity, possibility, subjectivity, and embodied poetics and it is my way of explaining what i do – Olivia Pepper
you see, the planets and stars are performers in a never-ending cycle of mystery dramas ++ once upon a time, this was the main show in town ++ the Gods and Goddesses rose and shone and set through the seasons and exchanged roles through the ages ++ poets, intimate with the cosmic dances, would craft beautiful words around their performances ++ words that struck notes deep in our soul, places the planets and the stars also live ++ and swept us up into the cosmic dance
still today, we dance with the planets, and there’s no right or wrong way of doing it ++ both the astronomers looking deep into space and the moonlit walk-taker are looking up at the same sky ++ what matters is how passionately you dance
there are many forms of star languages ++ you can dance a simple two step by following the Sun and Moon through their cycles and seasons ++ you can sing along to the old-timey hymns and adorations ++ you can be a horoscope bard or meme queen ++ you can be an academic archaeologist or a cosmic coding quant ++ you can meet visitors from specific stars that teach you how to dance ++ sometimes we hear different tunes and sometimes we speak different languages ++ that’s okay ++ oftentimes astrologers snipe at each other over this or that but most of those debates are silly ++ everyone’s an equal on this dance floor, even as we might admire someone else’s moves ++ the stars are big enough to hold all of us, in our infinite peculiar orbits
ultimately the cosmic music can’t be condensed into a single set of rules, techniques, and principles ++ if studying any of them helps you click into something nifty, amazing ++ the important thing is that you don’t overwhelm yourself ++ don’t let some glitzy astro-chad send you too far out of orbit ++ don’t listen to so many styles of astro-music at once that you lose track of your heartbeat
consider this your invitation to be a star poet ++ it’s a natural language and an intuitive groove ++ no one owns the stars and there is no admission fee to this never-ending soiree ++ all you need to start is a basic understanding of some of the star symbols and a willingness to be a poet
Olivia Ephraim Pepper is a folk healer, spiritual activist, multi-disciplinary artist and mystic, using any pronouns, and currently living in Taos, New Mexico, on unceded Tiwa land. Oilbhe grew up exposed to and immersed in many heritage traditions, working with teachers of tarot, shamanism, anti-oppression and ritual theatre. They have experienced the planets and stars as living spirits for thirty years, encountering them through dreams and through tangible visitations. You can visit their website at schoolforallages.com
Charles Cross is an astrologer, artist, and athlete, using he/they pronouns. Charles is originally from San Antonio, Texas, but currently living in Dornach, Switzerland, where they study Anthroposophy, the tradition initiated by Rudolf Steiner. Since starting to practice Astrology in 2013, they’ve taught classes with the Astrological Society of Austin, written content for and done thousands of readings through the Sanctuary App, and undertaken research at the Goetheanum Mathematics and Astronomy Section. You can read their recent paper, Star Logic, Star Wisdom and Star Poetry, here, and visit their website at astrologyally.com
