I have never been a very spiritual person. When I was in grade school, I laughed at everyone who attempted to talk to me about the universe, meditation, energies, and other religions (ie. every religion that is not Lutheran Christianity, a very small subset of the beliefs I have encountered in my life).
However, like many others upon coming to college, my perspective changed. I started by reading The Secret, and I appreciated the fact that the energy you put out into the world could potentially come back to you. I don’t necessarily believe that it will manifest in precise events as you may have pictured, but I do know that when I am at my most self absorbed and negative, things always seem to get worse, and vice versa. When it rains, it pours.
While I still hold to my religion, I don’t consider myself to be very spiritual. I’m just not all that curious about the greater realities of life. Maybe one day I will be, but at this point in my life, I’m just trying to go through each day the best I can.
One thing that has been helping me do this, is astrology, or the study of the stars at the time of your birth, and how it impacts your identity and life. I don’t necessarily understand what each of the zodiac signs means — I can’t confidently say “oh, of course you’re a Gemini!”, and I am not entirely sure what everything means on my birth chart.
But I have been using an astronomy app, and I really think it has helped me. I plugged in my birthday, complete with my time and location of birth, and it compiled my entire star chart. Everyday I’m given a notification, complete with cute emojis, to explain in what aspects of my life I may struggle and in which aspects I may succeed at.
Now, I should mention that I’m not entirely sold on the idea of the stars’ impact on my life. Logistically, I don’t think every person who was born at the same time as me in the same area as me has the same personality as me, and will have the same struggles and triumphs from day to day as me. But I do think it is useful to use this as an introspective tool.
When I get my daily notification, I open up the app and explore where the stars are, why they should impact me in this way, and what I should be aware of. They discuss work, sex & love, thinking & creativity, spirituality, social life, and self.
As I mentioned, I tend to get absorbed in my day to day life. By being reminded to think about each of these aspects of my life, I reflect upon how I am feeling each day. I’m aware of how I am responding to the world around me, and can then attempt to do so in the most constructive way possible. This is almost a “Secret-esque” pursuit, because it also enables me to put out positive energy, and find the good in what is happening.
I have a bit of a competitive streak, and part of me likes to prove systems wrong. So, throughout the day I am aware of the predictions. If they are right, then I feel satisfied that I was ready for what came, and if they are wrong, I feel satisfied that they were wrong, and that I as a person am not defined by space. Silly app!
If you’re interested, the app I use is Co — Star for iOS. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and, of course, their website.