Astrology, mythology and Catholic faith: a reorientation
As a recently returned Catholic, I have experienced an important spiritual and intellectual shift: that is, a commitment to move away from predictive or judicial astrology in light of my renewed faith. This has been a gradual and difficult process, as reflected in my latest YouTube videos, where you can clearly see me struggling with incongruity. However, the change probably began with my decision to end annual horoscopes in 2020 and then reduce the frequency of astrology readings, as I found them increasingly uncomfortable and spiritually incompatible.
During the COVID shutdowns, I had time off from reading and opened my Etsy shop, Heavenly and Holy. By the grace of God, fortunately this small art project is keeping me afloat financially during this difficult transition. I began attending Mass in 2023 and was deeply moved by the traditional services. However, I struggled to maintain the state of grace necessary for communion, ignoring at the time the Church’s teachings on astrology. I later learned how serious this dilemma was.
While astrology once served as a framework for understanding life events and seeking meaning, I have come to recognize that predictive astrology is fundamentally incompatible with Catholic teaching, particularly as expressed by Thomas Aquinas and the broader scholastic tradition. However, rather than abandon the symbolic dimension of astrology entirely, I have opted for a more reflective engagement with mythology (particularly the archetypal figures of asteroid goddesses) as a way of exploring the human psyche without falling into the errors of divination.
The Scholastic Distinction: Natural Versus Judicial Astrology
The medieval Church distinguished between two types of astrology. natural astrology It referred to the study of how celestial bodies influence the physical world: tides, seasons, climate, and even bodily moods and temperaments. This was considered a legitimate field of natural philosophy. judicial astrologyOn the contrary, he claimed to predict human affairs, elections, and destinies based on the stars. It was this predictive form that the Church systematically rejected as spiritually dangerous and philosophically erroneous.
Thomas Aquinas offers one of the clearest articulations of this distinction in the Theological sum. In Part I, question 115, article 4addresses whether celestial bodies are the cause of human acts. Recognize that stars have real effects on the material world:
“The majority of men follow their passions, which are movements of the sensitive appetite, in whose movements the influence of the celestial bodies is felt. There are few wise men who by reason resist their passions. Therefore, astrologers can predict the truth in most cases, especially in general questions, but not in particular cases, which depend on reason or will.” (ST I, Q115, a.4)
Here Thomas Aquinas makes a crucial distinction. While the stars can bend bodily dispositions (shaping temperament, moods, or tendencies), they cannot determine rational will. Human beings remain free, capable of resisting passions through reason. As he summarizes:
“Man has free will, which is not subject to the stars. Hence astrologers themselves say that ‘the wise man governs the stars’, insofar as he governs his passions.” (ST I, Q115, a.4, ad 3)
This position is often summed up in the phrase Astra inclined, not necessary.—“the stars incline, they do not force.” While they are not Thomas Aquinas’ exact words, they capture his teaching: the heavens can influence, but they cannot dictate moral choice.
Theological dangers of judicial astrology
For Thomas Aquinas, judicial astrology was not simply a scientific error but a spiritual danger. Attributing human choices or destinies to the stars undermines free will, moral responsibility, and most importantly, divine providence. In Sum against the Gentiles (III, c.88), insists that although the celestial bodies can affect human passions, “man’s free will has the power to resist them. And that is why the stars are not a sufficient cause of human acts.”
Furthermore, Thomas Aquinas warns that demons can manipulate astrological signs to deceive humans, further illustrating the spiritual risks of divinatory practices. This concern echoes the biblical prohibitions against divination (Deuteronomy 18:10–12), the mockery of astrologers in Isaiah 47:13–14, and the command in Jeremiah 10:2 not to fear “signs from heaven.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church follows this line, stating:
“All forms of divination must be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring of the dead or other practices that are falsely supposed to ‘reveal’ the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading… contradict the honor, respect and loving fear that we owe only to God.” (CCC §2116)
Therefore, predictive astrology is in contradiction both with reason, by denying human freedom, and with revelation, by usurping the trust that belongs only to God.
The archetypal myth and the asteroid goddesses
However, Thomas Aquinas’s rejection of judicial astrology does not require abandoning symbolic or mythological reflection on the heavens. Indeed, its tolerance of natural influences leaves open the possibility of considering the stars and myths in a non-divinatory way, as part of the broader symbolic language of creation.
In the modern era, depth psychologists such as Carl Jung and James Hillman have developed a symbolic or archetypal approach to astrology. Here, celestial figures are read not as determinants of destiny but as archetypes that resonate with the human psyche. Asteroid goddesses such as Ceres and Pallas Athena offer particularly rich mythological material for self-reflection. Contemplating these myths is not predicting the future but rather engaging in a dialogue with the imagination with eternal symbols.
This practice is more aligned with literature, art or psychology than with divination. Treat myth as a mirror of the soul rather than a script of destiny. In this sense, exploring the asteroid goddesses through their myths can enrich self-understanding while remaining faithful to the Catholic prohibition of judicial astrology.
Conclusion
My return to the Catholic Church has forced me to renounce predictive astrology, in obedience to both the Scriptures and the magisterial teachings of the Church. Guided by Thomas Aquinas, I now see clearly that although the stars can incline bodily dispositions, they do not force the will, and to treat them as determinants of destiny is to make a mistake. At the same time, my love for symbolic meaning and myth remains intact. By drawing on the myths of goddesses and their archetypal resonances, I can create timeless content that honors the imagination, deepens psychological reflection, and respects the boundaries established by faith.
