Astrology,  Divination Articles,  Monthly Columns

Stellium: An Astrology Column-January 2025: Introduction & First Column

Hello everyone, and welcome to Stellium, my new Astrology column! This is so exciting that I get to write about a subject that I’m not only well versed in, but also am continuously studying, learning and applying in new ways. Astrology is definitely a passion for me! This column is not meant to be instructional, as I will have one of those coming soon; rather, this column is where I come to express what I’m currently researching, learning and working on in regards to Astrology. The topics could range from the current one, Starseeds, to aspects, asteroids, natal chart know-how, and other odds and ends. For those who are looking for a more structured approach, please keep an eye out for my “beginner” column on Astrology coming soon.

Before I begin with the topic I’ve chosen for this inaugural column entry, I want to discuss where my Astrological background lies, and how my approach is similar, but different, from many Astrologers. First off, Paganism, Witchcraft, The Occult and Magick came before my avid interest in what I call Practical Astrology, that is, learning the current transits, what they mean and the like, including aspects, and how this relates to your natal chart. In other words, Magick, the Occult and the knowledge I’ve accumulated there has interwoven itself into my Astrological interpretations, for better or worse. That’s not to say I lack “traditional” Astrological education; on the contrary, I have a special shelf for all of my Astrology reference materials and books, and I have read and re-read many classics on the subject, including The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need as well as Astrology: Understanding the Birth Chart, and I’d be remiss to not include The Picatrix and other astrological treatises from the more classical and renaissance eras. However, my studies in Qabalah, Ceremonial Magick and Planetary magick, as well as certain deities that seem to have a special inkling for certain planetary energies, has no doubt colored my views.

The fact that I’m even discussing Starseeds at all is frankly shocking to me, as up until recently, I was an staunch skeptic of the whole idea. I myself have a deep distrust of the New Age movement, seeing as how it’s bred multiple conspiracy theories that have caused substantial harm we’re seeing play out in society right now. However, my take on the whole thing is different from the New Age movement. Using mythology, Astrology, and some tidbits from the New Age movement, as well as some Pagan perspective on the whole thing, I’m able to say that I have at least a working theory on this, from my more Occult and Magickal/Pagan perspective. Without further ado, let’s dive in, and explore a controversial subject, and see where Pagans such as myself, and perhaps you, our readers, may be able to find a way of understanding this topic in a way that fits a more earth-centered view.


Starseeds: Delusion, or a New Understanding of Ancient Astrological Thinking?

First, let me reiterate that I am not in any way a “New-Ager”; many of those ideas simply just don’t jive with me and my beliefs as an Occultist and Pagan. To be blunt, I think many of them are using spirituality as a cover or mask for mental illness, which leads to a host of other problems. Some, not all. I do, however, find some evidence from ancient astrological lore and ancient myth that seem to back this idea of “starseeds”. Insert Giorgio Tsoukalos photo here (no harm meant, just a silly):

Photo Credits: Google

Humans have been gazing at the stars since time immemorial. We’ve named constellations, or groupings of stars, after mythological beings, too. The Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters cluster, is named such after the nymphs who were associated with Artemis, goddess of the hunt. Orion, the constellation named after the mighty hunter who Artemis sent Scorpio after; Sirius, the dog. The list goes on. These stars have left humans awe struck in their brilliance in the night sky, and rightfully so! I mean, just look at this photo of the Pleiades constellation:


Finding Where We Come From

Humans have looked to the night sky, the sky and the heavens for inspiration, and many have found divinity there as well. Many ancient cultures, as well as many current cultures, as well as religions, carry the belief that we come from the sky, the stars or heaven, or our creator(s) reside there. The New Age movement happened to have its roots planted at the same time as Aleister Crowley’s Thelema, with the Theosophical Society and Edgar Cayce having a profound influence in the beliefs of this spiritual movement as well, and Crowley’s belief in the divine will being recognized by humans in what he coined The Æon of Horus and what the New Age Movement calls The Age of Aquarius. This is an epoch in human history where conventional wisdom will be ditched in favor of more ancient, holistic and spiritual wisdom. Many claim that the Age of Aquarius began when the Mayan Calendar ended on the Winter Solstice in 2012.

So, where does this leave us, as Pagans, Polytheists, Witches, Wiccans, Druids, Heathens, or whatever else we may identify as? The idea of a star maiden goes back to ancient times as well, and this is where mythological archetypes intersect with ancient pagan mythology. Artemis, being of the Moon, can be described as a Star Maiden, as can Diana. Other goddesses fitting this bill could be: Nyx, Aphrodite/Venus, Ishtar, Arianrhod, and others I’m sure I’m forgetting. It’s not to say that the Star Maiden archetype is necessarily our key to enter the realm of Starseeds, but I’ve found it to be a helpful analogy, a bridge, between two very different belief systems. Whatever your personal view is, I ask that you maintain an open mind; I’m a believer in ET’s, as I just can’t possibly believe we’re the only life in existence in this whole universe, of which we haven’t even discovered all of yet.

Don’t we all have questions about where we came from, and isn’t mythology the way we explain it? I’m not opposed to the idea of many of our Gods and Goddesses coming from the celestial realm; it’s said many of them did. Perhaps the stars are their home, known by many names such as Mount Olympus, Asgard, Heaven, the Summerland or the Otherworld, among countless others. In Ancient Celtic cultures, faeries had a connection to star worship that can’t be overlooked, as it still appears in modern circles today, especially in the Faeri tradition of Witchcraft. The Elves of Norse Mythology, too, had celestial connections hidden in their mythos. At the end of the day, humans want a way to explain certain questions of life, and Starseeds could be a celestial explanation for more spiritual aspects of ourselves, such as the idea of a soul. Overlapping this with an animistic view and embodiment of life can get us closer to a possibly more ancient way of thinking about this subject, and remove the New Age Hoo-ha that doesn’t serve a useful purpose.

So, what is a Starseed? My working definition of a Starseed is: “a soul that has incarnated on this planet (Earth) that has origins in another part of the universe. The reasons for this vary, but generally, starseeds are meant to bring enlightenment, peace, cooperation and true spiritual connection to Earth once again through their efforts. I personally believe we are, as Starseeds, divinely guided to fight injustice and seek harmony on Earth once again, which will benefit all humans in claiming their rightful divinity that is within themselves, while respecting the divinity of everything around them.”


Problems with the Starseed concept rooted in New Age theory

My main issue with the Starseed theory/concept that has caused numerous conspiracy theories that have thus caused backlash we’re seeing today. For instance, many in the NAM believe in a starseed race of “reptilians” that serve a dark side, noting that satanists, bankers, politicians and other notable professions are infiltrated with these reptilian people. QAnon theories were based off of similar ideas, and I’m inclined to believe that QAnon had a massive part to play in the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Astrology can, and often does, relate to world and political events, and I wouldn’t see myself as a credible astrologer to say otherwise. Now, that’s not to say that I believe I can predict exactly what is going to happen, but I can predict a trend, especially for certain transits and aspects. Back on topic, the belief in the reptilian race has undoubtedly de-humanized people who are in opposition to any set of beliefs that the person has. In other words, QAnon and other similar conspiracy theories are influenced by similar ideas, if not the same idea. What the NAM labels as “science” or “scientific proof” of their theories is more often than not, pseudoscience, and I mean that in a very literal sense; it’s hogwash most of the time.


“Paganizing” the Starseed Idea

So, first off, let’s remove the reptilian idea from the whole picture; that does us no good, and only serves to further a divide. People will be people, and no one is more enlightened or better than another. We’re all people, regardless if you think you’re from the stars or not. Next, let’s remind ourselves that the constellations claimed to be the home to these starseeds are given ancient, mythological names most of the time, hearkening back to paganism and ancient ideas.

After this, we have to switch gears from thinking about mythology, to thinking about Astrology. I’m going to use myself as an example here, because I believe myself to be a starseed; I was skeptical of the idea for many years, even after numerous psychics told me I was one. However, recently I’ve come to realize that there’s a deeper truth to it all. Many pagans claim a matron or patron deity; I myself have Diana as one of my first matron goddesses, and she is said to rule what are called the Pleiadian starseeds. I, for the record am a hybrid Lyran and Pleiadian, which makes sense, as the Diana/Artemis connection has already been made.

Lyrans are said to be some of the oldest souls along with Pleiadians, and their home was destroyed fighting greed and hatred. They are strong warriors and have called Ancient Egypt home, specifically through Feline deities such as Bastet and Sekhmet, two Egyptian deities I’ve had close relationships with for a long time now. Lyrans have a special affinity for felines, and I’ve been a cat person all my life. Pleiadians are the magicians and wise people of the starseeds, as their home is thought to contain the Library of Thoth, or as many call it, the Akashic Records. Pleiadians connect to nature and animals very deeply, with their goddess being the Star Maiden Diana/Artemis. Both hate injustice and will fight it tooth and nail. This all fits me to a T, but where is the more tangible evidence?

Well, I found confirmation in Astrology; the Seven Sisters, or Pleiades constellation is within the constellation Taurus, and as such, it has characteristics and influence of the Taurus/Scorpio dichotomy. I am a Scorpio Stellium native, and one of my most notable aspect patterns (shapes made by connecting three or more planets via lines, thus forming a geometrical shape) is that of a lyre, making the Lyran starseed connection clear for me. Of course, this is personal belief for me, and I’m sure there are many who may think I’m bat-s*%t crazy, and many who think this is fascinating and are wondering if they are a starseed, too.

At the end of the day, each of us must decide what is right and what is wrong for our personal belief paradigm. Mine is ever evolving, as can be shown here. Up until very recently, I discounted all of this. It wasn’t until certain spiritual things occurred that gave me the impetus to dive deeper into the topic, and my own philosophies, to find if, how and where this may fit in with my spiritual path. I hope I’ve made clear the pagan connections that I’ve made with this idea, and that my theories and insights on the topic are easy to understand for each of you, as the breadth of connections I’ve made with this subject can be mind boggling. To clarify, it wasn’t a process of mental gymnastics, but rather a deep knowing within that can’t be discounted. Most of the information came to me on “happenstance” in my research. I’m going to leave a list of links that I’ve found helpful in my research on this subject for those who are curious themselves.

I hope this first entry into Stellium has been thought provoking, and I hope that you’ve at least learned a little something throughout this article. Below I will list resources pertaining to this subject for those looking to further their research, or are just curious. This list is by no means extensive, but I’ve found these to be helpful resources nonetheless. Each topic is linked, so all you have to do is click!

Resources for further Research:

Lyran Starseeds

Pleiadian Starseeds

Lyran-Pleiadian Hybrid Starseeds

Aspect Pattern Basics 

Starseed Types Basic Info 

More Starseed Info

Starseed E-Book Site (the home page to the site with other resources)

Free Starseed E-Book (I only offer this as educational, not to promote or otherwise distribute)

**Please also note, to take the reptilian idea with a grain of salt here, and in any other sources I’ve listed, or that you find on your own. Many animists and pagans simply don’t find credence in that sort of idea, myself included. Of course, if you do, then I ask that you please be careful, and at least acknowledge the harm it’s done, and the potentially damaging effects this idea could have on you as well. I hope my points on that have been made clear in this article, and I mention this with the purest of intentions**

Recommended Books:

Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Astrology by Kris Brandt Riske

Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Predictive Astrology by Kris Brandt Riske

Llewellyn’s Special Topics in Astrology: Aspects by Robin Antepara

Llewellyn’s Special Topics in Astrology: Aspect Patterns by Stephanie Clement

Twist Your Fate! by Theresa Reed (The Tarot Lady)

Keywords for Astrology, my review of which can be found here

Temple of the Stars, my review of which can be found here

 

***

Author Bio:

The Modern Merlin has been a Polytheist and Animist Pagan, Witch, Sorcerer, Poison Witch, Wizard, Druid, Mystic, Ceremonial Magician, Occultist, Shaman, Seer and Soothsayer for over 15 years, venerating and casting magick with deities and spirits from many cultures, including those from Ancient Greece, Rome, Norse & Germanic, Celtic, Slavic, Egyptian, Sumerian, as well as many Faeries, Nymphs, Dryads, Ancestors and other nature and land spirits and spirits of place. He is a Priest of Hecate, Diana, Hades, Lilith and Persephone, among others. He has experience in the Left and Right Hand Paths, working with both hands as needed. He currently practices Necromancy and Deathwalking, as well as Traditional Witchcraft, Druidry, Hellenism and Ceremonial Magick, incorporating all of them into a cohesive practice, with some shamanic touches. He studies and practices Astrology as well as Tarot and other forms of divination such as Runes, Palmistry and Ogham. He has also been investigating the paranormal for over 10 years and has a keen interest in researching various mythologies, cosmologies and folklore from around the world. He is the Co-Editor of PaganPages.Org and he has a personal blog where he shares Astrological, Pagan, and other magickal wisdom for free! He gives readings and other spiritual services on his Facebook Page, The Modern Merlin, as well other free informational posts for everyone to see!