Rapidly expanding exploration of space is pushing back barriers of ignorance and limitation, and the human mind is being liberated from misconceptions of many sorts. Down through the ages mankind's speculation about the celestial bodies has resulted in a vast accumulation of superstitions known as astrology, which have become mesmerically fascinating to human thought. These entrenched superstitions are never ignored by the alert student of Christian Science. He knows that widely accepted false beliefs tend to act as law in one's experience unless specifically canceled out by the application of spiritually scientific truth, the law of God.
A dictionary defines "astrology" as "divination that treats of the supposed influences of the stars upon human affairs and of foretelling terrestrial events by their positions and aspects." Two of the meanings of "influence" are given as "an ethereal fluid thought to flow from the stars and to affect the actions of men" and "a supposed emanation of occult power from stars."
In the Preface to Science and Health, our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, writes of "a divine influence" (p. xi). Speaking of the physical healings of Jesus' time and those of today, through Christian Science, she says: "Now, as then, these mighty works are not supernatural, but supremely natural. They are the sign of Immanuel, or 'God with us,'— a divine influence ever present in human consciousness and repeating itself, coming now as was promised aforetime,
To preach deliverance to the captives [of sense], And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised."
This "divine influence" is thus shown to be "ever present in human consciousness and repeating itself." Even so, the material claim of an evil influence may spuriously suggest itself to be "ever present in human consciousness" and to be able to repeat itself in patterns of discord, lack, disease, or disaster.
This suggestion shows that we need to deal vigorously with the false claim or superstitious belief of an evil influence by establishing in consciousness the operation of divine Principle. Those who find themselves experiencing a repetitive pattern of discord in their lives would do well to ponder deeply Mrs. Eddy's statement in the chapter of Science and Health entitled "Animal Magnetism Unmasked" (p. 102): "The planets have no more power over man than over his Maker, since God governs the universe; but man, reflecting God's power, has dominion over all the earth and its hosts."
A Christian Scientist had observed for a number of years that his business relationships with clients were pleasant and harmonious in the early stages, but that every so often just before a piece of work was completed an unhappy misunderstanding would arise that would prevent a satisfactory conclusion. In spite of the frequency of this occurrence, he did not rouse himself to challenge this pattern of incompleted transactions. Then, in seeking the healing of another condition, he strove persistently to realize the falsity of the belief of time.
The healing came, and with it he realized that the false belief of astrology, which up to then had seemed to operate as a law to his experience, had been destroyed. The revealed truth had become active in his consciousness. From that time on, he became gratefully aware of a marked change in his life. In instance after instance there was manifested a wonderful coordination of circumstances which made possible a satisfying consummation of transactions of all sorts.
What are some of the truths to be realized in order to deal effectively with the claims of astrology? First, that God, divine Principle, creates and governs the real, spiritual universe according to spiritual law. This law is perfect, harmonious, and eternal. It is the one and only law of the universe, the law of all true being. Beliefs of astrology and horoscopes are superstition and need to be seen as such. They are not law. Therefore we do not fear them; neither do we ignore them.
The practice of Christian Science demands alertness to detect all false claims which may be influencing thought. We maintain this alertness as we understand that in the allness of infinite Principle and its infinite spiritual creation there is no false law. All real phenomena exist as action and have action, according to the one and only law of all creation, the law of divine Principle.
In Christian Science, Life is God, perfect and eternal, and man is made in the image and likeness of God, as set forth in the first chapter of Genesis (verse 27), "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him." God is Spirit, divine Mind. Thus the claim that man is born into matter at all is a false one. It is annulled by the realization that man is the pre-existent, coexistent, spiritual idea of eternal Mind. He is not created by or of matter. He is one with Mind and is under no influence or control but that of the one divine Mind.
Man, as Life's expression, can be identified only with eternity, never with time. The belief that life begins at a certain moment of time or that man emerges from a womb an entity at a certain moment of time is wholly a false belief. It is an illusion of material sense to be dispelled by the Christ, Truth.
The revelation of Christian Science makes plain that beliefs of time, of beginning and ending, of birth and death, must give place to the glorious reality of eternity. Astrology is as much a belief as any one of these. The destruction of this belief liberates human thought from the accumulated superstitions connected with astrology and thereby accelerates mankind's demonstration of divine Principle in the minutiae of daily affairs.
Our Leader states in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 235): "Hungering and thirsting after a better life, we shall have it, and become Christian Scientists; learn God aright, and know something of the ideal man, the real man, harmonious and eternal. This movement of thought must push on the ages: it must start the wheels of reason aright, educate the affections to higher resources, and leave Christianity unbiased by the superstitions of a senior period."
