The revival of astrology—Its implications for pastoral care

Abstract

r162 do you believe in the " " s t a r s ? asks a woman parishioner of her pastor-counselor. "It's no wonder my husband and I can't hit it off, we were born under the wrong signs!" states an angry young woman during ,a marriage counseling session with their pastor. Astrology seems to be increasingly invading the pastor-counselor's conversations with his counselees. It has permeated the very air we breathe, leaving many people today uncertain whether to liken it to pollution that beclouds the senses, or to incense whose fragrance begets clarity of vision and greater happiness for those who use it. As with many phenomena of recent vintage, this form .of secular religion may be seen as part of what has been called the "Soft Revolution." Sam Keen of the Behavioral Science Institute of California writes that "this religion is eclectic, experienti~al, mystical and nonprofessional~a do-it-yourself kit composed of disciplines and insights drawn from many religious and occult traditions. ''1 Never has the nation's youth con-