Metaphysical elements in writing – #Astrology

/ Author Jan Sikes

Greetings, SE’ers! It’s Jan again with another look at ways to add metaphysical elements to fiction writing. Today’s topic is one I love—Astrology!

Image by MiraCosic via Pixabay

First of all, what is astrology? We immediately think of birthstones and perhaps daily horoscopes. But in truth, astrology goes much deeper. The position of all the major planets at the exact moment of birth can reveal inherent traits about each of us. It can also predict major turning points in life as well as times when certain opportunities are more fortuitous. I studied astrology in 1977 and learned how to do natal charts based on the date and time of birth. It’s so interesting to look back at those and see how they have been pretty darned accurate.

So, that leads to the question of how we can utilize astrology when writing fiction.

You might have a character who is obsessed with their daily horoscope and base their every action on the message it brings. That’s pretty basic, but it could give your character an added quirk. Or you might have a character who studies astrology and bases every conversation on sun signs and planetary positions. That would be annoying, right?

But the most useful way I’ve found to incorporate astrology into fiction writing is through character development. Let’s say you have a character you can’t fully see yet. That’s definitely happened to me before. How about you give him/her a birthdate, then look up the astrological aspects associated with it? The things it can reveal to you about the character are almost limitless. Don’t like what it says, or feel like it still doesn’t fit? Give him/her a different birthdate. You can do that until it clicks with you. Then you have a fully formed multi-dimensional character with built-in traits, strengths, and weaknesses.

How about the antagonist? Did you know that there is a multitude of resources out there which can show you what birth signs are the least compatible with one another? That would make the perfect antagonist. That doesn’t necessarily mean the villain. What about parents, siblings, friends, lovers, or spouses? Sometimes, in life, we are like oil and water with those closest to us. So wouldn’t it be helpful to see that in black and white and know how to make it work?

I want to take this one step further and talk about color associated with astrology. I recently purchased a book, Colorstrology. It adds a whole other dimension to basic astrology by combining it with the metaphysical power of color to create a personalized hue for each day of the year.

Here’s a direct quote from the author: “There is a world of possibility contained in each day of birth. There are strengths and weaknesses, gifts and challenges. You have a sun sign and a ruling planet, and you belong to a particular element—fire, earth, air, or water. Your birthday carries a numerological vibration that has a specific meaning. Each of these components shapes your personality and life experiences, and, when combined, they create the personal colors on which Colorstrology is based.”

That statement pretty much sums it up. As with every aspect of astrology, color has the potential to expand your character in a unique way. Have you ever thought about the dominant color of clothes hanging in your closet? It’s interesting to take a look at what draws us and what the colors say about us. That could be a whole other post.

Can you see that by incorporating these different aspects into your characters, you can give added layers and dimensions to them?

I’d love to hear from you. Have you ever relied on astrology to help form your characters? Is it something you can see the value in?

Let’s chat!

If you missed previous posts in this series, here you go:

#1 – Intro – https://storyempire.com/2023/01/23/metaphysical-elements-in-writing-intro/

#2 – Gemstones – https://storyempire.com/2023/02/06/metaphysical-elements-in-writing-gemstones/

#3 – Tarot Cards and Oracle Cards – https://storyempire.com/2023/03/17/metaphysical-elements-in-writing-tarot-cards-oracle-cards/

#4 – Essential Oils and Herbs – https://storyempire.com/2023/04/17/metaphysical-elements-in-writing-essential-oils-and-herbs/

68 thoughts on “Metaphysical elements in writing – #Astrology”

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  3. Yes! I love incorporating Astrology i to understanding characters. XD I sometimes like to check the chart of when I made a character and using that as their placements, or coming up with an equivocal chart myself (my characters are often from another world). I also like to consider which astrological archetypes characters fit as well. It’s a very fun exercise!

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  8. What a great idea for writers to look through the astrological signs and find one that suits a character. Even though generalized info, take what you want and elaborate from there. 🙂 x

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  9. What a brilliant idea!
    Of course, if your world is fantasy, as most of mine are, with months that do not correspond exactly with our Earth months, and different planets and stars in the sky, it is a tad more difficult!😋
    My other fiction books are set on Earth, though, but in the medieval period. Would the stars, sun, moon etc be different from now?

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    • Your fantasy world would definitely create a bit of an astrological problem, Viv. The stars, sun, moon and astrological signs have been around since mankind, so they would not be different in medieval times. In fact, they relied more on the celestial bodies back then than we do today. Thanks for visiting and commenting.

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  11. I do find the topic interesting, and I think it could add some unique flavor to a character. I worry about using things I do not understand well. If I get something wrong, I worry that someone who does understand would be turned off. Have you seen misuses of astrology? Would it bother you?

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    • I can’t think of any occasion where I’ve seen the misuse of astrology. In character development, no one sees but the author. The reader gets a well-formed character with all their strengths and weaknesses. As far as using astrology in a story, I have not seen anything that I thought was misused or that turned me off to the story. This is a pretty safe topic. Thanks for your comment and questions, Dan!

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    • Lol, Joan. Your comment made me laugh. I do things like that all the time. In my head, I do them but fail to translate that to my fingers. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the post and found it to be interesting. Thanks for swinging back around.

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  15. You just solved a problem for me, Jan. I have a couple characters that have remained a little murky in my WIP. That suggestion about assigning them a birthdate and looking up the characteristics is a fantastic idea – thanks! A friend and I were seriously into astrology in middle school. We analyzed everyone we had crushes on, lol.

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    • Teri, your comment made my day! I’m so glad I gave you a tool to work through the murky characters. Your middle school scenario made me giggle. My granddaughter is now in middle school, and I see a lot of that. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!

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  16. I’ve never used astrology in my novels, but I’ve seen it used in books to develop different aspects of a character.

    The color idea related to clothing is interesting. I constantly graviate toward blue in all shades!

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    • Interesting, Mae. I just looked up your birthday in the colorstrology book, and it says your power color is mellow mauve. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the post and can see the value of using astrology in character development. Thank you for leaving a comment!

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  18. Great post, Jan. Although I have never incorporated astrology into my characters, it is something i could easily work with. I have dabbled with it and found it unnervingly accurate.

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  20. I have a thick book, The Secret Language of Birthdays, that I love. When I meet someone and learn their birthday, I usually look them up in the book, but I never thought about using it to develop characters. I love that idea! The color that goes with your sign is new to me. Interesting.

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    • Yes, Judi! I have that book, too. It has a LOT of information in it, including signs that are compatible or not. Thanks for mentioning that book. I’m glad you like the idea of using astrology in character development. The colorstrology was new to me, too, Judi. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.

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    • Thank you for your comment, Yvette. I’ve used the Co-Star app before and found it to be amazingly accurate. I agree it’s all so interesting. It all helps make us who we are at the very core. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Thank you for visiting!

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    • Thank you for your comment, Craig. Yes. It can fit the behind-the-scenes aspect of the story as well as make it onto the page. Just ideas thrown out there. Interesting that you’ve avoided it. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Have a great day!

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  27. Intriguing, Jan. Thank you for explaining astrology as you have. In a former life, my ex brought home a Russian couple to live with us. Total strangers (at least to the family). The female insisted on reading her daily horoscope. The whole situation was bizarre – at best. But since then, the mention of horoscopes takes me back to her. Hmm – a perfect obsession for an antagonist. 😊

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    • Lol, Gwen. That’s a great story. I can see where the mention of horoscopes would take you back to that memory. It could be a great obsession for a character and say a lot about them without having to say it. Thank you for your comment today!

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  29. I’ve read my horoscope for fun before, but I don’t know much about this topic. I can see where it would be a good reference to develop characters when a writer is stuck. Thanks for the information, Jan.

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    • I get a daily horoscope in my email, and it is fun to read. I can’t say that it’s 100% accurate, but sometimes it fits. I’m glad you see the benefit in using astrology in character development, Staci. Thank you for your comment!

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    • How wonderful, Harmony. Thank you for adding your recommendation for using astrology in character development. I love that you have an idea for a plot based on astrology. Can’t wait to read that one! Have a great day!

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