Astrology

I have been a student of astrology for 33 years. This is a science and an art that has been practiced by practically all civilizations for as long as humans have been gazing into the night sky. Now we can watch TV,  movie or read at night, but in the old days the sky was so dark that they would notice the patterns and changes in the sky and tune into the energies and archetypes of the planets and the constellations. If you laugh at astrology because of what you see in the newspaper, you might want to take another look.What we see in the newspapers as our horoscope is just your basic sun sign, which is just one part of the whole picture.

The actual mechanism of how planets so far away can affect the details of our life down here is not well known. I feel that these planets, like us, have energy bodies that determine the energy of the specific planets.  Perhaps there was once life on these planets and the nature of the inhabitants have left a vibration, perhaps some had physical life, but others may have life on other dimensions as the physical is just a small spectrum of life and experience.

There is the idea that at the moment of your first breath as a newborn there is a snapshot of how all the planets were placed and aligned at that moment.  So in your natal or birth chart the planets are charted in how they were around the earth at that moment. There are 12 sectors or houses that the chart is broken down to, each one with a different energy or sign, like the 2nd house could be about finances and 7th house about relationships, and 10th house about career or fame. If a planet is in that house then those energies are combined. The sun can tell about your essential self, the moon your soul or feelings, mercury your conscious mind, venus love and beauty, Mars will or aggression, Jupiter expansion, Saturn discipline or limitation, Uranus eccentricity or genius, Neptune meditation or illusions, Pluto the deep unconscious.  What is on the eastern horizon is your rising sign or how you appear to others.

All these planets combine their energies, which can be read as geometrical angles from each other. So in general conjunct or in the same place in space, sextiles or 60 degrees or trine or 120 degrees are thought to be easier or more positive angles that harmonize the energy of the affected planets. If square or 90 degrees or in opposition or 180 degrees it is thought to be more challenging or difficult. So it is like having a map of your karma that you can use to understand your life and psychology with.

So for example Saturn has to do with limitation, strictness, seriousness and the 4th house has to do the with home. So If your natal chart has Saturn in the 4th house then the interpretation could be “This indicated heavy responsibility incurred through the home and family. The parents of the native are generally strict and conservative and may be a burden in later years.” But if Uranus were in the 4th house then “This indicates an unusual home life and family connections. People tend to come and go as they please. The house may be of uncommon architecture  and may contain many gadgets or electronic devices.”

Different signs have to do with one of the 4 elements of earth, water, air and fire.  So if you have many earth planets you might have a tendency to be more practical or perhaps you need to learn the lessons of being practical and down to earth. Water has to do with emotions, air with the mind and fire with the spirit.

There is also something called transits, where you see how the planets in the heavens at a given moment are affecting your birth planets in your natal chart. This really helps with the timing of things. If there is a choice to go on a vacation on a week with lots of squares and oppositions or difficult planets in a house having to do with travel then you may want to choose a week where their are better signs, planets and aspects.

There is also the science of synastry where you can put together the charts of two people and see what the blessings and challenges are.  Some astrologers even wonder if there is free will when you start seeing how emotions and events are triggered by planets hitting peoples charts. It can really be uncanny how accurate it is. I spoke with an astrologer before the presidential elections. I mentioned that Clinton had to win. She said, no, Trump’s success was written in the stars, it was his destiny to win.  I said “that can’t be, there are too many women, liberals, gays, blacks, hispanics, scientists..” She was firm, Trump would win. So much for free will.

Some people even do the charts of nations or businesses. It is known that Ronald Reagan’s wife Nancy would always time his events and travels with the help of an astrologer. Now many still see him as one of the most positive presidents of the last few decades. People can look back on history and then see what the planets were doing, let’s say in the US natal chart during outbreaks of wars. By doing this, they can project forward in time when there is a similar aspect and can predict which time is more likely for war.

There is an offshoot of astrology called astrocartography where you can see how your life would be in different locations or cities on the earth. One place might show good for relaxing and family life, another place may accelerate your business prospects. So it might be good to have astrocartography done if you were thinking of making a move.

The outer planets move so slowly in the sky that they are often the same for people of a whole generation, so it can tell more about a whole age group of people. The inner planets, or personal planets move quickly and tell more of the individuals thoughts, feelings and actions and the conscious mind. Where as far away planets like Pluto can tell more of the unconscious mind.

Some people like to have their chart done by an astrologer on their birthday to get a sense of the year to come.  My astrologer has said for years that I would do more teaching and speaking, and that this year is a transition time for me in doing just that, and now here we are, and I’m teaching right now.

There are places you can find online that will give you a computerized report of what the planets, aspects and houses are in your chart with a detailed interpretation, that would be a natal chart report. You can also get a yearly transit report that tells you the main energy events for each month. There are good books you can get where you can look up the aspects in your charts to understand the meaning. It is good to know the time of your birth, because with will affect the rising sign and the placement of the moon.

Of course we don’t want to think that our life is all predetermined and we have no choice in directing our lives.  Think of it like the weather, it is good to know if is going to rain so we know how to plan our outdoor events and whether we should bring a jacket or umbrella. Some people do an alchemy on their charts. I’m a big believer in the power of prayer, so we can make prayers or calls to God to transmute the negative portents into positive. Often what we think of as “negative” is really a learning event or a karma that must be balanced, so it isn’t really about things being bad or good. You can put your chart on your altar and place crystals or gems on the planets or aspects. You can pray that that the negative get transformed into growth and positive experiences.

It is interesting to note that the Magi who found Jesus by a star in the east, may not have been looking up to see a bright star in the heavens, but may have been looking at the rising sign, or star in the east of the chart, to locate the blessed child. After all the Magi were astrologers.

In Hebrew when people are wished good luck or congratulations they say Mazel Tov, which actually means, beneficial constellations. So Mazel Tov and enjoy learning more about yourself through your astrology.