What is Astrology?

I have a telephone book listing under Astrology and a lot of people ring and ask me if I do tarot or clairvoyant readings.  This has been going on for quite a while now and you can imagine some of the confusing conversations I have had with people trying to explain to them what astrology is.  Indeed the world in general seems to have the wrong impression of astrology too.  Today it is often seen as light entertainment in daily newspapers and yet, in its pure form, it has so much more to offer.

Astrology is simply the observation of planetary positions at particular moments in time. For instance, at the moment of your birth there was a particular sign of the zodiac on the eastern horizon.  We call this sign the Ascendant. This sets the house positions of your nativity or natal chart. A competent Astrologer can determine many things from a natal chart.  Things such as talents, weaknesses, habits, preferences, character, potential for success or failure, relationships, wealth and of course we can predict certain things will happen during your life by checking how current planetary positions influence the chart which marked the first moment of your life.

To cast a chart astrologers use mathematics and then the solar system provides us with a permanent and constant guide to the pathways of our lives.  When people talk of the zodiac they know it refers to "their stars" but they do not realise that these stars and zodiacal constellations are above them and we pass them in our daily, earthly orbit once every 24 hours.

As above, so below, the planets journey through the skies and cast their influence upon us. We know this is true because the Moon influences the tides.  Fisherman and gardeners modify their activities depending upon the position of the Moon. Police and hospitals often dread the full Moon because they observe a marked increase in patronage which stretches their resources to the limit. The term "lunatic" was derived because people over-reacted during the full Moon (lunar). And so, other planets influence us too and a competent astrologer can interpret this influence.

In fact, you should take care in giving out your birth details because a competent astrologer can tell many things about you. It is essential that you choose your astrologer wisely, as wisely as you would choose a doctor or therapist. Ensure that your astrologer has a code of ethics not to divulge your personal information and that your astrologer is also competent. A genuine astrologer should have no objections in giving a small sample of your chart as proof of their ability. Do not push this too far though, people often pester astrologers for free readings and this can be a sensitive issue with them. Let them know you are a genuine client and that you just want to find out if you will get value for money.

Sun sign columns are a bit of fun and most people read theirs whether they admit to it or not. Unfortunately many people are only aware of this rudimentary form of astrology which does not do real astrology justice at all. Astrology, in the hands of an expert, is a very powerful and useful tool indeed. It is not sorcery, it is not witchcraft, it is simply observation and mathematics coupled with an ability to interpret what the signs and planets tell us and to relate to others how these things act through them.

Modern western astrology evolved from Egyptian Astrology which is believed to have been practiced as far back as 700 BC. The Romans took astrology to Europe and refined it, losing some of the techniques and adding some of their own. After the fall of the Roman empire astrology emerged in Arabic countries. The Greek scholars became interested in astrology as a science and since it had traveled from Egypt to Rome and then to the middle east, it was quite corrupt from its original form. The Greeks added to the confusion since they attempted to remove any content that might have been attributed to the Moslem world.

The upsurge of the industrial era and the worshipping of money through industry rather than through education changed the face of astrological practice too. Once a science practiced by educated theologians and philosophers, astrology now came to the attention of the ordinary working class people and pop astrology was born.

Once a precise art to ascertain the life and death of rulers and the victories of kingdoms astrology was now modified to deal with mundane life in the suburbs. The existentialists also influenced the delivery of prediction since they believed people created their own reality it would then be difficult to predict the future. Modern psychology also tends to favour this trend too although many psychologists do seek out astrological readings to help them with their self development.

Fortunately for astrology four American Astrologers, Robert Zoller, Robert Hand, Robert Schmidt and Lee Lehman devoted many hours to re interpreting the original tracts of astrology and now there is a rebirth in traditional methods. The work is still ongoing and it brings a glimmer of hope for astrology becoming a widespread, precise, predictive tool once more and the following of ancient tradition is growing each day.

In recorded history it is known that astrologers were held in high esteem. They were often the spiritual advisers, apothecaries, physicians, counselors, astronomers and of course, the seers of the future. Astrology was their diagnostic tool. In these days of "new age" diversification we have priests, chemists, doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and astronomers fulfilling the multi-skilled role of the ancient astrologer.

It is a misnomer to refer to astrology as "new age" for it is ancient wisdom that has survived a great deal of oppression and suppression.  Indeed, it is the local doctor, chemist, psychologist etc who practice the real new age sciences.

There were times in history where the poor astrologer suffered. Anyone with the ability to see the future and to "know" things about people that others did not were considered to be very powerful indeed. A king would seek the wisdom of the astrologer and if the astrologers' message displeased him then the astrologer was often put to death. If an astrologer predicted the death of a king or nobleman and it came to pass the astrologer was often accused of conspiracy. Astrologers began to speak in riddles so others could not decipher their predictions.  This way they could continue to practice their art without the fear of losing their heads.

The most famous of these are the quatrains of Michel de Nostredame, we know him as Nostradamus.  It was Nostradamus who was attributed with discovering that disease was being transferred from the sick to the healthy by the medical people (himself included).  He discovered that washing hands in between patients prevented this from happening.

Astrology was often practiced in religious circles and it was misused in order to gain advantage over rivals. Bishops and Cardinals vying for prestigious positions would use it to see who had the best advantage. Of course everyone was doing this so perhaps it was their own paranoia about the power of astrology which might have led churches to condemn it. Similarly, kings and courtiers used astrology for their own purposes and the intent behind it diminished towards underhanded practices.

There was an attack against astrology by Augustine (AD 354 to 430). Augustine once practiced astrology but ended up condemning it as evil magic. Perhaps it was not astrology that was evil but those who practiced it and Augustine and his ilk who misused it. Indeed, it is easy to misuse the art of astrology but the same could be said for religion and science too. Astrology had come under fire before, but the weight of Augustine's influence caused astrology to be condemned by the church and astrologers were forced to practice it in secret.  Another factor which caused the demise of astrology in medieval times was the lack of education since astrologers needed to be learned and literate in order to calculate and decipher the complex charts.

Religions generally work on the principle that we have free will. Astrology implies that we are fated since no one can predict anything if the event is not predestined. Oddly enough, religions also use the term "God's Will" and so one would then assume that at some point in time God had made a decision that something was to happen. This implies fate or destiny. It can be argued that God placed the stars and planets in the universe and he made the people who have ability to use astrology. If these people can see a life pattern in God's work than how can it be evil ?

Astrology is a very powerful tool, it can give you self-knowledge and self-knowledge is power. Astrology is not against God or religions and good astrology should not make your decisions for you or take away your power. It should simply put you in touch with what is influencing your life.

The full history of astrology throughout the ages and different cultures is quite diverse and interesting. Despite its travels and its use and misuse it has survived all this time to become something popular and useful in our own times. It is not all gloom and doom unless we choose to view it that way. It is a useful tool which can help us to improve our lot in life by giving us self-knowledge.

Hazel Leung
Telephone 0438 318 180 or (07) 4031 8181
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