Astrology

Most people in our Western society can probably answer the question "What's your sign?" Many read their daily "horoscope" even if they tell you that they don't believe it. Yet few really know much about this ancient blend of art, science and philosophy.

What Is Astrology?

The term astrology applies far more widely than Sun signs. It can refer to any system of obtaining information by analysis of the heavenly bodies. There are various systems of astrology around the world - Chinese, Vedic, Tibetan, etc. However when the term is used in the West it usually refers to a particular form using ten heavenly bodies (the eight other planets, the Sun and our moon) and the twelve signs of the Zodiac.

The eight planets together with Sun and Earth's moon are often just all called "planets" even though this is technically incorrect.

Natal Astrology

Astrology can be used in many ways, from personality analysis to prediction, from the individual to the fate of nations.

To analyse an individual the astrologer normally begins by drawing up a "birth chart" (also called a "natal chart"). This is a map of the heavens at the time and place a person was born. Analysis of this birth chart is called "natal astrology" and is sometimes used on its own to read a subject's character. Comparing the birth charts of two people is sometimes used to assess compatibility. Comparing a birth chart with a projected future chart is often used for predictive purposes.

There's a lot more to the birth chart than just the Sun Sign that most people look up in the newspaper. It's important to know just not the day of birth but the time and place as well in order to draw up a completely accurate chart.

Plotting the position of the ten main bodies is only the start of the process. Each planet will be positioned in one of the twelve zodiac signs. Then there are various systems of "Houses" which also divide the heavens. In addition the relationships between the different planets have to be considered. These are known as "aspects" and depend on the angle between the planets in the chart. The significance of each of these aspects is influenced by the sign and the house in which the planets are positioned.

So we have a system which considers the exact time and place of birth and then looks at the position of ten heavenly bodies in relation to each other and to twelve signs and a number of houses. The number of possible permutations is clearly huge - so simply saying "I'm a Leo" is an extreme simplification!

Although birth chart analysis is the most common form of astrology, there are others such as predictive astrology and compatibility analysis.

Analyse and Synthesise

Once the birth chart has been drawn up and the positions of the planets and their aspects calculated, it is necessary to synthesise the many individual pieces of information into an overall whole. This is where the true skill - and art - of the astrologer comes in.

There are many computer programs you can buy to help in drawing up a birth chart, replacing the old manual ephemeris. These can be extremely useful. However programs which try to interpret the birth chart can be less successful because of this need to synthesise a huge number of small clues, many of which are contradictory. The result is that some computer programs produce a reading that is either inconsistent or extremely vague. An experienced astrologer can often simply look at a chart and get an immediate feel for it.

If you want to learn astrology then it requires practice - not just a piece of software.

How Does Astrology Work?

Nobody knows how astrology works. Skeptics would argue that it doesn't - in fact, that it can't work. What is so special about the time of birth instead of, say, time of conception? Why only the ten bodies and no others? Why the arbritary house and sign division? Which Zodiac or House system should be used? What possible physical mechanism can there be for astrology?

These are questions to which I have no answers. To be honest, I have a lot of sympathy with the skeptics. Looked at rationally, astrology is clearly nonsense.

All I can say is that I've tried it and, for me, it worked.