The Foundations of Astrology

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1. Astrology

The word, Astrology, has two roots; ‘Astral’ meaning heavens, and ‘Logos’, or knowledge.

Astrology, ‘knowledge of the heavens’, is an art which employs symbols with multiple layers of meaning, to describe how we each experience reality. The method for doing this is to construct a personal Birth Chart for an individual, using the Date of birth, Time of birth, and Place of birth: the chart is not a chart of the person, but is a symbolic map of the broader environment as seen from a specific time and location.

Reading an Astrological chart is a complex and sophisticated art; in addition to the 12 Signs of the Zodiac, an Astrologer also has symbols for the Planets and Sun and Moon of our solar system, which are placed on the map into areas called Houses. The relationship between each part is known as an aspect, derived from the ability to observe or ‘see’.

Astrology may also be thought of as a language that employs a vocabulary of polysemous symbols, rather than words constructed from specific letters from an alphabet, to describe the construct of subjective experience.

Each symbol, or picture, within the Astrological map has a range of clearly defined and specific meanings. These meanings can be likened to key signatures in music; in each key there are a number of harmonics and tones. These harmonics and tones are quite different from each other and yet belong to the same group. The different layers of meanings represented by each symbol share a common dynamics, much like the higher and lower octaves in music. Some keys seem similar – others are wildly different.

Astrologically this means that within each symbol there are a number of potential meanings and a person can experience any one or more of those meanings at different times in their life. In part, an Astrologer’s job is to explore with you the different ways you are able to experience periods of your life, in order to open as many choices for you as possible. Astrology enables people to have more choices in life and, therefore, more control and self-direction.

2. Horoscope and the Zodiac

The word, Horoscope, has two roots; Horo’, meaning, ‘Of the Hour’, and also, ‘Scope’, or ‘view’. Horoscope: the view of the horizon at a specific hour.

The first record of a birth chart being constructed for an individual using the horizon and also the Zodiac was in ancient Greece in 410 BC.

The Zodiac was first proposed by the ancient Greeks. Contrary to popular thought, Horoscopic Astrology does not look at the ‘stars’ or constellations, but rather, the Planets, the positions of which are plotted against divisions of the Sun’s apparent path around the Earth; the Ecliptic. The Ecliptic is thought to hold 12 key qualities, which are portrayed as symbols. The word Zodiac means, ‘a circle of animals’.

The symbols in Astrology represent different facets of the human psyche and experience. In Astrology there are different groups of symbols: and certain parts of these groups cross-reference to corresponding certain parts of other groups.

The groups are: The Signs of the Zodiac, The Planets, The Houses, and The Aspects

3. The Signs – seen 2 ways

The Signs do not describe us as a person; they describe the style or manner in which we do things.

It is possible to view human expression through a lens of polarity, giving us pairs of apparent opposites; optimist and pessimist, introvert and extravert.

The polarity in the Signs of the Zodiac represents our two-fold nature of expression. The 12 signs are viewed as 6 pairs, in alternate sequence; Aries: outwards, Taurus: Inwards, Gemini: outwards etc.

The ancient Greeks used the terms, Masculine and Feminine, to describe this. The emergence of the age of reason saw Astrologers adopt the new language of electrical science, and the polarities were now called; Positive and Negative (in the electrical sense). Borrowing from Psychology, modern Astrologers may call them Extravert and Introvert, or Convergent and Divergent.

4. The Signs – seen 3 ways

In addition to our relationship with Space; Converging Towards things or, Diverging Away from things, another dynamic of our nature which is represented in Astrology is our relationship with Time.

The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac each represent a particular temporal perspective: the Past, the Present and the Future. In different contexts, we may be coloured by our history, active in the present moment or working towards a future goal.

Signs orientated to the Past are known as the Fixed Signs. These are:

Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius.

Signs orientated to the Present are known as the Cardinal Signs. These are:

Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn.

Signs orientated to the Future are known as the Mutable Signs. These are:

Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces.

 

5. The Signs – seen 4 ways

Another human dynamic the signs represent is our Neurological disposition. The primary modes of how we experience consciousness are; Sight, Feeling, Sounds; External (what we hear) and Sounds Internal (our inner personal narrative).

Modern Applied Psychologists using NLP would describe these conceptual orientations as Visual, Kinaesthetic, Audio and Digital.

The Psychologist Carl Jung used the terms; Intuition, Sensation, Thinking and Feeling.

The Ancient Greeks first used described these styles of Temperament as The Four Humours: Sanguine, Choleric, Phlegmatic and Melancholy.

By the time Claudius Ptolemy wrote his great works on Astrology if the library of Alexandria, the Humours had become known as The Elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

 

6. The Planets in Astrology

 

The Planets, like verbs, represent things that we do. Although we are a whole person, astrologers gain insight by viewing a person as a collection of distinct parts that relate with one another and form patterns which comprise the whole person. A neuroscientist views a person in the same way; there are regions of the brain we employ when we are daydreaming, and different regions are used when we are calculating mathematics, and yet we are a single individual.

Astrologers represent these different mode of action using the Sun, the Moon, and the main Planets in our Solar System, including Pluto.

A Planet symbolises what we do, and the Sign in which it is passing through at the time the chart is drawn represents how we do that activity.

7. The Houses in Astrology

The Houses represent fields of life experience, the context within which the things we do, in the ways we do them, are most likely to take place.

The Houses are akin to the sets on a theatre stage. An actor moves from one set to another as different scenes in a play are enacted.

An Astrological chart has 12 Houses. Those below the horizon denote the inner realm of private thoughts, feelings and the activities we undertake in the development of the self.

The Houses above the horizon represent our personal relationship with the cosmos and the outer world; first with personal intimate relationships, and then with society and the larger world.

8. The Aspects in Astrology

The Aspects in Astrology describe the dynamics relationships between different Planets; meaning, between different parts of ourselves.

For example, a person whose conscious mind is in harmony with their unconscious would find it relatively easy to employ will power to change a habit. If there is a challenging relationship between the conscious and unconscious, changing a habit may require therapeutic assistance.

In Astrology, these dynamics are represented by the angular relationships between Planets and points in a chart. Planets, or parts of us, may work in Conjunction with one another or may struggle in Opposition. No two charts are exactly the same, and the matrix of Aspect patterns in a chart is as unique to each person as their fingerprints.

The next image shows my Astrological Birth Chart.

 

The outer ring contains all 12 signs of the zodiac; every astrology chart has all 12 signs of the chart around it.

The second ring is divided into 12 areas or sections; they are The Houses. Placed within the Houses, and located by their position in the zodiac at a given moment in time are The Planets.

Finally, within the centre circle, The Aspects connect The Planets to each other, and also to specific points in the chart.

The Aspects modify and enhance the qualities shown by the Planets in Signs and Houses. A New Moon, for example, in a Birth Chart, would show the Sun and Moon to be next to one another: – Astrologically their dynamics would operate, or flow, in Conjunction with one another. A full Moon would be represented by the Sun and Moon being on opposite sides of the Birth Chart wheel. This opposition shows a potential conflict between the principles represented by the Sun and the Moon.

9. Astrology – personal reading; insight

Astrology is an art, similar in ways to music. A manuscript is created with science, paper, ink etc, and then the reading of takes the form of an art, as a musician interprets the manuscript in their own unique way. Ten musicians reading the same document give us ten variations of common themes. Likewise, an Astrologer reads a chart; their interpretation will be unique to, them.

Your personal Astrological birth chart can reveal insights into each stage of life you experience, and how those times inform who we are and how we relate with life in the present, are shown in the chart in symbolic form.

This is not a reading of fate, nor a script of destiny; is more akin to a street map, illuminating the territory and making navigating easier.

The most profound form of Astrology reading that gives of a deep insight into who you are and the potentials of your whole life path is an Astrobiography: the reading of your life

 

10. Astrology – personal reading; foresight

From your Astrological Birth Chart a forecast can be drawn that is personal to you. Akin to a weather forecast, foretelling of times that are stressful and times of ease. We cannot stop the rain, but we can tell you when the rain will come and what you can do to minimise the discomfort and even make practical use of it.

In modern astrology we take the view that it is possible to adjust to the circumstances that are occurring and diminish anxiety, reduce crisis and resolve pain. Your forecast will be told from the perspective of empowering you with the information you need to forge a renewed pathway of strength and wisdom. In my view, it is the astrologer’s task to provide you with the knowledge you need to deal with life.

If you are interested in a personal Astrological forecast, please click here

11. Astrology – personal reading; relationships

Human relationships are complex and Relationship Astrology reflects this. By comparing two people’s personal birth charts the alchemy constellated between them can be clearly articulated and understood.

Relationships are more than just attraction and desire, and Astrology can show:

The potential for attraction

Each person’s emotional needs

The dynamics of romance

And the dynamics of commitment, when a relationship becomes more serious

In Astrology, Romantic and Commitment relationships are seen as two distinctly different things; one can have lots of romance without any commitment and lots of commitment without any romance.

Forming a clear understanding of all the dynamics involved enables the Astrologer to pin point where things flow easily between you, and the nature of any challenges. Strategies for resolving challenges can then be identified and the pathways of loving are easier for you.

If you are interested in Relationship Astrology, please click here

12. Astrology – reading trends of the world around us

Astrology can be used for more than just personal insight, forecasting or exploring the dynamics of relationships.

Mundane Astrology doesn’t mean ‘boring astrology’ – it comes from the Latin word Mundus meaning world. Mundane Astrology is the art of reading the sky and relating the present positions of Planets to society. It can be used to gain insight and foresight in collective trends such as:

Kings, Queens and leaders

The experiences of the people in a general sense

Politics and elections

The economy

Conflict and wars

The Arts and celebrity

Transport and infrastructure

Technology and Science

and even, Weather Forecasting