About Astrology

Astrology is one of those subjects which is easy to learn but can take a lifetime to master. Most people are familiar with the most basic aspect of Astrology, their Star Sign (or Sun Sign), and usually they can name at least one common trait of their Sign. Star Signs are popularized in daily newspaper columns, magazines, and other media. Unfortunately, many people think that their Star Sign is all there is to Astrology. While it is a good place to start, there is a lot more to Astrology than the Sun's position alone! Nor is Astrology a modern invention dating back only a few years, decades, or even centuries. Astrology has been studied for millennia, and it dates back as far as recorded history. The original Astrologers were priests and scholars, and they were looked up to as doctors and learned men. According to modern speculation, the Three Wise Men of Christian belief were Astrologers! At this time, Astrology was the same science as Astronomy and Psychology, whose modern descendants arose from Astrology. In ancient times, the Greeks and Romans based their system of Gods on what they believed was up in the sky. Zeus, who was equated with Jupiter, and the other Gods and Goddesses were based on the Planets visible to the ancients. Astrology was similarly popular in Babylon and Egypt, and it also rose in the Middle East, India, and China. Modern Astrology has changed with the discovery of new Planets: first Uranus in 1781, the Neptune and Pluto, and also the Asteroids. These three Planets have a stronger effect on generations as a whole rather than individuals, but they still have an important place in modern Astrology. Astrology is about the interaction between the Planets (including the Sun and Moon) and the Signs. The relationships between them and their interactions are mathematically based, and Astrology studies these mathematical cycles. Each Sign represents a different aspect of the whole human; Aries starts the cycle, representing the Self, and Pisces completes it, representing the mass unconscious of all mankind. In between, each other Sign carries the energy of a different phase of man's evolution within the universe. In some ways, the forces between the Planets involved in Astrology can be simplified into one word: gravity. The Sun has the greatest gravity and the strongest effect in Astrology, followed by the Moon, the Earth's satellite. The other Planets are not truly satellites of the Earth, but they nonetheless have gravity and thus effect the Earth as well. The Sun controls the Earth's motion and the Moon controls its tides, but the other Planets have their own effects on the Earth -- and on the people who live here. Sometimes their influence can be so strong that they outweigh the Sun's energy! Astrology can be understood as a philosophy that helps to explain life, rather than as a predictive tool. Rather than discussing what the Planets do to us, we can explain ourselves based on Planetary indications. The Signs work the same way: each of the twelve Signs is a unique combination of one of the four Elements and one of the three Qualities. The importance of Elements and Qualities in our lives is their demonstration that we are all part of the environment. There is a connection between all living things and all matter on this Planet. Astrology ties humans together: we are all faced with the same Planetary interactions, and we are all part of the same cycles. But despite all these connections, Astrology does not tie you into being a certain way and it doesn't not predict everything about you. Astrology explains the energy in your life and its potential challenges and possibilities, but you can evolve from your chart. Astrology is about you, in what you can learn from it can help you make a choice between free will and destiny. In addition, Astrology does not have to affect or change people's religious beliefs. In fact, religion has a nearly universal belief that the way you live your life affects whether you will go to heaven or hell (or a similar idea) when you die. Astrology is talking about the same thing when it speaks of karma: what you do in this lifetime determines what will happen to you in your next lifetime. The philosophies are the same; they are just said in different ways. There are many different categories of Astrology. Medical, business, and stock market Astrology are often practiced for health or financial reasons. Weather Astrology is popular in some areas. Mundane Astrology is the study of politics amd world events, while Electional Astrology helps people find favorable times or days to get married, start a business, begin a new job, and so on. Horary Astrology is predictive, studying questions based upon the specific moment they arise. But the most popular type of Astrology is Natal, which analyzes people based on their time and place of birth. There are two major types of Astrology practiced today in the Western World: Tropical and Siderial. Tropical Astrology assigns the Signs based on their position in relation to the Spring Equinox, which marks the Astrological New Year and is usually March 21. The Equinox represents 0 degrees Aries. Siderial Astrology assigns positions based on constellations, rather than in relation to the Equinox. At present, Siderial Astrology is 24 degrees behind Tropical Astrology, so a person born under 23 degrees Libra in Tropical Astrology is born at 29 degrees Virgo in Siderial Astrology. The Age of Aquarius is now upon us! This means technology is progressing forward, society's attitudes and values are changing and perhaps will slant more toward the radical. Astrology will become more accepted and even mainstream! By creating this site and providing information about Astrology which is both informative and entertaining I hope to move the perception of Astrology past "light entertainment" to a more valuable tool for people to use on a personal basis both with themselves and others. Enjoy!