Common Misperceptions of Astrology

Order your copy of The Good Timing Calendar A New Tool For Business Success! It includes Valuable Business Timing and Trends with Quarterly Newsletters All for only US$35.00. See a sample page here... Thousands of years ago, astrology was actually the first science to develop. It began by correlating observed planetary positions with observed phenomena on Earth. It was also known as the Divine Science, since it was considered to be a method of discerning God's Will. The three Wise Men at Christ's birth were actually astrologers, and it was their ability to read the overhead messages which made them "wise." They were there to meet Jesus and usher in the New Age of that time 2000 years ago. Today people commonly have many misconceptions concerning astrology. This article addresses a few of them as an introduction to this ancient wisdom. "Astrology is based on the idea that planets make people behave in certain ways." This is definitely false. Planets do not cause people to do things. Astrology is a symbolic system, which appears to work via synchronicity, sometimes known as meaningful coincidences. Carl Jung proposed the idea of synchronicity. In terms of astrology it means that what occurs overhead is merely a reflection of what is happening on earth. In other words, the two are co-incident with each other, or synchronous. Some physicists now believe that astrology shows the implicate order or the order underneath the explicate reality we see on the surface. This theory is tied to the theory of chaos and non-linear dynamics and based on David Bohm's work. In essence, he proposed the idea that there are three primary beginnings: energy, matter and meaning. Bohm suggested that these three are "enfolded" together, in a way that is inseparable. In other words, meaning cannot be removed from external reality. To quote David Bohm, "This implies, in contrast to the usual view, that meaning is an inherent and essential part of our overall reality..." In essence, astrology provides the meaning and timing which corresponds to David Bohm's implicate or unseen order. Astrology is evil, the work of the devil. This is also false. Astrology is based on spiritual premises: 1) That the outer reflects the inner or our external lives actually reflect what is happening internally, 2) That a person's chart shows their soul's purpose, 3) That each person continually evolves spiritually until he or she returns to God or the Source. The Bible is actually filled with astrological information and messages, but without training no one would ever know it. For example, the twelve disciples of Christ and the twelve tribes or houses of Israel each represented one of the twelve zodiac signs. Christ ushered in the Piscean Age, and the symbol of the fish was used as the secret symbol of Christians. The Religion of the Lamb (Jewish, Aries) was to be forgotten when Christ came. The Kabbalah also has mystical and astrological meanings as well. Astrology and science are not compatible. This is also false. As previously mentioned, astrology was the first science. This idea is similar to claiming that scientists can never be Christians or have a religion. Science, as we know it, is able to ascertain causes and effects of external reality. Astrology is a way of organizing our perceptions. It provides the order or timing of life events behind our external reality. This is something no other cognitive system is able to do and does not conflict with science. If someone believes in astrology he or she must be stupid or ignorant. False again! In ancient times astrologers were the best educated people. They had to understand astronomy, math, spiritual symbols and mystic meanings, psychology, and human nature. In fact astrology was taught in the universities until the 1600s when "rational science" took over. After thousands of years, it is still the most complex psychological model available. Astrology is based on the relationships between 10 planets (including the Sun and Moon), twelve zodiac signs and twelve areas of a person's life. In addition other sensitive points in a person's chart are often used, providing at least 40 separate components to create a person's chart. The complexity of this model is so strong that there are literally over 128 billion combinations of planets in signs and houses. And this doesn't include aspects between planets. Today's astrologers are often very well educated with college degrees in various fields. In addition, their in-depth astrological knowledge, psychology or counseling training, and spiritual understanding provide the basics for their profession. To become an astrologer involves learning about many areas and mastering the vast network of interconnections for a complex, symbolic system. Specialties exist within astrology such as business, medical, vocational, stock trading, and timing. I "believe" in astrology in the same way I "believe" in algebra or geometry. I have studied all three of these subjects and they all work. My "belief", however, is based on serious examination, knowledge and understanding, and not on faith of unseen things. Belief is not the key to understanding astrology; knowledge is. Astrology has nothing to do with my life. This too is false. Even without any knowledge of it, astrology is connected to every life on Earth. A person's life unfolds according to the times shown by their astrological chart, i.e. "there's a time and place for everything." The synchronicity of this is astounding, especially to someone who is unfamiliar with astrological principles. In addition, all common cycles are reflected by the movement in the heavens and astrology. A week has seven days, because that's how many planets could be seen by the ancients without a telescope. In fact, the days of the week are named after the first seven planets, some of which were French. Saturday: Saturn Sunday: Sun Monday: Moon Tuesday: (Mardi) Mars, Wednesday: (Mercredi) Mercury, Thursday: (Jeudi) Jupiter, Friday: (Vendredi) Venus A month is roughly the amount of time it took to go from new moon to new moon (about 29 days). A year is the amount of time the ancients thought it took the Sun to travel through the zodiac (from the perspective of the Earth), but today we know it's the time it takes the Earth to travel around the Sun. Other common astrological cycles that correlate with standard life stages include the terrible twos (a Mars return cycle), puberty (Uranus sextile itself), the urge to independence at 21 (Uranus square itself), the first adult "hill" at age 29-30 (the first Saturn return), the mid-life crisis (Uranus opposite itself and Neptune square itself), and the famous early exit point or significant career achievement of age 58-59 (the second Saturn return). New growth cycles start every twelve years at the ages of 12, 24, 36, 48, etc., based on a Jupiter cycle. The Sun returning to its original position on your birthday (a solar return) is the origin of "Many happy returns" and correlates to the specialness we feel about that time each year. Another noticeable cycle is Mercury retrograde, when Mercury appears to move backwards from our position on Earth. This occurs three times per year for about three weeks. The purpose of the cycle is to clean up what's been missed, mishandled, or fallen through the cracks. It's a good time review, rethink, rework, clean up, put things in order, and get caught up. It is not a time to start anything new, sign a contract or push forward on schedules. Those efforts usually fail or meet with great difficulty. During this period, computers, communications and transportation go awry! There are misunderstandings or miscommunications. Oftentimes, you cannot make contact with a person and when you do, they misunderstand what you say. Traffic is worse than normal; horrible accidents occur, including train wrecks and plane crashes. Computers break down and refuse to operate normally. Legal issues become more complex and negotiations break down. It's not a time to push forward! After Mercury goes direct it takes another two weeks for things to get straightened out, while Mercury retraces the area it's already covered. Then it's business as usual until the next one occurs. This is nature's way of giving us a chance to regroup. It's just that we're trained to always push straight ahead, so we tend to have difficult experiences. The Sun Sign astrology in the papers is so general, it could apply to anyone. To some extent, this is true. Sun sign astrology is based on one of the forty components commonly used to create a person's chart or horoscope. With such a narrow piece of information, it cannot be accurate in the same way that a person's complete chart is. In addition, while we are aware of the position of our Sun, most people are not aware that each person has every zodiac sign somewhere in their chart. It's common to find that while a person may have their Sun in one sign, several of their planets may be in another sign, resulting in strong characteristics of that sign as well. Often, an individual's personality sign (the mask we show to the world) and their Moon sign (emotional nature) are different from their Sun sign, providing complexity not seen in the Sun sign readings. Plus there are eight more planets, 12 different life areas, geometric aspects, etc. When one reads only about the Sun sign, ignoring the remaining important information, it's easy to misinterpret astrology as simplistic and inaccurate. In actuality though, this superficial view does not look deep enough to find its accuracy and complexity. When one gains the in-depth knowledge of astrology, the secrets to the mystery of ourselves are unlocked. One learns how our outside world reflects our inner life and finds the order behind the apparent chaos of our lives. These are just a few of the common misperceptions about astrology and its ancient practice. In my next article I'll cover some practical applications of astrology for today's world. Find out how this ancient wisdom still applies to our modern lives.