"ASTROLOGY 101"

Legendary astrologer Grant Lewi once had this to say about the study of the stars:

"Astrology maintains a unique and lonely position in human thought: It is 'believed in' by many people who know practically nothing about it; and it is 'disbelieved in' by even more who know absolutely nothing about it... Of no other art or science can this be said."

Astrology just may be the world's oldest art and science. Basically it's the study of beginnings; potentials; timing. In short, it's about growing things -- the act of bringing something to life under the most auspicious circumstances possible -- such as a seed, such as a business, such as YOU. Although we seldom think about it, farmers use the phases of the moon wisely to grow the food that was on our table tonight... That's astrology, folks.

The esoteric view of astrology is that the universe is alive with energy and that the distribution of this cosmic energy is doled out to everything on Earth according to the orderly and predictable motion of the planets, and this energy influences human biology and consciousness though it does not control it. We are controlled only through our reactions to this energy, called Karma. This idea is so ancient that no one knows the actual origins of astrology, only that it has been given to us to use as a tool to maximize the utilization of these energies to keep ourselves in mental, emotional and physical balance.

Real astrology is personal and speaks only to you by taking into account your exact date, time and place of birth as measured from your first breath. Even charts of twins will vary, because life never exactly repeats itself or creation would come to a dead stop.

Although the word is considered old-fashioned by some, there's nothing wrong with using the term "horoscope" to described your birth chart. Horoscope means "view of the hour, " and like navels everyone has one, including those people who view the incident of their birth as a completely coincidental and random event.

The basic philosophy of astrology is that your birth is planned. There is something called destiny, co-created by God and you. Although you might assume you didn't choose to be born in the 3rd dimensional world, you did from a standpoint of the soul. Your horoscope shows the Cosmic cards you have literally picked out for yourself.

How you play your cards is up to you. You can play them carelessly, or you play them well -- but for one reason or another, you have decided to be in the Game. The wise astrologer shows you how to understand the hand you have been dealt with without taking on the responsibility for your life. The astrologer will also explain the planetary energy behind the timing of your life so you can make the most of your available opportunities. In this way, you can make better choices and perhaps save yourself some hard time and grief.

One of the other prime uses of astrology is in connection with the basic psychology of children and recognizing in children, at an early age, a basis for later psychological difficulties. The horoscope is perhaps the best method to reveal these tendencies while the child is still in infancy. When parents know from the beginning where the seeds of difficulties lie in the child's life, early care and training might mitigate much later unhappiness.

For those of you who would sincerely like to explore the scientific basis of astrology -- and there's much evidence to pour over -- I recommend "The Case for Astrology" by John Anthony West -- a superb researcher with excellent scholastic credentials. In one study Dr. Andrews, an ear, nose and throat surgeon from Tallahassee, established that in a thousand cases of excessive post-operative hemorrhaging, 82 percent occurred between the first quarter of the moon and the day before the third quarter -- i.e., as the moon grew full. Also, bleeding ulcers seem to erupt most frequently at the full moon, and a crop of other physical crises have been shown to correspond to the moon's path. Why the body responds this way we don't exactly know, but it does seem to suggest that human beings do not have to be shot into outer space to be subjected to cosmic effects.

THE LANGUAGE OF ASTROLOGY

Think like a playwright!

Planets are like actors, roving delegates or representatives of each sign of the zodiac. The sun is your Inner King, the moon your Inner Queen, Mercury the go-between among all the planets, and so on. Each planet is a psychological archetype that says something about the inner you.

Signs indicate what role the planets will play and characterize the type of activity. A planet in Aries will play a more forthright and aggressive role in your life. In Taurus, a more earthly and laid-back role, and so on.

Houses represent the stage upon which the planets will act out their parts as your life unfolds. Each one of the twelve houses is associated with a different stage area of your life, such as your financial values (2nd house), relationships (7th house), or friendships (11th house), yielding revealing information about future life events. Cusps in western astrology are the boundary lines between two houses.

Aspects indicate how far one planet is from another, measured in degrees of a circle, and they tell us whether your life-lessons, as symbolically represented by the angle of these two planets, will be easy or difficult to learn. The pattern of aspects in your horoscope indicates your 'internal wiring,' the way you are predisposed to react to the events of life either in a positive or negative manner. In western tropical astrology, the distinct nature and personality of the seven primary planetary aspects is somewhat like the relationship between two people:

Conjunction (planets within about 10-degrees of each other): a meeting.

Semi-sextile (planets about 30-degrees apart): a liking.

Sextile (60-degrees apart): beginning our friendship.

Square (90-degrees apart): the test of friendship.

Trine (120-degrees apart): friendship triumphant.

Quincunx or Inconjunct (150-degrees apart):
friendship's sorrow shared.

Opposition (180-degrees apart): friendship into marriage--or a parting of the ways.

Every horoscope has its own individual mixture of the above influences and will indicate the attitudes and conditioning you are working with this lifetime. Even without knowing your time of birth there is still a great deal of information available to you.

People go to an astrologer for the same reasons they consult with any type of advisor, consultant, or professional: they are looking for an objective view of their life from an outside but interested observer.

Welcome to My World of Astrology ... The Cosmic Palette...

haizen@haizen.com