How Astrology Works
The Art of Astrology is based upon the idea that there is a correspondence between what is going on with the position of the planets and the character of the individual born at that same moment in time. The foundation for this thought is the basic idea that the universe and all of it's constituent parts are not separate entities but are all intrinsically related to each other in a unified whole. What happens in the very large, macrocosm or planets also happens at the same time in the very small, microcosm or human being.
It is not so much that the planets affect the individual as people generally believe astrology says, although undoubtedly the Sun and Moon do. It is more that the planets position and the individuals nature are both a reflection and expression of the same universal force acting upon them. When the system is therefore understood, what can be seen by the position of the planets will also tell us something of the nature of the individual born under this same moment. A simple analogy to this is how we use clocks to tell the time. Once we can read the time on a clock we can know many things about what is likely to be happening in the world at that moment without having to actually witness it.
Related Suggestions for "How Astrology Works":
❂ Imagine tapping into your inner powers and having nothing but enlightenment and bliss start to pour from your full being:
❂ Imagine experiencing higher levels of self-consciousness, now finally having a "direct-shortcut" so quickly aligning with our higher-selves.
❂ Finally unlocking the door to welcoming in an abundance of love, health, and wealth we've always dreamed for ourselves in this lifetime.
Note: At the outset, these musings are intended for those who "believe" in Astrology, i.e. have studied it or can see that there is something very real going on. If you are not one of those people, you can stop reading right now as the purpose of this document is not to try and change your beliefs.
An Introduction to How Astrology Works
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| Solar Return in Astrology |
The full art of astrology involves a number of different essential components. It requires the time and place an event took place, which is most commonly the birth of a person. At the time of this event, Astrology then looks at the position of The Planets in the sky, the Signs, the Houses, and the Aspects (or Links) between the planets.
The first component used by Astrology is The Planets. There are ten commonly accepted planetary bodies in all, with some new ones still being debated by astrologers. These are The Sun, The Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The Earth is also a fundamental part of Astrology in that it is used to work out the rising sign and houses which we will discuss later.
In Astrological thought the planets are not there by coincidence or through pure chance but are there according to the fundamental design and meaning of the universe. Each planetary body represents a particular energy in the world, indeed some would call this an Angelic force. This is backed up by many years of observation, literature, Mythology and indeed words in common use in our language.
For example Mars was always known as the God of war and strength and battle. People would invoke this God to inspire them to victory. The red color of the planet epitomized energy and sexuality and drive. We derive words like martial from it, which carries the association of war, discipline and a military order. Mercury on the other hand in Roman mythology was known as the communicator and trickster because he could move so much faster than everyone else. He is often depicted with wings on his feet. Mercury was the messenger of the Gods. In our world Mercury is the quickest planet to orbit the Sun. The metal is used for telling the temperature since it is so quick and receptive to change. This is also where we get the word mercurial meaning changeable from. It is also known by its other name Quicksilver which reinforces the idea of speed and change. Jupiter gave rise to words like Jovial. It is an enormous planet with many orbiting moons, much like a king or queen with its many subjects. It was always deemed in mythology as an expansive, charismatic, positive, lucky force. Indeed many times the earth has been saved from meteors, by Jupiter drawing them in and absorbing them on to its surface.
We understand that all the planets represent different ideas, but how does this relate to us as individuals? The universe is a whole and not separate as we have said, so, as the planets epitomize these energy forces so does the individual also have those forces within his or her nature. Some of us are larger than life and inspirational like Jupiter, others great communicators like Mercury and some great athletes and soldiers or even despots as epitomized by the Martian principle. Of course in reality we all possess each of these principles and the principles of all the other planets within ourselves, however they are found in varying degrees and as we will see next, in slightly different forms.
So if each of us have these same planetary forces within us so why are we all so different and why do we express these forces in different ways?
According to Astrology it is to do with where in the Zodiac the planets are to be found at the time of our birth. This brings us to the second of the areas used in the Art of astrology - The Signs.
The Planets move along a set path along the night sky with the stars as a distant background, since the stars are much further away than the planets. These groups of stars along the path the planets travel are composed of twelve equally sized sets of stars known as signs of the zodiac. The signs beginning from late March are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. They approximately although not exactly correspond with the named constellations in the sky. The Zodiac is the backdrop or canvas on which the planets are to be seen. For example Mars could have lay in the constellation of Aries at the time of someone's birth. Essentially this means that looking at Mars from the point of view of the earth, the backdrop of stars behind Mars would be those of the Aries part of the Zodiac. Similarly each of the planets would have a backdrop of stars to them at the time of someone's birth and each planet could lie in any one of the 12 Zodiacal signs. Conventional astrology just deals with which constellation the Sun lies in at your time of birth. I.e She's a Leo would mean the Sun at the time of her birth lay in front of the constellation of Leo. Although we wouldn't advise looking to see!
What do all the Zodiacal Signs mean? Just as the planets represent different forces, so the Zodiacal constellations are like a filter that color and influence those energies represented by a planet so they are expressed in a certain way.
For example Aries is the first sign of the Zodiac. It is to do with the season of spring and rebirth after the long dormant winter. New life is to be seen everywhere, there is finally hope after the barren period. Aries is essentially about new beginnings about vibrant free flowing energy, indeed it is the first of the fire signs. As the first sign of the Zodiac it is very much to do with innocence and childhood and a slight naivete. It is the beginning of an adventure. It expresses itself primarily through action. If we look however at say Cancer this is a different sign altogether. This is a water sign to do with family, the past, the home and nurturing family and it expresses itself primarily through feelings and emotion..
Now if we take the planet Mars that we mentioned above when describing the planets. This represents the force of personal energy or will, the ability to hold one's position and strive for what one wants in life. If we find Mars in Aries at the time of a person's birth, the flow of energy would be expressed through action. It would be dynamic and uninhibited as you would see in an army commander or an athlete or a person with a temper. If however we were to find Mars in Cancer the energy would be expressed in an emotional manner. It would be less obvious and more inhibited and the energy could manifest in an emotional outburst or emotional manipulation or it would possibly only surface if a friend or family member was threatened.
Each of the ten planets can lie in a different Zodiac sign. There are therefore a vast variety of different combinations. Given this fact and the link between the planetary positions and peoples characters one can see one of the main reasons why there would be so many different personalities inhabiting our planet. As an aside, Astrology does not believe personalities are formed solely with the growing process, it believes the fundamental makeup of a person is already there at birth just waiting to be expressed.
In addition to this astrology has the idea of Houses. This is the third area used in the Art of Astrology. We mentioned previously how the planetary energies are filtered by the sign they are in. The house position however adds to this by saying in what areas of life these energies will predominantly express themselves. The houses are numbered from one to twelve. The first house begins at the Ascendant which is the eastern horizon of the chart. The Ascendant's position depends on the person's location at the time of their birth. As one moves around the chart the house numbers go up until one reaches the twelfth and final house.
The first house and the Ascendant or rising sign are very much about the individual, their outlook on the world and their way or self expression, the fourth house the lowest point of the chart is related to a persons roots and family, opposite the Ascendant is the Descendant which is the beginning of the seventh house and is to do with the individual meeting and relating with others. The tenth house is to do with career and being out in the public eye. The twelfth house is to do with surrendering to the universality of all things. The journey around the houses is essentially a journey from self awakening of the individual, having their experiences in the world, to eventually contributing their experiences to the collective consciousness and the end of the individual self.
If we add the house area of a planet to the previous information we had, which was the planetary energies filtered by their sign, we now can say in which areas of life those energies will predominantly express themselves. It may be for example expressed in the area of the individual's personality or the family or the workplace or in relationships or many other arenas.
An example of the planet sign and house all working together is a person with say their Mars in Aries in the Seventh house. Uninhibited (Aries) energy (Mars) expressed via relationships (Seventh House). Sounds interesting!
The final area of astrology we shall mention are the connections between the planets. Certain planets are seen as connected with one another if the place they are found at is within a specified angle of another planet when the chart is drawn up as a circle. There are various possible connections between the planets such as a conjunction (next to each other), a trine (120 degrees from each other), a square (90 degrees from each other) and an opposition (180 degrees from each other). These are all symbolic numbers since the circle of 360 degrees is divided by one, two, three or four parts. The conjunction and Trine (the circle divisible by one and three) are considered easy and the Opposition and Square (the circle divisible by two and four) more difficult.
A conjunction of two planets would mean the two energies would express themselves in harmony and indivisible from each other. For example a person with Mars conjunct Mercury would have their personal energy inherently connected to their communicative abilities. They may well have a quick and witty tongue. A square of the same two planets would mean the planetary energies are connected but in a more challenging manner which would involve some kind of tension, perhaps the individual would have a very sharp and critical tongue. This is something they would need to work on during their lives.
As you can see taking all this information into account makes every chart unique, as we are of course ultimately unique as people, and adds to why the art of astrology is so challenging and fascinating.
Related Suggestions:
❂ Imagine tapping into your inner powers and having nothing but enlightenment and bliss start to pour from your full being:
❂ Imagine experiencing higher levels of self-consciousness, now finally having a "direct-shortcut" so quickly aligning with our higher-selves.
❂ Finally unlocking the door to welcoming in an abundance of love, health, and wealth we've always dreamed for ourselves in this lifetime.
How Astrology Works: Different opinions
Astrology is not a belief system. Astrology is a tool that can help you. Like html, astrology is a language you can choose to learn for yourself. Or you can see an astrologer when you need insight, in the same way you can hire someone to make you a website if you don't want to learn html.
Despite this, there are many disagreements about astrology. Different opinions and discord:
1. The Astrological Meme: How Astrology Works in the Current Day and Age
The signs as french fries, the signs as cat breeds, the signs as Game of Thrones characters… and so on. Astrology is blooming in the current day and age, astrologers amass literally millions of followers, daily and weekly (and monthly, as well as yearly and… maybe, decadely?) predictions flourish. Astrology spreads like a meme.
But it isn’t the first time when astrology gets popular – it’s obviously been around for thousands of years. And more recently, the New Age movement of the ‘60s came with a heaping helping of astrology. In the decades between the ‘60s and now, astrology was still there – but a bit more in the background. Then something happened in the last 5 years that’s given astrology the edge it has now.
Nowadays many people believe that the stigma attached to astrology, while it still exists, has receded – especially for young people. Generally, it became less acceptable to bash some things just because they’re not 100% rational.
One can say that astrology is perfectly suited for the internet age: there’s a low barrier of entry and nearly endless depth to plumb.
Different opinions and discord: It’s not scientifically proven...
Don’t forget that astrology is NOT actually a science – it’s more of a cultural and psychological phenomenon. But the system surely has its own kind of logic. Astrology ascribes meaning to the placement of celestial bodies within 12 sections of the sky. You probably know your sign even if you’re not an astrology expert – it’s based on where the sun was on your birthday, but the placement of the moon and each planet add some shades to the picture of your birth chart.
What astrology is supposed to do is give you information about what celestial bodies are doing and how it affects your sign. You can think of the planets as a party: some planets are dancing with each other, some are kissing each other, some arguing or even fighting. And the task of astrologers is to understand and explain what is going on.
...But people love it anyway
A small study by Graham Tyson in 1982 found that people who consult astrologers do it in response to some stressful events in their lives; particularly stress connected with the individual’s social roles and their relationships. So, some people use astrology as a coping device even though they often don’t believe in it under low-stress conditions.
According to some surveys, Americans have seen increased stress since 2010. The APA’s survey found that 63% of Americans said they were stressed about their country’s future. More and more people claim that reading news stresses them out. And if stress makes astrology look… well, nicer, it’s understandable that more people are drawn to it now.
Astrology offers to those under stress or in crisis the comfort of imagining a better future. Astrology tells you: it too shall pass.
Humans are narrative creatures and it’s natural for them to explain their lives by weaving together their past and present. And astrology does give one a pleasant orderly feeling because it allows one to slot random events and emotions into labeled shelves. Doesn’t saying something like “This day is so bad because my Mars is in Taurus” make life a bit easier? Even if you say it jokingly.
Astrology often basically tells you “Every little thing’s gonna be all right.” It is some kind of comforting magic to hold onto until you realize you can fly on your own.
Astrology is a paradox. It feels both cosmic and personal, spiritual and logical, real and unreal.
That so many people find astrology meaningful proves that something doesn’t have to be real to feel true. After all, don’t we all find truth in fiction?
Also See: Astrology vs Science
2. Astrology Seems to Work
An astrology chart is a picture of where the planets were, in the sky all around us, at the moment of our birth. It shows our traits, strengths and challenges based on these planetary positions (the sign & house), and also from how the planets were interacting with each other on that day (the aspects). Themes also tend to emerge when viewing a chart holistically.
Does our chart determine our character?
In ancient times people saw celestial phenomena as omens, since the planets were gods that could make things happen. Creating personal astrology charts for people started after man developed the skills for mapping the heavens in time and place. The earliest astrologers were essentially astronomers.There are two main systems being used today, western and Hindu/Vedic. Hindu astrology is thought to take a more fated view, our chart shows our fate, and the timing of fated events, and by changing one’s time of birth, one can change their luck or destiny.
But western astrology believes that people are free to create their own fate. It draws heavily from psychology with the signs and planets taking their attributes from Greek and Roman gods, which are essentially variations on universal archetypes. It’s a man made, and somewhat logical, system, and even if astrology doesn’t really work, the system reveals how humans tend to group personality attributes together to make characters, or archetypes, with different strengths and weaknesses – both human and divine. Western astrologers are more likely to see the birth chart as a map of potential, and a baby like a seed with the potential to grow into what’s shown in their chart.
But it seems to me that we take our birth at a time that reflects what we already are. For example everything born in nature comes when it’s supposed to, seeds sprout, baby animals are born, it just happens. So we too must come at the time that’s right for us, with our charts showing the traits and conditionings we bring with us into this lifetime. Our human nature. Our natural selves. A chart shows what feels normal to us, what we believe we can and can’t do easily, the eyes through which we look at and respond to, the world. It’s our programming you could say.
And then evolution, how we evolve through our lives, is a separate thing. What’s really interesting to me is how very different people can have the same chart. Actually a chicken and a person can have the same chart but the chicken’s personality will be limited by its chickenness. Do chickens choose to be nice or mean? Selfish or generous? I wonder. And maybe we too are limited by being human.
But humans are so interesting, and varied, and even more unpredictable because of free will. So a person can choose to express the qualities in their chart in a high or low way, or transcend them all together. Taurus the bull, some call this sign lazy because it likes to enjoy life, but it can also has the potential to work very hard. So an astrologer can’t really see how ordinary or evolved a person is from their chart, or the level at which they are expressing what’s there, since all the elements in a chart have both high and low forms of expression. Our charts show the expression itself, but not whether it’s evolved or devolved. And it doesn’t show a person’s spirit or soul.
What makes a chart easy or challenging?
Astrologers have a tendency to see charts as easy or difficult. A “difficult” chart is one that has many challenging aspects or planet-sign combinations that don’t fit together very well, thus showing a person faces challenges in expressing a particular quality, or energy, freely. There may be a lack of flow, or maybe they block their own flow. But it’s also these complexities that make a person more interesting, if they aren’t busy being awful that is… although, as mentioned, how awful they can be may not be obvious from their chart. A chart will just show the potential to be awful… or the potential, with a bit of luck and effort, to turn that awfulness into something really great. That we have the free will to choose is really fundamental to western astrology.And on the other hand, some people have very “easy” charts, with not many challenging aspects. Oh my perfect life – it’s so easy – and I’m so bored. Harmonious aspects show lines of least resistance, talents, things that come easily and naturally to someone. And it’s possible that a person may take such talents for granted, or choose not to use them because there’s no challenge involved. So in that way a chart with a lot of “difficult” aspects and tension can also show great potential for growth.
But it’s also true that having many difficult aspects can make a person overly complicated from all the turmoil they experience trying to work out who they are, and what they want to be. They get mixed messages. People with a lot of difficult aspects may find it difficult to take the easy route toward something. Maybe they prefer the challenge. But the less balanced a person is overall, the more likely that what’s in their chart will manifest in unpleasant ways, or be experienced as obstacles.
Maybe some astrologers feel they have to prove astrology works by looking at the chart and then describing the person to themselves. I feel it’s much more interesting to explore the meanings in a chart with the person themselves, if possible, because they bring so much more to it. It’s their chart after all…
Constructing the chart
In Western astrology the time of day we’re born is thought to influence our overall orientation because it shows which area of the sky, and chart, the Sun and other planets are in. Like our world has a horizon line where the sky meets the land, a chart has a line splitting it into light and dark areas of sky. All planets in the top half of the chart were in the light when the person was born, all under the horizon were in darkness. Depending on which planets are where, this can influence one’s overall, outward or inward, orientation.
Planets on the horizon line, as well as at the very top and bottom of a chart, are given more weight and significance. If a person is born around sunrise then the Sun in the chart (and in the sky) will be on the eastern horizon. This means their Sun is ‘rising,’ making them, theoretically, very sunny.
For those born around noon the Sun will be near the top of their chart, making them more an aspiring type with a desire to make their impact out in the world. Born around sunset? The Sun will then be setting in the chart inferring more of a focus on relationships and others. Born around midnight? Then the Sun would be near the bottom which indicates more focus on family, one’s roots and local community.
And like this all the planets are somewhere in a chart, which means something. If the birth time is accurate then the chart can be accurate in this way, and the interpretation more accurate also. In addition there are a whole variety of interesting techniques an astrologer can use when the a person’s birth time is accurate, many of which can’t be done otherwise.
The planets in a chart
In a chart there are 10 planets and each shows a different aspect of ourselves. The planets closest to the Sun and Earth — the Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars — relate more to us personally, whereas the slow moving and far away Uranus, Neptune and Pluto impact people more collectively, showing qualities shared with others in our generation because they spend years moving through each zodiac sign.The connections between the more personal planets in our chart with the collective, more generational ones, can also be telling, showing how we are in synch, or not, with the collective mood of our generation. Hindu astrology, being set up long before the discovery of these far away planets, doesn’t include them. Western astrology, however, adjusted itself to accommodate them. Some western astrologers like to experiment by exploring possible meanings for the newly discovered or minor planets, or other heavenly bodies, and how these might work in someone’s chart. But I don’t really do that because I think people are complicated enough just with the planets we are sure about. But I am able to extend a chart in that way with someone if that’s what they wish.
The planets most personal to us are:
Sun ~ how we act and behave. Our personality.
Moon ~ how we feel and behave in the home. Our nurturing self.
Mercury ~ how we communicate, think and create. Our attention.
Venus ~ how we love and compromise. Our heart.
Mars ~ how we assert and protect ourselves and others.
Jupiter and Saturn are inbetween planets. They sit between our personal planets and the collective, generational plants. People born around the same year or two will Jupiter and Saturn in the same sign. For that reason they can show qualities, or tendencies, we may share with our peers:
Jupiter ~ how we seek meaning in our lives and grow, also how we share higher meanings with others. How we grow philosophically.
Saturn ~ how we connect with the worldly-material reality and approach our duties and responsibilities in a physical world. How we judge and discipline ourselves and others.
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto move very slowly and reveal collective and generational qualities. Entire generations have these planets in the same signs:
Uranus ~ shows the nature of the analytical, progressive and scientific elements of our generation.
Neptune ~ shows the nature of the devotional and spiritual qualities of our generation.
Pluto ~ shows the nature of the collective capacity for cleansing and transformation.
How to read the planets according to their sign and house
Each planet in our chart falls in one of the 12 signs, according to the area of the zodiac it’s in when we are born. The sign shows how the energy of the planet expresses itself in the person.
A chart is also divided up into 12 sections, called houses, with each house showing a different area of the person’s life. Each planet will have qualities from the sign. Then the energy of that planet + sign combination will itself in the area of life shown by the house.
At the bottom of our chart is the 4th house which corresponds to our foundation, our roots, home and family life. At the top, the 10th, shows aspirations, public life and career. If a person’s Sun in Gemini is their 4th house, then family and home is where that energy will go naturally. If in the 10th then it’s more toward career. With 120 different planet + sign combinations and 1440 different planet + sign + house combinations, its like having a massive database of human tendencies.
Aspects – colouring the expression of each planet’s energy
Between each two planets is space which can be expressed as an angle, called the aspect. Aspects show how the expression of a planet’s energy will be modified, or colored, by the energy from another planet. Aspects show how easy it is for us to combine the energies of two or more planets and express the combination. The main aspects are:
Conjunction: 0 – 10 degrees apart. Planets next to each other like this are similar and so the energies tend to blend. If the Sun and Moon are together in the chart the energy of the Moon will color the Sun’s expression, and visa versa.
Square: 90 degrees apart – 1/4th of the circle. The two planets are likely to express themselves very differently, and so they tend to interfere with, and challenge, the expression of one another.
Trine: 120 degrees apart – 1/3rd of the circle. These energies are similar and compatible, they tend to agree and so support one another.
Opposition: 180 degrees apart – 1/2 of the circle. These planets usually fall in opposite signs of the zodiac. They will be different but complimentary. Tend to attract or repel.
Imagine a person has Mercury (communication) square Mars (self assertion) in their chart. This means there was about a 90 degrees angle between Mercury and Mars when they were born and that the expression of their Mars energy is likely to interfere, or get in the way of, their Mercury energy (or visa versa). So there is tension, or friction there, or an imbalance, when asserting themselves using communication. Perhaps they don’t feel comfortable giving orders or standing up for themselves, for example. Perhaps the tension colors their communication somehow, they come across as timid, or bossy, without realizing. This situation they can either live with, or learn from, thus achieving an even higher level of skill at bringing the two energies together if they work at it.
So squares are a bit like having two conflicting ways of doing things inside oneself, you either learn to moderate and manage the differences, or you fight all the time.Alternatively the harmonious aspects show which planets are supporting one another, resulting in strengths or talents that seem to come naturally. Having lots of harmonious aspects doesn’t mean life is perfect however (although it might be) because a lack of challenge sometimes also results in a lack of motivation, or so the theory goes… In reality most charts have a mix of harmonious and challenging aspects.
So a chart illustrates what we brought with us into this world, inclinations, strengths, challenges. It’s like the planets are musical notes we play while expressing our personalities.They interact with one another also creating new sounds like chords or themes which repeat themselves in different ways. So a chart is really like a piece of music we play and improvise on, and develop, as we go along. Does it make sense? Maybe not – but it works!
Related Suggestions:
❂ Imagine tapping into your inner powers and having nothing but enlightenment and bliss start to pour from your full being:
❂ Imagine experiencing higher levels of self-consciousness, now finally having a "direct-shortcut" so quickly aligning with our higher-selves.
❂ Finally unlocking the door to welcoming in an abundance of love, health, and wealth we've always dreamed for ourselves in this lifetime.
