Does Astrology Really Work? Does it Help Guide Us?
Does astrology work? This is the million-dollar question that everyone wants to know the answer to! It is also a challenging question to answer, but as an astrologer, it is important to try. Astrologers who have used techniques that date back centuries to make predictions have an obligation to discuss the functions of astrology as well as its role as a true science. It is also imperative that we don’t try to convince those who don’t believe, but simply make a case for this school of thought and how it can impact your life.
Many people write astrology off as a silly notion that has no grounding in fact or science, but those who are open-minded enough to try using astrology will be rewarded with wisdom that our ancestors discovered centuries ago. Astrology is also continuing to evolve, just like all kinds of sciences and psychological thought, so it is important that we see it not as a static study but rather something that is better understood the more we use it.
If you think that astrology is not for you then that’s fine! But if you want to know more about yourself as a person then astrology can help you to take control of your life and provide you with the tools to make progress and guard against misfortune.
Astrology at a glance:
The reason that many people doubt astrology is because they don’t fully understand it. You may have seen pictures of natal astrology charts or compatibility data that will show you the peaks and pitfalls of a potential relationship, but this is easy to dismiss if you don’t know how it works.
Actually, rather than being ‘open to interpretation’, astrology has a series of set rules and formulas that astrologers use to make accurate predictions. Astrology uses quite rigid techniques to make predictions that are linked to the meaning of the signs, houses, planets, aspects, rulership, nature of each planet, meaning of houses when they are in signs, and the meaning of planets when they are in signs.
The problem with modern-day astrology:
One of the biggest problems that modern-day astrologers face is that astrology has sadly been so corrupted in recent times. All you have to do is open a magazine or newspaper to see why. Short, daily horoscopes based on a single zodiac sign are not worth the paper they are printed on and they are completely meaningless. They only exist for entertainment value which unfortunately cheapens real astrology and makes people skeptical.
A natal chart is extremely complex and needs firm data for an astrologer to interpret it. This means the individual’s birth date, time of birth, and place of birth. The idea that a natal chart is only based on the sign the Sun was in when you were born is absolutely flawed and tells us almost nothing about the individual in question. That is why media horoscopes based on just a Sun sign are completely hit-and-miss. And nine times out of 10, are a complete miss. After all, how can everyone born under the sign of, for example, Capricorn, have the same issues, struggles, and triumphs? This is one of the questions that skeptics ask and they are right. But that is not how astrologers make predictions. We look at the entire natal chart including all the houses, signs, planets, aspects, and so on which are as individual as a thumbprint.
The reason that junk astrology in magazines and newspapers exists is because it is quick, cheap entertainment and doesn’t require any skill. On the other hand it takes years of study to accurately read a natal chart and make predictions. If you really want to understand astrology then you will need to learn all the different meanings of all the planets, signs, houses etc and this takes a lot of time and an ability to memorize each different formula. There are strict rules in astrology that you need to follow and this means that you need to study over a long period of time and be disciplined as you do so.
A common misconception about astrology:
There are so many ways that people complain about astrology and claim it can’t be true!
One of the biggest issues people have with astrology is the concept that because of the precession of the equinoxes, the planets don’t line up with the constellations anymore, so the Sun in Aries for example, has actually already moved out of that constellation. This is both completely true and completely false. First up, it’s true that because of the equinoxes the constellations don’t match up to the planets, but that is not how astrology works! No astrologer looks up at the constellations and makes predictions by looking at the stars that make up the sign of Aries. Astrology, and a sign like Aries, is based on the cycle of the seasons and patterns that repeat themselves. To take Aries as an example again, this sign is linked to the spring equinox, not the constellation in the sky.
What are the five kinds of astrology?
Once you start to understand astrology you see that it has four different functions.
- It can be used to look at the character of an individual, their personality, what motivates them in life, and their general behavior.
- It is used to look at the past and then analyze the present based on the position of the planets in the present day and how they affect the planets in a natal chart. This involves using transits, progressions, and other aspects.
- Sometimes it is used to compare two charts to analyze a relationship between two people to assess for compatibility and to show where they may be areas of tension and how the relationship can be improved through understanding the different planets at work across both charts. And please note: I’m a Capricorn married to a Gemini for 38 years now! If you look that compatibility up without taking both charts & reading them, I’d have missed out on a wonderful human being! It takes so MUCH more than a simple sun sign!
- Lastly, we have what is known as ‘mundane astrology’ which is a bit of a misleading term as it makes it sound dull and uninteresting when actually this is one of the most fascinating functions of astrology. Mundane astrology is used to make predictions about issues on a global scale such as natural disasters, assassinations of famous figures, wars, inventions, and large world events like elections.
- Financial Astrology, comparing the NYSE chart & individual company charts in order to assure the company is something one would want to get involved in. Many technics go into this! After all, it was JP Morgan that stated millionaires do not hire astrologers, billionaires do!
Now let’s look at how these different kinds of astrology are usually received...
- The first one is the easiest for skeptics to believe as they have to admit that an assessment of their character and behavior in a natal chart is accurate even if the astrologer has never met them before.
- The second kind of astrology is often far more difficult to believe as skeptics can’t grasp that the planets now can have an impact on a natal chart. With the first kind of astrology they can believe that certain traits are given to a person due to the sign at the time of their birth, but the fact that the past is linked to the present is unbelievable for some. For this reason some astrologers don’t even make these kinds of forecasts.
- Compatibility charts are often met with a lot of skepticism, often because people don’t like the results. After all, if you accept that a chart can accurately predict your personality (and you see evidence of this when a talented astrology reads your chart perfectly) then why wouldn’t you believe that putting two charts together can also tell you how two personalities will mesh?
- Mundane astrology is usually the one form of astrology that even people who believe in astrology to some extent write off as junk science. It is true that looking at global events using astrology is difficult as there are a huge number of variables that astrologers need to take into account and if they fail to do so then it can skew events. This doesn’t mean that mundane astrology doesn’t work. A great example of this would be the US Election of 2016, as many astrologers predicted that Hilary Clinton would win. When she lost many astrologers couldn’t work out what had gone wrong, no one had her correct birth time, they were all guessing her correct birth time. And, let’s face it, a lot of Astrologers are liberals. I’m not. Mars was still in Capricorn, I noted this in one of my blogs.
Mars was still in Capricorn, not Aquarius, read on them! Very different signs indeed! Also, note: When Nostradamus stated, Hilary, will have two losses to a male, Bingo!
How long does it take to learn astrology?
Often people want to know how long it will take to learn astrology. The honest answer is many years, it takes an astrologer who looks at many charts, & is always willing to learn every day.
Having a proficient astrologer is worth their weight in gold!
Within a year of study you can understand all the basics of astrology and in a couple years you can make accurate interpretations. There is a pattern! After 15 years it will be much easier to make predictions without needing to do huge amounts of additional research. After 30 years you will still need to keep honing your skills. The biggest problem when you start to learn astrology is that you can tend to focus on a hundred different variables for each individual, but over time you can see each meaning more clearly and block out any distracting details that are not relevant. One you get to this point it is almost impossible to be skeptical, as you can clearly see that astrology works.
Many people worry that in order to believe in astrology they also have to have a spiritual faith. This is not true. Astrology is not a religion and it is not a moral code that you need to live your life by. It is a tool that you can use to better understand your own self and others around you. It can also be used to understand the world and make forecasts about the future.
Can astrology predict favorable and unfavorable time periods?
One of the ways that we can see how astrology works is to look at a period of time and then look at the interactions of the planets and all the influences. It is important to note however that not all of these are of equal importance and it is very easy for an astrologer to get lost in insignificant events. That said, strong events influenced by the planets are very clear to see even if they do not exactly happen in the way we imagine they will. Still, anyone with a good grasp of astrology will be able to accurately predict these large events.
It is, of course, much harder to make predictions about smaller events as the data is not as easy to read and astrologers may have to thread several different aspects or influences together to make a prediction. We always notice big events.
What about free will?
This is an excellent question and one that should not be dismissed. One of the issues facing astrologers is that astrology is not destiny! We all have our own free will which will influence our behavior and the things that happen to us in our lives. One great example of this is when an astrologer can see a really lucky or favorable aspect for an individual and pinpoint it to an exact day. They may say ‘this is the luckiest day of the month’ as the aspects are favorable and this may be the best time to get a job offer or other kind of good news. If the person stays at home however and does nothing then this prediction is unlikely to come true. Then the individual will say that the astrology was flawed, but if they had interviewed for a new job or asked for a promotion then it would have been a different story.
Astrologers are also at risk of making inaccurate predictions from an astrology chart if they fail to understand free will and how it means that an individual will change, learn, and grow in their life. An example of this may be someone who has markers for addiction in their natal chart. They may suffer from addiction issues and then seek help. As a result they never drink or take drugs again. This means that their chart was right about underlying issues but not that they will follow addictive behaviors for the rest of their life. This is their free will and their ability to change.
An example of a predictive astrology reading:
One example of how predictive astrology works could be as follows...
There is a case of Uranus square with natal Mars in an individual’s natal chart. These are two live-wire planets and when they are square to each other this is considered a difficult aspect and there can be flared tempers and conflict. Depending on the rest of the natal chart, this transit may be at odds with the nature of the person and they will experience great hardship when it comes to finance linked to career as well as their friends. (depending on what houses they are in, & what sign) If we look at the natal chart and see that Uranus and Mars are making a less desirable aspect to one another, this will mean that the person will feel this clash of the planets strongly.
If however Uranus and Mars are making a favorable aspect in the person’s natal chart then the effect will be lessened and will not impact the individual, it takes a chart as a whole!. Through this example we can see how astrology works accurately depending on how aspects affect the natal chart.
How do you assess synastry?
Synastry is the study of compatibility between two people. This may sound difficult but there are actually clear rules that astrologers follow to make sure predictions are accurate.
In order to do this an astrologer will look at three charts. One natal chart of each member of the couple and a shared chart which relates to their relationship. These three charts are then taken together and compared. The results however also need careful assessment.
Just because the charts indicate wonderful compatibility it doesn’t mean that two people will fall in love as this comes down to other factors like free will and astrology can’t predict love between two people, only that they are a potentially good match. As such, we can only use synastry accurately for two people already in a relationship and even then only to show potential pitfalls and triumphs, as these are also dependent on how the couple handles them. As such, astrology can be very accurate when it comes to assessing compatibility but then it is in the hands of the individuals concerned.
Is Mundane Astrology Accurate?
The short answer to this is yes and no depending on the data available. The more data you have and the narrower the frame of reference of the situation, the easier it becomes to make a prediction.
One of the big issues is lack of data. One example could be if you are trying to make a prediction about the prospects for a business. In order to do this accurately you will need the data of when the business started to draw up a chart.
Still, we can make accurate predictions using mundane astrology if we have clear data such as the first time a country was founded or the concrete time of an election. As such, it is really a case by case basis depending on the information available. We have to have times, dates, country, ect…for any astrology to work.
Conclusions:
It is of course up to each person to decide if they believe in astrology based on the evidence they can see with their own eyes. It is also helpful to realize that astrology is part of a wider whole and goes along with lots of other aspects of life like free will, spirituality, and any other personal beliefs.
For many people however, astrology has proven itself to be correct time and time again and as a result it can offer comfort and guidance to those who believe in it. This is the reason, after all, why astrology has endured as a school of thought for centuries. If you understand how it works then you will see that there is no trickery or fraud in true astrology.
Astrology is a science like any other that we are still trying to hone and understand, and the vast majority of astrologers will never use astrology with any negative intentions.
Warm wishes, Bree
Sign up for my Free News-Letter & become a part of my community! Also, if this is the 1st time you've signed up for my free newsletters, receive 10% off your 1st consult/reading from Bree! Please be sure to put in notes you are a 1st-time subscriber to ensure your 10% discount!
Spiritual Design Astrology by Bree
To email Bree: bree@spiritualdesignastrology.com
Please take a moment & sign up for my highlights, you'll find the sign-up on the right sidebar of this post, you'll be the 1st to receive my newsletters, & you will receive 10% off your 1st consultation with Bree! (email Bree letting her know you signed up, & she will send you the special link to receive 10% off your 1st consultation.)
Let me know what you thought of the post, scroll down & leave a comment to share, emails are NEVER shared with anyone!
0 Comments