Post by Allan on Aug 8, 2007 22:17:33 GMT -5
What IS Astrology?
By: Sandra Rozhon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Put simply, Astrology is the method by which a total stranger (the astrologer) may detect
how you tend to perceive the world, over time.
The signs, planets, and aspects combine to give an individual a filter through which he will
view his circumstances and react to them. The configuration of the natal chart is the base
from which we start our life and from which all further growth will spring.
The transits, eclipses, and progressions alter that base and present challenges to our
perception of the world and ourselves. The base never changes, but because of the
aforementioned events we CAN act differently than our natal chart would at first suggest. It
is the task of the astrologer to determine not only how we are prone to responding to the
world, but also how we are likely to respond at this moment in time.
Take a normally mild-mannered man who lets negativity slide off his back, for instance. He
was raised by a good and loving family and more importantly perceived it as such because he
was not born with Mars badly aspecting his Sun, Moon, or a planet ruling his 4th or 10th
house.
Let's say that at some point in his adult life, transiting Mars, Jupiter, and Pluto all
combine to create a Grand Cross when they aspect his natal Moon. Suddenly, we have a totally
different creature on our hands. His emotional base is being challenged in a most disturbing
way. He becomes angry, perhaps feels the urge to lash out and hit someone. People who meet
him during this period will see him as argumentative or touchy. They may think he's like
that all the time.
An astrologer, on the other hand, could look at his chart, see that natally he's not that
sort at all. The astrologer would look to whatever the outside force is and counsel the man
by interpreting what is happening to him. He might be told, for instance, that the upset to
his usual nature is being caused by a close friend, who he thought supported him but who was
now undermining his sense of emotional security. Natally, the man perceives the world as a
secure place. By transit, though, that security is being challenged. His growth will come
from meeting the challenge and coming to understand that just because you see life as safe
and secure, doesn't mean that it is always like that. It also means that you don't have to
go overboard in reacting to the changes.
The difficulty for the astrologer is in determining the degree to which a person is apt to
express various components of his personality. Every possible element of behavior is present
in all of us. Depending on our perception of the world (due to the filter provided by our
natal chart), those elements of behavior will be expressed somewhere along the spectrum,
from very little to extremely high. The astrologer will weigh various elements in the chart
to try to determine which behaviors will be stronger and which will be weaker.
Those unfamiliar with the basic tenets of Astrology may enjoy arguing the fact that a
horoscope's interpretation could apply to anyone, and in some ways that is true. Because we
all have each and every type of human behavior lurking within us, it would be easy to
respond favorably to being told that "you have a good sense of humor" or to grudgingly agree
that "you have a temper." Ah, but it's the matter of degree that counts! Let's look a
Capricorn woman who has her Moon also in that sign and squaring Saturn. Would she see
herself as having a good sense of humor? Probably. But would an Aquarius with the Moon in
Sagittarius think so? Definitely not. It's a matter of degree and perception.
It's the astrologer's delicate task to interpret that woman's chart and bring to light where
her perceptions lie. She needs to understand how her behavior is shaped by how she views
circumstances. The astrologer could point out that the Moon square Saturn suggests an early
sense of being emotionally mal- nurished. Was the mother older than usual at the moment of
birth (upwards from 28 years of age) and past the playfulness and spontaneity that a more
youthful mother may have shown? Or was she burdened by heavy responsibility that drew her
attention away from her baby and prevented her from developing a carefree and loving
relationship? Or was she, likewise, born with a Moon/Saturn aspect that inhibited the easy
flow of emotional warmth?
What astrology then can do is help an individual understand how circumstances and
perceptions have combined to form his behavior patterns. The individual can learn how it has
become habitual for him to react to incoming stimuli in certain ways. Despite what is
logical or normal,
He is going to initially react from his astrological base.
He is going to temper his reactions through the transits.
He is going to grow through his eclipses.
He is going to alter his habits through his progressions.
Astrology is not a parlor game. It is a useful and viable tool for helping you understand
who you are, why you are, and how you fit into the world.
By: Sandra Rozhon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Put simply, Astrology is the method by which a total stranger (the astrologer) may detect
how you tend to perceive the world, over time.
The signs, planets, and aspects combine to give an individual a filter through which he will
view his circumstances and react to them. The configuration of the natal chart is the base
from which we start our life and from which all further growth will spring.
The transits, eclipses, and progressions alter that base and present challenges to our
perception of the world and ourselves. The base never changes, but because of the
aforementioned events we CAN act differently than our natal chart would at first suggest. It
is the task of the astrologer to determine not only how we are prone to responding to the
world, but also how we are likely to respond at this moment in time.
Take a normally mild-mannered man who lets negativity slide off his back, for instance. He
was raised by a good and loving family and more importantly perceived it as such because he
was not born with Mars badly aspecting his Sun, Moon, or a planet ruling his 4th or 10th
house.
Let's say that at some point in his adult life, transiting Mars, Jupiter, and Pluto all
combine to create a Grand Cross when they aspect his natal Moon. Suddenly, we have a totally
different creature on our hands. His emotional base is being challenged in a most disturbing
way. He becomes angry, perhaps feels the urge to lash out and hit someone. People who meet
him during this period will see him as argumentative or touchy. They may think he's like
that all the time.
An astrologer, on the other hand, could look at his chart, see that natally he's not that
sort at all. The astrologer would look to whatever the outside force is and counsel the man
by interpreting what is happening to him. He might be told, for instance, that the upset to
his usual nature is being caused by a close friend, who he thought supported him but who was
now undermining his sense of emotional security. Natally, the man perceives the world as a
secure place. By transit, though, that security is being challenged. His growth will come
from meeting the challenge and coming to understand that just because you see life as safe
and secure, doesn't mean that it is always like that. It also means that you don't have to
go overboard in reacting to the changes.
The difficulty for the astrologer is in determining the degree to which a person is apt to
express various components of his personality. Every possible element of behavior is present
in all of us. Depending on our perception of the world (due to the filter provided by our
natal chart), those elements of behavior will be expressed somewhere along the spectrum,
from very little to extremely high. The astrologer will weigh various elements in the chart
to try to determine which behaviors will be stronger and which will be weaker.
Those unfamiliar with the basic tenets of Astrology may enjoy arguing the fact that a
horoscope's interpretation could apply to anyone, and in some ways that is true. Because we
all have each and every type of human behavior lurking within us, it would be easy to
respond favorably to being told that "you have a good sense of humor" or to grudgingly agree
that "you have a temper." Ah, but it's the matter of degree that counts! Let's look a
Capricorn woman who has her Moon also in that sign and squaring Saturn. Would she see
herself as having a good sense of humor? Probably. But would an Aquarius with the Moon in
Sagittarius think so? Definitely not. It's a matter of degree and perception.
It's the astrologer's delicate task to interpret that woman's chart and bring to light where
her perceptions lie. She needs to understand how her behavior is shaped by how she views
circumstances. The astrologer could point out that the Moon square Saturn suggests an early
sense of being emotionally mal- nurished. Was the mother older than usual at the moment of
birth (upwards from 28 years of age) and past the playfulness and spontaneity that a more
youthful mother may have shown? Or was she burdened by heavy responsibility that drew her
attention away from her baby and prevented her from developing a carefree and loving
relationship? Or was she, likewise, born with a Moon/Saturn aspect that inhibited the easy
flow of emotional warmth?
What astrology then can do is help an individual understand how circumstances and
perceptions have combined to form his behavior patterns. The individual can learn how it has
become habitual for him to react to incoming stimuli in certain ways. Despite what is
logical or normal,
He is going to initially react from his astrological base.
He is going to temper his reactions through the transits.
He is going to grow through his eclipses.
He is going to alter his habits through his progressions.
Astrology is not a parlor game. It is a useful and viable tool for helping you understand
who you are, why you are, and how you fit into the world.