Astrology's
value is as a tool of self-awareness that permits meaningful and
practical improvements in one's life.
It assumes a person has free
will and rejects the erroneous notion of fatalism and superstition. A
human can choose.
Your thoughts and behavior are
the keys to what you are. You create yourself with your choices.
To mature emotionally and
spiritually, you must recognize objectively your own character.
Astrology will give you that recognition and self-knowledge.
The horoscope, in the form of
symbols, allows you to see your soul; this gives you insight into what
must be adjusted.
Self-knowledge and wise choices
permit us to make meaningful changes that lead us to being pleased with
ourselves.
In practice, Astrology is not
difficult. It is a rational discipline based on observation, memory,
and deduction. In the course of time, Astrology becomes a lifestyle.
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Frequently Asked
Questions
What can my Horoscope reveal?
Astrology provides an objective insight into your character and destiny.
Studied in conjunction with your family background and education, it reveals
how strongly you are attracted or pushed by situations or people that prompt
you to act. It presents the possibilities that are likely to be forthcoming
based on the choices you make.
The horoscope may be compared to a mirror; it reflects what you are,
body and soul. For example, when you want to see your face, you require a
mirror because your eyes cannot objectify your face. Although you see with
your eyes, you still require a mirror. Similarly, when you interpret the
horoscope, it is with your intellect alone that you understand, but you still
require the mirror in the form of symbols in the horoscope.
With the mirror of the horoscope, you see yourself objectively and
when you are able to see yourself objectively, you can learn and mature, not
only intellectually, but emotionally too. Emotional maturity is required not
only for knowledge of the self, but also to be happy andsuccessful in day to
day living.
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Astrology's Usefulness as an aid to Living
At the onset, it should be said that Astrology is not for someone who
is superstitious. The value for its practitioner is as a guideline
for living. It is an adjunct that complements your judgment - No
more. If not used in this fashion, it will rule you and not you
it; and that is a sad and silly predicament. While foresight is
necessary in order to survive, we also must not be afraid to live life.
Someone once asked a great wise
man to teach him the wisdom of the world while standing on one leg and the
teacher obliged. He said to the inquirer, "Do not do to
another person what you would not have done to you. That is the
teaching in its entirety, everything else is commentary. Now, go
and learn."
For us as students
of human nature who use Astrology as a tool to gain insight into the human
condition, our book is the glorious Archetype, that is the
twelve signs of the Zodiac taken as a unit. If we know how it
should be understood and how it is to be used, we have in it our guideline
for living and a deep insight into the statement the great wise man uttered
to the inquirer.
In the Archetype, if we know how
to read it, we have the answers to the causes and effects of human
behavior. If we understand the Archetype, we understand the laws
of nature and as it has been often said, if we understand the laws of nature,
we understand the human soul, for the two are synonymous...
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Astrology provides a framework for the human will.
Astrology provides a framework for the human will to operate. Unlike the
animal that behaves solely and predictably through an inborn program called
instinct, the human being also possesses the (most highly developed) faculty
of choice.
As the human being is a unique fusion of instinct and choice, he or
she requires guidelines for action. A person cannot be guided solely by their
own selfish likes and dislikes, by the principle "The end justifies the
means". We must take the needs and feelings of others into account. For
the astrologer, this daily conflict is eased and resolved through guidance
given by the Archetype.
The Archetype,
is the special name given to the 12 signs of the Zodiac viewed as a unit. Its
understanding provides an organized system of values which are key to guiding our daily and spiritual life. The Archetype
represents a universal set of standards or norms of conduct based on the way
a person wants to be treated by others. It literally is a visual expression
of and expansion upon the Golden Rule.
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Can Astrology predict the future?
The chart shows the possibilities forthcoming for the entire lifetime. When
you look to a chart, you can see not only the future, but also the past and
the present. As behavior is based on habit which means to a great extent, it
is constant and predictable, the astrologer can discuss both the past and the
present and so to a great degree, can speculate on someone's future based on the
person's disposition, life preparation, efforts, AND cultural background.
This latter factor of a person's cultural, social, or religious
background is especially important as it conditions to a great extent
possibilities available to an individual. The old maxim is, "The
opportunities available to the child of a king are different than those to a
child of a poor man".
This notwithstanding, when a person is provided
with foreknowledge of events, they can by the use of will, easily avoid many of life's incidents. It's
also the case many things happen that don't fall within the scope of a
person's control and even with knowledge of a future event, the event cannot
be avoided. This does not mean that one is helpless and cannot do anything.
With foreknowledge, the person can prepare emotionally and mentally to meet
the anticipated event with equipoise so as not to become deliriously happy or
inconsolably sad.
What should be
emphasized about all forecasting is that it is a speculation, that is, it is
an educated guess based on the skill and experience of the astrologer. To
protect both the client and the astrologer, future events should be discussed
only as generalities, and not as something very specific and in great detail.
To be able to do so requires that the astrologer be divinely inspired.
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What does a Horoscope look like? What do I need
to erect mine?
A horoscope or chart looks like a pie that has been cut into wedge-shaped
slices. It is a "map" of the sky showing the position of the
various planets at the moment of your birth.
Before the introduction of personal computers, setting up a chart
required the use of specialized tables and some computation. These tables
give the position of the planets and other relevant information which are
then entered onto a chart form.
Unless you happen to be so inclined to use this approach, the easy
availability of PC-based Astrology programs makes casting a horoscope a
trivial concern. To erect yours, you must know your birth date, birth time
(as exact as possible), and birthplace. Entering your data instantly
generates a copy of the chart. (If you would like to calculate yours now for
free, CLICK HERE. Our compliments.)
What turns the chart from a simple
diagram representing the sky into a means of knowledge is the assignment of
meaning to each of the symbols found on the chart. Learning the general
meaning of the symbols is the starting point and basis for interpretation.
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Okay, but what is Astrology?
Astrology is an ancient tradition which states that the character and destiny
of a human being is influenced by the position of the stars at the moment of
birth. Its roots and practice have influenced almost every culture from
antiquity until today, and it has been used throughout its long history by
different peoples for every imaginable purpose.
Astrology's most constructive contemporary expression is as a
discipline freed of superstition and fatalism and based on free will. While
it declares that the stars do influence our life, it also acknowledges that
the stars are not the sole cause of human behavior.
Over 2000 years ago, Aristotle was credited with the famous maxim, " Man and the stars generate man," which means
that the influence of the sky is received and conditioned by the person's
place in society. Circumstantial factors like culture, religion, education,
age, and gender also affect the individual's behavior and possibilities in
life. Thus, both the stars and the human being's worldly circumstance
cooperate in the development of human life. This must never be forgotten. As
the old adage goes, "The opportunities forthcoming to the child of a
rich person are different than those of a child born into poverty."
Astrology's
immediate value lies in enabling us to orient and order our lives. It
encourages the growth of emotional maturity and guides us towards the
satisfaction of a cheerful and peaceful mind amid the turbulence of an active
life. Pragmatically, it offers an objective view of ourselves and teaches a
rational approach for managing our daily affairs. Astrology's practice in due
time becomes a way of life.
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Is Astrology easy to learn?
Learning Astrology may be compared to what would be required to learn any
discipline. A lot depends on a person's natural inclination and disposition
and a lot depends also on the teacher's ability to unfold the tradition. If a
person's interest is sincere and the individual actively participates by
going out and testing what the teacher tells, then progress will be in
keeping with the student's efforts.
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What is meant by Interpretation?
Interpretation means to give meaning to something. To interpret necessitates
that you have an understanding of general principles and that you also have
the ability to apply the principles to a particular instance. The latter is
more difficult, requiring both skill and experience.
To interpret a
horoscope means to be able to discuss the character and actions of a person
based on your ability to artfully combine the various different components in
the chart. This skill requires three things. First, you must have a general
feeling for each of the signs, planets, and houses; second, you must know and
be able to apply the basic rules for combining the former; and lastly, you
must practice regularly to accumulate experience. This approach is the only
reliable way to steadily improve your interpretation skills.
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The Practice of Astrology from a Practical Viewpoint
Astrology is an empirically-based discipline that depends on the same basic
skills required for learning any profession. As a process, its practice
depends on three things: careful observation, a good memory with an ability
to recall accurately past experiences, and conjecture, that is, the ability
to make an educated guess based on experience.
What sets Astrology apart from other disciplines based on modern
science (at least in the western world) are peoples' perceptions of
Astrology. Astrology explicitly states that we are much greater than the skin
that separates us from the physical world we experience through our senses.
Astrology declares that the stars are within us, that what is on the
outside is also on the inside, that one is a mirror image of the other, and
to know one is to know the other. The Kabbalah, the
ancient mystic tradition of the Hebrews reveals that when a human being dies,
a whole universe perishes.
Modern science has brought forward many incredible things to the
betterment of our daily lives that people of times past could never have
imagined, but modern science has also made humans feel like a grain of sand
among billions on a beach. Each human being is much more and our ability to
get a glimpse of another and more intrinsically satisfying view of ourselves
is possible with the study of Astrology.
If this is your first experience with Astrology, you should keep in
mind the following: Be practical and have a healthy skepticism; don't be a
blind believer. Skepticism properly used is the basis for knowledge that
cannot be contradicted. If you study something, you need a teacher and when it
comes to what a teacher says, remember the teacher's primary task: The job of
the teacher is not to have you believe what he or she says; the job of the
teacher is to be understood.
The teacher must deliver the message in a clear and simple way. The student's
job is to go out and to test and verify what the teacher has stated. If what
the teacher says makes sense, keep the knowledge, if not, reject it. That is
the person's responsibility to himself or herself. Therefore, a student
should have confidence in what the teacher says but should not depend on the
teacher. The result of the teaching must allow the person to stand on their own...
Skill and proficiency come with experience. What separates the
seasoned practitioner from the novice in any profession is experience with an
ability to judge based on all the past experiences remembered. If we want to
be very pragmatic, we can say people pay you for your judgment based on what
you have learned from your experiences. People want the wisdom of your experience.
This applies to every job or profession, including Astrology.
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