Astrology

For thousands of years, human beings have been looking up at the patterns of the stars in the sky and using the cycles of the moon to try and make sense of the world. There is evidence of this as far back as the 3rd Millenium BCE. Developing in different cultures, and over many centuries, this practice grew into more sophisticated systems of observing, measuring, and attributing correlations and meanings to these observations, and became the 'Astrology' that we talk of today.

Many people are sceptical about the value of Astrology, but it has nevertheless remained part of our lives, one way or another, for a very long time - most of us are aware of our 'star-sign', without even questioning why.

Within the realm of Contemporary Astrology, there are many different systems and subject areas; but much of the emphasis involves gaining insight into our personality traits and patterns of behaviour, based on the birth chart (or 'natal' chart). Using Astrology as an aid to psychological understanding and self-development is much more 'up my street' than thinking of it as a means of predicting events - and although it may seem illogical that the influence of planets can affect our personalities, I have always found it uncannily accurate in this respect. It is impossible to 'prove', but we know that there are many things in science and nature that we don't yet fully understand, and that everything in the universe is 'energetically' connected - so why not choose to keep an open mind? Looking at a birth chart can give us a different, more objective understanding of ourselves (and others), remind us of the bigger picture, and perhaps trigger new 'internal' conversations, questions, thought processes, and sometimes even revelations.

An astrological birth chart shows the 12 zodiac signs around the edge of the circle (known as the ecliptic, where these constellations are seen in the sky). The chart is also divided into 12 sections, known as ‘houses’. Within these signs and houses the positions of the planets at the time and place of birth are shown. Certain spatial relationships between the planets, known as ‘aspects’ are yet another layer of symbolic information to work with.

Planets represent different facets of our personalities; the Signs they are in represent how this energy will be expressed; the Houses represent where in our lives this energy is going to be most visible; and the Aspects represent the internal 'dialogue' between these different and sometimes conflicting psychological/emotional dynamics.

The above is just an introduction. I haven't yet mentioned the Ascendent, Midheaven, Elements, Triplicities, Quadrants, or the Moon's Nodes, for example. Astrology is a deep and many-layered subject, with infinite possibilities to explore! I will be writing/creating further insights - subscribe to my newsletter for updates.

Further information on the planets can be read in the 'Explanation of Symbolism' pages of my story 'Digging for Treasure' HERE.

Sources of information on chart interpretation, and where you can obtain your own birth chart (free of charge) are listed on the Resources page.