“Astrology is something to know about, not something to believe in” Noel Tyl
In a weather forecast the meteorologist looks at the temperature, wind, sea level, dew point, sky cover and air pressure. She’s got a thermometer, radar and dopplar to aid her prediction. Most times she is right, but on occasion she is wrong.
Astrology is much the same. The Astrologer takes the movement of planets, stars, location, time of birth (for a person, country, event, entity) and is able to put it together to make predictions. Not predictions like ‘you WILL do this or that’, but predictions that let you know what energies will be at play in your life and at a given time.
We know that the moon for instance has an effect on the tides. Ask any doctor or nurse about the moons effects on pregnancies, surgeries, emotional states and you will hear story after story. Recently we have been learning more about the Sun. The strength of the Sun via solar flare can knock out or disrupt technology… And so we now have space weather.
This is all that astrology is… Space weather!
Though Astrology has had a hard time gaining legitimacy (at least in the West), attempts have been made. William Lilly wrote the book Christian Astrology in 1647, perhaps naming it that way and presenting it to the house of Parliament to gain it’s respect. Regardless of it’s struggles, it has always had an allure. Throughout history, legitimate or not Kings, Queens (Queen Elizabeth I), Politicians (Adolf Hitler and Ronald Regan) and business men (J.P. Morgan) have used astrology to aid their counsel.
What does astrology have to offer? Well each planet has an energy pattern that has an impact on the earth and everything in it; People, Cities, Events, Politics, Business. The astrologer takes all of these energies and looks at location, aspect between planets, time, space. Like the weatherperson, she has her tools, charts etc to make a report.
In the days of William Lilly and John Dee (Queen Elizabeth I’s astrologer), you needed to be a mathematician. The protractor and hand drawn charts were only replaced by computers in the last 25 years. With technology astrology has become very precise and room for human error has been reduced. In 1973 the first computer generated ephemeris was produced and there after came computer programs that produced birth charts. And though the astrologer makes predictions and may be off (just as the weather woman may be off) The mystery is gone. And so too is room for the terrible astrologer or worse yet, the charlatan that Sir William Lilly so worried about. This is because everyone can be informed and learn about their astrology and what is going on in their own ‘weather report’
We all have a purpose and we all have lessons in life… and in the end, we all have free will. Knowing what challenges and opportunities are presented in your birth chart can help you to deeply understand yourself. Knowing what transits (the planets currently in the sky) are making a contact to your natal chart, can help you to understand what energies are at play and help you to make better choices. We can chose to carry an umbrella with us for the times when it will be stormy. Pack our car with a safety kit, when we know we’ll be in for a long journey or when to do our hair, put on our make-up and ‘our best’ because we have an opportunity blowing through that if we are not ready for, we could loose out. These are all ways in which knowing your astrological weather report can help you navigate life.
Here is a list of what you can expect from each planet:
The Sun – the Sun is the light of being. It illuminates the personality, the ego.
Moon – emotions and effect on emotions. During a lunar eclipse the earth blocks the light of the sun and disturbs the energy pattern of the moon on the earth. This is why lunar eclipse often trigger events, births, deaths, earth quakes, salient events.
Mercury – I think of mercury as quick movement between two bodies, so it often shows up as communication, transportation, cars, emails. Mercury retrograde is when the planet looks to us on earth as though it is moving backwards and this movement causing disruptions in all of these areas.
Venus – I think of Venus as the energy of give and take. And so Venus has everything to do with love and money
Mars – Mars is your drive and energy, It’s passion and action. Mars energy is all about doing and it doesn’t like to be held back.
Jupiter – Jupiter is a large planet and it’s energy is also large. It’s the planet of expansion. For this reason if it touches something good, it expands it and it looks to us like luck. So Jupiter is the planet of luck. But it can also expand our waists or create excessive behaviour, such as in shopping or having fun, which at the end of the day, may not be so lucky!
Saturn – Saturn’s energy is restrictive, but with a point. It’s job it to help you to learn and to be responsible. Saturn is like pruning a plant, so that in the end it can grow lush. If you try to be lazy or to cut corners with Saturn, your plant will not look so good.
Uranus – Uranus loves a surprise. With Uranus it’s like your driving along on a road going in a direction and suddenly you realize that the exit you want is two feet away and 3 lanes over. So you make a sudden move to get over there. Uranus course corrects or it throws you off course. This is why Uranus can cause what seems like a sudden divorce, earthquake etc.
Neptune – Neptune’s energy is like collective unconsciousness. It causes us to loose boundaries, live in shades or grey and force us to follow our noises (aka intuition). Neptune is like looking into a house of mirrors. To navigate this we need to either become spiritual or hit the bottle. Neptune is about loosing yourself in order to find it. Neptune is a momentary escape or fantasy, this is why Neptune also influences the film industry.
Pluto – Pluto causes intense experiences. In one way or another it completely transforms.
Additionally the Asteroids give a deeper picture of your relationships to yourself, people, the universe. The are about getting your needs met and meeting the needs of society. I see the asteroids as providing the winds of sociological change, which at it’s basis starts with the relationship with ourselves. So mastering the lessons of the asteroids can have huge impacts on ourselves and also change our world.
Juno – Juno is all about relationships. It is the attempt to get what one needs in a relationship, so when the Juno transits a planet, needs can be highlighted that can bring out score-keeping or entitlements. Juno brings up issues of fairness and justice within relationships.
Vesta – Vesta is all about sacrificing oneself for a greater purpose. It is dedication to ones goals and may even show up as workaholic tendencies.
Pallas – Pallas shows where one is good at noticing patterns and figuring out things in order to get what she needs. Pallas is the strategist and likes to win. Transit’s bring out these qualities for good or bad. I find Pallas interesting because astrologically she is “daddy’s little girl” and on a societal level she is the one who has tripped up women in service to the patriarch, by being the daddy’s little girl of society. But she is also one of the key players in balancing the masculine and feminine energies because at her best she can be just and wise.
Ceres – Ceres is the all about nurturing. Nurturing that takes place with the mother and especially with taking care of the basic needs of food-shelter-love. Transits can bring up issues of how well we are taking care of ourselves and others and their care taking of us.
You can learn more about your own astrology on the by clicking on the birth chart on the homepage of www.threemoongoddess.com
Don’t forget to click the section to make sure all of the asteroids also come up. Clicking on each of the glyphs will bring up more to tell you about yourself.
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updated with mars (ops! I forgot) August 8, 2013 11:41am