Astrology To Understand Yourself
Astrology is a great tool for understanding yourself. The word itself comes from the Greek words Astro meaning stars, and Logica meaning to study. The idea is that information about the future or a person's personality can be discovered by examining the alignment of stars, planets, moons and comets. Astrology attempts to interpret the influence of these celestial bodies on human affairs. As Hermes Trismegistus is quoted as saying “As above, so below”, meaning that what is happening in the skies is reflected here on Earth.
Astrology is a complex art and science that applies symbolic meaning to astronomical information as it existed over two thousand years ago when the practice of astrology was first documented in writing by ancient astronomers and astrologers. We will start this week’s blog with a quick history of the development of Astrology, before looking at an overview of all the moving parts and then how it can be used to understand yourself.
Astrology has been around for two and a half thousand years. Ancient civilisations are well known for developing and using astrology. The Greek astronomer Ptolemy was the first ever to write an Astrology book. He tried to predict the positions of celestial bodies relative to each other and the earth through knowledge of their orbital motions, putting together the work of Greek, Babylonian and Egyptian astrology. During his time, astrology was a part of astronomy. Later, astronomy became an exact science and Astrology remained a part of Theology.
Baghdad and Damascus were known as centres of astrology and astronomy. The Arabs were pioneers in astronomy before the advent of Islam. The Babylonians were the first to name the days of the week after the Sun, Moon, and planets. They were also the first to set out the twelve houses of the horoscope. It is thought that some of the astrological signs of the zodiac originated in Egypt.
In India, astrology was one of the six disciplines of Vedanga. The Hindus believed that human fortune or misfortune in life is due to karma, and karma is believed to be influenced by the movements of the planets. In Modern India, astrology is used to determine the future and improve life. It is used to make decisions about marriage, starting a new business, or moving into a new house.
Then we have Chinese Astrology which emphasises the four elements of fire, earth, air, and water. The zodiac signs used by Chinese astrology are different from other forms of astrology because they were isolated from Western civilisations for a long time, and Chinese astrology was unknown to the Western world.
Nowadays, Western astrologers use the ancient positions of the constellations while Sidereal (Vedic or Hindu) astrologers use current astronomical positions. The two systems are very different but work equally well.
In astrology, when we say planets, we are talking about astrologically significant points in the sky which along with the actual planets, includes the Sun, Moon and “planetoids” such as Chiron, and poor downgraded Pluto.
Starting with the Sun, this represents the Self. It can be the ego, the higher self, the soul purpose, or whatever you wish to call it. This is your will and sense of vitality. It is how you are in the world.
The Moon represents the personal self, the unconscious, and feelings. It is how you feel safe and relate to other people. The Moon is a reflection of the true self, represented by the Sun.
Mercury represents the mind and intellect. It is associated with all forms of communication, this is how you learn and express yourself. Mercury shows your skills.
Venus is the planet of love and abundance, associated with aesthetics, beauty, refinement and romance. Venus shows your perception of relationships and affection, what you are comfortable with and most receptive to.
Mars is the planet of drive and determination, associated with animal passions including your sex drive, anger and aggression. Mars shows you what motivates you, how you assert yourself, your temper and how and where you will take action.
Jupiter is the planet of faith, hope, and luck, and it is associated with morality, positivism, expansion, and aspirations. Jupiter shows you how your faith, generosity and tolerance are expressed, and where you will have self-confidence and wisdom.
Saturn is the planet of karma and life lessons, associated with limitation, restriction, self-discipline and parameters. Saturn brings structure, responsibilities and commitments. When we understand our challenges it helps us to grow.
Uranus is the planet of freedom and change, associated with the internet, technology, revolutionary thinking and defying tradition. Uranus shows you your originality and where you need to be free from conventional thinking.
Neptune is the planet of inspiration, dreams and psychic receptivity, associated with spirituality, universal love, compassion and imagination. Neptune shows you where you may be confused and also where you can be creative.
Pluto is the planet of renewal and rebirth, associated with endings and new beginnings, spiritual growth, rebirth and change. Pluto shows you where you will search for truths and deeper meaning, and issues with control or power. This is where you will seek change and transformation.
Chiron is known as the Wounded Healer. Chiron helps us to understand the parts of us which need to be healed, and where we can then help others.
Astrologers will cast a horoscope, which is a chart of the sky at a set moment in time. This can be used as an astrological forecast, or a natal (or birth) chart if done at the exact date, time and place you were born. When I was a teenager I actually learned how to draw natal charts by hand, looking up the positions of the planets in an Ephemeris. Nowadays, charts are done on a computer, or app on your phone, which makes them very accurate. Knowing your exact time of birth gives the most accurate chart as it is used to determine your Rising Sign, the house cusps and other key mathematical points.
In Moonology, your time of birth isn’t as essential because your Sun Sign can be used to assign the houses. Moonology uses the Whole House system (there are other house systems available) so that each house has one zodiac sign assigned to it so that over the course of a year the New and Full Moons will cover each area of your life.
Your natal chart (or any horoscope) is broken into 12 equal sections (using the Moonology Whole House system) with each section being a house and having a zodiac sign on it. The houses cover every single part of your life and cover a different area. We can use the houses to see where the action in your life is taking place.
The 12 houses briefly cover;
Appearance - how you come across in the world
Values - cash, property and possessions
Communication - how you learn and express yourself, also short trips and siblings
Home and family - where you come from and where you feel like you belong
Creativity - fun, romance, pleasure and children
Day-to-day life - daily habits and routines, your health
Love - your most important relationships, partnerships and enemies
Taboo - sex, death and taxes, also healing and transformation
Higher learning - adventure, travel, philosophy, finding your place in the world
Career - your reputation, what you are known for, how you are remembered
Networks - your friendship groups, communities and what you wish for
Fears - the deepest darkest part of your chart, your fears and spirituality
The sign that the planet is in shows us how the planetary energies will show up, and the house shows us where. The planets will also be making aspects to each other, which are significant angles meaning different things. Some aspects will be more challenging than others, and they add a further layer to understanding yourself.
Astrologers interpret everything in your chart individually and then put it all together to form a picture of you and your life. Interpretations come in many forms depending on the area the astrologer specialises in and the questions you might have. You can get a basic insight into your personality or to examine specific trouble spots in your life. You can compare and contrast your chart with the chart of a loved one, friend, potential business partner, etc. You can also look at different career options or financial indications, find the best place to live or forecast future opportunities. Maybe you want to know the best time for a wedding, to start a business or move house.
In a Moonology Reading, we can look at how the zodiac signs are showing up in your houses to see what your strengths are and also, where you might struggle. Understanding this helps us to set up systems in life to make things easier. We also look at the house that each New and Full Moon will fall in over the next 12 months to give you an idea of what is to come.
As I have a passion for the moon and productivity, we will also take a closer look at your Birth Moon, what that means for you and how you can use it to find when your energy levels will be higher.
Overall, a Moon Reading will help you to not only understand yourself better but improve all areas of your life. Working with the moon means we can create, plan and predict our lives.
I hope you have found this week's blog interesting, and if you would like to book a Moon Reading with me, then you can do so using the button below.
