Astrology Explored

Skeptics who point to the generalized nature of horoscopes use them as “proof� that astrology is bogus. Well, comparing daily horoscopes to astrology is like comparing a dinner mint to a full course dinner.

Horoscopes are fun and judging by the statistics here at this site, forecasts are the most popular item published. However, they are based primarily on the planets’ relationship to just one aspect of your chart, your sun sign. Horoscopes ignore, and has to ignore, the rest of a birth chart. There are are over three hundred thousand births each month in America, giving us, depending on the month, because there are seasonal variations, between 10,500 to 11,500 births each day. Speaking to that potential audience and saying something relevant that each person can identify with, well, that’s impossible. That doesn’t mean that astrology, as a whole doesn’t work. It means your daily scope is akin a dinner mint, something tasty, but not something on which you base your diet.

Likewise a general description of a sun sign, like what is generally printed here once a month, is just a tidbit, a tasty bite and not something to base your nutritional requirements for astrological guidance.

Same thing with monthly scopes found in popular astrology magazines. Though they are generally more detailed, with descriptions that cover love, money, health sort of thing, still they are based on sun signs alone, ignoring your moon, mercury, venus, and all the other planets, not to mention the houses and aspects planets form with each other. You can compare a monthly scope to eating a few chocolate chips cookies. Is that a meal? No!

Written, computer generated reports, depending on the quality, do cover a full range of factors in your chart. Generally they will cover what planet was in which sign and give you a general idea of what each one means. They may also cover major aspects, the relationships planets form with each other. They are a wonderful way to become familar with your chart and general principles of astrology, as you can read it again and again until you absorb all it has to offer. Still on the scale of things, a computer generated report is like a Happy Meal. Not nutritionally satisfying, but tasty.

The full monte is an actual reading from a live astrologer. A good astrologer can synthesize the information in your chart and give back to you a good representation of your inner drives, your feelings and motivations. He or she will identify those current developemental issues that cause you to seek guidance in the first place. The astrologer will give you an idea of the scope of the issues before you, what you need to work on to successfully resolve those issues, and a timeline for those issues to play out. This is the Full Meal Deal, folks, what astrology is all about.

We’ll always have daily horoscopes, weekly forecasts, monthly scopes and the like. They are popular, people read them and look forward to them. There is nothing wrong with them if you take them for what they are. Let’s just keep a perspective about how much they “prove� or “disprove� astrology.

For a thoughtful piece on one astrologer’s answers to a skeptic, check this out.

astrology, horoscopes, zodiac, advice