The Astrology Discussion Thread

Hello everyone. This is the place to discuss astrology, the ancient science - turned art - turned superstition.

Do you believe in it? Do you think that astrology is a much more powerful tool than most modern scientists believe? Is astrology doomed to be looked upon as mere superstition? Or is there a truth behind the messages in the stars, and if so, could the symbols be signs from the divine? Or is astrology just an ancient tool used by primitive scientists to explain events?

Please, discuss .

 

I think astrology is a tricky thing. For some people (like me), their zodiac sign describes them perfectly. For others, some things are off. I'll use one of my friends as an example: she's a Gemini, but had she been born a few days later, she would have been a Cancer. Now, she has some qualities of an average Gemini (funny, talkative, etc), but she's also very motherly and caring, which are common traits of a Cancer. Maybe this is because her birthday put her so close to being a Cancer. But hey, I'm just shooting in the dark here, I am most definitely no expert on astrology.

Hey, let's get some other opinions in here - does astrology really work? How many of you folks are described perfectly by your zodiac sign?

 

I definitely am not. I share my birthday with William Shatner and I really hope that I don't have the same personality traits as him.
Personally, I think I would have a lot more respect for astrology if it was more honest. For example, for years I read the horoscopes in the paper and laughed because they were so vague and silly. Then one day I read my aunt's book on making birth charts. It seems the art is actually a lot more precise than the newspaper would have you believe. It takes into account where you were born and the time you were born, and calculates the position of every planet during that time. If astrology was presented more in this way, I think it would gain a lot more credibility.
That being said, I don't believe in it myself. As I said, I share a birthday with William Shatner, and I'm an Aries, meaning I'm bossy, headstrong, and arrogant. Now, I may be wrong, but I've never seen myself this way.

 

astrology is a science and an art.

there is so much more to a persons astrologocal profile than just there Sun sign. every individuals birth-chart should be examined as a whole, rather than at surface level.

other aspects of astrology that affect an individual are their Moon sign, Rising sign, planets in "Houses," whether or not a planet was "retrograde" at the time of birth, and also whether or not a person is born on a "cusp" (meaning that the person was born when the zodiac was changing from one sign to another), moon phase, eclipses, mutable, fixed, or cardinal combinations, elemental (Fire, Water, Earth, Air) combinations, and Masculine/Feminine (+/-) combos... amongst other things

these thing, combined, create the profile. and often, impeccably so.

it is important to know the exact time of day, location, and date of a person to be able to analyze their chart with any accuracy.

here are some definitions of terms from www.astrology-numerology.com - this site is amazing, and i strongly suggest that anyone who has a sincere interest in the Art of Astrology visit this website...


Ascendant (aka Rising sign): The degree of the zodiac rising over the eastern horizon of the birthplace at the moment of birth. This degree forms the first house cusp of a horoscope and is of great personal significance in the character and life of the individual.

cusp, cusp: line The line that separates the house and indicates the beginning of a house.

house: One of the twelve mathematically derived sections (houses) of a horoscope, each of which represents a particular area of life. The size of a house and the zodiacal degree that appears on its cusp depend upon the house system used.

house cusp: The zodiacal degree at which a house begins.

retrograde application: Term used in reference to a retrograde planet which, because of its retrograde motion, applies to an aspect with another planet. If both planets are moving toward each other, the term mutual application is used.

retrograde motion: The apparent backward motion of a planet when it appears, as observed from Earth, to reverse its natural direction of travel and move backward in the zodiac.

rising planet: Any planet that is near the Ascendant in the natal horoscope. Rising planets will have a significant influence on the personality.

ruling planet: The ruling planet of the horoscope is that planet said to "rule" the Ascending sign. Likewise, planets are said to rule the various houses in the chart based on the sign on the cusp of the respect houses. The planetary ruler of the signs are: Aries, Mars; Taurus and Libra, Venus; Gemini and Virgo, Mercury; Cancer, the Moon; Leo, the Sun; Scorpio, Pluto; Sagittarius, Jupiter; Capricorn, Saturn; Aquarius, Uranus; Pisces, Neptune.

signs: The twelve divisions of the zodiac: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.

mutable signs: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces, all of which express adaptability and flexibility to some degree. They are associated naturally with cadent house; the third, sixth, ninth and twelfth, respectively. Synonymous with common signs.

fixed signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, which are related to a fixed or stable mode of expression. Fixed signs are associated naturally with succedent houses: the second, fifth, eighth and eleventh respectively.

cardinal signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn, which fall naturally at the cardinal points in a horoscope; east, north, west, and south, respectively, points indicated by the angles. Cardinal signs are associated naturally with the angular (cardinal) houses; the first, fourth, seventh, and tenth. Interpretation focuses on initiatory, active, dynamic qualities. Less commonly referred to as the movable signs

 

Kerr_Plunk,
Do you do readings at all? If so can you do one for me? Maybe a general future forecast type of thing.
I was born Oct 11, 1971 at 4:35 AM.

 

hi VadersLaMent

i only do natal readings regarding birth charts (meaning that i only examine aspects of your birth, and how it relates to you right now) - so, i don't do forecast readings.. however, i do Tarot readings in conjunction with the information that your astrological information provides.. so, if you are into that, i'd be delighted to do a Tarot reading for you, based on your astrology info...

also, i'd have to know exactly where in the world you were born - it affects planetary position, etc...

let me know via PM how you feel about that

 

You may have recieved a double, oops.

 

Hey, Kerr_Plunk, you seem to be the resident Astrology expert, can you explain a few things for me, if it's not too much trouble? I'm fascinated by the zodiac, and I really believe mine fits me perfectly. But I was wondering about some things - I know my sun sign (Pisces), but can you tell me my moon sign, and what exactly a moon sign says about a person? Also, read my post above - is my theory correct? Just some little ponderings.

 

I don't believe much in astrology, but being a Virgo that is what is expected from me, isn't it? The Saint Thomas of the zodiac?

But seriously, I've studied astrology a lot (and still do, though not as much as before), and have came to the conclusion that many things get close, many don't. I think that happens because every sign has a SO broad range of characteristics, that everyone is able to fit into some of the aspects of it.

However, being my both parents Virgo as well, I fail to recognize any of the most notable characteristics of the sign in them.

 

Well, the Sun sign is just one part of the whole picture. You may find that if you get your whole astrological chart done out by a professional, that it will much better describe you.

Although something I noticed while using an online astrological chart interpreter is that you cannot judge yourself based on any one of your signs. A lot of the interpretation I received was contradicting. For example, when I was born, the Moon was in Leo - telling me that I am stubborn and independent. Yet Venus was in Pisces, telling me that I am selfless and giving. So it's a bit confusing, unless you get a much broader interpretation based on the combination of all of the signs and such.

 

I mean, being their solar sign a very well known by me, I can't find any of the main characteristics of the sign in them. They are not analytical, organized (well, my mother actually is ), methodical, etc etc. They love to gossip, however, but that's a trait shared by most members of the family ;-)

 

As Ker_Plunk has outlined in splendid detail, that's what astrology really is.

I was raised by hippies, so had access to all my mother's astrological books since the time I could read. There's a lot of truth to sun sign astrology, but if you start reading books about rising signs, moon signs, houses and the effects of the different planets like Saturn, it really starts getting interesting. The more I've tried to disprove it, the more I've become convinced it's valid.

My theory as to why astrology works is simple. Gravity. With all we're learning about gravitational fields, it makes sense to me that the position of the gravitational feilds of planets, moons and their orientation in space could have an effect on a soul entering the world. There are much crazier theories I'm sure, but that's a good start.

 

I reckon if you put various type of astrology together and compilate them you would get a more accurate view of the character. I am doing this now.

I am in Western Astrology = Taurus; Personalized Tarot Card = Page of Sword; Eastern Astrology = EarthSheep; Nordic Astrology = Odin/Wednesday; Egyptian Astrology = Anubis; Celtic Astrology = Hawthorn, represented by the Chalice, animal being the Owl rule by the maiden Olwen.

It would be all different for you. Thats what I found so far one type of Astrology show a roundabout view of yourself, put them all together and is pretty accurate.

 

*head swirls*

 

I use to be very interested in Astrology when I was much younger. I had my chart done and I know where all my planets are located, rising sign and some of the aspects.

Over the years I've become more christian/spiritual so Astrology is less important to me. However I still feel it can be a very good tool one can use to tell them what tendencies will be prevalent throughout their life, their Karma so to speak.

I still take note of Mercury retrograde periods and try not to make any major purchases/decisions or travel long distances during that time.

I feel that people who think it can predict the future for them are looking at Astrology incorrectly. Like anything else, it must be put in the right perspective. The moon affects the tides and the planets influence human behavior and God created the planets.
It all makes perfect sense to me. (I have Uranus positioned in my first house.)

 

I totally agree with you, MD-O .

I have a complete birth chart...
[image=http://ninnet.homestead.com/files/birthchart.gif]
but I really have no idea how to interpret it .

 

A good Astrology book can be a good first step with explaining each aspect or what moon in scorpio means for example. At some point in time you would need a competent Astrologer to combine all the things in your chart with a good explanation.

The main thing is to not get too caught up in it and treat it like it's the ultimate answer. God still gave us free will but Astrology can be a useful tool.

 

I hate being in love with a Gemini they weird you out.

 

Here's the planetary positions of George Lucas's birthchart.

Rising Sign: Taurus
Sun in Taurus, in the first house,
located conjunct the Ascendant.
Lucas's moon is in Aquarius.

Mercury and Venus in Taurus.
Mars in Cancer
Jupiter in Leo
Saturn and Uranus in Gemini.

Uranus is located in the first house,
Saturn in the second house of money.

Neptune in Libra, Pluto in Leo


Here's something very interesting...
In Lucas's birthchart, Jupiter (the planet of good luck, opportunity and expansion)
is in Leo(art, theatres, creativity, children). Jupiter will return to it's EXACT natal position in Lucas's chart at the end of November during the release of AOTC in IMAX. I think Lucas will benefit from this greatly.

Any comments?

 

Up.

Any interest in this subject?

 

This might be slightly off, but I remember there was a man in the UK who hosted a shower about Astrology... something about an experiment and his brother being the control... I don't know much about it, but I was told about it being a hilarious show, but that it also had good points.

Personally, I feel horroscopes (the generalized ones) aren't anywhere near the truth. I feel they're too generalized and they allowe people to think whatever they want on them (and due to the way people think, they'll automatically find something to match it along with, even if it is subconscience).

I do think that astrology as a whole has validity to it, but so many things have watered it down to something that has become a cultural mess. Then again, our society can ruin a lot of things, but I won't go there

 

Hehe, I agree 100%. Newspaper horoscopes should most certainly be taken with a grain of salt, but you can't discount astrology altogether based on those stupid, generalized descriptions of how your day is going to go! Of course, there's nothing wrong with getting a little enjoyment out of 'em.

 

Well, see, to me every horroscope is something along the lines of : Your day may be challenged with a problem because the moon and tides are so and so, but be strong, for if you can overcome it, you'll have gained enlightenment. Things such as that can be applied to anything, and once someone reads them, they'll be more prone to matching the things up. It's no wonder people believe them so much, because in a way they're true, but not really credible to the science of astrology.

I always thought astrology itself was a guide to help people notice more about themselves, but that's what I thought... got any history about astrology I can read up on?