Astrology- how and why does it work?

I'm coming to the realization that I need an understanding of why astrology
works. I know it does, but don't know why or how. I realized that this is a big problem on my side when I discuss astrology with people who are ignorant on the subject. I can only be firm on my stance if I really understand what I'm talking about - and right now I realize I sound like an idiot when I try to explain why astrology works.

The only thing I've been able to come up with from my personal experiences and observations is that it seems to have something to do with magnetic energy, and somehow links into the law of attraction. I sense a combination of fire and earth energies in it somehow. These are all just nebulous insights that I've picked up. Does anybody have anything that they can put into words about it? Or any links to articles where someone else has put it into words?

Astrology works like a map. Connecting the Energies of the Planets and their interactions to our own inner actions. Much like how the Weather in Space dictates the weather in earth. It all goes back to God the Creator and ancient times.

Astrology works like a map. Connecting the Energies of the Planets and their interactions to our own inner actions. Much like how the Weather in Space dictates the weather in earth. It all goes back to God the Creator and ancient times.
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Thank you for the quick response, ConfusedPisces. That is kind of how I see it, in general, as well. However, what I'm looking for is the "details', a scientific explanation, maybe - something logical. If it is part of the way the Creator created things, then there has to be a scientific explanation.

I read the NASA article, but I could not understand any direct linkage to astrology.

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I never found any direct linkage between astrology and science, still hoping that someone will find it one day, but I try to see hints of it in certain discoveries concerning the planetary magnetic fields.

I think magnetospheres may be something interesting to look at because they explain a certain energy that is transmitted by each planet according to its atmosphere and core. The planetary magnetic fields assume a comet shape because solar wind "blows" them and makes them stretch, so they are not a spherical field, they are like a tail coming out of each planet.... I just can't find any article that explains the length, direction or interaction of those fields; if one of those "tails" eventually interferes in Earth's magnetic field according to the position of the given planet in relation to Earth, I feel it would be a strong evidence that there is a direct influence by this planet on Earth...... Gonna try and find an article about these "tails", if I find one I will post here.

Here's my view:
Pure sincronicity.

All events in the cosmos are bound to determinism, even human behaviour, which is based on memory, which is based the interaction of the organism with its environment, conditioned by the form of the nervous system, which is determined by the genes... so that rules out free will. If we had free will, we'd gone out of sync with the planets long ago.

Why do we think we have free will? Because the ego, which is merely memory, is fully formed at the age of two and able to say "I think", when in fact, it (the ego) doesn't realize it is a product of thought. So it's basically an illusion to say "I think" as if that thought wasn't conditioned by the contents of memory, and wasn't part of the ego itself. That thought is then NOT ABOVE determinism.

Human events then, are so non-random that they are fully predictable by the complicated order of multiple cycles of the orbits. I think this is what physic David Bohm would have called universal Mind, as an interface between Matter an Energy.

The universe is the body. When you're sad, in shows in your face.
The sky is a big and mysterious cosmic face for us to look at. It is in part our face.

That's the way everything makes sense to me And certainly many of the classic and ancient astrologers understood it this way also.
Love,
Xapu

Xapu said:

Here's my view:
Pure sincronicity.

All events in the cosmos are bound to determinism, even human behaviour, which is based on memory, which is based the interaction of the organism with its environment, conditioned by the form of the nervous system, which is determined by the genes... so that rules out free will. If we had free will, we'd gone out of sync with the planets long ago.

Why do we think we have free will? Because the ego, which is merely memory, is fully formed at the age of two and able to say "I think", when in fact, it (the ego) doesn't realize it is a product of thought. So it's basically an illusion to say "I think" as if that thought wasn't conditioned by the contents of memory, and wasn't part of the ego itself. That thought is then NOT ABOVE determinism.

Human events then, are so non-random that they are fully predictable by the complicated order of multiple cycles of the orbits. I think this is what physic David Bohm would have called universal Mind, as an interface between Matter an Energy.

The universe is the body. When you're sad, in shows in your face.
The sky is a big and mysterious cosmic face for us to look at. It is in part our face.

That's the way everything makes sense to me And certainly many of the classic and ancient astrologers understood it this way also.
Love,
Xapu

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very interesting post , thank you

Art

I think astrology is an art, a language. It has the same role as myth- it speaks of universal archetypes and comments on the human condition. The planets are in everybody's charts- they are common to human nature. How we view the Zodiac and the planets shows us what we really think of ourselves as a people. I find this more fascinating than any scientific explanation. Just as great art or literature can tell us something about ourselves and others, and we find it satisfying if we can really engage with another person, to understand each other. Astrology allows us to engage with people.

It allows us to understand the world around us in a different language. Language affects our thoughts as every word has insinuations and connotations that vary from language to language. I often confuse my housemates when I jump from subject to subject, (which in my head make perfect sense astrologically) but which they find rather random. For instance we were talking about drugs once and I started talking about religion and sacrifice and imprisonment, all things Pisces. Or we were talking about romance, and I chimed in with children, and sport and all things 5th house. They understood once I explained, and I could share my insight. If I was speaking to another astrologer, they would have understood immediately.

All art forms have their own language. To make this point I always used to draw analogies between subjects we studied in my law lectures and Star Wars. Some thought it was ridiculous, but others who had actually liked Star Wars thought it was really interesting. The point is, the words you choose and the analogies or metaphors can enhance understanding and draw parallels where people might not have seen them before.



I think that just as a language with more words is more enriching, so astrology can enrich our understanding of the world.

I think it is an art as it can be highly individualistic and spiritual, and all things spiritual are necessarily removed from science. They do not conflict, they merely serve different purposes. In this sense they are complementary.

And being an art does not pose many problems for astrologers- there can be rational discussion and consistency in art. Just as experience and discussion can shape literature, it can show some forms of astrology to me more worthwhile than others. It is perfectly possible for someone to say 'I don't think Star Wars is the best analogy for Law X for this reason and that.'

I don't think of astrology as a science. It may or may not have a scientific backing, but I think that is less important.

I think to many people still view the world as they percieve it with their own eyes. If we all just believed everything is as it appears we'd still believe the earth to be flat. Too many of us are hypnotised by social conditioning.

In sections of Deepak Chopra's book "Ageless Body Timeless Mind" He discusses "the unity of everything."

P26:

You and your environment are one. Looking at yourself, you percieve that your body stops at a certain point; it is seperated from the wall of your room or a tree outdoors by empty space. In quantum terms however, the distinction between solid and empty is insignificant. Every cubic centimeter of quantum space is filled with a nearly infinite amount of energy, and the tiniest vibration is part of the vast fields of vibration spanning whole galaxies. In a very real sense your environment is your extended body: with every breath you inhale millions of atoms of air. All the oxygen, water and sunlight around you are only faintly distinguishable from that which is inside you.

P.45
Because your body emanates electromagnetic frequencies, you are yet another expression of the same field. The pulsations of nerve signals racing along your limbs, the electric charge emitted by your heart cells, and the faint field of current surrounding your brain all demonstrate that you are not seperate from any form of energy in the universe. Any appearance of separation is only the product of the limitation of your senses, which are not attuned to these energies.

Imagine two candles standing about three feet apart on a table in front of you. To your eyes they appear seperate and independant, yet the light they cast fills the whole room with photons; the entire space between them is bridged by light, and therefore there is no separation at a quamtum level. Now carry one of the candles outside at night and hold it up against a background of stars. The pinpoints of light may be billions of light-years away, yet at a quantum level each star is just as connected to your candle as the 2nd candle in the room; the vast space between them contains waves of energy that bind them.

No matter how seperate everything appears to your senses, nothing is seperate at the quantum level.

Each of your cells is a local concentration of information and energy inside the wholeness of information and energy of your body. Likewise you are a local concentration of information and energy that is in the wholeness that is the body of the universe (or multiverse - an as yet unproven possibility)

The quantum field exists in around and through you. You are not looking at the field - in every wave and particle the field is your extended self.

The self is not the biochemistry of the body: flesh and blood. The physical world, including our bodies, is a response of the observer.

I would argue that it's not just stars, planets and asteroids in our galaxy that we're effectively connected too, but too all things on infinite levels from the smallest microcosm to the universe itself. Who knows? Our current understanding of the size of the universe may yet be just a drop of water in a much larger ocean.

Astrology works because it gives us a "language" by which we can express what we cannot see.

Although it wasn't called psychology in days of old, Astrology for personal examining is a type of psychology that explained why man behaves as he does in relation to the heavens and the planets. It is general tendencies. It all comes down to symbolism...Each Planet stands for a certain apsect of mans life..its not the planets themselves, physically...its their symbology. Each one represents its own set of values. The Signs point to how each one of the planets are expressed. For example, Sun in the sign Leo... you put together... Sun..is symbolized by the self (for one) and a developed keyword usually presented as an adverb for Leo is Proudly ..so you see that Leo Sun natives can Express themselves Proudly. Saturn is symbology of our fears and life lessons... and so on... Sounds too simple but that is all there is to it.

Times olden, and through time, various trends in human affairs would occur on earth when the planets were in certain signs. People presented different behavior tendencies in each part of their lives that are represented by each planet, that astrologers appointed to the known planets up to that certain time. They observed and appointed to each Planet and Sign all these behaviors and tendencies in each aspect of their lives... They looked to the heavens and to the world around them at the same instance..This is why astrology is sooooo vast...it's all been accumulation over time of observing...some worked with divination as well and that is more hit and miss unlike observing the "seen" most astrologers used.

So it is all an accumulation of observation...not unlike psychology...it really isn't mystical ... its not. It is all observation. Every religious system that has ever outlawed it actually would draw all the information about astrology unto themselves secretly in order to study its "secrets". Everything we talk about on here with substance is based upon .. that someone has observed it in the past. Then there are always people looking to build on the symbology of what planets or other bodies and signs signify to us as our technology brings new opprotunities/problems. Again its not the bodies themselves, its the symbology that has been built around it. With time, they could somewhat predict occurences with transiting bodies interacting with one another symbolized after they had seen it often enough by "looking from the rearview mirror" for a long time. We still do that often enough by missing the symbolism each component of astrology represents. Scientist who give Astrology no credit are fixed in the idea that the planets do not pose enough electromagnetic influence upon us to influence our thinking or behavior. They are not looking at the more psychological symbology astrology, at it's core, represents. As well, they aren't progressive enough to think that there may well be a force from other planets that we have yet to be able to comprehend ..much less measure with current technology. But until that day comes, we can see it working just fine through the Symbology that has been ascribed to each body and sign we have in the heavens, our natal aspects, Moon astrology, of any question we desire to use astrology to answer if you are using the correct symbology. Although we are learning constantly that it doesn't work completely if all the symbology is either not understood or percieved, it does a really good job already when think about it. It shows the way and our freewill either uses or rejects it. All things are mere Symbols.. and their description for now.

I come from a scientific background & actually work in science (but not for much longer).

However, I am a firm believer now that "there is something there" with Astrology after a major discovery in my own chart that, mathematically, was nearly impossible. I won't go into that here. But I believe in this. I want to explain what I think.

The earth is an organism &, as humans, we're part of it. Earth has evolved consciousness through us, & consciousness has evolved, just as all animals have evolved through natural selection.

There are many types of animals. There are many types of thinking.

What is the DNA of consciousness? The brain.

I think that once our center of gravity left that of our mother's, we obviously became stamped with that cosmic energy of our time. I'm thinking the energy is coming from earth, through gravity, fluctuations in the magnetic field, & other forms of quantum energy that physicists are now investigating.

It is nearly impossible to study the brain & do any experiments on people. That would be unethical. I think once AI gets going & they are able to make artificial brains, there will be much interest in testing Astrology scientifically. But that's a long way off.

Anyway, I don't think it's the cosmos affecting us, I think the earth is affected by the cosmos, & spreading us that energy. It just seems more likely. Have you ever felt your feet on the ground? The earth's energy is so powerful.

And that energy field is always changing & consciousness evolved through us. Our brains may be triggered at birth by these slight fluctuations in the energy coming from earth, thereby aligning our neuronal cells a certain way.

So why? Why am I a Scorpio? Sex ;-)

Every endocrine gland in the body - the 7 major endocrine glands (also known as the chakras) - has a corresponding planet to which it is attuned.

To put in the most simplistic terms: Being that man - and everything that exists - was created from the cosmos, the composition of his body would be no different. The energies radiating from the planets are as representations or forces that are magnified in their sphere to those urges released within the body, via the glands governing personalities. Interestingly those signs which are co- ruled by two planets - Aries-Scorpio, Sagittarius-Pisces and Capricorn-Aquarius - also have endocrine glands with double lobes - the gonads glands, the pituitary glands and the thymus glands.

There is so much more to this, but I doubt I can answer it in one reply.

Best,

A.T.

First, all what has been said from scientific explanations, symbolism, psychology, physics touches the core of Astrology and speaks to all kinds of minds and logic, but since < History repeats itself because nobody was listening the first time > I agree with Awakened Pisces in principal if we add to his explanation the other explanations.
Secondly, I leave it to your judgement when you explain this to people who are ignorant on the subject, because if you are aiming to win their approval and understanding on the subject of Astrology, it is a difficult task if not impossible. I believe to understand and accept this subject one has to have certain gifts and mental capabilities that are not available to everybody. Thank you all.

Madammaha said:

First, all what has been said from scientific explanations, symbolism, psychology, physics touches the core of Astrology and speaks to all kinds of minds and logic, but since < History repeats itself because nobody was listening the first time > I agree with Awakened Pisces in principal if we add to his explanation the other explanations.
Secondly, I leave it to your judgement when you explain this to people who are ignorant on the subject, because if you are aiming to win their approval and understanding on the subject of Astrology, it is a difficult task if not impossible. I believe to understand and accept this subject one has to have certain gifts and mental capabilities that are not available to everybody. Thank you all.

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On your second point, I see no point in trying to explain astrology to people unless they're into it. It can't be explained logically (yet), just a bunch of hypotheses that can't be thoroughly tested. So I agree with you.

I see this as a blending of art & psychology. I think it's up to the individual's own readiness to seek out astrology as a way of understanding their life path & to understand the people they encounter. Then they'll see.

I don't think you need special mental capabilities & gifts to understand & agree with Astrology. Just an open mind & a willingness to learn.

kaminari said:

I don't think you need special mental capabilities & gifts to understand & agree with Astrology. Just an open mind & a willingness to learn.

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You are right Kaminari to understand and agree with Astrology one needs an open mind and a willingness to learn but up to a certain level, that level is determind by the gifts and mental capabilities of the person. Thank you.

Franklin Taylor,

I like your thoughts, idea cos they are very similar to my own. To me astrology is an art and science and a form of psychology -- what makes us tick and why do we behave in certain ways, different from everybody elese...

It's the study of human behaviour. Astrology is a wonderful tool for understanding yourself and others better.....enabling us to make better choices in life as we become aware of how our behaviour influences what happens to us through the law of cause and effect. Astrology does not reliably predict the future.......But it can provide an excellent insight into the psychological make-up of people, enabling us to accurately predict their behaviour and it's resultant effects

astrologer50 said:

Franklin Taylor.
Astrology does not reliably predict the future.......But it can provide an excellent insight into the psychological make-up of people, enabling us to accurately predict their behaviour and it's resultant effects [/FONT][/COLOR]

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In my opinion Astrologer 50, Astrology does reliably predict the future under certain rules and conditions available for the researchers in that area, for example if I tell you that I come from a country where a change of Presidency is expected within ten days and it takes place in a week would you call that not reliable, it all depends on your perspective of the word accurate, if you can claim you can accurately predict the human behavior and it's resultant effects, forgetting that the resultant effects are a part of the future and accept the slight changes that might occur then why not allow the same for predicting the future. Thank you.

Madammaha said:

In my opinion Astrologer 50, Astrology does reliably predict the future under certain rules and conditions available for the researchers in that area, for example if I tell you that I come from a country where a change of Presidency is expected within ten days and it takes place in a week would you call that not reliable, it all depends on your perspective of the word accurate, if you can claim you can accurately predict the human behavior and it's resultant effects, forgetting that the resultant effects are a part of the future and accept the slight changes that might occur then why not allow the same for predicting the future. Thank you.

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OK I'll rephrase that into 100% accurate. Of course there are branches of astrology and levels of expertise involved and I'm pretty sure most Traditional Astrologers here will say horary can answer 'everything'