Introduction
Astrology is an ancient art which is believed to have dated back to at least 3000 BC in Indo-European populations. The word astrology has its roots in two Greek words; astra, meaning star, and logos, meaning logic or reason. It is the study of the interaction between the stars and planets, and life here on Earth.
If this all seems a bit far-fetched then do not run so quickly. Astrology is often misconstrued in the media, as in horoscopes that are over- general and only based on the position of the sun in your sign. Astrology is actually a very complex science, and one which is based upon the notion that the activities of heaven are reflective of the activities within and throughout us.
Birth Charts And Horoscopes
From an astrological viewpoint, the energies and motions of the heavens have parallels with the events that occur on Earth, and within your own individual life. It can be used as a tool for better understanding your own self and the people around you, who are also all as unique as any star.
The energies and activities of the stars and planets, and their location at the moment of your birth, are believed to form a blueprint on a cellular level. They stay with you for life, and by understanding them you can better understand your self, and your position in the world. It is possible to obtain this data by acquiring your own astrological birth chart, based on the location and time of your birth. It could be seen as a sort of cosmic psychology.
Horoscopes demonstrate how your particular blueprint is currently interacting with the energies that are present right now, or how your blueprint will interact with the energies that are to come in the future, as in divination.
How Does It Work?
The horoscopes and birth charts can be used as a representation of the events that were occurring in the skies at the time of your birth. They are your cosmic blueprint. To better understand astrology there are four main concepts to grasp:
The planets come to represent our urges, and desires in life. There are seven in total, and each has its own energy, and traits. For example, Venus represents our urge to love and be loved. Mars represents our urge to express our will, and to turn our will into action.
The planets move through the signs of the zodiac, and which sign they were in at our birth represents our style of expression for that particular urge. So, Venus passing through a Pisces sign would represent a love that expresses itself in sensitivity and romantic ways. Planets also move through the houses; areas of the sky, broken down into 12 in total. The relationship between planets and houses comes to tell us how best our individual urges are satisfied.
The planets are also at any given time in relation to each other; measured by their mathematical angle. This is known in astrology as aspects. Certain angles represent harmony, and others, such as a square 90 degree angle, represent discord and conflict. So if two planets conflict in their aspects then they may cause conflict within your own nature. If they align in the sky, then they also align within you.
All of these relationships at the time of our birth, or blueprint, come to form who we are and what we might experience. From an astrological point of view the events of the heavens, and of everyday life, are one and the same.