The astrology that most people know comes from the horoscope in the newspaper.  If you’re an Aries, you’ll meet an interesting person today.  Libra, it’s time to make a decision.  This kind of astrology is called Sun Sign astrology, and while there are some excellent astrologers doing Sun Sign columns, they are not very useful except in getting people interested to dig a little deeper.  Real astrology looks at the position of all of the planets on the day that you were born: each planet represents an aspect of our personality, and each planet falls in one of the signs which helps to describe our personality a little more completely.  The relationships the planets make to each other in our chart describe the way our various impulses and characteristics work together or against each other, which is very helpful in breaking through blocks and challenges.

Because a study of astrological cycles reveal the ebb and flow of the psychology of the masses, these cycles can provide clues that are useful in financial investing.  For example, while Pluto was traveling through Sagittarius, the sign of expansion and optimism, there was a seemingly endless flow of consumer confidence that drove the stock and housing markets in an unending upward direction.  As soon as Pluto entered Capricorn in January of 2008, the reality check that Capricorn requires caused investors to realize that they were standing on a house of cards and with the fall of confidence came the fall of the markets and the rest of the economy.  Short-term planetary cycles can give some clues as to the twists and turns of the markets, but it is difficult to predict specific investments with any precision because of the huge number of variables: the cycles of the individual investor, the particular company, its CEO, etc.  JP Morgan consulted often with noted astrologer Evangeline Adams, who said Morgan “drove the world before him because he has astrology behind him.”

The astrological charts of two individuals can be compared, revealing underlying compatibilities and potential problems that can facilitate successful interaction between the two.  This is effective for spouses, business partners, as well as parents, children and siblings.  We can also calculate a chart of the relationship, called the “composite” chart, and track the planetary cycles that the relationship is likely to encounter.  

It is not uncommon for people to suffer chronic health effects as the result of an energy imbalance in the physical body or the nervous system, and this may appear in the birthchart.  If an individual possesses a great deal of fire energy, for example, and that fire energy is blocked from expression by another planet or because it is in “detriment” or afflicted in some way, that fire can, without an outlet, create health problems such as stomach distress or nervous disorders,  Some charts reveal a greater tendency than others to hold emotional pain in the body, and in those cases we can track the timing of episodes so that greater care can be taken during certain times when that area of the chart is stimulated.

As the planets in the sky travel through the solar system, they often make angles to planets in our birthchart, stimulating a variety of different cycles called “transits” that affect us in a variety of ways.  Cycles of Saturn create pressure for success and achievement, and can induce delays and cause disappointment.  Uranus cycles urge us to make changes in our life where we have become stale, creating a sense of restlessness and desire for something new.  Under the influence of Neptune we hear the Siren’s call – stimulating a longing within us to experience the divine, an urge towards the mystic.  These times can bring delusion, confusion and illusion as well as strong creative and romantic impulses.  Understanding the nature of the cycle that is occurring helps us to navigate through difficult waters more easily, and it also lets us know when these cycles will begin and when they will end.

With all due respect to predictive branches of astrology, it is nearly impossible to predict with any accuracy when specific events will occur.  This is primarily because our lives are not predestined; we have been blessed with free will and the power to make certain decisions within the framework of our overall destiny.  If we are not prepared to meet our soulmate during a planetary cycle that would normally encourage our love life, that meeting will be delayed until we are ready.  Often there is psychological and spiritual work that needs to be done before we can manifest the success that we desires.  We can predict cycles that are more conducive to fulfilling our dreams than others, but the unfolding of the details of our life are a magical mystery. 

Benjamin Franklin was known to study astrology and often used it in writing his Poor Richard’s Almanac.  In the book The Writings of Benjamin Franklin he extolled the virtues of the “noble and ancient art” at length.  Ronald Reagan’s use of astrologer Joan Quigley is well-documented, as is the use of astrology by Adolf Hitler.  What is less well-known is the use of astrology by various popes.  

While Chinese astrology is also based on twelve signs, it is a twelve-year cycle with each year being named after the twelve “original” animals., along with the placements of the planets, Sun and Moon.  Vedic or Jyotish astrology originates in India and uses only the seven traditional planets, along with the “sidereal” zodiac which takes into account the precession of the equinoxes, rather than the Western “tropical” zodiac which is based upon the equinoxes occurring at z
ero degrees Aries and Libra.  Horary and Jyotish are oncerned more with prediction than modern astrology, which uses the outer planets along with Chiron, asteroids, and other points, and looks at the psychological makeup of the individual rather than predicting a future that is thought to be fixed as fate.

The birth time sets up the structure of the houses and provides the ascendant, or rising sign and the exact position of the Moon and makes it easier to time events with some specificity.  But even without an exact time the date of birth provides the placements of all other planets and their relationship to each other which offers clues into the inner workings of the personality and allows us to predict major and minor planetary cycles.

Pluto is tiny and far away, but in astrology it is the most powerful planet of all with the strongest effect.  We can’t really explain why or how it works, but a look into our past at times when we were experiencing a Pluto cycle will remove all doubts about Pluto’s power!