The title of this post is misleading.  As my readers know, I do not believe that we can predict the future with astrology.  We can predict stormy weather; we can predict good fortune of some kind.  We cannot predict with any degree of accuracy when specific things will happen, the effort of many astrologers to do so notwithstanding.

An example of this is the question “when will I meet my soulmate.”  This is probably the Number One question asked of astrologers, and second is “when will I be successful.”  Both of these questions depend not on astrology, but on our own ability to resolve the inner issues of our personality that are keeping us from landing the job or the mate of our dreams.

I did what I like to call a  “repair reading” not too long ago after a woman was told by an astrologer that at a certain time she would meet a man in a once in a lifetime planetary cycle, and that this was her last chance to find love.  I can’t remember the exact planetary event but it had something to do with Jupiter and perhaps progressed Venus.  She was recently divorced and not really ready for a new relationship, so when she met a man at the prescribed time she was unable to make it work.  She was in extreme distress, worried that she had indeed ruined her last opportunity for happiness.

I recently did a yearly consult with a client, and in our previous reading I had told her that a period was coming up that would be very fertile for relationships of all kinds and which could bring an important relationship her way.  As it turned out, during that period she developed some very close friendships with women who are now important in her life.

In both of these examples, the planetary cycle revealed the type of energy that was available, but we cannot predict exactly what will happen during these periods.  Nor can we use a kind of “planetary alchemy” to avoid the stresses of challenging cycles, although knowing in advance that we are going through a Saturn cycle can help us from feel that our world is collapsing when the troubles begin.

This is one reason skeptics don’t consider astrology a science: like all aspects of human behavior it can’t be measured and duplicated.  Many skeptics believe that psychology, considered by most to be a science, is at best a pseudoscience for this reason.   However, there are other accepted sciences that are as fallible or more than astrology.

Meteorology is the perfect example.  Weather forecasts are accurate at approximately the same level as random chance, and yet meteorology is considered a science.  Meteorologists are able to predict trends and possibilities, and yet those possibilities can be completely wrong.  Except for our friend Ken’s Weather Alternative of course!

The fact is, even established science is not an exact science.  Studies on health contradict each other day.  Soy is good for you and will keep you healthy.  Soy will give you breast cancer.  Soy will prevent breast cancer.  Calcium keeps bones healthy.  Calcium promotes osteoporosis.

Human beings are mysterious creatures, and each one is completely unique.  One person can smoke three packs a day and live to be 100 years old; another can get lung cancer without ever inhaling a cigarette.  One person can come out of a devastating personal situation and achieve great success; another will become a mass murderer.  We see this in the birthcharts of famous criminals – there is nothing in these charts that would say “This person will be Adolf Hitler.”

There are a gazillion variables in a human life that alters our fate.  The family you grew up in.  Your genetic makeup.  Your evolutionary patterns.  The choices that you make.  All of these things make accurate predictions of specific events impossible.  You might have the most fanastic trine of Jupiter to your Midheaven, but if you are afraid that success will mean the loss of your loved ones, you may not take advantage of the opportunities presented to you at that time.  But on the other hand, you may have a horrific chart with Saturn and Pluto squaring everything, but you may make a choice that you will work hard and heal your patterns and achieve success and accomplish all of your goals.

An article I read this morning in the Chirotic Journal got me thinking along these lines.  Jeremy writes:

One day, the world will wake up and realise that astrology is the only unifying theory of any value. It explains everything. Astrology only falls down through the inelegancy of those that explain it, but it’s not their fault. It’s the lazy theoreticians who demand that you justify your ‘belief’. I don’t believe in astrology, I understand it. That’s very different.

The beauty of astrology is that it gives shape and meaning to our experiences.  Can’t make a commitment?  You need to honor your Venus/Uranus square and be sure you have enough freedom in your relationships.  Having trouble managing your weight?  Mars in Pisces needs to learn to be more assertive rather than stuff your feelings and anger.  Having a rough year?  Saturn is creating tests to help you to get stronger.  Feeling out of control?  Pluto is rearranging your life to better suit you destiny.  Feeling lucky?  Take advantage of those Jupiter cycles and do something useful with them.

And I can’t think of one other science that is more helpful to the human experience than this.