Astrology

For as long as we have known, humans have looked up to the night sky and begged questions to what the future holds. Records show that since at least the second millennium (BC) civilisations have found meaning in studying how the stars align in the night sky and and the movement of the planets and sun and our own moon. Our moon controls the tides, and so it is said that it influences out own tide of emotions too.

The zodiac breaks everything down into the 12 signs, each with it’s own set of characteristic and traits. A natal chart, capturing where everything was at the moment you were born can give many clues to your own character and tendencies. Everyone knows their sun sign, but maybe not their moon sign, where Venus and Mars were and which houses they fell in.

So what is Astrology?
Astrology is a an ancient science of the stars. It uses the positioning of the planets in our solar system to gather information about the inner journey that we as individuals take- the microcosm of us being a reflection of the macrocosm above. It can be seen from two perspectives, the microcosm-macrocosm of inner reflections from the outer world(s) or that the position of the planets affect us in a great unseen force, similar to that of the gravitational pull of the moon that influences the tidal systems of the Earth.

I see astrology as being the big influencer- it shows us what the influencers are and where they come from, as opposed to be a fatalist, set-out destiny as set out in the stars. Being aware of what can sway us, influence us, is a good thing to know.  If you are looking for fatalist astrology, I’m not the person for you. The ten main influencers are the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto (yeah, Pluto is still a planet for Astrologists)

What the heck is a ‘Natal Chart’?
The natal chart captures the position of the planets and stars at the moment you were born. The position of the planets and the moon shape part of your being- giving certain influence over the way we think and the way we feel and act. The Sun influences our over-riding character, the moon our emotional self, mercury- how we communicate and so on.

There are also twelve astrological houses- representing the spheres and phases of life. From the ‘rising sign’, the ascendant through the descendant, the Midheaven and Imum Coeli (the Self within) there is lots to decipher from the houses in which your signs sit. Not all twelve signs will necessarily be represented, as you can have the same sign in different houses.

Additional aspects that finish off the map, are the nodes of the moon (life paths current and former), Chiron- the wounded healer who has a healing lesson or gift for this lifetime and Black Moon Lilith- that discarded shadow that can be a help or hinderance to your time on this earthly realm.

And why is that useful?
Like I say, I find that the chart, with the position of the planets, comets, nodes and houses gives a good assessment of characteristics and traits/tendencies that will reflect you. For me, this doesn’t give a fatalistic reasoning for all of the good and bad stuff- so you can say “it’s not my fault, it’s because of Mercury in Scorpio” or something like that. We are also a product of our surroundings and upbringing- which also brings out these tendencies and moulds us. It gives a better understanding of us- what we do and sometimes how we act. I find it to be a fantastic eye-opener.

Note: Even for the two most-sceptical people who I have drawn up charts for have had signs in the right place to show a tendency to have to ‘see it to believe it- or it is hogwash’ glaring at them in their natal chart.

So why aren’t all Leo’s [Or insert another starsign here] the same? 
Well, There are Ten main planetary aspects, mix that in with twelve houses, thirty degrees per sign, so there’s huge potential for difference. A Leo with the moon (emotional self) in Taurus would be very different to one with the moon in Scorpio. Even if you just think of the combination of a Leo with a possible 12 different moon signs, 12 different Mars signs, 12 different Venus signs and 12 different rising signs- thousands of different character set possibilities! Note: Not all are possible as the orbits of planets mean that some  (like Mercury) are always within two signs of the Sun’s)

n.b. This is why I find daily horoscopes often miss the mark. They are, for me, too generalistic.

What I do
I create a natal chart, based on the following information:
– Date, time and place of birth.

From this I draw up a picture of tendencies, skills and qualities that the chart shows. It is a conception of your character set- showing the following aspects-

• Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
• The twelve houses.
• Chiron (the comet)
• Lilith (the black moon)
• The north and south nodes of the moon.

I then write up a report and send it to you via PDF file. This includes a graphical chart.