The art and science of astrology encourages you to be the best version of yourself and let go of what is outside of your control. One of my favourite quotations about astrology comes from Zolar: “Astrology is like gravity; you don’t have to believe in it for it to be working in your life.” Put simply, when you are able to understand how planetary forces work, you immediately have an advantage over everyone else.
The earliest astrological texts date back to about 5th century B.C.E. Formal study of astrology began between the 5th century and 2nd century B.C.E. Previous to this, there was a lot of speculation, but nothing mathematical or scientifically recorded. It wasn’t the uneducated and superstitious people who accepted astrology and developed it. Rather, philosophers like Plato prepared the groundwork, and the Stoics—who were among the greatest logicians and physicists of their times—most fully worked astrology into a system. Doctors, scientists and mathematicians accepted it and developed its associations with medicine, plants, stone and alchemy (chemistry at that time).
Astrology and astronomy were the same science. It wasn’t until much later on that they were forcibly separated thanks to political and religious powers who were fearful of the kind of power people would have with astrological knowledge. It’s a historical fact the same popes and kings who burned people at the stake for practising occult sciences had secret astrologers working for them. Up until the 17th century at least some knowledge of astrology was a necessary part of a doctor’s training. (Astrology was part of the Hippocratic corpus of medical writings.)
There are astrologers all over the world working for corporations, politicians, the royal family, and quite famously, Wall Street. They’re everywhere, but they’re kept secret. For thousands of years, astrology has been used to plan battles (from Napoleon to Ronald Reagan), wedding ceremonies and numerous other significant events.
Astrology is about connections. Astrology, in its most ancient form, was connected intimately with nature, medicine, healing, and science. Astrology connects us back to ourselves, with others and with nature.
It connects you to yourself. The better you understand yourself, the easier it is to maximize your strengths, talents and abilities and to work through personal struggles and challenges that you will inevitably have throughout your life. Astrology allows you to understand your struggles at the most fundamental level; it helps you to be objective, step outside of situations and learn and grow from them. When you go through tough times in your life or when you don’t get what you want, astrology can help you understand why. So many of us are our own worst enemies and we block ourselves off from evolving because we don’t understand the big picture. Astrology gives you that big picture.
When you see yourself clearly, your life can become more fulfilled, purposeful and productive. Fulfillment in life is understanding what your calling is and cooperating with it—bringing it out in the most positive and harmonious way you can.
It connects you to others. Astrology helps you make connections with others by understanding them. Your compassion grows when you can appreciate what others’ essential needs are, how they need to communicate, what they require from relationships, how they see the world, and the journey they are on.
It connects you to nature’s cycles and timing. Astrology helps you choose the right time to connect. So much of life is about timing. Astrology provides a weather forecast. Why plan an outdoor event on a rainy, cold day if you could choose a sunny one? Astrology provides you with incredible perspective on how long good periods or bad periods will last. As my astrology teacher used to say, “forewarned is forearmed”.
Astrology teaches us that there is harmony and symmetry in the universe and that everyone is part of the whole. It is the best tool we have available for human understanding.