Astrology is a several thousand year old practice which has evolved and branched out in a variety of forms including Vedic, Western, Ancient, and Hellenistic. At its foundation is a consistent observation that there is a correlation between the unique energies present within a person and the location of the “planets” relative to the background constellations as well as to their positions relative to the earth. An often used phrase in astrology is “as above, so below.”
Each person is born with a unique set of energies. Throughout a person’s life, they have free will on how to use their energies – sometimes in ways that are not helpful and at other times in ways that are helpful. Each person, throughout their life evolves in the use of their energies leading to maturity and greater effectiveness. When a person understands their unique energies and how to use them more effectively, growth accelerates.
Like many other practices such as acupuncture and feng shui, science has so far been unable to definitively measure the mechanism behind astrology. Coming from a deep scientific background (rocket science), I have come to recognize and respect that practices don’t suddenly start working the moment science can explain it. They have been working all along. Science has a long history of explaining why things, previously not understood, work the way they do. I believe that astrology, because it has been successfully practiced for thousands of years, fits into the category that is valid and also unable to be understood by our current scientific capabilities. Given my personal experience with astrology, I have no doubt that it works, and works really well.
The discussion below is specifically focused on Western astrology which has its roots in Hellenistic and Ancient astrology. There are numerous uses for astrology including natal (birth), transit, progressions, horary, financial, compatibility, composite, and electoral. In this tutorial, I will only cover two uses which are the most widely applied today. One is the natal (birth) chart and the other is the transit chart.
Next: Birth Chart
