Thursday 4 September 2014

Onwards & Upwards

Under my blog title there is the phrase: 'Real astrology for the 21st century'. This is a cause close to my heart as I firmly believe that, although astrology has been studied and practised for thousands of years, it's important that astrologers make sure that it continues to evolve. 

Throughout history, astrologers have taken the chance to include new astronomical discoveries in their work. The three outer planets - Uranus, Neptune and Pluto - are, historically speaking, fairly recent additions. As are the thousands of minor planets and asteroids we now have access to. These bodies are now fully integrated into astrological calculations and have proved to be invaluable to advanced chart interpretation.

However, it's not only the amount of planets which has to be updated but also astrological terminology. I cannot believe that in this day and age some astrologers still use statements such as 'Lord of the 7th house', etc. I respect tradition but these out of date expressions from centuries ago are taking things a bit too far. Is it any wonder that some people continue to think that astrology is mumbo jumbo and the people who practise it are a bunch of weirdos?

I remember doing a horoscope for someone years ago and when she'd read it, she said to me, "It's very good, but why do you keep mentioning houses?" Exactly. The chart is a circle divided into 12 equal segments - like cutting a cake into portions. These segments are called 'houses'. Until very recently, possible halfway through this blog, I was still referring to 'houses' but now I prefer to call them sectors. It suits me better from a personal point of view and also seems like a more straightforward way of explaining something to my readers and clients.

As an astrologer, I'm also passionate about astrological research and because of this I have worked consistently to discover new methods and techniques - such as Annual Degree Projection and Initial Indicators. Moving with the times is crucial to the credibility of astrology. If it gets stuck in the past, no matter what we astrologers say, we'll have no hope of our work being taken seriously. There will be no recognition of what we do by astronomers or other scientists. As astrologers, we respect astrology, so it is our duty to ensure that everyone else does too. Only by advancing and modernising can we possibly hope to achieve this aim.