My Top Tips For Astrology Beginners - Part 2

TAKE THE CIRCULAR ROUTE

In my first article - My Top Tips for Astrology Beginners - Part 1:

Link: 

https://ephemeralarc.blogspot.com/2020/05/my-top-tips-for-astrology-beginners.html

I wrote this:

"Get to know what an astrology chart really looks like. I know this sounds silly but you have to be able to identify every detail in every chart you'll ever encounter as a professional astrologer, so it's important to become comfortable and efficient with the actual layout. The chart is, in effect, a map of space and time with you (or whoever you're studying) at the centre. The more up-close-and -personal you can be with this map, the better. Don't just skim the surface, absorb every detail - the signs, houses, planets, aspects, degrees, etc. In astrology, everything is relevant."

 

What I have come to realise since then is that this advice was far from silly as many amateur astrologers don't actually have a clue what an astrology chart really looks like. Reading social media comments from people who are trying to learn astrology and are posting messages such as, "I don't have an 8th house!" and then seeing the 'chart' which turns out to be nothing more than a list of numbers and symbols. This is NOT an astrology chart and you won't learn anything from it. You must use a round chart - it's called the Zodiac Circle for a reason. That's how the signs are arranged and that's how the planets move - in a circle. A proper chart illustrates the actual positions of the signs, houses and the planets within them. It also shows the angular relationships between those planets, i.e the aspects. Please be wary of astrology apps as that is where these lists come from. It's garbage. 

This is an astrology chart

This is not an astrology chart

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Memorising the associations of the signs, houses and planets is a fundamental part your astrological study. They each symbolise people, places, objects, feelings, etc. A good way of testing yourself is to choose a random letter of the alphabet and name one thing connected to each zodiac sign which begins with that particular letter. So, for example, choose the letter C for meanings of the planets and you may end up with something like this:

Sun = Creativity

Moon = Compassion

Mercury = Communication

Venus = Comfort

Mars = Courage

Jupiter = Community

Saturn = Control

Uranus = Chaos

Neptune = Confusion

Pluto = Corruption

Obviously you could do this by using any word beginning with any letter but this method  makes it more difficult and therefore really focuses your mind on what you know. Memorising astrological information is crucial to becoming a professional astrologer. I know this seems like a pointless chore, but just as with any other subject, the more you practise, the more you'll learn. Eventually, if someone asks a question such as "What does Moon in Pisces mean?", you'll be ready with an answer. Knowledge is power.

FIND A MENTOR

Not an easy task, I know, but if you can find someone who is already a well established genuine astrologer and is willing to give you advice, then please accept the opportunity. Remember, although it seems like a good idea to look for astrologers online, be careful who you trust. There are many fake astrologers out there. Avoid  those who want you to pay for their expertise - being a mentor is not the same as being a teacher and does not take up too much of any astrologer's time, so there's no reason for them to request payment. If they won't answer your question for free, ask someone else. In case you're wondering - yes, I'm available. 

Astrology Works - Part 1

There is an increasing tendency for people to claim that because science cannot prove astrology works, then astrology can't be real and astrologers are deluded. Why does everything now rely on science to validate its authenticity? It seems that science has become the 'New God' deciding from on high whether something exists or not. 

Sceptics accuse astrology of being nothing more than superstition. How many superstitions rely on complex mathematical calculations? None that I can think of. Working on that theory, algebra and trigonometry would be superstitions too. However, there are many professional astrologers who started out as sceptics themselves. Instead of just assuming that astrology is fake, they actually took the time to find out by studying it. 

Here is the news: Astrologers don't know how astrology works - but we do know that it does work. The sceptics drone on about astrologers being stupid for thinking that gravity or "cosmic rays" from other planets and stars have an effect on Earth. No decent astrologer thinks that  and would never say it, especially those of us who also have astronomical knowledge. That's another phallacy the sceptics love to spout - "astrologers have no idea about astronomy". I have studied astronomy since I was a child and I'm still 'into' it now. Obviously I can't speak for other astrologers, and looking at various websites and social media accounts, it does seem that very few practitioners of astrology know much about astronomy. But astronomers don't give a hoot about astrology either, so I guess it cuts both ways. I just happen to have a foot in both camps. 

Astronomy focuses on the physical universe and astrology on the parts of the universe that have yet to be defined and quantified.  If I draw up a chart for a particular date, for a specific time and for my own location, I will see a map of the sky above my house. The Moon and planets will be displayed on the astrology chart so accurately that, when I look out of the window, I will see them right there in front of me. Astrologers, just like astronomers, know where the planets are, which phase the Moon is in, etc, etc. 

Astrology and astronomy are not separate entities. The only change is the background of zodiac signs brought about by a natural phenomenon called Polar Precession. But the planets still move through the same section of the sky that they did thousands of years ago. The only reason we astrologers continue to refer to those sections by their original given names is so that we can identify that particular cosmic location. It doesn't matter that the zodiacal constellations have migrated over the centuries. The area of the sky they were in still exists on the zodiac circle. It's about the positions of the planets - not the design of the background.