The World of Stars
Whenever people ask me, “do you really believe in all that astrology stuff?” I love to remind them what exactly astrology is, and what it is not.
Astrology is a system of predictions based off of the stars, and based off of astronomy. Astronomy, on the other hand, is a field of science that studies everything outside the earth’s atmosphere. This includes planets, stars, asteroids, galaxies, and the properties and relationships to each of those celestial bodies from one to the next. Astronomers, examine the positions, motions, and properties of celestial objects. Astronomy is the study of the universe and its contents outside the Earth’s atmosphere. Likewise, astrology, which is similar to astronomy in that it is a field of science, instead, studies the positioning of the stars and planets and studies how they interact with our plant, Earth. Astrology is the study of the universe, and how the positions, motions, and properties of each part of the universe might affect people and events on Earth. Boiled down, astronomy studies how things outside Earth work and how they affect one another, while astrology studies how things outside Earth work and how they affect Earth. They are similar, but there are also key differences.
Why they are seen as two completely different ideas and belief systems is due to the way our Western world has translated astrology into something that appeals to mass audiences. This conventional way of viewing astrology, or the “sun-sign” approach to astrology began in the late 1960’s and took off because individuals found it reassuring to think of their personalities reflected in the stars. Truth is, the way we think of astrology today is not the astrology that the great thinkers of our world ever envisioned.
What we know of today as astrology is Western Astrology. However, there are actually several different systems of astrology. What has become popularized in our Western world stems from the Western Astrology system. Western-infused astrology, medicine and even Religious and Spiritual beliefs are incredibly highly specific to this particular region. In looking at even just one country over, all three belief systems demonstrate key differences and highlight different interpretations of the body and our interconnectedness to the planet. Likewise, our western world has adopted its own way to interpret astrology: Western Astrology. Some of the most commonly interpreted systems of astrology are Western Astrology, Vedic Astrology, Chinese Astrology, and 13-Sign Astrology, but there are also systems of astrology that are highly specific, like Medical Astrology, Karmic Astrology, and Horary Astrology. Before completely dismissing or accepting the entire principle, looking into the system you feel most closely aligned with, just as we do with medical and spiritual beliefs, can help to understand yourself in a greater capacity.
For several millennia, the very reason for studying astronomical observations and theories was to improve our astrological predictions. Astrology is just that, a system of predictions. It is a system of predictions that is based on thousands upon thousands of years of study, which is science. According to Meriam Webster’s definition, science is, “knowledge about the natural world that is based on facts learned through experiments and observation.” Moreover, astrology is a system of predictions, based on obsservations, and is deeply rooted in science.
Although mainstream belief is that astrology will predict the future and define a set of traits for na individual, astrology instead tells us about the possibilities that can come from celestial motion. It does not define a person, rather, provides us with tendencies for behavior and the influence that they have in helping us uncover our strengths and weaknesses. Astrology does not determine how a person is going to act, think, or feel, but instead, works to uncover how you can show up best for yourself, others, and the environment around you.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
The Moon controls the ocean’s tides, meaning, the moon directly effects the water in the ocean.
We as Humans, are made up of about 70% water...
...could the moon then help control us too?
THE MILKY WAY at Giant Rock in Landers, CA
Photo by Hunter Gawne
@huntergawne