What's Your Sign?
Sun Sign Astrology is all about Pride and the Ego...
Real Astrology is the Study of the Soul
Did you know that the Horoscope is the most read portion of a newspaper? People turn to it, read it, then mostly ignore whatever pointless blurb they just read, recognizing it's irrelevance to their day. Why? Because any rational human being knows that they are far more complex, colorful, and unique than could be described by 1/12 of the population at large. There are more than 12 types of people, obviously.
If you combine the rising sign (Ascendant) possibilities (12) with the Sun Signs, you get 144 combinations. This is getting closer to the mark. But if you combine these 144 combinations with the Moon sign possibilities, you get, let's see, better break out the pencil...1440 plus 288 is 1728 combinations. Astrologers look to these three factors in a horoscope to determine the very basic personality. But it doesn't stop there. Where are the other planets? Mercury, the ruler of the Mind or Intellect, Venus, with her love of Beauty and Fairness, Mars with his passionate and Pioneering instinct, Jupiter with his expansive and benevolent nature, Saturn with it's boundaries and restrictive energy...plus the new outer planets, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (we're still calling it a planet, get over it) were unknown to the ancients, yet modern astrologers interpret them as well. Why not? As Above, So Below is the theme song of Astrology. The Heavens reflect our Earthly existence.
The fact of the matter is, from the Earth, the Planets appear to move through the constellations of the Zodiac (circle of animals) which are basically the groupings of stars Man has noticed and tracked along the ecliptic (the plane intersecting the equatorial region of the Sun in which all the planets exist).
What does this have to do with anything? First of all, it is the only real marker of time we have. The non-repeating nature of the movements of the planets in relation to each other and the background of the Zodiac constellations marks history like no other clock could ever do. Never will the planets be in the exact same positions, relative to each other and the Earth, again. So your moment of birth can be considered to be uniquely described by the positions of the Heavenly bodies at that moment.
So what? Well, many people have noticed that there are similarities and differences in personality that correspond to the placement of the planets in the natal chart horoscope. It's been studied for Millennia. If one were to read the ancient writings, for example in the Bible (what of it that has made it down from the alterations and revisions of Man) when you read "wise men" just simply interchange those words with "astrologers" because that's who they were talking about...Astrology is the oldest science.
Predicting with Astrology is one use. Divination is considered to be the work of the Devil by many. Replace "Devil" with "Ego" and perhaps it is. We simply don't know everything about Astrology, as much has been lost, and much has been altered. Many have success with Divination, but failures are seemingly equally represented in trying to predict anything that will happen with accuracy to any large degree. Divination works in hindsight much better! What doesn't?
Divination with Astrology is definitely not it's most useful function. Spiritual maturation is encoded in the Natal Chart, and this is it's more useful function. Those who believe that we are here for spiritual growth; to "color our spirit", so to speak, will find much to learn and study in the Natal Chart.
Those who believe that the reason we are here is to seek wealth and power will find Sun Sign Astrology more to their tastes. This is because the Ego is represented by the Sun in Astrology. The Ego, in most Eastern philosophical systems (notice I didn't call them "religions") is considered to be the force against which Spirit must overcome. It distracts you from your true purpose, which is spiritual growth, and Ego also identifies you with the Body, which you will at some point have to leave, willing or not, so it leads you to ultimate destruction and ruin. When the spirit stops growing and expanding, the life becomes wasted and meaningless. This meaninglessness is the cause of all of Mankind's woes. Living a meaningless life is the cause of depression, suicide, violence, and all crimes. People do not realize that by divorcing themselves from their spirit, they rob their life of all it's intrinsic meaning.
The study of one's natal chart is the study of the Soul. There is no higher calling or purpose in this life. So the longer you put off your spiritual growth, the less time you have on this planet to evolve out of the need to experience through the body. The body is the vessel of Pleasure and Pain. Being this, we must ask, "what is the purpose of Pleasure and Pain?" Pleasure is a distraction. It is the carrot at the end of the string which goads us to continue the Life. With no pleasure, many will commit suicide. This is a refusal to live life on any terms but one's own. Is this "bad"? Who can say? Spirit calls spirit back when Spirit is ready. Spirit leaves the body when it is done with the body, not one moment before or after. Plenty of healthy people die every day. Plenty of very ill, suffering people stay bound to the body for many years in a deplorable state. How can this be? Spirit has it's own rules, such as Karma, which operate on Cause and Effect. We cannot understand these in normal waking consciousness. This is the realm or spirit and dreams. We all have more lucid moments, awake or asleep, where Truth is revealed. Upon awakening, or re-fogging as it could be called for waking experiences, we are simply unable to remember this clarity. Full clarity without reverting back to fogginess is something all Seekers have sought since the beginning of Time (our reckoning of the passage of time is more than likely part of this illusion). Many believe that achieving this unbroken clarity of purpose and meaning in Life is the way out of Cause and Effect, and the one thing that can release you from your need or requirement to return in subsequent (and/or simultaneous depending on who's reckoning you go by...) incarnations.
Incidentally, to all the Christians, who just now would have crossed themselves (if Catholic) on hearing about reincarnation, it might surprise you to know that Christ believed in Reincarnation, and so did everyone else, for much longer than this has been suppressed. The reason for suppression? Well, are people who believe they live again and have basically all of eternity available to complete their life lessons more or less easy to control and scare into submission than people who believe if they don't "get it right" this lifetime, they will roast in Hell for all Eternity? Answer this question honestly and recognize that rulers of the past, when books were scarce and information more easily controlled, took the opportunity to re-write the Holy books more to what worked better for THEM. Re-write, edit out all Hope, all benevolence of God, and make God an Avenging Tyrant, who if you mess up will punish you for Eternity, one chance, and if you happen to die at birth, then you roast in Hell the same as those who lived a sin-filled existence...yeah, that's a Loving God if I ever heard of one...
Reincarnation is one of the basic tenets of Astrology. Take heart because you are here as part of a larger plan, one you cannot see in your conscious existence, until growth has occurred and you break through the veil of Illusion, of Maya...
Take Heart. God did not set you up for failure. Man has done this to himself. Break free from this fallacious fantasy. Embrace your True Nature. God loves you, and Spirit makes you invulnerable. Nothing can destroy your Spirit. Any damage can be healed and regenerated.
Study your Natal Chart. It is the key to your Soul. Work on setting yourself free. It will happen eventually, but why not save yourself unnecessary suffering and grief, and accept the fact that you are here for a reason, and that reason is to grow spiritually? Your success in Life is not measured by your bank account, how you look, conquests, power, or anything but the realizations of a spiritual nature you accumulate on each successive (simultaneous?) lifetime. Read about the 26 qualities that make man God-like for some ideas on where to start...and study Your Natal Chart. It will tell you which quality, or possibly qualities, your Soul decided it should try to cultivate this lifetime. If you get just one, it will have been a successful lifetime. Just think, maybe after your Death you can say: "Hey, God, I got Fearlessness this Life, isn't that GREAT?"
Forgive me, I ramble...
Namaste