Defending Astrology

Some people take great pride in dismissing astrology as a load of, er, bulldust. Some make this point passionately. I’ve had more than one or two make it aggressively. I’ve even had some people who live thousands of miles away from me accuse me of being ‘in league with the Devil.’ I kid you not. Such people are out there.

Defending astrology to those who demand proof

Anyway, the fact you’re reading this indicates you have faith in – or at least an open mind about – astrology. People will always believe what they want to believe. Tell someone there are over 300 billion stars in the Milky Way and they’ll believe you. Tell them they mustn’t touch a recently painted door, and they’ll touch it because they require proof the paint is wet.

25,000 years’ history helps when defending astrology

Nonetheless, astrology was never intended to be a way of predicting the future. Early astrological evidence appears as markings on cave walls drawn 25,000 years ago, showing lunar cycles. These were the first steps toward recording the Moon’s influence upon oceans, and the start of a communal calendar.

Defending astrology and explaining the Moon’s influence

I enjoy seeing reactions from those who scoff astrology when I ask them if they believe the Moon affects oceans. That’s a bit of a risky question to ask because it implies I believe planets affect our behavior. I do not believe this. However, when I explain the human body comprises 75% water, and the Moon must therefore have an effect on us, I start to see signs of reluctant agreement.

Seriously though, do you doubt the Moon affects humans? If so, then ask a doctor, fireman, ambulance driver, hospital worker, police officer, taxi driver or publican if they’re aware of changes in people during Full Moons. I guarantee most, if not all, will confirm they are.

However, the Moon is an exception to the rules in some ways. What I can tell you is this: other astrologers and I believe what’s occurring in the sky is a blueprint for what’s happening on Earth.

Defending astrology means accepting an inability to predict lottery wins!

Astrology IS a science. It is the science of relationships. It is the search for human meaning in the sky and a proven way of identifying the best time to seize opportunities. Astrologers cannot predict lottery wins in the same way we cannot predict specific dates people will fall in love. Opportunities are identified but the decision surrounding whether or not – and how – we choose to seize them is ours.

Defending astrology involves explaining how we all make predictions every day

Interestingly, we’re all surprisingly skilled at making predictions. Many of us underestimate our ability to make accurate predictions. This might have something to do with the fact that we do it so frequently. Many people resent how astrologers believe themselves to be in a ‘privileged position’ through being able to predict future events yet overlook how frequently they do so themselves.

Reading calendars and clocks is something we were all taught to do at a young age. But have you ever given thought to what doing each really involves? We take our ability to use this extremely complex information for granted. We underestimate or forget how complicated calendars and clocks are.

The solar system is another way of telling the time, albeit a more complicated method than reading the positioning of hands on a clock. Astrologers can make predictions by reading what has happened. We then establish as best we can why it happened and make logical calculations about what will happen again – and when.

Think, for example, how often we make predictions based on assessments and facts. Many of these have calendars and clocks in mind. For example, we might say ‘next Tuesday I will finish work at 5:00 pm. I will be going out with some friends and home at midnight’. Within that sentence, there is a fact, an assessment and a prediction. The fact in astrology is the formation of a planetary aspect. It is happening or will happen, and that is guaranteed.

The assessment surrounds the implications of the aspect, based largely on lore dating back thousands of years. The prediction simply surrounds the outcome of aspects. It is here astrologers need to possess the skill of a mathematician and the imagination of an artist.

Defending astrology and accepting we have much to learn

The purpose of this article is to highlight how we all make predictions in our own way. Many that we make are made purely with instinct with no previous history or precedent to back them up. At least astrology in its earliest form of its use today has a 10,000 – 12,000-year history. The good news is, there’s still so much left to learn.

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