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What is Astrology? How is Astrology used in real life?

Intimacy with the Heavens:

Sometimes it's hard to get inside and experience astrology, when it seems so abstract. The planets and stars are far away, but astrology says we're made of the same star-energies. The birth chart records the cosmic energies present at the exact moment of your arrival in this lifetime. As the celestial clock moves forward, the changing sky carries us forward on the path of our destiny. We are spiritually honed by transits, and challenges are presented in the form of those built-in natal aspects. It gets intricate, as you see it's true on the individual level, and for groups, like countries, as well.

Fate and Free Will:

Most astrologers consider the birth chart a set of potentials. It's not a set-in-stone destiny. Things happen that are beyond our control, and seem in the hands of a higher force. But much depends, too, on the choices we make (free will), how we develop that potential, and how we deal with prickly contradictions. It's wise to avoid astrologers that claim to see what's going to happen in your future. The best astrologers enter into a conversation with you about your life, using the birth chart to consider what energies are at play.

Astrology as a Tool:

When you experience the energies of astrology -- in yourself and others -- its wisdom becomes useful in all kinds of relationships. You may already sense the prevailing energies of people on an intuitive level, as when people say, "he's so earthy" or "she's got her head in the clouds." Astrology puts a kind of spiritual language to talk about what we already know deep down.

Don't Get Blinded by the Sun:

Astrologers struggle with the fact that most people know about Sun signs, but that's just painting the person in broad strokes. There's so much mythology and poetry about Sun signs, and it's a great starting point for learning about astrology. But it can also be limiting, and keep you locked into a simplistic view of yourself and others. When you're ready to go beyond the Sun, it can be a series of eye-opening revelations about who you are. It also shines light on nuances in others. You start to discover the awesome intricacy of people, energies, and how its all tied to the cosmos.

Astrology as a Trap:

Almost any system of thought can be limiting, if it becomes the only framework you see through. Astrology through the ages has been interwoven into the arts, psychology, religion and science. Sometimes astrology is used as a defense, when people want to believe they can map out the future, so that they won't be caught unaware (not possible!) Another trap is overanalyzing using the tools of astrology, and allowing this to keep you from experiencing things on an emotional level. There will always be some things beyond our understanding, part of a great mystery.

Where Does Astrology Fit in With My Religion?:

The encounter with the divine, through the heavens, is woven into every religion found on Earth. You may find your own way to experience divine energies through your tradition. Don't let the technical language of astrology make you think it is beyond your reach, or incompatible with your spirituality. The awe that our earliest ancestors felt while stargazing is a timeless sense of something greater than ourselves. That might be called God for you, the Goddess, Allah, Buddha, or a universal cosmic intelligence that encompasses all those.

Life Lessons:

I remember reading once that challenges mirrored in our chart are life-long meditations, especially ones involving the outer planets or nodes. That's something I try to keep in mind when I get restless to 'crack the code' of my own, or someone else's birth-chart. Some potentials in our chart need the seasoning of time to be fully revealed. And some things happen in their own time, and can't be rushed. You may know a lot about your chart, but life is still lived one day at a time. And it's wise to just let there be more questions than answers.

The Creative Spirit:

When you study your birth chart, it often confirms what you already know. The first thing I do when I get a new astrology book is read the interpretations for my own natal planets in their houses. Any new insights get absorbed into the pool of knowledge about my chart. You're the one that inhabits the chart from Day One, and the only one that can know the whole story. Challenges (in the form of squares or oppositions) and areas of harmony just raise the volume on energies you're intuitively operating on. Knowing about astrology helps you guide your own creative energies to their highest potential.

Make your Relationships Better:

We're all complex entities bumping up against each other, and either sticking or moving forward. Astrology is one tool, among many, that sheds light on why we're drawn to certain people, and repelled by others. A birth chart can give us extraordinary compassion for others, and remind us that we're all a mixed bag of natural gifts and challenges. That doesn't excuse bad behavior, but it sheds light where before there may have been harsh judgement. Synastry shows us how we either support or provoke each other to grow.

Astrology in the Aquarian Age:

Astrology seems to be at a crossroads, and is being considered more thoughtfully than it has in recent decades. It's just of many ways to engage with universal energies -- others are yoga, feng shui and elemental earth magic to name just a few. Here in the cusp of the Aquarian Age, more people are instinctively embracing these ancient systems in creative ways right for the 21st Century.

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Astrology is not just a bunch of far-out concepts. And you don't have to study for years and years to experience the energies of the cosmos. They're in you! Astrology as the study of light energies, is available to everyone, and part of the human spiritual heritage.

This is an invitation to see for those new to Astrology to see for yourself. That's very Aquarian, too. Do your own experiential research, just in the course of living. See if the archetypes of Sun signs match up with those in your social circle. Add new and richer dimensions with the Rising and Moon signs, and see how they personalize each Sun Sign further.

Astrology can add meaning to your life, and be a way to make sense of life's ups and downs. It's a study with rich archetypes that turn up in art, music, drama and popular culture. You may be drawn to the technical side of the study, with the charts and math involved. Or, the intuitive language may be more up your alley. There are many ways to engage with astrology, and use its wisdom as a spiritual (or practical) resource in your life.