Many people say that they don’t “believe in” astrology and I can’t say that I blame them.  For the most part, their exposure has been either single sentence snippets in newspapers or two to three paragraphs in a magazine.  Not much substance, counseling as they are the entire readership based on broad-brushed Sun sign birth date information, and definitely not specific to individuals, which is what a real horoscope and its correlative interpretation are all about.

So how could it possibly be more specific?  And why should I really even care?  To that I reply – would it have ever helped you in your childhood to know what natural propensities came with you into this life?  Would it have ever helped to have had an impersonal, unbiased insight into your family dynamic?  How would you have felt, if from the moment you were born, you knew that you were exactly who you should be and that was exactly YOU?

Now, please bear with me in this task.  Attempting to avoid a lot of scientific detail and esoteric arcana will be difficult as I attempt to provide a very rudimentary framework for how I’ve learned that we as humans are impacted and in some ways influenced by the planets.  For this discussion, and typically in astrological writings generally, the term “planets” refers to the Sun, Moon and eight other planets in our solar system.  More recently, this reference has also come to include the planetoid Chiron (discovered in 1977), certain larger asteroids (Ceres, Pallas, Juno, Vesta, etc.) and the theoretical Lilith ^[1] in our solar system as well.  Of course, we realize that these are not all technically planets, but then again, fewer of them are actually stars (only our Sun is a star), which is another reference also often used in astrological discussions (as in, “What do the Stars tell us today?”).

You will indeed notice that many of the references below come from Wikipedia.  This is not to imply that I consider Wikipedia to be the best source of information on these topics, but the website does provide great information for the layperson, along with references of their own and links to places where more information can be found.  I encourage anyone to investigate any topic mentioned below that especially resonates with them.

The Kybalion: The Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece describes itself as “teachings [that] really constituted the basic principles of The Art of Hermetic Alchemy, which … dealt in the mastery of Mental Forces, rather than Material Elements…”^[2]  The book provides what it claims to be the Seven Hermetic Principles, passed down from Hermes Trismegistus, the Thrice-Great, who appears to be the congruence of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth, both gods in their respective cultures of writing and magic such that ”the Greek god of interpretive communication was combined with the Egyptian god of wisdom as a patron of astrology and alchemy.” ^[3]

The Third Hermetic Principle is the Principle of Vibration:  "Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates."^[2] All of matter vibrates; Einstein told us so, modern physicists are proving it down to the smallest elementary particles of matter, quarks, leptons, gauge bosons, et al.^[4].  These particles are where quantum physics is now peering into the phenomenon of multiverses ^[5] (think, Alice Through the Looking Glass or more currently the TV series “Fringe”) and seeing our “existence” as having truly unlimited potential.  As small as these particles are (as in powers of ten sub-atomic) they carry an electrical charge because they vibrate.  Multiply their mass to the size and composition of our Sun (a huge flaming gaseous furnace holding sufficient mass to keep all these planets circling it all the while blowing a POWERFUL solar wind our way), Jupiter (largest planet in our solar system), Venus (closest planet to our earth), etc., and you may begin to get a sense for the scale of unseen and untold energies surrounding our beautiful blue marble of an Earth, whose own electro-magnetic properties are being purposefully avoided here for purposes of brevity.

Vibration at the sub-atomic level produces electro-magnetic energy^[6]; mass creates gravitational energy (particularly large masses like suns and planets) which in turn produces electro-magnetic energy^[7], light (both source and reflected) is electro-magnetic radiation^[8].  How is it that we live in all of this without noticing it?  Because it is so ingrained in our makeup as to make it imperceptible; and for our survival, we didn’t need to notice or understand it, we just needed to know how to work with it (like walking upright without being pulled to the ground by gravity and using a proper SPF to avoid skin damage).

Consider that we’re in this swirling plasma of solar, planetary and sub-atomic electro-magnetic energy for approximately 4.5 billion years (the age of our planet)^[9].  Human evolution began 6 million years ago ^[10].  Homo sapiens has been estimated to have been around for approximately 170,000 years ^[10].  Everything in the solar system, everything on our planet, has evolved in this massive swirl of energy.  Mind you, not all participants were likely present (outer planets may be more recent additions), some topographies have significantly changed (Mars once had water; our own Moon may have), and the Earth’s own field has dramatically changed a number of times.

But now enter the true star of our story, the human brain. J  You may remember learning in school about neurons, axon terminals, dendrites and synapses [11], the most amazing part of which for me had to do with information being distributed along our brain's pathways via electrical charges "jumping" synapses.  How cool is that!??!  Truth to tell, our brains are bustling, buzzing little electro-magnetic generators of their very own -- and they do not stop until we pass on.  It's exactly that electro-magnetic energy being measured by EEGs (Electroencephalography records the electrical activity along the scalp produced ty the firing of neurons within the brain) [12} and MEGs (measure the magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain via extremely sensitive devices such as Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs)) [13].  

Are you trackin’ me so far?

To this point, we’ve established:

1. Everything is vibration.
2. Vibration produces electro-magnetic fields.
3. Our solar system is awash in electro-magnetic fields, the largest producers of which -- i.e., the largest bodies of mass in our solar system -- are the Sun, our Moon (in gravitational relationship) and the other planetary and asteroid bodies.
4. The human brain is an electro-magnetic generator, receptor and transmitter.

You may have some idea as to what’s coming next.  If you are the gambling type, or the geeky nerd who takes delight in being oh-so-very-smart (like I used to be!), stop reading this, e-mail me what you’re thinking and if you’re correct I’ll send you the Chironblue.com equivalent of a Gold Star, which of course could only be a Cornflower! (read why here)

If you’re still with me, let us proceed.  You may be asking, “What does all this high-falutin’, Greek/Egyptian god totin’, quantum mechanics workin’, left brain-rendin’, star-gazin’ stuff have to do with ME!!?!”  To which I patiently cajole, “We’ve arrived at the best part!  This is where we get to talk about YOU.”

Remember when you were born?  This life, the first time (for any of you reborn, multi-rounders).  Remember when you took your first breath?

No, you don’t actually have remember these things in order have your birth horoscope drawn.  In fact, all you need is the exact time of day, month/day/year and place of your birth.  There are so many resources out there from which you can obtain your own “chart” ^[14] that preparing your own horoscope has become remarkably easy!  It’s the interpretation of those signs, symbols, houses, planets, etc., that earn a good astrologer her weight in stardust.

And why are these specific pieces of information important?  Because up until the time of your birth you a) lived in a bubble of water, i.e., the amniotic sac, b) were not exposed to our earthly atmosphere or light (you were in the dark, not breathing air) and c) were completely dependent upon your birth mother for your existence -- you were not a separate human entity yet.  Your body, including your brain was shielded from full interaction with all of these external “forces”.  When you were delivered from the water and took your first breath, thus declaring your arrival to a state of uniqueness on this planet, your electro-magnetic brain “took in” and was “imprinted by” all the electro-magnetic forces in place at that moment and location.  All the subtle and not-so-subtle energies emitted by the Sun, Moon, planets, and especially our own Earth, were captured at that moment in time by YOU and you alone.  Do you see how unique you are?

How do you get from a chart to knowing what it means?  That, my friend, is a subject for another day.  I will likely post some general information on this site about planets, houses, aspects, decans and the like, but if I at least now have you somewhat curious (without being totally turned off and confused), then I have accomplished my task.  There are astrologers who can help you, which is the fastest way.  You can try to learn on your own, which can be very rewarding in itself but can also be very time-consuming and not a small amount frustrating if you’re looking for answers to specific questions.

An astrologer's tools of the trade.  Birth chart showing sign and degree of  planets, the other indicating all notable aspects between them.

A few closing points:

Interpreting a birth horoscope is indeed quite a complex undertaking.  Imagine twelve “planetary” bodies each with its own characteristics, resident in any of the twelve zodiacal signs each with its own influences (Aggression, Inquisitiveness, Sense of Justice, etc.), placed anywhere within twelve “houses” each governing its own area of human endeavor (Home, Relationships, Career, etc.); add an Ascendant and a Midheaven, begin assessing the five most important geometric “aspects” that confer degrees of congruence and disharmony between the planets, Ascendant and Midheaven and you begin to get a sense for the complexity of the task.  THEN, recognize that each element manifests on the physical, mental, emotional and karmic planes and you’ve just increased factors of YOU by four.  Do you see why you and so many other people might readily dismiss the single sentence snippets of horoscopes in newspapers?  Yes, these are based on planet placements and aspects at the time of publication and I do not wish to diminish the good work of the individuals who write them, but they are based exclusively on the sign that the Sun was in (your Sun sign) at your birth and prevailing planetary “transits”, discounting all other components of your personal chart.

If you’re looking for an interpretation of what influences may be coming up for you in the future, ask an astrologer to look at your Progressed chart and your Transits.  A Progressed chart takes your planetary birth data and “progresses” it a year for each day (so that if you were 30 years old on October 1, 2008 the astrologer would use data from October 31, 1978), interpreting trends you may experience for the upcoming year.  It’s not as specific as a Transit chart, which looks at planetary locations, alignments and influences – comparing them to your natal chart -- for any given specific date or timeframe, say next Tuesday or next month.

If you do follow up and either study astrology on your own or work with an astrologer, I will share one of the most rewarding learnings I came across in the process.  It was that as many different components and considerations there are to interpreting your own birth horoscope, as someone once said to me, they all point to just one thing – one story, one being – and that story is your very own.  So many of us search to “find ourselves”; this can be a very rewarding place to start.

Numbers play a big part such that when we hear certain numbers applied to any system’s structure, we recognize a certain energy in play: Two for duality and creativity in gestation; Four for stability--grounded and material; Seven for completion of a phase.  When I first heard about Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences, I was fascinated.  Gardner sought to more accurately define intelligence, challenging the then traditional understanding that humans only possessed two kinds – verbal and math.^[15]  Not only did he come up with seven intelligences, other research was showing that certain functions and intelligences resided within specific areas of the brain!  For millennia, seven had been the number of planetary bodies studied by astrologers, for we could only see as far as Saturn with the naked eye.  I wondered if a correlation could be drawn between Gardner’s intelligences and the properties associated with each planet.  To my delight, they naturally fell into place.  I was thrilled!  Since Gardner first published his theory in 1983, two other intelligences have been added, with two others still being researched.  I may not need to tell you what implications this has had on learning theory and how much educational material has been written using his theory since that time.  His work has revolutionized how educators think about instructing children in particular.

My theory?  I can’t help but think that the electro-magnetic energy under which humans have evolved has influenced our brain development and has driven the development of archetypes that are fundamental to how we orient ourselves to this earthly existence.  I do believe that in years to come we will better understand our place in this solar system and the forces that have surrounded us.  In the meantime, astrology and other esoterica do provide a great framework for understanding how things work.

I honestly believe that if children were taught even a small amount of astrology at the right time, that their cognitive and social development would benefit.  It would be like the brain holding a mirror up to itself.  Who knows what depths would be beheld?  Couldn’t our mind benefit from understanding its own inner functionings, not to mention the creative aspect of working with and analyzing archetypes, another tool of our own sub-conscious?

It is little known that in addition to his profound contributions in mathematics and physics, Isaac Newton was a noteworthy alchemist, astronomer and theologian.^[16] I leave you with his translation of the first two lines of The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus, one of the better known Hermetic documents.  Note that in alchemy these words are understood to mean both that occurrences on any one physical, mental, emotional and karmic plane are reflected on all others; but also that the macrocosm/universe is a reflection of the microcosm/ individual and vice versa, so that to know ourselves is to understand the nature of the universe.  And to know ourselves is the Great Work (i.e., one only thing) of finding the Philosopher’s Stone.

From the Isaac Newton translation of The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus:^[17]

1.       ‘Tis true without lying, certain most true.

2.      That which is below is like that which is above that which is above is like that which is below to do the miracles of one only thing.