WELCOME TO COSMIC CONNECTIONS, AN EXPLORATION OF THE ART AND SCIENCE OF ASTROLOGY
Most of us know astrology as the sun sign "horoscopes" in our favorite magazine or newspaper. These columns may be entertaining, and we may all know what sign we were born under, but how can everyone born within a certain month share the same traits and destiny? And if that's all there is to astrology, why should anyone take astrology seriously? These are valid concerns. But sun signs and so-called sun sign "horoscopes" do astrology a great disservice. They are just the tip of the astrological iceberg, the public and often humorous face of what is really a very deep and complex science/art.
WHAT IS ASTROLOGY?
So what is astrology? What are the twelve signs of the Zodiac that divide and define the heavens? What do the signs signify and how can they influence us here on earth? How are the signs and planets connected to us, individually and collectively? These are some of the questions that are explored in Cosmic Connections, which focuses on the deeper nature of a human being and the place that we as individuals, and humanity as a whole, hold on this small planet in the vast, multidimensional universe in which we find ourselves.
Essentially, astrology is the relationship between humans and the cosmos. Astrology describes, through the use of archetypes and symbolic language, our collective and individual place within the universe; it defines our connection to the order and rhythm of the cosmos. A basic premise of astrology is that, despite apparent separation, everything is part of a greater whole, interconnected by a web of underlying patterns of energy that repeat on every dimension, from galaxies to solar systems to planets to humans to atoms. We, as human beings, are part of these repeating patterns. We are connected to, live within, and are comprised of the energy and intelligence that flows through all. These repeating patterns of life are amazingly complex and yet they are also exceedingly simple, once their structure and essence are understood. Astrology is a valuable resource to help give meaning to these energy patterns and to help us understand our place within the whole.
THE HOROSCOPE OR BIRTH CHART, A MAP OF HUMAN POTENTIAL:
While astrology can relate us to the larger cosmic picture and the planetary concerns that we all share, it is also an extremely valuable spiritual, psychological and practical tool for individuals. We are each unique, and the date, place and time of our birth all create a blueprint, a momentary freeze-frame of the heavens, which the astrologer calls a horoscope or birth chart. A real horoscope is a symbolic, circular image of the position of all the planets, and the sun and the moon, as seen from Earth when you were born. It shows which of the twelve signs these solar bodies occupied at birth, and the relationship they made to each other. It shows which zodiac sign was rising over the horizon at the moment you drew your first breath. This is the rising sign, the point around which the horoscope "houses," or arenas of life, are based.
This complex chart reflects an imprinting of planetary and cosmic energies and patterns, and is a symbol of potential, much as a seed contains within itself the genetic imprinting of its future development. The difference between a plant (for example) and a human being, however, is our self-consciousness, which distinguishes us from every other life form on the planet. This reflective self-awareness gives us the power to make conscious choices and effect changes, internally and externally. The power of choice moves astrology out of the realm of fatalistic, predetermined necessity and into the domain of probabilities. The horoscope, therefore, is most accurately understood as describing our character patterns, and our unfolding probabilities and potentials, as we and the planets cycle through the continuing processes of experience and expression that we call life.
Over the centuries, each sign and planet has become associated with specific energy forces, personality and physical characteristics, psychological qualities, and dimensions of experience that define the human condition. All mythological archetypes, all symbols within the collective conscious and unconscious, all psychological "types," all physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual qualities and conditions, find their correspondences within the language and symbolism of astrology. As psychologist Abraham Maslow so eloquently pointed out, we are each seeking to integrate the many facets of our being into a well-functioning, harmonious whole. The astrological horoscope or birth chart provides a crucial key to this process of integration, by offering a tool for self-understanding and, just as importantly, for self-acceptance during our cyclical earthly journey.
While astrology can relate us to the larger cosmic picture and the planetary concerns that we all share, it is also an extremely valuable spiritual, psychological and practical tool for individuals. We are each unique, and the date, place and time of our birth all create a blueprint, a momentary freeze-frame of the heavens, which the astrologer calls a horoscope or birth chart. A real horoscope is a symbolic, circular image of the position of all the planets, and the sun and the moon, as seen from Earth when you were born. It shows which of the twelve signs these solar bodies occupied at birth, and the relationship they made to each other. It shows which zodiac sign was rising over the horizon at the moment you drew your first breath. This is the rising sign, the point around which the horoscope "houses," or arenas of life, are based.
This complex chart reflects an imprinting of planetary and cosmic energies and patterns, and is a symbol of potential, much as a seed contains within itself the genetic imprinting of its future development. The difference between a plant (for example) and a human being, however, is our self-consciousness, which distinguishes us from every other life form on the planet. This reflective self-awareness gives us the power to make conscious choices and effect changes, internally and externally. The power of choice moves astrology out of the realm of fatalistic, predetermined necessity and into the domain of probabilities. The horoscope, therefore, is most accurately understood as describing our character patterns, and our unfolding probabilities and potentials, as we and the planets cycle through the continuing processes of experience and expression that we call life.
Over the centuries, each sign and planet has become associated with specific energy forces, personality and physical characteristics, psychological qualities, and dimensions of experience that define the human condition. All mythological archetypes, all symbols within the collective conscious and unconscious, all psychological "types," all physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual qualities and conditions, find their correspondences within the language and symbolism of astrology. As psychologist Abraham Maslow so eloquently pointed out, we are each seeking to integrate the many facets of our being into a well-functioning, harmonious whole. The astrological horoscope or birth chart provides a crucial key to this process of integration, by offering a tool for self-understanding and, just as importantly, for self-acceptance during our cyclical earthly journey.
