Astrology is not a party trick.
Throughout my life I have been a star gazer, as well as a ponder of the meaning of life and why we do the things that we do. During my search for answers, I traveled down many philosophical paths. Astrology has always been one of the paths that makes the most sense to me. As we can all agree, the gravitational pull of the moon on the earth creates a change in the tides of the ocean. The earth is about 70% water; our bodies are about 60% water. It would make sense that the moon’s gravitational pull would affect beings on earth as well. This thought started my justification of how the heavenly bodies can help shape the personalities and events on our planet.
In 2014 I began a serious study of Astrology, at that time both of my kids announced that they’d be blessing me with grandchildren the following summer. I began buying and reading astrology books. The first few books were basic books that taught me the symbols and significations of the planets, signs, houses, and aspects. Then, I bought more books that delve into specific topics and planets. I wanted to be able to look at a chart with an instant knowledge of what made a person tick, behave in particular ways, and have good or bad fortune. (By the way, 10 years later, I can’t perform party tricks, like intuitively knowing at an instance what makes a person tick.)
My grandchildren were both born in Leo season, both with their Sun in Leo. They are both shining stars in my eyes, yet they are both very different. One is serious, obedient, disciplined, and athletic; whereas, the other is funny, strong-willed, witty, and flutters around like a butterfly.
During my studies, I learned that we all have Leo in our charts, as well as all the other signs. The placement of the Sun indicates our Sun Sign and indicates the way we show ourselves to the world around us. A person’s Sun sign is the easiest to identify since the Sun rotates through all the signs consistently each year. So, based on someone’s birthday, you automatically know their Sun Sign, unless they were born on the cusp, or which is the day or two when the Sun moves from one sign to another. For example, the Sun moves into Virgo in 2023 on August 24th and in 2024 on August 23rd, according to The American Ephemeris 1950-2050 at Midnight, Neil F. Michelsen & Rique Pottenger.
I continued to buy Astrology books that had aesthetic qualities that intrigue me, such as colorful graphics, concise tables for quick reference, and charts of celebrities that I am familiar with. But each time I felt that I was left at the same point, not sure how to digest it all. I wanted to take a course at one of the astrology colleges, but felt it wasn’t an expense that I was willing to pay for a couple of months’ education. I thought I could teach myself through reading. I felt that I needed to buy software to save my friends and families data. At the time it cost about the same as a course. I purchased Solar Fire, and it’s been the best investment for me. I could play with the animation feature which helped me grasp the concepts and see the importance of birth time. I could also visualize the movements of the planets from geocentric view for a more comprehensive understanding.
Listening to podcasts of different astrologers left me feeling a bit overwhelmed. I still couldn’t put all the pieces together. I didn’t give up, because I thought if I listened long enough, something would sink into my brain, and I would magically one day be able to read birth charts at a moments’ glance, my original goal, aka, the party trick. There were several astrologers that I listened to, but the one that I kept coming back to was Chris Brennan.
In the early spring of 2023, I decided it was time to make a career change. I wasn’t happy in my current job, and I could technically retire. I still needed additional income to supplement the high cost of healthcare, as well as my spending sprees. I wanted to do something that I had fun doing. I love to learn, and I enjoy helping people. I still needed a little structural help with learning astrology. I am easily distracted, without structure, I don’t take the time to dig deep and become fully immersed. So, I decided to spurge on a “retirement gift” to me, and buy an astrology course with many, many hours of lectures, to listen to as quickly or slowly as I choose and can refer to whenever I want. I purchased the Hellenistic Astrology Course, by Chris Brennan. This course provided me with the structure I needed to effectively learn astrology.
Before the Hellenistic Astrology Course, I didn’t realize that there was much of a difference between traditional and modern astrology, and of course you should use modern astrology. Who really needs astrology that was developed in the first century CE?!? It would naturally be outdated. They didn’t have modern technology, travel opportunities, today’s social issues, etc.
After completing most of the lectures, my expectations have changed. I am not psychic or remarkably intuitive. I imagine most who study astrology are not either. Astrology is a skill that is learned from study and experience. It’s not a party trick.