27 Dec Astrology

“We are born at a given moment, in a given place, and like vintage years of wine, we have the qualities of the year and of the season in which we are born.”   ~ Carl Gustav Jung

Almost my whole life I would associate astrology with the silly comments in magazines or newspapers about a completely random prediction about my next week, or about my day, according to my astrological sign. Normally it was wrong and didn’t make much sense at all. I never believed in the stars or destiny; I had a very pragmatic mind, only believing in what I could see.

Funnily enough my mom was, and still is, a kind of “witch” – reading tarot cards and making magic spells. I grew up in a house full of books on astrology, magic, tarot, palm reading, etc. I didn’t start to believe in anything other than the physical plane until I arrived in India. The motherland of spiritual and esoteric beliefs blew my mind over and over with all types of “coincidences”, experiences, and anecdotes, from which a very interesting TV show could be created!

The understanding of being guided by a higher force, and that my mind was nothing more than a tool of the Divine Power, was becoming very clearly stabilized in my heart by the time I started to study Tantra in depth, a couple of years after first arriving in India. In the path of Tantra we study many things such as astronomy, geometry, mantras, breathing exercises, sexual rituals, etc. One of the things we study is, of course, the understanding of the meaning of your Highest Purpose depending on the gifts that you bring to this life and time on earth, and the challenges that your soul needs to confront to be able to give your best to the world, thereby bringing more contentment into your heart in daily life.

The sun travels around the earth once each year. Within the space of that year the sun moves through all twelve signs of the zodiac, spending approximately one month in each sign. The sign that the sun was travelling through at the time of your birth is your astrological sun sign. Sun sign astrologers take this basic twelve-fold division and relate all the current movements of all the planets to each other, using traditional rules to divine meanings for each sign separately. Because the moon has the fastest apparent movement of all the heavenly bodies, it is often used as the main indicator of daily trends for sun sign astrology forecasts.

In the 5000 years that have passed since the study of astrology was first recorded, the 12 signs of the zodiac have acquired special associations, characterizations, and meanings.

The 12 signs are divided into 2 groups, masculine and feminine. The masculine signs are direct and energetic, while the feminine signs are receptive and magnetic.

Aries – Ram Masculine

Taurus – Bull Feminine

Gemini – Twins Masculine

Cancer – Crab Feminine

Leo – Lion Masculine

Virgo – Maiden Feminine

Libra – Scales Masculine

Scorpio – Scorpion Feminine

Sagittarius – Archer Masculine

Capricorn- Goat Feminine

Aquarius – Water bearer Masculine

Pisces – Fish Feminine

The 12 signs are also divided into 4 “elemental” groups each encompassing 3 signs each, all of which have certain characteristics. The Fire Signs are Aries, Leo and Sagittarius who are all typically active and enthusiastic. The Earth Signs: Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn are known to be practical and stable. Air Signs, Gemini, Libra and Aquarius are generally intellectual and communicative.  The Water Signs, Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces tend to be emotional and intuitive

The 12 signs are also divided into 3 groups, each denoting a different quality of interaction with the outside world, with each group containing 4 signs each. The first, Cardinal Signs, comprised of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn are enterprising and outgoing; they are the initiators. The second group, Fixed Signs, within which falls Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, are resistant to change; they are people who perfect and finish things, rather than originators. The third group, the Mutable Signs: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces are flexible, versatile and adaptable; they are able to easily adjust to differing circumstances.

There are so many details to study about astrological signs, the characteristics of each of them, and how they relate with and to each other. Each of the signs falls into an utterly unique combination with no two signs in the zodiac having the same mix of qualities, each expressing its own characteristics differently.

After all this study, I am now a believer in things more than I could see. And the study of astrology continues from here with complex calculations based on the alignment of stars – a true science indeed!