What is Astrology?

I have fond memories of the quiet nights in Alexandria, Virginia. I used to decompress from the hustle and bustle of the day by taking long walks around my condo complex and tuning into a playfully percussive Bossa Nova playlist on Spotify. Lost in the rhythms, I’d gaze up at the endless expanse of stars, using a phone app to identify the stars, planets, and constellations. There was an undeniable magic in those moments, a profound connection to something far beyond our earthly realm.

Astrology Unveiled: Exploring the Cosmos

This innate human fascination with the cosmos has fueled astrology for millennia. In simple terms, I define astrology as “a field that explores the impact of celestial stuff on terrestrial stuff.” I recognize that the word “stuff” can have a variety of meanings but this definition of astrology encompasses them all. It’s the matter, things, content, and qualities of heaven that impact the matter, things, content, and qualities of earth. As above, so below.

In simple terms, I define astrology as “a field that explores the impact of celestial stuff on terrestrial stuff.”

The Impact of Celestial Entities

I prefer this expansive definition because it encompasses the impact of a range of celestial elements on earthly affairs. It’s not just the planets that influence us; other astrological factors include the luminaries (the Sun and the Moon), asteroids, fixed stars, sensitive points like the midheaven and ascendant, and even hypothetical objects that seem to affect us.

And on the ground, astrology doesn’t just influence humans; it also affects animals, the weather, companies, nations, events, and everything that happens on earth. I’ve analyzed events such as Kanye West’s interruption of Taylor Swift’s VMA moment, the Baltimore bridge collapse, the Montgomery Riverfront Brawl, and the assassination attempt on Donald Trump using astrological charts.

By closely observing and studying for millennia, we have come to better understand this system. With some precision, we can predict the range of energies and concrete actions we will experience on a specific day and time many years before they actually occur. We can also retrospectively analyze what has happened in the past. Astrology enables us to time travel. Can we acknowledge for a moment how powerful and incredible that is?

We study the interactions between celestial bodies in an astrology chart. This involves placing the bodies in specific locations based on calculations using a tool called an ephemeris, which is a reference book showing the positions of celestial objects at specific times. For instance, it can tell us the exact degree of the sign of Pisces where Mars is located on a particular date and time. Uranian astrologers go a step further by using a dynamic tool called a dial to position these celestial bodies.

The Practical Application of Astrology

The positions of celestial bodies at the precise date, time, and location of birth (whether it’s a person, thing, business, or event) create a natal chart. This chart is also called the root chart, radix, nativity, or horoscope. It’s important not to confuse this with the general “horoscopes” found in newspapers. From there, astrologers systematically analyze the influences of the planets using the chart. For example, when Mars and Jupiter come together — we notice certain personality traits in a person (someone who loves life, enjoys creating) and the likelihood of certain events manifesting in society (business deals, contracts). There are medical correspondences too (smooth muscular tissue and the heart muscle, in this example). In the case of illness, they seem to erupt from the native’s (the soul whose chart you’re looking at) experiences in early life and get drawn out into the adult lived experience.

An astrology chart serves as a guide to our lives and a personal time machine. From a person’s or thing’s main chart, we can create “subsidiary charts” to expand and extrapolate what we see in the original chart. For instance, we can use a solar return chart to predict what will happen in a specific year of someone’s life or use a lunar return chart to understand what will occur in a specific month. We can use solar arc directions and secondary progressions to observe a life’s most significant events, such as marriages, career changes, major accidents, or childbirth.

Decoding Destiny: The Role of Fate in Astrology

The ability to foresee the future naturally leads to questions about fate. Is everything in our lives predetermined? The truth is, I don’t think any of us really knows. Some say yes, some say no. I’m not sure if having a definitive answer to that question is really important, at least it isn’t from an astrological perspective. Either way, we’re here. We’re surviving, and hopefully thriving. Astrology provides us with additional information to help us better play the cards we’re dealt.

I cover some of the most critical components of an astrology chart in this free cheat sheet.

If you’d like to take a journey in your personal time machine, I’ll gladly be your guide. Book a reading with Homegirl Astrology.