Astrology Readings

I get three different astrology readings in my inbox each day, and I have to laugh at how much each of them seems to contradict the others. So which is it? Which one should I rely on to get me through my day? Which one is telling the truth? Quite honestly, how can you think any of them are true if they are all so different right? This is where some people run into problems.

You should never base the course of your life on astrology readings. I’m not saying that they are worthless, but to plan your whole day around what they say is asking for trouble. What if you are thinking of asking your boss for a raise? If your astrology reading for that day says, “Now is the time to ask that big question you have been thinking about?” Does that mean today is the day you should ask for your raise? Absolutely not! You have to trust your own intuition about if the time is right. You may walk into your boss’s office only to see that he or she is having a horrible day and it is the worst time to ask for a raise. If you take the advice of your astrology reading over your common sense, you are going to get denied.

My favorite astrology reading is the one that really doesn’t try to tell me what I should do or what I shouldn’t. It’s often just advice that anyone could apply to each day of his or her life, and I find it to be uplifting for the most part. This is a great way to start my day, and this is why I love to get them. Just remember if you believe too hard you might get burned, because not everyone offering astrology readings is qualified. Anyone can claim to give you a good reading, but it doesn’t mean they know what they are doing.

If you are going through a tough time and are looking to astrology readings for help, remember not to get suckered in to paying a lot of money for something anyone could tell you. You have to be very careful about who you trust. Many people can write up astrology readings that may sound true to you, but they can sound true to almost anyone. It’s all clever wording. There are really readings out there I am sure, but how do you know you have found a genuine person? Just remember that if you want to believe some of the readings that you like, you have to also believe the ones that you may not like so much. You can get astrology readings, but just remember to use your common sense as well.

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Personal Astrology

Many people turn to personal astrology to help them through the day. This is usually for fun, but some people take it entirely too seriously. What you see in your horoscope each day is not a reflection of who you are, nor is it a real indicator for what your day will be like. Think about it for a moment. If you are looking up the horoscope for Aquarius online or in a newspaper, that listing is for every single person in the world that was born under that sign. What are the chances that listing is accurate for everyone? It’s not realistic.

You may be able to get a personal astrology horoscope done for you, but this is often just a bunch of hot air. I’m not saying the stars don’t have something to do with your destiny, and I’m not saying that astrologers are bunk. That’s not it at all. It’s not up to me to decide what is real and what is not, at least not for anyone but myself. What I am saying is that there are a lot of pretenders out there, and you never know if you are getting the real deal or if you are getting someone who just wants to tell you what you want to hear and take your money.

Perhaps the best thing to do is to get personal astrology from someone who offers them to you for free. There are many you can get delivered to your inbox each day, and most of them are free. You may have to put up with an advertisement for some of their paid services once in a while, but the free personal astrology listings are great, and they are usually there in your inbox when you get up in the morning.

When you think about personal astrology, there are a few things to keep in mind. You should always take what you read with a grain of salt. Also remember that there are many ways to say things that sound like they are speaking just to you, but it is really just a general statement. A lot of us have the same general issues and things we worry about. When you use those as a guide, it is easy to write something that everyone can relate too, but seems to be written just for you. Use what you see as a guide, but don’t run out and join the circus if your personal astrology reading tells you that you need some adventure in your life.

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Chinese Astrology

According to Chinese legend, the twelve animals quarreled one day as to who was to head the cycle of years. The gods were asked to decide and they held a contest: whoever was to reach the opposite bank of the river would be first, and the rest of the animals would receive their years according to their finish.

All the twelve animals gathered at the river bank and jumped in. Unknown to the ox, the rat had jumped upon his back. As the ox was about to jump ashore, the rat jumped off the ox's back, and won the race. The pig, who was very lazy, ended up last. That is why the rat is the first year of the animal cycle, the ox second, and the pig last.

The Chinese animal signs are a 12-year cycle used for dating the years. They represent a cyclical concept of time, rather than the Western linear concept of time. In the Chinese calendar, the beginning of the year falls somewhere between late January and early February. The Chinese have adopted the Western calendar since 1911, but the lunar calendar is still used for festive occasions such as the Chinese New Year. Many Chinese calendars will print both the solar dates and the Chinese lunar dates.

A cultural sidelight of the animal signs in Chinese folklore is that horoscopes have developed around the animal signs, much like monthly horoscopes in the West have been developed for the different moon signs, Pisces, Aries, etc. For example, a Chinese horoscope may predict that a person born in the Year of the Horse would be, cheerful, popular, and loves to compliment others. These horoscopes are amusing, but not regarded seriously by the Chinese people.

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Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need

This is the Publisher’s Statement describing this book: Everyone's favorite astrology book, having sold over 500,000 copies, is now even easier to use with an interactive cd-rom This edition of still includes all of the detailed information about how to cast your own chart the old-fashioned way and, more importantly, how to interpret it once you're finished. But the cd-rom in this new edition allows the reader to cast his or her chart in just a few minutes by inputting the date, time and place of birth into the computer, producing a personalized astrological chart in just a few minutes. Once the reader's chart is created, he or she is directed to the corresponding pages in the book to read further about moon signs, sun signs, ascending signs, placement of the planets in their houses, and much more.

The Library Journal’s opinion of the book is as follows: Although this is not the only astrology book that your library will ever need, it is still a valuable title that should be strongly considered. Woolfolk, the horoscope columnist for Marie Claire and Redbook magazines, has updated her classic guide for the first time in 19 years. Thoroughly covered here are sun signs, moon signs, planets, and the significance of the 12 zodiacal houses, as well as the most recent discoveries in astronomy and 21st-century projections. The author gives an easy, logical way to integrate the interpretations of the sun signs, moon signs, planets, and houses in any given chart, something not easily done or often seen in general astrology books. The book's only shortcoming is its lack of instruction on making a detailed technical chart, which is necessary if one is to cast a complete and accurate horoscope. However, Woolfolk compensates for this by teaching a simplified method that is about 90 percent accurate enough to get a beginner started and includes a bibliography for further instruction. Astronomical tables are included to help cast the simplified chart. A great bargain for the price, this is highly recommended for all astrology collections.

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Astronomy or Astrology?

Have you ever finally just gave in to the temptation and read your horoscope in the newspaper on Sunday morning? Sure, we all have. For most of us, it’s a curiosity, an amusement to see what they say our day will be like based on the sign of the zodiac that we were born under. Sometimes we forget that this little diversion is actually part of an ancient science called astrology that has had a powerful effect on many cultures dating back to centuries before Christ.

That is not to say that astrology is a dead art today. It is easy to find astrology advocates in every town, advertising in the newspaper and on television trying to convince us that they can tell our fortune, our future and help cure our ills by exploring the mysteries of astrology.

When you are a lover of astronomy, the confusion between astronomy and astrology by those who don’t really understand the differences can get pretty aggravating. And in early civilizations, the two disciplines were not separate. Astrology was just the religious side of the science of astronomy. So what changed?

The most significant shift that set in motion the separation of the two lines of thought began in the first century when Ptolemy wrote the very first book on astronomy called the Tetrabiblos. In it, he began to suggest that astronomy should be considered a separate science from astrology. It was quite a revolutionary book because it also was the first scientific document to suggest that the earth was not the center of the universe and that astronomy should be focused strictly on the observation and recording of events in the cosmos.

Over the next 2000 years, we have come a long way. Not only has science and religion completely gone their separate ways since Ptolemy but the science of astronomy makes tremendous strides every year that are so phenomenal, Ptolemy would be truly astounded.

Probably the biggest point of diversion between a student of astrology and astronomy is the belief that the position of the stars has meaning over the events on our lives. Of course, we do know that the weather and tides and other important aspects of our lives are affected by the stars, planets and heavenly bodies, particularly the moon. But these things are happening because of completely explainable scientific laws in motion, not because of mystical forces at work.

What can we, as devotees of astronomy conclude about the close relationship between astrology and astronomy? Well, for sure we want to be able to explain to anyone who is confused by the similarity in the words what the differences are. We do not want to see the two approaches to the stars and planets to become confused again. But we should do all we can do keep that distinction clear without becoming skeptical or demeaning towards those who may still hold to the teachings of astrology.

It is important to remember that what is part of a person’s religious life has a level of sacred belief to the one holding it. And it is not respectful to scoff at such things. If for no other reason than out of respect for the ancient origins of astronomy, we should give courtesy who still are exploring whether astrology has any validity for them.

If we can treat each discipline with respect but maintain the separation that must exist between astrology and astronomy, there is no reason both approaches to our admiration of the galaxies cannot coexist in peace and harmony. And for our purposes as astronomers, that harmony will allow us plenty of freedom to enjoy our quest for knowledge for many more centuries to come. And who knows, you might still like to read the horoscope on Sunday morning every so often.

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Indian Vedic Astrology

Indian astrology is based on the theory of fate. The good and the bad actions of the past life determine your fate or Karma of your present life, and the actions of your present life determine your future Karma. According to Indian astrology a person is born at that place, on that day and on that moment when his individual fate is in perfect mathematical harmony with the progress of the stars in heaven.

However it does not preach total dependence on fate. Astrology lets you know what you were born with, what your possibilities are, the limitations, your strong points and your drawbacks. What type of life partners and professions suit you and to expect is also indicated. It also prescribes various remedial measures to ward off the bad effects and to enhance the good results. Astrology is your roadmap of destiny. However your fate is in your hands. The scriptures guide us by telling us what is good and what is bad; what to do and what not to do; how to do and how not to do. You are given a piece of land and the seeds to sow. How much effort to put in to it, what amount of manure and water to add and when how to reap the produce is your job.

After that it is you who have to act using your knowledge intelligence, discrimination and experience. Fate is like a game of cards where you cannot help the cards that have been dealt to you but how to play them is in your hands. You may get good cards but if you play badly you will lose and you may get bad cards and still may win if you play carefully. Don’t blame the roadmap if you get drunk, drive badly and have an accident!

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