Astrology 101!! discussion

(discuss)

Not many Tauri find this practical? I guess I should not be surprised.

I'm a taurus.

So, {H=(a)+H=R}-{Sun}-{MaY}, do you find astrology useful? Have you learned anything new about yourself by reading about astrology on the Internet or by reading reviews here at GR?

Yes I am very interested in astrology. Everything about my horescope and what they say a Taurus is I agree with. I really do believe they got me perfectly figured out on those.

I am very interested in astrology, too. I'm just not sure what can be done with that information. If you are just as they say you are, why change? Suppose they say something unflattering or something you have an issue with. For example, I have a Scorpio Moon, which they say makes me secretive about my emotional expression. I've always been very open about my emotional states, so where is the difference? Have you encountered a similar dillemma?

Hrm I don't think there has been one, they say i'm very stubborn but at first I didn't agree with it, then I realized I was being stubborn by not agreeing with it when evrybdoy I know says i'm stubborn.

Lol! How do you know that they are not responding to your ascendant? Ascendants are supposed to be how we appear to the world and relate directly to our orientation to that environment. Why accept that outside impressions are right by consensus when your heart tells you something different? After all, which is right, your heart or the opinions of several people who want you to conform to their idea of who you are?

Sadly I know i'm stubborn, i'm just too stubborn to admit it sometimes. But I do like how you think, your very wise. And the heart is always right.

*blush* A Taurus sun does bring an identification with stubbornness, but there are other ways stubbornness can manifest, through other planets, especially in other fixed signs (Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius). How it manifests depends not only how much you identify with it, but also the house it shows up in your chart. For example, someone with Taurus sun in the first house will appear more stubborn than someone with Taurus sun in their seventh. I think a lot of people miss this about astrology. Do you know which house your Taurus Sun appears in your chart?

In Astrology, it is good to have a sophisticated understanding of the Sun. I have yet to grasp Solar arcs. A sophisticated/wise understanding of one's Sun sign changes once the sun sign progresses to the next sign. My Sun is Taurus and it has progressed to Gemini.

You bring up the Ascendant sign. There is disagreement w/ your interpretation of the Asc. It may not be how you appear to the world but your self-motivation, your true self. The Sun sign is how you appear to the world, not the Asc. I first encountered this from a Parkers Astrology book I have. About three years later, it dawned on me that everyone's Asc is at the "angle" of the first house. There are four angles of the natal chart. The one at the first house is the self, not the outer world. This line of reasoning continues when I'm reading charts and I look at the north node. If a person has a north node at the first house angle vs. the 7th house angle, a proper reading of the chart tells you that the person is not "meant" to marry and be in partnerships. This is similar to what you're saying. If a Taurus Sun is at the angle of the first house vs. the angle of the 7th house, the person may appear to be more stubborn because the assumption is that partner-oriented people are less stubborn than self-oriented people.

I'm with you Steve, I have not really grasped the significance of solar arcs, although I've had them offered before to me as a way for more understanding of annual transits. Currently I'm investigating Lunar transits, which seem to me more relevant. Also progressions elude me as well, although they seem significant.

As for the Ascendant, I've heard lots of different interpretations (sometimes confusingly contradictory), but classically the ascendant seems to be interpreted as determining ones appearance. If you consider what the houses are and how they are often interpreted, they reflect your environment and how your environment applies to or treats you. I recommend you to skyscript.co.uk where Deborah Houlding has posted articles detailing her research in Lilly and other older texts, which include physical features, especially found in the first house.

Parkers, while easily found in bookstores, libraries, etc. seem to follow more modern interpretations rather than the classic uses. Nothing wrong with that, just understand there is much history and confusion between classic astrology and modern. And everything in astrology is philosophical and symbolic, so there is a wide range of interpretation, from Western to Vedic and all styles and methods in between.

Personally, I've found my Ascendant can describe personal motivations that I've been less aware of than motivations described by my Sun. For example, Taurus Sun which is ruled by Venus confers an interest in the fine Arts, which describes me and my lifelong motivations, but my Ascendant is Sagittarius. I have a longer face, than you'd expect for a Taurus Sun. But I would pick truth over beauty any day, while I've always been more conscious of my need for beauty in my life. I think both contribute to the whole, which means to me that blending each quality is closer to reality than examining either one singly.

Interpretations of a Sun in any sign are subtle. It is easy to argue the exact opposite of what I presented and what you assert, but at least here we agree. I have found in my studies of charts of friends that a Sun in the first house can result in a more independent individual (negatively displayed as stubborn), while someone with a seventh house Sun will be more relationship oriented (less obviously stubborn when observed outside that relationship).

"I have a longer face than you'd expect for a Taurus Sun."

Thanks for the tip. Just this week I "got" the ability to sense a Taurus face. About 20 years ago, a book I was reading said, there is a Taurus family of faces. Now, you're letting me know of a variation.

Well, Sagittarians tend to be tall and have longer faces. I'm not a typical Taurean as I look thinner than the typical stocky and square stereotype, but then I'm not as tall as a typical Sag, either. As I've aged I do tend toward a certain stockiness, which could be seen as a Taurean tendancy as well as the domain of Jupiter, my chart ruler. Perhaps my most Taurean feature is my eyes, which even in baby pictures are large, widely set and deep brown.

Blending characteristics accurately is not easy, but seems to work well when focusing on physical attributes.

I have no idea what you guys are talking about.

Sorry to be discussing things outside of your experience, {H=(a)+H=R}-{Sun}-{MaY}. What is your knowledge of the Ascendant? Do you know where to find your natal moon? Do you know that you can get a free copy of your natal chart at Astro.com? They also have interactive features that will help teach you about interpreting your own chart. Do you apply astrology in your life daily?

I have no knowledge what so ever of what you are talking about. The only thing I know of is I my daily horescopes.

Astrology is much more than "horoscopes" written for sun signs. How do you think the writers of those columns come up with what they write? I admit much of it is done by immersing oneself in the language of self-help and new age ideas, but the best ones...the ones I read, like Rob Brezny, Kelli Fox, and a few more, base what they write on actual transits of planets in the sky.

There are some astrologers who say those are not real horoscopes, because they rely on just the most general of information and describe large trends that effect whole groups of people. But you can be quite specific and get a tailored reading from an astrologer that can answer nearly any question about life you may have. For example, my first astrology reading included information about money that I didn't even ask about, but needed anyway.

There are also several different uses for astrology. On the most basic level is Horary astrology, which answers mundane questions using a chart made at the moment the question is asked. Natal astrology is what Sun Sign horoscopes are based on and usually focuses on a person's psychological make up but also answers questions about life cycles, like personal romance, career or finance questions. Then there is Electional astrology which determines when is a good time to do something like getting married or starting a new business. There are more branches of astrology that deal with politics and economic trends, but the above are the basics.