It Makes Sense To Study Astrology

Be honest.  How many of you read the title of this essay/blog post and rolled your eyes?  I invite you to keep an open mind and continue reading. Joanna Woolfold shares in her book, The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need, “Astrology has been described as a stairway leading into your deeper self. It holds out the promise that you do not have to pass through life reacting blindly to experience, that you can, within limits, direct your own destiny and in the process reach a truer self-understanding.” Perhaps you often look at your ‘horoscope’ in a newspaper or magazine.  If you have, you may have noticed that your zodiac sign’s horoscope is often lame, doesn’t resonate with you.  That’s because a horoscope, although often referred to interchangeably with ‘astrology,’ are different.  What is a horoscope vs. astrology?

‘Horoscope’ is defined as “…an astrological forecast of a person’s future; a short forecast for people born under a particular [Sun] sign, especially as published in a newspaper or magazine” (https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?scope=Entries&q=horoscope) The etymology of ‘horoscope’ comes from the Greek words, “hōra, meaning ‘time’ and skopos, meaning ‘observer’” (https://www.etymonline.com/word/horoscope).  ‘Astrology,’ on the other hand, is defined as, “…the study of celestial bodies' influence on human affairs;…astrology has a rich history and varies culturally, with Western, Chinese, and Vedic astrology being notable examples” (https://www.difference.wiki/astrology-vs-horoscope/ ). We can thank ancient civilizations for what we know of astrology, particularly the Babylonians around the second millennium BCE, the Greeks, and Claudius Ptolemy's work, the ‘Tetrabiblos, in the second century CE, that systematized astrological knowledge and influenced later practices.  The “Wise Men” in the Christian Christmas story were master astrologists.

Why is it advantageous to study/learn astrology?

• We can gain insights into our personality traits and behaviors based on our natal charts.  “An astrology natal chart is a map of where all the planets [asteroids and other celestial points] were in their journey around the Sun (from our vantage point on earth) at the exact moment you were born. An astrology chart reading can reveal your strengths and weaknesses, your opportunities for soul growth, the best timing for your most important moves” (https://astrostyle.com/astrology/birth-chart/ ). At the end of this essay/blog post, I’ll include some links for you to get a free copy of your astrological natal chart. It’s simply a photo of where planets, asteroids, and other celestial points were the moment of your birth.

• We can improve our decision-making by understanding astrological influences on timing.  For example, there are some days that are better than others for you to schedule a job interview based on your astrological chart.  If you need to schedule a surgical procedure, there are more auspicious days for it and days that would not be favorable to go under the knife. Why not have an astrologer help you identify the best days for you?

• We may foster deeper connections with others or learn who to steer clear of by recognizing their astrological profiles.  For example, professional astrologers can work up compatibility charts between you and another person to see where you will connect easily and where you may experience conflict.  A few years ago, I was dating a man for a couple of months when I suggested we have our charts reviewed by my astrologer.  She saw some things in his chart that were concerning.  I knew something with this man felt ‘off’ so the reading alerted me to dig a little deeper about him. Later, I learned this man was a pedophile!  Yipes! Knowing the astrology confirmed my intuition that something was amiss and to drop the relationship immediately.

• We can explore personal growth through the lens of planetary transits and cycles. Astrological transits refer to the movement of planets as they travel through the zodiac, the 12 signs. Transits influence how planetary energies interact with our natal charts.  Astrologers use transits to forecast personal growth, opportunities, challenges, country and world-wide events.  Here’s an idea: it’s interesting to google the current president’s upcoming transits against his natal chart and then observe how it plays out.

• We may cultivate mindfulness and self-awareness by reflecting on astrological themes. For example, if we know that Mercury is in retrograde movement, it affects communications; our electronics/technology can malfunction or experience delays; travel plans can be disrupted; big decisions made or contracts signed during this time may not go well.  An astrological retrograde occurs when a planet appears to move backward in its orbit from our perspective on Earth.  It’s an optical illusion caused by the relative positions and motions of Earth and the other planet.  Mercury goes retrograde 3-4 times a year for about three weeks each time.  The next Mercury retrograde in 2026 is from 26 February to 20 March.  For more on Mercury Retrogrades and their dates in 2026, see https://www.almanac.com/content/mercury-retrograde-dates . Other planets go retrograde too and exert energetic influences on Earth and on individuals.

Professional astrologers have spent years learning how to interpret natal and progressed charts. A progressed chart reflects the changes in, evolution of your natal chart over time.  Still, knowing how to read your own chart is helpful.  I have a friend who checks her astrology, not her horoscope, each morning before she begins her day.  This way, she sees what celestial bodies and events may influence her path that day.  Before you roll your eyes again, I remind you that the tides on Earth are affected by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun.  Celestial movements do affect our lives on Earth.

If you don’t know a professional astrologer, check out this article; it may be helpful: https://celestiks.com/articles/finding-astrologer-near-you-guide/ .  Other places to find professional astrologers is to visit your local metaphysical shops and ask.  Additionally, listen to astrology podcasts; you may find an astrologer who works over Zoom: https://podcast.feedspot.com/astrology_podcasts/ . The astrologer I see most often is Gena White at her shop, The Peace of Mind Center in Shreveport, LA  https://thepeaceofmindcenter.com/ .  I listen to Benjamin Bernstein (https://www.astroshaman.com/services/free-services/#Podcast ) and have had astrology readings with Benjamin; they were beneficial and insightful.  Ghal Eden Sasson at https://cosmicnavigator.com/ and you can watch him on YouTube.  If you choose to hire him for an astrology reading, it will likely be pricey as he is well known around the world.

I have been studying astrology for years and find it fascinating.  One of the most significant learnings for me has been to focus on observing the Sun sign - that’s your zodiac sign where the Sun was the moment you were born (mine is Pisces), the Rising sign - that’s the zodiac sign that is also called the Ascendant and is the sign that was ascending the eastern horizon at the time of your birth (mine is Virgo), and your Moon sign - where the Moon was at the time of your birth (mine is Gemini).  Sample: when I was born, the Sun was barely into Pisces.  If you see the zodiacal wheel as a pie cut into 12 parts - 12 signs, there will be degrees within that ‘slice of pie’ that show how far into that sign the Sun, in this example, is into the sign.  My Sun in Pisces is at 1 degree.  If all I look at is my Sun sign in a horoscope, I’ll likely see that it doesn’t resonate with me.  But, if I look at my Rising sign/Ascendant, I’m likely to feel it reflects me more.  My natural traits and personality others see in me align more with Virgo: highly organized, practical, reliable.  And my Moon sign, Gemini, includes traits such as flexibility, excellent communication skills, expressiveness, curiosity, being intellectually driven.  Some traits often seen in my Pisces Sun sign include being highly intuitive, empathetic, creative, compassionate, dreamy, etherial, and sometimes wishy-washy.  Because my personality leans into my Rising sign more, that last descriptor is not reflective of me.  So, knowing your Sun, Rising, and Moon signs create a good picture of who you tend to be.

Of course, other astrological elements must be taken into account when analyzing a chart: what planets and other celestial elements are in what ‘houses,’ for example.  “The concept of houses in astrology can be kind of confusing. It’s easier to grasp if you think about the different zodiac signs as different characters with different stories to tell. Which houses the planets show up in a birth chart reveal how and where that energy manifests. The 12 astrological houses sit the form of a wheel. The zodiac wheel is based on the sun’s yearly rotation around the earth, and the houses are based on the earth’s 24-hour rotation on its axis. Sounds a little confusing, right? It can get a little tricky, so it’s easiest to think about astrology’s 12 houses as parts of a clock. Each of the 12 …divided segments represent an area of life. The 1st house, for example, focuses on the self, and following houses continue to expand outward (moving counterclockwise on the wheel) to topics like family, love and career.

The 12 Astrological Houses are:

• First House: self, physical body, appearance

• Second House: value, money, self-worth, possessions

• Third House: communication, early schooling, siblings

• Fourth House: home, family, ancestral patterns

• Fifth House: romance, play, creativity [, children, risk-taking, gambling - the 'fun house']

• Sixth House: daily routines, work, health [, service to others]

• Seventh House: committed partnerships

• Eighth House: merging, intimacy, death, transformation

• Ninth House: higher learning, spirituality,...[travel]

• Tenth House: career, public status, legacy

• Eleventh House: friendships, hopes and dreams, community

• Twelfth House: endings, spirituality” (https://www.horoscope.com/astrology/houses/ ).

Here are a couple of excellent astrology apps for your phone: TimePassages Astrology App and Astro Future Astrology App.  And, here are a few places online where you can get your Natal Astrology Chart done for free, some with basic interpretations: https://horoscopes.astro-seek.com/birth-chart-horoscope-online ; https://astro.cafeastrology.com/natal.php ; https://astro-charts.com/tools/new/birth-chart/ ; https://alabe.com/freechart/default.asp .  You will need your exact date of birth, exact time of birth, and the city/state/country where you were born.  If you don’t know some of this, don’t lament; a professional astrologer may be able to help you figure out most of the information to complete a natal chart.

Have you been curious about your astrology?  Do you follow your astrological transits and progressions?  If so, how does knowing this help you navigate life? Please share your stories, thoughts, insights, and suggestions by either commenting below this post if you are reading this on social media, or, if you are reading this through your email subscription, please share, by emailing me, at reimaginelife22@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading and participating in this blog essay; I invite you to subscribe to my blog at reimaginelife22@gmail.com.

* Until March 11, 2026, you can connect with my website to read other blog posts at www.reimaginelifecoach.com .  After that, I will close my website and we can connect through my gmail account referred to above. I will continue to post weekly blog/essays on BlueSky and Substack.