June 5, 2010
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My topic is on the obscure and often ambiguous subject of Astrology. Although there are many types of Astrology, I will be focusing on Western Tropical Astrology (WTA). From the perspective of theory to practice I use my years of qualitative observations and my interaction with students in the first iteration of the project. The concept was to give self-selected students a more solid understanding of what WTA is and that which it is not. The course speaks of this approach as a philosophy of what WTA can and cannot do, which parts are scientific or “quantitative” and which parts are observational or “qualitative.”
“Astrolosophy™” is what I have dubbed my course in WTA. In this course, I discuss some components of Astrology that are considered “pseudoscience” in the scientific community and some concepts of Astronomy that are universally accepted by all. This is literally a safe place for unique perspectives to “agree to disagree.” Astro = Stars and losophy = the study and wisdom of is how I arrive at the term “Astrolosophy™.”
Light Speed and Stars
Since astrology is supposed to be this philosophy of how large celestial bodies like the sun, the moon and stars of the constellation effect our lives on earth, it is important to understand light.
Light is recorded as moving at 186,000 miles a second (186,282 miles per second to be precise). This is considered to be the cosmic speed limit of all matter and energy in science.
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What does this mean?
What this means is that when you look up in the sky and you see stars at night, you are literally looking at stars, as they were ten of thousands of years ago. The sun is our local star and the light that it generates takes more than 8 minutes from the time it leaves the surface (91,402,000 miles away) until it reaches earth (499.01225 seconds or 8 minutes and 18 seconds).
The light that you see is only a fraction of the light that exists in the universe. If you look closely at the electro-magnetic spectrum, you will see that “visible light” is only a small fraction of the light that exists (see figure 1 below).
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We need special instruments to detect the other forms of light. An acronym that could be used is
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RIVUX .G
Radio
Infrared
Visual
Ultraviolet
X-ray
Gamma Ray
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There is a separate acronym that is used to remember the colors of the visual spectrum:
Roy G. Biv
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet
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Remote controls for your television is the perfect example of light that you cannot see. If you look at the electromagnet chart you will see that “infrared” literally comes right underneath (the frequency) red as “infra” means below.
Considering that each star in every one of the 88 constellations is a different size and at a different distance, it becomes very difficult to decide how much influence each star will affect life here on earth. Since there is no definitive, venerable source for how Astrology was created, this will always be a topic of controversy and debate between all astrologers and the culture of the scientific community. This is often the main reason that astrology is regarded as a pseudo-science in the scientific community.
The gravitational effect that the moon has on the ocean’s waves can be seen as the best example of the effect objects in space can have here on earth. As the moon becomes full in an area, the ocean’s tides get higher on shore and the crest of each wave gets higher and ebbs more frequently to the shore. Many believe that the effects of the full moon can be felt in everyone’s bloodstream. People tend to get a little more excited around the full moon and often have trouble sleeping. It is assumed that the other planets have some gravitational effect on the earth, this is why their location on a natal chart influences your character. All of the planets as associated with a God/Goddess and their mythology.
Many of the students who tried the first iteration of the course provided me with the feedback necessary to raise the level of fun, expectation and learning. As the course evolved, I constructed it to be more of a constructivist forum to provoke free thought within the premise of critical thinking. That which helped students successfully reach the learning objectives of the course was retained and more activities and graphics were created to enhance learning and retention. Through this process, I dubbed a tool that I use frequently as the “AstroClock™,” (see figure 2 below). Since the “AstroClock™” proved to be a very effective visual tool, I created variations of this clock to explain all of the different components of Astrology. These different components can be seen as gears that make the “AstroClock™” go round. Using the clock as a metaphor makes practical sense because people from all backgrounds and ages understand how they function. Therefore it was often easier to explain more complex subjects using a visual age that they understand and are very comfortable with.
Mercury: The Messenger of the Gods.
The subject of astrology is familiar to various countries and cultures around the world. Although the scientific community often refers to the subject of astrology as pseudo-science, many of the most venerable newspapers continue to provide a horoscope section for its readers. My approach is not to prove that astrology is a science but rather to provoke thought around it being a philosophy and an art. This approach can be considered a gateway to the larger subject of self-study that can come from studying a natal chart. Natal charts discuss personality trait tendencies a person can have based on where the planets were when the subject was born. So in the end, even if you are a skeptic of astrology you may gain some insight in participating in the group discussions and opportunities for self-reflection.
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Where the planet Mercury is placed may give insight to how an individual thinks, organizes, educates himself or herself and communicates. Venus’ location may give insight on to an individual’s ethics, pleasures, passions how they might express affections to others. So even if a student decides astrology is not for them, through these sections will provide opportunities for personal growth. Since the audience usually ranges from pre-teen to senior citizens, the focus here is on people who are interested in learning about more than daily horoscopes. The course is not focused on making people “believers,” rather, the aim is to generate dialogue and debate aimed at developing tools for self-reflection.
WHO?
Astrolosophy is about YOU and your connection to your community, mother nature, the earth, the solar system, the galaxy and the universe as a whole. This is simply an approach or philosophy. It is not meant to be a cult nor religion. It is a place to seek out knowledge and wisdom on the platform of Western Tropical Astrology, while discussing adjacent topics on spirituality, consciousness and existentialism. Discussions include the paranormal, ancient astronaut theory, symbolism and mysticism in general.
WHAT?
Astrology is one part astronomy, one part mythology and one part philosophy, hence the title of the site: Astrolosophy. While the scientific method is a valid approach for the modern world, this form of binary thinking leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions and mysteries about ourselves, our lives and the nature of the multiverse. So thinking outside of ”the box” is encouraged in the Astrolosophy community.All of my editorials are simply my subjective thoughts. All of the scientific evidence needed to support astrology as a science does not exist in the context of the Scientific Method. Some scientific information can be learned when topics are discussed that involve the orbits of the planets, eccentricity, precession and general Earth Science.
WHERE?
Here, on earth surrounded by the stars, planets, moons and meteors in the sky, while we observe the path of the sun around the earth called the ecliptic. There are many types of astrology that are discussed on this site. But the main focus is Western Tropical Astrology, Natal Chart Interpretation, Jupiter’s relationship to Eastern or “Chinese” Astrology, Astrology’s relationship to Numerology, the Tarot and Mayan Astrology. The importance of understanding the role of planet Venus (Ix’Chel) is a key factor in Mayan Astrology and Western Tropical Astrology.There is a lot of discussion about the role of Mercury, Mars and Venus in your daily lives. There is also a lot of discussion about how the larger, outer, gas planets impact us as individuals and collectively as a whole. These larger outer planets are known as the “transpersonal” planets. The slower they move, the more profound their effects.