Astrology?

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Ok, but I don't think I can restrict it to one.

1.  Astrology uses phrases like 'the Moon is in Virgo'.  This is not a coherent statement:  The stars that make up the constellation Virgo are thousands of light years from each other.

2.  One reason given that the 'stars in their courses' affect our lives is gravity.  Rubbish.  The midwife who delivered me has a much greater gravitational attraction on me than any stars, planets or combinations thereof.

3.  The Zodiac doesn't have twelve signs, it has thirteen.  If astrologers can't be trusted to count, how can they me trusted to tell me about my life?

4.  Because of precession, the signs of the Zodiac has shifted by one, but the dates haven't change.

5.  Much of natal horoscopy is based on exact time of birth.  Well, what is time of birth?  Is it when my head cleared the birth canal?  When I took my first breath, or is it what the nurse wrote down when she got round to it?  This last is particularly important for people born close to midnight:  suppose someone is born at 11:59:58 PM, but there's an emergency, and the TOB isn't recorded until things quiet down, say three minutes later?

6.  Since Western astrology was codified (for want of a better word) a host of new astronomical objects have been discovered, yet astrologers simply ignore them.

7.  Distance doesn't seem to matter much in astrology which is odd, since gravity drops off with distance.  If I'm an Ares, why does Mars have as much influence on me when it is in conjunction with Earth as it does when in opposition?

8.  Since distances don't matter, why aren't quasars included when ponying up a horoscope?

9.  If astrology is accurate, why do different astrologers cast different horoscopes for the same person?

10.  Why don't astrologers use time of conception rather than time of birth?  I mean, the planets and stars are still there, influencing the life of the foetus, aren't they?

11.  If astrology is accurate, why aren't horoscopes accurate?

Boru

Come on Boru post your birthdate, time, location bud. I'm a little rusty at reading charts but I assure you I'll get most of you figured out. Unless that's too personal for you.

See above.

Boru

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Go right ahead.

Boru

[IAOALGIV]

Now please define "subtle energies", "faith" and "divine order", with particular emphasis on how we can possibly detect any of them as effects.

Subtle energies - Think 'metaphysics'
Faith - Trust in things to be seen
Divine Order - The maxim 'As above, So below' comes to mind

You only need to look within

[Homeless Nutter]

Here's how to do astrology and most other types of cold reading and divination- you make nebulous, catch-all statements, that are most likely to be true about anybody, or at least - everybody likes to think they're true about them. Like: "You are a social person, you really enjoy being in the company of your family and friends, but sometimes you prefer to be alone. You are intelligent and thoughtful, although once in a while you've been known to be very emotional. You want to be happy, but not at the cost of the people you love. You are trusting and faithful, but when someone abuses your trust - you don't likie them anymore. Blah, blah, blah..." And so on.

How come not a single astrologist ever said to anybody (that was paying them for their bullsh*t) - "You are a c*nt, a thicko and a pervert, you like sticking things up your urethra and when you were a child you were sexually molested by the family dog."?

[Homeless Nutter]

Subtle energies - Think 'metaphysics'
Faith - Trust in things to be seen
Divine Order - The maxim 'As above, So below' comes to mind

You only need to look within

LOL.
Yeah, no - those are all meaningless platitudes, that only dumb people buy and pretend to be arcane, mysterious "wisdom".

[Whateverist]

No, thank you.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Now please define "subtle energies", "faith" and "divine order", with particular emphasis on how we can possibly detect any of them as effects.

Subtle energies - Think 'metaphysics'
Faith - Trust in things to be seen
Divine Order - The maxim 'As above, So below' comes to mind

You only need to look within

I looked within once. I have a very attractive spleen (as spleens go).

Boru

[Longhorn]

You only need to look within

Hmmm, so you're saying that the angle at which we observe celestial bodies and interpret their 'position' corresponds to my internal physiology.....The bladder is Venus, the appendix is Saturn, and the kidney stone is the Moon then?

Hang on, I think I have my horoscope....
'You will slowly but inevitably bleed to death. Avoid green clothes.'

*mmmmph*

[IAOALGIV]

Go right ahead.

Boru

Just so you know I'm still here.

Rising Sign: Leo
Alright Buddy, Let's start from the top. And when I say 'top', I'm referring to the very left of your chart. That's where everything begins. Okay, so your first sign is Leo, the Lion. That's your rising sign, how the public perceives you and more importantly, your rosy-colored glasses; how you perceive the world. In most cases it also indicates how you might look physically. (Leo-rising people have strong features, wide foreheads, and large curved noses. Long legs maybe? The frame being proportional and muscular) It's also your Soul's (if you believe in that kinda stuff) purpose in this particular incarnation. The spirits (google) are telling me that you're meant to be a World Commander. Leo-rising people are all about the main stage. Leo-rising people are very elegant in their overall appearance. Image conscious. Super dramatic, full of energy and enthusiasm. Love being in the limelight. A born leader, man. Hey, you're over 40. Ever think about running for office?
Here's more info for ya in case you get antsy.
http://www.alwaysastrology.com/leo-rising.html

Sun Sign: Aries
The Sun, the giver of life, represents our conscious mind in Astrology. It represents our will to live and our creative life force. You're an Aries, awesome. Aries is the first sign in the zodiac. Aries are generally the first to initiate. Very energetic and high-spirited. Again I stress that Aries LOVE being first in doing things. Whether that be in leisure or their professional life. In fact, you have a physical reaction to finishing second. Highly competitive. You are brilliant in your ability to be simple, direct and honest. My advice would be to try not to hurt people feelings with your blunt sensibilities. But in a nutshell, Aries are generally sunny people and have no problem getting along with the general lot.
More info on your sun sign: http://www.astrology.com/article/zodiac-...-sign.html

Moon in Libra
The Moon is our spontaneous and instinctual reactions. That's a great position to have your moon sign bud. Lunar Librans are very affectionate, warm, and friendly. Libra is the sign that is always in pursuit of achieving balance. You have an uncanny ability to see past people's faults. May have a few friends or acquaintances that other people may scratch their head in confusion as to why you're hanging with them. But again your harmonious nature tends to smooth out all the minor nuances and annoyances. I would say you're a bit of a socialite. Very charming. Lunar Librans are typically not self-starters. So it's interesting that you're an Aries since they're all about initiative. Maybe there's some internal conflict there? Also, since you're an Aries you can hopefully overcome your moon sign's ability of being extremely self-indulgent (lazy). Your refined aesthetic sensibilities attract you to music, dance, art and any other cultured activity.
More info for you: http://www.alwaysastrology.com/libra-moon.html

Your Sun/Moon combination: Rebellious Without Cause
"You are the type of person who practically rejects reason and even good advice in
favor of intuition and impulse. If romance or adventure comes your way, you may very
well drop everything and pursue it. You have a three dimensional personality that
attracts others because you are quite intelligent and have so much vitality. In many
ways you are precisely the adventurer and pathfinder that you believe yourself to be.
You are the type who actually does go out and discover what you want and are not
one who just sits and dreams. It does not matter if others have discovered things
before you, you want to make your own map and discover them for yourself because
of your natural curiosity. You probably have, as an Aries-Libra, a million projects going
at the same time in order to placate your independent spirit. You are an extreme
individualist and you want to find out about life and yourself - but on your own terms
and in your own peculiar way. In that quest, you will leave no stone unturned.
Sometimes you seem insensitive, but the fact is that you are not..."
I ripped the above paragraph from here: http://universal-tao-eproducts.com/mp/fi...-libra.pdf

Mercury in Aries
Mercury represents our Intellect and style of communication. You are extremely quick witted. In fact, you may get into a bit of trouble because of it. You love debates and arguments, which is probably what brought you to this site in the first place. That and maybe the social aspect. (Remember Moon in Libra?) You are a 'shoot first, ask questions later' kind of guy. Maybe your rationality is that you'd rather pine for immediate results; you're all about getting stuff done son. Lol, you probably waited 5 minutes for me to reply with this super long response and thought to yourself "I've got things to do, can't wait for this guy!" Be careful how rash you can be. That and forming hastily formed opinions. Devote your energy to more fruitful projects and again be careful be careful be careful for quick-schemed, energy draining mental pitfalls.
More info: http://www.alwaysastrology.com/mercury-in-aries.html

Venus in Aries
Wow man, triple Aries. Good on ya. Venus is the planet of Affection and Love. So you Love like an Aries. Let's see what that means..Venus in Aries people are extremely affectionate HOWEVER they hate being tied down. You have no problem asking people out and initiating dates, meetups, hookups etc. People probably look to you to figure their day's plans out. And you have no problem facilitating them. More on your love life, once you have your sights sets on someone, you tend to pursue them ardently and passionately. Careful not to be too diplomatic and overbearing in getting your way. But being the Diplomat that you are,  I'm sure you'll have no problem resolving whatever issues you and your mate may be enduring.
Here's more on your Love sign: http://www.alwaysastrology.com/aries-venus.html

Mars in Taurus
Mars is the planet of action, personal drive, sexuality. Mars in Taurus is all about stability. Stability, stability, and you guessed it, more stability. Careful, slow and thorough about all that you do, at times you are also willful and stubborn when others try to alter your course. You are def NOT a quitter. Taurus is the sign of personal possessions. So maybe you have a preoccupation with your things..? One of your main themes regarding your things is that you tend to regard the significant people in your life much the same way as you do your possessions -- you become overly attached and much too jealous. Treating people like objects maybe? You have a tendency to repress your anger when you get upset and that is DEFINITELY not healthy. Suggestion? Try to learn to show your anger immediately in order to avoid painful explosions later.
More info: http://www.alwaysastrology.com/mars-in-taurus.html

Alright dude, I'm gonna stop right there because I'm lazy. But I mean, see how complex this stuff is? I just gave you a little snippet of your personal planets. The other planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) are more generational; because they have larger orbits. They only become personal when you take into account your 'houses'. What are houses you ask? See those little black numbers on the inside of your chart? Those numbers represent the 12 houses. Houses describe a specific field of experience in the native's real life. They indicate how the person functions, whether in his interactions with other people, his work, or his love affairs, etc. "As with the 12 zodiacal signs, there are 12 astrological houses, and each house is in analogy with one of the signs. However, contrarily to signs, which spread invariably over 30 degrees of the zodiacal circle, house sizes may greatly vary from one house to the other. House calculations are based on the exact birth time."
http://www.astrotheme.com/astrology_houses.php

Not only that, but all the planets are interacting with each other. In astrology, they're called 'aspects'. See those red lines stretching across your chart? Those are oppositions. "Oppositions cause us to swing from one side to the other and we feel torn." Very true statement. It's all about angles. The more harmonious the aspect, the easier time you'll have in that particular area in your life.
http://www.cafeastrology.com/articles/as...ology.html

Lastly, we have transits. "Our natal chart is very much like a snapshot of the sky at the moment we took our first breath. We carry our natal chart with us through the entire course of our lives, even though the planets and luminaries continue their movement and cycles. However, as the planets and points move ahead, they form special relationships to the planets and points in our individual natal charts." Transits is like forecasting the weather.
http://www.cafeastrology.com/transits.html

There's a whole science here that again, is mostly shrouded in mysticism. But to those that study this stuff religiously can tell you that indeed the planets are gods.

[vorlon13]

Here's how to do astrology and most other types of cold reading and divination- you make nebulous, catch-all statements, that are most likely to be true about anybody, or at least - everybody likes to think they're true about them. Like: "You are a social person, you really enjoy being in the company of your family and friends, but sometimes you prefer to be alone. You are intelligent and thoughtful, although once in a while you've been known to be very emotional. You want to be happy, but not at the cost of the people you love. You are trusting and faithful, but when someone abuses your trust - you don't likie them anymore. Blah, blah, blah..." And so on.

How come not a single astrologist ever said to anybody (that was paying them for their bullsh*t) - "You are a c*nt, a thicko and a pervert, you like sticking things up your urethra and when you were a child you were sexually molested by the family dog."?

Like that's a bad thing.