What is Astrology? Written by Karyn Chabot

This article was published in Newport Neighbors Magazine Feb 2020: Follow this link to read the article on page 16: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/63097109/march-2020

Is it a true science of the stars or something only the gullible and weak give their power to?

How can stars impact our daily lives?

Why are some threatened by it, or disregard it, while others are seemingly consumed by it?

If you are still reading this, you are in good company, as over 90% of adults know what their sun sign is.  Before I begin to demystify this time-proven science, I’d like to share what many respected authorities and celebrities have to say about it:

“Millionaires don’t do astrology, billionaires do.”- JP Morgan.

“We are born in a given moment, at a given place, and like vintage years of wine, we have the qualities of the year and the season of which we are born. Astrology doesn’t lay claim to anything more.” - Carl Jung. 

President Theodore Roosevelt kept his horoscope mounted on a chess board in the oval office.

“Oh, the wonderful knowledge to be found in the stars. Even the smallest things are written there…if you had but skill to read.”- Ben Franklin. 

“Astrology is a science in itself and contains an illuminating body of knowledge. It taught me many things and I am greatly indebted to it.”- Albert Einstein. 

Donald Reagan, formerly Ronald Reagan’s Chief of Staff said: “It’s common knowledge that a large percentage of Wall Street brokers use astrology.” 

“A physician without the knowledge of astrology has no right to call himself a physician.”- Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine.

John Dee was an Anglo-Welsh mathematician, astronomer, astrologer and occult philosopher, and an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. He spent much time on alchemy, divination, and Hermetic philosophy. He also advocated turning England's imperial expansion into a "British Empire", a term he is credited with coining. It is thought that he built the stone tower located in Touro Park in Newport, Rhode Island in the 17th century.  A tour is offered annually on the day of the solstice because of the way the light of the sun shines through the tower at a specific angle, making it act like a mystical clock.

Keeping in mind that time is a man-made concept, history shows that before there were real clocks, astrology was the only way the ancient indigenous people could track time and space, predict the future, plant their crops and prevent calamities. Aligned with the natural biorhythms of nature, they realized if they could track the past using the stars, they could also track the future because the circle of life is a series of repeated mathematical patterns, just as the sun rises and sets each day. For example, by knowing the time the sun rises, we can predict how the day will unfold and what time the sun will set.

Aligned with astronomy, Vedic astrology puts more value on the constellation that was rising on the eastern horizon at the time of our birth instead of what constellation the sun was in. There are twelve constellations, each of them dancing on the eastern horizon in perfect and predictable harmony every two hours. Well-trained astrologers understand that the snapshot of the sky at the time of birth or at the start of any auspicious event, can be decoded by understanding the formulas, patterns, sacred geometry and mathematical language of the cosmos. The Vedic sciences call this a Vidya, which is a Sanskrit word describing the union of art, science and magic.

Unfortunately, there are many astrologers who inadvertently water down this science by making generalizations and one-size-fits-all predictions based purely on one of the 9 planets we call the Sun. While unofficially categorized as a planet, the Sun is actually a star, a great luminary that plays a very powerful part in our cosmology, but belongs to an entire family of eight other very important players (planets) on our stage of life. Consequently, such predictions can only be partially accurate because we are missing information and “opinions” from the rest of the cosmic family (the other 8 planets). Also, such general predictions don’t take into consideration the condition of our individual static natal charts, all the current dynamic planetary transits within the cosmos or the unique natal cycles and lunar stars each individual was born into. Consequently, mainstream magazines and newspaper astrology columns based on only the Sun generalizations cause many to discredit astrology completely.

Astrology, when done correctly, is considered one of the great many paths up the mountain of enlightenment and self-discovery. Knowing our blueprint can help give us direction, illuminate our soul’s purpose, help soften impending challenging events by doing remedial measures, explain why we are the way we are and how and why other people see us as such. It can help us understand our past karmas, release us from guilt and shame, love ourselves exactly as we are and inspire us to forgive those who have hurt us because we can see how they were wired at birth. Once we understand our blueprint, we can then begin to transcend it with the power of prayer, right action and loving thoughts. By understanding it, we are no longer “gripped” by it.

“In the sunshine of awareness, everything is sacred.”-Thich Nat Hahn.

With such awareness, we are empowered. Most religions are designed to disempower the masses, encouraging us to give away our money and power while we remain blindly asleep, lullabied by false promises of salvation. They use scare tactics that the devil will get us if we wake up and become aware. Natural law touts, “Where there is fear, there can be no love and we will receive everything according to our beliefs.”

Astrology has transformed my life, while affirming my life’s purpose, lighting up all my past and future choices, and also quieting my inner critic to be still and accept what is.

Karyn Mahrie Chabot, M.Ay, LMT, RYT, has her master’s degree in Ayurvedic medicine and been an international teacher and presenter in the field of metaphysics, astrology and healing for more than 25 years. For appointments and classes: 401-680-3934 or visit KarynMahrieChabot.com