Astrology is one of the oldest sciences in the world. It is said to
have originated with the Egyptians, almost at the very beginning of
time. Indeed, it is almost impossible to trace a period when this
science was not practiced.
There is nothing new under the sun, and its close followers will
scarcely allow any errors in its deductions. They go so far as to
declare it to be an exact science, a term which means that everything
can be reasoned out and proved; nothing is left to guesswork.
Such sciences are Mathematics, Algebra, and Geometry. We need not
believe that Astrology is all this, but certainly some very startling
and accurate predictions have been made by astrologers.
However, as in all other methods of fortunetelling attempted by us
mortals, it is far from infallible. So long as we do not take it to be
exact and sure, we shall get plenty of amusement and interest from its
study, with the exciting feeling all the time at the back of our minds
that "it might come true."
Here is a list giving you the names and meanings given to planets by
astrologers.
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Name. | Approximate meaning given by Astrologers.
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Mars. | Strength.
Venus. | Beauty.
Mercury. | Capacity for adapting oneself.
Uranus. | Improvement.
Sun. | Life.
Jupiter. | Freedom and growth.
Saturn. | Diminished--shrinking--lack of growth.
Neptune. | Able to receive--receptive.
Earth. | Physical--not spiritual.
The Moon.| Feeling.
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The main idea at the back of astrology is that the planets (or starry
bodies which revolve round the sun) each have a strong and varying
influence upon the minds of human beings.
_THE ZODIAC._--Of course when the planets revolve round the sun they
travel through a course or path. The Zodiac is the name given by
astronomers to the boundary which encloses this course or path in the
sky.
The signs of the Zodiac are the spaces into which the Zodiac is
divided.
Here are the signs of the Zodiac arranged in order to show which signs
are opposite to each other.
Aries. facing Libra.
Taurus. Scorpio.
Gemini. Sagittarius.
Cancer. Capricorn.
Leo. Aquarius.
Virgo. Pisces.
Now each sign has a planet which is said to rule it; this is called the
ruling planet. It is from the nature of this planet that the probable
character and fate of the individual are told. It is not necessary to
know the whys and wherefores of this, if you have not studied astronomy
it will only serve to muddle you, and if, on the other hand, you do
understand astronomy you will not need any explanation. We will just
say what does happen, and that will tell you all you need in these
first steps.
Well, we all know that the earth revolves upon its axis once in every
24 hours. Now, according to astronomers, this causes one of the Zodiac
signs to appear in the eastern sky, where it remains for two hours.
We have said that each sign has a planet ruling it, so the sign that
appears on the sky at the time of birth decides what planet that person
is born under or is influenced by.
Let us suppose for a moment that you were born when the sign Libra was
rising, as the saying is. The planet which rules Libra is Venus, so the
person born at that time would be a Venus type, i.e., a person having
the influence of Venus upon him.
In addition to the main ruling planet, astrologers will tell you that
there are other "neighboring" planets--we will call them neighboring
because it is a simple term--which also have their effect upon us.
Astrologers call this one planet being "in aspect" with another. For
instance, you might have the planet Mars in aspect with (or influenced
by) the planet Saturn; you would then be dealing with a very strong
character.
The qualities of Mars which give the fighter and the pushing type, or
in excess the bully, will be well steadied by the qualities of Saturn,
which by themselves give coldness and, in excess, lack of feeling.
The two together result in a character remarkable for its steadiness
combined with its never-wearying energy and good balance.
So you see, we seldom find pure types (i.e., qualities of Mars, or
other planets by themselves), and it is very fortunate that this is so;
we should get a very one-sided world if we did.
Now we come to that part of Astrology which really interests most
people; here will be shown the birth-dates for each month in the year
and the probable characters of persons born at that special time. You
may ask why the characters are given and why not the fate or future of
the person concerned. The reason is this: you can be pretty sure that
what you read of an individual's character will give you a sound idea
of what in all probability his future will be.
After all, the carving out of our lives is in our own hands. We are the
masters of our fate, or as the song has it, "Captain of our Soul."
However, if we believe astrologers, there is a way to tell the times
of our lives when matters should go smoothly or the reverse. The most
favorable times for speculating with money, starting in business, in
fact, the most and least favorable periods of our lives can, according
to astrology, be worked out by what is known as the Horoscope.
Now this Horoscope is in reality a chart of your life. The rocky waters
are shown, and the barrier reefs which each of us must avoid through
our life, so you will see a use in the study of astrology. It would
seem to be Nature's warning to us all of the necessity for effort,
effort and again effort.
Here are the birth dates and characteristics of persons born between
the dates mentioned. Since astrology is not infallible, do not take all
these characteristics too seriously.
You will notice that each date is taken from about the 20th of one
month to the 20th of the next month.