Natal Astrology

The number of house systems and ways of looking at the horoscope can be mindboggling.

Does a superior way really exist, or is our view merely a matter of perspective?

Is one approach better than another approach? If so, how do we decide which approach is best for us?

Do we choose:

Western Astrology?
Vedic Astrology?
And which house system?
Traditional (Whole Sign) or "Modern?"
And of the various so called "modern" approaches, which approach is most suited to our style of communication?
Campanus
Regiomontanus
Morinus?

My preferred house system?

Palcidus!

But my reasoning goes beyond the notion that Placidus is simply the system I first learned when I began my studies. The conceptual framework of traditional astrology makes sense to me too and the idea that there are more than a few pearls of wisdom lost to antiquity that have been rescued from oblivion by incredible scholarship and research I think is also tenable. Astrologers prior to the Italian monk Placido de Tito divided the circle (the path traced by the Sun, or the ecliptic) based on a division of space. Placidus, considered another variable, time. He calculated the time it took the Sun to travel from one cardinal point to the next cardinal sign, and then repeated this calculation three more times. The arc of time was observed in a meditation on the Sun, and astrology wriggled its way into the psychological domain.

But at the end of the day there is nothing new under the Sun as many of the "recovered" techniques appear to be already embedded in the accumulated practices of the collective effort as an echo of the old ways, or else they've fallen away from use (for good reason?). For example, the concept of sect is contained in the principle of hemisphere emphasis. Nevertheless, traditional astrologers do tend to drill down to a more specific representation, including giving a nod to planetary strengths, i.e., Jupiter (Mars) in a day chart and Venus (Saturn) in a night chart*.

Throughout the years of observing astrologers in action I am amazed at the skill expressed and the differences in the many approaches but all getting at the same thing, a shared perspective if you will, to serve clients through astrology and to help them live better lives.

Unfortunately, since the dawn of time and our first glimpse of awareness, our first look at the sky and each other, we've fallen into a divide, of one side versus another side. So, various schools of thought erupt from the fertile soil of imagination and vie for dominance. Following the admonition 'follow the Sun' as the Earth spins on its axis each day to turn and face the Sun seems too simple. Yet that does appear to be the antidote to ALL that separates us, and to not only follow the Sun but through proper alignment practitioners become the Sun. How else might an astrologer illuminate one area of concern or another and shed light on an issue?

The Great Psychology Debate echos the timeless divide between varying approaches in astrology. What seems to matter most in counseling is the personality, and this is true in astrology as much as it is in psychotherapy. BELIEF in a specific approach lends confidence to the practitioner. The dispute in astrology, similarly in psychotherapy, is about one system being superior to another but in astrology the difference is in terms of which system is better at PREDICTING the future, not necessarily which approach presents a better outcome.

When we keep in mind the axiom about the future, THAT IT HASN'T HAPPENED YET, we are reminded of possibilities and potential beyond the chart. Instead of trying to PROVE astrology, and predict where every snowflake will land, it makes more sense to approach each session with the client in mind, to help them see their lives unfolding with more clarity and potential for what is possible rather than the narrow interpretation of one person's view (the astrologer's view) of what's "predictable," about what WILL happen.

We know that astrology had reached a pinnacle in the past but fell out of favor. We cannot really be sure why, but it may have been due to astrologers becoming too enamored with themselves and their powers of knowing God's mind. Astrology's comeback has enjoyed a resurgence in the modern era, and a sense of REVIVAL in old ways and attitudes toward predicting the future once again clamors at the mind of seekers, to KNOW God's mind again, and this claim is at the crux of which system is best. The argument is centered around the astrologer and not the client. The session is focused on PREDICTION, and proving astrology, not on humility and understanding, and not on an outcome that aims to help clients live their lives better.

When all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail!

If all an astrologer has a BELIEF in their own approach to astrology then their effectiveness will become hostage to whether their predictions are accurate and precise. This approach is exactly what draws the most attention in a parlor game.

But not all sessions go as planned. Predictions fail. Astrologers blame a faulty birth time. Astrology, from this limited perspective is NEVER WRONG, God forbid the astrologers themselves admit their own flaws and limitations.

When we pull back the curtain, we can easily presume that astrological sessions, like therapeutic sessions, are strongly influenced by the dint of the astrologer's personality. Any outcome will be strongly tied to the astrologer's BELIEFS and BIASES regardless of their training and experience. For this reason, an important admonition is:

WHAT THE ASTROLOGER KNOWS ABOUT LIFE IS EVERY BIT AS IMPORTANT, AND PROBABLY MORE SO, THAN WHAT THEY KNOW ABOUT ASTROLOGY.

*Jupiter is said to represent the strongest planet in a day chart, while Mars is said to represent the weakest. For a night chart Venus is strongest and Saturn is weakest.