Why Are So Many Astrologers Musicians?

 

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Right? In case you haven’t noticed, most of the astrologers in the west are musicians or at least have some other sort of artistic background. By most I mean more than half. Here is why, in a stream of consciousness explanation…

There are two planets that contribute significantly to astrology. The first, well known, is Mercury. Mercury gives us intelligence, and the ability to utilize symbols of communication and make computations. Those are all the basic fundamental things that astrologers need. We need to make thousands of computations (though nowadays only the astrologers who write the software really NEED outstanding Mercury for this), we need to be able to interpret tons and tons of symbols – planets, signs, houses, etc. And we need to be able to communicate to people. For all these things, astrologers need outstanding Mercury.

You could also say that Ketu is quite and important planet, or perhaps Rahu too, since they give mystic insight into past and future, and Ketu particularly gives subconscious access to symbolism. But Ketu was not the second planet I was thinking about when I started writing. You probably wont guess the second planet.

I was shocked too the first time that I heard, of all the planets the greatest astrologer of all is… VENUS.

Yep. Shocking.

The deity of Venus is shukra-acarya, who is the guru of all the primeval forces of nature. Venus is the most excellent planet for giving material prosperity. Astrology is a study of karma, (“destiny” or “fate”), and karma is about the good and bad “luck” you have in the material world. The blessings and curses you get. Venus is the one planet who gives the ability to figure out how to make something pleasant. Venus can take a metal wire and turn it into a string on a musical instrument. Venus is the best planet at making things beneficial and pleasant. Astrology is mainly about trying to attain a beneficial and pleasant destiny. Venus, in Vedic Mythology is a better astrologer than Jupiter and Mercury.

Venus is also the artist.

Probably this is why so many astrologers are musicians or artists as well – the are getting the talents they use in astrology from Venus, and thus also get talents for other Venus skills, like music and arts.

Of course many astrologers are NOT musicians or artists. Many are more like scientists. These would be drawing more upon Mercury, Ketu or perhaps even Saturn for the skills they use in astrology.

Hope you found this interesting!

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

The Role of Faith

What is “Faith”?

“Faith” itself is a touchy subject. So let’s talk about the word first. A basic dictionary says:

Faith: (1) complete trust or confidence in someone or something. (2) strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.

If there is something that you can’t prove or know for sure on your own… this is where faith comes into the picture. Classic, sort of corny, example of faith is having a person stand behind you and trusting that the person will catch you when you fall backwards. You can’t see the person so you can’t verify on your own that he or she is really there with arms outstretched. You therefore need faith.

The Spiritual Connotations of “Faith”

Thus “faith” is strongly connoted with spiritual and religious things. We cannot directly see for ourselves the main topics of spirituality and religion – so we must have faith in them. I personally have some reservations or contentions in agreeing that you can not directly perceive the realities of the occult – but I have no hesitation in admitting that for the “common man” occult and spiritual realities are beyond direct comprehension. Therefore the “common man” can not access such things without faith. And that is why the modern world – throughly saturated with “common men” uses the word faith almost synonymously with religion.

Faith & Astrology

Astrology holds the power to reveal the things a common man cannot directly see and know. We can tell you your past, and your future, and we can tell you thousands of things about your present which are whizzing past you invisibly and unbeknownst to you. Since astrology deals implicitly with the stuff of which you are not personally aware, you require faith if you wish to avail yourself of it.

Faith & Reason

Please be aware that “blind faith” is not the only type of faith that exists. It is just one variety – a rather “stupid” variety, to put it bluntly. To really make good use of the occult and astrology you must have faith, but not blind faith.

Blind faith means that your own intelligence plays no role whatsoever in the subject you are concerned with. For example, let’s say a priest tells you that Christ killed a dinosaur. If you have blind faith, you will believe this. If however you have rational faith – you will inquire further from the priest and ask him to explain himself to a certain point at least.

Rational faith is positive. It recognizes that there is a certain point at which our intellect and perception fails us and cannot reach any further. Beyond that point faith is required, but up to that point intellect and reasoning is very useful.

Application of Faith in Astrology

You, yes you, must play an active role in your own enlightenment.

Eventually you (yes, you) will directly perceive occult realities. In the meantime, however, you still must play an active role. You must apply your reason and intelligence carefully and patiently so that you can determine where to place your faith.

In the case of astrology – you have to first learn something about it. Once you know at least the basics you then have to evaluate various astrologers and their level of knowledge and expertise in their occult practice. You have to use your intellect and reason to find a competent astrologer to place your faith and trust in. And once you have placed your faith and trust in that astrologer or guide, you must continue to use your intellect and reason as tools to more deeply and fully understand the guidance and answers you faithfully receive from the astrologer.

Be aware, please, that until you put your full faith into the process, you will not be able to get guidance.

I had a woman approach me once. She asked me to tell her when and how her husband would die. I told her he would die soon of an injury to the stomach involving internal bleeding, and it would happen while he was close to home. She told me that she was just testing me, her husband had already died a few months prior… when on an international visit to the home he grew up in – dying from an unknown injury causing a massive hemorrhage in his lower abdomen. Surprisingly, she was dissatisfied with my reading! She was a professional empiric scientist and revealed to me that she did not believe in astrology after all, but wanted to test it.

In other words, if you have little or no faith in something – then even if you are given an amazingly good answer, you will not be able to avail yourself of it.

Here’s a little scenario:

Your astrologer tells you, “Please be careful of cars today. Look both ways when crossing the street.”

Will you complain that this is generic advice which could come out of a 25 cent horoscope or newspaper column? Yes, it could be out of a newspaper column. But it is not. Yes it could be told to anyone, but it was not told to anyone, it was told to you. Are you going to need to get hit by a car before you trust that it was told to you because you needed to look out for cars?

Perhaps astrologers should be more explanatory? Perhaps instead of saying “Be careful for cars” we should say, ”Your 4th Lord is under aspect from Mars while conjoined Ketu at the same time you are in the Ketu subsubcycle of your Mars cycle of the era of your 8th Lord…. so be careful for cars.”

Would you understand any of that though? Most of you would not. In fact you would more likely find it confusing. Most of you would prefer your astrologer to just tell you, “Watch out for cars!”

To really get the full worth of astrological, occult, or spiritual guidance, you need full faith in your astrologer / guide. The astrologer should not require your blind faith. Generally people only require blind faith when they are not worthy of being seen clearly for what they really are.

The important part about rational faith is that you should ask questions when you don’t understand something. And if your astrologer (or priest or whomever is acting as the guide) answers reasonably and intelligibly, then you can increase the strength of your faith. Whereas if the answer is “C’mon just trust me” or “faith is more important than the answer” – well you probably just discovered you got involved in something or someone not worthy of your faith.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

Complaints of a Fellow Astrologer

Permit me to vent and express my frustrations regarding astrologers. I have about half a dozen colleagues who I personally consider to be excellent human beings and excellent astrologers. I know there must be many more out there I have not yet been fortunate to meet. But why do I meet so many who disturb me???

I want to describe what disturbs me in the bulk of people calling themselves “astrologers” whom I meet directly or indirectly. Hopefully by doing so we will, as a group, be able to more often avoid these traits. And also by writing this I hope it will inspire me more as an individual to continue trying my best to avoid these traits.

Know It All “Gurus”

One group of astrologers are the know-it-alls. They desperately want to be SEEN and KNOWN as knowing everything there is to know about astrology and being the best and most accurate. You are, for whatever reason, not qualified to say anything meaningful to these people, and they would never admit that anything you say has any significant value or merit. Because they need to be the only person in the world who knows all the answers. They have no idea that the greatest guru learns from the newest student.

A certain class of fools is drawn to these people. The type of fool who thinks that a person who feels they have so little to learn is somehow educated and accomplished.

This might really be the main bulk of Vedic Astrologers, unfortunately.

Self Anointed Intuitive “Oracles”

The next group are the nut-cases. They don’t know anything and just fancy themselves some type of oracle. They talk and talk and talk and talk, and never care to ask if anything they are saying makes any sense. These people also, like the first group, don’t listen to a word you say. But not because they think they are better than you – just because they have no interest whatsoever. They think that it is all about intuition – but they have no idea that there is a huge gulf of difference between true intuition and wild guesses.

Again, a certain group of fools love to follow these nut-cases. They are the ones who want to be dazzled by fantasies of gypsies in multicolored silks with crystal balls in hand.

Genuine Humble Astrologers

There are very, very few astrologers who actually know a good deal of the scientific rules of astrology, and also have the humility to listen and learn constantly. It is actually this ability to listen and learn constantly which is the humility that generates the receptivity to the divine – which in turn gives true “crystal-ball” -like intuition and foreknowledge.

There are very few people who are attracted to these astrologers, however. Because the universe will only send those whose karma qualifies them for such a blessing – and such individuals are few and far between in the current age we live in.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

True Humility = True Omniscence

I have a new colleague named Veno. She recently said to me, “Humility has nothing to do of course with one’s outer bravado or modesty… it is just one’s attitude to divine.” This was in the course of her saying that humility was the first and foremost thing required by a truly qualified astrologer.

I agreed so thoroughly I felt like making a post about it.

There are two things that I feel are extremely important in what she said to me:

1. Those who are not humble can not even clearly see the past or present, what to speak of the future!
2. “Humility” is not a matter of how much bravado and charisma vs. how much modesty and meekness you display in your mannerisms and habits. True humility, the humility which grants knowledge and foreknowledge is about your inner receptivity to the divine.

Humility generates receptivity. Humility to the divinity permeating us creates receptivity, and it is that receptivity which allows us to absorb and understand super-human knowledge and powers of divination.

Therefore astrologers without true humility are useless, regardless how many books they may have authored or not authored, how many Sanskrit rules the have or have not memorized, how many aspect patters and yogas they are aware of, etc. etc. etc.

Krishna himself explains this fact, that true knowledge can never come without humility. In the “Vedic” text, Bhagavad Gita, Krishna said:

अमानित्वं …एतज्जञानं

This is from the group of verses 8 through 12 of the 13th chapter of the Gita. He explains 20 qualities which result in true knowledge. Each quality depends upon the quality before it, so that the first quality is the foundation of all others. The first quality leading to true knowledge is अमानित्वं amaanitvam – humility!

All of use who practice astrology, and all of us who aspire to, must always remember that our personal spiritual practices towards increasing our receptivity to the divine by increasing our inner humility are the foremost important things to developing “mastery” over the art and science of Astrology.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com