Escaping Destiny – Astrology?

Astrology…

Is just a way to make sense of what is happening in the universe by looking at the configurations of the universe itself. Since you can use math to rewind those configurations into the past or fast forward them into the future, astrology also becomes a way to make sense of what happened in the past and what will happen in the future.

In astrology there are 9 planets 12 signs and so on. In the real world there are 94 quintillion zillion gagillion possibilities per minute. So obviously the configuration of the stars, planets, and signs of the universe don’t literally spell out the past, present and future for you. You have to “interpret” the configuration. In other words the configuration is an abstract symbol and if you want concrete details you have to interpret them from the abstract symbol.

There is a very valid reason why the astrological configurations are abstract. It’s because destiny is somewhat abstract. It’s not written in stone that you will get bit by a mosquito 3 cm above your left elbow at 6:38 on March 29th 2013. But it is written in stone that you will feel uncomfortable on your skin around then.

If a person loses a loved one, was that their destiny – or could they have done something to change it? The real thing to understand is that the events of the world, pleasant and unpleasant, are not altogether real in the same way that we instinctively think they are real. There is a reality to them, but it is not what we instinctively percieve as reality. The reality of a situation like losing a loved one is the necessity to experience loss, pain, to increase (or otherwise affect) ones affection for dear people, etc. – in other words, the reality of a situation is more abstract than the concrete details we focus on. So, could we have done something different and avoided the loss of our loved one? Probably not, practically speaking – because such a catastrophic event is very deep and already quite abstract and terribly profound. But even if for argument’s sake we say, “yes, you could have” but the you cannot escape the underlying reality of what is in your destiny – so if you escape one permutation of it taking shape in one way, you only cause it to come at you from a different angle in a different permutation.

The essence of destiny is unavoidable.

Of course this is not fatalism, because destiny is merely a response to our choices of how we use our freewill. So by choosing wisely to be selfless and loving in all ways possible, we create a bright and progressively positive destiny for ourselves. Our future is not out of our control, but our past is. And the present is a mixture.

Do you want to be “good at astrology?”

_-_ complexity [1] (Photo credit: nerovivo)

If you want to be “good at astrology” here is my advice after a few years of trying it myself and teaching others how to try for it:

When you get a complex question, don’t try to answer it theoretically. For example, one excellent student of mine asks me:

What is the effect of Ve[nus] is 5th in Rasi [the main chart] and 6th in Navamsa [a sub-chart]?

The subject is just too complex for a direct answer. I think astrologers have given too much effort to trying for direct answers to such question. Whole volumes of very moderately useful and accurate “yogas” and heaps and heaps of fairly useless complicated statements have been authored in the attempt.

The real answer to a question like this is not in a black and white statement. Here is why:

If you want to be good at astrology, there are three steps:

Step 1: Really understand the inner details of the fundamental symbolism in the planets. Then do the same with the signs. Then the same with the houses. Understand the symbolism of these things in a way that is “elegant” – meaning that lots of meaning fits inside a few simple words or images.

Step 2: Practice combining the symbols. Do it theoretically – meaning, in isolation from a real chart – just practice combining, for example one planet with one sign (pretending that nothing more complex exists in the horoscope). Doing this teaches you the fundamental methodology of how to synthesize meta-symbols from the basic set of symbols. Strive for clear and elegant theories about each planet in each sign and house, and each lord in each house.

Step 3: Gradually start exploring how those meta-symbols really work when they are  in a real horoscope, subject to elaborate modification and adjustment by their combination with all the other meta-symbols in the chart.

Don’t treat step 3 like it’s step 2! You will go crazy and get lost; you will lose your perspective and become myopic. In step 2 it is OK to make theoretical statements like: “Venus in the 6th House increases the sophistication with which we deal with enemies and obsticles.” This is OK because the number of potential meta-symbols to define is still fairly limited – Venus has 12 options for houses, for example. At step 3, however, the potential combinations of meta-meta-symbols multiplies exponentially! If you try to give a theoretical definition of every possible combination you will be working at it full time for several years, and you will miss the point! The point of step 3 is to stop being theoretical and start being practical and intuitive.

Don’t latch on to concrete answers to things that are fluid by nature. Don’t hang on to step 2 like a security blanket. When the time comes that you have significantly mastered the first two steps, you have to make the leap to step 3 – the leap from theory and intellect to reality and intuition.

Complex astrological situations exist in complex environments, that are fluid because they are different in each and every chart. The correct answers to question like the one I quoted at the beginning are therefore fluid answers – ones that rely on the student’s ability to synthesize the answer on his own, as a result of excellent theoretical education and well-oiled intuitive talents.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

What is the Use of Astrology?

Based closely on Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos I.3 by Vic DiCara

We have rationally explained the feasibility, limits and potentials of astrology. Now let’s address the question of its usefulness: Is it useful to know the inevitable and unchangeable future?

I think astrology is useful spiritually and materially. For the inner self, what could be more useful than a fuller understanding of life? For the outer self what could be more useful than more clearly understanding our talents and weaknesses? So, I think the only people who would insist that astrology is useless are those who don’t sufficiently value the truly important things in life: self-realization.

A valid argument might be: “An event destined to happen will happen if I know about it in advance or not. So there is no real value in learning of it beforehand.”

However, when something unexpected and unforeseen happens, the trauma or elation is extreme and unsettling. With foreknowledge of destined events we can prepare ourselves and greet the days of our life with more peace, calm and understanding. Is that not extremely valuable?

Also, we must question if the future is indeed totally inevitable. Although the movements of the planets are set in stone, I believe that their effects upon humanity are flexible and mutable to the force of will and of larger-scale, more powerful destinies.

Not all things are destined with equal strength. Some are more sure and others are less. When many powerful influences combine to the same end, it is more sure that this outcome cannot be changed. Good physicians know a terminal illness from a treatable one, and they know how to modify circumstances to treat the illness that can be healed. Similarly, good astrologers, whom we should heed, can tell definite from indefinite fates and understand how to advise us in appropriate ways to modify what we can in our destinies.

Before us, it was the Egyptians who mastered this science. We can see for sure that these masters considered the future changeable, because they created an elaborate system of medical astrology that they would use to cure diseases. We should not doubt that the original intention of astrology is to be proactive, not fatalistic.

Really, its silly to argue that foreknowledge is impossible or useless. By measuring the Sun’s movement through the zodiac we can all very easily know when winter and summer are coming. This foreknowledge is entirely useful, allowing us to prepare for the cold, heat, etc. Predicting human affairs is far more complex than predicting the general course of the year, so astrologers fail very often, which in turn causes the public to loose faith in the viability of astrology as a science. Similarly, it really is quite difficult to know the correct protective and corrective measures for a destined event. Astrologers therefore naturally fail to prevent or reduce an unwanted event quite easily and regularly, and this in turn causes the public to lose faith that it is even possible to alter the future. Without being naive to the human limitations of astrologers, we should not miss the opportunity to avail ourselves of the immensely positive potential of astrological prediction and remedial advice.

My Article on “Vedic Astrology”

AstroDienst has published my article on “Vedic Astrology.” I think it is an important topic for anyone interested in India, or astrology. I would be grateful for your attention to it. The link to the article is:

http://www.astro.com/astrology/in_vedic3_e.htm