Understanding How Astrology Works: Debunking Myths and Exploring Core Concepts

This article aims to evaluate the philosophical and practical foundations of our general astrological techniques. This assessment helps us answer questions like “How does Astrology work?” and “Why does Astrology work?”

The Most Common Myth in Astrology Today

To begin, I want to address and debunk a common misconception in modern Astrology: that planets or stars directly influence our lives. For nearly two millennia, astrologers have sought a causal link between celestial movements and earthly lives, attempting to lend this esoteric practice a “scientific” legitimacy often deemed necessary by modern standards. However, this causal relationship doesn’t exist. This belief was not part of Astrology when Sumerian Astrologer-Priests/Astronomers first conceived of it.

While it’s difficult to definitively “debunk” such a hypothesis (debunking itself being a scientific endeavor), the fact that it’s a later addition, an attempt to make Astrology more “science-like,” should be enough to raise doubts.

As you’ll discover, the answers to “Why and How Astrology works” lead us down a very deep rabbit hole.

The Real Core Concept of Astrology

“How does Astrology work, then?” you might ask. The only viable answer, and what I believe to be the fundamental premise ancient philosophers started from when developing Astrology’s theoretical foundation, is this:

The stars simply ‘talk’ about our lives, describe our existence in symbolic terms, in a language that can be described through the laws of planetary movements.

In essence, the movement of the stars across the celestial vault is like a “subtitle” to the film of our existence. Astrology, therefore, primarily shows the trends and consequences stemming from our decisions and choices as we respond to life’s trials and diverse experiences.

Furthermore, Astrology encourages us to take responsibility for our lives and our choices. For instance, Saturn isn’t responsible for my relationship difficulties; instead, it reveals a pattern I live and repeat, with causes deeply embedded in my soul and psyche. Saturn points me toward the path I need to take to investigate this matter, become aware of its deep causes, and work on them.

Free Will vs. Predestination: A Philosophical Interplay

The ramifications of the question “Is there ultimately Free Will or is it all Predestination?” extend deeply into philosophy. If I were to offer a simple answer, I would say both exist: there is both free will AND predestination. The distinction lies in our level of awareness concerning the decisions we make in our lives that significantly impact our individual development.

In other words, the higher our level of awareness, the more conscious we are of the factors involved in our decisions, and the more capable we are of shaping our destiny in the direction we desire.

Conversely, if we don’t strive for consciousness, our decisions remain under the influence of unconscious forces within our psyche. These forces propel us in directions indicated by the “destiny” laid out for us at birth. This destiny is reflected in the astrological map—our basic potential and the general directions life takes during our existence.

The Nautical Metaphor for Life, Destiny & Free Will

Let’s employ a nautical metaphor, as the Greek philosophers once did: Humanity is like a ship navigating the vast cosmic ocean. The wind filling its sails is Life itself. Like any vessel, this ship has a complex crew composed of the planets in the natal chart, each with its function and duties performed to the best of its abilities. This last distinction is crucial and worth remembering.

The planets holding the most powerful positions in your chart assume the most important roles in the ship’s hierarchy, as expected. The most skilled sailor should be the Captain of the ship.

Moreover, the ship’s chances of progressing as far as possible on this cosmic journey depend on the specific abilities of all sailors. Thus, based on the zodiacal power/ability of the planet governing the ship’s direction/course, we can discern how far and where the individual will arrive on their journey, and so on. Interestingly, ancient astrologers used this very metaphor to investigate an individual’s basic potential.

However, since humans are endowed with the capacity for consciousness and the ability to raise their awareness, to understand the depths of their decisions, thoughts, and behaviors, they possess the power to alter or set a new course for the ship of their life, different from the original one. Alternatively, they can choose to follow the original course to its end. This is what we define as Free Will.

This formulation of “choosing the course of life” is immensely important and forms one of the fundamental principles guiding my astrological practice.

Who Chooses Our Destiny?

I believe that before we are born, we are already setting a course for our current existence. This happens at the moment we “choose” the right time of our birth for the particular life theme we select.

It is only here, after all my years of astrological study, that I’ve found a way to successfully intertwine the concepts of Destiny and Free Will: by accepting the hypothesis that our Souls choose these lives before being born.

In other words, Destiny is what we choose at birth, while Free Will is the degree or level of awareness achieved in this life. This awareness allows us to understand the nuances of the chosen destiny, the causes leading to its fulfillment, and the power to alter the initial course if desired.

Destiny and Free Will in Astrology

Ultimately, it all boils down to a very simple idea, another fundamental premise upon which all astrological philosophy and practice are based: “Know yourself, and you will know the Universe and the Gods.“

This same idea was at the heart of the great philosophical schools of antiquity and remains the true goal of Astrology and related arts.

Everything around us is intended to help us become aware of both our outer and inner realities. This is what the Cosmic Mind expects from conscious beings.

It’s important to remember that as long as we don’t make the effort to become aware of our lives, we follow a course already defined by ourselves at birth—a safety measure, for lack of a better term. We can then discover this course in the stars, guiding us or helping us reach new heights and destinations.

Why Does Astrology Work, After All?

When we ask this question, we’re actually asking: Is there a relationship between the Solar System with its planets and the constellations/stars in our immediate vicinity in the Universe, and our lives on Earth—a tiny pebble among trillions upon trillions of other pebbles in the Universe?

The simple answer is:

There is NO causal relationship between Stars, Constellations, Planets, and Man, neither direct nor indirect. But that doesn’t mean Astrology doesn’t work just because we can’t find a ‘scientific’ reason behind it.

More to the point, I argue that Astrology works because it relies on metaphysical, rather than physical-causal, principles that integrate Language, Symbols, Mind, Imagination, Divine Inspiration, Soul, Destiny, and Free Will.

Astrology as a Cosmic Language

Returning to the astrological language we mentioned earlier, we immediately arrive at the concept of the Cosmic Mind of God, where this and any other language ultimately unfolds.

I believe that Astrology works because it is based on a symbolic language, even one created by the Human Mind. This symbolic language is animated by the Cosmic Mind, of which our own Minds are a part, and with which we can only communicate through symbols.

This is also the core teaching of the Hermetic writings, based on Platonic, Pythagorean, and Neo-Pythagorean thought. Astrology then ultimately rests on a Language of Symbolic frameworks (planets, zodiac, houses, etc.) invented by the Human Mind and Imagination through Divine Inspiration and Assistance from the Cosmic Mind. This is under the assumption that this language system, which we create with our Minds and Imagination and impose upon the Cosmos, comes to life, takes form, and actually describes our existence in terms of Destiny, Free Will, and probable destinations.

And in doing so, as human beings endowed with Consciousness—which is ultimately a god-state of being—we become aware of our cosmic roles, and the Cosmic Mind becomes aware of us.

Astrology in its purest form doesn’t ‘work’ by any technical or scientific definition. Rather, it is an expression of humanity’s quest for meaning in an infinite Cosmos. Even if there is no such abstract concept as Meaning or Destiny in the Universe, the implication of Astrology is that we can and will create it for ourselves.

Astrology isn’t the only path to the Cosmos, but it is certainly a path with a history spanning over 5,000 years and a rich tradition marked by some of humanity’s most brilliant minds. Significantly, therefore, it’s not whether the movements of the stars may or may not have a meaning that can be revealed through astrological techniques, but that our very existence has meaning.

The wind propelling our Ship on the Cosmic Ocean is the Cosmic Mind, Divine Force, Universal Intelligence, God, or whatever name you choose to give it. The fact that Life moves forward is the invisible impulse of this divine force. The final destination isn’t set or written anywhere; it’s created every moment, with every step we take forward. Destiny, in the end, is a journey.

Conclusions

This theoretical and conceptual model for why and how Astrology works is perhaps the first model I’ve developed that satisfactorily covers many of the philosophical and theoretical constraints imposed by such a study. It’s not a perfect model, but I believe we’ve finally reached a good starting point for studying the philosophical implications of astrological practice.

Ultimately, the answer to whether Astrology works is intimately linked to our (spiritual) worldview of life in general, and whether or not it has intrinsic value and meaning. The final question truly is:

Do entities (plants, animals, men, or aliens) truly have a Soul that embarks on a spiritual journey?

This is a truly unanswerable question, as its domain simply exceeds our capacity for understanding.