posted June 14, 2009 12:17 AM         

1) To make fatalistic determinations (more often than not in incomprehensible, fortune cookie or Yoda-sounding language), as in "Uranus applying in 7th house, you never marry, woman is not find love forever."

2) To find "proof" that someone is their Soul Mate even when he/she lives hundreds of miles away, is married to someone else, or, despite a few halfhearted sexual encounters, is not all that interested in them. "He and I both married other people and don't speak to each other--but his Karma is in a 5 degree conjunction with my Name Asteroid, and his Valentine is sextile my Sun!!" I understand how this is reassuring, and also a good way to pass the time when pining after someone instead of actually being with that person.

I'm looking for better ways to apply astrology to improve my life. I read cards for people (sadly, I can't read accurately for myself, and I have to be in person to tune in with who I'm reading for--there are some brilliant card readers as well as astrologers on LindaLand who can tune in from anywhere and give a spot-on intuitive reading), and we focus the reading on uncovering what the person wants to have happen for the most fulfilling experience, and using the cards to strategize how to get what they want...for creative inspiration, emotional healing, and breaking out of ruts. I want to get better at using astrology that way.

Whether you are an astrologer or just interested, what are the most useful ways you use astrology in your life?

posted June 14, 2009 02:03 AM         

The one time I really found something amazingly useful in astrology which made me happy was 5 years after my grandmother died. My life had gone into a HUGE tailspin for YEARS, and so on a whim I did a composite for the day of her death and my birthday, as well as the synastry. It was mind-blowing and completely healing... so much stuff lit up for me and made sense. Really an eye-opening experience.

For me, in general, I get so tired about looking at synastry with another person and the transits also set my nerves on edge in general.
But sometimes there's something really great about knowing how to handle transits. Like when Saturn conjunct my Sun I HATED it, but then I began relying on it because it felt like it was instilling me with confidence from the ground-up and making me trust myself. So there's something nice about knowing how to use a transit to one's advantage for instance, instead of just feeling like a victim of it (I'm sure I'll go through other transits I loathe again, so by no means do I feel I can always consistently go with the flow, but I am trying to learn to)

I like trying to look at astrology in a more creative way too, and trying to see it in a more whole-istic way, to recognize themes and such. I've been leaning more toward things like Solar Returns, Death Charts (their impacts on us through synastry, etc), First Meeting Charts, Wedding charts, horary, etc...And I've been starting to incorporate astrology in my past life reads as well (the only time I've really used asteroids), and it's SO much fun! It's amazing.

I like exploring the themes and seeing how they fit in. It's all very intricate but also fun because it works on a broad scale. Like, I used to be interested in isolated aspects, and it's not really that I'm not interested anymore, I just feel like this stuff works in a bigger way...like stepping back and looking at the big picture.
So, it's been interesting, and fun

posted June 14, 2009 04:20 AM         

i'm in inbetweener in terms of astrology. i read more about it as a means of perhaps finding out more about why people are the way they are or why i am this way with someone but only after i meet that person if that makes sense. like if i sense this person is a certain way, i'll try to use astrology to perhaps confirm my initial judgment. but it's definitely not a be-all to end-all. more like a hmmm...okay...i see. like a personality test. i never take anything to the extreme.

however, i had my cards read for the first time ever this year. admittedly i know nothing about it so i didn't have any expectations or feelings of i need to do something once i get it done. because i didn't know anything about it, i was opened to hearing the guy out when he read my cards.

the stuff he said, it was like what i mentioned previously, it's stuff i already knew about inside, just now someone has confirmed it using a form of astrology. he stated things i needed to work on to get some progress, but it was already things i had already decided to work on but amazingly it was what he told me to do if i wanted progress.

posted June 14, 2009 11:29 AM         

Anyway, how do I use astrology to make myself happier? For one, I look at the patterns in my serious/"profound" relationships and ask questions like "Why are these aspects prevalent?" or "How can I deal with these aspects in a more fulfilling way?" In other words, what lessons is the Universe trying to teach me?

As for transits, I look at them as an opportunity and nothing more. Although I must say that my Saturn transits have almost always been dead-on, more so than any other planet, which is why I take these transits much more seriously. Ah, 26 August at 1:30 pm is not that far off now; I'm almost ready for my exact Saturn Return! Just a few more things to tweek.

posted June 14, 2009 12:21 PM         

BUT how they will be expressed or experienced, that is very much up to ourselves I think. That is where our free will lies.

For example:
If you have Transit Saturn conjunct Venus, there will be some experience that is indicated by that Transit.
But as astrology is a symbolic language with many, though consistent, symbols for Saturn-Venus, this aspect can still be experienced in different ways.

Often you can "guess" on what level it will be experienced though, if you look at which quadrants are touched by that conjunction. Is it the physical quadrant?
Or the emotional?
The relationship quadrant?
The society quadrant?

It will make a difference.

And let me say something about soulmate-astrology.
Even though I like to do it myself, the difficulty doesn`t even start with astrology but with the question: what is a soulmate?

We seem to have very different definitions on this.

BUT so far it seems that most couples who have been married for quite some time and who are often seen as soulmates have some aspects in common.

Interestingly I didn`t find these "common aspects" in asteroid-astrology (maybe they are there,t oo, I just didn`t research them as much), but I found these common aspects in house-ruler synastry.

It still doesn`t say that people with these aspects are soulmates though.

posted June 14, 2009 12:58 PM         

How do I make myself happy with it? When I read synastry exerpts of me and someone and I go "So true!!!!!" that makes me happy.

posted June 14, 2009 02:52 PM         

Actually, I did have my share of obsession about finding confirmations about my relationship too.. But well, no matter what astrology says, we only know how each other truly feels in the real life.

Sometimes, reading stuffs about soulmates kinda annoys me. I know that everyone has their point of view about this, but I think that people sometimes gets too obsessed about it. And it feels so wrong to me specially whenever someone says that he/she is currently with someone, yet is obsessed with someone else who could be (or is) his/her soulmate. It might be naive of me, but if we are obsessed/love someone else, then we shouldn't be with whom we are currently being.
Well, whether our current partner or someone else is our soulmate or not, and whether it is astrologically confirmed or not, just ask yourself, how do you truly feel?

posted June 14, 2009 07:15 PM         

Actually, I usually am doing astrology charts for people that I know to get a better handle on their personality traits and what makes them tick. Being a counselor by trade, I enjoy doing this anyway, and I find that astrology adds another element to it that really helps me assess how to relate to them as people. To me it's enjoyable when the chart seems especially accurate to the personality and background of the person in question.

That doesn't mean I don't occasionally have my: "Oh my god, he's SUCH a gemini" moments. However, I also know that astrology is simply a TOOL to help me understand others and myself. It delivers insight. I think that is the way that it should be used most often.

posted June 14, 2009 07:19 PM         

I never use astrology in my own personal synastry with people. I know my charts with others but never use it as a guide. I think it is also wrong to use astrology to justify a relationship or the existence of one or a connection of one to another. I used to do this but it's just not right.

posted June 15, 2009 05:03 AM         

Astrology helps humans introspect, investigate, transcend and then ascend into a higher state of evolution.

Astrology helps us come to terms with our flaws. Without astrology, people can be controlled through guilt and fear. [Yes, they can be controlled negatively though astrology too but then again, astrology itself helps transcend that.]

No less a person than Rockefeller claimed that anyone can be a millionaire, but to be a billionaire, one needs an Astrologer.

Astrology helped to convince me that I dont have to be just a moody insecure Cancerian. The day I learnt the power of the Aries Ascendant, I gained the confidence to lift weights. Till then I was controlled by fearful local notions that "weights will kill you", "Heat in Chennai will never allow anyone to lift heavy weights", "You cant grow muscle after 25 years" etc etc.

Today I can deadlift 500 pounds while weighing 220 and aged 32 without steroids, on par with 20 something elite NFL athletes. I would never have reached this elite level without Astrological encouragement.

I am able to guide many people to better choices in life thanks to Astrology. Best example is of a loser relative stuck in a low paying job. As a Gemini, he would have made a great HR marketer as that job needs constant yackity yak. He switched careers at 40 thanks to this advice, and is 10 times richer now, doing what he loves to do as per his Gemini Sun.

I can give many more examples of how to use astrology. Financial Transits, Visualization Transits, Travel Checks, Real Estate etc etc etc..

posted June 16, 2009 07:08 AM         

I once developed a powerpoint presentation for IT HR Heads, encouraging them to modify the Software Development Process Models to a Zodiac Model with 12 employee categories per big project.
Here is the snapshot of that presentation:

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12 unique and effective “signs” governing the evolution of life of individuals on earth.

Depending on the individual ( project goals), the rising sign is the ruler.

Leo rules vital force or the optimism to start the project.

Cancer rules the cautions, checks and balances, the reasons for insecurity in the project.

Gemini rules the complete communication, technology and customer specific data collection for the project.

Taurus rules the steady completion of tasks within the deadlines, the patient data entry, writing boring documentation and step by step database testing.

Aries rules the rocket launch of creative ideas and initiative energy in the project.

Pisces rules the social customer-centric implications of the project, its impact on the next version and empathy with the previous version users and so on.

Aquarius rules the sophisticated algorithms, the out of the box thinking and the elements of positive surprise for the Customer in the project.

Capricorn rules the establishment of the project, its scope, the business requirements, the legal implications like copyright and complete deadlines for the project completion.

Sagittarius rules the insights from the data and technology to create far reaching code or code templates, classes, reusable components and so on.

Scorpio rules the complete business system and organizational aspects of the projects like who will maintain the source files, the classes, the directories, the version controls, testing schedules, bug fixing, reports and documentation.

Libra rules the aesthetics, user interface design, usability, sound and multimedia aspects of the project.

Virgo rules the attention to nitty-gritty details, testing of every line of code, testing function, analysis, Pareto 80-20 optimization, writing and checking documentation and systematic bug fixing.

This is an abstract model, and members may be good at 2-3 signs so a Leader can organize a team of 4 with these 12 talents for successful accomplishment of any project.

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