Title:

"The Promise of Astrology" © was originally written in 1987 (revised & © 1997) by Jayj Jacobs, a professional astrologer since 1972

After food, sex, and politics, astrology is mankind's oldest fascination. We have always gone out at night and looked to the stars with awe and wonder. We looked for order and found the patterns of the constellations and the Signs of the Zodiac. As we wandered over the hills, reached peaks, and descended into valleys, we watched some of the stars strike out on their own, not following the prescribed order. We gave them a name that meant wanderer; we called them Planets and we matched their motion to our own.

Before bars and discos, even before cities, we went hunting by the light of the Full Moon and found both meat and meaning in the changing seasons. As we banded together for work and play we discovered the intricacies of relationship. Somehow we made the connection that we were connected to the cosmos. We discovered that life and living changed with the seasons, and that the season, even the month, day and time of our birth, could describe our character, behavior, potential, and our interactions with others.

Thus astrology was born. And it has continued to develop and grow as you have and as society has.

Real astrology is not just a pick-up line, nor is it a "telephone the computer" gimmick, or a "fortune cookie" reading in the daily paper. It is not a dial 1-900-PSYCHIC phenomenon.

Astrology is the original science of human potential. It is the original, and still the best, way of discovering what you are capable of and best suited for, where you'll find the most excitement and the most satisfaction. Astrology reveals the design of your life through the unique horoscope calculated for your birth: the moment you begin participating as a separate entity, swimming the river of time under your own power.

The river is the same for all of us; we live in the same time; these are the Nineties not the Sixties. We are all brothers and sisters under the skin; we are made of the same components, but in different proportions and arrangements. We are willing and unwilling subjects in society's attempts to socialize us. That's society's job. Ours is to clarify our individuality, to actualize ourselves, to fulfill our purpose, according to our own design and the order inherent in the world.

Some of the ordering principles in the world are:

Life is not random, and living need not be disjointed. Life can be arranged into twelve arenas or kinds of activity, so that all experiences of a similar nature are contained in the same house. These are the Houses that make up life:

• Physical Activity & Self-Expression
• Possessions & Resourcefulness
• Communication & Exchange
• Home & Family
• Play & Creativity
• Work & Health
• Relationship & Agreement
• Sexuality & Transformation
• Knowledge & Exploration
• Success & Authority
• Friends & Aspirations
• Service & Sacrifice

There is much more to each house; all other activities that arise from the shared essence are assigned to the same house.

What you experience depends on your attitude and on your orientation to life. People approach life from twelve points of view personified as archetypes and identified with the constellations or Signs of the Zodiac.

These are: Aries the impulsive Leader, Taurus the stable Owner, Gemini the versatile Communicator, Cancer the nurturing Parent, Leo the proud Entertainer, Virgo the critical Expert, Libra the fair Balancer, Scorpio the intense Catalyst, Sagittarius the wise Explorer, Capricorn the strict Authority, Aquarius the friendly Inventor, and Pisces the compassionate Dreamer

People are characterized by the energies they manifest and the things they do. Said otherwise, human consciousness is divisible into twelve energies or active factors related to the ten planets. Since each of these planets measures or "rules" one of the signs and acts out one of the houses, they are given here in the above order, the order of the signs.

These are the Planetary Energies: Mars is competition and pursuit. Venus is appreciation and increase. Mercury is mentality and adaptability. The Moon is emotion and need. The Sun is identity and confidence. Mercury is also discrimination and skill. Venus is additionally love and ease. Pluto is empowerment and transformation. Jupiter is expansion and benefit. Saturn is structure and manifestation. Uranus is rebellion and change. Neptune is intuition and inspiration.

Your Sign — really the Sign the Sun was in when you were born — reveals where you are coming from. It is the major component of your identity and your character. It may be enough to start a conversation, but fully understood it accounts for about eight percent of your total make-up. Other important factors complete the picture. Chief among these are your Moon sign, which indicates who and what you need and how you respond ("Where's you Moon?" would be a better line than "What's your sign?"); and your Ascendant, also called the Rising Sign, which is the archetype you present to others and describes how you act and behave ... or not. (You could ask, "What's rising?").

In each horoscope there are about 100 more indicators that describe you as the unique individual you are. There are more possible horoscopes than there are people alive on the planet.

Astrologers arrive at these indicators by combining the basic ingredients into pairs: Planets in Signs, Signs on Houses, Planets in Houses, Planets in Aspect, plus Transiting Planets in Aspect and Transits through Houses for prediction. (Some astrologers use additional techniques, much as psychologist of different schools use a variety of approaches.)

Planets in Signs show the style, or manner of expression, of your various energies as filtered or colored by the archetypes represented by the signs. Basically this is how you do what humans do.

Signs on Houses are generated in sets from the Sun (the Solar chart) and from the Ascendant (the Natal chart). These indicators describe your attitudes and approaches to the areas of life outlined by the houses. This is how you are oriented to what there is in life.

Planets in Houses show where you direct your energies, what experiences you seek and which you find satisfying, and what you slip into when you fall short of your expectations. This is where you put yourself with respect to life.

Planets in Aspect are the angular relationships between the planets that show how one energy factor is influenced by others. Planets in aspect combine their energies, and are akin to internal dialogues and debates between basic urges.

The possible combinations are as infinite as human variation. Together they present all the myriad ways humans manifest on the planet. Measured for a moment of birth these ingredients show what's cooking with any person. We all have all the pieces we need to be the dish we are but some of us are sweeter, saltier, or meatier than others; that's what makes us unique and what makes life and people interesting.

But astrology doesn't stop with birth. The planets didn't stop when you were born. Their continuing movement outlines your path through life. As the Planets have moved, or made Transits through Houses and formed Transiting Aspects to the planets in your birth chart, you have shifted the emphasis in your life, leaving arenas behind you and moving on to new experiences, in a kind of cosmic dance to the music of the spheres. And the music isn't over.

You are going to spend the rest of your life somewhere you've never been before. It's uncharted territory, nobody has ever been there. It's full of uncertainties, strange people, possible love, potential disasters, and fleeting opportunities. It's your future. And it's your choice if you prefer to wander through this ever-changing mystery wondering what tomorrow will bring, questioning when or if you will reach your goals and realize your dreams.

You do have the option of finding a competent professional astrologer who will operate as a professional friend, one who understands you and what you're seeking, one who sees your potential and expects your best while accepting what you do put out. An astrologer with your chart is like a guide with a map of the future, a guide to being in the right place at the right time. Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come, or a person who comes across with the right idea and action at the right time.

Astrology can put you at the center of time, where everything cycles in turn within reach of your grasp, where you are in touch with and comfortable with every part of your make up, knowing what is true and valuable about you and what is a challenge for you and for others.

An astrologer can reveal the course, cost, and payoff in your relationships since personal interest and interaction is neither accidental nor random, but a function of one person's signs, planets, and houses (attitudes, energies, and activities), stimulating, responding to, and fitting with what another is equipped with astrologically. A good relationship is like cosmic chemistry.

Compatibility by astrology answers Robert Burns' wish, "What a gift to give us, to see ourselves as others see us." Birth charts provide the means to follow Socrates' instruction, "Know thyself," and Shakespeare's admonition, "To thine own self be true." Since, as Carl Jung observed, "Anything born in a moment of time carries with it the qualities of that moment," businesses, trips and other undertakings also have horoscopes. J. P. Morgan, one of the richest men in the world, recognized this when he quipped, "Millionaires don't use astrology ... Billionaires do." But these aren't the Twenties any more than they are the Sixties, these are the Nineties. Anyone can use astrology to chart the course of their life, to take control of their destiny by discovering and actualizing their potential, to add aliveness and satisfaction to their relationships, and to enhance success by planning in time.

Isn't it about time for you to.

© Copyright: Jayj Jacobs