Astrology is the study of the movement of the celestial bodies and their correlation with all life forms on earth. There is nothing alternative, new age, or diabolical about astrology; it has been used since Biblical days to assist man in making critical decisions pertaining to all areas of his life and its efficacy has been proven through the ages.

Astrology is the oldest of the occult sciences (involving the supernatural) and is the origin of science itself; in relation to other sciences, astrology certainly holds the moral high ground. From astrology are derived astronomy, mathematics, medicine and botany, to name only a few derivatives.

Throughout history leading theological, medical and literary figures were either astrologers or consulted with astrologers: Hippocrates, Galileo, Shakespeare, Dante, Chaucer, Milton and Newton to name a few. Before the mythical 'Age of Enlightenment' (1700's), astrology was a language understood by all.

Geoffrey Chaucer for example, who was a skilled astrologer as well as a poet, could describe a character by his temperament, "cholerick" perhaps, knowing that just that one word would give his readers a good idea of not only his character's general behaviour, but also his appearance.

Anyone contacting an astrologer for assistance should receive answers that are practical and which can be implemented in daily life: there is nothing vague or intuitive about the craft.

What is the Tradition?

Confusion exists in the world of astrology as to what the definitions of the different disciplines, and their fundamental differences, are. Terms that are not understood are very loosely used, thereby adding to the confusion. The terms medieval and traditional astrology are viewed as synonymous when in fact they are not. In principle medieval is part of traditional astrology as it stems from a time period within the Tradition itself. There is something very wrong in trying to pin traditional astrology down to any one point of time and place, as much of the work done in ancient times is anti traditionalist in its approach.

Many authors of the traditional period (1200 – 1700) upheld the belief that we were born perfect, and then fell further and further away from perfection as we aged. Their work was aimed at reclaiming the golden age, when men were men and women knew their place. Traditional astrology has nothing whatsoever to do with a time period. Traditions must change and develop, and these authors were leaning on the romanticism of the period, and not on the Tradition. We do not decline in life, we get wiser, so their attitude of being born perfect and then declining is anti traditionalist.

Most of the traditionalist literature is largely Islamist, and even Mohammed said that the Islamic prophets needed to be emulated, and that mankind had deteriorated since their day. In Christianity we do not have the idea that the disciples are holier than anyone else, and there is a definite growth in wisdom and a growth in understanding as we age, not a falling away from perfection at birth. Traditional astrologers today, are as much part of the Tradition as William Lilly or any of the ancient authorities were, and there never was an iron curtain that came down on the Tradition when the age of enlightenment commenced. That we have traditional astrologers alive and well today, is testament to that.

The misunderstanding that traditional astrology is old astrology needs to be addressed by astrologers themselves, and the misconception that everything before the 1700s was traditional must be set straight as it is simply not true. It is a temporal difference that exists between traditional and modern astrology, not a time period.

Extensive studies of ancient texts are required in order to become proficient in this craft, as well as the ability to use true common sense, not the nonsensical applications of the word today. "The most difficult obstacle in learning traditional astrology has nothing to do with acquiring technique: it is the distancing of oneself from the 'common-sense' attitudes in which, as citizens of the modern world, we have been raised." John Frawley.

Monotheistic Astrology

Traditional astrology is a monotheistic astrology known also as western astrology. This astrology dates back to very much earlier than the Greek astrology, also known as Hellenistic astrology. Contrary to what many people believe, the Greeks are not the source of astrological matters - it is the Jews.

Too many people studying astrology today are doing it through the lens of modern academia, and have the idea that things only have importance if they are written down. What the Greeks did, was to write lots of books and what the Jews neglected to do, was to write things down: it is forgotten that the culture of Judaism is an oral one. It is also not perceived as being acceptable to look into the Bible from an academic perspective, and to most people the Bible is a seriously “uncool source”. There is strong evidence of horoscopic astrology in the Old Testament, especially at the time of the Pentateuch, when the Jews were captives. This quite blatantly shows that the Greeks were not the fathers of astrology, they got it from the Jews, as did the Arabs.

The Philosophy of Traditional Astrology

The philosophical distinction is “which side of the Red Sea are you on?” Are you still in Egypt, adopting relativism, or in the desert in the world of monotheism? Only after the crossing of the Red Sea, do we have the idea of true and false gods, and that is why Abraham is known as the father of monotheism as this concept did not exist before this period. Before the “crossing” we had a variety of tribes, with an equal variety of gods who were all acceptable, and only once we cross into the desert with the children of Israel, do we have monotheism. This is the philosophy of the Tradition and it is positivist, not relativist.

The astrologers who lean on the relativist philosophy – Egyptian, Vedic (which derives from Hellenistic astrology) and contemporary astrology, have far more in common with each other than they do with the western tradition of astrology; they depict relativist astrology which is in complete contrast to the Tradition: this is the fundamental difference. Vedic and Egyptian astrologers are speaking the same language as the modern astrologers, whereas what we are doing as traditional astrologers, is utterly different - this is the real distinction - the Real Tradition equals the Real Astrology. Everything is the way it is in our astrology, based on the creation of the world by God.

What is The Purpose?

Anyone contacting an astrologer for assistance should receive answers which are practical, and which can be implemented, as there is nothing vague or "intuitive" about the craft. Astrology is a practical craft that does not require the burning of incense to improve its efficacy, although it does make the room smell nice. Any obscure or vague statements provided by the astrologer, have to do with the inability of the astrologer to practice his craft, and this is no reflection on the craft itself.

The times in which we live provide us with (too) many choices, and an astrologer can read the road map of your life when you can't. We have all done the right thing, but at the wrong time, and a skilled astrologer can help you avoid these pitfalls.

Astrology is the study of individual moments of time; far better to propose to the love of your life when you will be well received, or to start your new business venture when it is the right time to do so, than to expend the energy and have the investment of your time not bear fruit. The one commodity that we sorely lack today is time, there are very few people I know who can afford to waste it.

How is Astrology Used?

Most people look externally for the answers to the meaning of their life, when the answers lie within. Astrology is one of those internal answers as the birth chart for each individual is unique to that person. It reflects the essence of that person and the potential they have been given in life. Everything that exists can be found in the chart and therefore all matters pertaining to the person's life can be addressed. It is important to note however that if you don't want the answer, then don't ask the question and that the astrologer is not infallible.

For matters arising from the trials and tribulations of everyday life, we have horary astrology. This is the scalpel that extracts the answer from a chart, and assists people in making pressing decisions, or in finding missing items or people. Horary is also used to assist someone on more profound levels when their birth time is unknown, and it answers specific questions which cannot be gleaned from the natal chart.

In a Nutshell

In ancient times astrologers were held in the highest regard by both kings and peasants, and were an integral part of the decision making process pertaining to individual lives, and the fates of countries. We would be arrogant to assume that our forefathers were stupid in raising astrologers to this level, if the craft did not work. People today need to be exposed to the craft which, more than any other tool available, can assist them in living their lives to the fullest, in the highest and purest manner possible. Astrology assists us in being able to maximise our potential, to the best of our abilities.