Minderwiz
dolphin_princess,
As Mystic_Chris indicated there are several 'branches' of Astrology. The division I referred to is in 'Western' Astrology, that branch which most of us think of as 'Astrology'.
Briefly, Modern Astrology is the approach developed in the last 50 - 70 years or so. It is heavily influenced by psychology and tends to analyse natal charts and events such as transits or techniques such as progressions, in terms of the psychology of the subject and the environmental influences on him or her. It incorporates the outer planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto as sign rulers and tends to see these planets as being of significant psychological importance. A lot of the practioners tend to work as counsellors, or have some qualifications in psychology or psychiatry. However it is probably the dominant form at the moment and many people are unaware of the traditional strand or regard it as outdated.
The traditional branch tends to look on Astrology as unconnected with psychology, being a 'science' in its own right. There is an emphasis on the techniques used by Astrologers from the earliest times through to around the seventeenth century. There are techniques included here that are really not used by the modern Astrologer - Astraea in her post referred to Horary Astrology, which is used, amongst other things, to answer questions posed by clients - rather like doing a tarot reading to answer a question but using a horoscope instead. There are also techniques relating to 'Elections' - not will George Bush win in November but issues such as when should I start my new business, or what's a good date and time to get married (assuming you are engaged to being with
). The traditional branch keeps to the 'old' rulers of the signs, thus Mars rules Scorpio not Pluto.
The boundary between these branches is not necessarily clear cut. You will find many Astrologers who have started out on one side or the other and either crossed over or begun to combine the two approaches. Liz Greene and Rob Hand are good examples of Astrologers who came to Astrology through psychology but have begun to take a real interest in the traditional techniques - especially Rob Hand.
Both approaches can be and are fruitful, I think much depends on the Astrologer as an interepreter anyway - some Astrologers find the symbols easier to read from a traditional viewpoint, others from a modern viewpoint and some combine both.
As well as Western Astrology, you will also find much on Hindu or Vedic Astrology and Chinese Astrology. Vedic Astrology has links to Western Astrology, as it derives from the Astrology of Classical Greece (taken to India by Alexander the Great) - but substantial development over the years means that there are now significant differences between the two. However unless you want to learn specifically about that, I'd say ignore it till you feel confident in Western Astrology. Thereafter there is much of value that you can gain from looking at other approaches to Astrology.
Hope this helps.
As Mystic_Chris indicated there are several 'branches' of Astrology. The division I referred to is in 'Western' Astrology, that branch which most of us think of as 'Astrology'.
Briefly, Modern Astrology is the approach developed in the last 50 - 70 years or so. It is heavily influenced by psychology and tends to analyse natal charts and events such as transits or techniques such as progressions, in terms of the psychology of the subject and the environmental influences on him or her. It incorporates the outer planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto as sign rulers and tends to see these planets as being of significant psychological importance. A lot of the practioners tend to work as counsellors, or have some qualifications in psychology or psychiatry. However it is probably the dominant form at the moment and many people are unaware of the traditional strand or regard it as outdated.
The traditional branch tends to look on Astrology as unconnected with psychology, being a 'science' in its own right. There is an emphasis on the techniques used by Astrologers from the earliest times through to around the seventeenth century. There are techniques included here that are really not used by the modern Astrologer - Astraea in her post referred to Horary Astrology, which is used, amongst other things, to answer questions posed by clients - rather like doing a tarot reading to answer a question but using a horoscope instead. There are also techniques relating to 'Elections' - not will George Bush win in November but issues such as when should I start my new business, or what's a good date and time to get married (assuming you are engaged to being with
). The traditional branch keeps to the 'old' rulers of the signs, thus Mars rules Scorpio not Pluto.The boundary between these branches is not necessarily clear cut. You will find many Astrologers who have started out on one side or the other and either crossed over or begun to combine the two approaches. Liz Greene and Rob Hand are good examples of Astrologers who came to Astrology through psychology but have begun to take a real interest in the traditional techniques - especially Rob Hand.
Both approaches can be and are fruitful, I think much depends on the Astrologer as an interepreter anyway - some Astrologers find the symbols easier to read from a traditional viewpoint, others from a modern viewpoint and some combine both.
As well as Western Astrology, you will also find much on Hindu or Vedic Astrology and Chinese Astrology. Vedic Astrology has links to Western Astrology, as it derives from the Astrology of Classical Greece (taken to India by Alexander the Great) - but substantial development over the years means that there are now significant differences between the two. However unless you want to learn specifically about that, I'd say ignore it till you feel confident in Western Astrology. Thereafter there is much of value that you can gain from looking at other approaches to Astrology.
Hope this helps.
