They Call It Entertainment -- Astrology Wrapped in Weasel-words, Disclaimers and Excuses

Your Zodiac Sign is your Sun Sign --
the sign the Sun was in when you were born.
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Ambivalent about Astrology?

Astrology is probably the most popular of the occult sciences. I'd say it's certainly the best known. Almost everyone has heard of it. Many think they know what it's all about -- whether they actually do or not.

Much of Astrology's reputation -- and its popularity -- comes from the all-too-familiar "daily horoscope" whose insipid little three lines of advice continues to find a home on drugstore news-stands and in newspapers everywhere.

There are plenty of people who "don't believe in astrology" ... but who have no real grasp of what it's really about. And, even scarier, there are bunches of people who say they believe in astrology who also haven't a clue what Astrology is, how it works, or what it can do.

Thus, Astrology has the strange distinction of suffering from both the ignorance of its opponents and the ignorance of its proponents, neither of whom seem much interested in more education.

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You don't know what you don't know.

Lots of people think they have at least a notion of what astrology is. It is supposedly a way of describing character and a way of foretelling the future based on the belief that "the stars" somehow have sway over the affairs of human beings.

People think they know what astrology can (or cannot) do -- predict your future, help your lost and lonely self connect at long last with your "soulmate," heighten the odds you'll come up with the perfect ticket in the perfect place and win that elusive, alluring lottery

Astrology may occasionally fill in some of these blanks, but it will never deliver these specific goods. To expect it will (and try to flog it into performing such miracles) is a fool's errand.

To ask anything to perform a task for which it is not suited is an invitation to disappointment. So, the fact is, Astrology frequently does not live up to its bogus billing. (What a surprise!!)

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Competence counts.

But this doesn't mean Astrology itself is a crock of you-know-what. It means many people believe things about Astrology that aren't true ... and it also means there are people who call themselves "astrologers" ... who aren't. At least they're not much good at what they claim to know.

Again -- what a surprise!! Just as there are inept mechanics, incompetent carpenters, doctors who in no way qualify as healers, people being paid a teacher's salary that don't pass on anything worth knowing, actors who can't act, and cooks whose meals are more fit for the garbage than the dining table ... there are people claiming to be astrologers who should be ashamed of saying that.

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It's fun, educational and entertaining.
But it's not for entertainment only.

Even the arguably competent astrologers themselves do the science a disservice when they hide their work, as if behind a fig leaf and a fan, under the disclaimer "for entertainment only."

That funny little giggle and dismissive literary warning offends me. It always has. Either these people believe in what they're doing enough to stand behind it ... or they're frauds who ought to step up and claim that title.

Either they're good at what they're doing or they're not. And if they want to simper and smirk and wink-wink-wink behind the veil of "oh, oh, oh, for entertainment only", someone should boldly invite them to get off the field so that people who can practice this craft with the grace it deserves and deftly reveal its wisdom can show them how it's done.

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And people cut corners here, too.

There's a popular internet Astrologer -- yes, one of tens of thousands in the world, I'm sure -- who pulls thirty six sentences from a random pool of meaningless tripe every day, pastes it together in three sentence blocks, publishes it (even SELLS it!!) and calls it a "horoscope."

It has nothing to do with offering knowledge -- nothing to do with giving an authentically advertised product in exchange for money. It's not a horoscope. It's not astrology. It's fraud. And anyone who feels duped by this, taken in by this, mocked by this, and ridiculed by this has every right to those feelings.

The Moon is arguably the second most important
celestial element in your horoscope after The Sun.
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Accept no substitutes.

People who look at this crap and see in it the evidence that Astrology is a hoax ... have a right to that conclusion as far as it goes. But the fact is, they're not seeing the whole story. They're not even seeing a bad imitation of the whole story.

They are seeing the work of someone whose laziness, possible ignorance, and blatant contempt for his audience is being dressed up and masqueraded as Astrology.

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Insist on the real thing.

Adequate analogies escape me as I consider this. Even a butcher who calls himself a surgeon at least traffics in blood, flesh, cutting instruments, and a modicum of skilled labor with what he does.

A first grader who bills himself as a poet will probably work with recognizable words and maybe even a passing glance at rhyme or image. Either one of these people has more integrity in his claim to a craft than the purveyor of "horoscopes" such as these.

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Astrology is a superb tool in the hands
of those who know how to use it.

The elegance and value of Astrology in the hands of someone who truly loves it, knows it, and is able to use it as intended pushes the envelope of description past the limitation of words.

I like to think I'm one of those people ... someone who sees and reveres the awesome beauty with which Astrology depicts the various energies and cycles at work in all our lives, the delicacy and precision with which a Natal Chart describes the character and potentials of the person who owns it, the profound wisdom offered when you look at a chart and grasp, through these strange symbols and squiggles, what Life is asking of you or a client in meeting the promise or challenges described there.

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Astrology speaks on so many levels.

I can become transfixed by charts and what they contain, the mysterious code revealing such wonders ... such wisdom .. such power and intelligence, something I, indeed, can only equate with God.

In Astrology, I see meanings and intentions revealed, lessons and evolutionary growth steps unfolding, the clash of opposing wills and needs, and the complexity of everything ... absolutely everything ... abrading, adjusting, aligning, supporting ... and working always toward temporary harmony, only to break apart again and begin the moves of yet another dance.

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It's information can be priceless.

If, in your life, you yearn to find meaning, if an overview of The Big Picture and your place in it would be a sublime gift, Astrology can give you that. If it would help your social efforts to understand why you and one person get along famously and are so unfailingly good for each other ... while you and another person hit nothing but sharp corners and inevitably lock horns, Astrology can give you that.

If you'd find it worthwhile to see why life is jumbled and difficult at certain times ... and when it is likely to be clear and easy (or at least easier!!) again, Astrology can give you that, too.

If being able to structure your life in line with greater currents of natural rhythm would help you swim, and surf, and snorkel as appropriate instead of struggle ... and then, when the time is right, let you get down to business with decent blueprints in hand instead of just a devout hope that you're on the right track ... Astrology can give you that as well.

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It's become part of life
and an essential part of who I am.

In the 40+ years I've worked to learn this inspiring discipline, my respect for it has only deepened. Just as religion and ethics have their place in my life, so does Astrology. I live with it. I use it. It speaks to me ... and in its presence, life makes sense.

I would be so much less without it.

This article was edited and prepared specifically for Beyond the Veil -- a Steemit newsletter assembled and published weekly by a collection of people, containing articles on the strange, the spiritual and the supernatural. To subscribe to the newsletter and stay updated about our community, please follow @beyondtheveil.

Thank you for stopping by!

If you've always known there was more to Astrology than Sun Sign material and the three line daily horoscope in the newspaper, climb aboard and follow this blog. You'll find a world of wisdom detailing how you were designed to work with life ... and why you are the way you are -- all in quick-to-read, easy-to-digest-and-remember, written-in-plain-English essays that offer plenty of food for thought.

Little by little, I'm doing a set of articles that talks about all the elements in your horoscope and what they have to say about you. If you "know something" about Astrology -- or know something about your chart placements, that will help you get more from this material.

If you don't ... well, this is one place you can learn. We all have to start somewhere ... because we aren't born knowing this stuff. Meanwhile, if you've never seen your horoscope ... and don't have a clue how to work with it, maybe it's time to find out. There are lots of "chart services" on the internet -- some of whom produce decent, readable charts "for free" and some are so awful and confusing that even I can't read them easily -- and I've worked with charts for decades.

One extremely user-friendly chart site is here: AstroLabe. I recommend them if you want a simple, easy-to-read chart. I think they even give a reasonable little interpretive reading of your horoscope as part of the package. You'll need to know your birth information -- day, month, year, time and geographical place. Without all that your chart will have limited accuracy.

Or, if you want to get serious and really talk about this, upvote this post and start a conversation in the comments section sometime in the next six days from the time of publication. We'll go from there depending on what you want to know.

Questions about any of this? -- Upvote this post and talk to me in comments. It's a terrific way to build value for yourself and the community ... and it will give me ideas of what to write about in future posts. Believe me there is lots to say about the way The Sun, The Moon -- and all the other elements in a horoscope, all the other components of Astrology -- work together to interpret you and your story -- and what it all means to the person you've become.

This is who I am.

About the art in our visual essays ...

Although sometimes the background pictures in our visual essays support the topic and text, they don't always. Sometimes the connection is clear. Sometimes it's symbolic and subtle. Sometimes, there's no connection at all.

The scenes depict landscapes and natural features, buildings and wildlife. They were chosen because they show something lovely or interesting ... or simply because the photo appealed to me.

Our spectacular and remarkable planet is changing at astonishing speed. Rarely are these changes for the better. Few people seem to know ... or care ... or have the will and power to do anything about this. It may not be long before the world humans have known and lived in for centuries is forever lost. We certainly won't be able to make repairs as fast as we destroyed it.

So a few years ago I began collecting pictures of the way things were ... and still are for now, a record of the beauty we have while it is still ours to love and honor.

The photos here are part of that collection, with sincere thanks to the artists who saw these moments ... and with their cameras ... preserved them. All of us at Enchanted Spirit are profoundly grateful to them for their generosity and skill ... and for the added grace, depth and dimension their art brings to ours.

Original images used under this Creative Commons license or this Creative Commons license and modified by added text.

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