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November 13, 2010

The Tao and Astrology


I do not believe in astrology as we commonly think of it; a ‘prediction’ in a newspaper based on our zodiac, but I do believe there can be a relation between the alignment of celestial bodies and our behavior. We need only look to the power of the moon to control the tides and most say, human behavior. These bodies are of Tao.

Astrology, is found in almost all cultures in one form or another. It is a field of study that focuses on the correlations between celestial events and humanly meaningful events. It is usually not considered a religion in itself, however astrology has been used in many religious contexts. As astrologer James R. Lewis noted in The Astrology Book: "Most people are familiar with only a tiny portion of the science of the stars, namely the 12 signs of the Zodiac as they relate to the personality of individuals and the use of astrology for divinatory purposes".


That refers of course to the horoscope as you may find it online or in daily newspapers. These types of horoscopes are based on a person's sun sign, that is, which one of twelve constellations the sun appeared in at the time of the person's birth. The positions of other heavenly bodies also make up what is called a natal chart, which most astrologers diligently note does not so much predict the future of a person as it does describe possible influences, likely tendencies, or the overall nature of one's personality-information one can use to set the course of one's own life. It is quite complicated to contemplate all the possibilities of this but it very much takes up a distant often overlooked corner of Tao. There is so much we do not know. Stars, planets, and other things in space could very well play an influence in many things.