Can astrology tell us what is written in our stars?

Do you think it should have been as easy a task to have evolved a system to peep into our “future life” as could have been possible to have taken a photograph of the far side of the moon, which we can’t see from the earth, on October 7, 1959 through the camera mounted on the Soviet space probe Luna3?

Would you like to know whether astrology can tell us what is written in our stars?

The fact is astrology, consists of two parts. Half of it is “scientific” and half of it is “heuristic”. While the scientific part is in the safe haven, the “heuristic part” has raised a fence of questionability around it.

Anyway, let us have a look at both parts of astrology.

The scientific part of astrology

The technique used in astrology is based on the belief that what may happen in our life depends entirely on our “Rising Sign” and the “Position of the planets (and stars) in the sky at the time of its occurrence”.

The zodiac constellation that may have been ascending in the sky on the eastern horizon at the time of sunrise on the day we would have born decides – what is our “Rising Sign”.

Though the year had been divided into months, the months had been divided into two halves – the bright fortnight and the dark fortnight and the days had been divided into 60 ghatikas instead of 24 hours and each ghatika (matching 24 minutes) had been divided into 60 vighatikas, it did not matter whether the astrologers were told the “time of birth” or the “position of various planets (that is, which houses they occupied)” or which lunar mansion the moon occupied at the time of birth. 

They called every celestial body that appears to revolve around the earth either a star or a planet – even if it does not revolve around it.

For instance, even though it is the earth that revolves around the sun, astrology treats sun as a planet.

The same way, even though the moon is a satellite of the earth, it is also treated as one of the astrological planets only.

But it is true that if we know the houses various planets should have occupied at the time of birth, it is possible to calculate the houses they would be occupying on any future date since the times they appear to take to go 360° around the earth are well known.

We may regard this part of astrology as “scientific part of the astrology”, which is in good shape.

The heuristic part of astrology

But unlike the scientific part – the second part of astrology, the “heuristic part” is not in a good shape.

For instance, if you look at the way they assigned which house shall cover which features of our life – you would be convinced that they have simply made astrology a sort of mimicry.

To apprise you about the level of mimicry it amounts to – just have a look at the features assigned by them to any one of the houses, say, the second house.

All features have been numbered (1 thru’ 30) just to emphasize that there were no concrete criteria based on which the features related to this house or related to all other houses had been assigned by them.

As it stands, the second house controls a person’s finances (1), material resources (2), attitude towards and the ability for earning money (3), type of his family (4), his ability to express his thoughts (5) and self-worth (6). It relates to the financial fortune, prosperity (7), the profit or loss of the person (8) and his tangible assets such as bonds, stocks, cash and bank balance etc (9). It includes the type of relationship he may have with his close relatives such as his grandfather, his grandmother, his mother, his wife, his children, his brothers and his sisters etc (10). It also represents the vision or the power of his observation (11). It is also one of the death inflicting houses (12) besides the 7th house (13).

The parts of the physical body governed by the 2nd house are tongue (14), nose (15), teeth (16), cheeks (17), chin (18), neck (19), throat (20) and the right eye (21).

As per Mundane or State or Political Astrology, the second house signifies national wealth (22), Exchequer (23), revenue (24), banks (25) and commercial affairs (26). It governs all the matters related to the food and family-welfare ministry (27) also.

Just think how they would have pitched upon such a list of features covered by various houses.

It couldn’t have had any logistic about it except that it may have been simply shot out in a haggard manner.

To find out the gross impact of all the planets residing in the houses that may be relevant to the query of the native (the person who may be seeking an astrological advice) they decided to identify what role the presence of various planets could have played on these features.

For instance, in case of the Sun occupying the second house, it was assumed by them that the native shall have relative success in the financial endeavor (28). He will have a generous attitude (29) and would be admired by his superiors (30).

Who can tell how they should have pitched upon such assumptions?

Just tell me – in what way, assuming that some of the zodiac planets should be “feminine” or “friendly” and some of them should be  “masculine” or “unfriendly” or things like that are different from telling anyone that children are brought on the earth by storks from the heaven?

I don’t deny that it may not be possible to find out what may be in store in our life according to our stars but who would ever trust a system that is just a weave of only brain-waves?

Though it is true – quite so many a times, astrologers make so true-to-life predictions that keep everyone amazed – how any such things could be at all predicted through a system that is wriggling with so many worms.

But such predictions, only remind us of the metaphoric “out-of-order watch” that is capable of showing correct time twice a day. Though it shows correct time twice a day it is of no use to us since it does not tell us that it is showing correct time when it may be showing the correct time.

It is so surprising that many people consult astrologers to find out the most propitious date for tying their nuptial knot so that they did not end up in a life that may compel them to divorce even though they are quite aware of the fact that we can never find out what difference it would have made if we would have married a person –  whose horoscope would not have matched with our horoscope or what difference it would have made if we would have got married on a date which was not found auspicious according to the astrologer.

There are people who even ask astrologers to tell them a suitable date that could ensure that their business would not burn up.

Though our belief that our stars decide our destiny may not be wrong but the astrology in the form it has been handed down to us by our ancestors, definitely, does not truly tell us what the stars have up their sleeves.