Astrology - Background
 

We do not intend to go into the details here of Astrological interpretations as these are widely available through books and the web, rather we will concentrate on the esoteric perspective and knowledge not normally encountered in traditional sources.
The Basic Premise
The basic premise of Astrology is that the birth chart, as determined by the birthdate, birthtime and place of birth, provides insights into the character and makeup of the individual whose chart is being evaluated.
More specifically, the birth chart represents the positions of the planets with respect to the twelve constellations or signs, Aquarius, Pisces etc., and the position of the eastern horizon with respect to the constellations gives us the Ascendant and the placement of the twelve houses at the time of birth. Each planet then contributes different characteristics depending on which sign or house the planet falls in. Also the angular relationship (aspects) between the planets at the time of birth gives further information about the individual. All these different pieces of information are then combined to give us an overall picture of the incarnating personality. The sun sign is only a small, though important, part of that picture.

That Astrology has stood the test of time is, we think, a pretty good indicator of the correctness of the basic premise. Indeed, after many years working with Astrology there is no doubt in the author's mind that it represents a valid source of information about ourselves and the world.
How Astrology Works

The question that naturally arises then is how does Astrology work? How can the positions of the planets at the time of birth possibly determine the character of a person?
We believe that the answer to that has two components.
Firstly, there is a certain amount of direct influence from the nearest planets and in particular the moon. It is well known that people behave differently around full moon.
However, by far the main reason that Astrology works is because of prior arrangement. That is, the soul apart from choosing the parents, chooses the date and in most cases the time of birth so that the chart "works". In other words the natal chart represents a "blueprint" of the energies and tendencies that are being brought in by the incarnating soul. We include here direct quotes from the Hilarion material ("The Mars Connection" plus "The Nature of Reality" by Maurice B. Cooke, copies available from Marcus Books, www.hilarionbooks.com.) which gives one of the clearest accounts of the process involved.

"Most Astrologers believe that the planets, acting through some unseen vibrational influence from their geometric positions at the moment of first breath, in some sense cause an individual to have the various characteristics and experiences that are traditionally ascribed to them.  What happens is simply that the guides of an individual (who understand astrological symbolism as well as the best earth Astrologer) plan the birth chart for the life about to be lived. To do this, they must search through all possible chart combinations spanning three weeks or so at the end of the pregnancy, in order to find the one which is the best "fit" for the individual concerned."
"Before each birth into the earth plane, the characteristics of the soul in terms of basic habits, traits and tendencies are already known from an examination of actions and attitudes in its previous lives. In addition, the basic pattern and plan of the life about to be lived is also determined in a general way, together with the nature of the specific karma intended to be met and set aside during the experience. Using all of this preliminary information, a particular planetary pattern is selected which will best represent this information in coded form to any competent astrologer who erects the astrological chart, and the timing of the "first breath" of the new life is manipulated and adjusted so that it falls as close as possible to a point of time which will yield this best chart. The actual procedure is somewhat more complex than that just described, but the analogy given above will allow a good understanding of the reasons why astrology appears to "work" as reliably as it does."

"In terms of the timing of life-events on the basis of astrological transits and progressions, we can state that virtually all such connections are orchestrated by one's guides in such a way that the astrological chart "works". The chart does not cause the events; the events are timed to coincide with meaningful chart arrangements by transit or progression."