Well, of course you’re expecting me to leap to the defense of this old, old system of explaining the unexplainable, like a tiger defending her only cub against a hungry crocodile …
but I shan’t do so.
Instead, I’ll ask you what, if anything, you’d prefer to use in place of astrology? Numerology? Palmistry? I Ching? A Tarot deck?
You see, mankind has sought explanations for anything he/she couldn’t understand or readily replicate, whether that explanation became a new religion, cult or other belief system (like relying on AI to select your groceries, your mate or your new address). Humans simply can’t tolerate something happening without reason, by random chance, or serendipity. We have to know why. And how, and where, and when – you get the picture.
Ducks, there are some things in this world and others far beyond that have no rational reason to exist or to present themselves to our physical senses as reality.
We have to take them on faith.
The heartening thing in all this is we can choose in what we have that faith, and work within the perimeter of our own thoughts to establish a deeply meaningful personal philosophy to share as we work together.
It looks like, no matter how far ahead you thumb through an ephemeris, we’re all going to need that personal philosophy which is tough as steel, yet resilient and flexible in order to get through the huge changes taking place in our daily lives, political parameters, and financial systems which may collapse given one too many IPOs already plundered before even reaching the floor of the Exchange.
I see no perfect lineup of planets guaranteed to bring world peace, better lives for all those on the periphery of ‘normal’ society or wealth beyond avarice for a few or many.
It’s the unknown from which we always seek to wrest a pattern, a reason for existing, a commonplace and comforting platitude upon which we can then base our attitude.
Piffle.
We’re here to fulfill some portion of duty to the Universe at large, like it or not. And to not accept what’s abhorrent to our very soul, or look away when injustice is being used as a powerful weapon against the weaker members of our society. There may be no pattern. No formula.
Wing it, kids. Everyone else is too. Keep looking until we find our ‘tribe,’ a group of congenial people who share most of the characteristics and ambitions of ourselves, in order to form a better world. That’s our ultimate task and goal.
And so we shall. Believe.
Dearest Madame Z.,
A professor of astronomy at the University of Southern California began his “History Of…” class with astrology. Dr. Gibson Reaves made astrology the first topic on the class syllabus. So I think there’s no need for anything “in place of.” (BTW Dr. Reaves also for many years was the director of the iconic planetarium at Griffith Park in Los Angeles.)
Sure, if you’re looking to venture off once in awhile, you could start with Tarot, which I’ve never understood even though I’ve owned a couple of decks, for the art mostly, so I’d be up for a tutorial on that; and palmistry, well, I’ve had one palm reading in my life, and NOTHING the reader predicted came true, NOT EVEN CLOSE. So maybe you could explain that one to me as well.