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Interpretive Elements

From AstrologyNotes

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A horoscope chart

Astrology is the study of the relative positions and movements of celestial bodies as seen from earth at a specific time and place (such as a birth or other major event). In order to study these patterns, the astrologer casts a natal chart or horoscope. This is a diagram in two dimensions of the celestial bodies' apparent positions when the event occurred. After casting a chart, an astrologer looks at numerous elements of the chart to formulate an interpretation. These include but are not limited to:

Aspects: the positions of the heavenly bodies relative to each other,
Signs: the positioning of celestial bodies in the signs
Houses: the angular points and the divisions under various systems called "houses"
Elements: the correspondence of signs to elements
Qualities: the correspondence of signs to qualites (cardinal, fixed and mutable)

Different astrological traditions calculate and interpret the various elements of the horoscope in different ways. Common traditions of astrology include Western Astrology, Chinese Astrology, Jyotish (Vedic Astrology) and others. All of these can be subdivided further by type, such as Natal Astrology (the study of a person's birth) or Horary Astrology (a chart drawn up to answer a specific question).

A few Western and all Jyotish (Hindu) astrologers use the sidereal Zodiac, which uses the true astronomical positions of the stars. The majority of Western astrologers base their work on the tropical zodiac, which uses a view of the heavens as seen 2000 years ago.

References

Wikipedia's article on Astrology - retrieved 6/3/2005 under the GNU Free Documentation License

External links

The astrologer's tools

A Comprehensive Astrological Dictionary -- Use this to look up many common astrological terms, both in ancient and modern astrology.
Classical Astrology Archives
Faculty of Astrological Studies - Founded on 7th June 1948 in London, England at 19.50 BST; its Diploma, the D.F.Astrol.S., is among the most highly valued and recognised international qualifications.
Kepler College of Astrological Arts and Sciences - Based in Seattle, USA, Kepler College is the only college in the western hemisphere authorized to issue A.A., B.A., and M.A degrees in Astrological Studies.
Astrology software - Programs for making horoscopes.
The Sophia Centre Based near Bath, England, the Centre is a department of School of Historical and Cultural Studies at Bath Spa University College. Funded by the Sophia Trust, the Centre teaches an innovative MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology and supervises postgraduate research.
Rosicrucian Fellowship Ephemeris Software (1900 - 2100).
ephemeral.info Tools - Many free web-based tools for looking up information about various celestial objects.
Horoscopes Of Our Time - a website that provides natal chart data on numerous historical figures