A criticism commonly leveled against astrology involves the thorny issue of free will. If our lives are somehow influenced or even predetermined by the stars, the argument goes, doesn’t that mean we have no real choice, that we’re little more than puppets of an overarching cosmic fate?
The simple answer to that is—no. One analogy sometimes used to explain this point is a simple weather report. When the weatherperson on TV announces there will be rain this coming weekend, you have a wide range of options for how you can react to it. You can choose to stay in and watch TV, meditate, play with your dog, or even go out and enjoy a walk in the rain, if that happens to be your thing. An astrological prediction is quite like that, in that you may not have total control over the planetary “weather patterns” affecting your life, but you have considerable free will in how you’ll respond to them.
For me, an even better analogy would be a musical score. Give a piece of sheet music to two different musicians, one a jazz musician and the other a classically trained pianist, and the odds are they’ll play it very differently, even though they’re looking at exactly the same notes. In fact, the jazz musician might even improvise wildly around the basic notes on that sheet music, in the process transforming that work into something nearly unrecognizable at times.
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Does Astrology Deny Free Will?
A criticism commonly leveled against astrology involves the thorny issue of free will. If our lives are somehow influenced or even predetermined by the stars, the argument goes, doesn’t that mean we have no real choice, that we’re little more than puppets of an overarching cosmic fate?
Celebrity Snapshots
When an actor plays a role, his true nature is rarely seen, for his character is defined by the screenplay and the director.
Stock Market Outlook
Let us look at the prospects for selected stocks through the earnings-surprise method. First, we see what the planetary weather is by scanning for transits. There is a Solar Eclipse on February 15 and a retrograde Jupiter station on March 8 at 23°Scorpio. Venus is conjunct Neptune at 13°31’ Pisces this month on the 21st.
February's Planets And You
On the 15th, there will be a Solar Eclipse at 27° Aquarius. The sole lunation of the month, it opposes the degree of last August’s Solar Eclipse at 29° Leo, reenergizing issues from last summer. It also reawakens issues from 18, 36, and 54 years ago, as well as further back. The shadow of the eclipse falls in the southpolar region, not visible from any major country. It was the late Al Morrison who theorized that eclipses conjunct the poles tend to have an effect on the world in general, much as planets at 0° of the cardinal signs do.
Your Astrological Guide To Getting Organized!
Sometimes, working at home as a writer, I feel overwhelmed by pieces of paper, large and small. The same is true of pens and reference books. When the stacks are tall enough to cast shadows, I grow claustrophobic and flee to the public library. There I can work in a spacious, orderly, and ideal if somewhat sterile world.
The Astro-View From Scotland
Anyone who has ever written a regular column will know that there are times when inspiration is—not to put too fine a point on it—notable by its absence. At other times, so many ideas are flying around that catching one by the tail to pin it down is, to say the least, tricky. And, you never know, as the last deadline is met and you can now relax for a few weeks, which set of conditions is going to prevail the next time.
Horary Astrology
Question: Which dorm mate should I choose?Date: July 23, 2017Time: 10:24:00 A.M. E.D.T.Place: West Hartford, CTThis question came from my client’s daughter who is beginning her first year of college and will live on campus. She asked: “I have a dorm room at the college I will attend this fall. Two of my girlfriends are also attending the same college. They both want to room with me, but I can only take one as a roommate. Which one should I choose?”I asked her which friend requested to room with her first. This a very important question because it establishes the houses that rule each friend.
December's Planets And You
As loyal readers know, eclipses are the most powerful energizers in astrology. I usually begin an eclipse analysis about three months prior to its occurrence because the general rule is that Solar Eclipses begin to heat up the degrees in the zodiac about 90 days in advance. An example from last spring, however, demonstrates that this time span is simply a guideline.
Christmas And Soul - Centered Gifts For The Signs
The search for self—the process of individuation—is not a fad. Certainly, there are processes, weekend intensives, and specialized spiritual products and programs that come and go. We could say that there are a number of outer forms for the search for self that are indeed trendy, glamorous, and faddish, but that is the nature of all forms of social popularity in general. The essential search for the key to the expansion of consciousness and the resultant transformations in our attitudes and lifestyles are certainly not faddish. There is a Path, and that Path is the Goal; our job is getting There, and I assure you that there is a “There” to get to.—AO
The Astro - View Scotland
The Titan Prometheus was a pretty arrogant fellow in my view. According to Greek myth, he stole the fire of knowledge from the gods, hidden in a fennel stalk, to give to humanity for our enlightenment. Did he consult any humans beforehand to see if we wanted such a double-edged gift? To the best of my knowledge, he did not. He thought he knew best. For this blatant act of hubris—i.e., thinking you are as smart as the gods—he was savagely punished by Zeus, their king. You probably know the story, but it bears repeating just to remind us that hubris is not a good idea. Chained to a rock, Prometheus had his liver pecked out by an eagle on a daily basis; it regrew overnight—the punishment never ended.
Sun Sign Fitness
Sun Sign Fitness
Celebrate the Goddess of Love
Unconditional love is love without boundaries, limitations and expectations.
What It's Like To Sing On Another Planet
Acousticians sometimes speculate about how conversations might carry on alien worlds. Of course, you’d have no time to chat if you stood in the open air on Mars: Your blood would boil you to death in seconds. But what about those final screams?
Hollywood's IRL Superhero Squad
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A 39-Year-Old Venus Williams Still Commands Respect
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Venus & Serena In Nasty Feud!
Dad, 77, charges he’s been fleeced by estranged wife
Serena's Sweep: Tennis, Fashion & Beyond
Serena's Sweep (not to jinx it or anything) - She's eyeing a fashionable post-court life, but first she's got tennis history to make.
Laowa 10mm f/2 Zero-D
A tiny ultra-wide prime for Micro Four Thirds
La nueva búsqueda de vida extraterrestre
El hallazgo de compuestos químicos relacionados con el desarrollo de la vida en Venus, Marte y algunas lunas de Júpiter y Saturno ha impulsado la puesta en marcha de nuevas misiones espaciales a estos mundos del Sistema Solar. A partir de los datos que recaben, los astrobiólogos tratarán de dilucidar si existen organismos que han prosperado lejos de nuestro planeta. Tal descubrimiento sería uno de los más importantes de la historia de la ciencia.
Less Is More
Garmin’s Venu Sq is testimony that technology is at its best when it improves the human experience