Strange ideas about astrology

What astrology is not...

Guercino: Personification of astrology (ca. 1650)

There are lots of misconceptions about astrology.  Those ideas stand in the way of seeing astrology as it is: the spiritual study of the correspondence between the astrological (!) picture of symbols in the sky and earth's (nature's) reality (!weighing the influence of circumstances, genes, gender, culture and age). 
And no, astrology is not about a parrot picking a lucky card...and astrologers don't worship the Sun, moon or any of the planets or stars. In fact, there are astrologers all over the world and divided over all kinds of religions and convictions.

What more strange ideas are there? There is the idea that astrology is a sort of a religious belief and astrologers are leading followers of that belief,  in every single act and move. There is the idea that astrology is about 12 signs, dividing mankind in 12 kind of persons and that that astrologers don't know that those signs are not the constellations. There is the idea that astrology has been scientifically tested and that science proved astrology wrong. All that is not true. Those are the ideas of people who don't take astrology as seriously as I do:).
In some countries being an astrologer is dangerous as astrology is forbidden for religious or ideological reasons!

I started this post with a long, long defense of astrology.  I reread it and I thought: why should I mind? Whatever I say, it won't convince anti-astrology adepts at all, just as they won't ever be able to convince me. That is because I can see, hear, read, think and do my own research. Or maybe it is because I am as they are, so that I can only see the proofs of my own premise, just like they do. Whatever. I don't care. I offer some links here, for you, to make up your own mind.
I just don't want you to get any wrong ideas about astrology and astrologers. Think for yourself! And study astrology. It is an amazing eye opener in many ways.

Next post: what astrologers and astrology need is...

LINKS
http://astropost.blogspot.nl/2011/01/zodiac-rearranged.html On the zodiac hype and '13th sign'
http://astropost.blogspot.nl/2008/11/astrologers-do-witch-test.html Astrologer tested the wrong way, a dramatic story. They wanted an astrologer to find the right chart with a certain story (some of them alike). There were 7 charts! She had an afternoon to do this not very scientific test.
http://astropost.blogspot.nl/2009/08/carlsons-test-of-astrology-not.html Much cited Carlson test was NOT scientific enough...

Matthew the Astrologer mentioned 8 things skeptics of astrology don't get here: http://www.beliefnet.com/Inspiration/Astrology/Eight-Things-Skeptics-of-Astrology-Dont-Get.aspx

 Wikipedia starts with saying that astrology is divination....

Also visit: Astromarkt.net All rights reserved

Carlson's test of astrology: not scientific enough?

For those who didn't yet notice the post on Astrodispatch: there is interesting news for astrologers all over the world who have been confronted with a 'test' dated 1985 that 'proved' astrology wrong. Reviewing the test, fairness questions have risen, according to a statistical expert (his name is Suitbert Ertel, and he is Professor Emeritus at Gottingen University in Germany and works for GEM Institute of Psychology in Gottingen.

I am not surprised about his findings. I have another example of such a 'test' that I published months ago (I named it "Do the witch test"). In that test the sceptics also worked against their own protocol. They told the astrologer that it took at least 7 charts (why?) and she had to find 7 (most of them not very life changing) events and find which chart matched with the event. They even didn't mention the exact data, two birth data and event data were equal and they gave her a few hours in a cold place to do what they already knew (as they said): fail.

Carlson's study is a more famous one than the test of Skepsis.be. Sceptics all over the world name it as an argument against astrology. So the news that another scientist is thinking that Carlson's test results were not convincing enough is BIG news. Read the news about Carlson's flawed 'Double blind study' on Astro Research News Service.

(c) http://astropost.blogspot.com

TEST WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT ASTROLOGY

TEST WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT ASTROLOGY!

True or false? Do the test and find out if you know what astrology is and can do. There are 20 questions. Move the mouse over ANSWER and you see if you were right or wrong.

1. Astrologie is a religion. 1. ANSWER

2. Insurancecompanies can tell if you are accident prone if they know your sun sign 2. ANSWER

3. An astrologer is a clearvoyant. 3. ANSWER

4. Astrology is purely ‘working with intuition’. 4. ANSWER

5. A chart shows if someone will be successful or not.5 ANSWER

6. Ambition and ‘drive’ is visible in a natal chart. 6 ANSWER

7. Calculating a chart must be done by an expert7. ANSWER

8. Geminis are busier than Scorpios are 8. ANSWER

9. Without a time of birth you can erect a chart. 9. ANSWER

10. Even without hour of birth there is something to say about the characteristics. 10. ANSWER

11. A natal chart for a dog? Can be done! 11. ANSWER

12. Some signs just don’t match! 12. ANSWER .

13. Astrology is a mess. The star signs have changed position! 13. ANSWER.

14. The Moon in a chart tells us about emotion and behaviour 14. ANSWER

15. Astrology can influence you and you might start following a ‘guru’15. ANSWER

16. There is a chart for every moment and place, even for buildings 16. ANSWER

17. The chart contains all knowledge. 17. ANSWER

18. The time of death is a fixed time, visible in the chart. 18. ANSWER

19. You can tell from a chart if a person is gay.19. ANSWER

20. There is a relationship between the charts of parents and children.20. ANSWER

For some reason the rest of the answer does not show up. If you still have a question with the answer: just ask me (see left side of this blog).