In light of Theosophical understanding, astrology is a science requiring all the rigor, intense observation and complex principles that any science must possess. And like any science, its observations are grounded in a philosophical worldview. In this exceptional collection of essays, that worldview is Theosophy as set forth by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky in her many writings. Fundamental to this worldview is the ancient Hermetic axiom, "As above, so below," teaching that analogy and correspondence are methods fundamental to understanding the relationships between microcosm and macrocosm, self and world.

Astrology comes in many forms. Traditional astrology maps the planets as if the earth were the center of the universe. Solar astrology places the sun in the center. Western astrology traditionally fixes the twelve signs of the zodiac as if the sun enters Aries each spring equinox, but the slight, slow wobble of the earth in its orbit, rather like a spinning top rotates its upper part in a circle, precesses the equinoxes in a cycle of over 25,000 years. This means that over time the sun appears in different signs at the spring equinox. This is the idea behind the Age of Aquarius, emerging after approximately 2500 years of the Age of Pisces, Aries ending about 2500 years ago when the Piscean Age began. Indian astrology calculates this precession of the equinoxes and so places the sun now in or near Aquarius (depending on the method of calculation). So the zodiac fixed in the calendar of Western astrology is one sign off by Indian standards. Since astrology has theoretical and symbolic content as well as empirical content, those born under a particular sign as measured in Western astrology would be considered to have been born under a sign one place earlier in the precessed zodiacal system of Indian astrology. This will show up in the fact that many people find characteristics of the previous sign as applying to themselves as well as the characteristics of their Western birth sign, since some features are established by empirical experience and other by theoretical considerations.

Traditionally, astrology has been used for three purposes: understanding the variable forces in the world, individual growth and transformation, and prediction regarding the future of the individual and conditions in the world. As the essays on each of the zodiacal signs and planets show, the purely personal purposes are not, on the whole, the most significant. And as they demonstrate, the symbolism and meanings involved are rich, complex and worthy of study and contemplation, activities which in themselves can serve the purposes of astrology.

As H.P. Blavatsky shows in the extract from Isis Unveiled included in this collection, this symbolism is profound indeed. For while map is not territory, astrological symbolism is connected to the deeper meanings and purposes of life. Put simply, astrology, when seriously studied, is knowledge. At a superficial level, it can throw light on personality traits and forces at play in daily life. When considered more seriously, it can illuminate aspects of one’s spiritual life and increase spiritual awareness as that life is increasingly seen as an irreducible part of a greater whole, that of humanity as a whole and the evolving cosmos.

The typical challenge to astrology is that it fails in its predictive power, and the common complaint is that it cannot tell me if I will get sick tomorrow or whether I should buy that new car, etc. After all, the laws of physics tell me that if I let go of an apple, it will fall to the ground. This view assumes that astrology is deterministic, that the planets make things happen. Even physics has had to give up that view when it explores the micro-structure of things, since quantum theory can only predict statistically. Astrology seeks to predict general conditions that affect thought and action both collectively and individually. As Shakespeare noted in Julius Caesar, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings"; astrology does not deny free will, but it acknowledges conditions which affect the exercise of choice and its results. A deep reflection on the symbolism and maps of astrology can aid in understanding the world, anticipate future conditions, and provide a resource for thought and action. These comprehensive articles provide the material for such reflection.

The essays in this Theosophical Astrology section of Theosophy Trust’s website do not contain instructions for casting a chart or even for interpreting one or another astrological map. The symbols discussed in detail can be applied at many levels, and, as with all good explanations, can be grasped and assimilated at multiple levels. These articles range across many ways of thinking, thereby freeing the reader from a fixed or dogmatic framework, allowing for new insights and broadened awareness to emerge. As in all Theosophical teaching, the student—here the reader—is encouraged to engage the ideas presented, examine them, reflect on them, and make them his or her own. Repeated engagement will nurture and grow individual understanding. Thus these essays taken together constitute an introduction to Theosophical astrology, a treasure house of resources for the aspiring soul.