Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why read my horoscope?
A: (1) The better you know yourself, the more likely you will make the right choices. Are you being forced into a career in which you have little interest, when your passion and talent lie in a different field? Why are you living in a city contemplating marrying a city boy, when it's fresh-air open-view country living you love? A physical person who has no physical outlet (for example regular exercise or sports) will feel bottled up energy which can manifest in worry or even disease. If you love traveling and are still single, what are you doing about it? At the very least, your horoscope reading will cause you to think about important aspects of your life. (2) Life is ups and downs. But it helps a lot to spot your opportunities, and bask in your periods of good fortune; during periods of stress, it helps a lot to pinpoint their essence, decide how to capitalize on them, and at the very least more patiently await better times. (3) Western astrology presents a unique and interesting - and time-honored - view of people, supplemental to traditional, religious, and psychological views. It's helpful, interesting, and can be entertaining.
Q: Why does Grant mean by "astrology with an emphasis on spirituality"?
A: More important than your material life is your spiritual life. The material world is a test ground for spiritual qualities. In the spiritual realm, what are your main assets? Perhaps you set an example in your community by your generosity. Your spiritual deficiencies are your spiritual challenges - it helps to identify them. Knowing, for example, that you may lack compasion for the less fortunate may lead you to question why, and ultimately to become more open-hearted. The purpose of your life on this planet is to evolve spiritually. The more you comprehend the intricacies of that challenge, the farther you will probably advance.
Q: How can I benefit by comparing my horoscope to the horoscope of somebody in my life?
A: Synastry - the comparison of two or more natal horoscopes on the same wheel - provides facinating and intricate insights in the relationship of those two people. A man who considered his wife "bossy", after learning that the Sun (will) at her birth time was at the exact same place in the sky as the moon (emotions) at his birth time, no longer feeled threatened when she expressed her opinions, while she became more sensitive to his feelings. Noticing square (90 degrees, one-quarter circle) positions of Mars in another couple's horoscopes leaded to the recommendation of engaging in mutual sports, which vented tension that had previously manifested in petty arguments. No two people being perfectly matched, comprehending inharmonious aspects greatly helps minimize their effects.
Q: Why doesn't Grant recommend fortune telling? What is his approach to horoscope reading?
A: Grant's approach to horoscope reading is to determine who you are, and what aspects of your character are being emphsized now. To do that, he compares (on the same horoscope wheel) the planets at the time of your birth and the planets as they are in the sky now. Knowing who you are, what aspects of your character are currently being challenged, what opportunities have opened for you - is valuable information. A bit of fortune telling can be helpful - for example, you can prepare to benefit from a coming opportunity - but living as fully as possible in the present moment (here and now) is the surest path to potential fulfillment, itself key to happiness.
Q: If free will exists, how can the future be accurately predicted? If we can accurately predict future events, does that mean there is no free will? (And if there is no free will, what's the use of trying to improve?) Can the concepts of free will and fortune telling be reconciled? Can both be valid?
A: We people have free will to direct our own lives. No matter what our current direction, we have it within ourselves to change. But we have tendencies and directions - most people can correctly guess what they will be doing on a certain day next month and next year. Fortune telling can give indications based on current or likely circumstances, including personality traits, but, because ultimately every person is capable of using will-power to change her or his destiny, fortune telling can never be predictive science.
Q: How does fortune telling work?
A: (1) We are all living in what sages have dubbed the "eternal now". Nobody lives (except in their minds) in the past or in the future. Chronological time, a material convenience, is an illusion. By probing the infinities of a single moment - whether by reading tea leaves, I-ching coins, tarot cards, palms, planets, or whatever, as guides to content - information about the whole (as represented by that moment) can be gleaned by an alert, trained, and sensitive observer. (2) Thanks to astronomers, we know exactly where all the planets will be in the sky at any time in the future. So astrologors can know, for example, exactly when a conjunction of Uranus and the moon will be in the same exact place in the sky as Mars was the moment you were born - for that future day, he may well council calm.
Q: To an astrologer, what kind of questions should I ask?
A: Any questions you want. But, for example, rather than, "Am I likely to marry rich?", more meaningful would be, "Am I suitable for a medical career?", or, better still, "How can I become a better person?"
Q: Can anyone with no training read their own horoscope?
A: Sure, that's how most astrologers started. 1. Obtain your horoscope (on-line or from an astrologer). 2. Find appropriate keywords (for example, on this website), and list them (on paper or a computer document). 3. Read the list several times during several days, and gradually in your mind a picture of the person described in the horoscope will emerge. A guide on this website will lead you through the process.
Q: Is astrology really that simple?
A: No. The information on this website is a sketch of the basics, enough to enable a novice to read a horoscope and delve into the interesting world of Western astrology. Nuances abound in the astrological literature of today. An astrologer will take note of the many indications in a horoscope, including the inevitable contradictions, and allow them to form a picture in his or her mind. For a clairvoyant, a horoscope is a platform..
How can I become a Western astrologer?
A: Reading books (widely available in English and other European languages) is a first step, but even more necessary is to study horoscopes of people you know, starting with yourself. At least at first, stick to basics.