HOROSCOPE – The Watcher Of Time

Cassius: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,

But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
Julius Caesar (I, ii, 140-141)
You may recognize this quote from Shakespeare. If it doesn’t mean anything to you, perhaps
you’ll remember the “star-cross’d lovers” of Romeo and Juliet. Astrology was all the rage in
Shakespeare’s day. The sky was alive with signs, portents and omens for those with the
acumen to read them. Fortunes were made or lost, nations rose to war or settled to peace,
marriages and attempts at conception of children were all meticulously timed to coincide with
auspicious signs from the heavens. Astrologers did a brisk business, and their advice was
accorded the same gravity as that of royal advisers. Their advice often came in the form of
a horoscope.
The word horoscope derives from an ancient Greek compound word, horoskopos, which
means “watcher of time.” As with so many other innovations, the Greeks invented the art of
astrology, imparting great weight to the geometry of the heavens and the interplay of the
celestial bodies as seen from the Earth, which was believed to be the center of the universe
around which all other bodies moved in their orbits.
Today, most Western astrology enthusiasts use the Greek definitions, embellished and
modified as science and our understanding of the cosmos improved, as the basis for
“casting,” or creating, a horoscope. The skies are still just as alive with portent as they were
in Shakespeare’s day, but today we understand better that simply because a trend emerges in
one’s horoscope does not mean that thing is automatically destined to happen. We still retain
our free will, and so a horoscope does not say something must happen, but rather that it
likely will based upon current celestial influences plus the innate nature and Sun sign of the
individual whose chart is being cast.
Horoscope Basics
Horoscope can be considered as one of the significant parts of the divine science of astrology.
Its importance can be measured by how it is being used all over the world in different
cultures and nations. Horoscopes are written in almost all newspapers and journals,
magazines and webzines etc. because the demand from the readers is high.
The word horoscope conveys different meanings due to its numerous ways of presentations.
In Vedic astrology, the illustration that represents the planet positioning in the solar system
during the time of birth can be considered as horoscope. However, some people identify it as
birth-chart because their idea of horoscope is the predictions that are based on zodiac signs
only.
Some people are in doubt if horoscopes are really true and astrologically correct for the
reason that there are only approximately twelve zodiac signs that will represent for a large
number of living populace on earth. Hence, it is astrologically impossible to provide
predictions for everyone using only twelve signs.
In its logical sense this is seem to be true. How can one correctly predict on individual level
using only the zodiac horoscopes? However, in general viewpoint, an experienced astrologer
can give predictions based on astrology principles relating it to zodiac signs. Therefore, it
generally hold true for some people in wider perspective.
How to cast a horoscope
To cast a horoscope accurately, one must know a number of things about the person for
whom it is being made. Each horoscope is unique, which is why the ones you may read in the
Sunday paper speak to overarching trends and are otherwise so vague as to be nearly
useless. A horoscope is actually a casting or erection of two separate charts: the
recipient’s natal chart, depicting the position of the planets and stars at the moment of one’s
birth, and a current chart based on one’s current temporal and physical location and the
positions of celestial bodies at the present time. For our purposes, we will use the traditional
Western zodiac, although Indian Vedic and Chinese zodiacs and horoscopes are also available
and may be of equal or even greater value for some applications. At present, let it suffice to
say that there is more than one way to cast a horoscope, and all of those ways are subject to
interpretation and personal preference.
The beginning point for a horoscope is the exact date, time, and latitude and longitude of a
person’s birth, as precisely as possible. This does not need to be accurate to the standards of
a GPS, however. Standard latitude and longitude will suffice. Next, the astrologer refers to
an ephemeris, a table of star and planet locations at given times. There are a number of
excellent online ephemerides, or for those who intend to take up astrology as a profession
you may wish to purchase a printed version. This allows the astrologer to cast the natal chart.
Once the natal chart is cast, the process begins anew with the intended recipient’s current
location, the time in question, and the correct ephemeris data for both. Once both charts are
complete, the positions of the celestial bodies “now” relative to “then” are noted. This allows
the astrologer to determine what positive and negative aspects are in play in the recipient’s
current life. This process may have to be repeated several times, if for example the recipient
is going on a vacation far away from the current location or if travel difficulties are a concern.
The type of chart used will inevitably have an impact on the quality of the information derived
from the natal and current charts. These are based on three factors:
House system used to determine the “houses” of the zodiac: This may be Placidus, where the
arc of each house may vary significantly, or Equal House, in which every house of the zodiac
is set to 30 degrees. Placidus is most commonly used today, but many astrologers prefer the
Equal House layout as a more visually pleasing and mathematically sound system of
arranging the chart.
Planets and celestial points included: The more data included, the more detailed the resulting
charts will be, but the more difficult they may be to refine into usable data. Astrological
computer programs are extremely helpful for more complex castings. The number of points
may vary, but generally at least 11 are used.