Hi There,
Just thought I'd contribute my own 2 cents, not necessarily representative of the views of other forum members. I have been using astrology as a means of getting to know myself for about 15 years. I've come to the conclusion that the system has been corrupted, like most self knowledge systems available, but it is still possible to glean a lot of useful information. Delving into astrology involves studying mythology, archetypes, and cyclical patterns, all of which, in my opinion can be very useful. Personally, I have found many correlations between astrological transits, and my experiences. I have found that I can often reduce conflicts in my outer experience by contemplating how a particular transit could be played out before it occurs. At the same time, I never assume anything is going to occur, but just focus on closely observing my interior and exterior world. Often times, the result of doing this is that I get in touch with unresolved thoughts and feelings within myself and open up to positively integrating them, thereby alleviating the need for outer conflict to draw my attention to them.
I think that the only way to successfully use an incomplete or, corrupted system is to be open to intuitive insights and constantly question one's conclusions. I don't ever assume that any astrologer can give me an accurate reading, no matter how much experience they may have. I think the best way to gain something from astrology is to really study it and learn how to make your own interpretations. Then you can test them by observation, and revise them. It's also very interesting to document your memory of particularly intense periods in your past, and then go back and see if there were any significant astrological influences at the time.
That said, there are a lot of charlatans out there, but there are also some particularly insightful astrologers. Liz Greene is one of the latter, in my opinion. You can find some of her articles at www.astro.com, where they also offer a variety of free charts, as well as paid readings.
If you're interested in finding proof as to whether the movement of cosmic bodies can physically affect human, plant, and animal life on earth, I suggest reading 'Supernature' by Lyall Watson, which might help put things into perspective.
