In a world that is arranged logically and where everything has its place, astrology is a kind of anomaly. One of the reasons why opinions about astrology are so divided is probably that we don’t have a clear answer on how to categorize it. Is astrology a science?
Science is limited to proving natural laws that can be perceived by the five senses. Anything that is not provable in this way is categorically rejected as it is not science. Because we live in a world that puts logic and rationality first, science has become the yardstick by which we decide what is real and what is false, what has value, and what is worthless. In the modern world, where scientific principles and the "prove me and I will believe you" approach prevail, astrology is most often described by the term pseudoscience.
What is pseudoscience anyway? The term is defined as "statements, beliefs or practices that are claimed to be based on science or facts, but are incompatible with the scientific method and do not have adequate scientific support ". From this definition, we learn that astrology is not a science, that, according to the standards of the modern world, it is less than a science.
Much of astrology is based on science, as it developed from the observation of celestial bodies, that is, astronomy, to which symbolic meaning has been added. For a long time, astrology and astronomy were synonymous. In fact, astrology is more scientific than scientists might want to admit, as astrologers have arrived at the symbolic meanings of celestial bodies in an empirical way: by observing celestial bodies, tracking important events happening on Earth at the same time, and discovering interconnections between the two. By comparing, searching for correlations, and deduction, the symbolic meanings of individual celestial bodies were defined in the following centuries.
However, astrology is not just a science, as science explores exclusively the material world. Astrology is not focused only on the material world, it also seeks answers to bigger questions: about the human soul, about the individual’s purpose, about fate and free will, etc. If we focus only on the scientifically provable (a.k.a. material) part of life, we lose the part that offers us something more - spirituality. By using a symbolic language called astrology, we try to find answers to both concrete questions that are part of human life, as well as to more complex questions of a spiritual nature that sooner or later occupy the mind of each individual. These answers are complex and cannot be discovered easily.
Astrological analysis requires both logical and intuitive perception. After an initial analysis of the individual components of the chart, the astrologer must first assess which components are more important than the others. Then they must integrate the obtained information into a meaningful whole that will capture the essence of the individual’s nature and life experiences. Finally, they must convey all this complex information in an easy and understandable way to an individual who is not skilled in the language of astrology. In this sense, astrology is moving away from science. After an initial logical analysis of the symbols, the astrologer tries to extract from them answers that will help the individual to understand their own life in a spiritual sense. The formulation of a simple and understandable answer requires a lot of knowledge and skill and is its own kind of art.
Astrology is complex and difficult to categorize. The reason for this is the fact that the very subject of its research is something that is not material, but is nevertheless real and has value - that something is human nature and the question of the meaning of our existence. When we talk about such complex topics, we will not arrive at satisfactory answers by using logic and mathematical calculations because we are actually talking about the human soul, about that which is alive in a human being. To interpret something so mysterious and non-concrete — but at the same time indisputably the most real and the most valuable part of a human being — we must use a method of analysis that is completely unscientific. We are talking about that other way of perceiving – intuition.
How does intuition work? Simply put: we use whatever is alive in us to feel into that part of another human being that is alive in them. This is why it also makes sense that different astrologers can uncover different information when analyzing the same birth chart; some will get a clear insight into an individual’s past, others will get concrete information about their future, some will be able to determine the exact time and course of events, while others will be more focused on the psychological analysis, etc. Different astrologers can successfully interpret different aspects of human life, depending on what their birth chart looks like. Each individual is a world unto themselves. Our talents, weaknesses, complexity of character and life experiences are a unique whole that we keep discovering and keep trying to understand all our lives. Because of it, we perceive the world in a completely original way. Astrologers are no exception in that sense.
Science is a field that explores the material world and seeks to arrive at provable insights, to discover the truth about the world in which we live. Its principle is to take into account only concrete results. This is also the reason why science today, despite all its progress, is far from having all the answers and can only speculate about certain things. Science has its place, but it also has its limitations.
Astrology is a pseudoscience, but that doesn’t mean it is worth less than science or that it doesn’t offer the truth. The truth it offers is spiritual in nature, not material. The answers it seeks surpass the capabilities of scientific language, and the way to discover them is through a combination of logic and intuition. Astrology is therefore both a science and an art.
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