Astrology is not only star gazing

Every now and then, someone feels moved to write some abusive invective decrying astrology, astrologers and the newspapers that see fit to include astrological information in their pages (A bad sign . . . Judy Archer 10/12).

Newspapers have the task of providing information that people want to know. This includes astrology columns and birth dates. That some people find this information of interest shouldn't threaten anyone who doesn't, though I'll bet the farm that Judy knows which sun sign she was born under and probably her Chinese animal year as well.

One thing these letters have in common is total ignorance and the subsequent misrepresentation of what they are criticising. Judy herself betrays the fact that she has no idea by her reference to constellations and prediction. Prediction of events is a purely theoretical branch of the discipline and practised with caution by very few (mainly newspaper astrologers).

Astrological "readings" are symbolic personality and life path delineations that verify things we already know about ourselves as well as effectively making the unconscious conscious. This last is what psychiatry attempts to do.

There is no psychic component and all the information an astrologer uses can be found in a book. Professional astrologers have the same code of conduct and considerations as any other practitioner who deals with a person's psyche and inner being and are aware of the responsibilities that come with a client's trust.

As to "believing", religious dogma requires belief or at least a suspension of disbelief. The various forms of astrology are evolving disciplines that constitute millennia of observation, recording, hypotheses and proofs through experimentation, incorporating differing opinions based on an accepted knowledge base. This sounds like science to me.