Pax Mercurius is the working name of Gwydion, a professional astrologer, artist and aspiring nomad in Melbourne, Australia.
Gwydion writes about Astrology from a practical spiritual perspective, dealing with the esoteric themes of the Art and linking Astrology in with myth, magic, alchemy and culture.
Aries
Taurus
Leo
Virgo
Libra
Sagittarius
Capricorn
Aquarius
Pisces
Venus
Mars
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
There is a good amount of information out there on what Astrology is, how it works, and how it supposedly does or doesn't. Here is where you might find the answers to some of the more common ones, from a single perspective.
If you have a question you'd like to see answered here, email it to me and we'll see what we can do.
"Astrology does not offer an explanation of the laws of the universe, nor why the universe exists.What it does, to put it in simplest terms, is to show that there is a correspondence between macrocosm and microcosm. In short that there is a rhythm to the universe, and that man's own life partakes of this rhythm."
—Henry Miller
If you are talking in purely materialistic terms, there is no scientific explanation as to how astrology works. In fact, if you apply the modern scientific method, you will be hard-pressed to get satisfactory results at all.
The reason for this is not because astrology does not work, but rather, because material explanations of astrology do not factor in the holistic framework on which it operates. Astrology works, because – as quoted above – it embodies a larger rhythm of which we are a part. To borrow a mathematical concept, humans are a part of a fractalline universe, which repeats patterns on many levels. These are both material and immaterial. A human dies, a star is born – as the planets move around the Sun, including the Earth, our little things can be seen in greater things.
The Hermetic framework advises balance in regards to intellectual approaches to all things. The operation of the celestial sphere is rational and ordered as well as mysterious in its ability to echo the patterns of life down below, and reflects a greater synchronicity that we can either ignore or tap into. You can take apart the radio, but if you aren't listening to the signal, you aren't going to find the music.
Richard Saunders, a medieval physicians who wrote The Astrological Judgement and Practise of Physick attributed the Black Plague to the eating of cold and Phlegmatic foods, especially herrings and cucumbers, and declared the Plague to be non-infectious. He discerned this because Saturn (the bringer of illness) was in Cancer (a wet, cold, Phlegmatic sign).
This placement and its other details in the chart were accurate - the plague was indeed a chronic, wet and slimy kind of disease, and likely the chart also described the other features and the solution to the illness. However, limited by his time, place and education and lacking a modern understanding of medicine, Saunders came to the wrong conclusions. The chart itself was trying to tell him something he could not comprehend at the time.
Yes, astrology itself is extremely accurate - provided we can understand what it is trying to tell us. However, astrologers can be wrong, just as any other highly trained specialist can be wrong. About 700,000 people a year in the USA die due to medical mistakes (iatrogenic deaths), expert sportsmen miss goals or sprain their ankles, and an astrologer who has done 99 successful readings can get the 100th one wrong.
Despite the beliefs of some people, no. There is no intrinsic danger from the occult or from astrology. The dangers that are associated with one or the other (or both, as they are sometimes lumped together) are purely internal. As with all disciplines that look into the mind (psychology, psychoanalysis) the investigation should not be undertaken by an unstable individual.
Both the practise of astrology and the occult can be very good for a person. Even at the most superficial levels, they encourage moderation, higher learning, self-discipline, emotional balance and spiritual and emotional well-being. The only danger is from within, when someone uses ritual or divination as an excuse for their own pre-existing problems. Some people abuse astrology and occult practises for their own gain, but this is the unpleasant animalistic aspects of human nature at play, not the occult.
As an astrologer, when I encounter emotionally unstable or unusually troubled clients who want either astrology or magic to fix their (self-perpetuated) problems, I refer them to a specialised health professional instead of doing readings for them.
There is no evidence that 2012 is going to be anything remarkable. The assertions by the New Age fringe are based on co-opted ideas of an ancient indigenous people that they apparently feel they are entitled to use. They have linked this to the Western obsession for apocalyptic drama - despite the living Mayans themselves saying that they don't believe that anything is going to happen.
As for shifts in consciousness, and all that...surely a raising of oneself to a higher consciousness is the responsibility of individuals and their communities? Unfortunately, enlightenment, peace between nations, an end to poverty or environmental degradation will not fall out of the sky.
I wish that I didn't see this around the internet and offline, in magazines and books, as much as I do. Some may say that, as an astrologer, I don't have too much to stand on here, but the culture of blind paranoia that fantastic conspiracy theories like this induce is nothing short of horrifying. In an age when we are able to more clearly see the workings of the world, our universe, and each other than we have ever been able to understand, it is tragic that people have to resort to being afraid of imaginary lizard people to motivate themselves about world issues.
In case you have never heard of the lizard people Illuminati conspiracy, google the phrase and see what you turn up. It is a clear case of insanity by consensus. Unfortunately, I have been seriously asked about this - and alien interference in human affairs - by people at conventions.
Yes. In support of my reptilian cousins, consider making a donation to a charity such as Amphibian and Reptile Conservation or the RSPCA and help a scaly brother out. We will take over this planet, one delicious crunchy insect at a time.
