While astronomy is concerned with the description of phenomena in the sky, astrology is concerned with the relation of these celestial phenomena to humans. This is what is special about astrology, it is said: the movements of the planets of our solar system actually have an effect on us humans.
Over thousands of years, humans have closely observed and followed these movements of the planets in our solar system. They have seen that when certain planets move through certain houses and signs, when they form certain conjunctions and aspects with each other, then certain events and situations in life tend to actually occur. Over time, these attentive observations have been used to form a system to get to know and understand ourselves better, and to anticipate and foresee what the near and distant future may bring, both for us as civilization and for us as individuals. This interpretation of the outer cosmos had therefore not at all been devised by a single person in its mind only.
Astrology is invariably also astronomy, without astronomy astrology would not be conceivable. You might be interested to know that both disciplines were not as strictly separated from each other in the past as they are today. For example, there are sketches by Johannes Kepler, a great astronomer, which show horoscopes constructed by him according to the North Indian diamond system, to name just one example. Astronomers were and still are open for astrological interpretation.
So astrology is the study of the movement of the planets through our solar system and how these energies or how these movements affect our physical lives. As I said, the special thing about astrology is that it says: the movement of the planets of our solar system actually has an effect on us humans.
So the big question in astrology is: How can all this be possible? How exactly do the planets effect us? What is this mechanism, how does it work?
The best way to describe how the planets work is to use the term magnetism, which gives you the right idea. When we think of magnetism, there is an attraction and a repulsion, a push and a pull between two physical bodies.
And we all know that:
Sometimes we are drawn into certain situations, that is when we are magnetically attracted to something, and sometimes we are reluctant to certain things and situations, that is when we are magnetically repelled.
What the astrological horoscope does is: it shows us the collection of all these habits and tendencies, all these wishes, desires and also these fears and dislikes, which draw us into certain situations, which draw us to certain people, and which also repel us from certain situations and people.
You may find that you have great relationships yourself, you always seem to pick the right person and you have a good time in relationships, but your boyfriend or girlfriend or any other person you know, they always get into terrible relationships, there is always this element of drama and difficulty.
Or the same with finances, maybe you don't have to worry about it and you can always pay your bills on time, works without problems. But your sister or brother or friend is always complaining about not having enough money and is always in financial trouble.
What is the difference here? Well, the difference is: we were born at a certain time, and this time is the time that brings together and reflects all our past habits, tendencies and thoughts, and the planets: they are the gateways or transmitters of these certain effects of past habits, tendencies and thoughts, they are the agents of karma.
The planets are actually aspects of our consciousness. In reality they are not different from us. The outer cosmos and the inner cosmos are connected. When the planets come into certain positions, they create the probability that something specific will happen, and this again comes from this magnetism or gravity that moves us and affects us.
In Indian astrology, the planets are also called "Grahas", which means "seizers"; the seven visible Grahas of our solar system, i.e. Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn, seize our consciousness and pull it in a certain direction. This is happening directly in our inner cosmos.
So, in essence, astrology is the study of the movement of these celestial bodies around us and how they affect us on the inside, by making sure that we experience certain events and situations seemingly on the outside.
When we are born we have certain patterns, this is our birth chart, our horoscope: the birth chart shows all our habits and tendencies, as I have just told you.
If I have not overstretched your understanding yet, I would like to ask you to imagine - as Indian astrology does - that there is rebirth and that our soul is born again and again in a new body and at the end of life, when death comes, it discards this body, recovers for some time in the astral worlds and when it is time again, it is born in a new body in internal and external circumstances that reflect the habits, tendencies and desires of past lives.
Let's assume that you have been very, very good at managing companies in the past five lives. You have been very good at taking care of business and entrepreneurship issues, which in astrological terms means that you are born in this life with a planetary combination that will give you this kind of results and success in entrepreneurship.
Or let's suppose that you have not made much effort in the past five lives to choose good relationships that are worth supporting, and it now seems that you have friends or colleagues or people in your environment who are constantly causing you problems. Why? Well because you have not chosen to use your discernment to think differently in the past five lives, to act differently, to say, "I don't want this in my consciousness", and instead choose, "I want supportive and uplifting people in my consciousness. You have not done this in this example case, and if you look at the birth chart, you will see planetary combinations that give difficulties in this area of life.
The moment of birth therefore suggests what consequences of past actions you can expect in this life and what astrological influences will affect you. Depending on how strong this karma is, you may already have or may have already been able to weaken or redirect certain tendencies in the course of this life by conscious decision. But strong karmas are very difficult to redirect, so that it is extremely tough or even impossible to change them, because they are simply too deeply anchored in the causal and astral body. And perhaps these are also strong "good" karmas, so that you can experience many beautiful and successful things in your life.
Or must. Because what is good and what is bad? Good karma also binds us. Whether the handcuffs are made of iron (bad karma) or of gold (good karma), in both cases we are bound to the world of names and forms in the bad as well as in the good and are not really free.
After all, this is about the seriously meant goal of real freedom beyond all ties.
It is about the realization of our Self, about Self-realization, about the unchangeable unity behind the phenomenal multiplicity; it is about what you have always been. It has never been different. But you are and I am, and we all are usually much too entangled in all kinds of things to see it, let alone experience and realize it ourselves.
This is the law of cause and effect considered over several lives, and in this way Indian astrology - by which we can study the individual karma, i.e. the consequences of past good or bad deeds of a person - makes sense according to my understanding.
It is liberating in my view if it helps us to not perceive ourselves so much as the creator of our actions and really let go of what we believe who we are, so that what wants to happen through us in accordance with the higher life plan of our Self can really shine through.