Astrology, the ancient art and science of interpreting the influence of celestial bodies on earthly events and human affairs, has a complex and contested intellectual heritage. Throughout history, astrology has been revered, rejected and revived, leaving an indelible mark on many cultures. While its predictive ability and scientific legitimacy have been debated, the philosophical underpinnings of astrology continue to attract the attention of scholars and enthusiasts. To engage deeply with astrology, it is necessary to explore its subject, subject and epistemological functions. These parameters show the unique intellectual structure of astrology and how it functions as a system of knowledge, whether one accepts or rejects its claims.
Purpose of Astrology: At its core, the object of astrology is the universe, especially the planets, stars, and celestial phenomena and their supposed influence on life on Earth. Famous Astrologer in Ahmedabad believe that celestial bodies directly affect human affairs, natural phenomena and personal psychology. These influences are considered both symbolic and literal, rooted in the movements and relationships of planets, stars, and other astronomical bodies.
- Celestial Bodies: Planets and stars are the primary objects of study in astrology. Astrologers interpret their positions, aspects and movements relative to each other and the Earth. The twelve zodiac signs, based on the constellations along with the ecliptic, serve as a framework in which to interpret the movements of these planets. Each sign and planet are imbued with specific symbolic meanings, derived from ancient traditions.
- Movement of Planets: The constant movement of celestial bodies through the zodiac is the key to astrological interpretation. Planets transiting through different zodiac signs are believed to express or evoke certain qualities depending on their symbolic nature. For example, Mars symbolizes action, aggression and energy, while Venus symbolizes love, beauty and harmony. Interactions between planets, or aspects, with certain angles thought to have specific effects, further informing the interpretation.
- Houses and Astrological Chart: The twelve houses of an astrological chart represent different areas of life. The position of planets within these houses at the time of a person’s birth is used to create a natal chart, which astrologers interpret to gain insight into personality, life path and potential challenges. The movement of planets through these houses, known as transits, is also used to predict or analyse current and future events. Hence, the objective of astrology is deeply intertwined with the universe and its cyclical patterns. Astrology assumes that these patterns are not just random but are directly related to Earth events, operating according to principles that can be decoded through careful observation and interpretation.
Subject of Astrology: While the universe serves as the object of astrology, the subject is primarily human beings and their experiences. The ultimate purpose of astrology is to provide insights into human nature, relationships and life events by decoding the influence of celestial events. As a tool for understanding human life, astrology works at both individual and collective levels.
- Person: In natal astrology, the birth chart, which maps the positions of celestial bodies at the time and place of birth, is seen as a reflection of the person’s character, strengths, challenges and life path. Each person’s chart is unique, a symbolic map of potential that reflects the influence of celestial bodies. The subject of astrology is thus individual, and aims to help one better understand oneself, including one’s emotional tendencies, intellectual inclinations, and purpose of existence.
- Relationships: Astrology often explores interpersonal dynamics through synastry, the comparison of two individuals’ birth charts to assess compatibility, challenges, and areas of growth in relationships. By comparing the positions of the planets in the two charts, astrologers can predict how the various energies interact and what that interaction means for the relationship, whether romantic, familial or professional.
- Human Phenomena: At large, astrology claims to provide insight into human phenomena and collective experiences. Mundane astrology, which deals with world events and larger social trends, attempts to interpret how celestial movements influence politics, economics, and social structures. Historical events, too, are often analysed through the lens of astrology, with astrologers looking to the stars for explanations of wars, revolutions, and other significant changes.
Epistemological Functions of Astrology: How Astrology Produces Knowledge Astrology’s epistemological function—how it claims to know what it knows—is one of its most interesting and controversial aspects. Astrology occupies a unique epistemic space, blending empirical observation with symbolic interpretation. Although it operates according to a set of rules and principles developed over millennia, its methods and conclusions often fall outside the framework of modern science. Central to the epistemology of astrology is the idea of ​​symbolic correspondence. Each celestial body and zodiac sign is imbued with symbolic meaning, representing archetypal forces or patterns. Historically, astrology developed through the careful observation of celestial events and their apparent correlation with earthly events. Ancient astrologers meticulously recorded planetary positions, lunar cycles and eclipses and correlated them with events such as the rise and fall of empires, natural disasters and personal fortune. Over time, these observations gave rise to a system of patterns and associations that astrologers use to predict or interpret future events.
While astrology is not empirical in the modern scientific sense—its predictions are often probabilistic or symbolic rather than deterministic—it nevertheless relies on the recognition of patterns. The repetition of planetary cycles and aspects allows astrologers to predict future events or psychological tendencies based on the accumulated knowledge of previous astrological observations.Interpretation in astrology is often subjective, relying on the astrologer’s intuition, experience and symbolic knowledge to draw meaningful conclusions. For example, the placement of Mars in a natal chart can indicate a range of possibilities from aggressiveness to ambition, and the astrologer’s job is to discern which interpretation is most relevant to a person or situation. In this way, astrology functions more like an art than a science, requiring a balance of knowledge, intuition and symbolic thinking.The object, subject, and epistemological functions of astrology reveal it as a complex system of knowledge that operates at both symbolic and empirical levels. Ambika Jyotish The universe, with its complex movements and patterns, serves as the object of astrology.