Horoskopanalysen

Astrology is older than almost any other interpretive craft still practised, and better documented than its reputation suggests. What follows tries to explain it as it works: which quantities are calculated, what they mean, and where an interpretation stops being able to say anything.

Where to begin

• The zodiac signs — the twelve signs, their elements and modes. The best known part of astrology, and the least informative on its own.
• The ascendant — the sign rising in the east at the moment of birth. It requires an exact time, which is why it says more than the sun sign.
• The planets — what each one means in a chart and how its position is weighed.
• Kinds of chart — natal, annual, comparative: different questions, different techniques.

Further in

• The twelve houses — which area of life belongs to which house, and why angular houses weigh more.
• The aspects — the five classical angles, and why application and separation change everything.
• The four elements — not images, but combinations of hot, cold, dry and moist.
• Chinese astrology — a system in its own right, with its own logic.

What you will not find here

No promises about health, money or other people's intentions. A chart describes dispositions and periods; it replaces neither a doctor, nor a lawyer, nor a decision that is yours to make. Where an interpretation yields nothing solid, that is said.