PREVIOUS THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY July 23 2012 to July 29 2012 Monday July 23 Symbol Symbol Little Star Dear Jonathan, Why are astrologers 'allowed' to put forth their own interpretations when one of the field's staples is maths, an actuarial subject? Rachel Dear Rachel, Astronomy is actuarial. Astrology is probably best thought of as astronomy performed with a degree of poetic licence. Astrologers' horoscopes are prepared with very exact calculations. We can't look at a chart and say, 'Oh this planet is here... but let's close our eyes and imagine it is over there, instead.' But once we have drawn up our map of the sky, we 'allow ourselves' to read symbolic meaning into those planetary positions. Tuesday July 24 Taking the Biscuit Yesterday, a reader asked what entitles astrologers to place an interpretation on what's really just 'mathematical data' about the sky. But then, don't we all read meaning into numbers all the time? If I count the biscuits in my biscuit tin, and I find there are only two, I can deduce from this information, that I will soon find myself going shopping. How can I be sure? Because for generations, students of kitchen re-stocking have been successfully reading the state of the biscuit tin to make such predictions. And my own experience of reading biscuit tins confirms this! Wednesday July 25 Tea and No Biscuits On Monday, a reader called Rachel asked what 'allows' astrologers to interpret planetary positions when really, these are just pieces of information, derived through mathematical processes. Yesterday, I suggested that this is like counting the biscuits in your biscuit tin, noticing that there are not many... and thus predicting that there will soon be a trip to the shop. I should add, in fairness, that the process is not necessarily so simple. If the tin is on a high shelf, it may be because nobody in the house eats biscuits so a trip to the shop probably won't be happening! Thursday July 26 Le Biscuit Mystery This week I've been explaining how it is possible to predict a trip to the shop, simply by knowing how many biscuits you have in your biscuit tin. There are, of course, pitfalls. If someone in your home has recently given up biscuits, the almost empty tin may never be replenished. If you have a biscuit fiend in your family, you can't make a prediction till you first know how many emergency packets are stashed away. But in essence, the principle applies. 'Ah,' I hear you ask, 'but isn't astrology more mystical?' Of course. As I shall explain tomorrow! Friday July 27 Cookie Jar This week, I've been comparing the art of astrology to the art of reading the kitchen biscuit tin. You can tell, by counting the contents, whether a trip to the shop is likely. Can you find the same information by measuring the angular distances between planets? Yes, in theory, but why would you do that when you can just pop into the kitchen? Unless, that is, you want to know about a tin in a kitchen that you cannot easily enter. Or unless you want to know whether you are soon due to be visited by a cookie monster! Saturday July 28 Your August Forecasts In August, Mercury ends its retrograde phase, allowing many people to feel less as if they are wading through treacle or running up escalators that are going downwards. My fellow astrologers often tell people to avoid making arrangements or even trying to communicate at all under such an influence. In my experience, the impact of a retrograde Mercury is not so severe and can even be helpful to those who strive to understand a puzzling matter or unravel a complicated knot. But this, plus the arrival of Venus in Cancer, will ensure a lighter mood soon sweeps the world. Sunday July 29 Sunday Love Forecasts Linked from this page every Sunday, you will find the Sunday Love Forecasts. These are not 'week ahead predictions' in the usual sense. Those appear here every Saturday - and can be found, now, from the menu to the left. Week ahead forecasts cover all aspects of your week... including, when relevant, your love life. Love forecasts are only about love! If you're not interested in love at the moment, if you are interested but not unhappy or in need of something, if all your relationships are comfortable and rewarding... there may not be much for you here. But remember, 'Love' doesn't just cover romance. A love forecast may also have something to say about your family life! Back to Index   Click here for Jonathan Cainer's Daily Zodiac Forecasts