--- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], "hugheshugo" > <richardhughes103@> wrote: > > > > --- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > > > --- In [email protected], "hugheshugo" > > > <richardhughes103@> wrote: > > > > > > > > The idea that planets can go "retrograde" is all due to the > > > > ludicrous maths involved in making the earth appear to be > > > > the centre of the solar system, it really isn't. > > > > > > It sounds a lot like the math involved in saying > > > that one's spiritual teacher is "the best," or > > > that one's spiritual path is "the best." Those > > > beliefs are based on the person who thinks that > > > appearing to be at the center of the universe, > > > too. :-) > > > > > > Personally I think that astrology is hogwash, > > > *except* as tricksterism. That is, some people > > > whose intuition and "seeing" skills are present > > > but latent can *trick* themselves into utilizing > > > their latent ability to "see" by gazing a chart > > > of the position of the planets. > > > > > > For other people, it's tarot cards. For still > > > others, reading tea leaves. None of the trickster > > > mechanisms do anything or mean anything; they're > > > all equally bogus. *But*, if they allow someone > > > to get past their own disbelief and trick them- > > > selves into utilizing previously-unused abilities, > > > they work like gangbusters. > > > > Interesting idea. > > I think so. It explains phenomena that seem > to occur with regard to "seeing" -- whether > seeing deeper into the character and back- > ground and history of the person coming to > you for a "reading," or into the future -- > without relying on believing in the under- > lying techniques that supposedly facilitated > that seeing.
Just as a followup, I visited Nostradamus' house not long ago. It's been turned into a fairly cheezy tourist museum, but it had some fun things in it nonetheless. Among them were some of his original writings, in his own hand. It was fun to read through them to get a glimpse into the personality, as opposed to the myth. He was a born scholar, born into a family of scholars, and studied all of the arts available at his time. Of course, that included astrology and other forms of divination. But interestingly, in his own writings he often referred to them *as* a "trigger" to his seeing, which he seemed to consider not completely related to them.
