(This article dwells on the connection between various astronomical discoveries related with planets and other cosmic bodies, with their Psychological impact on human beings, as described in Astrology. It is an effort to deepen the logical and scientific foundation of Astrological knowledge.)

There have been immense debates about the inter relationship of Astrology and Astronomy for a long time. There are astronomers who brush aside Astrology as a superstition and can not understand how the far off objects in the sky can impact the human being. On the other side there are astrologers whose knowledge have been reduced to the horoscope placements of planets and these vast cosmic objects have just got reduced to figures on a paper. They seem to have lost their understanding that these are real objects in the skies which impact us because of their very nature. As a consequence their astrological knowledge is still backdated and remains restricted to the classical texts and they are not able to benefit from the recent astronomical discoveries. The connection between astronomy and astrology is very crucial to understand for every astrologer, as this provides with highly scientific basis for Astrology. Every new revelation of astronomical facts by way of scientific methods can add to the reservoir of astrological knowledge, if one is aware of this connection.

This article will explore the various astronomical facts related with various cosmic entities such as planets, Nakshatras and Zodiac signs and their various dimensions as experienced by human beings on the planet earth. The purpose of this article is to make you familiar with the fact that the astronomical qualities of any cosmic body have a direct bearing on the thought patterns experienced by the humans on earth. The magnetic field of such entities also interacts with the magnetic field of earth and hence impacts the events taking place on the planet earth.

Now let us now consider the character of some of the planets. These examples are just to demonstrate the connection between astronomy and astrology and hence are not supposed to be exhaustive details.

- Sun personality is associated with ideas and intelligence, which leads to immense energy for creation. Why? Because constant nuclear fusion of Hydrogen into Helium is going on at the core of the Sun, which releases immense energy. Life on earth depends on this energy. That is why Sun depicts the personality and the energy, with which we live our lives. Why Sun oriented person is a poor listener? Because the sound travels poorly through sun, as the mass density is quite low. Why Sun based person is so much stressed? Because there is a constant burst of gaseous pressure created by the explosions.

- Moon based people always appear to be controlled by the past memories, both good and bad. He never forgives for your bad deeds as well as never forgets the good you do to him. Why? Because Moon is full of craters, which are created by the striking asteroids and they get filled very slowly because of the inert atmosphere and absence of water. Why a Moon person always likes to depend on someone or follow someone? Because Moon has no light of it’s own and it has to depend on Sun for that.

- Why Mercury based person never takes a firm stand and he can be swayed so easily? Because all it’s magnetic field has been burnt because of it’s proximity with Sun. Why he like to follow and appears to have no followers? Because it has no satellite Moons. Why he never appears to be in tension? Because there is no atmospheric pressure on Mercury.

- Mars have always been associated with the courage and bravery. Why? Because the surface of Mars contains 13% Iron. Hence clearly the impact of Mars is to ignite the Iron like qualities in us. Why he forgets quickly, both the good and bad done to him? Because the craters gets filled quickly because of it’s deserts like surface. Why he give vent to the anger boiling inside him so frequently? Because there are mega volcanoes on Mars, which keep erupting regularly.

- Why Venus person look glamorous and attract the powerful? Because Venus is the brightest of all the planets, as the clouds around it’s surface traps the solar energy. Why Venus person is always in tension and hence keep scheming? Because Venus has a very dense atmosphere, which is full of poisonous gases. Hence she may appear very bright from outside, but the inner reality is starkingly different. (Isn’t this the story of those involved with the glamorous professions, which are controlled by Venus?)

- Why Jupiter based person appears to be expanding his horizons without much struggle? Because raging storms are always on, which move in beautiful colourful patterns effortlessly. Why he often attracts the people around him? Because it has huge number of satellites (27 have been discovered till now) moving around it, as well as a huge magnetic field which is supposed to be double than that of Sun.

- Why Saturn based person appears dull and restricted? Because it has a dull atmosphere of frozen gases and restrictive rings surrounding it. Why he is not transparent? Because planet Saturn has difficult to see through cloud patterns. Why Saturn people are very good to give concrete shape to ideas? Because Saturn consists of gases (Ideas) , which have gotten solidified (concretization) because of cold (hard working )atmosphere.

- Why Uranus oriented people display eccentric and radical behavior, which is not in tune with general society? Because magnetic field of Uranus is slanted at an angle of 60 degrees from its axis, while for all other planets it is parallel.

- Why Neptune based people are so dreamy and have feel oneness with the whole humanity? Why they have a special interest in anything related with ocean? Because Neptune have got the deepest and largest oceans known on any planet.

-Why Pluto oriented people are so mysterious and secretive? Because Pluto is very small in mass (the manifest), but it has a huge magnetic field ( unmanifest)

Similarly, if you study the astronomical characteristics of zodiac signs and Nakshatras, you will discover stark similarity between their astronomical characteristics and their astrological descriptions. For Example, Mula Nakshatra includes the black hole, which is the center of our galaxy. From this black hole even light can not escape and it is understood that whatever goes into it, gets transformed and reaches the root of life. Similar is the character of the “Mula person”. He always looks at the roots of life and have a tendency to suck and destroy the material world in his search for the eternal. Let us look at the astronomical character of the zodiac sign of Leo, which mostly consists of Nebulas, which are the stars in formation. Similarly, Leo person possess immense energy and intelligence towards any new creation.

Hence understanding the co-relation between Astronomy and Astrology deepens our astrological knowledge by studying new discoveries. At the same time it also provides the much needed scientific basis to the subject of Astrology. It will also serve a great purpose as the human race is able to feel it’s unity with universe and start to move in harmony with the cosmic plans.

(This article explores, if we are just the puppets in the hands of destiny or we have the free will to make the right choices and hence create our own destiny. Destiny v/s Free Will is a classic debate, which have been going on for many centuries now. Destiny and Free Will appear in total conflict to each other and hence one who stand for either, tend to harbor the opposition or even contempt for the other approach. This article is an effort to synthesize both and explains that destiny and free will are the two sides of the same coin. It provides an understanding of destiny and free will in such a way, which can help you to accomplish your core potential.)

Let me begin by looking deep into the concepts of destiny and free will and understand what they really mean. Many of us may out rightly reject the concept of destiny as we find it derogatory that our lives are not in our own control and someone called God sitting somewhere may be playing with our lives just for the sake of his own fun. Logical minds find it difficult to accept that we may just be puppets in the hands of destiny and it can make us dance to it’s own tune, even if we don’t wish to. However, many times we face such kind of crisis, which appears to pop up on it’s own without any faults of ours. In the aftermath of such periods, one is forced to accept the role of destiny, when a few of such incidents have taken place.

On the other hand, some of us swear and live in a way that it is destiny which is paramount in the way our lives shape up. Hence we refuse to take any proactive action as we believe that whatever is supposed to happen, will happen. So why make futile efforts. We may tend to backtrack on our action and drop the efforts if astrologers have predicted a difficult times for us and wait for good times to take the things forward. However, such kind of life can not be joyous and fulfilled. In our efforts to avoid the crisis, we shape our attitude in such a way which becomes the cause of agonies, fears, aimlessness, resignations and life becomes a bundle of dissatisfactions. Many times we may wish that we would have lived a better life if we did not believe in destiny, as astrology appears like a curse we have to live with.

If we observe our lives carefully; we may realize that both the views are correct. However the question remains, what is the relationship between the destiny and free will? Or at what point the free will is operating and when does the destiny takes over? What is that within us, which is the slave to the destiny and what is that which has the power to be the master? Let us try to understand this by way of an example.

Think of a seed of grape. What will this produce? Obviously - The Grapes. Now you may think that mangoes fetch better prices in market than grapes, and may want to get mangoes out of this. Can this produce mangoes even if you try really hard? Obviously - NO. isn’t it? So the destiny of this seed is to produce grapes and it can not be changes. Now another point to consider is- will every seed of grape produce grapes? Or will every similar seed of grape will produce same quality and quantity of fruits? Obviously - NO. Some of the seeds will just die without producing anything. Some of them will get infected by pests. Some will produce very little. But a few of them will reach their full potential and will produce the large amounts of the best possible quality grapes. The quality and quantity of grapes will depends upon the right nurturing, deeper understanding and appropriate action. This is free will and depends on our own efforts and intelligence.

Now let us look at our lives with reference to the above mentioned example. The biggest cause of the crisis in life is that we do not even know our seed. Our choices are not based on our own potential but they are dictated by benefits one can derive through the outer environment. Hence we may be carrying the seed of grape, but we try to nurture it as if it is the seed of mango, because the mango fetches higher price than the grapes. Such a fight with destiny only results in misdirected choices and wrong actions. Hence the first step towards living a great life is to identify our potential and to live life in tune with that. Astrology can be a wonderful tool towards this.

Next comes a strategy and deep commitment to provide the right circumstances. In the analogy of seed, you need to sow the seed in the right land. Grapes can not be sowed in desert, as it needs a lot of water. You need to provide the right nutrition and keep the diseases away by using the right pesticides. You need to provide the fencing to the sapling to save it from the roaming animals. You also need to understand the climate through the year, so that you can do the right thing at the right time. And when the fruit grows, you need to be aware to let them ripen to the right extent before plucking them. Then you also need to go to the right place, where you can get the best price for your produce. All this requires a deep understanding and the right action at the right time. This is where we exercise the free will.

Hence it is clear that there is no conflict between our destiny and free will. Destiny is our ultimate potential and free will defines the action we can take towards fulfilling our destiny. Astrology can be a great support to live your life by way of helping you to identify your own potential. It can also tell you about the nature of relationships with various people around you, and helps you grow through your social network. It can also warn you about the forthcoming challenges and arm you with that deep intelligence, which can transform them into opportunities. However, if one wants to master their destiny, Astrology should never be used as an excuse to avoid difficulties, as this will turn you into a puppet to your destiny. On the contrary, if you develop a deeper understanding of your potential and cultivate intelligence to make the right choice, your efforts will yield immense results. This is how Astrology can be a tool to master your own destiny.