Galactic Guidance, a Zodiac Advice Column: Can the stars help me make decisions?

When your horoscope app doesn’t have the answers, look to the stars for advice. And by that, we mean look to Gala Galactic, HelloGiggles’ resident zodiac advice columnist. If you’ve got zodiac questions, she’s got answers for Galactic Guidance: A Zodiac Advice Column. All you have to do is send your Qs to [email protected]. Happy stargazing! 

Dear Gala,

Can the stars help me make decisions? Can I use the qualities of my zodiac sign to make better life choices? Basically I need the stars to make choices for me. Can you help?

Love,
Lost Out There

Dear Lost Out There,

I want to begin by responding to your first question positively, because I know how nice it is to hear something positive when one is feeling lost. I’m here to tell you that the stars can help you make decisions so, basically, the answer is yes. Studying planetary aspects in your natal chart, the charts of people who are important in your daily life, and even the charts of certain events can help you make better life choices. Hurrah! Right? Well, let’s not go overboard. The stars can guide you in your decision making, but they certainly can’t make decisions for you. Free will, you’ll find, is a thing most human beings miss when it is impinged or restricted—even by way of celestial power.

Now that I’ve given you the obligatory free will reminder, let me tell you a little bit about the guidance available to you. If you’re looking to understand yourself a little better, to make—as you say—“better life choices” generally, getting to know your natal chart might be a great place to start. In case you don’t know, a natal chart is drawn according to the date, time, and location of your birth. It comes in the form of a wheel that depicts where the known planets and certain asteroids were at the time of your entry into the world. These heavenly bodies have particular influences and qualities that are affected by their position on the wheel and in relation to each other. You can get a free one done online and then use Google to figure out more. By studying your natal chart, you will learn a lot about your strengths, your challenges, and why you’re drawn to certain scenarios repeatedly.

Your natal chart is completely unique to you (way different than just reading your sun sign/rising sign horoscope online) and will serve as an endless fount of self-study, self-reflection, and self-empowerment. Your natal chart can also be used to understand different planetary transits that are happening in your daily life. One simple example: Many people who were born while Mercury was retrograde do not experience the effects of Mercury Retrograde periods as intensely as those who were born when Mercury was direct. Another example is the upcoming Venus Retrograde period in Libra. Venus Retrograde can be a potent time for some people, resulting in a lot of wound-dwelling, past excavation, and relationship processing. The intensity of the transit’s effect on you can be gauged by consulting where it falls on your natal chart. Understanding why certain planetary movements affect you the way they do can help you pick your battles and choose your moments wisely. To get a more in-depth understanding, a professional reading can really go the distance.

But that’s not all! The stars have another, even more complex system of guidance for those who seek their wisdom: horary astrology. An ancient practice that boasts its own set of rules and associations, horary astrology basically translates to astrology of the hours; it’s used to ask specific questions that need answering, especially in relation to events or timely decisions. It’s not the kind of thing one tries out half-heartedly or with just a dash of knowledge. In fact, it is said that to find the answers you seek, you must be clear and specific in your question. Much like a natal chart is drawn for your time of birth, a horary chart is drawn for the birth of your question. In this chart, the planets, positions, and degrees have their own meanings. Some traditional considerations include: whether the ascendant is less than 3 degrees or more than 27, whether the moon is void, whether Saturn is in the seventh house. If this sounds like a foreign language to you, that’s totally expected, and I’d go so far as to say that the best kind of horary reading is the kind done in person with an advanced astrologer.

I hope this helps you, Lost Out There. I know you won’t be lost for long.

Gala Galactic