By Guest Contributor

Are you married, in a long term relationship, or just starting out in a relationship, and wondering what your strengths and challenges are in your relationship? Do you wonder if this is the person who is your soulmate, or if your heart will be broken again?

Astrology is an amazing esoteric science. And it has many answers to these questions.

If you are married.
If you are married, or about to be married, and you’re curious to know what areas in your marriage are the most harmonious, and which areas will possibly cause you some stress, astrology has some answers. There are harmonious aspects between your natal planets that indicate areas that run smoothly, joyfully, and harmoniously. Then there are challenging aspects between your natal planets that indicate areas within your relationship that will be a source of stress. By knowing these areas of harmony and stress, you can help your relationship be the kind of relationship you truly desire. As they say, “to be forewarned is to be forearmed”. So being armed with astrological information can be sort of a guide to your relationship.

Recently met someone.
If you have recently met someone, or you are in a relationship, and you are hoping that this is “the one”, or your hoping that this is not another one destined for heartbreak, you need to check your interaspects to Chiron. Chiron’s harmonious aspects to Venus, Jupiter, and Neptune hold the promise of a long term relationship and can indicate whether this person is your “soulmate”. However, challenging aspects from Saturn hold a strong possibility of heartbreak sooner or later.

Want to get married.
If you want to get married and you are wondering if this person is the marrying type or is a commitment phobe, check his/her natal aspects that help to indicate these personality types.

Check your long-term compatibility using Astrology.

The composite chart is also something to look at to indicate long term compatibility. This chart represents the relationship itself. It will show you what emotional and circumstantial elements will be present in a long term or committed relationship. You might change your mind when you read this !

Difficult aspects between the personal planets – Sun, Moon, and Venus, to the planets Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto could spell trouble. I nearly guarantee when you read this part of a compatibility report you’ll recognize the “symptoms”. Hope that there’s more harmonious aspects with Venus and Jupiter to counter balance these !

If however, you haven’t walked down the aisle yet and would like to, there are many areas in astrology that will assist your quest for relationship information.

Look to the progressed charts and transits to discover the years where you are most likely to become married, engaged, or commit to a long term relationship. There are even indicators of when there’s a possible wedding month or engagement – just look to the progressed Moon and Part of Fortune.

There is so much wonderful information you can derive from astrology’s tools, to help you make the best decisions for your relationship and for yourself. All it takes is a little time and the desire to make your relationship the best it can be, know your areas of difficulty, and find out ways to make them work.

Astrology will also help you to determine if this is the relationship for you. Why waste time on heartache, when, with a little investigation you can prevent it ! or hold on to your love because this one has a strong probability for long term commitment.

So wouldn’t it be great to have a guidebook on your relationship ? Astrology is the closest thing you’ll get to providing you with the most personal information that reflects this particular relationship, your particular relationship.

By Guest Contributor

Mankind has long had a fascination with the stars in the sky. The orbiting bodies of the planets aligning with Earth in a way to influence our very behavior have long been a topic of debate. Is there a way to divine what is going to happen in our lives by studying the cosmos?

The viewpoints on astrology are as diverse as the readings themselves are and it ultimately comes down to knowing the history of it. In this article we will cover some of the fundamental questions that concern it.

Is astrology different from astronomy?

For many years astronomy and astrology were essentially the same. Both branches were studying the stars and trying to come to a conclusion on how they related to Earth. It began to divert from astronomy around the time that Isaac Newton published his hypothesis on celestial gravitation.

It began to center around how the stars, planets and lunar nodes affected human behavior. Astronomy deals, predominantly, with how celestial bodies are formed, age and their affect on the physical properties of Earth.

Who first discovered astrology?

It is unknown who first began studying the stars at night to determine behavior or even the future. Isaac Newton is attributed to studying how gravitation affects the entire universe.

But astrologists and scientists alike have not come to a conclusion if Newton’s theories actually helped develop the field of it. There have been recent discoveries of scrolls and drawings recovered from the Babylonians which would date it around 2000 BCE.

Why were earlier astronomers interested in it?

The fundamentals of astronomy and astrology are the same. Both require a study of planets, gravitational fields and stars in relation to Earth. As each branch discovered new patterns, stars or planets, they would publish their findings. It was through the combined intellectual talent of both groups that real progress was able to be made.

What does alchemy have to do with astrology?

Alchemy and astrology, in particular Babylonian-Greek astrology, both believe that the planets hold dominion over parts or elements of the earth. In alchemy it is believed that each planet rules over a metal. The metal is specific to that planetary body. Alchemy and astrology still function in tandem with each other.

What is the relationship between astrology and tarot cards?

It is not so much that tarot cards affect astrology as it is astrology affecting tarot cards. A tarot deck usually has 78 cards. Some are made up of the 12 signs of the zodiac. Others are a mixture of what is known as Major and Minor Arcana cards. The cards take from a variety of different cultures ranging from India to Egypt.

Is it true that it affects our psychological wellness?

No one knows for sure if it does have it right when it comes to planetary bodies affecting our psyche. Even the renowned astrologist Carl Sagan stated that not enough is known to come to a conclusion. There are advocates on both sides, astrology and psychology, that agree with Sagan.

How has astrology affected mankind?

Without a shadow of a doubt it has had an impact and affected mankind. Even withholding the idea that planets, the sun, or the stars affect and influence our daily lives, without its input much of the information we have on the solar system would not exist. Astrology and astronomy were intertwined for many, many years.