What is your Zodiac sign? We could hardly find a person he is unable to answer this question? Even a skeptic, having stumbled upon a horoscope in a newspaper, magazine or calendar, ticks no, no, yes and an astrological prognose for your zodiac will appear in front of your eyes. Is this not evidence of the unquenchable human thirst for all that is surprising and unknown? In a conversation with astrologer Gulara Samedova, the author of our regular column “Horoscope”, we tried to open the door for our readers to the world of secret knowledge, the world of awareness of the human possibilities given by the Creator. We talked about the stereotypes associated with astrology, its history, mission, role in the fate of states and individuals...
The connection of astrology with mysticism dictates double standards in relation to it: astrology habitually sees pseudoscience, at the same time everyone knows their zodiac sign and many read astrological forecasts. According to the latest statistics, currently 40% of people in the USA, 53 % in France, 63% in Germany, 66% in the UK are astrology believers. According to your observations, how and with whom is astrology popular in Azerbaijan? What do these numbers explain?
First you need to find out what astrology in general is. Of course, astrology is not a science in the usual sense, hence the label of pseudoscience. But this is not a religion, to appeal to it, it is not at all necessary to believe in it. Astrology is primarily a tool that allows us to study the cyclical nature of the planets and their influence on us. By observing the repeating cycles of planetary motion, we can get a clear idea of the cycles and patterns of our lives. And accordingly, astrology can serve as a powerful tool for adjusting, transforming our consciousness and reconnecting it with the Consciousness of the Universe. In this sense, astrology is of interest to people from many different backgrounds. Today, astrology is increasingly perceived in a popularized, simplified form: someone comes into it to understand, explore, try, feel, someone just for predictions, and someone out of fear... For people with different levels of awareness, it will work differently. Predictive astrology works hard in terms of business, medicine, psychological characteristics. Medical astrology has been popular at all times; even today, many thinking doctors reckon with at least the moon cycles, because no one has canceled the influence of the moon, and lunar astrology is one of the most important directions. By the way, if a person is thinking, spiritual, then the role of predictive astrology in her life will be very mediocre. In general, you need to know that the astrological chart works hard only in children under 12-15 years old. A personal horoscope is, in a sense, a manifestation of the Creator's will: at the time of birth, each planet falls into one or another zodiac sign, laying personal characteristics in accordance with a particular constellation. If this influence is not recognized by man, then it will be perceived painfully. If a person lives consciously, then he falls in unison with his horoscope, and, no matter how tough events take shape, inner harmony will still manifest itself. Unfortunately, the philistine is interested in astrology only in a predictive manner: how will fate happen? when will i get married? how many children will be? And the fact that in the modern world they turn to astrology as a "gypsy fortune teller" is very dramatic. Only a few understand that this is an instrument of self-knowledge...
Predictive or elective astrology poses the question of managing reality: is everything predetermined? Is it possible to change the future, knowing in advance the possible alignment of events? And what about free will?
Each planet, passing a certain cycle, gives new opportunities, and how we use them is a matter of choice of the individual. To explain this, I always resort to a metaphor from a Russian folk tale: if you go right, you lose a horse, you go left, you find love, etc. Free will lies precisely in the possibility of choice. An event can happen with absolute accuracy, it can happen partially, but what conclusions we draw from it, whether we will draw them at all, how conscious our will will be at this moment – no one can ever predict. Therefore, the predictions are not so interesting as the person himself is trying to change the prescribed scenario, looking for new ways. The freedom is not to change the situation, but to understand: why are you placed in it, what can it teach, in what sequence can your soul develop? This raises the question of faith in one’s destiny, in one’s own path. The soul, aspiring to spirituality, seeking to live in accordance with eternal truths, at the call of heart and conscience, always has the opportunity to change internally.
In the writings of the medieval physician Girolamo Fracastoro, explanations of epidemics and recommendations for their prevention are interspersed with descriptions of the configurations of the planets supposedly causing these epidemics; the utopian state of Campanella was built on astrological prescriptions; Paracelsus' medical treatises are replaced by his own books of predictions; Leonardo da Vinci's prophecies, although not as famous as his masterpieces and technical projects, are nevertheless closely related to them... All this is evidence of some secret knowledge that has now been lost. But are they really lost forever?
Modern man has departed from his true destiny. There is too much superfluous today that does not allow revealing mentally, and the soul of many is in second place. Ancient knowledge is not lost, they rest until the right moment. All Vedic astrology, Sumerian astrology is still stored and studied – somewhere on the sidelines, in closed institutions, astrological schools, academies. The continuity of knowledge is alive, the personal experience of astrologers, allowing you to get closer to something very subtle and important. But, nevertheless, today we are taking only the first steps in the era of Aquarius, under the auspices of the planet Uranus – the ruler of Aquarius and astrology as well. Now the flowering of a certain other astrology is beginning, giving more freedom of choice than ever. We live in an era of a change of centuries, when karma is reset and the rigid patterns of the past are reconfigured. In addition, there is a change of poles with a change in the magnetic field of the Earth. Accordingly, the harsh influence of the planets, which acted “tangentially”, loses its strength, enormous energy is released – both for humanity as a whole and for the Earth itself. And this is another explanation why you should not cling to predictive practices: at least not to block your own resources. Ancient knowledge still needs to be reviewed, and modern astrologers have many discoveries in terms of the capabilities of the human mind and soul.
I noticed a portrait of Nostradamus in your office. Surely you have something to tell about your understanding of the phenomenon of this prophecy...
The portrait in my office is rather an accident. Although, probably, there are no accidents... The fact is that a lot is known about Michel Nostradamus, but they mainly focus on his divination. In fact, this is a grandiose person of the 16th century: a doctor, a pharmacist, a poet, a philosopher who studied grammar, rhetoric, alchemy... The first family of Nostradamus died during the plague, and he began research in the field of prevention and treatment of this disease. As a fortuneteller, he is primarily interested in those who decrypt his quatrains. But maybe these prophecies are encrypted in order not to become public domain? How sad it would be to live if everything was known in advance! That's what life has been given to us to make mistakes, try, fall, get up, have our own personal experience, and not guidance in the form of predictions.
What can you say about the direction named astropsychoanalyst?
This is a subsection of natal astrology, specializing in determining the nature of a person by his natal chart – the location of the bodies at the time of his birth. The primary task of an astropsychologist is not a prediction of specific events, but help in self-knowledge, self-improvement: A professional astropsychologist can draw a portrait of a personality, note its strengths, talents, hidden reserves and vulnerable places that require close attention, and give advice on how a person can best realize himself in various areas of life. Astropsychoanalysis is the ability to analyze, comparing facts, and open up deeper possibilities. Each planet, like every zodiac sign, has several levels. For example, the planet Venus at the lowest level – at the household, animal level – is responsible for our feelings and desires, but the same Venus at a different level of development is responsible for applied creativity: if a person knows how to do something with his hands, then his Venus is already at a higher level. The next level of development of Venus is all types of art. And if a person sets himself the goal of pulling, for example, the same Venus to a certain level, then he needs to seriously engage in art. And the highest manifestation of Venus is unconditional love, or agape. And the mission of the astropsychoanalyst is to recommend how to work out each of the planets. The trick is that when you “pull” one planet, your whole life begins to change, the potential of the other planets also begins to grow. And this is the advantage of modern astropsychoanalytics, which gives a powerful effect in terms of personal growth.
According to some reports, astrology is the oldest of the sciences. Until the XVII century – the era of Voltaireanism - it was mandatory for the study of discipline. Today, in academic circles, seriously discussing astrology is not comme il faut, although in India until now any important event is planned in accordance with the location of the planets, and even attempts have been made to introduce astrology in universities as a scientific discipline. But at the same time, there is more and more evidence that political leaders do not hesitate to turn to mundane astrology. What do you think about this and do you think that the status of astrology in society will change?
I am sure that the status of astrology in society will increase significantly. Incidentally, it is already changing - for reasons I have already mentioned. But I must say that today in academic circles a lot of things are not taken seriously. Discussing the possibilities of forensic psychiatry, for example, is also not comme il faut, but this does not detract from its importance. It’s just that there are different spheres of life, a different mentality: someone is interested, someone not so. And as for Mundane astrology, wise rulers at all times turned to the help of the stars, correctly applying this knowledge for the benefit of their people and all of humanity. Of course, knowledge can be used in a manipulative manner. But if they are applied according to the “do no harm” principle, they will help the common man, the whole state, his leader, and the people. I am sure: the time will come when astrology will receive the status of an important basic discipline.
In Abrahamic religions, the attitude to astrology is ambiguous. If Orthodoxy does not accept it as such, then at the papal court astrologers were always in favor. The ceiling of the Museum of Islamic Civilization in Sharjah is decorated with a mosaic of the natal chart of Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi. In Judaism, there are indications that the influence of the constellations is laid in the foundation of the universe. And in your opinion, how are the ideas of God and astrology related?
But can there be an idea of God without astrology, and vice versa? Indeed, both the stars and the sky – instruments of astrology - everything was created by the Creator. Another thing in whose hands this toolkit is whether the environmental friendliness and ethics of handling the human psyche are respected? And if we talk about modernity, then conflicts of astrology with official denominations usually arise on the basis of predictive practices of astrologers. For example, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill for the first time in the newest (since 1917) history of the Russian Orthodox Church announced the positive attitude of the Orthodox Church towards astrology, but explained that he had in mind astrology as a science, excluding from it the predictions of fate and “newspaper horoscopes”. And by the way, in the Georgian Cathedral of Svetitskhoveli there is also a fresco depicting the zodiac circle and the Day of Judgment.
I remember many years ago I laughed for a long time when a friend of mine admitted to me that his favorite character is Harry Potter. Today I am no longer amused, and I also fell in love with Harry Potter with a tender love, because in the realities of technological civilization we were deprived of a magical cut of being. We can no longer seriously talk about magic, miracles, everything that makes life fabulous and not so boring. Have you encountered miracles in your practice? Do you believe in the power of magic?
By the way, I also love this character very much... The biggest miracle that I have to face is when you see how a person who came for help changed, working on himself, rose above his astrological dominance.
If we develop, if we manage to be conscious and grateful, to accept the will and grace of the Creator, if gratitude, mutual assistance, humanity become priorities in our lives, then we have the opportunity to stand above predictions, above our own map. By polishing every planet, a trait on this planet, cleaning out the negative and developing intuition, we can even approach adulthood, awakening, even in adulthood. This is a real miracle! For me, the greatest miracle is the ability to love and accept the love of my loved ones. To see these miracles, it is enough to be grateful for every breath of air bestowed by life... If we talk about magic in the traditional sense, then here I am even more skeptical than anyone else.
Interview by Leyla Sultanzadeh
Photo by Parviz Gasimzade
The material was published in the 61st issue.
