Astrology represents one of humanity’s oldest symbolic systems for making sense of change and understanding how change affects individuals. Long before “modern” science, there were “wisemen”
who looked upwards and saw in the movements of the heavens a mirror of earthly life. Over time and over many generations these individuals worked out that the positions of the Sun, Moon,
and planets followed and worked to reliable rhythms, whilst human life unfolded with its very own patterns of growth, conflict, and renewal etc. Astrology arose as a means to connect the
cosmic and the personal and that by reading the heavens, one could interpret the meaning of events below. At its core, astrology attempts to offer order, pattern, and meaning in a world that
otherwise appears unpredictable.
Astrology is not so much about predicting events, which follow a pattern, but allowing individuals to better understand the world around them, giving meaning and helping them to understand their experiences. The world can sometimes be overwhelming and what we know are probably simple issues may often appear more complex than they should be. By understanding some of the external forces that affect us and the people around us we can better understand what we are experiencing and why we are interpreting these things in a particular way, e.g., why we may find ourselves over-reacting to something and why others might be interacting with ius in a certain way etc. This is a principle sometimes referred to as correspondence; an idea that the macrocosm (the universe) and the microcosm (the individual) reflect one another.
The heavens (the planets) are like a vast clock whose movements describe not just physical cycles but psychological and spiritual ones as well. When an astrologer constructs a birth chart, they are mapping the sky as it looked at the exact moment and location of a person’s birth. This “snapshot” becomes a symbolic blueprint of potential; how that individual might approach emotion (the Moon), intellect (Mercury), action (Mars), expansion (Jupiter), discipline (Saturn), and so on. Each planet represents a kind of archetypal energy or drive, and each sign of the zodiac modifies how that energy expresses itself. The twelve houses of the horoscope then anchor those forces in particular life domains, such as career, family, partnership, creativity. Reading a chart means interpreting the dynamic relationships among these moving parts, known as aspects, which are the angles planets form to each other. This is how the horoscopes on this site are created.
Whilst the alignment of the planets is the basis of astrology and horoscopes, the movement of the planets represents and reflects the seasonal nature of earth e.g., Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, starts at the end of March, when planet Mars is in ascendancy. It is not so much the “power” of the planet that shapes the character of those born under this sign but rather Mars reflects the seasonal nature of this moment and it is this relationship that forms and develops the character of those born under the sign. Astrology is about mapping the movement of the planets onto the seasonal map of planet earth, and how this seasonality ties people to the land.
They are also created based on where the city of Boston is concerning the alignment of the planets, and where the moon is in its cycle in relation to Boston etc. Astrology doesn’t claim gravitational or physical influence. Instead, it treats the sky as a mirror, rather than a mechanism. The logic is analogical, not causal e.g., the position of Mars doesn’t make somebody angry any more than a clock causes time to pass, rather the position of Mars in relationship with other planets, and their alignment regarding a city such as Boston simply marks a moment when assertive or confrontational themes may manifest themselves etc.
The “original” system of using the heavens to make sense of an individual’s place in their world and their experiences is ancient. The Babylonians charted planetary motions as early as the second
millennium BCE, seeking omens for the health of kings and nations. Hellenistic Greeks later merged Babylonian sky lore with Egyptian and philosophical ideas of fate, producing the first personal horoscopes.
Through Roman, Arab, and medieval European scholars, astrology became both a science and a philosophy—woven into medicine, agriculture, and politics. Even the word influence once literally meant the
“flowing in” of stellar virtue.
By the seventeenth century, empirical astronomy diverged from astrology, yet the symbolic tradition persisted. In the twentieth century, the language of astrology evolved again with psychological astrologers such as Dane Rudhyar reframing the approach as a tool of self-understanding rather than deterministic fate/fortune telling. This reorientation made astrology compatible with modern ideas of personality and growth and aligned it with certain fields found in psychology.
Because human cognition is naturally pattern-seeking, this symbolic logic resonates. Astrology transforms something that seems impersonal, i.e., astronomical data, into the personal, offering a story about why certain qualities dominate a person’s temperament or why a particular period feels tense or expansive etc. It is both a language and a lens: an interpretive tool for reflection, not an instrument of measurement.
Astrology operates through four key mechanisms:
Through these symbolic mechanisms, astrology constructs a narrative rhythm between inner states and external events.
In modern practice, astrology functions much like a mirror for self-reflection. Interpreting one’s chart encourages introspection about motives, relationships, and fears. The language of signs and planets provides metaphors that make intangible emotions easier to discuss. For example, a person told they have “Moon in Scorpio” might explore themes of emotional intensity or secrecy—concepts that could just as easily emerge in therapy but are framed here through mythic imagery.
This symbolic language is powerful because it engages both reason and imagination. It offers individuals a sense of coherence: one’s struggles and desires are not random but part of a larger pattern that can be understood. Even skeptics acknowledge this psychological utility; astrology provides narrative meaning in situations where data or logic alone offer little comfort.
Beyond the personal, astrology serves social purposes. Shared zodiac signs create belonging and shorthand for identity (“I’m a Virgo—organized but anxious”). The daily twelve-sign horoscope condenses ancient complexity into accessible understanding, yet it still fulfills the same emotional role, offering orientation amid uncertainty. Astrology also links humanity to nature’s cycles, reminding us as originally agrarian societies when to plant or celebrate seasonal changes. In a digital era where time feels fragmented, astrology’s cyclical worldview restores a sense of rhythm and continuity.
Astrology is less of a “science” of causes and more of an art of meaning-making. It maps the heavens onto the psyche, translating motion into metaphor. Whether taken literally or poetically, it invites a contemplative question: if the universe moves in patterns, might our lives, too, move in rhythm with something larger? For thousands of years, that question, more than any single answer, has been astrology’s true work. If you are looking to make sense of the world around you and find meaning, looking at and contemplating your horoscope is one of the ways to do this.
The Boston Horoscope is the work of Dr. Elliot Voss, an internationally renowned astrologer/astrologist who has been studying the heavens for over forty years.
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