Predictive Astrology

Although many of us may look to astrology in order to find out what's in our future, astrology can never answer these questions in absolute terms. The astrologer examining a chart cannot see events and people written on it, but they can see combinations of energy and patterns of ideas, which are likely to display in certain ways.

By studying a chart it is possible to see the types of issues that are likely to occur in a person's life. Knowing the kind of energies that will be to the fore at a particular time, the astrologer will suggest ways in which they can be most constructively directed.

As such, astrology cannot predict the future, although it can look at the qualities of a particular time, and, like a weather forecaster, make informed guesses about the kind of concerns the subject may be likely to face.

There are many forms of prediction used in astrology - some simple and others much more complex. Some of the methods use the daily movements of the planets and their effect on the birth chart (natal chart) on specific events, or general topics. Other methods require the subject to answer specific questions before referring to the planetary movement, while others involve further mathematical calculations.

In this section, we examine some of the types of charts and methods that may be used in predictive astrology, such as event charts, place charts, transits, progressions and solar and lunar returns.