Day 4 of 365 - New Moon in Libra; Astrology as a Hobby

In the past few years I have become interested in learning more about astrology and also to a small extent about astronomy as a hobby.  I consider it as an intellectual pursuit and also somewhat spiritual.  In the past, as a younger adult I was mostly guided by religion and general cultural mores or rules.  But now my interests in life guidance or philosophy are more eclectic.

A few years ago I had a complete astrological chart and reading done by someone who does this as a significant part of his career.  I received a printed manual through which I could learn a lot about my sign, my chart and the meanings of the planets, their aspects to one another as well as the meanings of the zodiac signs.  I found it very interesting and could see patterns that carried through my life.

After learning from that experience it became easier to follow general forecasts I might read online.  I have come across some which I now consistently follow.  This is not because I'm looking for exact predictions for myself, but more as a type of weather report of how the positions of the sun, moon and planets may be impacting the world I find myself living in.

Then, wanting to know where the planets were in the night sky I also became more interested in astronomy and looking at some sites that show that, to help me understand what I was looking at.

I have no sponsored content in this blog, nor am I an affiliate to any sites I may mention.  Today I'll be mentioning a few sites I look at just in case you are interested in looking yourself.

Tonight there will be a New Moon in Libra.  New Moons are the beginning of the lunar cycle and a good time to set intentions or focus for that cycle.  Because the new moon will be in the sign of Libra, this one is about balance in relationships, both your relationship to yourself as well as to others.  Of course there are other planetary aspects going on but the relationship theme is a good overall one to pay attention to.  Even if you are not much interested in the planets or the signs of the zodiac, most people would agree that the moon does have an effect on the earth.

A couple of astrologers I follow who speak mainly in relation to the lunar cycle are Jennifer Racioppi of https://jenniferracioppi.com and Willemijn Maas, MD of www.elementallife.net
They each write a blog at the time of the new moon and full moon and I like the way they put things into context in a way that I can apply to my own life.
Another astrologer I follow by subscription, who gives a little daily snippet relevant to my sign and ruling planet is Christopher Renstrom of www.rulingplanets.com  He has a quirky and playful style that I enjoy.

Then in the astronomy area, I recently came across a really cool site called The Planets Today, simply www.theplanetstoday.com  You need Adobe Flash to see the full effect but they use NASA data to provide a great graphic of the position of all the planets in real time.  There are many features on that site to explore.  So, if you think astrology is a bunch of bunk, then you may at least like to look at this one.

Following astrology as a hobby is a way to keep me mentally active and focused.  It also gives me a bigger perspective of life, a reminder that we are tiny specks on this small blue planet that is part of a much bigger galaxy and universe, and that those things do indeed have an influence on our life here.

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