For many years I have looked to the new age study of astrology for guidance. It has almost been a therapeutic hobby of mine and one that I covet more than any other form of self-help. When people think of astrology they automatically think of horoscopes. That is not the case. Horoscopes were created long ago as a way to entertain people. They were created in order to get the word out and get people excited and interested in astrology. While they are sometimes accurate or just fun to read, horoscopes are generalized; they place each person in one of twelve groups. Since it is impossible to stick every person born into one of twelve personality categories (Zodiac/Sun signs) people are often discouraged by how incorrect their horoscopes are. Horoscopes are not astrology. They are only a teeny little glimpse of it.

Our teenage years are all about finding out who we really are. We start to gain some responsibility which we then use down the road in real life. As a teen who suffered from depression, anxiety, insomnia, weight issues, and post traumatic stress I really found a comfort in studying astrology. It really gave me a lot of insight that I was desperately searching for. It helped me figure out myself and accept my flaws but also it gave me hope in pointing out my strengths. I have gone through lots of counseling, therapy and medications but nothing has ever been more beneficial to me than astrology.

These are a few of the things astrology helped with when I was a teenager. I still use it to this day. If you are an adult you will probably find the same information helpful. If you want to get started with learning more about astrology I suggest visiting www.astrology.com for beginners, www.astroadvice.com for intermediate use, and www.astro.com for intermediate to advanced users. Astro.com (formerly Astrodienst) is an excellent resource for free charts, free personalized daily horoscopes (which are great for beginners too) and much more.

Understand Your Personality Better

Free personality profiles rock! Using your birth information you can find out all about your personality. Sure, maybe you already know many of the things you might find out but you just might be surprised. We tend to live our lives day by day not giving much thought to the way our brains really work. The way we react in certain situations, our anxieties, fears, hopes, wishes, how we project ourselves onto others, and what others see in us are all small things a simple astrology chart can tell you. Anyone I have ever made up a chart for has loved reading information about themselves that they may or may not have known. If nothing else, it's fun!

Understand Your Relationships With Others

Astrology can help you understand how you and another person work together. Whether it is romance, friendship, family, or a business relationship astrology can calculate how two people naturally interact. If you are having trouble in a romantic relationship you can use astrology to compare both charts and see what problems and what strengths the two of you have together. This is as simple as getting a free relationship report on line for beginners.

Helps You Get A Feel For What's To Come

As the planets and moon shift around the Zodiac in different places, we are under their influence. Astrology can predict what may occur in your own personal life as well as predict what types of major events will go on around the globe. The planets each form aspects to the other planets which cause reactions in us and all over the world. By knowing where the planets are headed and when, you can make plans accordingly. For instance, let's say that Mercury (the planet of communication) is in retrograde (appears to be moving backwards thus making communications very difficult). It would not be a good time to sign any contracts or make an important decision during this time. Why? Because the Mercury retrograde is going to halt any processes of communication, cause delays, and make it hard for people to understand one another and be on the same page about an issue.

Help Figure Out Strengths To Form Goals

Astrology is a great tool to help you realize your strengths. My moon (ruler of emotions) is in Gemini (communication) which makes me express my emotions best when I am writing. As soon as you can understand your personality and get to know yourself better you can realize your strengths. I have many planets in the 11th house so another one of my strengths is being very friendly and I am best suited in a humanitarian role. This has helped me try to figure out what kind of career I would be good at and play up my strengths.

Understand What Might Be Blocking You From Success

Apart from helping to figure out Goals, astrology can determine some of what may be making life more complicated for you. Again, certain aspects which may be unpleasant like the Mercury retrograde I mentioned earlier will show up from time to time. It definitely helps to know what day it is going to take effect and when it will end. That way you can plan ahead for success. If things are not going very smoothly in your life you can always look to astrology for answers. It can tell you what is in the way of your success and what you can do in the mean time to try and get through it.

Put Your Life Into Perspective

Once you have a better understanding of how your personality is, how your personal relationships work, what's to come, what goals you should strive for and what blocks may try and stand in your way you can put all the different parts of your life into perspective. Astrology can help you understand how the many factors playing in your life come together. When a challenge comes at you it is not as difficult to deal with if you can understand the root of it. For example, maybe you're an impulse buyer and you don't realize it. Astrology can point out where the root of your impulsive nature comes from and help you understand how it can become a real problem. And the first step to fixing a problem is knowing that you've got one.

Astrology is not for everyone but it can be a very rewarding hobby if you choose. It has been absolutely wonderful for me and I highly recommend it!