In the words of Socrates, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”. There are many ideas and streams of thought from long ago that were packed with erroneous teachings. People deemed certain races inferior to others, and shallow displays of wealth plagued social status, wrongly defining a better life. Astrologer Robert Kimball shares his life and expertise in astrology. Unbeknownst to most, the subject of astrology has many other fields. There are natal, mundane, synastry (relationship), financial, and horary astrology, to name a few. The type of astrology Kimball specializes in is called humanistic. A branch of astrology that is designed to help us understand how to best navigate and make the best use of the complex issues and homework assignments given in this life to make us more substantial. He believes that this practice of astrology deepens the understanding of the individual’s inner script and was introduced to the subject at age 21. Introverted and private, he met an astrologer in northern California. The astrologer began to tell him things about his personality that not even his sister, whom he was close to, knew of. Intrigued, he started to study astrology with the greats of the time, Dane Rudhyar, Robert Hand, Bill Herbst, and other outstanding professionals. His insights into the subject are as enriching as they are invaluable. He described how the twelve signs and the twelve houses correspond and work together and how each of us possesses within us all twelve archetypes of each sign. The modalities and elements, and what happens when there are certain factors, like the rising sign, aka the ascendant, which shows how the individual appears within the environment. Because of the astrological placement of the planets in his natal chart, he describes a part of himself as intense because of the Scorpio. Additionally, he talked about the ability to guide those seeking to uncover a deeper part of themselves by erecting the natal chart. To erect the natal chart, one needs the client’s accurate birth date, time, city, country, or state. Astrology, like any other profession, has its adversities. Kimball spoke of his ability to set boundaries with those who have unfavorable opinions about astrology and that he never seeks to force anyone to believe or try to convince them to set up an appointment with him to have a session. He loves the subject, and so for those who have an interest, he finds joy in teaching about the differences between what he calls cookbook astrology and the humanistic type. He describes cookbook astrology as deterministic, rigid, and lacking flexibility. Believing that anyone is fated to a particular type of behavior is misleading. Astrology does not have the power to eradicate or change karma. It is not a religion and cannot predict the future. As Kimball puts it, astrology is the dance given to each of us to perform when we are born. I hope that someday it will be accepted as an integral part of general wellness community practices. It can assist medical staff and doctors as another therapeutic modality that could contribute to a comprehensive understanding of human nature and potential. A sensitive brilliance coupled with the common sense of those like Kimball may very well have a chance.
