In order to answer this we need to understand the meaning of a “prophet”. If we understand this to mean
merely someone who prognosticates, predicts the future, looks at future trends etc. then the astrologer
certainly falls into this category. So do many economists, futures traders and scientists.

But a prophet to someone schooled in the Bible or in a religious tradition has a whole different connotation.
The ancient prophets were Holy Men (and in rare cases women too). They practiced their religion faithfully.
They were devout – more devout than the average person. They were close to God. They had a personal
relationship with the Divine and were anointed specifically to be prophets. They didn’t get their information
by scientific or psychic means – reading the stars, rune stones, tarot cards, or computer generated models
of weather, the economy or seismic patterns. They got their information directly from the Divine – either in a
dream, or face to face (in the case of Moses) or in visions. In other words, the Most High, would contact
them in one way or another and charge them with telling the people certain things. In many cases they
came to give warnings to the people so that a catastrophe could be avoided. In other cases they came to
give comfort to an oppressed and suffering people.

The astrologer (at least most of the ones that I’ve known) don’t fall into this category. Yes, there are some
very devout astrologers in this day and age and in the past, but this is not really what astrology is all about.
The astrologer is more like the physicist or mathematician. They calculate the vectors, the lines of force,
and forecast based on this. It is not the Most High appearing to them in a vision, but merely an
understanding – an insight – into the way the universe operates.

Where the ancient prophet would proclaim “thus saith the Lord”, the astrologer says “thus sayeth the Law
of the Cosmos – the Law of manifestation – thus sayeth the heavens which operate by Divine Law”.
Our form of prophecy is less direct than the ancients – but no less Divine when understood correctly. For
who created the planets and their movements? And by whose Law do they revolve and maintain their
orbits?

When the chemist says “if you mix this chemical with that chemical an explosion will occur” – he is
prophesying. But he is prophesying based on science – the laws of nature. He might or might not be close
to the Divine (many of them are very secular people) yet his prophecies would mostly be correct – God
didn’t tell him, but the study of the Laws of Nature (God made visible) told him.
Many Bible students fall into the error (based on a literal study of scripture) that the Divine can get “angry”
and ordain all sorts of catastrophes – that a being of absolute good, could ordain evil. When we study
prophets like Jeremiah this perception is greatly reinforced. The Book of Jeremiah is one long treatise on
God’s anger and its consequences.

But it seems to me, based on long meditation, that this is incorrect. The Divine which is absolute good,
never ordains evil. Constantly and continuously – 24/7 – it is creating perfection. It knows only perfection.
The prophets, like Jeremiah, were really telling the people – if you go on with your evil ways, if you abuse
the Divine Law and Divine Energy – if you continue to “misqualify” life – such and such is going to happen –
you will see the “explosions” occur in your world and country. Though they sound like forecasts of doom
and gloom, they were really calls for repentance and correction of the problem. These dire things didn’t
have to happen – or they could have been softened to such an extent as to be harmless – if the people
turned from their ways. In reality these prophecies were “warnings” and not “tait accompli”. (If nothing
could have been done to avert those things – if they had to happen – what was the point of sending a
prophet to announce them?)

When someone has a nightmare or a prophetic dream of some catastrophe – and we assume that it was a
real dream and not some subconscious wish fulfillment or indigestion – a real communication from Spirit –
this does not mean that the event has to happen. On the contrary. It is the God of Love giving a gentle
warning – that more prayer and work has to be done to avert the thing seen. That the thing seen in the
dream is a very real possibility if nothing is done. It is not a revelation of doomsday – but a call to inner,
spiritual work.

The same is true in a Horoscope. Very often we see distressing things there – crises – near death
experiences – health problems – economic problems. The Horoscope is like a “warning from heaven”. It is
saying, “if you do nothing, if you go on as before, these are the things that are likely to happen”. But no
question (and I have seen this time and time again) when a person sets out to correct the issues – changes
the thinking and feeling, gets into a higher state, corrects some of the behavior causing the problem – the
things don’t happen – or if they do, they are very soft.)

A recent example. 2007 was a very dangerous year for our President. His aspects were very serious in the
Winter chart. His life was in danger. Now, it didn’t mean that the event had to happen – and thankfully it did
not – but it meant that he and his supporters – and the millions of prayer warriors out there – needed to do
more work to avert this. Happily it seems that they did. (I know as a fact that many, many people are
praying for him very actively.) But had this work not been done, many dire things would have happened. As
it is, his administration was under much fire and many key figures – major figures – in the administration
were forced out. But this was a “best case scenario” of what could have happened. (By the way I’m very
delighted to be proven wrong on this issue – but the Horoscope said what it said.)

So, if you get a disappointing tarot reading, or Saturn or Uranus is making difficult aspects to you, or an
eclipse is hitting a sensitive point in your chart, don’t despair. It just means that you need to do more – and
special – kinds of inner, meditative work to bring this into balance. If you do the work – take the warning of
the Horoscope seriously – which is the whole purpose – you will not only avert a negative event but come
out a stronger, wiser person.