Astrology is a wonderful tool for exploring the depths of the psyche. It can give you sign posts as to the habitual patterns that are very strong within you. This helps to identify the patterns within you, that may be causing problems in your life by helping you identify your strengths and weaknesses.To be able to really explore your current potential through Astrology you will need to either get a reading done, or do a lot of reading yourself and examine your own chart. There are computer programs available on the internet where you can enter your details, and a chart will be made up for you. Some of these programs will even give short readings along with the information on the placements of the planets. To get your birth chart drawn you will need to know your year, date and hour of birth, as well as your location of birth. Finding a good astrologer will also be a good aid, as an experienced person will be able to give better interpretations. Astrology shows us where we will go if we just follow our habitual patterns or karma. This does not mean that we are necessarily doomed by bad placements. There are always actions we can take to either lesson suffering or change our circumstances. By developing on the path of self-actualisation and challenging ourselves we can overcome many of burdens that are within our psyches. For example, say you have Saturn in Aries. As Aries is not a good placement for Saturn, there can be harmful effects. If you work inwardly upon these, then they will be less likely to manifest in the outer world. Now Saturn finds it difficult in Aries because Saturn is not very impulsive. Saturn is cautious and likes to think before he acts. Aries on the other hand is a sign that tends to want to initiate, to leap before looking. A person with this placement may have difficulty acting upon things, they may have anxiety issues. The mind can be a rather large burden for a person with this placement. They will feel pressure to act quickly, but will find it difficult to do so. As a result, lots of fear and inhibition can develop within such an individual. An individual who has this placement in their chart can attempt to rectify the anxiousness they feel about having to act in the world. One way to do this is to look at the parts of the chart that relate to taking action. Once that has been explored, then a step by step plan can be put in to place to rectify the problem. In this instance - look at what the ideal way of being is and attempt to develop that trait within yourself. One could say that ideally taking action should not be a burden. To do this one need needs to get in touch with their will power. Will power in astrology relates to Mars, which happens to rule Aries. Looking at where Mars is placed in the chart will give indications on the current development of a persons will power. Lets say that Mars is in Gemini, the will power may be around for short bursts and may disappear as quickly as it appeared. It may be rather nervous, and hard to keep stable. The will power will be naturally directed towards things relating to Gemini. For example, Gemini as a sign, likes to have fun, play around and they really enjoy mental stimulation. So the will power is more likely to be present when there is the chance for some fun. Relating this back to the initial problem maybe part of the problem is that the individual is taking things to seriously and needs to have a more light hearted approach. Saturn is a very serious and slow planet, so a bit of lighter Gemini energy could help in this instance. To practice developing a new part of ones being that is able to act confidently with a good balance between thought and action, one could create a playful scenario. For instance, say one is having trouble deciding whether they should catch the 12:30 bus or 12:45 bus and weighing up in their minds the pros and cons. Instead of thinking of all the possibilities and trying to calculate which is better - flip a coin. Say heads for 12:30 and tails for 12:45. The above is just one simple example, but there are many other creative things a person could come up with. There are obviously some instances in life where you really need to think things through thoroughly. But in the instances when it isn't needed, it just creates extra tension. So develop an alternative way to get around it. In this way one can begin to see themselves as master of their fate, and not a victim of it. Astrology has been a valuable tool for my inner growth. I hope this will inspire people to look deeply in to their Astrology charts, and learn more about their inner workings.