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THE LEFT AND RIGHT BRAINS - and why we need them both

This article begins on the left side of the brain and finishes on the right.

Many of us have at least a passing acquaintance with the notion that the brain is divided into two halves, roughly corresponding to the two physical hemispheres of the anatomical brain itself, right and left, and that these halves are responsible for somewhat different processes of thought. Although this is a piece of popular science that needs to be taken with caution, because the functions are sometimes unevenly distributed across both sides, nevertheless, most experts in the field assure us that the following distinctions are to be found:

LEFT BRAIN Practical thinking Uses logic, words and language Facts rule Maths and science oriented Reality based Rational Plays safe

RIGHT BRAIN Fantasy based Uses symbols and images Imagination rules Philosophical, religious, "big picture" oriented Appreciates the sensual Adventurous

The interesting thing here is that some people appear to display a bias towards using one hemisphere more than the other, corresponding to personality traits that we recognise as strongly rational (left sided) or strongly fantasy-based (right sided). Each has its strengths and its weaknesses, of course. If we live life in a haze of imaginative, creative fantasies we tend to be impractical, and have difficulty concentrating and getting things done. Too much dependence of left-side thinking, on the other hand, leads to a loss of spontaneity and imagination that others might find rather dull.

Astrology, of course, stimulates the right side of the brain and is therefore an excellent source of integration between the two worlds. Fantasy, imagination, a rich symbolic landscape of ideas - these are where astrology can take us. We need our darker, more mystical side in order to maintain a healthy balance. The tyranny of a society that worships predominantly left-sided rationality at the expense of human aspirations towards mystical or religious experience can only lead to an increasing dependency on drugs, alcohol and the aggressive pursuit of endless superficial stimuli as a substitute for genuine right-sided satisfaction. It might also contribute in part to the epidemic of ill health and environmental degradation that characterises our ever-more materialistic and cynical age, a place where, without the latest mobile phone or fashion accessory on display, life comes to be seen by many as barely worth living.

So ... be different! Make friends with your neighbours on your right side - even if you are worried about how odd they all seem at first. There is a friendly welcome - and probably a really interesting party going on there, too, full of music, literature, beautiful images, dreams and sexual fantasies - not to mention your own unique creative spirit just waiting to be liberated. Astrology is like a very special invitation to that party, and it is here that we discover its real worth and value - not in newspaper horoscopes, or astrology call-lines or other nonsense, but in the fantastic process of exploration and self-discovery that real astrology as practised throughout the ages has always provided us with. You don't always have to look up to see the stars. Just enquire within. The fiery Mars and the dreamy Pisces are there, so is the bringer of joy, Jupiter and the scales of justice we call Libra - along with a whole bunch of others. With these you can start to think and to celebrate your left side. Like the ancient navigators of land and sea and their own constellations in the sky, once you get to know them they will guide you on your way.