Astrology, then, as Shelly Trimmer suggested, is best defined as astronomy, symbolically interpreted . Astrology uses the same essential facts as astronomy, but infuses these with a symbolic or qualitative dimension absent for the conventional scientist. As seen by astronomers, Jupiter, for example, is simply a large gaseous planet with certain measurable properties, traveling at a particular speed and in a particular orbital path. This interpretation cannot be understood strictly through experimental, scientific means. Were one to travel to this planet and take samples of its gasses or measure its energy fields, one would still not be able to isolate the symbolic meaning associated with the planet by astrologers.
Astrological interpretation requires a perceptual shift, a kind of metaphoric knowing.
Yet we need take this one vital step further. The worldview underlying astrology regards not only the planets but all of reality as symbolic and meaning-laden. To the symbolist, the heavenly bodies are only threads within a far greater tapestry of affinities. The mystical Neoplatonic philosopher Plotinus, who is often misinterpreted as being critical of astrology, echoes this understanding. Rather, Plotinus argues that astrological influence is based on a philosophy of cosmic unity.