The eternal inexistence of a Greek Astrological Association!

                                                         (photo by Victor Bayon)

If "actions talk louder than words" then inactions should talk loud too! A single "inaction" is describing vividly the current situation of astrology in Greece: it is 2012 and we still don't have a national Astrological Association (Federation, Union e.t.c.) in our country - which is actually considered the cradle of the modern horoscopic astrology! It has never been formed one, although astrology is extensively practiced in Greece at least for the last 40 years. Why this phenomenon of the "eternal inexistence" of a pan-hellenic association within the Greek astrological community?

Greek painter "Tsarouchis" (an Aquarian) once said: "In modern Greece you are (professionally, socially) whatever you claim to be". Laws are rather loosly applied in my country. Combine this with the fact that Greece is the poorest country in Western Europe - going now through a titanic crisis - and with the fact that astrology renders VERY WELL in Greece - twice to thrice the average wages and in several cases 5 - 10 times the average wages!) and then you will realize why so many crafty people claim today TO BE ASTROLOGERS in Greece! Thus, a huge circuit of lucrative, uncultured "astrologers" is dominating the scene, putting aside, marginalizing, calumniating and even intimidating the (actually few) cultured Astrologers (who are seen as a major threat to these people's' interests). Maybe you begin to understand now why there is no national Astrological Federation or Association in Greece. Because such an "inexistence" is utterly convenient to the many powerful and largely self-proclaimed "astrologers" and to the various cliques in Greece!

In 2009 an (apparently not very honest - as you can see here and here) attempt was made to establish a pan-hellenic Greek Astrological Association. A seven members preliminary committee was elected in order to pave the way for the establishment of the Association and I was voted - by the Greek astrologers that were present there - as a member of this committee. When we discussed the certification issue I advocated the view that only those astrologers who would pass the relative exams - proving thus their knowledge and their general formation - should be certified. But the majority of the committee was opposing this proposal of mine, claiming that the basic premise for an astrologer to be certified should be him/her working for more than 5 years in the astrological phone line services or seeing clients for more than 5 years. If somebody covered this premise then s/he should automatically be certified as an astrologer without taking any kind of exams!

The funny thing is that after a few days the (opposing to me) majority of this committee issued - on their own -  a resolution expelling me from the committee on the (utterly false) ground that "Thomas Gazis was not collaborating with the committee but was only promoting his personal interests"! And although they expelled me substituting me with another Greek astrologer, in consequence, this committee did not accomplish any kind of work at all! Instead, after a while, it was "dissolved in silence"  by its members (who in this way they actually sold out the vision of a national Greek Astrological Association)!

I autumn 2011 the very same individuals who were responsible for the "silent dissolution" of the seven members committee established (together with some close "friends" of theirs) a private - and apparently lucrative - astrological club named "Pame Astrologia" (you may read about it here).

The unnerving reality is that there are so many crafty people and "cliques" today controlling the greek astrological scene - and so huge financial and "domination" kind of interests at stake - that I don't think a true/democratic national Greek Astrological Association will be established in the near future - at least not within the the next 20-30 years! True associations (the open and democratic ones) are ruled by the zodiacal sign of Aquarius. Aquarius is a humanistic sign of undifferentiated brotherhood, a sign that represents a rather elevated and enlightened spirit. Thus, when Aquarian associations lack in a country or community this means 1) the strong presence there of various limiting and fragmenting Capricornian kind of "interests" and 2) the absence in that "community" of a "brotherhood" spirit, which in its turn implies the absence of elevated and enlightened people within the "community" itself!

Thomas Gazis