The most wonderful thing about astrology is that it acts as a lodestar (a star that is used to guide the course of a ship) to your life. Only instead of guiding a ship it guides you in your life. It:
provides insight into your strengths and weaknesses,
provids a map to the energy in you and around you,
allows you to be more compassionate and loving toward those around you,
allows you to be more compassionate toward yourself,
helps you to trust your instincts about important matters,
provides career guidance,
provides health guidance,
helps you understand karmic influences that may be holding you back,
helps you come to your full potential given the talents that you were given,
helps you find the people, places and things that resonate deeply in your soul, and maybe most importantly,
helps you get through tough times, as optimistically and productively as possible.
Let me now elaborate on how astrology has personally helped me:
I grew up with a stepdad who didn't like me and didn't like most of what I did. It is very easy to get really down on yourself in an environment like that. At the age of 12, I "found" (I think it found me) my first astrology book. I hid it under the mattress and read it every chance I got. It was the first time that I was able to make sense of my life! I will elaborate below on some of the ways it has helped me.
Provide Insight into Strengths and Weaknesses. I always knew that I was really good in school, but didn't really know why. Astrology taught me that my entire chart deposits to the planet Mercury, the planet of mind. It wasn't an accident that I did well in school. It was my birthright. My self esteem lifted a little from the depths. I was no longer afraid to use my talents.
Provides a Map to the Energy in You and Around You. Astrology gives me the knowledge to understand that we each have our own energy. When there is someone around me that I don't immediately like, I am able to understand that they are just who they are with their own set of energy patterns. I can now bless them for who they are and let it go. Which ties into the next two items on my list: It allows me to be more compassionate toward others and myself.
It provides career guidance. Most of us spend way too much time trying to find our purpose in life and our true calling. Astrology offers very clear insight into what the best career choices and the talents you have to achieve your choice. We often know deep down in our soul what we want to do with our life. I was always profoundly drawn to astrology, but was afraid to trust myself to imagine that it was something I could do for a living. When I found out that Uranus in the first house and Aquarius in the tenth house was one indicator of a possible career in astrology I was beside myself. Did I dare hope that I could be good enough? Who was I to think so? Well as it turned out I did dare to hope and I did become a professional astrologer. It can work for you too, whatever your dream.
Astrology can provide health answers by pointing to where your body is under stress (from the natal chart) and from transiting aspects to your natal chart. You can then take necessary precautions and/or see a physician to head off major health problems before they become more problematic.
Astrology can help you understand karmic influences that are holding you back, which allows you shed a lot of your major hangups and limitations. I have Moon/Pluto conjunct in the fourth house which is a classic indication of karmic influences around the family of origin and ancestors. Through my years of study and eventually completing level 1 of Steven Forrest's apprenticeship program, I was to fully understand the weight on my psyche of past life negative influences and to eliminate them. What a feeling of power and lightness that can bring!
Astrology helps you find the people, places and things that resonate with and feed your soul. Around the age of 12 (when I discovered astrology) I also began to have dreams about the State of Colorado and could imagine myself living in the Colorado mountains. Through astrology I found out that my "part of fortune" was in the 4th house of my chart in Leo - little clues. Well, Colorado is a Leo state and I have a Leo Moon. The Moon is what you need in life emotionally. Bingo! I wake up every day being thankful for where I live. You can't beat that.
Finally, perhaps most importantly:
Astrology helps you get through the tough times as optimistically and productively as possible. This fact has been demonstrated over and over in my life. Astrology provides a time frame and ending point when the hard times will dissipate and finally disappear. It also points to the best times to act or to not act. Its all amazing stuff.
This post was a lot longer than I intended, but I am very passionate about astrology and your questions seemed to have opened the flood gates to my thoughts. Thank you for asking it.