Planets and stars have personalities just like people, and because they are bigger and more important than us in the scheme of things, we become subject to their "divine" or higher influences. These "gods" transmit their influences in orderly fashion through the process called astrology which simply means "logic of the astres or stars". We answer directly or most powerfully to the closest of these gods or stars starting with our own Earth and then the other members which make up our solar system, and they in turn answer to higher systems. Earth affects us astrologicaly via the Ascendant or Rising sign and filters everything else. Planets, stars, and other objects are seen primarily in the context of how they relate to this Ascendant(by sign) and are "housed" accordingly. Secondary consideration is given to how the individual planets relate to one another.

Each planet or star or galaxy is a collective influence. Not only does it transmit it's own peculiar influence but also that of it's inhabitants which more or less reflects that of the planet. The planet Mars, for example, is ensouled by a war-like god or entity which gives it its particular energy or character and which is directly passed on to its inhabitants. People on Mars basically reflect the active, aggressive, and energetic traits of their planetary parent whether they're aware of it or not and consider it normal untll they meet up with a native of say Venus who practices an entirely different approach to life -hence the politics of the cosmos. Beyond our solar system are the Syrians, and Vegans, Orions, and Andromedans, and other unique star cultures which may or may not have visited us and imparted their lifestyle upon our own.

Even if they haven't come here, the influences of these different stellar and galactic cultures reach us via the astrological streams that emanate from their Suns and planets, and they travel much faster than light. There is a lot more going on in the astral realms than we care to imagine. The star Sirius, for example is noteworthy influence to include in the horoscope since it is the brightest star in the heavens and was strongly revered by the ancient Egyptians. It is(and has been) at 13 degrees of tropical Cancer for quite some time now. It bestows fortune and prominence in the horoscope especially when conjuncting a benefic like Venus or Jupiter. Other prominent stars like Regulus, Castor, Rigel, and Vega should also be included.

If stars summarize the influences of entire solar systems, then Galaxies sumarize the influences of entire star systems. Imagine the nature of all those billions of stars and planets and those zillions of people and lifeforms all coming through to you on one vast beam emanating from the center of a galaxy! This is all filtered astrologically through the area of space on the ecliptic(zodiac sign) from which it emanates. So there are two influences to consider; the nature of the galaxy(its overall theme or culture) and that of the zodiac sign it is located in as seen from Earth. The center of our own Galaxy -The Milky Way, for example, is currently in late Sagittarius(27degrees), and summarizes our religous-dominated culture in this part of the Galaxy, although what particular influence or character can be ascribed to the galaxy itself is unknown by this author.

The Andromeda galaxy which is the largest galaxy in our Local Group of about 35 galaxies is currently in late tropical Aries(27 degrees) which exactly trines our own galactic center. Andromeda is much larger than our Milky Way but is also closest to us. It was first photographed in 1887. Not much is known about its nature except through the myth of Andromeda or "The Chained Lady" who was released and rescued by Perseus her future husband. Jupiter, Uranus, and Eris are all lining up with Andromeda in the next few years so we should be getting a good dose of its influence in the near future. See if Andromeda is currently activating any of your own natal planets.

Andromeda Galaxy also known as M31 or NGC 224
coordinates are RA 00h42m31s and Dec.+41°16'09"
This places it astrologically at 27°51' of Aries

Below are other well-known galaxies and their astronomical and astrological coordinates. I have tried to include one for every sign of the zodiac. Galaxies move very very slowly so the J2000 coordinates should be accurate to a minute or two for anyone born in the last or future century.

The Triangulum spiral galaxy or M33/NGC 598 discovered in the 1600's is approximately 3 million light years away and is the 3rd largest of the Local Group of galaxies.

coordinates for Triangulum are RA 1h33m50s and Dec.+30°39'36"
This translates astrologically to 3°14' of Taurus

The Crab Nebula or NGC 1952 or M1 is a supernova remnant(explosion) and pulsar observed as early as 1054 AD by Chinese and Arab astronomers and later by John Bevis in 1731. It is some 6,500 light years distant and roughly 11 light years across.

coordinates for the Crab Nebula are RA 5h34m32s and Dec.+22°00'52"
This translates astrologically to 24°06' of Gemini

Bode's Galaxy or M81 is a spiral galaxy discovered in the 1774. It is 12 million light years away in the constellation of Ursa Major where it neighbours M82 at 28Can59.

coordinates for Bode's Galaxy are RA 9h55m33s and Dec.+69°03'55"
This translates astrologically to 29°29' of Cancer

NGC2770 is a spiral galaxy located about 88 million light years away in the Lynx constellation. It's also referred to as the Supernova Factory because of 3 recent supernovas there.

coordinates for NGC2770 are RA 9h09m34s and Dec.+33°05'05"
This translates astrologically to 9°54' of Leo

M101, NGC 5457, or The Pinwhell Galaxy is a spiral galaxy in Ursa Major. It was discovered in 1781(same year as Uranus) and is 25 million light years away. It is some 170,000 light years across or twice the size of our Milky Way. Not far from it is the famous Whirpool Galaxy or M51A at 25Vir07, and the Sunflower Galaxy or M63 at 26Vi20.

coordinates for M101 are RA 14h03m13s and Dec.+54°20'57"
This translates astrologically to 24°22' of Virgo

The Sombrero Galaxy or NGC 4594/M104 is an unbarred spiral galaxy in he Virgo constellation with a supermassive black hole at its center. It was discovered in 1767.

coordinates for M104 are RA 12h39m59s and Dec.-11°37'23"
This translates astrologically to 13°45' of Libra

Hoag's Galaxy discovered in 1950 is a ring galaxy 600 million light years away in the Serpens constellation. It contains 8 billion stars and is slightly larger than the Milky away. Way north of it is Omega Centauri a globular cluster orbiting the Milky Way, at 9Sco45.

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coordinates for Hoag are RA 15h17m14s and Dec.+21°35'18"
This translates astrologically to 9°33' of Scorpio

The Globular Cluster or NGC6093 or M80 discovered in 1781 is some 32,600 light years away and 95 light years across and contains several hundred thousand intensely packed stars.

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coordinates for M80 are RA 16h17m03s and Dec.-22°58'30"
This translates astrologically to 6°33' of Sagittarius

The Ring Nebula or NGC6720 discovered in 1779 is a planetary nebula some 2300 light years away in the Lyra constellation south of Vega.

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coordinates for the Ring Nebula are RA 18h53m35s and Dec.+33°01'45"
This translates astrologically to 20°04' of Capricorn

Large Magellanic Cloud is an irregular galaxy and satelite of the Milky Way but about one tenth of the size. Close to it is the Small Magellanic Cloud at 12Aqu31.

coordinates for L. Magellanic are RA 5h23m34s and Dec.-69°45'22"
This translates astrologically to 12°31' of Aquarius

The Helix Nebula or NGC7293 or "eye of God" is a planetary nebula dscovered in the early 1800's. It is 700 light years distant and 2.5 light years across with a dwarf star at its center.

coordinates for the Helix Nebula are RA 22h29m39s and Dec.-20°50'13"
This translates astrologically to 1°23' of Pisces

The Fireworks Galaxy is a spiral galaxy 22 million light years away between Cephus and Cygnus close to the densely clouded galactic plane. It was discovered in 1798 and is rich in supernova activity.

coordinates for The Fireworks Galaxy are RA 20h34m52s and Dec.+60°09'14"
This translates astrologically to 27°56' of Pisces