All this guessing has become tiresome for a group of astrologers that meets monthly in Willow Glen. The members of this forward-thinking group prefer to proactively predict their future, using a variety of methods to chart their personal and professional lives. They then use the charts to serve as maps for the days and months ahead.

For those not familiar with astrology, it is the study of heavenly cycles and cosmic events as they are reflected in our earthly environment. For thousands of years people have recorded the relationships and patterns between the planets and the earth. In fact, the Farmers' Almanac uses astrology to determine growing cycles and the best time to plant and harvest.

Many astrologers maintain that the locations of the planets, sun and moon at the exact moment of our birth dictate our life paths. From charting a person's birthplace, time of birth and other variables, astrologers believe a personality, strengths, challenges, potential and more can be extrapolated to provide insight as to what lies ahead.

Astrological novices may only be aware of using their zodiac signs, such as Scorpio, Virgo or Libra, to read their horoscopes in magazines. But for practiced astrologers, a more complex process is involved, implementing elements such as fire, earth, water and air, the astrological planets and many more complex variables.

Nearly 40 people currently are members of the South Bay Astrological Society, which meets at the Divine Science Community Center in Willow Glen. Each person in the group, from teenagers to older adults, comes to the society once a month for a meeting featuring a guest speaker to learn more about astrology and have fellowship time with other astrologers.

As with any method of predicting the future, the astrology practice has its fair share of skeptics about its practices, yet that doesn't stop South Bay Astrological Society President Donna Kirchner from pursuing her studies.

The 47-year-old lawyer said she began learning about astrology at the age of 13 and now considers it her vocation. She has been involved in the group off and on for six years, and her main duty as president involves running the society's board meetings.

"We promote learning and fellowship," she said. "The more I learn about astrology, the more fascinated I become."

She compares astrology to river rafting, saying that while some will just get in a raft and start their journey, an astrologer is more likely to map the course by checking the weather, planning the river course and wearing the right clothing.

Kirchner said she has accurately predicted general periods for friends, such as romance or job fulfillment. One of her most accurate examples comes from the experiences of one of her old co-workers. Kirchner said she told the woman that there were difficult relationship issues that would come to fruition in the woman's life and that she predicted one to two years of turmoil that would end with a good relationship.

The woman ended up spending those years in and out of counseling with her husband and eventually the couple divorced. Now, the woman is in a different relationship and happy again.

Besides charting people's futures, Kirchner is also taking a class from a renowned astrologer and plans to continue her studies in astrology. Another ardent astrologer is Eric Meece, the society's publicity chair. He joined the group in 1987, six years after it began. In 1997, he had his book about astrology, Horoscope for the New Millennium, which looks at the cycles and trends of history and culture with the planets, published. Meece said he became interested in astrology in the 1960s and quickly discovered his sign, Libra, fit him pretty well.

"Astrology is a good mirror to yourself," he said. "It helps you become more aware of yourself and your skill at dealing with life." In past years, Meece has expanded his astrological intellect by producing the New Age Renaissance Fair and the Holistic Arts Fair. He also has a website that he uses to write charts for people interested in finding someone compatible for a relationship or in discovering what they can be successful at.

Meece tells people who are skeptical about his book, website or the society to decide what their chart should look like before they look it up with the planets to see if the chart makes sense.

"You can learn a lot about yourself by doing a chart," he said. "Sometimes it is hard to see the stuff you need to work on, but it can be very truth telling."

For more information about the South Bay Astrological Society, visit http://www.astrologyclub.org 408.448.6726. The group meets at 1:30 p.m. the second Sunday of each month at Divine Science Community Center, 1540 Hicks Avenue.