Astrology & Horoscopes: A Brief History
By: Jackson Swift
Sometime referred to as the oldest science known to man, Astrology
actually goes beyond the daily horoscopes. Thought the latter is
entertaining, its roots are of a more serious and complex origin.
Astrology is the study of interactions among celestial bodies
based on statistical cycles.
Its name is derived from the Greek word astron, which means “star”
or “constellation” and -logia which means “study of”. It is said
that the position of stars and planets can provide insights on
personality, human affairs, past and present events and even the
prediction of the future.
The first record of Astrology goes as far back as 1654 BC,
predating astronomy and psychology. In its earlier days, the study
of stars for counseling was well-known and generally appreciated.
It was only during the Renaissance years, that astronomy – the
more scientific counterpart – overshadowed astrology.
As the world revolved more towards the sciences, the art of
reading stars became less popular. However, in 1930, a renewed
interest in astrology was sparked with the birth of Princess
Margaret. The London Sunday Express printed her astrological
profile to celebrate her birth. That became the beginning of the
modern newspaper horoscope section.
There are three main traditions that modern astrologers follow:
Vedic astrology, Western astrology and Chinese astrology. All
versions share a common heritage of using the horoscopic system –
an astrological chart representing the celestial entities. The
main difference is in reading the constellation. Vedic uses
sidereal zodiac, the Western version relies on the tropical
zodiac, while the Chinese version does not rely on the division of
the sky at all, but rather by the equator.
Today, newspapers and online horoscopes feature 12 star signs that
correspond to a person’s date of birth:
Aries – March 21 to April 19
Taurus – April 20 to May 20
Gemini – May 21 to June 21
Cancer – June 22 to July 22
Leo – July 23 to August 22
Virgo – August 23 to September 22
Libra – September 23 to October 22
Scorpio – October 23 to November 21
Sagittarius – November 22 to December 21
Capricorn – December 22 to January 19
Aquarius – January 20 to February 18
Pisces – February 19 to March 20
About the Author
Jackson Swift is the author of this article for
Astrology,
Free Horoscope and
Daily Horoscope section.
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