The Encyclopedia of Crystals, Herbs, and New Age Elements: An A to Z Guide to New Age Elements and How to Use Them - Adams Media 2016

Astrology
The Power of Insight: Divination Systems, Tools, and Practices

ORIGINS

Astrology is the study of the sun, moon, stars, and planets based on the premise that there is a connection between these celestial bodies and the events that happen here on Earth. A major component of astrology is the zodiac—the band of sky demarcated by the path the sun takes as it travels around the Earth over the course of a year. In Western astrology, the twelve signs of the zodiac—Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces—are used to generate one’s horoscope, a forecast of a person’s future based on the position of the stars and planets on a given day, usually the person’s birthday. But there are many other forms of astrology, some going back thousands of years. Chinese astrology also includes a zodiac that is divided into twelve parts, but in this case it represents twelve years, not twelve months. Each year in the Chinese zodiac is represented by a different animal. Vedic astrology is the traditional Hindu system of astrology. Its Indian name, Jyotish, means “science of light,” referring to the idea that the celestial bodies shine their light and energy upon the Earth.

HISTORY/LORE

The Babylonians are generally credited with the creation of astrology—although it is believed that they adopted the idea of the zodiac from the ancient Egyptians. Early on, astrology was largely used to predict weather patterns for agricultural purposes, but over time the practice broadened to include forecasting natural disasters, war, and other events that affected human life. Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle studied astrology and contributed to it being considered a science. However, the two related fields of astrology and astronomy eventually diverged, and today astrology is generally considered a pseudoscience.

USES

There are many ways to incorporate astrology into your life. The horoscopes you find in magazines and newspapers can be fun to read, but they’re not always based on true astrology. If you really want to get into the study of astrology, there is a wealth of resources out there—from books and websites to professional astrologers—to help you get started. A fun first step is to go online and get a copy of your birth chart, a diagram that depicts the positions of the celestial bodies at the moment when you were born.