Mysteries of Astrology
By Jeane
Astrology believed to be existed
way back in the caveman history but in a blur context.
For a long time, Scientists rejected Astrology principles. However,
millions of people believe and practice it. Today, all over the world newspapers
publish daily astrological forecasts, commonly known as horoscopes. Horoscopes
appeared in daily papers after World War I.
Horoscopes usually focus on marriage, friendship, health, work, travel,
love and death. Horoscopes help to cure an individual's desire to know what lies
ahead.
Astrology
is defined as the study of mapping planetary positions for a given date, time
and place for the purpose of determining correlations between celestial
phenomena and events on earth. These configurations are then interpreted
according to the context in which they apply - ending
on the position of these bodies at the exact moment of a person's birth,
Astrologers believe these bodies and their movements reflect that person's
character. The knowledge of the person's character and their relation to the
bodies enables astrologers to predict a person's destiny. This prediction is not
limited to one person. A prediction could be for an individual, group or a
nation.
Astrology ancient beginnings can be traced back to the Mesopotamian history – at least as far back as 2001 BCE. During the Mesopotamian time, astrology was much like that of other cultures, a simple examination of the heavens for omens that might affect the kingdom. Often these observations of omens would include weather phenomena intermixed with true astronomical ones. What made the Mesopotamians different is that they began at an early time to make systematic observations of phenomena with an eye to finding regular patterns in the heavens that might correlate with patterns in human events. In short, Mesopotamian early astrology records reveal a complex cosmology in which the Sun, the Moon and the planets represented gods who possessed the power to direct and intervene in the course of physical events.
These
concepts progress further into the growth of Babylonian civilization.
The
Babylonians established a pantheon of gods, each possessing dominion over a
particular area of human experience. For instance, Mercury, the god of the
intellect was seen as quick and cunning, with a special quality of calculating
intelligence. Mars was seen as the ruler of violence and war; Jupiter, a kingly
figure and sovereign of men; Saturn, quick tempered and cruel.
Here
we can begin to recognize
the basic forms of Astrology as we know it today. As Babylonian Astrology
evolved, a correlation was recognized between happenings in the heavens and
events on earth. For over the next centuries the Mesopotamians, especially the
Babylonians, continued observing and compiling lists of phenomena eventually
getting to the point where, based on observed recurrence cycles of the planets,
they could reasonably accurately estimate the positions of the planets at any
time in the future. Ptolemy records, and modern scholarship does not dispute
this, that accurate and systematic eclipse records were kept from 747 B.C.E.
onward into the Hellenistic period after the conquests of Alexander the Great.
From
ancient Babylonia,
we follow
Astrology to the fascinating, yet mysterious, Chaldeans. These Mesopotamian
people are famed in history as magicians and sages. Two most noted figures were
Belshazzar and Nebuchadnezzar. They reigned for nearly 100 years during the
seventh century BCE.
The
Chaldeans were keen observers
and
mathematicians. They recognized that the events in the sky followed a pattern.
They watched the stars move in fixed order across the heavens and the planets
wandering in eccentric orbits, though in much the same plane. It was apparent to
them that although the planets had their own individual movement they behaved in
coherent cycles. It is here in Chaldea, that the charting patterns of the
planets began. The very first Ephemeridae, tables of planetary motion, were
constructed during the reign of King Assurbanipal. In
preparation of the new cosmological system,
the Chaldeans made use of the twelve main constellations through which the Sun
and Moon regularly pass. These were the precursors of the zodiac.
Being
part of active person in Science History - Van der Waerden argues that the
evolution of astrology went through three phases. The first phase consists of
the omen lore that has been described. The second phase is closely related to
this but has a zodiac in the modern sense, twelve 30 degree signs. There is no
personal horoscopy in this middle level, but great attention is paid to the
transits of Jupiter through the signs at the rate of approximately one sign per
year. From this is clearly descended the Chinese practice of assigning each year
to a zodiacal sign, and probably also the system of annual profections in later
horoscopic astrology. There are also of course no houses of any kind. Van der
Waerden dates this middle phase as being from about 630 to 450 B.C.E.
The
zodiac at this point is clearly a sidereal one and its ayanamsha is at least
close to the Fagan-Allen value - another
sidereal
system.
The third phase is horoscopic astrology.
It was a later Egypt that gave birth to horoscopic astrology, an Egypt
that had made close contact with the ideas of the Babylonians.
What
is a Horoscope in Astrology?
Horoscope
is created by Astrologer, is also known as a Birth Chart.
It represents the start of an event, and shows the positions of all the
planets in our Solar System. In effect it is a picture of an individual
connection to the Universe.
An
individual's chart shows the position of the planets in relation to the earth
and the stars at his or her birth. A horoscope is illustrated by a circle. This
circle is known as the ecliptic. The ecliptic is the plan on which the earth
orbits around the sun in a year. It is divided into twelve sections, called the
signs of the Zodiac. The Zodiac divides the calendar year into 12 sections, and
then each section is represented by a sign. The signs of the zodiac include
Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius,
Capricorn and Pisces. Astrologers assign every planet (including the sun and
moon) with a particular sign of the Zodiac. This relationship depends on where
that planet appears on the ecliptic at the time for which the horoscope is cast.
Each planet or sign represents basic human drives, and each sign represents a
set of human characteristics. Each of the 12 signs of the zodiac is believed to
be associated with definite aspects of character, temperament, physiology, and
aptitudes. Each sign of the Zodiac has a corresponding stone, metal, and symbol.
When
astrologers designate a person as a certain sign a Taurus or Leo, for
example--they are referring to the individual's sun sign. In other words, it is
the sign that the sun occupied at the time of the person's birth. To make an
individual's horoscope, the astrologer must know the exact time and place of his
birth. When an astrologer casts a
horoscope is based on a special view of the universe. This view involves four
elements: the earth, the planets, the stars and the houses.
The
Earth
The
earth is considered the center of the solar system, when forecasting a
horoscope. Therefore, all heavenly bodies in relation to the earth can reveal a
person's character and future.
The
Planets
Astrologers
believe planets influence a person more than any other heavenly body. The sun
and moon are considered planets in Astrology.
The
Zodiac
The
Zodiac is a band of stars that encircles the earth. These stars are divided into
12 equal parts called signs. Each sign of the Zodiac has certain
characteristics, which are determined by a particular planet and other factors.
The
Houses
The earth is divided into 12 parts, called houses. These houses represent characteristics of an individual's life. Astrologers believe houses determine how planets and the signs influence a person's daily life.
Until today, there is still controversy that is spanning around the topic Astrology. This controversy has greatly influenced its popularity and survival as a whole.