The Origins and History of Modern Western Astrology

Since the dawn of time when man first looked upby the position of the stars and planets at the
at the stars and planets and was awestruck bytime of their birth. This is known as horoscopic
their beauty people have tried to understand theirastrology and is the basis of the western
significance. This is the basic origin of modernastrological tradition. Many of the famous ancient
astrology and in part of modern astronomy.. TheGreek mathematicians and philosophers including
history of astrology reaches back to antiquity andmost notably Ptolemy himself studied astrology
has played a part in many cultures all through outwhich was in a sense the astronomy of their day.
human history. The idea that events in theTheir contributions to modern western astrology
heavens and the sky have an effect on thealso include an exact solar calendar with
affairs of people here on Earth was and amongstandardized houses and the twelve sun sign of
many still is widely believed. Given the importancethe zodiac. Just as significantly the Greek
of the obvious relation between the cycles of theastronomer Hipparchus discovered the precession
Sun and Moon and the crop seasons here onof the equinoxes.
Earth early man tried to improve hisDuring the middle or dark ages astrology like
understanding of the movements of the heavenlymany other arts and sciences was more or less
bodies.lost for a time. It was not until the Renaissance
This quest for knowledge led the ancientthat astrology and many other lost works were
Babylonians to make a study of the movementreturned to Europe from Arabia where much of it
of the planets and other celestial bodies and in thishad first originated. Combined with the advent of
capacity they were the first astronomers. Themore modern scientific astronomical instruments
system the early Babylonians developed wasincluding of course the telescope the Renaissance
based on simple observations and the keeping ofastrologers were able to chart the stars and
simple written records. If a particular event suchplanets with greater accuracy then ever before.
as the defeat of an enemy army coincided withThey included the celebrated Galileo Galilei, Tycho
the rising of a planet it was assumed the rising ofBrahe and Johannes Kepler who not only practiced
the same planet at a later date would signalastrology but laid the foundations of modern
favorable conditions for battle. If the Moon or aastronomy.
planet rose or set sooner or earlier than predictedThe past one hundred years has seen a great
it was taken as an ill omen. Little did therise in interest about astrology and a great
Babylonians know these discrepancies were thedemand for horoscopes. The new mass media
result of errors in their records due to the lack ofhas provided widespread access to astrology and
precise astronomical instruments such as thehoroscopes are now published in newspapers,
telescope which was not invented until manymagazines and the internet. The latest
centuries later.astronomical technology has been put to use
The spread of the Babylonian study of the skyproducing ever more accurate star charts and
through the middle east and into Europe wasnew planets have even been discovered and
accelerated when it was absorbed and expandedincorporated into the astrological techniques.
upon by the ancient Greeks. The modern wordToday astrology is more popular than ever
horoscope is derived from the Greek wordbefore with about one third of the people saying
horoscopes which actually means the ascendant.they believe in it. The effect of astrology on the
The most important contribution the Greekscourse of human history is difficult to estimate
made to astrology is the concept that much canbut astrology is certain to be practiced well into
be learned about an individuals future or fortunesthe future.