New age: Details about 'Astrology'
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Astrology refers to any of several systems, traditions or beliefs in which knowledge of the apparent positions of celestial bodies is held to be useful in understanding, interpreting, and organizing knowledge about human affairs and events on earth. A practitioner of astrology is called an astrologer or, less often, an astrologist. The word is derived from the Greek αστρολογία = άστρον, astron, "star" and the English suffix, -ology, "study or discipline". -ology is in turn derived from the Greek λόγος, logos, which has a variety of meanings in English but generally related to "systematic thought or speech". Although the two fields share a common origin, modern astronomy as practiced is not to be confused with astrology. While astronomy is the study and observation of celestial objects and their movements through space, astrology is the study of the supposed correlation of those objects with earthly affairs. There is as yet no accepted evidence that astrology has a falsifiable, scientific basis. DescriptionThe core principles of astrology reflect a general principle, which was accepted throughout most of the ancient world, that events in the heavens should have analogies on Earth. Such ancient beliefs are epitomized in the Hermetic maxim: As Above, So Below. The famous astronomer/astrologer Tycho Brahe also used a similar phrase to justify his studies in astrology: Suspiciendo despicio — "By looking up I see downward." Although the principle that events in the heavens are mirrored by those on Earth was one generally held in most traditions of astrology across the world, historically in the West there has been a debate over the nature of the mechanism behind astrology and whether or not celestial bodies are only signs or portents of events, or if they are actual causes of events through some sort of force or mechanism. Many of those who practice astrology believe the positions of certain celestial bodies either influences or correlates with people's personality traits, important events in their lives, physical characteristics, and to some extent their destiny. All astrological traditions are based on the relative positions and movements of various real and construed celestial bodies as seen at the time and place of the event being studied. These are chiefly the Sun, Moon, planets, and the lunar nodes. The calculations performed in astrology involve arithmetic and simple geometry and serve to locate the apparent position of heavenly bodies on desired dates and times based on astronomical tables. In past centuries astrology often relied on close observation of celestial objects, and the charting of their movements, and might be considered a protoscience in this regard. In modern times astrologers have tended to rely on data drawn up by astronomers and set out in a set of tables called an ephemeris, which shows the changing positions of the heavenly bodies through time. It is the interpretation of these science-based tables that makes astrology a target for the label pseudoscience. TraditionsThere are many different traditions of astrology, some of which share similar features due to the transmission of astrological doctrines from one culture to another. Other traditions developed in isolation and hold completely different doctrines, although they too share some similar features due to the fact that they are drawing on similar astronomical sources, i.e. planets, stars, etc. Significant traditions of astrology include but are not limited to:
Horoscopic astrologyHoroscopic astrology is a very specific and complex system of astrology that was developed in the Mediterranean region and specifically Hellenistic Egypt sometime around the late 2nd or early 1st century BCE that deals largely with astrological charts cast for specific moments in time in order to interpret the inherent meaning underlying the alignment of the planets at that moment based on specific sets of rules and guidelines. One of the defining characteristics of this form of astrology that makes it distinct from other traditions is the computation of the degree of the Eastern horizon rising against the backdrop of the ecliptic at the specific moment under examination, otherwise known as the ascendant. This has been the most influential and widespread form of astrology accross the world, especially in India, Europe and the Middle East, and there are several major traditions of horoscopic astrology including Indian, Hellenistic, Medieval, and most other modern western traditions of astrology. The HoroscopeCentral to horoscopic astrology is the calculation of a horoscope, or astrological chart. This is a diagrammatic representation in two dimensions of the celestial bodies' apparent positions in the heavens from the vantage of a location on Earth at a given time and place. The horoscope of an individual's birth is called a natal chart. In ancient Hellenistic astrology the rising sign or Ascendant demarcated the first celestial house of a chart, and the word for the ascendant in Greek was horoskopos. This is the word that the term "horoscope" derives from and in modern times it has come to be used as a general term for an astrological chart, or to denote the birth chart of an individual as a whole. Other commonly used names for the horoscope/natal chart in English include natus, birth-chart, astrological chart, astro-chart, celestial map, sky-map, star-chart, nativity, cosmogram, vitasphere, soulprint, radical chart, radix, or simply chart, among others. ZodiacThe path of the sun across the heavens as seen from Earth during a full year is called the ecliptic by astronomers. This, and the nearby band of sky followed by the visible planets is called the zodiac by astrologers. A few Western and all Jyotish (Hindu) astrologers use the sidereal zodiac, which uses the true astronomical positions of the stars and constellations which lie on the ecliptic. The majority of Western astrologers base their work on the tropical zodiac, which aligns with the seasons in the Northern hemisphere but not with the actual positions of the sidereal zodiac. Branches of Horoscopic AstrologyEvery tradition of horoscopic astrology can be divided up into four specific branches which are directed towards specific subjects or used for specific purposes. Often this involves using a unique set of techniques or a different application of the core principles of the system to a different area. The branches of horoscopic astrology are:
History of astrology
The origins much of the astrology that would later develop in Asia, Europe and the Middle East are found among the ancient Babylonians and their system of celestial omens that began to be compiled around the middle of the 2nd millennium BCE. This system of celestial omens later spread either directly or indirectly through the Babylonians to other areas such as India, China and Greece where it merged with preexisting indigenous forms of astrology. This Babylonian astrology came to Greece initially as early as the middle of the 4th century BCE, and then around the late 2nd or early 1st century BCE after the Alexandrian conquests, this Babylonian astrology was mixed with the Egyptian tradition of Decanic astrology to create Horoscopic astrology. This new form of astrology, which appears to have originated in Alexandrian Egypt, quickly spread across the ancient world into Europe, the Middle East and India. For a detailed description, including astrology in other cultures, see the main article. The validity of astrology
Astrology is a very controversial subject. The case for and the case against astrology's objective validity are discussed in more detail in the main article. Few astrologers today believe that a causal relationship exists between heavenly bodies and earthly events, but there are a number who have called for better statistical studies (for example, Mark McDonough, the President of Astrodatabank ) and several individuals (most notably Michel Gauquelin) who have found correlations between some planetary positions and certain vocations. Many astrologers have posited acausal relationships between astrological observations and events, such as the theory of synchronicity proposed by Jung. Many others have assumed there was a religious mechanism in operation, from the original Mediterranean astrologers through Guido Bonatti from Forlì (Italy), William Lilly, and to some extent, Geoffrey Cornelius. Skeptics see astrology as repeatedly failing to demonstrate its effectiveness in controlled studies, one prominent group saying those who "continue to have faith in astrology do so in spite of the fact that there is no verified scientific basis for their beliefs, and indeed that there is strong evidence to the contrary." and have gone so far as to call astrology "the pretentious claims of astrological charlatans." Effects on world cultureAstrology has had a profound influence over the past few thousand years on Western and Eastern cultures, along with the English language. Influenza was so named because doctors once believed it to be caused by unfavorable planetary and stellar influences. The word "disaster" comes from the Latin "dis-aster" meaning "bad star". Also, the adjectives "lunatic" (Moon), "mercurial" (Mercury), "martial" (Mars), "jovial" (Jupiter/Jove), and "saturnine" (Saturn) are all old words used to describe personal qualities said to resemble or be highly influenced by the astrological characteristics of the planet, some of which are derived from the attributes of the ancient Roman gods they are named after. There are many Astrological references in the Old and New Testament. Astrology as a descriptive language for the mindMany writers, notably William Shakespeare , used astrological symbolism to add subtlety and nuance to the description of his characters' motivation(s). An understanding of astrological principles is needed to fully appreciate such literature, along with the work of many other writers and poets of this and many other eras. Some modern thinkers, notably Carl Jung, have acknowledged its descriptive powers of the mind without necessarily subscribing to its predictive claims. Astrological interpretation is dependent on the particular culture's prevailing mythology. Most classicists think that Western astrology is dependent on Greek mythology. But the Greeks never claimed to have their own mythology. The Greeks claimed that half of their mythology was borrowed from the Egyptians and the other half borrowed from the Hebrew. But where did the myths of the Egyptians and Hebrew come from? The upper Nile River - Ethiopia. (See "Black Athena", Rutgers University Press) The research of the Gauquelin's, which resulted into Neo-Astrology, has modified, updated, but mainly reinforced the Ethiopian/Greek/Roman word association of behavioral characteristics with the particular planets. Western Astrology and the classical elements
Astrology has used the concept of classical elements from antiquity up until the present. Most modern astrologers use the four classical elements extensively, and indeed it is still viewed as a critical part of interpreting the astrological chart. Western Astrology and alchemy
Alchemy in the Western World and other locations where it was widely practiced was (and in many cases still is) closely allied and intertwined with traditional Babylonian-Greek style astrology; in numerous ways they were built to complement each other in the search for hidden knowledge. Traditionally, each of the seven planets in the solar system as known to the ancients was associated with, held dominion over, and ruled a certain metal. A separate article also exists on astrology and numerology. The seven liberal arts and Western astrologyIn medieval Europe, a university education was divided into seven distinct areas, each represented by a particular planet and known as the Seven Liberal Arts. They were seen as operating in ascending order, beginning with Grammar which was assigned to the quickest moving celestial body (the Moon) and culminating in Astronomia which was thought to be astrologically ruled by Saturn, the slowest moving and furthest out planet known at the time. After this sequence wisdom was supposed to have been achieved by the medieval university student. Dante Alighieri used the following associations of the seven liberal arts to the seven traditional astrological planets in the Divine Comedy and Convivio.
Astrology and the days of the weekSeven days of the week are created on the basis of 24 (Hora) divisions of the day and heliocentric order of the planets. In Hindu system of astrology, a weekday starts from local Sunrise & ends at the following Sunrise, which is distinct from the Georgian calendar in which a weekday along with date starts at expiry of 1200 a.m. of the Zonal Standard Time. Julian day begins at noon, whereas the Julian calendar begins at preceding midnight. Georgian calendar is worldwide used for civil purpose. A day is divided in 24 divisions called “Hora” in Hindu system. The order of Hora is based on heliocentric order of the planets which is; Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, (Earth), Venus, Mercury, & Moon. It is said that the world started on Sunday. And the first Hora of the Sunday is ruled by the Sun. Second Hora of Sunday is ruled by Venus, followed by Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter & Mars. Thus Sunday has three cycles of the above Horas & its 25th Hora is of Moon. Thus at the next Sunrise time Hora of Moon shall prevail. Therefore, the following day is ruled by the Moon. Similarly 25th Hora of Monday shall be of Mars, & the day shall be ruled by Mars. In the same way following days shall be ruled by Mercury, Jupiter, Venus & Saturn. Thus order of the weekdays are ruled by Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus & Saturn. This logic has already been mentioned in Hindu astrology treatises. In Hindu system the Sun is called Ravi; The Moon – Soma; Mars – Mangal; Mercury- Budh; Jupiter – Brishapati; Venus – Shukar; & Saturn – Shani. The day is called “Vaar”. Thus weekdays in order have been named as Ravi Vaar, Soma Vaar, Mangal Vaar, Budh Vaar, Brihaspati Vaar, Shukar Vaar, and Shani Vaar. In Latin the Sun is called Solis; & the Moon – Lunae; Mars- Martis; Mercury – Mercurri; Jupiter – Jovis; Venus- Veneris; Saturn – Saturni. Thus names of the weekday are derived from the planetary names. In electional astrology, weekday & Hora of the specific planet has special significance. Hora is also used in calculation of planetary strength in a nativity. In general, a work which fructifies in a particular weekday, also can be performed during Hora of the weekday lord falling in another weekday. For example, it is recommended to solemnize marriage on Thursday, also can be done during Hora of Jupiter falling in Friday (a weekday ruled by a benefic planet). This usage of Hora in electional astrology is also applied by western astrologers. More information about planetary linguistics can be found on . See also
Notes and references
Further reading
Астрология Astrologia Astrologie Astrologi Astrologie Αστρολογία Astrologio Astrología Astroloogia ستارهبینی Astrologia Astrologie אסטרולוגיה Astrologija Asztrológia Astrologia Astrologi Astrologia 占星術 점성술 Astrologija Astrologie Astrologi Astrologia Astrologia Astrologie Астрологияsa:फलज्योतिषं Astrológia Astrologija Астрологија Astrologi โหราศาสตร์ 占星学
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