Concise History of Astrology
Once upon a time in ancient Mesopotamia, people wanted to know when to grow and harvest crops. So they looked it up in the skies above. The priests and the scholars began to observe and try to interpret the movements of the celestial bodies, for the heavens above were for certain the works of the gods. Later, the Babylonians developed the Zodiac, as we know it today – with the twelve signs of the ecliptic plane, each of them associated with a constellation. They also managed to link the planets from the Solar System with certain deities from their mythologies – Venus, for instance, was related to Ishtar, the Goddess of Love. In ancient Egypt and Hellenistic Greece, the astrological ideas continued with their evolution. So today we have had Astrology on Earth for more than 4000 years, making it one of the oldest divination traditions in human history.
What is Astrology?
You are welcome to delve into the details of this starry art and you will honestly discover it is much more complicated than what you have believed. Most people despise astrologyAstrology, because they think it divides humanity into 12 basic types and that is so incorrect. Many people even make fun of Astrology for some of the astrologers tend to say:
- Mercury is in retrograde, so the worst is about to happen.
- Pisces, you should embrace your nature with shades of blue.
But it has stirred human creativity for centuries. Nowadays, some astrologers even write their predictions in haikus:
Twins in the night sky,
Curious minds intertwined,
Change on the breeze whispers.
Actually, the natal chart of a person is wonderfully and completely unique. You have twelve constellations and 7 celestial bodies, that are named planets, and intricate relationships form between all of them at the time of your birth. So you are actually influenced by this mixture of heavenly energies, which have complex attitudes that I like to call “the feelings of Stars.”
So, do they really influence us – the Stars?
Your astrological journey begins with the crafting of a Natal Chart, which records the heavenly situation at the time of your birth as it relates to Earth at the time and place of your nativity. Each position means something and is associated with an aspect of life. Even though there is no scientific evidence, astrologers are positive that the attitudes the planets and signs form during one’s birth are crucial for the person’s potential destiny.
What do you think? How moody can the Stars get?
Everybody knows that Mercury in retrograde is worse than Murphy’s Law. It seems that all the signs have all kinds of moods the entire time and the astrologers have tried to explain that via the concepts of “dignities” and “debilities”. There are Signs, which the Planets absolutely love – they feel their best immersed in them when hosted by these signs – they are in their dignities. Venus is exalted in the sign of Pisces – because they are dreamy, compassionate, and have great imagination, which appeals to the energy of the planet. There are other placements of the Planets that are not favorable for the Native, called debilities. Venus is weak in Aries, as she represents harmony, beauty, and comradeship, while Aries is a sign of conflict, action, and impatience.
Why are we so cocky that we can interpret the feelings of Stars?
Alright, this is the question astrologers fail to answer. How self-confident must one be to claim that they can read the moods and the feelings of stars? It’s like claiming you know anything about anything. Yes, okay – you can study the sky and it is beautiful – people have done this since the dawn of humanity. But in order to cast a horoscope, you have to offer many of your own interpretations and no one knows how truthful they are. Because the major source of the astrological lore is neither a constellation, nor a planet but the poor astrologer themselves, with their petty judgement of a heavenly situation. I believe the feelings of Stars can not be encompassed by a human mind – we only scratch at the surface, without being able to build a holistic lore of Astrology.
How should one read a horoscope?
It would be great if the astrologers approached their work with feelings of positivity and harmony. The astrologer’s job is to analyze the position of the celestial bodies in relation to the signs during one’s birth. Their analysis will result in understanding the person’s character, strengths, weaknesses and lifeways. These interpretations should be done with care for the individual. If you think otherwise, please comment below.
Does Astrology give answers to all possible questions?
Astrology does expands your intuition, it expands your motivation and teaches us that all humans are subject to universal needs and desires. But nothing gives answers to all possible questions – not even Siri or Chat GTP. Even so, astrology is so vast a field that you can spend your entire lifetime in interpretations, which is a bit unreasonable. As John Lennon put it:
“Life is what happens while we make other plans.”
Why do we even study Astrology?
We study astrology because it is fascinating and we want to know. Humans are curious beings. We want to discover beautiful and ugly truths about ourselves, we want to know if we are compatible and whether our relationship can work. Who are we and what makes us tick? People are curious about their vocations, their perspectives, and for some Astrology is a source of entertainment and sheer curiosity. The reasons for indulging in astrology are not because it gives answers to all possible questions, but because people genuinely like it.
The planets give us opportunities
The lore of Astrology is mostly about potential. Realization is something entirely different. They say the enlightened people outgrow the influences in their birth charts – they are no longer dependent on the moods of stars. So, even if you have had an astrological reading – it’s not necessarily your destiny. According to famous astrologer Abu Mashar – a remarkable thing happens when a thing moves from its potential to its realization. He believes planetary influences do not destroy our freedom. He asserts that planetary impact signifies the necessary, the possible,, and the impossible, of which three the astrologer cares only about the possible. The planets give us possibilities because they are ensouled and their abundant energies exist in harmony with the human soul.
The Stars Impel, they do not compel.
