Does Astrology Use Star Data?

Astrology is a nonscientific practice that focuses on the study of celestial objects, such as stars and planets, to make conclusions about their positions in the sky. It is based on mathematical principles and measurable planetary movements, but it is also an intuitive art, as forecasts and chart readings rely on human interpretation.

The zodiac, a belt-shaped region of the sky, is at the heart of astrology, which is deeply rooted in ancient traditions of observing the stars. The zodiac signs are based on the constellations observed in the night sky, and modern astrology may not align precisely with the astronomical positions of the constellations.

Astrology is founded on understanding the positions of the stars, which seems like a scientific pursuit in itself. However, there is no evidence supporting astrological theories. Astronomers study the actual stars and planets, but have found no evidence supporting astrological theories. Psychologists study personality, and while there have been discoveries about Earth and the stars over the past 2,000 years, the key dogmas of astrology remain unchanged.

In summary, astrology is a nonscientific practice that uses the position of celestial objects to make conclusions about individuals’ mood, personality, and environment. While it is based on mathematical principles and planetary movements, it is not based on the logic of cause and effect. Astronomers study the actual stars and planets, but there is no evidence supporting astrological theories.

What is the main point of astrology?

Astrology is a method of predicting mundane events based on the assumption that celestial bodies, particularly planets and stars, determine or indicate changes in the sublunar world. The theoretical basis for this assumption is historically from Hellenistic philosophy, which distinguishes astrology from celestial omina (omens) first categorized and cataloged in ancient Mesopotamia. Astrologers initially presupposed a geocentric universe with planets and stars rotating in orbits with Earth’s center.

Later, Aristotelian physics principles were adopted, dividing the eternal, circular motions of the heavenly element from the limited, linear motions of the four sublunar elements: fire, air, water, and earth.

Special relations were believed to exist between celestial bodies and their motions, configurations, and processes of generation and decay. These relations were sometimes considered so complex that no human mind could completely grasp them, making astrologers easily excused for errors. Platonic astrologers believed in divine intervention in natural processes through celestial influences upon Earth.

The role of the divine in astrological theory varies considerably. In its most rigorous aspect, astrology postulates a totally mechanistic universe, denying the possibility of intervention and free will. This has been vigorously attacked by orthodox Christianity and Islam. However, some astrologers, such as Bardesanes, believe that the motions of the stars govern only the elemental world, leaving the soul free to choose between good and evil.

Man’s ultimate goal is to attain emancipation from an astrologically dominated material world. Some astrologers, like Harranians and Hindus, regard the planets themselves as potent deities whose decrees can be changed through supplication and liturgy.

Do astrologers believe in God?

The rejection of theism by atheists and astrologists has resulted in the elimination of one unjustified belief in the existence of deities. However, this does not extend to the complete rejection of all other beliefs.

Does Bible mention other planets?

Saturn is represented by the star Kaiwan, worshipped by the Israelites in the desert. The word Kaiwan, interpreted to mean “steadfast”, often designates the slowest-moving planet in Babylonian inscriptions. The Babylonian god Ninurta was merged with Saturn, and the ancient Syrians and Arabs also called Saturn Kaiwan. The Zoroastrian Bundahish equates Saturn to Kevan, while in Mandaeism, it is referred to as Kiwan. The other planets are individualized in the Bible by implication, and the worship of gods connected to them is denounced without any explicit intention to refer to heavenly bodies.

The best-warranted interpretations of biblical star names include Kimah, the Pleiades, Kesil, Ash, Mezarim, Mazzaroth, Hadretheman, Canopus, and Nachash. These star names are based on Schiaparelli’s authority and provide a comprehensive understanding of the celestial bodies in the Bible.

How true is astrology?

Astrology, a long-standing scientific field, has been criticized for lacking clear evidence that stars and planets affect us. Astrology relies on stories and ideas that are difficult to prove with science, as it relies on guessing about patterns in the sky rather than conducting experiments. Additionally, astrology’s workings are based on old ideas about the universe, which have evolved over time. This has led to some astrologers’ predictions not aligning with current knowledge.

For example, the zodiac sign may not be accurate due to precession, which has caused stars to move since the first invention of astrology. Furthermore, astrology lacks a clear explanation for how stars and planets could affect us, with some astrologers suggesting it is due to the stars, but scientists argue these theories are too weak to have a significant impact on us.

Why do people believe in astrology?

Astrology is a tool for understanding one’s self-identity and self-conception. According to Jennifer Freed, PhD, it serves as a validation for one’s unique gifts and provides confirmation and encouragement. Astrology is likened to a beautiful staircase, where one must walk mindfully and hold onto a solid foundation. Humans tend to remember positive feedback that validates their self-conception over negative feedback, making it easy to accept the ambiguous and positive aspects of astrology. This approach helps individuals develop their unique gifts and take mindful steps towards self-discovery.

Who decides zodiac signs?

The star sign is determined by the position of the Sun in a particular constellation at birth. As Earth moves around the Sun, each Zodiacal constellation is hidden behind it. The zodiac, which stretches 8-9 degrees either side of the ecliptic, is the region where the Sun, Moon, and planets are found (except for Pluto). The narrow band of the zodiac, marked by blue lines, stretches 9 degrees either side of the ecliptic. There are 13 Zodiacal Constellations through which the ecliptic passes, including the Sun, Moon, and planets.

What science is astrology based on?

Astrology is a belief system that suggests a connection between astronomical phenomena and human events or personality descriptions. However, it has been criticized by the scientific community for lacking explanatory power and lack of scientific validity. Scientific testing has found no evidence to support the premises or effects outlined in astrological traditions. The most famous test, led by Shawn Carlson, concluded that natal astrology performed no better than chance.

Astrology has not demonstrated its effectiveness in controlled studies and has no scientific validity, making it regarded as pseudoscience. There is no proposed mechanism by which stars and planets affect people and events on Earth in the way astrologers claim, which contradicts well-understood aspects of biology and physics.

How is astrology determined?

Western astrology is a branch of astrology that studies the movements and positions of celestial bodies like the Sun, Moon, and planets. These bodies are analyzed through signs of the zodiac, their aspects, and their placement in houses. The modern representation of astrology in western popular media is typically sun sign astrology, which only considers the Sun’s zodiac sign at an individual’s date of birth.

The horoscope visually expresses the set of relationships for the time and place of an event, which include the seven planets, the twelve signs of the zodiac, and the twelve houses. Each planet is in a specific sign and house at the chosen time, creating two kinds of relationships. A third kind is the aspect of each planet to every other planet.

Astrology is a core study of Western esotericism, influencing systems of magical belief among Western esotericists, Hermeticists, and belief systems like Wicca. Tanya Luhrmann has stated that “all magicians know something about astrology”, citing a table of correspondences in Starhawk’s The Spiral Dance as an example of the astrological lore studied by magicians.

What is the basic idea behind astrology?

Astrology is a form of divination that involves forecasting earthly and human events through the observation and interpretation of fixed stars, the Sun, the Moon, and the planets. It is believed that understanding the influence of these celestial bodies on earthly affairs allows them to predict and affect the destinies of individuals, groups, and nations. Astrology is based on the assumption that celestial bodies, particularly planets and stars, determine or indicate changes in the sublunar world. This theory is rooted in Hellenistic philosophy and distinguishes it from the celestial omina, which were first categorized and cataloged in ancient Mesopotamia.

Astrologers initially presupposed a geocentric universe, with planets and stars orbiting around the Earth’s center. Later, Aristotelian physics principles were adopted, dividing the eternal, circular motions of the heavenly element into the limited, linear motions of the four sublunar elements: fire, air, water, and earth. Special relations were believed to exist between celestial bodies and their motions, configurations, and processes of generation and decay. These relations were often considered complex, making astrologers more likely to make errors.

Platonic astrologers believed in divine intervention in natural processes through celestial influences upon the Earth, as they believed in the deity’s creation of the celestial bodies themselves.

What is the basis of astrology?

Astrology is the belief that the alignment of stars and planets affects an individual’s mood, personality, and environment, depending on their birth date. Astrologers print personalized horoscopes in newspapers, making predictions, describing personalities, and giving advice based on the position of astronomical bodies. A survey conducted by the National Science Foundation found that 41 of respondents believe that astrology is “very scientific” or “sort of scientific”.

However, astrology does not claim that astronomical bodies have influence on people’s lives beyond basic weather patterns, depending on their birth date. Numerous scientific studies have disproven this claim, with Peter Hartmann and his collaborators finding no correlation between birth date and personality or intelligence. In one famous experiment, Shawn Carlson fine-tuned the method so that various independent scientists agreed that the method was scientifically sound and fair, finding that astrologers could do no better at predicting the future than random chance.

Fundamentally, there are four forces of nature: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force. If an object affects a person, it must do so through one of these fundamental forces. For example, strong acid burns skin because the electromagnetic fields in the acid pull strongly enough on the skin molecules that they rip apart, while a falling rock crushes you because gravity pulls it onto you. Nuclear forces die off quickly, and electromagnetic forces typically extend from nanometers to kilometers.

The gravity of a star technically extends throughout the universe, but its individual effect on the universe does not extend much beyond its solar system. The gravitational pull of Polaris on an earth-bound human is weaker than the gravitational pull of a gnat flitting about his head, and the electromagnetic waves reaching the eye of an earth-bound human from Sirius are dimmer than the light from a firefly flitting by. If the stars and planets really had an effect on humans, then gnats and fireflies would have even more of an effect.

Even if the gravity of the planets were strong enough to affect you, an alignment of the planets would not lead you to win the lottery because a literal alignment of the planets never happens in the real world.

What does the Bible say about astrology?

In Matthew 28:18, Jesus asserts that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. This contradicts biblical wisdom, as chasing after false gods is a sin. There is no biblical evidence that God has given authority to stars or astrologists. Pursuing predictions about our destiny or personality is biblically sinful, as it takes power from God and gives it to something other than God. A horoscope cannot change what God has already ordained before we were even created.