From What Culture Is Astrology Derived?

Astrology, a method of predicting mundane events based on the movement of celestial bodies, has its roots in West Eurasian peoples dating back to the 3rd millennium BC. It originated in Mesopotamia in the second millennium B.C. and spread to India, where it developed its Western form in Greek civilization during the Hellenistic period. Astrology became a fundamental part of culture by the Middle Ages, practiced by doctors, astronomers, and mathematicians. India and China developed their own versions of the zodiac wheel, horoscopes, and astrological beliefs.

Astrology has evolved from ancient Mesopotamia to modern times, with influences from different cultures and civilizations. The belief that one’s personality is determined by the zodiac sign at birth remains a significant aspect of astrology. In ancient China, noblemen looked at eclipses or sunspots as signs of divine communication.

In Mesopotamia, Egypt, and India, astrology took root thousands of years ago. The zodiac symbols and names that we use today are derived from the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations and the ancient Egyptians. Early Islamic astrologers included numerous Indian theories in their works, most of which reached them via texts written in Middle Persian.

The Babylonians were able to invent the zodiac signs and the zodiac wheel, which are still used today. Astrology has evolved over time, with influences from different cultures and civilizations, including the development of the zodiac wheel, horoscopes, and the belief that one’s personality is determined by the zodiac sign at birth.

Is astrology Greek or Indian?

Greek astrology was transmitted to India in the 2nd and 3rd centuries ad through Sanskrit translations, with the best known being Yavaneshvara’s Yavanajataka. Indian astrology techniques were similar to Hellenistic astrology but without philosophical underpinnings. The Indians modified predictions to be meaningful to them, taking into account caste systems, metempsychosis, the Indian theory of five elements, and systems of values.

The Indians also elaborated on Hellenistic astrology by adding elements such as nakshatras (or lunar mansions), three categories of yogas (planetary combinations), dozens of different varieties of dasha s (periods of the planets) and antardasha s (subperiods), and a complex theory of ashtakavarga based on continuous horoscopy. They also increased the number of subdivisions of zodiacal signs, planets, and nodes of the Moon.

Several elements of Hellenistic astrology and its Sāsānian offshoot were introduced into India only in the 13th century through the Tājika texts. Indians cultivated military astrology, a form of catarchic astrology called muhurta-shastra, and iatromathematics and interrogatory astrology.

Shortly after Ardashīr I founded the Sāsānian empire in ad 226, a substantial transmission of both Greek and Indian astrology to Iran occurred. Pahlavi translations of Dorotheus of Sidon, Vettius Valens, Hermes, and an Indian called Farmasp provided the only knowledge of the Sāsānian science. Genethlialogy in Iran was essentially an imitation of Hellenistic, with some Indian features grafted onto it.

The most influential innovation of Sāsānian astrologers was the development of the theory of astrological history, which involved writing history, both past and future, based on extensions of the techniques of the prorogator, Lord of the Year, planetary periods, and continuous horoscopy.

What culture is astrology from?

The oldest known astrological references date back to texts from Mesopotamia, particularly during the reign of King Sargon of Akkad and Sumerian ruler Gudea of Lagash. However, there is controversy over whether these texts were genuinely recorded or ascribed to ancient rulers by posterity. The oldest undisputed evidence of astrology as an integrated system of knowledge is attributed to records from the first dynasty of Mesopotamia (1950-1651 BC).

Among West Eurasian peoples, the earliest evidence for astrology dates from the 3rd millennium BC, with roots in calendrical systems used to predict seasonal shifts and interpret celestial cycles as signs of divine communications.

Until the 17th century, astrology was considered a scholarly tradition and helped drive the development of astronomy. However, by the end of the 17th century, emerging scientific concepts in astronomy, such as heliocentrism, undermined the theoretical basis of astrology, leading to its loss of academic standing and becoming regarded as a pseudoscience. In the 20th century, astrology gained broader consumer popularity through mass media products like newspaper horoscopes.

Is astrology from Zoroastrianism?

The Zoroastrian religion, which predates Christianity by at least six hundred years, used astrology as a method of measuring historical and calendrical time. Ancient Zoroastrians and their priests, the magi, developed a world astrology and used it to date events in Aryan history and predict cyclical events like seasons and significant climatic changes. Zoroastrianism philosophy recognizes free will and individual responsibility, rejecting the idea that thoughts, words, and deeds were influenced by astral bodies.

Today, Zoroastrians accept astrology to determine compatibility between people, but not to predict actual events or financial fortune. This raises the question of whether we are seeking salvation and redemption within our Gemini shadows, rather than merely seeking to replace our devil within.

Will Allah forgive for believing in zodiac signs?

Shirk is a sin that Allah does not forgive, and it is worse than any other sin, including eating pork or drinking alcohol. Reading horoscopes is not just a harmless fun, but a form of shirk that can have serious consequences in the afterlife. It is akin to idol worship and is strictly forbidden in Islam. Reading horoscopes is not just a fun activity, but a form of shirk that seeks knowledge of the unseen, which is only known by Allah.

It is akin to idol worship and is not something to be taken lightly. Therefore, reading horoscopes and believing in them is not a harmless pastime but a serious sin that can have serious consequences in the afterlife.

Is astrology in the Bible?

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.

Is astrology from Islam?

Astrology has played a significant role in the Islamic tradition since the Islamic Golden Age (800-1258 CE). Early Muslims relied on celestial bodies like the Sun and Moon to calculate the time and direction of Mecca, determine sunrise and sunset for fasting in Ramadan, and observe the phases of the moon to mark the beginning of a new month. Astrological doctrines, such as horoscopes, zodiacal elements, and planetary influences, derived from ancient Greek, Indian, and Persian traditions.

Islamic astronomers followed this tradition, using the same symbols, signs, and order of zodiac signs. They referred to the zodiac cycles as falak al-buruj or dairat al-buruj, both meaning ‘zodiacal sphere’. Islamic astrology was less concerned with the signs themselves and more with the planets that ruled them, with each sign representing a different element and energy.

What culture do zodiac signs come from?

The Babylonians created 12 astrological signs, which were later incorporated into the Western zodiac. The ancient Greeks named these signs after constellations and linked them to specific dates based on their alignment with the sun’s orbit. The term “zodiac” originates from the Greek phrase “zōdiakos kyklos”, meaning “circle of animals”. Despite the Greeks’ contributions, horoscopes were not prevalent in ancient Greece.

Instead, the focus was on using the stars to connect with the gods through divination. Over time, Babylonian astrology merged with Greek divination practices, leading to the development of personalized horoscopes.

Is astrology from Greek mythology?

Astrology has its roots in ancient Greek mythology, with each zodiac sign representing a Greek god or goddess. The history of astrology spans over four thousand years, with the first great civilizations using constellations to predict seasonal changes and climatic events. The western zodiac’s constellations are named after the twelve Olympian gods, who protect their respective signs, each representing a different personality type with its strengths and weaknesses. Constellations were also a part of their religious worldview.

Is astrology allowed in Christianity?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that divination, including predictive astrology, is incompatible with modern Catholic beliefs, such as free will. It rejects all forms of divination, including horoscopes, palm reading, omen interpretation, clairvoyance, and mediums, which conceal a desire for power over time, history, and other human beings. These practices contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear owed to God alone.

Astrology and science, Christian mysticism, Christianity and paganism, Esoteric Christianity, Jesus Christ in comparative mythology, Jewish views on astrology, Muslim views on astrology, and William Lilly’s book Christian Astrology are all considered incompatible with modern Catholic beliefs.

What religion started astrology?

Astrology has been a significant cultural tradition for centuries, with various cultures including the Indians, Chinese, and Maya developing elaborate systems for predicting terrestrial events from celestial observations. The Old Babylonian period of Mesopotamia saw the practice of astrology, with Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa being one of the earliest known Hindu texts on astronomy and astrology. Chinese astrology was elaborated in the Zhou dynasty, and Hellenistic astrology after 332 BCE mixed Babylonian astrology with Egyptian Decanic astrology in Alexandria. Alexander the Great’s conquest of Asia allowed astrology to spread to Ancient Greece and Rome, where it was associated with “Challean wisdom”.

After the conquest of Alexandria in the 7th century, astrology was taken up by Islamic scholars, and Hellenistic texts were translated into Arabic and Persian. In the 12th century, Arabic texts were imported to Europe and translated into Latin. Major astronomers like Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, and Galileo practiced as court astrologers. Astrological references also appear in literature, with poets like Dante Alighieri and Geoffrey Chaucer and playwrights like Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare.

Astrology was considered a scholarly tradition, accepted in political and academic contexts, and connected with other studies such as astronomy, alchemy, meteorology, and medicine. However, new scientific concepts in astronomy and physics called astrology into question, leading to its decline in academic and theoretical standing.

Who invented astrology signs?

The invention of the zodiac by the Babylonians 2500 years ago involved dividing the sky into twelve areas, each assigned a figure, name, and specific meaning. This led to the creation of the zodiac with its twelve signs, such as Aries, Gemini, Virgo, or Leo. The Babylonian astral scientists created a body of knowledge that allowed them to assign meanings and contexts based on their calculations of planets’ positions in the zodiac at specific times.