What Are Astrology’S Historical Roots?

Astrology, a branch of science that has shaped civilizations for centuries, has its roots in the ancient Mesopotamian civilization. It originated in Mesopotamia around the 3rd millennium BC and spread to India, but developed its Western form in Greek civilization during the Hellenistic period. Astrology has influenced various cultures, from Babylonian priests to Roman emperors, and continues to provide guidance for younger generations seeking signs based on celestial body movements.

The origins of astrology can be traced back to ancient Mesopotamia, particularly Babylon, where astronomers closely observed the night sky and correlated celestial events with earthly occurrences. Astrology as the study of the effect of planetary movements on human character and political or natural events can be traced back at least 2500 years BCE to the Sumerians and Babylonians in Mesopotamia.

Contemporary astrology has its roots in a long tradition of sky-watching that began in Mesopotamia in the middle of the third millennium BC. The ancient Egyptians contributed the idea that patterns of stars made up constellations, through which the sun appears to “move” at a specific time. The practice probably began as soon as humans first started to observe astronomical cycles, with some of the earliest evidence dating back to the 3rd millennium BC.

The zodiac symbols and names that we use today originated with the ancient Greeks, who also invented the science of astronomy from astrology. Astrology originated in Babylon far back in antiquity, with the Babylonians developing their own form of horoscopes around 2,400 years ago.

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.

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.

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.

What started astrology?

The Silk Roads played a significant role in cultural exchange and the development of various scientific disciplines, including medicine, mathematics, geography, cartography, and astronomy. Astrology, a broad field concerned with the search for meaning and predictive information in the sky, was one such discipline that was widely accepted in political and cultural circles.

During the Tang (705-907 CE) period, foreign systems of astrology were adopted in China, particularly the practice of ‘horoscopy’, predictions made by an astrologer based on the position of the sun at the time of a person’s birth or the calendar significance of an event. Astrology often acted as a medium of transmission of other knowledge bases, predominantly from Indo-Iranian sources, especially within astronomy and the close mathematical observation of stars and planets.

Indian astrology was often introduced into new regions of Central Asia, the Iranian Plateau, and China alongside the introduction of Buddhism, another significant shared legacy of these trade routes. Early Islamic astrologers included numerous Indian theories in their works, most of which reached them via texts written in Middle Persian during a time when direct translations into Arabic of many scientific texts from Ancient Greek and Indian sources were made.

In Medieval Central Asia, two distinct versions of the discipline emerged: one focused on mathematical theories and precise astronomical measurements, and the other on the interpretation of magical elements to make predictions. Al-Biruni, a polymath, differentiated astrology from astronomy, arguing that the former was more of an art or practice and criticizing its weak mathematical and scientific foundations. He also emphasized his theory that astrology is not a science through analysis of astrological doctrines from Ancient Greece, the Indian subcontinent, the Iranian Plateau, and Central Asian regions.

Who was the founder of astrology?

The decans were a system of time measurement based on constellations, led by Sothis or Sirius. The risings of these constellations in the night divided the night into ‘hours’, with each constellation rising just before sunrise for ten days. When they became part of the astrology of the Hellenistic Age, each decan was associated with ten degrees of the zodiac. The earliest Zodiac found in Egypt dates back to the 1st century BC, the Dendera Zodiac.

Ptolemy, a Greco-Roman astrologer and astronomer, was instrumental in the development of horoscopic astrology. His work, the Tetrabiblos, laid the foundation for the Western astrological tradition and was translated from Arabic into Latin by Plato of Tivoli in 1138. Firmicus Maternus (4th century) states that the system of horoscopic astrology was given early on to an Egyptian pharaoh named Nechepso and his priest Petosiris.

The Hermetic texts were also put together during this period, and astrologers were expected to have knowledge of these texts. Egyptian sacred rites involved the Singer, carrying symbols of music, learning two books of Hermes, and the Astrologer, with a horologe and palm symbols, always having the astrological books of Hermes in their mouth.

What is astrology based from?

Western astrology is founded on the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies such as the Sun, Moon and planets, which are analysed by their movement through signs of the zodiac (twelve spatial divisions of the ecliptic ) and by their aspects (based on geometric angles) relative to one another. They are also considered by their placement in houses (twelve spatial divisions of the sky). ( 97 ) Astrology’s modern representation in western popular media is usually reduced to sun sign astrology, which considers only the zodiac sign of the Sun at an individual’s date of birth, and represents only 1/12 of the total chart. ( 98 )

The horoscope visually expresses the set of relationships for the time and place of the chosen event. These relationships are between the seven ‘planets’, signifying tendencies such as war and love; the twelve signs of the zodiac; and the twelve houses. Each planet is in a particular sign and a particular house at the chosen time, when observed from the chosen place, creating two kinds of relationship. ( 99 ) A third kind is the aspect of each planet to every other planet, where for example two planets 120° apart (in ‘trine’) are in a harmonious relationship, but two planets 90° apart (‘square’) are in a conflicted relationship. ( 100 ) ( 101 ) Together these relationships and their interpretations are said to form “… the language of the heavens speaking to learned men.” ( 99 )

Along with tarot divination, astrology is one of the core studies of Western esotericism, and as such has influenced systems of magical belief not only among Western esotericists and Hermeticists, but also belief systems such as Wicca, which have borrowed from or been influenced by the Western esoteric tradition. Tanya Luhrmann has said that “all magicians know something about astrology,” and refers to a table of correspondences in Starhawk’s The Spiral Dance, organised by planet, as an example of the astrological lore studied by magicians. ( 102 )

Is there any science behind astrology?

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 scientific testing has found no evidence to support its premises or effects. 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’ positions and motions could affect people and events on Earth in the way astrologers claim, which contradicts well-understood aspects of biology and physics. Modern scientific inquiry into astrology focuses on the correlation between astrological traditions and the influence of seasonal birth in humans.

What does Islam say about astrology?

The earliest Islamic stance against astrology can be traced back to individuals such as Abd al-Jabbar and Abu Ma’shar al-Balkhi, who sought to justify the causal influence of celestial beings on terrestrial life forms. Historical texts like Kitab al-Daraj provide evidence of the presence of astrology in early Islam. However, even before these individuals, historians and theologians like Al Hashimi sought to justify the role of astrology in influencing Islamic adherents’ religion.

Al Hashimi, through philosophers like Masha Allah, explored the possibility of the influence of stars on one’s morality and religion in general. He cited Masha Allah’s idea that the Islamic prophet Muhammad’s birth was a result of a coming together of celestial objects, essentially pointing to the inherent birth of Muhammad as a result of astrological events. Both Masha Allah and Al Hashimi draw upon similarities but draw upon their inherent stance in pointing to the planets, stars, and other celestial beings as the primary means by which divine rule is exercised, i. e., how God emanates control over all life forms.

Early Muslims relied on the sun and moon to determine important things such as the direction of Mecca, fasting times for Ramadan, and the beginning and end of each month. They used astrology and the position of the planets to predict the health and well-being of individuals, with eclipses in Libra, Aquarius, or Gemini being predictions of worldwide plagues, and comets or shooting stars being predictions of famine and sickness.

Many interpretations of the Quran point to astrology as that which goes against the fundamental principles preached by the Islamic religious tradition. Astrology ultimately points to the role of celestial beings in influencing terrestrial life and the everyday lives of individuals, ultimately hindering their destiny. Various excerpts from the Quran are interpreted to disprove this theory, with the Quran in Surah Al-Jinn suggesting that any such presence of extraterrestrial influence on mankind is not plausible and is therefore haram (forbidden) in Islam.

The Hadith, a reference to the instructions and practices of Muhammad, encourages adherents of the Islamic faith to embody the concept of astrology. Muhammad made various claims regarding the legality/illegality of astrology with regards to the Islamic religious tradition, such as the belief that rain is a bounty bestowed only by Allah (God). The Hadith makes specific mention to the stars, suggesting that those who suggest rain originates as a result of a star are a disbeliever in Me (Allah).

This works to fundamentally embody the concept of astrology and the consequent belief in the idea that celestial beings have an influence on anything other than what enshrined in the Quran and Hadith as shirk (blasphemy), leading one to leave the fold of the religion.

Is astrology based on God?

Astrology is based on the belief that the patterns and positions of celestial entities, such as stars and moons, influence a person’s life and actions. This contradicts the biblical belief that God is sovereign and all-knowing. No star patterns or charts can determine a person’s future, as God has already ordained it. Ephesians 2:10 states that we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. No zodiac sign or horoscope can alter this.

Jesus in Matthew 28:18 states that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. Believing in the power and authority of astrology goes against biblical wisdom, as chasing after false gods is a sin. There is no biblical evidence that God has given authority to stars or astrologists.

What is the true origin of astrology?

Astrology, a branch of divination, originated in Mesopotamia around the 3rd millennium BC and spread to India. It developed its Western form in Greek civilization during the Hellenistic period. Astrology entered Islamic culture as part of the Greek tradition and was returned to European culture through Arabic learning during the Middle Ages. According to the Greek tradition, the heavens are divided according to the 12 constellations of the zodiac, with bright stars casting spiritual influences on human affairs.

Astrology was also important in ancient China, with horoscopes being cast for newborns and life-changing events. Despite the Copernican system eradicating the geocentric worldview required for astrology, interest in astrology has continued into modern times, with astrological signs believed to influence personality.

Where did astrology first come from?

Astrology, a branch of divination, originated in Mesopotamia around the 3rd millennium BC and spread to India. It developed its Western form in Greek civilization during the Hellenistic period. Astrology entered Islamic culture as part of the Greek tradition and was returned to European culture through Arabic learning during the Middle Ages. According to the Greek tradition, the heavens are divided according to the 12 constellations of the zodiac, with bright stars casting spiritual influences on human affairs.

Astrology was also important in ancient China, with horoscopes being cast for newborns and life-changing events. Despite the Copernican system eradicating the geocentric worldview required for astrology, interest in astrology has continued into modern times, with astrological signs believed to influence personality.