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Astrology
is certainly one of the most ancient philosophies still in
existence in this world. Some estimate it to be more than
3,000 years old but recent study of more esoteric beliefs
place it further back into the clouded past of human history.
In ancient times , and up until today Astrology has been used
to predict what happens to countries, the outcome of wars,
economic trends and much more.
Around
the world, farmers know that for most crops, you plant in
the spring and harvest in the fall. But in some regions, there
is not much differentiation between the seasons. Since different
constellations are visible at different times of the year,
you can use them to tell what month it is. For example, Scorpius
is only visible in the northern hemisphere's evening sky in
the summer. Some historians suspect that many of the myths
associated with the constellations were invented to help the
farmers remember them. When they saw certain constellations,
they would know it was time to begin the planting or the reaping.This
dependence on the sky became a strong part of many cultures.
Horoscopes
and astrology began with the ancient Greeks some thousands
of years ago. They evolved the belief that the position of
the sun and the planets also had an effect on a person's life
and what future events would happen to them.
The
word "astrology" is a Greek word that means "Science of the
Stars." Astrology was used by the Chaldean people as early
as 3000 BC. The Chaldeans lived in Babylonia. The people of
China became interested and began practicing Astrology in
later years. It is said that these people first noticed how
the position of the sun influenced the seasons as well as
the planting cycles.
Then,
somewhere in the year of 500 BC, philosopher Plato used Astrology
and studied it further. This kept it alive, and it continued
to spread on through the ages. However, it took a downturn
when Galileo Galilei was the first astronomer to use a telescope
in the 1500's. However, as time went by, astronomy once again
took an upswing in popularity when it flourished in Egypt
around the years of 300 BC. Then, during the Middle Ages,
the practice of astrology quietly hid itself as the Christian
Church became the predominent leading voice of the new world.
It wasn't until the 1600's when an astrologer named William
Lilly renamed astrology as being "Christian Astrology" in
order to avoid the wrath of the Church and to make it more
acceptable. This was instrumental in popularizing astrology
and horoscopes as we know them today.
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