The History of Astrology

The sun, moon and stars were studied by many civilizations. The History of Astrology, an ancient art, began around 5000 BC with the Hindus who worshiped Vishnu (Sun), symbol of life. They believed he took many forms, such as the ram or bull; symbols that are still used in the Zodiac.

Between 3000 BC and 300 BC the Egyptians combined religion with astrology. They were the first to cast a Birth Chart and gave a special god to each month. The Egyptians also gave the stars names, like The Maiden (Virgo) or the Fishes (Pisces). When Ramses II, an Egyptian king died in 1223 BC he was placed in a limestone tomb covered with astrological symbols.

Astrology flourished around 2800 BC during the reign of the Babylonians. History recounts how the priests/astrologers would observe the movements of the stars and planets from a watch tower. These ancient astrologers developed the modern zodiac. Each planet was considered a god and was assigned a name. For example, Venus seen in the early morning was somehow related to the birth of day and was linked to love and fertility. The Hebrews of that time also practiced Astrology. The familiar phrase "Mazel Tov" used today means joy or happiness for a special occasion. This came from the word Mazlot meaning sign of the constellation or zodiac. In others words, Mazel Tov, actually means to have a good constellation or birthday.

The history of Chinese astrology began around the same time as the Babylonians. The Chinese developed their own unique astrology and is still used today. In the Chinese zodiac there are 12 years and each year is represented by an animal. There are also five elements and the ancient teaching of positive and negative energy called Yin and Yang in developing a chart. Western astrology used today was developed by the Babylonians and relied on the sun, where as, the Chinese depended on the Moon as their life force.

The Greeks borrowed astrology from the Babylonians and it wasn't until the 9th Century BC that they learned to distinguish between the stars and the planets. Babylonian priests predicted that Alexander the Great would die in their city. Alexander believed in astrology and when he went to conquer the Babylonians, he entered through a different route so as not to die. Yet as fate would have it, Alexander did die in 323BC in Babylon. In AD140 the father of modern astrology, Claudius Ptolemy, wrote his famous "Four Books" about the universe. These were the first modern textbooks on astrology. The books were used until 1543 when Copernicus challenged his theory that the earth was the center of the universe.

The Roman's Greek slaves introduced them to astrology. In fact, during the time of Julius Caesar almost every statesman had his horoscope calculated. Every emperor after Caesar used astrology on a daily basis. The Emperor Tiberius took astrology so seriously, that if it were predicted a rival would interfere to gain power over Tiberius, he had him put to death before any damage was done. Like Rome, when Christianity rose Astrology also fell.

Astrology rose again around 1200 AD. Pope Leo X had many astrologers in his court during his reign from 1475 to 1521. He was one of many Popes during the Renaissance that used this ancient science. As the Renaissance Era faded and the Age of Enlightenment began, Astrology declined because it was associated with superstition. This was during the era that the planet Uranus was discovered in 1781, followed by the discovery of Neptune in 1875.

It wasn't until the 20th Century that new interest began to develop in Astrology with Evangeline Adams. She was the first American Astrologer and in 1914 she was brought to trial for fortunetelling. In court, she was given an unknown chart to calculate. The judge was amazed by her results. They were so accurate that the judge dismissed the charges. You see the chart was about his son. The 1960's brought a new surge in Astrology and interest grew more and more. Today, Astrology is part of our culture and many well known people from celebrities to politicians have consulted astrologers.

Astrology has made its mark from ancient cultures to the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, revived during the Renaissance only to be linked to occultism at the end of the 17th Century. Booming during the 1960's and accepted into our mainstream culture, now it is just a new generation using old principles.