Where Astrology Originated – Tracing The Origins Of Astrology

Astrology is the study of celestial bodies such as planets and stars and their influence in a person’s life. They are believed to have a significant influence on shaping a person’s personality and the outcome of their future.

Astrology has five thousand years of existence, and people throughout history have studied the substantial impacts of the sun, stars, planets, and the moon on the happenings on earth. Horoscopes are one way of looking into the future and to help people understand their inner selves by studying stars in their sign on the zodiac.

Where Astrology Originated – Tracing the Origins of Astrology

 

With a rich history in predicting a person’s destiny and explaining the character of a person, the history of the origin of the practice is often unclear. In this article, we will try to trace the origins of astrology and probably use it before it spread to other parts of the world.

Difference between astrology and astronomy

Since astrology studies heavenly bodies to predict events’ recurrence, it was considered to be the same practice as astronomy for more than 2000 years. The two practices both study the position of heavenly bodies, but the difference comes in the use of these positions.

 

Astronomers examine the motions, positions, and properties of heavenly bodies outside the earth’s atmosphere. On the other hand, astrologers attempt to study how these motions, positions, and properties affect human beings and events on earth.

The Greek principles of astrology had a significant impact on the evolution of science by creating different fields such as mathematics, astronomy, mathematics, psychology, and medicine. The earliest records regarding the movements of the moon, sun, and the planets were obtained from astrology. It is the reason why astronomy and astrology have many things in common.

The Earliest Origins of Astrology

Ancient Babylonians are credited as being the first people to use astrology. The period of ancient Babylonians was in the 2nd millennium B.C., and it is during this era that Babylonians begun following celestial omens.

Babylonian priests tried to seek guidance from heavenly bodies to understand the inevitable fate of royal families and the empires they conquered. The priests argued that every planet in the solar system was under the control of a particular god who influenced many aspects of human existence, such as casual affairs, daily encounters, and social interactions on earth.

The practice of following heavenly bodies and their influence on humans on earth soon spread to other parts of the world such as China, India, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Greece. There were various forms of astrology in these cultures, and therefore it was easy to adopt the Babylonian astrology. Some cultures adopted the whole Babylonian concept of astrology, while others combined with their traditional beliefs.

The Earliest Followers of the Babylonian Astrology

Egyptians were among the first people to follow the Babylonian astrology. This was as early as the first Century BC immediately after its defeat by Alexander. Since they were using the decanic astrology, they merged with the Babylonians to develop the Horoscopic astrology. This form of astrology was the one that rapidly spread to other parts of the world.

Greeks and the origins of astrology

Even though the Egyptians were the earliest to follow the use of astrology to predict certain events in their society, it was the Greeks responsible for reshaping the practice to its current modern state.

The Greeks adopted some mythical beliefs from the Babylonians and developed their own. Furthermore, the term astrology comes from the Greek word “asteri,” which stands for a star.

The Greeks started using Babylonian astrology as early as the fourth century B.C. and refined the practice through the works of famous philosophers such as Aristotle, Plato, and others.

They were able to transform the practice to be regarded as a science and started using it to predict future occurrences in weather and the personal lives of Emperors and Kings.

With the gods in Greek mythology linked to planets and constellations, the use of astrology soon became exciting and dramatic. Soon, even ordinary men and women started using the practice to predict their destinies.

It was from the Greeks that principles such as the Zodiac and Horoscope astrology first came into existence. These are modern astrological techniques used to describe the future or destiny of people and explain their characteristics.

The Zodiac

The word zodiac means the circle of animals in Greek. It was first used by ancient Egyptians and later taken up by Babylonians. The earliest astrologers recognized the sun completed twelve lunar cycles before it returned to the original starting point. These twelve lunar cycles later came to represent the twelve months in the widely used modern calendar.

Twelve constellations were identified as being influential to the advancement of the four seasons. Each constellation was assigned the name of a particular animal and people. For instance, in Babylon, it was observed that the rainy season came when the sun appeared in a specific constellation, and thus it was given the name Aquarius meaning the water bearer.

 

There are four categories of the zodiac signs

 

Earth Signs: Virgo, Capricorn, and Taurus

 

Water Signs: Scorpio, Pisces, and Cancer

 

Fire Signs: Leo, Aries, and Sagittarius

 

Air Signs: Gemini, Aquarius, and Libra

 

Read more about the Earth, Water, Fire and Air Elements of Astrology Here…

Astrology in the Modern World

In some countries like India, astrology is still held in high regard.  However, western education and Newtonian Physics played a significant role in the fading use of astrology. People started to utilize enlightenment rationalism to base their decisions and not on the positions of celestial bodies.

That being said, however, some cultures widely practice astrology, and even in western nations, people have started following the principles of astrology to base their decisions. Indian universities provide courses in advanced astrology, and the graduates go to western nations to teach their beliefs.

Such individuals have amassed a considerable following. It is common to see the twelve zodiacal signs depicted in manuals, newspapers, and almanacs.

The information above shows that the ancient Babylonians were the first people to use astrology. Later it spread to other parts of the world where it combined with various mythical beliefs to develop in the modern form as we know.

The track record of success it has had through history has made the practice withstand the test of time, and it still promises to be around many years from today.