Astrology

Astrology (from Greek:

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?????????? = ??????, astron, "star" + ?????, logos, "word") is any of several traditions or systems in which knowledge of the apparent positions of celestial bodies is held to be useful in understanding, interpreting, and organizing knowledge about reality and human existence on earth. All astrological traditions are based on the relative positions and movements of various real and construed celestial bodies as seen at the time and place of the birth or other event being studied. These are chiefly the Sun, Moon, planets, Ascendant & Midheaven axes, and the lunar nodes. A practitioner of astrology is called an astrologer, or sometimes an astrologist. Astromancy, divination by the stars, is a slightly archaic synonym for astrology (likewise for astromancer and the rather rarely used astromancist).

Related Topics:
Logos - Celestial bodies - Birth - Sun - Moon - Planet - Ascendant - Midheaven - Lunar node

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Many of those who practice astrology believe the positions of certain celestial bodies either influence or correlate with people's personality traits, important events in their lives, and even physical characteristics.

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Astrology is not considered to be a science, but is more appropriately an intuitive discipline, and is separate from astronomy, the scientific study of outer space. The calculations performed in astrology involve some skill in arithmetic and simple geometry and serve to locate the apparent location of heavenly bodies on desired dates and times based on tables constructed by astronomers. There have been astrologers who claim to try to put astrology on a sound scientific basis, but for most it is an art that merges calculations with their own intuitive perceptions. For most astrologers the purported relationship between the celestial bodies and events on earth need not be causal, nor even scientific.

Related Topics:
Astronomy - Outer space - Intuitive - Causal - Scientific

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The generally established opinion of the scientific community is that astrology is superstition, with no actual predictive ability.

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The core principles of astrology reflect a general principle, which was accepted in some parts of the ancient world, that events in the heavens should have analogies on Earth. In some places, such as ancient China and Babylon, the apparently untoward movement of a comet across the otherwise orderly movement of the heavens was taken as a portent of disaster. Such ancient beliefs are epitomized in the Hermetic maxim: As Above, So Below. The famous astronomer/astrologer Tycho Brahe also used a similar phrase to justify his studies in astrology: Suspiciendo despicio — "By looking up I see downward."

Related Topics:
China - Babylon - Comet - Portent - Hermetic - Maxim - Astronomer - Astrologer - Tycho Brahe

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