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HOROSCOPE HISTORY
WHAT
IS ASTROLOGY? A BRIEF HOROSCOPE HISTORY
You've probably been reading your horoscope in the paper since you were old enough to read the funnies, haven't you? Why? It's fun, and sometimes it's RIGHT on target, too. Have you ever wondered where the practice of horoscope readings started? Or exactly how the prediction is cast? We've put together here a brief horoscope history and expose' on astrological technique for you. The history of the zodiac is pretty interesting, actually... the practice came into being because of man's innate curiosity. They say that what separates man from beast is his knowledge of his own mortality. Perhaps the knowledge that he will one day die also spurred his quest for the meaning of life...why he is here, and where he is going...had to know... Since the beginning of recorded history, we know that man has looked to the heavens for answers to these questions. And just looking up wasn't enough...no, he had to chart the movements of the sun, moon and stars, find patterns in those movements...and make sense of it all. Eventually, he started correlating the activities of the heavenly bodies with human behavior...and thus formed the beginnings of astrology. A BRIEF HOROSCOPE
HISTORY
The sun, moon, planets and stars have been the object of
religious
worship since earliest times. Astrology seemed to develop in
different civilizations independently. The Chaldeans, who lived in
Babylonia (now Iraq) recorded one of the first known forms of
astrology as early as 3000 bc. The theory is that ancient peoples observed that certain celestial bodies, particularly the sun and moon, affected the change of seasons and the success of their crops. They then developed a broader system by which the movements of all the heavenly bodies, including the planets, affected additional aspects of their lives. By the 500s bc, astrology had spread to Greece, where such philosophers as Pythagoras and Plato integrated it into their studies of religion and philosophy. The rise of Christianity cast some doubt on the validity of astrology. But it remained widely practiced, and astrologers were highly respected during the Middle Ages, despite condemnation by the Church. Most scholars still accepted the tenets of astrology up until the 1500s. Astrology and astronomy were sciences that went hand- in-hand at that time. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Christian theologists waged
war
against astrology. Astronomical discoveries by Copernicus and Galileo
at this time also
began to undermine the basic tenets of astrology.
The practice of Astrology fell into some disrepute, and gradually
declined. HOROSCOPE HISTORY
Today, we use astrology as just one tool for understanding the
mysteries of our existence. We read our horoscopes with broad
acceptance and a sense of fun, and encourage you to do so as well.
HOROSCOPE
HISTORY
A horoscope is created, which maps the position of the
heavenly
bodies at
certain times, like the time of your birth. It is illustrated
by a circle, the ecliptic, which is the plane on which the earth orbits
around the sun
in a year. The ecliptic is divided into 12 sections,
the signs of the
zodiac. Your zodiac sign, like Leo for instance, is actually your sun sign, or the sign the sun occupied when you were born. The horoscope is also divided into 12 houses, which make up the 24 hours the earth rotates in one day. Each house deals with certain aspects of your life, such as health, romance, travel, work, etc. The astrologer casts your horoscope by interpreting the position of the astronomical bodies within the signs and houses of the horoscope. It's all very complicated and tedious, involving astronomical charts, degrees of latitude and longitude, time zones, etc. Guess ancient man had a lot of time on his hands, you know...no computers to play with... We believe that astrology can help you achieve a clearer
understanding of yourself and the people around you. It will help you
handle your affairs with imagination and speculation. We presented this brief
horoscope history to help in your understanding. Anyway, that's it! We've done all the work for you. Read your
horoscopes, check out our
zodiac compatibilities, integrate
it into your life...but don't let it control you. And as we said in
the
beginning...the only rule is...have fun with it!
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