|
|
Astrology
is basically the study of the influences of the cosmos on human life. Or, a group of systems, traditions and beliefs in which the position of celestial bodies is used in interpreting information about one’s personality, human affairs and other earthly matters. There are several different traditions and applications used by “astrologers.” Although the scientific community now considers astrology to be a pseudoscience or superstition, astrology has had an influence on both language, early culture and literature throughout history. The earliest recorded evidence of it dates to the 3rd millennium BC. Belief in astrology remains widespread today.
Predictive astrology, that is, the claim of astrology to predict future events, is based on two methods: astrological transits and astrological progressions. Astrological transits is when the ongoing movements of the planets are interpreted for their significance as they transit through space and the horoscope (a chart representing the positions of the Sun, Moon and planets at the time of an event, such as the moment of a person‘s birth.) In astrological progressions, the horoscope is progressed forward in time according to set methods. Most modern astrologers no longer try to forecast actual events, but focus instead on general developments. There are several different traditions and applications used by “astrologers.” Current traditions include Vedic astrology, Western astrology and Chinese astrology. Both Vedic and Western astrology focus on an astrological chart or horoscope. The biggest difference between the two is that Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, with the primary feature being that the twelve signs of the zodiac align to the sky constellations of the same name. Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac, which due to the precession of the equinoxes over the centuries, the twelve signs of the zodiac no longer correspond to the same part of the sky as their original constellations. In Western astrology, the link between sign and constellation has been broken. The Chinese also have a system of twelve signs (named after animals), but their zodiac refers to a pure calendrical cycle, as there are no equivalent constellations linked to it like in Western and Vedic astrology.
The following are the different branches of horoscopic astrology:
Natal astrology, which is the study of a person's natal chart to gain information about the individual and his/her life experience.
Katarchic astrology, which includes both electional and event astrology. The former uses astrology to determine the best moment to begin an undertaking, and the latter to understand everything about an event from the time at which it took place.
Horary astrology is used to answer a specific question by studying the chart of the moment the question is posed to an astrologer.
Mundane or world astrology is the application of astrology to world events, including weather, earthquakes, and the rise and fall of empires or religions.
|
|
|
