Astrology, Astronomy & the New Age Movement

Astrology and astronomy are not a new phenomenon. Astrology and astronomy are both hundred of thousands of years old. From the beginning of time humans have been reading the sky for guidance. Astrology and astronomy are connected. Astronomy cannot be used to disprove the accuracy and validity of astrology.

In fact, astronomy and astrology complement each other and reveal how humankind has learned to understand the universe. Until approximately 1750, astronomers were also astrologers as both subjects were recognized as connected and treated as twin sciences.

In fact, if you ever visit the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, you will find a tapestry that is a portrait of 18th century Jesuit priest and missionary Adam Schall von Bell speaking with the Emperor of China, Shunzhi. Bell, a Jesuit priest, was also president of the astrological society there and was astronomy advisor to the emperor.

Astrology, with its ancient history, is not part of, nor a sub-category of the 1960s New Age spirituality movement.

One of the earliest cycles that humans paid attention to were the cycles of day and night, of the moon and sun wheeling around in the sky. People planted crops, planned conceptions, plotted battles and navigated by the stars, giving names to the constellations. People gave meaning to each part of the cycle and to each part of the sky.

Astrologers, or Magi as they were also later known, divided each year into twelve parts, and named each section after the constellation which was primary during that section of time. The Sun Sign for a person describes which quadrant the Sun is found in during the person's birth. Each constellation, or sign, has a set of personality characteristics associated with it.

Here is the list of sun signs and dates.

Aries: March 19-April 20 Libra: September 22-October 23
Taurus: April 20-May 21 Scorpio: October 23-November 23
Gemini: May 21-June 20 Sagittarius: November 23-December 21
Cancer: June 20-July 22 Capricorn: December 21-January 18
Leo: July 22-August 23 Aquarius: January 18-February 18
Virgo: August 23-September 22 Pisces: February 18-March 19

History

Astrology has a long and robust history. This part of the free astrology lesson covers the thousands of years that mankind has studied astrology.

Humankind has studied the passage of stars and given names to constellations since they could speak and write. The first records we have of astrology date back to the Sumerians, in 4,000 BC. The astrologers at the time paid attention to the moon and its course, tracking eclipses and lunar events.

By the time of the Babylonians, and 1,000 BC, the planets and stars had been added to the tracking systems. When a baby was born, its charts would be documented to help foretell what the child would face in life.

The Assyrians, in 700 BC, gave the constellations the names we use today. They set down many of the rules that have survived over 2,000 years to modern day society. The Greeks and Romans further researched and studied the rules.

Astrologers were present at the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christian Christos or Messiah.

Kings have historically ruled their countries with astrologers on their official staffs assisting them with strategy. Even in the late 20th century. U.S. President Ronald Reagan used an astrologer (albeit covertly) to guide him in leading the United States of America. He was considered one of the most strategic and successful presidents in history.

It was when Western Christianity in Europe to gain power that astrology was first labeled as "dangerous" and a "sin". The leaders of the Christian Church sought to gain control of the masses and they could not do so if they practiced any other type of spirituality that did not put the church leaders in charge. They felt that any way of determining one's fate other than trusting in God was evil. They worked to wipe out all native traditions, including fertility festivals, harvest festivals and astrology.

Astrology in the Modern World
As Christian movements such as the Spiritualist churches began to spread in the American West in the early 1900s, people began to look again to native traditions that were earth-centered, and/or included astrology, the Tarot forms of divination and prophecy.

In addition to the main Sun sign, each person also has a Moon sign and other planetary signs. These all indicate where the heavenly bodies were situated at the person's birth. These all influence the person's personalities in different ways. But it is vital to know that if you want to ever have an accurate description of yourself according to your natal (birth) chart, you must know the time you were born. Why?

Because while the Sun was in a certain degree and sign when you were born, the constellation that was on the horizon when you were born where you were born determines which constellations are in which section when looking at your chart. For example, someone born September 2, 1975 in Nuuk, Greenland may have a Sun in Virgo, but by being born at 10am, the constellation on the horizon from where that person was born was Libra and it happened to be at 19 degrees. Thus, this person with a Virgo Sun has a Libra Ascendant and will find it more accurate to read horoscopes for Libras. It would also be helpful, since it is more than halfway into Libra, in some cases for this person to read horoscopes for Scorpio. Daily, weekly or monthly horoscopes for Virgo will generally be inaccurate.

With the stars, moons and planets wheeling through the sky, the chart changes every four minutes or so, thus, even twins are usually born with different charts. If two people are actually born within those same 4 minutes, they are called "astral twins".