Astrology: Science or Saga?

Posted on 05/12/2016 I by: Navneeta

Thousands of stars shine overhead but how can on even understand their effect on our lives? Sir Isaac Newton was once asked by a friend why he practiced astrology and believed in such rubbish, to which he replied, `I have studied the matter. You have not.` We do not blame his friend either. Let`s try to analyze astrology.

Some 6,000 years ago, Chaldeans, a tribe in southern Babylonia used to look at the stars for guidance and counted their months by the phases of the Moon. The first crescent Moon of summer was seen among the stars of Leo. The moon appeared farther east each evening waxing full in a different constellation every month. Thousands of years later, the Greeks named the constellations - circle of animals or zodiakos kykios or modern day zodiac.

The Greeks were the first to formalize the influence of the planets and constellations on human lives. It was the product of earlier Babylonian mythology and their own. Mars was related to war, blood, and fire while on the other hand Venus to pleasure, luck, and wealth. Modern astrologers refer to their craft as the science of astrology thus giving it an astronomical perspective.

Twenty two centuries back, science was only an offspring. Greeks believed Earth was at the center of the universe. They knew nothing about the solar system, the planets or its orbits. However, they did notice correspondences between heaven and Earth. They also noticed association between the phases of the Moon and the rise and fall of ocean tides.

If we divide the circle of the zodiac 360 degree into 12 equal signs, we get each side to be 30 degree wide. According to astrologers, the Sun spends 29 and 32 days in each sign which is a very big deviation from what we actually see in the sky.

There is no one way to name the constellations. They can be anything depending on our imaginations. Wonder how Capricornus became that mythical beast, Sea Goat? 4,000 years ago, the said constellation was climbing high into the sky as the Sun was reaching its greatest height. Coincidently, it was also start of the rainy season and so the Chaldeans added a fish tail to it. It became the Sea Goat.

Astrology survived and is popular today because the society we live in significantly money driven. Successful astrologers command six-figure incomes. Astrology may be second rate science, but is a first-class business.