Astrology and science

By the time of Francis Bacon and the scientific revolution, newly emerging scientific disciplines acquired a method of systematic empirical induction validated by experimental observations, which led to the scientific revolution. At this point, astrology and astronomy began to diverge; astronomy became one of the central sciences while astrology was increasingly viewed as an occult science or superstition by natural scientists. This separation accelerated through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Astrology has been criticized as being unscientific both by scientific bodies and by individual scientists, and has been labeled as a pseudoscience. In 1975, the American Humanist Association published one of the most widely known modern criticisms of astrology, characterizing those who continue to have faith in the subject as doing so "in spite of the fact that there is no verified scientific basis for their beliefs, and indeed that there is strong evidence to the contrary". Astronomer Carl Sagan did not sign the statement, noting that, while he felt astrology lacked validity, he found the statement's tone authoritarian. He suggested that the lack of a causal mechanism for astrology was relevant but not in itself convincing.
Although astrology has had no accepted scientific standing for some time, it has been the subject of much research among astrologers since the beginning of the twentieth century. In his landmark study of twentieth-century research into natal astrology, vocal astrology critic Geoffrey Dean noted and documented the burgeoning research activity, primarily within the astrological community.

Effects on world culture

Astrology has had a profound influence over the past few thousand years on Western and Eastern cultures. In the middle ages, when even the educated of the time believed in astrology, the system of heavenly spheres and bodies was believed to reflect on the system of knowledge and the world itself below.
Astrology has had an impact on both language and literature. For example,influenza, from medieval Latin influentia meaning influence, was so named because doctors once believed epidemics to be caused by unfavorable planetary and stellar influences. The word "disaster" comes from the Latin dis-aster meaning "bad star". Adjectives "lunatic" (Luna/Moon), "mercurial"(planet), "venereal"(Venus), "martial"(Mars),"jovial"(Jupiter), and "saturnine" (Saturn) are all old words used to describe personal qualities said to resemble or be highly influenced by the astrological characteristics of the planet, some of which are derived from the attributes of the ancient Roman gods they are named after. In literature, many writers, notably Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare used astrological symbolism to add subtlety and nuance to the description of their characters' motivation(s). Often, an understanding of astrological symbolism is needed to fully appreciate such literature.

Branches of horoscopic astrology

Traditions of horoscopic astrology can be divided into four branches which are directed towards specific subjects or purposes. Often these branches use a unique set of techniques or a different application of the core principles of the system to a different area. Many other subsets and applications of astrology are derived from these four fundamental branches.
Natal astrology, 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 most auspicious moment to begin an enterprise or undertaking, and the latter to understand everything about an event from the time at which it took place.
Horary astrology, used to answer a specific question by studying the chart of the moment the question is posed to an astrologer.
Mundane or world astrology, the application of astrology to world events, including weather, earthquakes, and the rise and fall of empires or religions.

The horoscope

Central to horoscopic astrology and its branches is the calculation of the horoscope or astrological chart. This two-dimensional diagrammatic representation shows the celestial bodies' apparent positions in the heavens from the vantage of a location on Earth at a given time and place. The horoscope is also divided into twelve different celestial houses which govern different areas of life. Calculations performed in casting a horoscope involve arithmetic and simple geometry which serve to locate the apparent position of heavenly bodies on desired dates and times based on astronomical tables. In ancient Hellenistic astrology the ascendant demarcated the first celestial house of a horoscope. The word for the ascendant in Greek was horoskopos from which "horoscope" derives. In modern times, the word has come to refer to the astrological chart as a whole

Horoscopic astrology

Horoscopic astrology is a very specific and complex system that was developed in the Mediterranean region and specifically Hellenistic Egyptaround the late 2nd or early 1st century BC.

The tradition deals with two-dimensional diagrams of the heavens, or 'horoscopes', created for specific moments in time. The diagram is then used to interpret the inherent meaning underlying the alignment of celestial bodies at that moment based on a specific set of rules and guidelines. This is normally done for the moment of birth of an individual, or at the beginning of an enterprise or event, because the alignments of the heavens at that moment are thought to determine the nature of the subject in question. One of the defining characteristics of this form of astrology that makes it distinct from other traditions is the computation of the degree of the Eastern horizon rising against the backdrop of the ecliptic at the specific moment under examination, otherwise known as the ascendant. Horoscopic astrology has been the most influential and widespread form of astrology across the world, especially in Africa, India, Europe, and the Middle East, and there are several major traditions of horoscopic astrology including Indian, Hellenistic, Medieval, and most other modern Western traditions of astrology.

The zodiac

The zodiac is the belt or band of constellations through which the Sun, Moon, and planets move on their journey across the sky.

Astrologers noted these constellations and so attached a particular significance to them. Over time they developed the system of twelve signs of the zodiac, based on twelve of the constellations they considered to be particularly important.

The Western and Indian zodiac signs have a common origin in the tradition of horoscopic astrology, and so are very similar in meaning. The common choice of twelve zodiac signs is understandable when it is considered that the interaction of the Sun and Moon was central to all forms of astrology.

The majority of Western astrologers base their work on the tropical zodiac which divides the sky into twelve equal segments of 30 degrees each, beginning with the first point of Aries, the point where the line of the earth's celestial equator and the ecliptic (the Sun's path through the sky) meet at the northern hemisphere spring equinox.
Practitioners of the Indian astrological tradition and a minority of Western astrologers use the sidereal zodiac. This zodiac uses the same evenly divided ecliptic but approximately stays aligned to the positions of the observable constellations with the same name as the zodiacal signs.

How do the Horoscopes that I read in the Newspaper or Magazines fit into all this?

Strictly speaking, newspaper and magazine Astrology columns practice "Sun Sign Astrology." Each individual has a completely unique birth chart, and each individual will respond to that chart, in his or her own way because we all have free will and ultimately can determine and choose what we make of our lives.
The relationships or aspects between the planets in a Horoscope influence an individual's nature and temperament over the lifetime. As the planets appear to cycle, an individual's Horoscope is influenced day-to-day life.

What does it mean when Astrologers say that a planet "rules" a sign?

Rulerships or dignities are a rather thorny subject among Astrologers.
What is meant by saying a planet "rules" a sign is that when positioned in that sign, a planet expresses its energy more naturally, with greater strength and expression.
Another term for planetary dignity is saying that a planet is at "home" in a sign, and that pretty much describes it.

What is a Rising Sign and why is it important?

The Rising Sign or Ascendant is the sign that is on the eastern horizon at the exact time of birth. It is also the sign that rules the first house of a person's chart. The birth time of the individual, and each house represents a basic field of activity. The meanings of the houses are modified when a planet occupies them. The rotation of the Earth causes the signs and the planets to pass through all twelve houses each day, one approximately every two hours.

What is the difference between an Astrological Sign and a Horoscope?

An Astrological sign is determined by the Sun's position at the time of birth.
A Horoscope is a map of the heavens, showing the exact position of the Sun, Moon, and Planets, calculated using the exact date, hour and location of birth.
Horoscope can provide insight into an individual's personality traits.

Core beliefs

The core beliefs of astrology were prevalent in most of the ancient world and are epitomized in the Hermetic maxim "as above, so below".
Tycho Brahe used a similar phrase to justify his studies in astrology: suspiciendo despicio, "by looking up I see downward".
Although the principle that events in the heavens are mirrored by those on Earth was once generally held in most traditions of astrology around the world, in the West there has historically been a debate among astrologers over the nature of the mechanism behind astrology.
The debate also covers whether or not celestial bodies are only signs or portents of events, or if they are actual causes of events through some sort of force or mechanism.
Although the connection between celestial mechanics and terrestrial dynamics was explored first by Isaac Newton with his development of a universal theory of gravitation, claims that the gravitational effects of the celestial bodies are what accounts for astrological generalizations are not substantiated by scientific research, nor are they advocated by most astrologers

Astrology - from past to present

Astrology is a heritage of all of us, which stood the test of time. If astrology was absolute rubbish, then it would have gone out of circulation many hundreds or perhaps thousands years ago. Since there was some substance in to astrology, which had proved to many people for generations about it's usefulness.
Astrology had managed to survive through those generations. Now the time had come for the Astrology to engage in the test of time once again. This time a test carried out by a new breed of seekers living in the era of information age, who are armed with new technology, new ways of thinking and interested in investigating finding and presenting the knowledge of the past in a manner applicable to the present.

Numerology

Numerology refers to any of many systems, traditions or beliefs in a mystical or esoteric relationship between numbers and physical objects or living things.
Numerology and numerological divination were popular among early mathematicians, such as Pythagoras, but are no longer considered part of mathematics and are regarded as pseudomathematics by most scientists.
Today, numerology is often associated with the occult, alongside astrology and similar divinatory arts. The term can also be used for those who, in the view of some observers, place excess faith in numerical patterns, even if those people don't practice traditional numerology.
Digit summing
Numerologists often reduce a number or word by a process known as digit summing, then reach conclusions based on the single digit that is produced.
Digit summing, as the name implies, involves taking the sum of all of the digits in a number, and repeating the process as necessary until a single-digit answer is produced.
For a word, the values corresponding to each letter's place in the alphabet (e.g., A=1, B=2, through Z=26) are summed.
Examples:
3,489 -> 3 + 4 + 8 + 9 = 24 -> 2 + 4 = 6
Hello -> 8 + 5 + 12 + 12 + 15 = 52 -> 5 + 2 = 7