Originating in Mesopotamia, probably around the third millennium b.c.e., astrology is the art of foretelling events through observation of the planets, fixed stars, sun, and moon, in their juxtaposition and their relationship to the earth. As we know astrology today, it is a combination of the early Babylonian ideas and those of the Egyptians. The Greeks adopted and perfected it, attributing gods and goddesses to the stars and planets. In his Laws, Plato proposed a composite god (Apollo-Helios) as the principal deity for the state, uniting the god of mythology with the sun.
An astrological horoscope is, in effect, a diagram of the positions of the planets as seen from a particular spot on the earth at a specific moment in time. The individual’s horoscope comes under the heading of genethliacal astrology, a branch of judicial astrology. Foretelling events of national and international importance is known as mundane astrology; answering questions is horary astrology; and forecasting weather is meteorological astrology.
It is believed that each planet has a particular influence on a person at the time of hi en time, with a different ascending sign appearing over the horizon approximately every four minutes. As the sun moves throughout the year, it passes through twelve different areas of sky and constellations. These areas are called houses of the zodiac, with the dividing lines between the houses known as cusps. The houses each measure thirty degrees, so the sun takes approximately one month to pass through each of the houses. The houses are named as follows:
|
Aries |
March 21 through April 19 |
|
Taurus |
April 20 through May 19 |
|
Gemini |
May 20 through June 20 |
|
Cancer |
June 21 through July 22 |
|
Leo |
July 23 through August 21 |
|
Virgo |
August 22 through September 22 |
|
Libra |
September 23 through October 22 |
|
Scorpio |
October 23 through November 21 |
|
Sagittarius |
November 22 through December 21 |
|
Capricorn |
December 22 through January 20 |
|
Aquarius |
January 21 through February 19 |
|
Pisces |
February 20 through March 20 |
The planets close enough to have an influence on a person are the Sun, Moon (not actually a planet, of course), Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto. The symbols used in astrology for these planets and for the signs of the zodiac are as follows:
Signs of the Zodiac
Aries
Taurus
Gemini
Cancer
Virgo
Leo
Signs of the Zodiac (continued)
Libra
Scorpio
Sagittarius
Capricorn
Aquarius
Pisces
Sun
Moon
Mercury
Venus
Planets (continued)
Mars
Jupiter
Uranus
Saturn
Pluto
When considering the relationship of the various planets to each other from the drawn chart, the relative positions are described as aspects. They are measured by drawing an imaginary line from the center of the earth to the planets concerned, along the ecliptic (the apparent path of the sun around the earth), and measuring the difference in the angles. Two planets that are 180° apart form an opposition. Two planets close together (within 8° to 10° of each other) form a conjunction. Semisextile is the term for planets 30° apart; semisquare (or semiquartile) is the term for planets 45° apart; sextile for 60°; quintile for 72°; square (or quartile) for 90°; trine for 120°; sesquiquadrate (or sesquare) for 135°, and quincunx for 150°. Here are the symbols for the planetary aspects:
Aspects
Opposition
Conjunction
Semisextile
Semisquare
Sextile
Quintile
Square
Trine
Sesquiquadrate
Quincunx
The Moon’s Nodes
The moon’s orbit intersects with the ecliptic (the apparent orbit of the sun around the earth) every nineteen years. The points where the moon’s orbit intersects the plane of the ecliptic are called the moon’s nodes.
Ascending Node
Descending Node
Hour
Day
Day & Night
Week
Month
Year