I know, I know what you guys are thinking ...don't make any judgments yet. Let me explain myself. I admit, I'm not an expert in this fortune telling thing, so I'm in no position to make judgments about it, but there are questions that need answering...
According to wikipedia, Astrology is a group of systems, traditions, and beliefs in which knowledge of the relative positions of celestial bodies and related details is used in understanding, interpreting, and organizing information about personality, human affairs, and other terrestrial matters. A practitioner of astrology is called an astrologer.
Numerous traditions and applications employing astrological concepts have arisen since its earliest recorded beginnings in the 2nd millennium BC. It has played a role in the shaping of culture, early astronomy, and other disciplines throughout history.
Wikipedia also states that the history of astrology was first found in a developed form among the ancient Babylonians and directly or indirectly through the Babylonians, it spread to other nations.
Ok, from the above, we know 2 things:
1. Astrology is about studying of "celestial bodies" - study of stars, planets, etc in relation to personality, human affairs etc.
2. The study of astrology has its beginnings in the 2nd millennium BC - the period from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age. Thats a damn long time ago.
BUT
The following is what history tells us:In 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus published a new theory stating the earth revolves around the sun. Copernicus died before he could prove his theory.Galileo made a telescope in 1608 based on sketchy descriptions of the telescope, invented in the Netherlands in the same year. With his telescope, Galileo made observations of "celestial bodies" and confirmed Nicolaus Copernicus theory that the earth revolves around the sun. Before Galileo, people believed the earth was the center of the universe and the sun revolved around the earth. So the whole concept of astrology cannot be sustained because:
1. As astrology has its beginnings in the 2nd millennium BC, it is based on the belief that the sun goes round the earth - now we know this is bullshit.
2. How did the people before Galileo study the "celestial bodies" ? - they did not have telescopes. The first telescope was only made and used in 1608.
3. In astrology, a horoscope is a chart or diagram representing the positions of the Sun, Moon and the 9 planets etc in relations to a person's birth. But before the year 1781 people only knew the existence of the sun, the moon and 6 planets:
Earth
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
The other 3 planets were discovered later:
Uranus 1781
Neptune 1846
Pluto 1930
How did the astrologers make their calculations ? on what basis ? They must have very sharp eyes to see the planets and stars without a telescope. :)
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If memory serves me right, I've read that there were actually accounts of ancient astrologers theorising that the earth revolves the sun, but as you can expect, it is not widely accepted, especially with the kings believing that the world must revolve around them.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, ancient astrology were based on observations of the courses of individual stars through a lengthy period of time.
Well, since the chinese have successfully designed a so far flawless calender from millenias ago that still works until today, their calculations should work, even the Sun calendar.
Besides, I think the contemporary western knowledge on astrology or science as we know it now is largely based on recorded history, which is fairly young and hardly includes ancient knowledge and technology (like the Babylonians, Sumerians, Egyptians, Indus, Chinese, Mayan, Aztec, etc...), that were either lost or ignored, simply because modern science has not been able to explain them. One good example is traditional medicine.