What is astrology?

Astrology is the art of interpreting the configuration and relative location of the stars and their constellations, for divinatory or psychological purposes, or simply as a way of finding useful patterns within reality. The term comes from the Greek astrón , “ star ”, and lógos , “ speech ”.

This is an ancient practice shared by many different civilizations, such as the Chinese, Hindu and Western. It should not be confused with astronomy, the scientific discipline that studies celestial bodies .

Astrology is based on the assumption that there is a correlation between the configuration of the stars in the sky and the events that take place on Earth.

Consequently, by studying this configuration, future events can be determined or a classification of human personalities can be established , thus establishing what we know as the horoscope: predictions and advice offered to people according to their astrological sign.

To establish its principles and conclusions , astrology draws on different symbolic and anthropological traditions, such as numerology, alchemical language, tarot and different mythologies , especially those linked to the zodiac, that is, with the signs that tradition associates with each constellation recognized in the firmament.

This is how each zodiac sign corresponds to a series of data and meanings: a ruling planet, an associated element, a preferred number, a personality tendency, etc.

Is astrology a science?

Astrology is not a science. At most, it can be considered a pseudoscience : a discipline that establishes its own rules of the game and that produces unverifiable , irreproducible and unfalsifiable conclusions, thus escaping the minimum conditions imposed by the scientific method . In fact, it does not use the scientific method at all, but draws on different cultural traditions to assemble its own coherent discourse.

In fact, astrology has been strongly questioned by science on numerous occasions, and is the subject of scientific study by the history of culture and the sciences of religion , that is, it is studied academically as a cultural product of humanity . That is, astrology can serve as an object of study for the sciences , but it does not constitute a science in itself.

Origin of astrology

Astrology has various origins, as the interest in finding meanings among the stars of the night sky has accompanied humanity since its oldest civilizations, such as the Chinese, Indian, Mayan or Mesopotamian . There is evidence of astrological attempts dating back 25,000 years .

However, the Western astrological tradition began in Babylon and Ancient Egypt around 2,000 BC, and was linked to religion and royal decision-making . For example, in a series of scrolls called the Old Testament Texts, it is said that Gudea, ruler of the city of Lagash, received from the gods an explanation of which constellation would best serve as the basis for building his new temple.

However, the most important astrological tradition for the West was the Greek one , the result of the conquest of Egypt and Asia Minor by Alexander the Great in 322 BC. It was precisely in the city of Alexandria, founded at that time, where the Babylonian and Egyptian astrological traditions converged, giving rise to the horoscopic tradition.

At that time, two forms of astrology were known: one that used the horoscope for divinatory purposes, and theurgic, which focused on the supposed ascension of the soul to the stars.

Astrology was transmitted to Ancient Rome after the conquest of Greece by the Romans. In fact, Emperor Tiberius (42 BC-37 AD) was the first to have an astrologer at his court as an advisor. Even then, the first questions about astrology were raised by philosophers and jurists who saw the connection between politics and the stars as absurd.

The zodiac signs

The signs of the zodiac are the celestial constellations that divide the ecliptic line , that is, the line that describes the apparent path of the Sun around the Earth , into twelve sectors of thirty degrees .

These twelve sectors form the so-called “twelve houses”, each of which houses a constellation and is associated with certain characteristics and certain elements. Thus, depending on where the Sun and the Moon are in this path, we will be in the period of one sign or another.

The twelve signs are: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces, and are often associated with certain references from Greek mythology , since it was the ancient Hellenes who named the constellations.

The word “zodiac”, in fact, comes from the Greek word zodion (translatable as “small animal image”, zoon ) and the relational suffix – kos , which means “related to animal figures” in reference to the constellations.

The term “horoscope” comes from the Greek words ora (“hour”) and skopein (“to observe”), so it could be understood as “to observe the hour” or “to look at the time ”, which is logical if one considers that the first methods of measuring time were sundials. However, this Greek heritage is preserved in the West through ancient Roman culture, which is why the names of the constellations come from Latin.

Today, the zodiac is used to determine each person's sun sign, that is, the constellation in which the sun was at the time of their birth. According to astrology, the sign will determine many things about the individual's personality and can be consulted in horoscopes for spiritual guidance.

Astrology and astronomy

Although they have similar names, we should not confuse astronomy with astrology. Astronomy is a science that applies the scientific method to the observation and understanding of the universe outside our planet, that is, the celestial vault, its stars, planets and sidereal objects.

This science uses telescopes and other instruments to obtain verifiable conclusions from starlight and other forms of energy from outer space .

Instead, astrology links cultural and symbolic traditions to venture conclusions from a holistic view of the celestial vault, that is, without applying measurements of any kind, except geometric calculations and other ways of relating the stars whose interpretation will then depend on a mystical, spiritual or even religious view.

In conclusion: if we want to consult our horoscope, we are interested in astrology; but if we want to find out if there is ice on Neptune , or when there will be a meteor shower, we are really interested in astronomy.