ASTROLOGY AND RELIGION

Astrology isn’t a religion, although some do see it as one. Then again in depends on how you define religion; for some it means astrology, to some it means science. Many astrologers saw no connection between astrology and religion, and many dint want to either as it was always the spark of a brand new controversy.

Astrology has stood in close relationship with Christianity for over two thousand years now. Interestingly the core ideas of these two entities are completely different. While Christianity proclaimed that one God created the entire universe, Astrology views that the entire universe was made of several Gods who are all represented in the sky as constellations.  The concept of Astrology took a beating during the birth of Christianity and a large number of early Christians rejected astrology. They defined it as a new ‘religion’ bent upon the destruction of their faith. But the references to Astrology in the Bible, though subtle, made people think. Here are a few such interesting observations:

• In the first chapter of the Revelation of John, seven stars are mentioned as seven angels. These seven stars in the ancient world were nothing but the seven known planets: The Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
• The twelve disciples of Christ are identified with the twelve constellations. This can still be seen in Da Vinci’s painting of the “The Last Supper” where the twelve disciples are represented with the markings and gestures of the twelve zodiacs.
• The birth of Jesus Christ can also be traced as an astrological event. As legend has it, the birth of Christ (born of the Virgin Mother Mary) was signaled by the arrival of the Three Kings or Magi, who followed a star from the East to Bethlehem.  Astrologically, the Star in the East, is Sirius, the brightest star in the sky which on December 24th aligns with the three brightest stars in the sky(the three kings) and points to the place of sun rise – typically referred to as the birth of the sun.
• The Virgin Mary is a representation of the constellation Virgo, denoted astrologically by the letter M.

In Hinduism, astrology plays a significant role, being widely mentioned in the Vedic sciences. 
In India, the land of the Hindus, astrology is considered a respectable science. There are even texts that symbolize and epitomize astrological findings. Astrology is prevalent in almost all walks of life in the East, right from choosing your name when you are born, right up until choosing the time you will be buried when you have died.

It is not only to Christianity and Hinduism that astrology is linked to, it is also very intricately connected with the Ancient Cultures.  In the Pyramids of Egypt, an astronomer discovered that a certain king’s burial chamber aligns with the belts of both Orion and Thuban. According to ancient Egyptians, these stars gave their pharos a two way path of renewal and resurrection.

Astrology is believed to have been existent ever since the existences of time, but recent findings in an ancient archeological site in Babylon indicate that it was prevalent as early as 3000 B.C. A particular class of people known as the Chaldeans is believed to have propagated astrology in Egypt and the Middle East. Mesopotamia is considered the birthplace of Astrology and it is believed that the Greeks, led by Alexander the Great conquered Mesopotamia in 334 B.C, leading to the discovery of Arab Astrology. 

Although such controversies continue to exist, Astrology has revived itself in the twentieth century. In its second half, it has experienced great popularity in almost all Christian countries. Regardless of what we think of astrology, it is there and it enjoys its growing popularity in more ways than one.