HISTORY OF ASTROLOGY

So where did all this begin? The beginning of astrology covers a great span of human history and many cultures. The belief in a connection between the cosmos and the things that lived on earth has also had a great part to play in the evolution of human history. There are two main problems to be encountered while writing about the history of astrology. One is the length and the other is that of partiality. Astrology has been existent long before writing; the earliest records indicate that it was as old as the 16th Century. The amount of data available is incalculable and it would be virtually impossible to examine the subject in depth. It would be endless. Discussing about astrology is difficult as it cannot be discussed without emotion. Not only is there temperament but also there is a lot of people out there who are misinformed, and almost always biased. Therefore it becomes very difficult to maintain a neutral stand. Beginnings of Astrology: When did the concept of Astrology come into existence? More importantly how did it come into existence? The most likely answer to these two questions would be, as soon as man was capable of intelligent thought. Once he had learnt how to take care of himself, he must have probably begun to notice the universe around him, how the Sun was the source of warmth and life to all things that lived, how the Moon and the Seas swelled and sank, and how these natural phenomenons had an effect on his emotional stability. Interestingly it is believed that it must have been man’s natural reverence for all things that moved in the sky, which he considered Gods that led to the birth of the concept of Astrology. This probably led to the Babylonians inventing the calendar. In fact once the calendars were invented, by simple observation and mathematical calculations; it became easy to track the movements of the planets. This then led to the birth of the zodiac.