The History of Astrolgy

Where did Astrology and Mans quest to understand the universe begin? We really do not know. Astrology, we believe, to be the earliest science and roots of early religion. We believe mans quest in studying the heavens included the need for early survival and the wonderment to understand the mysteries of the vast universe.

First, were the needs for survival, to understand the changing seasons and to prepare. One can only imagine early man looking to the heavens above and what a wondrous site it must have seemed. Unlike today, with modern conveniences that dim the skies above, the heavens abounded with with a spectacular show in the night hours.

As early man viewed the heavens one can imagine them creating different names for certain groups of stars into today what are called constellations. They would have looked above and seen what was common in their world. images of animals and mans hunt as a need for survival. Man and the planet earth must have felt like the center of the universe, this celestial show being displayed in the dark night sky. The sun during the day moving across the skies and the stars and planets configured in the dark of night into special order but moving thru the skies. Man noticed certain lights were brighter and some seemed fixed in the sky. There were shooting stars, eclipse of sun and moon, along with comets visible to the naked eye. Man was on a quest and still is, to unlock the secrets of the heavens and how they applied to him. He created a system of organization to explain these mysteries. Perhaps sitting around a campfire he shared and compared with his fellow man and woman.

Early knowledge was kept, in certain ways, in certain cultures, some of which remains today in stone, other on tusks of animals dating to the years approximately 10,000- 35,000 BC. There were early attempts in tracking the lunar movements. We know the early cultures studied and amassed information on which to build their observations. As society and cultures emerged, man had more the luxury of time to pursue and study these heavenly movements.

The need for survival took place within communities. We know early Egyptians and Babylonians, between 3000 and 2000 BC, studied the heavens and created more of the ongoing order. Greeks and Romans also looked to the skies with their own mythology and beliefs and used the gods in the definitions and explanations of their observations. While in the East, Asians were also interpreting the skies and recognized the 7 planets around approximately 2000 BC. Earlier explorers and travelers were sharing their insights and knowledge among all and spreading their understandings. Perhaps they too were looking to the sky in ways of charting their locations. Building a vast knowledge of the skies initially without the aid of modern telescopes.

Throughout today, even more knowledge and discoveries are being added to enhance mans understanding of oneself and its relationship with the universe. As one peers into the night skies and observes its movement, one is impressed the with intricacy of the development of astrology. Take a moment to put yourself in the shoes of the earliest observers and ponder the heavens.

Astrology Terms

Angles: The four points of a Chart dividing it into quadrants. Angles are the sensitive areas that help to emphasize the planets situated near them.

The Ascendant: Eastern Horizon, Cusp of the First House.
The Midheaven: South Vertical, Cusp of the Tenth House.
The Descendant: Western Horizon, Cusp of the Seventh House.
The North Vertical: Cusp of the Fourth House, Popularly called the Nadir, with which it sometimes corresponds.

Ascendant: Rising sign. Cusp of the First house. The Ascendant represents your outer personality, your image. Very often, your Ascendant is the image or first impression you make on others.

Aspect: The geometrical relationship between planets in a birth chart. Aspects are classified as Major or Minor. The Aspects indicate areas of power, challenge, ease, strain and harmony.

Major: Conjunction, Trine, Sextile, Opposition, Square.
Minor: Quincunx, Semisquare, Sesquisquare, Semisextile.

Astro-twins: Two People that share the same Sun sign, Moon sign, and Ascendant.

Astrology: Greek for "Science of the Stars". The Art and Science of studying the celestial bodies and their motion, and determining their influence on human experience, behavior, character and life events.

Cusp: The point at which a sign of the zodiac begins. When a person is said to have been "Born on a cusp", their birth time falls at or near the beginning or end of an astrological sign. Persons born on a cusp are said to exhibit the characteristics of both their Sun Sign and the previous or following sign on their chart.

Descendant: One of the four most important points in a chart. The descendant marks the cusp of the Seventh house and is the point in a Birth/Natal Chart directly opposite the Ascendant. The Descendant represents the channeling of power through partnerships and relationships. Planets at or near the Descendant indicate that the person/native may find prominence in their life through their associations.

Direct: The Forward moving motion of a planet in its orbit through the signs of the Zodiac. Direct motion is a planets normal course.

Elements: The four fundamental substances under which the signs of the Zodiac are classified. (Fire, Earth, Air, and Water).
Fire Signs: Energetic and enthusiastic.
Earth Signs: Practical and stable.
Air Signs: Communicative and intellectual.
Water Signs: Emotional and imaginative.

Ephemeris: An Almanac that lists the positions of the Sun, Moon, and Planets for each day of the year.

Grand Cross: The rarest aspect-pattern in a horoscope. It consists of two pairs of planets in opposition, the four planets involved forming a square aspect to each other. This pattern forms a cross in the Birth/Natal chart. This pattern often reveals itself in the Charts of Self Made Men and Women.

Grand Trine: An unusual aspect-pattern in a horoscope, in which three planets are all in trine to each other, (120 degrees away from each other), forming a grand triangle. A Grand Trine usually indicates that the person/native will be blessed with luck or success in their life.

Horary Chart: From the Greek word Hora, meaning "hour", a special horoscope cast for the moment in which a specific question is asked. The Theory behind Horary astrology is that when a question is asked, the positions of the planets at that moment can help to answer the question.

Horizon: In a Horoscope, the line that intersects the circle from east to west and divides the circle into a top and bottom half. The line of the horizon connects the Ascendant and the Descendant.

Horoscope: From the Greek words hora, meaning "hour" and skopos, meaning "watcher", a horoscope is a diagram of the heavens, specifically the Zodiac, which charts positions of the Sun, Moon and planets as they appeared at a given moment and in relation to a given place on earth. The word Horoscope also refers to the analysis and interpretation of that chart. Today, the term Horoscope has come to mean the daily prediction for Sun signs, found in Newspapers, Magazines and the internet.

Houses: The twelve divisions of a horoscope that represent different areas of life.

First: House of Self.
Second: House of Money and Possessions.
Third: House of Communication.
Fourth: House of Beginnings and Home Life.
Fifth: House of Pleasure, Creativity and Sex.
Sixth: House of Service and Health.
Seventh: House of Partnership and Marriage.
Eighth: House of Death and Regeneration.
Ninth: House of Mental Exploration and Long Distance Travel.
Tenth: House of Career and Public Standing.
Eleventh: House of Friends and of Hopes and Wishes.
Twelfth: House of Secrets, Sorrows, and Self-Undoing.

Karma: The Doctrine of Karma is used in Esoteric astrology, a form of astrology and theosophy that stresses spiritual evolution and the unity of the soul with the cosmos. The philosophical concept of Karma originated in the Hindu and Buddhist religions, that a person's past and present deeds determine his or her destiny in this life and in the lives yet to come.

Lunar Return Chart: A horoscope cast for the moment in which the Moon returns to the exact degree it occupied a the moment of birth. Used to forecast trends and events in a persons life during the coming month.

Midheaven: Also known as Medium Coeli, "Middle of the Heavens", Abbreviated in Charts as M.C. One of the four angles in a horoscope. It marks the cusp of the tenth house and is directly opposite the Nadir. The midheaven represents ambition, ideals, and public image. Planets at or near the Midheaven tend to indicate that the person is likely to make a mark on the outside world.

Mundane Astrology: From the Latin word mundus, meaning "the world", this branch of astrology assesses and forecasts world events, political movements, national occurrences, and cultural trends.

Nadir: Also known as Imum Coeli, "lowest part of the heavens", abbreviated in charts as I.C. The Nadir marks the cusp of the Fourth house and is the point in a birth/natal chart directly opposite the Midheaven. It represents a person's beginnings, parents, home life, and what he or she inherits from previous generations.

Natal Chart: Also known as a Birth Chart. A diagram of the heavens that charts the positions of the celestial bodies as they appeared a the time of a person's birth. A Natal Chart is a very personal chart and many astrologers believe it contains only the truest portrait of the person.

Nodes: The two points, north and south, where the orbit of the Moon or any of the planets intersects the path of the Sun. The North Node is thought to indicate areas of benefits and honors, and the South Node is thought to indicate areas of of strain and adversity. Some Modern Astrologers believe that the North Node pertains to forming ties in Relationships and the South Node to dissolving them.

Opposition: Two or more planets are opposite each other in a Horoscope, (separated by 180 degrees or within 9 degrees either way of 180 degrees).. The traditional view of an opposition in a chart is that it is an unharmonious aspect, one that produces tension and conflict. The modern view is that an opposition in a chart brings challenge fro growth and achievement, because the person must work through his or her problems and conflicts in order to mature.

Polarity: A group of two astrological signs where each sign is opposite in the zodiac to the other sign. For example, Aries and Libra are a polarity and so are Aquarius and Leo.

Progressed Horoscope: A chart cast for a specific date in the future in combination with a person's Birth/Natal Chart to predict and assess future trends and events.

Quadrant: From the Latin word quadrans, meaning "a fourth", a quadrant contains three houses. In a Birth/Natal chart, a preponderance of planets in any of the four quadrants has specific meanings and interpretations.

Qualities: The three kinds of energy under which the signs of the zodiac are classified. The three qualities are Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable.

Cardinal Signs: Enterprising, active and initiating.
Fixed Signs: Persistent, determined and resourceful.
Mutable Signs: Versatile, adaptable, and flexible>

Retrograde: The apparent backward motion of a planet traveling through the Zodiac. The Sun and Moon are never Retrograde. The Planets do not truly ever move backward in their orbits, they only seem to do so because of the angle of observation here on the earth.

Rising Sign: Also know as a person's Ascendant. The sign of the Zodiac that was rising, on the Eastern Horizon, at the time of a person's birth. A persons Rising sign indicates the first impression or how people view them initially.

Ruling Planet: The planet that has dominion over a specific astrological sign. In a Birth/Natal Chart the planet that rules the Rising Sign/Ascendant is said to be the ruling planet of the Chart.

Aries: Ruled by Mars.
Taurus: Ruled by Venus.
Gemini: Ruled by Mercury.
Cancer: Ruled by the Moon.
Leo: Ruled by the Sun.
Virgo: Ruled by Mercury.
Libra: Ruled by Venus.
Scorpio: Ruled by Pluto. (Traditionally ruled by Mars)
Sagittarius: Ruled by Jupiter.
Capricorn: Ruled by Saturn.
Aquarius: Ruled by Uranus. (Traditionally ruled by Saturn)
Pisces: Ruled by Neptune. (Traditionally ruled by Jupiter)

Sidereal Astrology: From the Latin word sidus, meaning "star". Sidreal Astrology bases its Zodiac on the actual grouping of Stars, or constellations, intersected by the ecliptic. Siderealists believe that the Sun's entrance into the signs of the zodiac should be based on the precession of the equinoxes, and therefore their zodiac slowly changes along with the earth's shift in position. For example, a person born under Aries according to traditional (Tropical) astrology, would be regarded by Siderealists as a native of Pisces.

Signs of the Zodiac: Also Known as Astrological Signs. The twelve 30 degree segments of the zodiac: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. The Signs of the Zodiac are based on the band of constellations in the heavens through which the Sun travels on its apparent yearly journey around the earth.

Solar Chart: A horoscope in which the Sun sign is also considered to be the Rising Sign/Ascendant. This horoscope is used when a person's Birth time is unknown. For many astrologers a solar chart is useful to look at the overall pattern of a personality and to ascertain general trends.

Solar Return Chart: A horoscope cast for the moment in which the Sun returns to the exact degree it occupied at the moment of a person's birth. It is used to assess and predict trends and events in a person's life during the coming year.

Transit: From the Latin word transitus, meaning "the act of going across". The passage of the Sun, Moon, or planet through a sign of the zodiac, for example, the transit of Venus through Aries.

Trine: The most beneficial and harmonious aspect, bringing advantage and ease. Many astrologers feel, however, that trines may be conductive to complacency or laziness, because the person does not have to make sufficient effort in order to realize success.

T-Square: An unusual aspect-pattern in a Birth/Natal chart that consists of three planets, two of them in opposition to each other and the third halfway between the two, thus forming a square to each of the two planets. A T-Square is considered to be a difficult influence that motivates a person to fight and to resolve problems. A T-Square appears in many Famous Men and Women's charts.

Zodiac: From the Greek word zodiakos, meaning "circle of animals". A narrow band of the heavens circling the earth that is divided into the twelve signs of the zodiac. These signs correspond to the twelve constellations (group of stars) of the same name that are contained within this narrow band of the zodiac, but the signs and the constellations are not the same.