Astrology - Your Astrology Questions Clarified

Mankind has long had a fascination with the stars in the sky. The orbiting bodies of the planets aligning with Earth in a way to influence our very behavior have long been a topic of debate. Is there a way to divine what is going to happen in our lives by studying the cosmos?

The viewpoints on astrology are as diverse as the readings themselves are and it ultimately comes down to knowing the history of it. In this article we will cover some of the fundamental questions that concern it.

Is astrology different from astronomy?

For many years astronomy and astrology were essentially the same. Both branches were studying the stars and trying to come to a conclusion on how they related to Earth. It began to divert from astronomy around the time that Isaac Newton published his hypothesis on celestial gravitation.

It began to center around how the stars, planets and lunar nodes affected human behavior. Astronomy deals, predominantly, with how celestial bodies are formed, age and their affect on the physical properties of Earth.

Who first discovered astrology?

It is unknown who first began studying the stars at night to determine behavior or even the future. Isaac Newton is attributed to studying how gravitation affects the entire universe.

But astrologists and scientists alike have not come to a conclusion if Newton's theories actually helped develop the field of it. There have been recent discoveries of scrolls and drawings recovered from the Babylonians which would date it around 2000 BCE.

Why were earlier astronomers interested in it?

The fundamentals of astronomy and astrology are the same. Both require a study of planets, gravitational fields and stars in relation to Earth. As each branch discovered new patterns, stars or planets, they would publish their findings. It was through the combined intellectual talent of both groups that real progress was able to be made.

What does alchemy have to do with astrology?

Alchemy and astrology, in particular Babylonian-Greek astrology, both believe that the planets hold dominion over parts or elements of the earth. In alchemy it is believed that each planet rules over a metal. The metal is specific to that planetary body. Alchemy and astrology still function in tandem with each other.

What is the relationship between astrology and tarot cards?

It is not so much that tarot cards affect astrology as it is astrology affecting tarot cards. A tarot deck usually has 78 cards. Some are made up of the 12 signs of the zodiac. Others are a mixture of what is known as Major and Minor Arcana cards. The cards take from a variety of different cultures ranging from India to Egypt.

Is it true that it affects our psychological wellness?

No one knows for sure if it does have it right when it comes to planetary bodies affecting our psyche. Even the renowned astrologist Carl Sagan stated that not enough is known to come to a conclusion. There are advocates on both sides, astrology and psychology, that agree with Sagan.

How has astrology affected mankind?

Without a shadow of a doubt it has had an impact and affected mankind. Even withholding the idea that planets, the sun, or the stars affect and influence our daily lives, without its input much of the information we have on the solar system would not exist. Astrology and astronomy were intertwined for many, many years.