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Show UJ EDfl ESDQY, OctOBERjS, 2000 t Ml ;. - f) n Xx u -floiq l. , J -Haiti until - br. jj i 1 ! 1 1 -. , . ; " Ill I j O i" , Jl ; -1 ' I . V i I -' i 1 . Origins of astrology revealed By Leslie Sutton copy editor The Signpost Men do it. Women do it. CEOs of major corporations participate in it, but they may not like to talk about it. Its ideas are plastered all over late night television and its ads are always in the back sections of magazines. The concept of astrology guides thousands of people in today's world just as it has for centuries. "I don't believe in astrology, but it sure is interesting," said Weber State University junior Christy Lyday. "It seems ridiculous that the stars that move all the time could control my destiny." Alumnae Monika Abodishish agreed. "I think it's a lot of fun to read and see what applies to me, but it's pretty hit or miss," she said. "I wouldn't make any life decisions by it certainly." The origin of horoscopic astrology is somewhat confusing, because astrology as we now know it appears to be a conglomeration of the studies of several cultures. Many people view astrology simply as the 12 signs of the Greek zodiac. Funny that astrology didn't even begin there. "I created astrology," joked Lyday. "No, I assumed astrology was all Greek." In the beginning, early astrology was much the study of stars. The Mesopotamians took it one step further. Some writings from the Akkadian period give an example of stars telling the future. "If Venus appears in the East in the month Airu and the Great and Small Twins surround her, all four of them, and she is dark, then will the King of Elam fall sick and not remain alive." www.astologix.deartikelrhandrhist2 This type of omen lore grew more prevalent in years to come. The Mesopotamians believed that stars and planets were strongly associated with the gods, if not gods themselves. As such, Mesopotamians remained unique in their emphasis on stars being divine indicators. This most certainly led to more study in astrology, particularly by the Babylonians and Chaldeans. The Chaldeans followed 1 2 constellations through which the sun and moon regularly pass the precursors to the zodiac. r Although Mesopotamia and Babylon in particular did much to advance astrology, horoscopic astrology came into being in Egypt with the Pharoahs. Egypt took Babylonian and Chaldean studies and expanded on them. Egypt had a great interest in the stars and were masters at aligning pyramids, as well as other buildings, to fixed stars. The accuracy is uncanny, though ancient Egyptians did not have planetary theory or the proper mathematics. It is clear that they had a strong need to keep their home in sync with the heavens. It is difficult to say what the Egyptians and Babylonians added directly to western astrology, but it is more than likely that by 1 C.E., the entire zodiac was in place. From here, it's mostly Greek. Around this time, the Greek language was permeating the world and its rulers, even after Alexander the Great, would speak Greek. It was somewhat of an official language. Because Alexander the Great spread his empire all the way to northwest India, many historians have reason to believe that the origin of Hindu astrology is, in fact, Greek. Several terms in Hindu astrology appear to have a Greek origin (Hermann Hermes, Asphujit Aphrodite, etc.). It is clear that whatever was taken from the West was modified to fit and combined with Hindu culture. The group that succeeded Alexander the Great, the Parthians, reconquered much of the old Persian Empire after 126 B.C.E. The Parthians were extremely hostile toward the Greeks, and later, the Romans. The Persians then developed their own versions of astrology. When the Arabs came into power, much of this literature was destroyed. The greatest Arab era astrologers remained Persian. The astrology they taught was different from what the world had seen. It discussed the Great Cylces of Jupiter and Saturn, Abscission and Translation of Light, etc. This was the combination of Persian and Arab teachings. Arab era astrology is the immediate ancestor of today's western astrology. Aries March 21 to April 19 O Taurus April 20 to May 20 Gemini May 21 to June 20 (6 Cancer June 22 to July 22 Leo July 23 to Aug. 22 1"he Sicnpost J f u u 1 I i I u u Virgo Aug. 23 to Sept. 22 |