The Origins of Astrology

SUMERIA 4300 BC

Astrology is one of the most ancient of the Esoteric Arts.It was practised in Sumeria - the world's oldest civilization in 4300 BC and my actually have had its beginnings in the depths of pre-history,since there is some evidence of a study of the night sky by people of the Old Stone Age

It is also one of the most widespread of the Esoteric Arts tody, albeit in a corrupt form disowned by most serious Astrologers. Almost every popular magazine or newspaper,features an Astrological column offering predictions and advice to those born under one of the 12 sun signs

Although often referred to as 'star gazing' - Astrology is concerned with interpreting the influence of the Planets on human affairs. To do so, Astrologers adopt two convenient devices which they know to be untrue.They classify the Sun & Moon as planets and they make their calculations as if the Earth were the centre of the Solar System

HOROSCOPES

In popular Astrolgoy , the sort that appears in the magazine columns,the term 'horoscope' is used loosely and generally refers to an interpretation bases only on the Zodiacal position of the individual's Sun.When somebody say they were born under 'Taurus' - they actually mean they were born when the sun was passing through that portion of the Zodiac named after teh constellation Taurus - something it does each year between 21 April & 22 May

Since Sun Sign Astrology, as this form of Horoscope is sometimes called, divides the entire population of the planet into only 12 different categories - it is difficult to take seriously as a basis for either prediction or character analysis

PROFESSIONAL ASTROLOGERS

For professional Astrologers,however, a horoscope is strictly a map of planetary positions as they appeared at the moment of an individual's birth from the geographical loaction where that birth occured

The fundamental calculations are Astronomical,but Astrologers not only seek to find planetary positions in relation to the zodiac (that belt of the sky defined by the sun's passage against the background of fixed stars) but also in relation to specialist sub-divisions known as 'Houses'

COMPLETE HOROSCOPE =

HOUSE + ZODIACAL POSITIONS

The precise definition of Houses is speculative - even within Astrology, and there are several systems in use to calculate them, each with its own adherents,each giving a totally different structure to the horoscope.A complete horoscope will, however contain both Zodiacal and House positions of the Planets,howevere the latter may have been calculated.When the horoscope has been se up - a pure mechanical process,anyone with a smattering of mathematical talent can quickly learn - the Astrologist will attempt to make interpretations on the basis of these planetary positions and certain angular relationships between them

When carried out using accurate and precise birth information, this approach creates an analysis which is at least - almost - unique to the individual concerned.For this reason,it has been taken seriously by some researchers with impeccable scientific credentials

Jung frequently cast the horoscopes of his patients,believing they gave insights into personality and psychic processes which would otherwise have remained hidden.For most scientists, however,astrolgoy's postulated link between planetary position and human destiny is at best unproven and at worst nonsensical.Even far more cautious theories, such as that which suggested a gravitational linkage between the position of Jupiter and the occurence of earthquackes, have generaly been derided

Several large-scale statistical analyses of personality characteristics and predictions vis-a-vis Planetary horoscope positions have shown no correlation whatsoever.Surveys of this type have been seen, quite reasonably,as positive proof that Astrology cannot work

ASTROLOGY DOES WORK

Yet the plain fact that in the hands of certain practitioners,Astrology does work and works very well indeed. The Empirical experience of Astrological validity has led to the suggestion that there is an intuitive or psychic aspect to the art.According to this theory,competent Astrologers merely use the traditional associations as a rough foundation for their interpretations, which are then modified in relation to their personal instincts so that the finished reading can differ profoundly from a mechanical assessment based on traditional association

PROFESSOR ALAN SMITHERS - 1970's

Then in the early 1970's, Professor Alan Smithers of Manchester University created substantial complications when he extracted data from the British Population Census for a total of 1,461,874 men and 842,799 women - which showed clearly that architects tended to be born in spring,secretaries in the summer, miners in the autumn and electricians in winter

Unable to leave well enough alone, he then asked members of the British Astrological Association to indicate which professions ought to be associated with the various sun signs.Without knowing the results of his massive survey,the Astrologers correctly predicted the statistical connections.One member of the Astrological Asscociation broke new ground by suggesting there should be a statistical bias towards nurses being born under the signs of Taurus, Cancer,Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn and Pisces - while trade union officials should be born under one or other of the remaining six signs.Sure enough, when the graphs of 35,781 nurses and trade union officials were checked,the predicted correlation showed up loud and clear

MICHEL GAUGUELIN

Further complications arose from the work of Michel Gauguelin, whose analysis of 27,000 birth charts produced no evidence for traditional Astrological Association,but threw up a whole new series of statistically valid links between career choices - possibly arising from personality characteristics and the rise or culmination of certain Planets

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