Western or European astrology originated in
Babylonia and Chaldea around 2,000 B.C. The planets were equated to gods
and celestial events observed for omens. Most cultures observe heavenly omens,
but Babylonian religion was particularly astral based and by 1,500 B.C. had collected
systematic observations of Venus and other planets.
The key invention was Zodiac around 600-400 B.C.
which allowed for precise description of location of planets and
complex system of delineation. This horoscopic astrology diffused to Greece and
throughout the Hellenistic world and became part of the science and philosophy of
the Roman Empire.
With the fall of the Roman Empire and the onset of the
Dark Ages in the 6th and 7th centuries, astrology was preserved in Byzantium and the
advanced Islamic civilization of the Middle East. This astrology, enriched by the
addition of observations and techniques, some from the Vedic astrology of India,
passed to medieval Europe in the 12th and 13th centuries. There it flourished until
the Enlightenment and went of out fashion due to
the new materialism and mechanistic philosophies introduced in the late 17th and early
18th centuries.
Over the 2,000 year span from the Greeks to the Renaissance
astrology exhibited great continuity in technique and philosophy despite some significant
changes. The phase of this astrology in Europe from 1200 to 1700 is referred to as
traditional astrology while the first period, 1200 to 1500, is known as medieval astrology
and the terminal period, 1500 to 1700, is known as Renaissance astrology. Here is more
information on the History of
Astrology in the Renaissance. Links to pages on a number of figures, prominent
in Renaissance astrology, appear above to left.
The focus of traditional astrology was on outer events,
rather than psychology (a science that did not come into existence until the 20th
century). By using a myriad of techniques, traditional astrology was able to provide
precise, accurate prediction of concrete events. Here is an example of the
accuracy and precision possible with traditional astrology, the
Disappearance of Chandra Levy.
From 1700 to 1900 astrology was practiced seriously by only
a few isolated practitioners and much of the nuance and technique was lost. By 1900
with the renewed interest in the esoteric sciences reflected by such groups as
the Theosophists and the magical order of the Golden Dawn, astrology came to be
studied again.
In its newest incarnation, however, astrology came to be
seen as a method of character analysis and psychological insight. The stars and
planets provided a map of the psyche which proved very useful for self insight
and counseling. Prediction, the raison d'etre of traditional astrology, was dismissed
as either impossible, due to the considerable loss of technique or unethical.
Modern psychological astrology introduced the use of the outer planets, Uranus, Neptune
and Pluto, asteroids, additional types of aspects and a myriad of techniques
using advanced computer software. Modern astrology is excellent for psychological
insight, but cannot predict with the precise of traditional astrology.
Mundane astrology, which uses a variety of techniques to predict events on a
national scale or over long periods of history. Mundane astrology also includes
weather prediction.
