Astronomy and astrology were closely linked in antiquity—including Asian, Babylon, Greece, and Egypt—to the point of being indistinguishable from each other. Astronomy and astrology have been defined in many ways over the centuries, so we must begin by specifying exactly what we mean by the two terms. Astronomy and astrology have been defined in many ways over the centuries, so we must begin by specifying exactly what we mean by the two terms and also art that is based on the observation of heavenly bodies and seeks to determine their presumed influence on earthly events and human fate. We can say that man and earthly events are closely connected to the universe and, more specifically, to the heavenly bodies. This explains the simultaneous development of early forms of astronomy, to measure and explain the movements of celestial bodies across the sky, and of astrology, to link these movements to the fate of humans on Earth.
These two disciplines, now completely separate, were totally integrated in most ancient civilizations; astronomical research led to ever more sophisticated mathematical modelling of the movements of celestial bodies. It was very different from our modern definition, namely, the use of the configuration of the planets, the sun, and the moon to determine a person’s future at birth. Once the idea of a parallel between celestial events and earth or human events is accepted, its use and development are a logical consequence.
Astrology was anchored in the Stoic concept of life, where chance does not exist and all events are decided by fate. There are and can be only two ways of searching into and discovering truth. The one flies from the senses and particulars to the most general axioms, and from these principles, the truth of which it takes for settled and immovable, proceeds to judgment and to the discovery of middle axioms. And this way is now in fashion. The other derives from the senses and particulars, rising by a gradual and unbroken ascent, so that it arrives at the most general axioms at last of all. This is the true way, but as yet untried. The current period is marked by the growing importance of statistics, which uses growing volumes of data. Astrology is concerned with providing descriptions of one’s personal potentials and how to make the best choice at different stages in life. This is not the same sort of information that is generated by psychological tests, which typically only measure the dimensions of psychology traits.
The level of belief in astrology is still far from negligible. Astrology ranks first in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and North America, while Europe (excluding the United Kingdom, Norway, and Sweden) and South America prefer astronomy. Astrology ranks first in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and North America, while Europe (excluding the United Kingdom, Norway, and Sweden) and South America prefer astronomy.
