What is Astrology? Zodiac Signs and Horoscopes

Astrology is the study of planetary position to determine the course of things ahead in life as well as event and details concerning past life or karma.  The earliest recording or sign of astrology was found in the 3rd millennium BC. Astrology has over the course of time, influenced culture, early astronomy and other disciplines.

Astrology uses two ways of predicting the future – one is astrological transits and the other is astrological progressions. It is important to understand how both play, in the way a horoscope is read out and predications made. Astrological transits look into the movement of planets and the impact of such movements in space and n personal horoscope. Astrological progressions use a set of methods to determine how a horoscope ha s moved forward in time.  Now-a-days, astrologers no longer predict actual events.  Instead what they do is bring out various general astrological events in order to have better results and give importance to arbitrary and unrelated events. 

There are three main astrological traditions. These are Vedic astrology, Western astrology and Chinese astrology. Vedic and western astrology make use of an astrological chart or horoscope and make their prediction using the position of the Sun, Moon, and planets. However, the point of difference between Vedic and Western astrology is in the linking of zodiac signs to their original constellations, which while is a feature not present in western astrology, but is considered of paramount importance in Vedic astrology.  The chief characteristic of Vedic astrology is in it’s use of nakshatras or lunar mansion and planetary periods known as dashas in future predictions. 

Chinese astrology uses a means that is very different from Vedic and western astrology. Instead of diving zodiac signs according to the sky, they are divided according to the celestial equator. Every zodiac sign here stands for a year and the sign is combined with a system that uses the five elements of Chinese cosmology to give a 60 (12 x 5) year cycle. Chinese astrology is a method not just used in China, it is used in m many Asian countries. 

Now, the question is – can the future be predicted by astrology? Yes to some extent. Astrology, though considered by many scientific thinkers as some sort of superstition, is actually a science because there is considerable study that goes into making each prediction. Reliable astrologers have been able to bring out future influences to accuracy, but accuracy also depends upon providing correct information and doing knowledgeable calculations. Of the many forms of astrological methods available nadi jyosiam is considered to be highly accurate as it is based on readings of past life taken from leave available in Videesvaran temple in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.

Which are Elemental Personality are you? Four Elements Type

"Of living things, my son, some are made friends with fire, and some with water, some with air, and some with earth, and some with two or three of these, and some with all... Each soul, accordingly, while it is in its body is weighted and constricted by these four." - Tablets of Thoth

If you've ever studied medicine through the ages then one of the first people who you will come across is Hippocrates. He is widely regarded as the first 'doctor' and the father of western medicine. He published a number of books in the first century bce including the now famous 'Hippocratic oath' which modern day doctors still have to take to this day.

According to Galen, these elements were used by Hippocrates in describing the human body with an association with the four humors. A theory that imbalances in elements inside the body were responsible for sickness and ill health. The Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle defined the four elements to two of the four special qualities:

Fire is primarily hot and secondarily dry.

Air is primarily wet and secondarily hot.

Water is primarily cold and secondarily wet.

Earth is primarily dry and secondarily cold.

Hippocrates theorized that we are all made up of a mixture of the four basic elements. All of: me, you, your granny, the dog, everyone! There can be imbalances though and this will affect you, your body and your personality.  Which one of the four elements are you? These Elemental personality types are also linked to the Western Zodiac and are associated with the individual horoscope star signs:

Fire - Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

Air - Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Water - Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Earth - Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn