astrology is a pseudoscience that studies celestial bodies and the probable relationships they have with people's lives and events on Earth.
The etymological root of this word originated from the junction of the Greek terms astro, which means "star" or "stars", and logos, which means “study”. As such, astrology would initially be known as the "study of the stars".
Astrologers – individuals who practice astrology – use information about the position of planets in the Solar System, constellations and other movements of celestial bodies to supposedly predict the future or draw a profile on the personality of people.
For this, astrologers have a series of methods that are intrinsically related to doctrines, philosophies and religions, especially those linked to spiritism and witchcraft.
Some theories suggest that astrology would have emerged around the third millennium BC.
Each culture and civilization has developed its own astrology, that is, a particular model of interpretation of the stars and stars as a direct (and indirect) influence on the lives of living beings in the Earth.
Chinese, Aztec and Indian astrology are some of the best known, in addition to traditional Western astrology.
However, from further study, several branches of astrology emerged, such as transpersonal astrology or psychological astrology, for example.
signs and horoscope
One of the main tools of astrology are the horoscopes, a kind of guide and oracle, which supposedly predicts important events in the lives of individuals.
Horoscopes are based on the twelve signs of the zodiac, according to Western astrology: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.
In this case, each sign refers to an approximate period of thirty days on the calendar. Signs are assigned to people according to their date of birth.
For example, the person born on May 4th is of the sign of Taurus, as the time period determined for this sign is from April 21st to May 21st, according to astrology.
Each zodiac sign is based on a constellation, which can be observed from Earth with the naked eye during the night sky.
Find out more about the meaning of Zodiac.
Astrology chart
A birth chart is the name given to the detailed study of the conditions and positions of all celestial bodies at the time of a person's birth.
From the construction of this initial birth chart, it is possible to observe the trajectories of each planet and constellation throughout a person's life.
Due to the fact that each celestial body is endowed with a different "power", personality or interpretation, the analysis of these data together with some information about a particular individual would help to answer questions about their future, their personality and also to choose the best decisions along the way. of your life.
In other words, for astrology adepts, the birth chart would be nothing more than a “map of life”.
Astrology and Astronomy
Many people mistakenly confuse the definitions of astrology and astronomy.
Until the mid-seventeenth century astrology and astronomy still did not have a clear separation.
However, from the 18th century, with the advent of the Modern Age, astrology began to disappear from university discourse, giving space only to astronomy as a true science.
In short, the astronomy is the science that studies all celestial bodies in the universe.
Learn more about the meaning of Astronomy.