More Popular Than Ever Before

Astrology is based on the theory that the sun, moon, stars and planets influence human affairs. To calculate that influence, astrologers cast a birth chart, known as a horoscope, showing the positions of the sun, moon and planets in relation to the Earth and stars at the time of a person’s birth. The horoscope includes a Zodiac, divided into 12 equal signs (Aries, Cancer, Leo, Aquarius, etc.) and 12 houses representing the Earth’s surface. Astrologers claim that properly cast horoscopes can reveal a person’s character, temperament, aptitude and future. Critics say no serious explanation has ever been advanced regarding the nature of heavenly bodies’ influence on people or the manner in which they are received.

When astrology first arose with the Chaldeans and Babylonians around 2000 BC, it was closely tied to religion and astronomy. (Precise knowledge of heavenly bodies was needed to make calculations.) Astrology lost popularity with the rise of Christianity in Europe and later the rise of astronomy as a separate science. But it regained popularity in the 1930s when newspapers in England began publishing daily horoscopes. Today, some authorities say, astrology is more popular than at any time since the Renaissance.