Thousands of years ago, when our ancestors looked at the starry sky, they saw a swarm of lights. They didn't really know what they were, but they made an astonishing discovery: the movements of the stars were predictable. The seasons, tides, and harvests were influenced by the sky. It was therefore logical for some civilizations that the stars played a role in our lives. Almost all ancient cultures invented astrology. Humanity is by nature attracted to mysticism, from time immemorial to today. Even knowing that it is not a science, why do so many people from different cultures seek to give meaning to the stars?
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The 12 Signs of the Zodiac
As a reminder, the 12 signs of the zodiac are: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
The concept of the 12 signs of the zodiac dates back more than 2,000 years and comes to us from Babylon, which is now Iraq. Ancient civilizations in the country noticed that there were about 12 new moons per year. They therefore divided the sun's path into 12 parts, each part being indicated by a constellation. Drawing symbols on the stars, such as a bull or a scorpion for example, simply served to track them over the years. This is where the 12 signs of the zodiac come from.
The Natal Chart
Our zodiac sign is determined by the constellation where the sun was at our birth. But the sun sign is not the only sign attributed to us. Indeed, astrologers use what is called "the natal chart": it is a snapshot of the sky at the moment we were born. We therefore all have a sun sign, a moon sign, and an ascendant sign. The latter is used to indicate whether the sun was rising or setting when we were born. Thus, our natal chart is divided into 12 houses which correspond to different aspects of life. These houses include the position of the planets and the degrees separating them. However, the sun sign is considered the most important. The natal chart was notably used to predict the destiny of many historical figures. In a world where it was thought that the universe revolved around us, astronomy consisted of mapping stars and planets, with the aim of interpreting their influence on us.
The Symbolism of Astrological Signs According to Countries
Many believe that the position of the planets affects life. In India, astrology is a widespread art. Even TV shows are dedicated to this subject and people do not hesitate to take action based on the announced predictions. In Taiwan, where the Chinese zodiac is popular and an integral part of prevailing beliefs and culture, births are planned for lucky years: for example, the Year of the Dragon is symbolized as very lucky, so births will be organized only around that year. In the West, liking astrology means rather reading one's horoscope, which consists of predictions based on our zodiac sign. In the 16th century, European royal families often employed astrologers to obtain predictions. Moreover, Shakespeare spoke of astrology in almost every one of his tragedies! For example, Romeo and Juliet were born under opposing stars, thus making their love impossible. Thus, astrology was a recurring theme in Shakespeare's plays, who often used it to express the tragic fate of his characters. Thus, astrology is an integral part of many different cultures around the world and each culture makes its own interpretation of it.
The Birth of Astrology: Claudius Ptolemy
It was an astronomer who popularized astrology: the famous Claudius Ptolemy. In second-century Egypt, he wrote one of the most important astronomy books in history: he was the first to correctly map the speeds and rotation of the planets around the Earth, which was a true feat for the time. This major event led to a societal upheaval: it was the invention of the calendar, which would be based on this model for 1,500 years! A few years later, Ptolemy also wrote one of the most influential astrology books of all time: Le Tetrabiblos. Through this work, he absolutely does not divide the world into science and non-science, but rather chooses to associate astrology with common sense. Thanks to this, Ptolemy allowed Greek astrology to spread to the Middle East and India. China, on the other hand, was one of the few places where the export did not work, because there was already a popular system based on the year of birth, and this system is also several millennia old.
Scientific Progress that Revolutionized Astrology
At that time, two ideas began to revolutionize the world and the place of astrology: Humans had always believed that they were the center of the universe. Then, scientists like Galileo helped establish that we actually revolve around the sun. As a result, the astrological notion that everything is connected to humans was completely overturned, although the legitimacy of astrology did not disappear all at once. In fact, even Galileo drew horoscopes for his family members or wealthy clients, which allowed him to pay his bills!
But another event dealt a fatal blow to belief in astrology: 17th-century scientific discoveries such as gravity, the light spectrum, blood circulation in veins, and even the invention of the telescope, which allowed the discovery of moons, helped develop a system for determining what was true or false. Thus, it was necessary to form a hypothesis, then test it and reproduce the results. As a result, the scientific method identified what was considered a science or not. The study of planets and stars passed this test, but the prediction of their impact on events was not accepted. It is for this reason that astrology and astronomy were separated forever.
Astrology and Newspapers... The Creation of the Horoscope Section
Following this event, in the West, astrology fell into disuse... until the invention of the horoscope section! In 1930, a London newspaper published a section by the astrologer R.H. Naylor, in which he made predictions about the birth of Princess Margaret. According to him, the princess would develop a "disregard for restraint," which seems to have been the case later in her life. Moreover, the astrologer also predicted that around Princess Margaret's seventh birthday, very important events for her family would occur: curiously, just before her seventh birthday, her uncle renounced the throne in favor of her father, making her sister, Queen Elizabeth, the legitimate heir, which was unimaginable at the time! After this disturbing prediction, Naylor was given his own column where he no longer dealt with celebrities but rather drew horoscopes for ordinary readers, based on their sun signs. The idea immediately appealed to other newspapers.
Astrology and Psychoanalysis: A Close Link
Another trend arrived in time to boost astrology: psychoanalysis. Carl Jung is one of the founders of psychoanalysis. He popularized the concept of personality types and his ideas inspired personality tests such as the famous Myers-Briggs model, which are still widely used in large companies today. Carl Jung was a passionate student of astrology and often wrote letters about it to Sigmund Freud.
1960s: Linda Goodman and her book: "Sun Signs"
In the late 1960s, a new era emerged: the New Age period. Linda Goodman published her book "Sun Signs" in 1968. It was the very first astrology book to become a bestseller. More than 30 million copies have been sold worldwide, and the book has been translated into 15 different languages. This book promised to help recognize the hidden dreams, secret hopes, and true natures of our loved ones through their sun signs. Linda Goodman, through her work, claimed that sun signs would change our lives. Her book thus described what is called the personality of the zodiac signs: this is the creation of the broad personality traits that we all know today based on our sun signs.
Today, Incorrect Sun Signs and a Better Understood Phenomenon
Over the 2,000 years since the creation of the signs, the Earth has tilted. As a result, our signs have shifted. Furthermore, technically, there is a 13th sign called Ophiuchus. Many studies have been conducted and they all identify a common factor: the more a person feels not in control of their life, the more they identify with their horoscope. However, the positive attitude that a horoscope can bring can improve our results in cognitive or creativity tests: this is called the placebo effect, something does not need to be real to have real effects, believing in something is enough.
The Barnum Effect
Another very famous study is called "the Barnum effect", in homage to the circus artist P.T. Barnum. This study asserts that we try at all costs to identify with our horoscope, even if the description provided could apply to anyone. In 1949, P.T. Barnum gathered 39 students and gave them a personality test, claiming it was a psychological examination. In reality, all the profiles he determined were completely identical. He used generic terms like "your sexual adaptation has caused you problems," which in itself is a factor that affects all young people during puberty. Of the 39 students, 38 agreed with this statement, while only one said they did not recognize themselves in this description. In conclusion, the Barnum effect therefore indicates that anyone can find themselves in any horoscope. Horoscope descriptions tend to be very ambiguous and more or less positive.
Astrology, a Spirituality Replacing Religion
For some, astrology brings a spiritual and philosophical dimension necessary for the individual's well-being. This art then replaces religion, which failed to provide them with what they were looking for, unlike astrology. For example, according to a national study, Americans are becoming less and less religious over time, yet they are becoming more and more spiritual. Astrology is considered personal, as each person has their own chart and horoscope. In this way, astrology is different from a religion, where one is more part of a community. However, the ultimate goals are the same: to understand where we come from, to have the sensation of reaching or understanding the divine, regardless of whether it is a god or a great mystery from our point of view. The millions of stars in a rather chaotic universe are like a metaphor for ourselves and represent our quest, that of finding our place in the circle of life. This is why astrology, science or not, is so appreciated all over the world.
We hope you enjoyed this article on astrology and the zodiac signs! If you wish to continue enriching your knowledge about the great mysteries of the universe, we advise you to read our article on aliens and their origins.
