If you’re a non-believer in astrology, spend a little time with the Secret Language of Birthdays by Gary Goldschneider and Joost Eiffers. We guarantee it’ll make a believer outta you.
It’s a weighty tome, to be sure. Each birthday gets two full pages of on-target information as well as the usual celebrity birthdates, etc. Now this is a good book to have. Even better is one of the companion books, the Secret Language of Relationships.
Describing 1,176 possibilities, The Secret Language of Relationships sheds light on the classic questions–the hows and whys of chemistry in relationships. Is there a prime ingredient for love at first sight, a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of it all. An entertaining exploration of the very thing we cannot do without–each other–this wonderful volume explains why we feel the way we do about the people in our lives, and how–if necessary–to make it better.
You start with a matrix in the front with birthweeks across the top and side. You match your birthdate on one axis and find the birthdate of your new beloved. Every match-up by birthweek gets its own astrological prognosis. We used this book after many, many first dates, none of whom really worked out.
Both of them are fun books to take to work occasionally or have at parties because they’re great icebreakers and a lot of fun to watch people’s reactions when they hear their own profiles.
Other books in the series by Goldschneider and Effers include the Secret Language of Destiny and the Astrology of Time. If you become more involved with astrology, you might want to invest in these books. They’re well worth it. You may even want to take a class or seminar in astrology, or join a newsgroup online. There are so many of them, just do a few searches and you’re sure to find many like-minded spirits.
Origins, Babylonians
The Babylonians are generally acknowledged to have originated the practice and science of astrology. Their astrological charts enabled them to predict the recurrence of seasons and certain celestial events. So, in the beginning and for more than 2,000 years, astrology and astronomy were the same science.
Babylonian astrology was introduced to the Greeks early in the 4th century BCE and, through the studies of Plato, Aristotle, and others, astrology came to be highly regarded as a science. It was soon embraced by the Romans (the Roman names for the zodiacal signs are still used today) and the Arabs and later spread throughout the entire world.
While earliest astrology was used to bring a sense of order out of apparent chaos, it was soon employed to predict weather patterns, primarily for agricultural purposes. It was eventually widened to include forecasts of natural disasters, war and other events in the affecting the human condition. Once success in these fields was established, it was a natural evolution for astrology to be used as a means for advising for kings and emperors and, in time, the population at large.
The zodiac (which is derived from the Greek word meaning circle of animals) is believed to have developed in ancient Egypt and later adopted by the Babylonians. Early astrologers knew it took twelve lunar cycles (i.e., months) for the sun to return to its original position. They then identified twelve constellations that they observed were linked to the progression of the seasons and assigned them names of certain animals and persons (in Babylonia, for example, the rainy season was found to occur when the sun was in a particular constellation which was then named Aquarius, or water bearer).
Around the year 2000 BCE, Babylonian astrologers believed that the sun, moon, and the five planets known at that time (Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Saturn, and Venus) possessed distinct powers. Mars, for example, appeared to be red and was associated with aggression and war.
Skeptics of Astrology
Skeptics of Astrology often say that horoscope readings are so general they could apply to anyone; and that people will look for what they want to see and ignore what doesn’t seem true for them, thus deluding themselves that the horoscope is accurate.
This skepticism would most likely be eliminated if the skeptic actually looked at a real horoscope done by a competent professional astrologer, using his unique time and place of birth. But in this second part of the series, we’ll look at an example of how a skeptic of Astrology can come to a false conclusion and go on saying that Astrology is bunk or fake to others – by NOT using a real horoscope to prove his point.
Although astrology will always have its skeptics, they should consider some of the following before making up their minds.
—Astrology probably gave birth to Astronomy. There is nothing supernatural about casting a horoscope, most of it is done according to precise astronomical and mathematical principles.
–Many famous scientists have been into Astrology: Tyco Brahe, Karl Jung, Kepler, Huxley, and Copernicus. Many others remain anonymous.
–Astrologers do not necessarily believe in fate. They believe the stars impel not compel.
— There are 10,000 practicing paid Astrologers and millions of horoscope followers. There are hundreds of books on the topic. Only 10 percent of Americans believe there can’t be anything to it.
–. Many astrologers believe in a natural synchronicity between the stars and events. Other countries place even more value in it.
–It is an undisputed scientific fact that the planets have a measurable magnetic, gravitational and electromagnetic influence on the earth. Most people agree that bizarre behavior tends to peak on full moons.
–Astrology is not limited to natal. There is also electional, horary, mundane, medical, meteorological, Chinese 12 year and millennial.
–The vast majority of those who look at their own chart (not just a newspaper column) find uncanny accurate hits.