Horoscopes and astrology go hand in hand in most popular forms of modern astrology. Among the different astrological traditions today western and Vedic or Jyotish astrology are horoscopic traditions.
Horoscopic astrology is believed to have developed in the early 1st century BC. The most ancient recorded region of this practice is Egypt. However, the oldest surviving form of this kind of astrology in the world is Vedic astrology that has been practiced in India since ancient times. The world of horoscopes and astrology centers two-dimensional representations of heavenly bodies called horoscopes. These are made for important moments, usually hailing a beginning, like the moment of a person's birth or the beginning of a new venture. The horoscope is then interpreted as per Vedic guidelines to gauge the effect that the position of heavenly bodies at that moment is likely to have on the future. It is thought that the alignment of celestial bodies at these moments is crucial in determining the future and nature of the person or enterprise.
What sets Vedic astrology apart from other traditions of horoscopic astrology is that it also calculates the ascendant. The ascendant is the degree the by which the sun is seen to have risen on the eastern horizon at the moment under consideration. Horoscopic astrology is the most popular form of astrology today and has directed a lot of western interest towards the east, especially India.
The horoscope is a two-dimensional diagrammatic representation of the positions of heavenly bodies as observed from a given place and time on Earth. Today exact computation of these positions is done by software dedicated to horoscopic astrology. Arithmetic and geometry are used to make calculations involved in making a horoscope. These help find out the apparent position of celestial bodies at dates and times under consideration using astronomical tables.
Horoscopes and astrology follow four main trends. These are divided as per their use.
Horoscopes and astrology follow unique sets of techniques in these four branches. Many other sub-branches of astrology follow from these four main branches.
Signs of the Zodiac - Basic Features As per Western Astrology | |||
Aries | Taurus | Gemini | Cancer |
Leo | Virgo | Libra | Scorpio |
Sagittarius | Capricorn | Aquarius | Pisces |
Significance Of Planets In Astrology | ||
Mercury | Venus | Earth |
Mars | Jupiter | Saturn |
Uranus | Neptune | Pluto |
Four Elements In Astrology | |||
Air | Water | Earth | Fire |