Astrology reading is popularly understood today as sun sign prediction. Daily horoscopes in newspapers, on TV and the internet have served to familiarize people with at least this aspect of ancient study. Astrology studies more than the sun's position. It is mainly about the interaction between the planets and their effect on the earth and its people. The two most important celestial bodies in this science are the sun and the moon since their effect on our planet is the strongest.
Astrology is not a young science. It has guided human behavior and been an important part of many cultures for millennia. In fact its earliest record is as old as the 3 millennia B.C. Before our modern times astrology and astronomy were regarded as parts of the same science. Time has given birth to numerous new traditions and astrological concepts.
Astrology has evolved through time with the number of known planets. Modern astrology takes into account the influence of Uranus, discovered in 1781, Neptune and Pluto, discovered even later. The four feminine energy asteroids also play a significant part in modern astrology reading though their influence is mainly thought to affect generations as a whole.
There are three popular traditions in modern astrology. These are Jyotish or Vedic, Western, and Chinese astrology. Both Vedic or Jyotish astrology and Western astrology work on horoscopes. An astrology reading is made based on charts that represent of the positions of celestial entities. These charts are called horoscopes and are created for important moments like birth or new beginnings. The science of astrology employs two-dimensional diagrams of the heavens created for specific moments in time. The diagram is then studied as per a set of rules depending on various traditions followed in different countries. Interpretations are then made of the alignment of celestial bodies at that moment. A horoscope is usually calculated for the moment of a person's birth, or at the beginning of a new venture, because the alignments of the heavens at that moment are thought to influence the nature of the subject under consideration. Horoscopic astrology is the most influential and widespread form of astrology in Asia and Africa today. Western astrology differs from Vedic astrology in that while the latter employs the sidereal zodiac, Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac.
Chinese astrology is based on a system of twelve signs. Each is represented by an animal, namely rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. These signs correspond to twelve two hourly divisions of the twenty-four hour day and the twelve months of the year. Each sign governs a different year and multiplies with the five elements recognized by Chinese cosmology to give a sixty year cycle. Different versions of astrology practiced in China are followed by Asian countries like Japan and Korea.
As a conclusion one can say that astrology reading gives the probability of an event taking place. Whether it finally take place or not depends upon choices we make out of our free will.
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 |