The History Of Astrology In The Western World

By Author: anne phillips
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Astrology is something that has been around for thousands of years and it is a subject that captures the imagination of millions of people around the world on a daily basis. It does have its roots in various areas of the world and this is why there are distinct traditions on different continents.

One of the most popular is what is known as western astrology and this is what people in Europe and North America really read about with their star signs. This has its roots in the Middle East and in particular the Babylonians meaning we are following the same basic ideas that were first introduced over 4000 years ago.

This then started to spread through civilizations such as the Egyptians but it was then mainly the Greeks that helped to mould it more into something that we recognize today. This was then taken on even further by the Romans who spread the ideas across their entire empire which covered vast swathes of modern day Europe as well as North Africa.

The next time that it really appears is really after the spread of Islam in the Middle East and across Africa. It did not have as smooth a road ...
... with Muslim scholars as there was a clear split amongst them as to whether or not it actually was something that should be deemed as Islamic.

The middle ages saw it playing an important part in regards to the church where it was widely accepted that they would hire astrologers to predict various events and read what was in the stars. It also saw the emergence of scientific astrology where the practitioners not only read horoscopes but also used their time to try and make various discoveries and the most famous person involved in this was Galileo.

This is a subject that has always maintained close links with so many other areas of science which is why in the middle ages they were actually referred to as mathematics. Astrologers have been held in high regard by leaders of both empires and religion with historical decisions having been made just on the basis of what they stars appear to say.

So when you look at your horoscope in the morning you are only continuing a tradition that has been around for thousands of years. Our symbols and the way we let astrology rule our lives may have changed from its roots but for many people they still cannot carry on with their day until they have found out what the stars have lined up for them.
English Astrologer Patrick Arundell offers Horoscope & Astrology readings including love horoscopes, Free Tarot Readings and much more.