HHHFranklyn M. Branley
• illustrated
by Leonard Kessler
Age ofAquarius \bu and Astrology
38
^^^^B^m^mamm S6.95
Do
make good leaders? Is a more likely to be an outgoing
Scorpios
Sagittarius
world traveler than a Leo? By knowing the date and time you were born, astrol-
ogers believe they can
tell
many
things
about your personality and your destiny. In this livek account, noted astron-
omer-educator
Franklyn
M.
Branley
takes an objective look at the changing role of astrology
from the time of the
ancient Babylonians to the present. light of
In
our expanded knowledge of the
solar system, he considers
what
astrolo-
do as well as their limitations. The author explains how an astrologer constructs a horoscope, how you can make your own chart, and makes clear
gers can
and understandable why astrology has been so popular yet controversial throughout the ages.
Leonard Kessler's ture
the
lore
intriguing subject.
0-690-0 M87-3
0-690-03988-3
(I
droll pictures cap-
and fascination
of
this
BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Digitized by the Internet Archive in
2011
http://www.archive.org/details/ageofaquariusyouOObran
Age of Aquarius You and Astrology
By Franklyn M. Branley and Leonard Kessler
A Book of Astronauts for You A Book of Flying Saucers for You A Book of Mars for You A Book of Moon Rockets for You A Book of Outer Space for You A Book of Planet Earth for You A Book of Planets for You A Book of Satellites for You A Book of Stars for You A Book of the Milky Way Galaxy for You A Book of Venus for You Age of Aquarius: You and Astrology
Aquarius You and Astrology by Franklyn M. Branley
Thomas
Y.
Crowell
New York
Age
You and Astrology
of Aquarius:
©
1979 by Franklyn M. Branley Text copyright Illustrations copyright 1979 by Leonard Kessler
©
in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address Thomas Y. Crowell, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, N. Y. 10022. Published simultaneously in Canada
All rights
reserved. Printed
or reproduced in any
by Fitzhenry & Whiteside Limited, Toronto. Designed by Joyce Hopkins FIRST EDITION
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Branley, Franklyn Mansfield,
Age
of Aquarius:
1915-
you and astrology.
Bibliography: p. Includes index.
summary:
Basic information about the roots
of astrology and the beliefs of astrologers today, with directions for casting your 1.
own
horoscope.
Astrology-Juvenile literature.
IJ(£Ssk?rri*STTOrd=e^J920- II. -BT:T708.1.B72 197^> 133.5
[1.
Astrology]
Title.
78-22511
ISSN" 0-690-03987^ ISBN 0-690-03988-3 lib. bdg.
Dudley Branch Library 65 Warren Street Roxbury,
MA 02119
/
*
^
P7)
"
/y
A
strologers believe that our lives are tied closely to the planets
and the If
the
lucky.
may
stars.
There are good planets, they believe, and bad ones.
good planets were If
the
the sky
wrong ones were
when you were
born, you're
there, that's not so good. But things
get better later on, for the planets will
tions. Astrologers lives,
in
move
into
new
say that the planets are very important
as also are certain signs
Do you know what your sign
in is?
posi-
in
our
the sky.
Do you know
or a Taurus, a Gemini or a Libra?
If,
for
if
you are an Aries
example, your birthday
comes between July 23 and August 22, you are a Leo. Leo is the Latin word for lion. People who believe in astrology say that anyone born under the
sign of the lion will
be
like
the king of the beasts.
1
He
be brave and
will
but he can also Find
"show
where the date
signs given below,
are
will
work
his
hard. At times he will be playful,
claws" and roar when he's angry.
of your birth
falls in
the descriptions of the
and then read what the astrologers believe you
like.
March 21- April 19 ARIES, the
A ram
is
a
male sheep that
butts other
are a pusher, you get things done.
enjoy being a leader. You in
many
like to try
different kinds of sports.
ram
sheep with
his horns.
You make many out
new
ideas,
So you
friends,
and
and are good
April
20-May 20
TAURUS, the bull Like a bull, a Taurus
is
steady and strong.
You do
things yourself,
and do not depend on other people. You are slow people get out of your that at
a
way when you
you are healthy and are
are angry.
solidly built.
school and also at home. Like a
good business head and work
bull,
You
you
to anger, but
The chances are
are a hard worker
like to eat.
You have
well with finances.
May 21-June 20 GEMINI, the twins
A
Gemini,
time.
You
like twins,
often does
two or more
things at the
same
one
friend
are changeable; you go easily and often from
to another,
from one sport to another, or one hobby to another.
You are
are active; you like to go places rather than stay at
good
at
home. You
jobs that require handwork, such as model making,
sewing, and piano playing. The double nature of your interests
cause you to
start
more
things than
you can
may
finish.
June 21-July 22
CANCER, the crab
Like a crab,
you are a Cancer you keep
if
stubborn, and curious.
them very would
well. Travel
rather be at
have money ested as
You
in
in sports,
swimming,
is
home.
the bank.
sit
Like a crab,
interest, for a
and
are
Cancer
you hold onto things and so
are a collector, and not
unless they have something to
fishing,
You
back and study people, so you know
only of passing
You
to yourself.
skin diving.
much
inter-
do with water, such
July
23- August 22
LEO, the lion
•
V
'
You have already read something about a Leo. In addition, you are very active and work hard to excel in whatever you do. You may
show
off at times, but
able to rings
do
things well.
you do not need
You
like
and necklaces. Also, you
times what you try
may prove
actor or producer; or a
good
to
because you are
really
clothes and adornments such as
try everything, risky.
A
leader, for
even though some-
Leo would make a good
example, a class president.
August 23-September 22 VIRGO, the virgin
A
Virgo
likes to find things
friends, but they are
out for himself. You have only a few
good ones. You
enjoy them more than rock and ing, riding,
like
roll;
good music and
plays,
and
your favorite sports are hunt-
and climbing. You are a good student, you read a
and though you enjoy a joke, you smile rather than laugh
lot,
loudly.
September 23-October 23 LIBRA, the scales
A
Libra
is
a weigher, a balancer, a
and interested
in
doing things
good umpire devoted
right.
to fair play,
You work hard and long
at
times, then relax
and then
diet
helping others.
and do nothing. You are apt
and get
Team
thin.
You
sports are
hobbies are apt to include raising or doing experiments
problem easily
is
in
to eat
and get
are well liked, and are always
most appealing fish
and your
to you,
or animals, designing clothes,
chemistry or other scientific
that as a Libra
fat,
you are unable
to
fields.
One
make up your mind
because you can see both sides of an argument.
October 24 -November 22
SCORPIO, the scorpion
A
Scorpio
is
determined. You work toward a goal, and nothing can
stop you or change your mind.
You
like
privacy;
comfortable by yourself. You make decisions
energy and lean
vitality to
and sinewy and
carry out your plans. to enjoy sports
You
you are very
easily,
and have
are inclined to be
where you compete
against
a clock or a record (pole-vaulting, for example) rather than against
an opponent. You are successful everything you do.
in
school and,
in fact,
in
most
November 23— December Og
21
SAGITTARIUS,
.
the archer
*v» •%%
A
You make friends easily and like people so much that you can see no wrong in them. You are outgoing and so would make a good actor or singer, or a Sagittarius
is
a sharp person, like an arrow.
salesperson.
Money
and used.
passes through your fingers, yet you always
It
is
not important, except to be spread around
have some. You love to be active involved.
You
like to travel,
in
seem
to
clubs or wherever people are
but not alone.
December 22— January
19
CAPRICORN, the goat
A Capricorn,
like
a goat,
is
surefooted.
You
pick your
and are eager and ambitious. Perhaps you work
weekends 8
to earn
money. You are very
practical
way carefully,
after school or
on
and so are always
prepared.
You
like
doing something worthwhile; your hobbies are
useful ones, such as
cooking or repairing
trains
You have good
and other
have hard muscles and make a good wrestler. You also health.
Some
Capricorns get so involved
being practical, that they
fail
in
toys.
following rules, and
to participate in
"fun"
activities.
January 20-rebruary 19
AQUARIUS, the water bearer
£*W«
'//*AV.l Ivy
fivvTOv
w*,.
iCTT,
v
!»»»•
An Aquarius is lucky, for you carry wisdom (the water in the jar). You change a lot, and sometimes are active with others and sometimes want to be alone. You are very liberal, and believe that people should do as they please. You like to help others, either with money or in a job. You like to solve puzzles, mysteries, and riddles. Being ordinary bothers you, for you would rather be different, lead the way.
February 20-March 20 PISCES, the fishes
A
Pisces
is
deep,
like
change quickly from happy
good one
at
Few people
the ocean.
to sad,
from active to
among
adapting yourself to others:
of the
most
quiet;
are probably interested
your favorite. And
among in art
some
inactive.
most
You
You are
active.
You
swimming
kind. In sports,
be an actor or be
you'll either
you.
quiet people, you are
active people, the
of
know
realK
in
some
is
trade
related to water.
These are
just a
few of the things
know about you when they under.
In
addition, your sign
that astrologers believe they
find out
tells
what
ble; for
especially strong or weak,
example, strong-willed
Why
you were born
an astrologer which planets affect
vou the most, what your favorite colors
body are
sign
are,
what
parts of
your
what metals you most resem-
like iron
or flighty like quicksilver.
Astrology Began
Such ideas are not new. Astrology began thousands of years ago. Long before the
10
birth of Christ,
people called the Babylonians (and
—
the Chaldeans before them) gazed into the sky. stars
and planets and believed
that they
They watched the
had strong
effects
on
their
lives.
The Babylonians
lived in a river valley that lies east of the
terranean Sea. The valley
(between the
rivers)
The Babylonians
them by
in
a place that
cuneiform
was
called
by the Greeks, and which
built large cities.
Mesopotamia
we now
They grew crops and
made
building canals. Artists
signed pottery.
beautiful statues
The Babylonians developed a system
—and
they learned
and planets
how
to
were advisors
events. Certain priests stars
is
call Iraq.
irrigated
and de-
of writing
keep a written record of
to the king.
to forecast events in the
Medi-
life
They used the
of the king.
The
priests
started astrology.
The Babylonians, their
gods
for help of
like all
many
other ancient peoples, looked to
kinds. For
god or another was responsible the king, his son, and
And suppose the son
members
slipped and
example, they believed that one
for
whatever happened. Suppose
of the king's court fell
to his death in a
were hunting. deep canyon.
11
—
Why was
it
who
the king's son
fell
and not someone
be because a powerful god was punishing the
done something lieve in
king.
else?
It
must
He must have
Ancient people did not be-
to displease the god.
chance. There must be a reason for everything that hap-
know why
pened. People wanted to
they
became
were floods and famines. They sought help
in
sick,
warfare,
why in
there
planting
crops and harvesting food. They always turned to the gods, for they
who managed
believed there
was
lives. All told,
the Babylonians had four thousand gods.
The king.
god
lives of
The
king
himself.
It
with the gods.
a
god
the people
was but
were
a notch
was important It
was thought
each separate part of
their
closely tied to the fortunes of the
below the gods; perhaps he was a
for
him
communicate somehow
to
that the
gods could warn him of a
calamity such as an invasion of locusts, severe droughts or floods,
an attack from an enemy. The king would thus be able to prepare for the future, Priests
and so protect
his
people.
were important members
of the king's court.
It
was
through the priests that the gods could send messages about the future.
One way
of doing this
goats, lambs, calves
The organ
—
of the liver
that is
was by
using the livers of animals
had been sacrificed to please the gods.
filled
by the ancients as the seat of
with blood, and so life itself,
Through observing the "signs" on a enter into the mind of the god to
it
was regarded
the center of
all
activity.
particular liver, the priest could
whom
the sacrifice
was made.
Then, since he knew the mind of the god, the priest also knew what the god might do.
Suppose the
The 12
priest
sacrifice
had been made to Ninurta, the god of war.
would "read" markings on the
liver that
would
foretell
whether a
battle
because
liver
would end
on the
A
livers differ.
creased harvests, but
it
in
victory.
swollen
The liver
could read the
priest
generally
meant
in-
could also mean a flood. Usually markings
were favorable, while those on the
right side of the liver
left
were unfavorable.
Whatever the
on the
signs
liver
might
mean was
learned from
experience. Suppose a priest examined a liver and found a deep,
mark on the
straight
observed
was
a rich harvest, and plenty of food for everyone.
The god supply. priest
of harvest
Or
was
made
god might be
the king
letting
Sin,
the
of
all
cities.
in
that
to the
god of
life,
that
he was to have a strong
moon), Shamash (the
Nebo
night to night.
was The
one of the most important
The next most powerful god was the son
of the
of the sun. Each of the five planets that
was Marduk
see without a telescope
(Saturn),
god of war, the
the king to go ahead
changed from
the city of Ur,
moon, Shamash, the god
we can
that
large
in
the four thousand Babylonian gods
moon god
followers of Sin lived
ancient
telling
meant.
child.
The most important Zu-en or
to the
was made
know
it
would be food
foretelling that there
the sacrifice
If
Whenever that
he would know what
might decide that the god was
with his war plans.
all
priest,
the sacrifice had been
if
and healthy
he had
that after
mark, something favorable happened. Perhaps there
this
mark was seen again by the
of
And suppose
right half.
sun),
also an important god. Sin (the (Jupiter), Ishtar
(Venus), Ninib
(Mercury), and Nergal (Mars) were the seven gods
of the sky.
These heavenly gods were of special importance to the
They were the ones
that affected
most strongly the
king's
priests. life
and 13
happiness, and through him the lives and happiness of
who
gods,
These
all.
controlled the skies, brought sunshine and pleasant
weather, without which there would be no crops.
gods brought
rain;
it
fell
the gods well, for the
from the heavens.
same gods could They could
It
And
same
the
was important
to treat
also cause destruction.
crops with strong winds and
could flood the
rivers.
violent storms.
They could even cut the crops
ruin
They
to pieces with hail-
stones.
The
priests
pened on
connected what occurred
and Shamash
earth. Sin
(the
the sky with what hap-
in
moon and
moved
the sun)
smoothly and evenly across the sky. They produced law and order the sky, and on the earth as well.
in
gods
were not
(the planets)
as
The movements
smooth and
indicated to the priests that the planets
causing
all
of the other
motion
regular. Their
were
active; they
kinds of events to occur on the earth
were
—good harvests
or bad, peace or warfare.
The
task of the priests
was
to figure out
which events
heavens were connected with events on earth; planets
were close
together,
it
for
example,
in
the
if
two
might be the sign of the birth of a
prince, or of a period of dry weather, or of a victory in battle.
It
mean almost anything, depending upon what had previously happened when the same two planets were close together. The
could
interpretations often included the bright stars in a constellation. For
example, suppose
in
springtime Mars
especially bright star.
prince
was born. Ever
that star
would be
a
And suppose
to
move toward an
that about the
afterward, the
movement
good omen meaning
the royal family. Eclipses, too,
14
was seen
a son
were especially
same
time, a
of
Mars toward
was
to be born to
significant. All
man-
ner of events on earth,
good and bad,
that occurred during that
time would be connected to the eclipse.
The The later
priests kept a record of sky events
priests'
explanations were originally based upon
upon written records
victory
in battle
took place
would end
The
what had taken place
of
may have occurred when From
close together. battle
and earthly occurrences.
when
Jupiter
were
priests
and Mars were if
a
and Mars were close together
it
had before.
it
giving explanations by relating
another, even though
A
the past.
in
that time on, the priests believed that
victory, just as
in
Jupiter
memory, and
one had nothing
one event
do with the
to
to
other. For
moon might have risen in a cloudy sky and so appeared orange-red. A day or so later, there may have been long, example, the
full
steady rain that saved the crops from drying out. Thereafter, an
moon became a good omen
orange-red
individuals.
upon the
was
felt
priests,
the early astrologers,
king.
The
was
king
all-important; If
was
people would share
fortune.
were
priests
in his
likely to
good
happen
were astronomers
in
whatever affected him
moon, and
favor with the gods, If
the king
all
his
was out of favor,
to everyone.
as well as astrologers.
omers they studied the motions of the planets,
of the gods
the positions of the sun,
planets indicated that the king
The
were not involved with
They were concerned with the influence
throughout the land.
calamities
foretelling
would be saved.
that the crops
Babylonian
—the gods were
sun,
As astron-
moon, and the
visible
and they learned much about them. As astrologers they
read the skies for meanings, meanings that would affect the fate of the king and so the fate of the entire kingdom.
15
How
Astrology Spread
In
Babylonia astrology was reserved for the king and the court. But
in
other lands, and at later times, the fate of individual persons
concerned. The trend started with the Egyptians,
was
who broadened
the importance of astrology to include not only the rulers but the
masses of the people. The sun, moon, and Egyptian religion.
in
One
stars
played large parts
of their principal gods
was
Ra, the sun
god. (They had three different sun gods: Horus, god of the sun;
Atmu, god of the
setting sun;
rising
and most important, Ra, god of
the noonday sun.) The Egyptians believed that the dead were
reborn as different objects; they appeared Egyptian sign for soul *
,
16
which
is
is
*.
You can see
our present symbol for a
in
that star.
it
the sky as is
stars.
The
closely related to
Egyptian priests
knew about
motions. The Great Pyramid,
up with what was
changed
the positions of the stars and their
built
thousands of years ago,
time the North
at that
position over the centuries.
its
and so have a clue to when
of change,
turns out to be about
4700
The Egyptians knew the in their lives
The North
lined
Star has
Today we know the pyramid was
this
rate
built.
It
B.C.
skies well,
were influenced by the
of the ancient world.
Star.
is
and they believed
that events
So did most other people
stars.
Among ancient people,
the Creeks developed
astrology most widely.
Much
of
modern
Greeks learned
comes from
astrology
their astrology
from teachers
Greece from Babylonia. Much
later, after
The
the Greeks.
it
who were was
early
brought to
well established,
Greek astrology was written down by the Greek scholar Claudius Ptolemy,
who
lived in Egypt, in the city of Alexandria. At that time
Egypt, along with
many
other countries,
Ptolemy was an observer of the also
lists
of the stars
ment
means "the
One
greatest."
It
stood
still,
explained
why
first
sky
and
all
maps and
written by
them was called the AlmaThe book described the arrangeof
was
at
the center
the planets, the sun and the
moon and
the stars circled about the earth.
emy
of the
of the planets. Ptolemy said that the earth
of them.
it
Some
ruled by the Greeks.
were made by him. Two books
Ptolemy became very famous. gest which
sky.
was
The viewpoint was
the objects appeared to
move
incorrect, but
as they did. Ptol-
included information about stars and star positions. For hun-
dreds of years the information was valuable to navigators and to other watchers of the skies.
Ptolemy was an astronomer.
He was
also an astrologer. His
17
—
second famous book was called the Tetrabiblos. {Tetra means four,
and biblos means books.)
on the Influence of the
Stars.
astrologers; they contain
we
It
was divided
into the Four
Books
Even today these works are used by
most of the knowledge
of astrology that
have today.
The Greeks were fascinated by lines in a person's
fortune-telling of
all
kinds:
by the
way one's hair parted, one's appetite best way of telling one's fortune was to
hand, the
for certain foods. But their
use the stars and planets. The Greeks changed Babylonian astrol-
ogy It
is
in
many ways.
For example, they developed the horoscope.
a chart of the positions of the planets and
called zodiacal signs
—
at
and
signs
the time of a person's birth.
The Babylonian astrologers made sky charts 18
stars,
for the
day of a
king's birth,
and also
charts for everyone.
so
it
would seem
for special times in his
Many people
life.
The Greeks made
same
are born on the
that the stars should foretell the
each of them. But that obviously could not be
same so.
day, and future for
The Greeks
solved the problem by making charts not for entire days, but for a certain hour of the day, and even for a certain minute. They used
word horoscope for the chart, and for the meanings that they The word horoscope means "a look at the hour," the read from
the
it.
"hour" being the moment when a person
is
born.
At the same time that the Greeks were developing the horoscope, they were learning about botany and zoology, about astron-
omy, medicine, and anatomy. They grouped astrology along with these sciences.
The Greeks
refined ancient beliefs
each of the planets. They kept sociating
alive the
the special influence of
Babylonian idea of as-
each planet with a certain color. They also connected the
planets to certain metals,
page 32. They taught that
and
to parts of the body, as
this influence
whether the planets were high the
in
moment when
a person
Interest in astrology
was
in
you see on
changed depending upon
the sky, just
rising,
or setting at
was born. transferred from the Greeks to the
Romans when the Roman legions defeated the Greek armies. But the takeover was not immediate, for the Romans were strong believers in the kind of fortune-telling that depended upon the behavior of birds,
insects,
and animals. These were the objects
foretold the future, they said.
They
also believed, as
that
had the
Babylonians, that the future could be told from a study of the
organs of animals that had been sacrificed to one of their gods. At
19
first,
the idea that objects
in
the sky could determine the fortunes
make sense
of a person did not
to them.
However, toward the end
become popular
of the second century B.C., astrology started to
throughout the lands of the Romans.
many centuries Rome flourished, and so did astrology. The Romans spread their ideas over thousands of miles, all along the Mediterranean Sea. More and more people regulated their lives according to their horoscopes. Eventually the Roman Empire fell. Barbarians came out of the north. They attacked the Romans and For
defeated them. The barbarians destroyed books and ideas, including the
ways the ancient
had found to "read" the
priests
stars.
People entered a period called the Dark Ages. For several hundred years, learning stopped.
There were no schools, and people could
neither read nor write.
In
more and more
for
lightning, the
came
ignorance they
to believe
by the birds and animals and
fortune-telling
in
magic, just as the early
and
their
Romans had done. When
there
was thunder
gods were angry; they were punishing the people
some wrong committed.
During the Dark Ages the server o( knowledge.
churches.
Roman
Catholic church
Whatever records remained were kept
And knowledge was passed from one
The church prohibited prohibited because
it
was the
a kind of magic;
it
was
in
the
priest to another.
belief in magic. Astrology
was
pre-
was therefore
fortune-telling by
the stars.
While astrology was becoming
mained important
in
20
important
the Eastern world.
as India, for example,
Greeks had thought
less
it.
it
In
was considered
Indeed,
in
in
Europe,
Arabia and as
it
re-
far east
a science, just as the
Arabia there were only four
and
sciences: arithmetic, geometry, the structure of the universe, astrology.
During the Dark Ages
in
Europe, the Arabian world kept alive the
writings of Ptolemy, including the Tetrabiblos.
Around the year
200 the Dark Ages ended, and the Arabs reintroduced astrology to Europe. Written records were translated into Latin, the language 1
of scholars.
The schools
that
were being revived often taught
as-
trology.
Learning spread rapidly across Europe. People were interested
medicine and anatomy, and
in
in
astronomy. Sky observers were
soon to learn the true movements of the sun, moon, and planets. Eventually Galileo
was
to see the phases of
Venus and four of the
moons of Jupiter through his newly invented telescope. And astrology reached a new level of importance. It was just
13
as
important to people of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as it
had been to the Romans and the Greeks and Babylonians. Once
more, kings would not make decisions without counsel of a court astrologer.
To
gain support from the ruler, astronomers had to
practice astrology. Kings
and studied maps of the give to
all
sorts of help to
happen
in
would not sky, as
aid
someone who simply made
astronomers did. But they would
someone who could
tell
the king what
was
the future, as astrologers did.
21
—
Most astronomers made horoscopes and used them
to advise
Many of them also believed strongly in the magic of astrology. Others made horoscopes for the kings not because they believed in the teachings, but because was a way their kings.
They had
to.
it
to support their
The methods
work
in
astronomy.
that these
European astrologers used
in
making
horoscopes had grown out of the astrology of ancient Babylonia, Greece, and Rome.
And they
are
still
used today.
Signs in the Sky As
we saw
earlier,
Aries, Taurus, Leo, sky.
there are twelve signs that an astrologer uses
and so on. Each
sign
The regions are connected, so altogether they make
goes from west to east
all
a belt that
across the sky.
Each sign has a symbol that represents these symbols originated, but they
22
assigned a region of the
is
may
it.
We
are not sure
well have
how
come from
an-
—
cient picture writing, as old as the Babylonians or older. find the
modern symbol
symbol
in
the
list
The twelve Babylonians.
worshiped
all
for
your sign and also the ancient picture
on page 29.
signs of astrology In
were probably
many
addition to having
started
by the
gods, the Babylonians
monstrous creatures. There was a
sorts of
a man's head, dogs and goats with fishes' at
You can
tails,
with
bull
wolves that foamed
the mouth, and scorpions with gigantic stingers. Altogether there
were twelve monsters.
Gods must live somewhere. Ancient people, the Babylonians among them, believed that some of their gods lived in the trees or behind big rocks. Other gods might houses, or perhaps
in
down upon
moon and
their
of Sin
were
It
them were the
path of Sin and Shamash, but
— Marduk,
it
Ishtar, Ninib,
there, they
the part of the sky through
—
Sin
and Shamash
(the
thirty-six stars;
"chiefs." This region of the
priests.
For not only
was the home
was
it
the
of the other major
Nebo, and Nergal. These, you
will
are the five planets that can be seen without a telescope
Venus, Saturn, Mercury, and Mars. Whenever
planets, they are close to "the right in
in
could be identified by
was observed constantly by the
Jupiter,
From
of the
and Shamash was called "the way of Anu," Anu
the brightest twelve of
recall,
the sky.
most important gods
being the king of the gods.
gods
in
One
the sun).
The path
sky
was
of certain
everyone. The homes of the twelve special
creatures of the Babylonians
which moved
rooms
bushes or inside certain animals.
best places for the gods to live
could look
live in certain
it.
When
way
of
we see these
Anu." Sometimes they are
the Greeks took up astrology, they adopted "the
23
wax
of Anil,"
Thev changed others
nians.
choosing.
It
them are
of
and manv of the "signs" or creatures of the Babylo-
turns out that of the twelve objects identified as animals or people.
manv
the Scales. Since there are so
Creeks called
it
zodiakos
for a living being or
—the
animal
is
in
"creatures"
in
belt,
the
ele\en is
Libra
belt,
the
The Creek word
belt of the animals.
zoion
the
The exception
— vou can see the same root
zoologv (the study of animals), and of course
in
own
to creatures or objects of their
in
zoo 'zoological
an animal park.
park',
The zodiac
is
the imaginarv belt of the twelve signs that astrolo-
gers use to locate the sun, the
moon, and the
planets. (Also,
it
is
the belt of twelve clusters of stars or constellations that bear the
same names.'
So, for
the ram, Taurus the
ram or
like a
example, there
bull,
is
the constellation of Aries
and so on. The
do serve
a bull, but thev
groups do not look
star
to identify
each region
in
the
skv.
Each of the planets moves along the
moon. Each passes from one
signs, to lations, rest.
same order
as the constel-
beginning with Aries, then Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, and the
Aries
was
do the sun and
of the twelve constellations, or
another. The signs maintain the
is
number one.
entered Aries It
this region, as
a
in
In
springtime.
good time
the davs of the Babvlonians, the sun
When
happened, the vear began.
that
to start the vear,
because dav and night were
about the same length, seeds were planted, there was a revival of trees
and plants
that
had been dormant during the winter. Also,
Aries
was
that
was leader
The
first
centuries,
24
a
ram
dav of the vear
New
(to
Year's Dav
of the flock.
the Babvlonians)
came
in
March.
came In
in
our
March. 'For
own
land
it
wasn't changed to January
1
until
1
Day has become the first day of ancients, the sun was in Aries in March. Year's
in Pisces.
is
now
in
spring. In the time of the
Now
it is
the constella-
in
you and me, spring actually begins when the sun
tion Pisces. For is
New
753.) Today, the ancient
The sun over the centuries has
Pisces from
trologers distinguish
March 14
between the
shifted
to April 12.
make forecasts as though the sun had not sun was in Aries for most of this time interval still
position.
However, most
and the
sign
its
—
just as
it
as-
They
constellation.
shifted; as
It
though the
was
a long
time ago.
As the year goes from
seems
to
move from
Sagittarius to Capricorn, to Aquarius, Pisces,
around the
Your
gers.
by, the sun
Some
The path the sun follows
sky.
sign tells
you where the sun was
astrologers think the
the future. So
its
moon
our
lives.
To them,
it is
at the
all
is
in telling
birth.
about
something else
most astrologers think the planets
if
you
will
know where
the planets
be making an important
decision, the astrologer wants to find out in will
time of your
very important
necessary to
were when you were born. Or,
and so on,
important to astrolo-
location at the time of your birth
that they like to find out. Also, affect
is
is
sign to sign,
which
signs the planets
be when you make that decision so you can be advised.
These locations are always changing. The planets move through
one
sign of the zodiac to another as they
solar
system
is
quite
flat;
it
is
move around
shaped more
like
a saucer than a
For this reason the planets are always close to the the sun
moves
along. Each therefore
is
always
the sun.
in
same
one
The ball.
line that
of the twelve
signs.
Astrologers believe that the planets rule certain signs.
If
at
the
25
moment
of one's birth, a planet should
of the zodiac that
would be
it
rules,
especially strong.
happen
to
be
in
the sign
conditions connected with that sign
The chart below shows the
signs of the
zodiac and their ruling planets.
You Pluto
will
Ruling Planet
Aries
Mars
Taurus
Venus
Gemini
Mercury
Cancer
Moon
Leo
Sun
Virgo
Mercury
Libra
Venus
Scorpio
Mars
Sagittarius
Jupiter
Capricorn
Saturn
Aquarius
Saturn
Pisces
Jupiter
notice that three of the planets
— are not included. That
until after in
Sign of the Zodiac
is
— Uranus, Neptune, and
because they were not discovered
the telescope had been invented. Uranus
was discovered
1781, only about two hundred years ago; Neptune was found
sixty-five years later, in
1
846; Pluto, the most recently discovered,
was found in 1930. Modern astrology is based upon Creek astrology; the ancients knew nothing about those three planets, so many astrologers pay 26
no attention
to
them today. That
is
why we have
left
them out
of
the chart.
The
five planets
and the sun and the
moon were
considered to
be seven special gods. They were so important to the ancients that
each was given a day
—a
special
day during which
it
was the
week and their ruling planets are listed here. (Their Old English names have also been included so that you can see how we arrived at the modern names for the days supreme
ruler.
The days
of the
in English.)
Days of the Week Planet
Old
Moon
Monan Daeg
Tuesday
Mars
Tiwes Daeg
Wednesday
Mercury
Wodnes Daeg
Thursday
Jupiter
Thunres Daeg
Friday
Venus
Frige
Saturday
Saturn
Saetern
Sunday
Sun
Sunnan Daeg
The order of the days forth
Name
Day Monday
English
Daeg Daeg
— Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and so
—was not accidental. The order of the planets was based on
the time each planet needed to circle the earth. Saturn took the longest and therefore
so
it
was
in
first.
Jupiter took the next longest,
second place. The sequence was Saturn,
sun, Venus, Mercury, their
came
moon.
It
was the opposite
supposed distances from the
earth, the
Jupiter,
and
Mars,
of the order of
moon
being consid-
ered the nearest and Saturn the farthest. (See page 18.)
27
Each planet (god) was assigned
its
own day
as
shown on
the
list.
While that planet ruled over the entire twenty-four-hour period, a
the day
was named
after sunrise.
worked out
this
way:
whatever planet ruled during the
first
hour
was assigned
different planet
after
to
The next planet
in
each hour.
It
order ruled the second hour, and
so on, throughout the twenty-four hours. For example,
us start with Saturday (Saturn's day). Saturn
let
Jupiter
was
especially important. During the third hour, the ruling planet
was
Mars; during the seventh hour, the moon. The eighth hour,
was
ruled over the entire day, but during the
second hour
it
Saturn again.
Count the planets and going to again, until
the
last
Jupiter,
in their
sequential order, starting with Saturn
Mars, the sun,
etc.,
and then
you reach twenty-four. That
will
hour of that day. The next object
start
be Mars, the
after
Mars
is
twenty-four hours after Saturn's day begins, the sun the ruler; then
it
count along the
will list
ruler of
the sun. So, will
become
be Sunday. Beginning with the sun, once again to twenty-four. That takes
you
to Mercury, the
ruler of the last
hour of Sunday. The following object
The next day
therefore
is
with Saturn
Monday, and so on,
for
is
the
moon.
each of the seven
days of the week.
Astrological Signs and Their the signs
zodiac
is
and
28
their symbols. Each of the twelve signs of the
identified
symbols came
Meanings
by a symbol.
into being.
We
do not know how these
Probably they were derived from ancient
picture writing that existed long before the Babylonians. of the signs, the symbols, relate to
The names
and the ancient picture writing
that
may
them are shown below:
Symboi
Ancient Picture Writing
Taurus
b
cr
Gemini
x
Cancer
<5
Sign Aries
JX
Leo
Libra
TT* r^=
Scorpio
yy\>
Virgo
Sagittarius
X*
Capricorn
f)
Aquarius
AAA
Pisces
\~k
KD
The chart on page 32 shows how the zodiac different signs.
other clues
is
divided into twelve
Along with these signs and the planets, there are
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;elements,
parts of the body, colors
the chart. Later on, you will see
horoscope, using
this
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
that are part of
how you can make
your
own
information.
29
the planets
and
their symbols.
the god of time. This
The planet Saturn was named
was because
it
was the slowest-moving
after
of
the seven "planets" that the ancients could see. The symbol sickle, a
all
is
reminder of the scythe carried by Father Time.
*> Mercury
Two
9
the
wound around a wand. This is symbol of the wand carried by the god serpents
Mercury, the bearer of tidings and messages.
Venus
A hand
mirror.
It
is
proper that Venus the
goddess of love and beauty should have a
hand
mirror.
Mars Mars was the god of war. The symbol
is
supposed to represent a shield and a spear. Jupiter Jupiter is
was the
supposed
to
king of the gods.
The symbol
be a great thunderbolt.
Sun
O
The sun was considered
was represented by Later, a
perfect,
and so
it
a circle standing alone.
dot was added;
it
probably
came
from early maps of the solar system, which
showed
30
the sun moving around the earth.
a
Moon
4
The symbol,
moon
of course, represents
—
fire,
the
appears during the crescent phase.
elements. The ancients believed that the world basic substances
how
earth,
was made
of four
and water. Astrologers con-
air,
nected these elements with the signs of the zodiac. They began by assigning fire to Aries, earth to Taurus, and so on, around the
twelve
signs.
parts of the body.
It
was believed
that a person's health
was
affected by the influence of the planets. Beginning with the head
—the center
that controlled
body were assigned
all
others
—the various
to the different signs: the
parts of the
head to
Aries, the
neck to Taurus, shoulders and arms to Gemini, and so on
around the zodiac feminine
—
until
—
all
the feet were reached.
and masculine. Almost all
living things are either
feminine
or masculine. Early astrologers believed that the signs should be
divided
in
a similar way. Starting with Aries, which they termed
masculine, the astrologers alternated the two. the bull and Capricorn the goat
became
In this
way Taurus
feminine, even though
they are usually considered masculine. This contradiction did not
bother ancient astrologers. Most modern astrologers, however, do not use these terms. Instead, they electric,
and feminine
in
masculine signs positive or
signs negative or magnetic.
colors. The Greek astrologers important
call
felt
that certain colors
a given horoscope than
were other
born under Capricorn, for example, was
were more
colors.
partial to
deep
A
person
blue.
The
31
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—
colors of the spectrum
assigned
in
—
red, orange, yellow,
and so on
— were
order, beginning with Aries.
personalities.
It
was believed
that
temperamentally people be-
longed to one of three categories: pioneering and forward-looking (cardinal), firm
and unchanging
(fixed),
or changeable (mutable).
These characteristics were incorporated diac.
The
into the signs of the zo-
astrologers began by assigning cardinal to Aries, fixed to
Taurus, mutable to Gemini, and so on, around to Pisces.
metals. Each of the signs
was
related to a metal. Aries
strong and unbending; Taurus
Gemini was mercury
was copper
—quick and
the zodiac, including flowers and gems.
names
have been changed.
of the original
iron
and polished;
shiny.
flowers and gems. Astrologers assigned
of these objects
— hard
was
just
about everything to
Over the In
centuries,
some
parentheses after the
gems are the modern gems now ascribed
to
the signs.
houses. Ancient astrologers believed that there were twelve compartments
was
—or houses—
ruled by a sign
in
and a
a person's planet.
the sign that happened to be
in
life.
The
them
And each
of the houses
position of the houses
at the
and
time of one's birth are
important to astrologers. The twelve houses that govern a person's life
are indicated by the
numbers around the center
of the circle.
33
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SEtfAS
west to
TO
froi-\
east
EAST TOUR. HOR05CbP6 CkAP) is
a
pu-at
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op the sky T^e -r-ooiAC;
AND
Tk+S POSITION
OPTUE PLACETS
Casting Your Horoscope
when you were born helps an astrologer to "tell your fortune." And there are many other conditions that he uses. In order to make a forecast, an astrologer prepares a horoscope for you. This is a map of the positions of the sun, moon, and planets at the moment of your birth. Then from the locations and from the way the planets were Knowing the day
moving
of the
week
as well as the hour
at that time, astrologers predict future
events
in
your
life.
You can make your own horoscope. First,
draw
a circle. Inside
the larger circle
in
half
it
draw a much smaller
by drawing a
line
across
horizon. Then divide the circle from top to bottom. of the line
is
noon; the lower end
is
we
have done
in
it.
This
Divide is
the
The upper end
midnight. Divide each of the
four sections of the circle into three parts, and
the center as
circle.
draw
lines
through
the chart on page 36.
Each of the sections between the
lines represents
two
hours.
35
Label each line with the time of day. Begin at the top with noon,
then clockwise 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m., and so on. Find the section of the circle that contains the hour
were born. Standard time saving time. of birth.
In
Draw
will
our example,
be more accurate than daylight-
we have
the sun symbol
when you
in
used 1:30 p.m. as the time
that section.
noon 2.PISA
|OfcN\
HPM
ASceNOMTT
ftU0NI6KT
The date
The
of birth gives your sign. Let's say the date
sign for that date
outside that Put 32).
section.
them on page
counterclockwise, opposite to the direction of the hands
of a clock. Start with Gemini, then Cancer, Leo, Virgo, until
you have put
The is
sign in the
in all
twelve
and so on,
signs.
4:00-6:00 a.m. section turns out to be
your ascendant
sign; the sign or constellation that
Libra. This
was
rising at
the time of your birth. Astrologers think this rising sign
important
pened
in
be
to
casting your horoscope, especially in
if
sun,
;
Gemini,
moon, and
number the
in
house number
9.
The house
each other by equal-sided
tached special meaning to If
you draw such a
this
They have
planets
special
happen
in
house
locations of the
triangle,
to
meaning
be located
triangles.
life.
The houses are
Ancient people
at-
shape.
ascendant, the other two corners 9.
sections
planets are important to the astrologer.
Each house regulates a division of a person's related to
very
a planet hap-
counterclockwise. These numbers are houses. Libra was 1
is
that region of the sky.
Beginning with the ascendant section,
number
26.
Gemini. Draw the symbol for Gemini
is
the other signs of the zodiac. (You'll find
in
Go
same
was May
beginning at the center of your will
be
in
houses numbered 5 and
for an astrologer, especially in
if
certain
them.
For example:
Houses
1,
5,
9
Refer to the
body and mind
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;they
astrologer about a person's health.
38
tell
the
Houses
2, 6,
Refer to the home, to a person's posses-
10
sions,
Houses
3, 7,
and what might happen
to them.
Refer to a person's family, friends, and
1 1
relatives.
Houses
4, 8,
Refer to sickness and death; the limits that
12
must be placed on everyone;
If
the sun,
moon, or a planet happens
then the house
to
be
in
one
of the houses,
especially important. For example,
is
planet of love) should be
in
house
7,
losses.
if
Venus
(the
special attention should be
given to one's very close friends (wife or husband for a married person). Also because of Venus, the person will have unusual
a writer, sculptor, painter, musician, or poet. That
artistic ability as is
because these
talents are qualities attributed to
Your horoscope now contains the
do
this unless
signs of the zodiac, the loca-
and the houses.
tions of the sun,
The next step
Venus.
is
You cannot
to put in the positions of the planets.
you have planet
tables.
The astrologer
refers to
listings
of planet positions, similar to ones that an astronomer uses,
to find
where the
We
were
at
any given moment.
invented planetary positions for the sample chart, and put
the symbols for
house number
The
planets
them
in
9, Jupiter
those invented locations. The sun
and Mars
in
house number
4,
Sun 9
in
and so on.
positions of the planets out to Saturn, their houses,
meanings attached
is
and the
to these positions are below:
Possibility of taking a long trip;
money may
be coming your way even though you don't expect
40
it.
MEAMINO OF HOUSES FDft
Home
4
Jupiter
good
You
Mars 4
THE
important
INOIVIOUAL
in
your
saver; like to help
will
life;
you are a
around the house.
probably collect different things;
may inherit money; some troubles in home are likely; perhaps arguments.
Moon
You
2
the
are apt to be extravagant and wasteful;
your savings go up and down.
Mercury
7
You should be successful in science or literature; work with a partner will be successful.
41
Venus 8
For adults there will be great gains (or losses) in marriage or in business; likely to
receive an inheritance. Saturn 8
Big
gains
work;
if
will
health
come from is
good, long
hard,
steady
life is likely.
some of which were written by Ptolemy, you remember, almost two thousand years ago. There are many other references. Also there are the Astrologers get such information from references,
(AgAnimG op Houses Foe*,
the country
clues
in
your sky chart, the ones we've already talked about. But
there are more. of
one planet
The aspects of the
planets,
which
to another, are additional clues.
is
the relationship
There are many of
them, but these are the principal aspects: 1
.
Conjunction
When two
bodies are together as
at
the
below, and shown as they would be
horoscope
left
in
a
at the right.
ITER.
CONJUNCTION
AS SC6N FRON\ EARTH,
ARS
-roG6THe*
2. Sextile
When two
bodies are separated by 60 de-
grees with earth (the center of your map).
The sun and Mercury are in sextile chart on page 37 a good omen.
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
in
the
3.
Square
When two grees
bodies are separated by 90 de-
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a square corner with the
earth. In
our example on page 37, Mercury and
Mars are
square. This
in
is
bad
usually a
omen. 4. Trine
When two
bodies are separated by 120
degrees. This
is
most favorable;
ens the information given by
all
it
strength-
signs in the
houses. 5.
Opposition
Two
bodies opposite one another
apart as at the
horoscope
left
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;6
signs
below, and shown
in
a
at the right.
Jupiter
*s Seem fron\ earth, jupiter AND ^ ARS ARE OPPOSITE EACH OTHER
OPPOSITION
The importance
gave to the
that early astrologer-astronomers
aspects of the planets
is
shown
in
the writings of Johann Kepler.
He
was a famous German astronomer who made many discoveries about the orbits of planets.
how
He
also practiced astrology
and studied
the positions of the planets affected the weather.
He
kept
records of the positions of the planets and the kind of weather that
occurred. After eight years
If
two
in
degrees
is
the
air.
what he wrote:
But tomorrow,
does not
one another, nothing
when
reached, a thunderstorm
effect, therefore,
In
is
planets stand at 89 degrees from
happen
angle,
this
come from
will
the
full
square of 90
suddenly
a single
from the harmonious segment of the
will
star,
arise.
The
but from the
circle.
making an actual horoscope, an astrologer does not place a
planet just
anywhere
in
a house.
If it
were placed roughly,
it
might
45
vary about thirty degrees from
degrees
a house, or
in
horoscope
known
and time of
some
and aspects of the
for a person. birth.
But
special event
true location
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the
thirty
to the ancients, the twelve signs planets, an astrologer
A horoscope
it
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;there are
a sign.
in
Using the seven planets of the zodiac,
its
is
usually based
can cast a
on one's date
might be based on the date and time of start of
a
trip,
entrance to college, or a
person's marriage. Give an astrologer the time and date of the event, and a forecast can be
Do
objects
do. People
in
Certainly, us.
46
the sky really affect our lives? Astrologers say they
who do
Do
made.
not believe
Objects
in
in
astrology say they
not.
the Sky Affect Us?
everyone agrees that some of the objects
The sun has the strongest
do
effect
on
us.
in
the sky affect
Energy from the sun
keeps us the sun. All
alive. Plants
And
if
could not grow without heat and
were no
there
we would
plants,
from
light
have nothing to
eat.
our food comes from plants, or from animals that eat plants.
Wood
for heat
plants
and animals
comes from
comes from heat All of
sun
trees. Oil, gas,
millions of years ago.
that lived
that
and coal come from
can be made by burning
oil,
gas,
Electricity
and
coal.
our food and energy can be traced back to the sun. Also, the
is
one
of the causes of tides.
The main cause moon's
of tides
gravitation
is
the
strong.
move, so
of the earth can
is
it
moon.
piles
up
is
on the
pulls
It
It
at
so close to us that the
The water
earth.
high tide. Differences
moon on different parts of the moon affects us in other ways.
gravitation of the
in
part
the
earth cause the
And the Some people say that patients in mental hospitals do not sleep well when there is a full moon. Others say that the moon affects the way plants grow. A long time ago someone wrote a poem that tides.
tells
how
people
felt
about planting and the appearance of the
moon.
Co plant And you
the bean
But
You If
to this line
if
when
you vary from
will find
will
is
the
moon
is
light.
is
dark,
right;
moon
you always hark;
you are
you always follow
You
the
will find that this
Plant the potatoes
And
when
always have
this rule,
a fool; this rule to
money
the end,
to spend.
47
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
many people believe that the moon affects the weather. When the moon is changing from new moon to full, they say there will be pleasant weather. For two weeks after the moon has become full, will appear a little smaller each night. Many people Also,
it
believe that there will be unpleasant weather during this period clouds, rain, fog, or snow. Sayings about the think
it
Full
is
moon
related to weather:
moon
in April brings frost.
Clear moon, frost soon.
48
moon
The
full
The
moon and weather change
eats clouds.
together.
tell
how
people
Or
a counter-proverb:
The
moon and
But a change
If
the
moon
gers say,
the weather
in the
causes
moon
tides,
if
may change
does not change the weather.
it
affects the weather, then, astrolo-
can also affect people. And they
it
Astrologers also say, planets affect us,
if
the sun and
and also the
But
stars.
too far away, they say. The sun
because
it
Light takes
If
star
away that
though the that
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;only about
right.
150
is
a star that affects us
million kilometers
away.
about eight minutes to travel from the sun to the earth.
The nearest far
close by
may be
moon affect us, then the many people disagree. The
stars are
is
together,
beyond the sun
light
from
it
stars give off
were not
so, there
is
very
much
farther
away.
It is
so
takes over four years to reach us. So, even
heat and
light,
very
would be no dark
little
nights
of
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
it
reaches
starlight
us.
would 49
the sky at night, just as sunlight
fill
The planets are much closer on us
gers, that they pull
fills
They are so
to us.
moon
just as the
the pull of the planets on the earth
measured. The
moon
distance to Venus
when
we
much
cannot
is
does. That
it
is
true. But
is
it
cannot be
The
so close.
dis-
about 380,000 kilometers. The
is
nearest to us
is still
away than Venus. They
farther
about 35,000,000
away
are so far
that
feel their gravitation.
Also, the planets give off very
planets
close, say astrolo-
hundred times farther away. Most of the plan-
kilometers, about a ets are
it
moon
daytime.
in
so small that
is
on us because
pulls
tance from the earth to the
the sky
comes from
planets, just as
the sun.
moonlight
Each of the planets gives
is
is
It
energy. The
light
from the
sunlight that reflects
from the
little
sunlight that reflects
off
some
from the moon.
amount
heat. But the
very
is
small. All of
planets
these are reasons
do not
why
astronomers believe the
affect our lives.
Astronomers are
study stars and planets and the ways
in
gers are not scientists; they are people
and movements of the
what
will
happen
stars
and
stars
scientists
and
who
which they move. Astrolo-
who
interpret the locations
planets; they use
them
to forecast
the future.
in
Forecasting the future (fortune-telling) by the stars obviously
does not work.
If
could always win
it
did, calamities
at
gambling games
marriages would be successful, for perfect mate.
The
of every decision,
An 50
could be foretold; astrologers
stars
would
it
(or the stock market);
would be possible
dictate our decisions,
to pick the
and the
good or bad, would be known ahead
astrologer uses
many
of the
same
tables
all
and charts
result
of time. that are
moon and
used by an astronomer. Exact positions of the sun, for
planets,
placed on a chart, an astrologer
some particular make maps of the sky.
was
When
example, must be found.
at
similar information.
is
the positions are
making a map of the sky as
time. In a similar manner, astronomers also
Their
The
maps look
big difference
hold meanings that affect our
The planets were
in
lives.
they contain
different, but is
interpretation.
in
moon, and
astrologer believes that the positions of the sun,
belief.
it
The
planets
The astronomer has no such
these positions, the astronomer agrees.
who happened
But they had no effect on people
to
be born
at that
moment.
particular
Modern
astrology,
you
recall,
began thousands of years ago with
the Chaldeans and Babylonians. They believed that the earth
was
the center of the universe. They had the geocentric, or earth-
centered view.
It
was impossible
of the seven planets (the sun,
for
them
moon,
movements
to explain
Jupiter,
Saturn,
Mercury,
Venus, and Mars) as modern science can. Mystery surrounded them, so
it
was reasonable
moving objects
The
priests
close by.
In
for the ancients to consider the
as gods.
who
had contact with the gods believed they were
Babylonia high pyramids were
of the planet gods,
and was the color
seven steps,
built in
using sun dried bricks. Each of the seven steps
one
seven
was dedicated
to
that the object repre-
sented. Tiles
were heat-glazed
some
in
the various colors and set
locations the towers
the dried bricks.
In
They were
between heaven and
links
earth.
in
were 200
Temples
top layers were places where the gods might
place upon feet high.
built
on the
rest.
51
who
Priests
climbed to the top of the tower were close to the
gods, and so could
communicate with them. From these towers the
watched the movements
priests
They saw how
of the planets.
movements of the sun and the moon were. The other objects moved more unevenly. They were called the "wild goats." They were Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. They moved in ways unlike the "tame goats," the stars that steady and even the
the sky.
filled
The Babylonians and people who
why
moved
these planets
when
century
see the planets
around the sun. But
backward
move
is
truth
It
was not
did not
until
know
the sixteenth
began to be learned.
move from west
at intervals
for a while.
The reason
unevenly.
them
Nicholas Copernicus told us that the planets went
around the sun that the
We
lived after
to east in their journey
they seem to stop and then
Then they resume the west-to-east motion.
not because the planets are gods.
at different
move
It
is
because they
speeds around the sun. The inner planets, Mer-
cury and Venus, catch up to us on earth and pass earth catches up to and passes the outer planets.
us.
The
And
in
turn
lines of sight
from one planet to another are always changing, and so directions of motion also
seem
to be changing.
For example, suppose you are on a playground merry-go-round
and you're looking to
move to the
move
to the right.
seems to
at a distant pole.
So
it
is
left.
Then
as
As you go
you go
to the right, the pole
to the
with the earth and Mars, and with
left,
all
the pole seems
the other planets,
too.
Sometimes the planets appeared 52
to
be close together, and
at
other times far apart. There were occasions rose, or set, at the
same moment. The
priests
when two
of
them
gave special meaning
to such events.
Through hundreds of years, astronomers studied these events
and the motions did not It
that
move around
earth. Earth
was merely another
a god, nor
were the
related to those
on
caused them. They learned that the planets
planet that
was not the center
moved around
of everything.
the sun.
were
planets. Events in the sky
It
in
was not no way
earth.
Also, the planets are not near us, as the ancient astrologers
believed.
The moon
is,
and
is
it
earth. But the planets are so far
or the people living
Today we know still
upon
that
close enough to cause tides on
away
it.
all
these things are true. Yet
believe that the planets influence their
what
their
horoscopes
cannot affect earth
that they
tell
lives.
many people
They have
faith in
them.
made many times. One of the tests French scientist. He wanted to know how a
Tests of this faith have been
was conducted by a horoscope would affect the person
He gave
the
same complete
looked convincing, but
it
was
actual positions of the planets.
receiving
it.
chart to several persons. false.
had nothing
It
do with the
to
The forecast was a happy one, and
so the people were pleased with the chart. praised them, and also gave
The chart
them advice
The explanations
that they
were glad
to
follow.
The experiment was not meant
prove that astrology was a
may have done so. depends very much on the
fraud, although
astrology
to
it
But
it
surely
ability of
showed
that
an astrologer to
53
convince a person that he can give good advice, whether or not the stars have actually been consulted. All of us
would
like to
know what
the future holds for us. Astrol-
ogy fascinates many people because they believe
that
it
provides
information about future events and helps them to understand
themselves and others. They believe
based upon
beliefs of the earth
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
thousands of years ago
this,
and
beliefs that
even though the idea
stars as
they were
have been
entirely
is
known
changed
by modern science.
Most
scientists
agree that astrology
is
a kind of magic.
It is
magic
based upon the supposed connection between events which truth are not
connected.
It
is
in
same as the ancient belief that someone or something purposely
the
there are no chance accidents;
causes everything.
Astronomy and astrology developed over the centuries beginning with the ancient Chaldeans and Babylonians.
came an important verse. Astrology
Astrology
will
science
to understand the uni-
remained magic. Nevertheless,
it
is
still
popular.
continue to be popular as long as people allow
themselves to believe
54
â&#x20AC;&#x201D; man's search
Astronomy be-
in
magic rather than
in
themselves.
Books
for
Further Reading
Aylesworth, Thomas. Astrology
and
Concise Guide. Franklin Watts, Gallant, Inc.,
Foretelling the Future:
Inc.,
A
1973.
Roy A. Astrology: Sense or Nonsense? Doubleday & Co., 1974.
Helfman, Elizabeth Press, Inc.,
S.
Signs
and Symbols of the
Sun. The Seabury
1974.
55
Jennings, Gary. Teenager's Realistic
Guide
to Astrology. Associa-
tion Press, 1971.
Kettelkamp, Larry. Astrology:
row &
Wisdom of the
Stars.
Co., Inc., 1973.
Livingston, P.
On
Astrology.
Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1974.
Mcintosh, Christopher. Astrology, The Stars
Modern
Guide. Harper
& Row,
Inc.,
and Human
Life:
A
1973 (paperback).
Olesky, Walter, and Babbin, Kenneth. The Universe
A
William Mor-
Is
Within You:
Basic Guide to Astrology. Julian Messner, 1977.
Omarr, Sydney. Sydney Omarr's Astrological Guide for Teenagers.
Shapiro,
New
American
Amy. Sun
lishers, Ltd.,
Stearn, Jess.
1971 (paperback).
The Stars and Your
Life.
Raintree Pub-
1977.
A Time
gan, Inc., 1971.
56
Signs:
Library, Inc.,
for Astrology.
Coward, McCann & Geoghe-
1
7
Index 31, 32 Almagest (Ptolemy), 17
cardinal personality, 33
Anu, 23
colors, 19,
air,
Chaldeans, 11,51
31-33 conjunction, 43
Aquarius, 26, 29, 32 description of, 9
constellations, 14,
Arabia, 20-21
24
Copernicus, Nicholas, 52
32
Aries, 24, 26, 29,
cuneiform,
1
description of, 2
ascendant
sign,
38
aspects, planetary,
Dark Ages, 20, 21
43-46
days of the week, 27-28
astrology:
astronomy and, 15, 21-22, 45, 50-51, 54 constellations
in,
24
forecasts of, 11, 13,
21, 35,
zodiac
Egyptians, 1
4-1
5,
1
8,
23-24
46-54
in,
eclipses,
1
6-1
elements, basic, 31, 32
50
history of, 10-22, truth of,
32 14-15
earth, 31,
fire,
31, 32
fixed personality, 33
23-25, 26, 32
flowers, 32, 33
astronomy, 15, 17, 21-22, 45, 50-51, 54
Galileo, 21
Atmu, 16
Gemini, 26, 29, 32
Babylonians, 10-16, 17, 18-19, 23,
gems, 32, 33
description of, 3-4
24,
51-52
body, parts
of,
geocentric view, 51, 52-53 19, 31,
32
gods, 11-12, 13-14,
51-52
Greeks, 17-19, 23-24
Cancer, 26, 29, 32 description of, 4
Capricorn, 26, 29, 32 description
of,
8-9
horoscope: casting of, origin of,
35-46 18-19
57
7
1
Horus, 16 hours of the day, 19, 28 houses, 32, 33, 38-42,
45-46
Nebo, 13, 23 Neptune, 26 Nergal, 13, 23
New
13,
North
23
Jupiter, 21, 26, 30, 32, 41
gods
24-25
Ninurta, 12
Iraq, 11 Ishtar,
Year's Day,
Ninib, 13, 23
20
India,
Star,
1
44
opposition,
identified with, 13, 23, 27,
personality types, 32, 33
30
Pisces, 25, 26, 29,
45
Kepler, Johann, kings, 12, 15,
description
16,
21-22
description
of,
Libra, 24, 26, 29,
1-2, 5
32
"signs"
of,
12-13
motions
13, 23
Mars, 26, 30, 32, 41
gods
30 identified with, 13, 23, 27,
moon, 25, 50
symbols of, 30-31 zodiac signs and, 23, 24, 26, 32 Pluto,
46â&#x20AC;&#x201D;47 26
Ptolemy, Claudius, 17-18, 21, 42 pyramids,
7
1
rising sign,
Roman
38
Catholic church, 20
Romans, 19-20 1
26, 31, 32, 41, 47-49,
identified with, 13, 14, 23,
mutable personality, 33
58
14, 17, 24, 27, 51,
Ra, 16
30 Mesopotamia, metals, 19, 32
gods 27
of,
identified with, 13, 23, 27,
Mercury, 26, 30, 32, 41
gods
25-26, 27-28, 31,
of,
52-53
plants,
Marduk,
43-46
40-42
33,
description of, 6-7 liver,
of,
influence
Leo, 26, 29, 32
32
10
planets, 1, 17, 19, 26, 40, 49, 50,
aspects Latin, 21
of,
sacrifice,
12
Sagittarius, 26, 29,
32
description of, 8 Saturn, 26, 30, 32, 42
gods 30
identified with, 13, 23, 27,
53
Taurus, 26, 29, 32
Scorpio, 26, 29, 32 description
of,
43 Shamash, 13,
description of, 3
7
Tetrabiblos (Ptolemy), 18, 21
sextile,
14,
23
signs of zodiac, 1-10,
tides,
22-24, 25, 32
trine,
47 44
ascendant, 38
body and,
Ur, 13
31, 32
colors of,
31-33 descriptions of, 2-10
Uranus, 26
elements and, 31, 32
Venus, 21, 26, 30, 32, 40, 42,
gender of, 31, 32 houses and, 33, 38-42, 45-46 personality and, 32, 33
properties of (chart), 32
25-26, 32 22-23, 28-29, 32
ruling planets of,
symbols tokens
of,
of,
square, stars,
description
of,
6
water, 31, 32
32, 33
Sin (Babylonian god), 13, 14,
50 gods identified with, 13, 23, 27, 30 Virgo, 26, 29, 32
23
44 49-50
16,
Sun, 25, 26, 30, 32, 40, 46-47, 49
weather prediction, 45, 48-49 zodiac, 24
Zu-en, 13
gods identified with, 13, 14, 16, 23, 27
59
__ Boston
>K mn!K\1 C
Ifo
Gemini Franklyn M. Branley is a man of many interests and accomplishments, particularly in the realm of the heavens.
Astronomer Emeritus and Former Chair-
man
of the
Amer^an Museum-Hayden
Planetarium, he has written numerous books on astronomy and other subjects for people of all ages. He is also coeditor of the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out
Science book Dr.
York
series.
Branley holds degrees from
Columbia
University,
University,
New
and the State University of College live in
at
New
Sag Harbor,
Leonard Kessler pio in
Paltz.
is
and
his
York wife
York.
a witty, intuitive Scor-
who spends many writing
He and
New
New
hours absorbed children's
illustrating
books, as well as designing and painting.
He became
interested
children's
in
books as a result of teaching art to young people. Mr. Kessler was graduated from Carnegie-Mellon University with in fine arts, in
New
painting,
City,
New
Thomas
New
York
a degree and design. He lives
York.
Y.
Crowell
Established
1
S34