Western astrology, as the name suggests, is the astrological tradition widely
prevalent in the western countries. The origin of the Western astrological
tradition can be traced back to Mesopotamia, from where it gradually spread to
the other parts of the world. The first place to be influenced by the tradition
was Egypt, where many further developments took place. This was followed by its
entry into the Greek or Hellenistic culture. The person who can be credited with
the introduction of western astrological traditions is Ptolemy.
A Greek astronomer and astrologer, Ptolemy laid the foundations of the Western
tradition in his work, Tetrabiblos. The astrology of the west is mainly based on
the construction of a horoscope for a particular point of time, like the time of
birth of a person. It is believed that for different timings, the position of
the cosmic bodies is also different, leading to dissimilar influences. In the
modern western sun sign astrology, the location of the Sun is the most important
consideration. The astrological knowledge suffered a major setback in Europe,
during the Dark Ages.
However, it was the Arab and Persian scholars who revived as well as expanded
the knowledge and then re-imported the same to Europe in the Middle Ages. Slowly
and gradually, astrology again gained back its position in Europe. Infact, in
medieval Europe, astrologers were always consulted before taking any important
political and military decisions. Today, astrology is recognized as a form of
pseudoscience and is used primarily while making personal decisions or attaining
information about an individual.
Western Astrology Signs
The western astrology, like any other modern astrological tradition, is composed
of twelve zodiac signs. These twelve zodiacal signs are supposed to be
representatives of twelve basic personality types. In other words, they can be
said to reflect the characteristic modes of expression. The twelve signs or
symbols are subdivided into four basic elements, namely Fire, Earth, Air and
Water. More. |
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