Western astrology

Western astrology is the most common type of astrology in Western countries. It began with ideas from a writer named Ptolemy in his book called Tetrabiblos. Ptolemy lived long ago, in the 2nd century CE, and his work used older ideas from Hellenistic and Babylonian times.

This kind of astrology is called horoscopic because it uses something called a horoscope. A horoscope is a special chart made for a very exact moment, like when a person was born, and where they were born. It looks at where objects in space, like the Sun and planets, were at that moment and says these things might affect a person's life. Many people today just look at their sun sign. This is a simple version that only uses the person’s birth date.

Even though many people enjoy reading about astrology, scientists say it is a pseudoscience. This means that careful tests and studies have not found real proof that astrology works. Long ago, before the Enlightenment, astrology was thought to be a real science, but now we know it does not have a solid empirical basis.

Core principles

A key idea in astrology is that everything in the universe is connected. People, Earth, and the world around us are seen as a single organism. Changes in the sky show similar changes on Earth and in ourselves. This idea is captured in the Hermetic saying "as above, so below; as below, so above," showing how we are like a small version microcosm of the big universe.

Western astrology looks at how the stars and planets were arranged when someone was born, using the view from Earth. It is based on the metaphysical belief that numbers, angles, and patterns show special kinds of energy. Famous thinkers like Ptolemy and Al-Kindi helped shape these ideas long ago.

The zodiac

Main article: Zodiac

The zodiac is a band of stars in the sky where the Sun, Moon, and planets seem to move. People who study astrology use these stars to make a system of twelve signs, each linked to a time of year. Most Western astrologers use the tropical zodiac, which starts with the sign of Aries around March 21. This matches the Earth's seasons.

In Western astrology, these twelve signs are thought to show different kinds of personalities. They are grouped into four elements — fire, earth, air, and water — and three qualities: Cardinal, fixed, and mutable. A person's sun sign, or star sign, is found by where the Sun was when they were born, but this is just one part of what makes up their personality.

The planets

Main article: Planets in astrology

In Western astrology, planets stand for basic feelings or urges in our minds. These planets include the Sun and Moon, and even Pluto, even though scientists don’t call them planets. Each planet is linked to one or two animal signs of the zodiac.

The old way of thinking about planets included only seven objects in the sky. These were the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The Sun and Moon were called “the lights.” Mercury, Venus, and Mars were called “personal planets” because they were thought to show our strongest feelings.

Modern modifications to the Ptolemaic system

Western astrologers have added new meanings for planets found after ancient times. They also talk about different ways to mark the start of the zodiac. Most use the Sun's position at the spring equinox each year, called tropical astrology. Others use a fixed point among the stars, called sidereal astrology. These two methods move slowly compared to each other over many years.

Important points in astrology include the moon's nodes. These are where the moon's path crosses the sun's path in the sky. The North Node is where the moon moves upward. The South Node is where it moves downward. These points are thought to be special areas to think about.

The horoscope

Main article: Horoscope

Western astrology focuses on creating a horoscope. This is like a map of the stars and planets at a special moment, often when someone is born. People believe this map can tell us about their life and personality. The most common type is the natal chart. This chart is made for the exact time and place of a person's birth.

Astrologers look at where the planets are in the sky and how they relate to each other. They also look at special points in the chart, like the ascendant (the sign that was rising on the eastern horizon at birth) and the midheaven (a point high in the sky that relates to career and public life). These points help give meaning to different parts of a person's life, such as relationships, home, and goals.

Astrology and science

Main article: Astrology and science

Most astrologers use tests to make predictions about people's lives. But astrology has not proven to work in scientific tests. Scientists say it works no better than guessing. Because of this, astrology is often called a pseudoscience. This means it does not have strong evidence or use scientific methods.