Western astrology comprises of one of the modern
astrological traditions. Know more about astrology of the west.
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.
