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and Astrology |
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and Astrology |
| Differences : Origins : Assumptions |
Astrology is a belief system. The belief is that the positions of the Sun, Moon and planets against the starry background influences peoples' personalities and shapes their lives. An implicit assumption is that the Earth is a special part of the Universe.
This essay discusses these two differing subjects.
The Sun and Moon appear larger than the other planets so their influence is larger. The five planets have differing properties. Venus is a brilliant object in the sky and is named after the Roman goddess of beauty. Mercury moves around the Sun quickly and is seen as the messenger of the gods. Mars is red in colour. Since this the colour of blood, Mars is considered to be the god of war. Jupiter is the king of the gods. Saturn is the baleful planet because of its pale yellow colour and its slow movement amongst the stars.
Each constellation has a planet associated with it. Astrologers will say something like Taurus is ruled by Venus. Astrology is based on birth charts for an individual. The position of the Sun, Moon and planets is plotted at the moment of birth. The constellations that are rising and setting are also listed. The astrologer will then use this information to determine the personality and attributes of the individual.
In actual fact, the constellations are artificial areas in the sky invented originally by humans. They are based on star patterns visible from Earth. All the stars in a constellation are scattered at random in space. The patterns have no significance. Each culture uses its own patterns. Where the West uses names like The Bull and The Scorpion, the Chinese use The Rat or The Snake. The constellations are still used by astronomers because they are convenient. It is easier to say that Mars is in Virgo than to say Mars has co-ordinates -5 degrees South, 177 degrees West.
The constellations have as much reality in the sky as the countries have on the Earth. They are used in a similar way. It is easier to say that London is in England rather than London has a Latitude of 51 degrees North and a Longitude of 0 degrees West. Constellations, like countries, are human inventions.
The astrological signs are about a month out from the astronomical constellations. When an astrologer says the Sun is in Cancer, an astronomer will look for it in Gemini.
If Mars is in Virgo, astronomically it means that, if you look at the group of stars known to the Western cultures as Virgo, you will see an extra red star-like object amongst those stars. That will be Mars. However when an astrologer says that Mars in is Virgo, he is talking about the abstract astrological sign that has no physical significance. Mars will actually be in Leo. The difference in the two solar calendars is caused by an astronomical phenomenon called precession.
An astrologer would make predictions based on the position of Mars in an imaginary sign. An astronomer would be able to point out Mars; it would be found amongst the stars of Leo.
Even to say Mars is IN Leo is incorrect. Mars would be in the same direction as the stars of Leo. These are themselves at different distances. It is a bit like holding a hand against a building saying the hand is IN the the building.
Mars is said to be the god of war because its red colour reminded the ancients of blood. Mars is red because its surface is covered with iron oxides - rust! Also, the constellations in use by the West are not the same as those used by other cultures. The Chinese and Indians have totally different zodiac signs as well as different numbers of signs of the zodiac. Remember, the signs of the zodiac are created by humans and do not exist in the universe.
Astrologers invented the signs of the zodiac (as distinct from the constellations) after the effects of precession became generally known. If the constellations can be likened to the Earth's countries (France, USA, Namibia) then the signs of the Zodiac can be likened to ancient kingdoms that no longer exist (Babylonia, Ottoman Empire). Each Zodiac sign is 30 degrees wide in the sky. This is how astrologers have defined them. The astronomical constellations are all of different sizes, much like countries on the Earth.
Some astrologers will say that a particular zodiac sign represents the essence of a particular time of year, much like a seasonal effect. But each hemisphere of the Earth has different seasons at the same time of year. Some areas of the Earth have four seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) while other areas have two (Wet, Dry).
The stars do not cause the seasons. They are convenient markers for the apparent path of the Sun around the starry sky. I say apparent because the Sun's movement is really due to the Earth moving around the Sun. The seasons are caused by the Earth's equator being tilted by 23 and a half degrees from the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun.
On 21st June the Northern hemisphere passes through the Summer Solstice. 2000 years ago the Sun would have been in front of the stars that we call Cancer at this solstice. Hence the Tropic of Cancer. In fact at this solstice now the sun would be in Gemini. If a Total Eclipse of the Sun were to occur at the solstice, the stars of Gemini would be visible around or near the sun.
We now know that the Earth is one of nine planets in orbit around the Sun which is itself an ordinary star no different to the other stars in the sky (except closer). We also know that there are more than four elements (closer to 100, see The Elements). More importantly we know that the stars and planets are made up of the same elements that we find on Earth. We are PART of the Universe.
In the past there was no difference between astrology and astronomy. The two grew up together in a world of spirits, gods, ghosts and mysticism. Many people believe that the ancients had knowledge that has been lost. Some ancient ideas were remarkably accurate. Others were totally wrong. Many examples abound.
| Dolphins are mammals |  |
| The earth is the centre of the solar system |  |
| Objects of different weight fall to the ground at different speeds | |
| The brain is an organ for cooling the blood | |
| The heart is the centre of emotion | |
| Matter is made of four elements | |
| The properties of right angled triangle | |
| The square root of 2 can not be written as a fraction | |
| There are only five planets because there are only five regular geometric solids | |
Albert Einstein's Relativity Theory is considered one of the greatest achievements of human thought - but he did not accept many of the results of Quantum Mechanics, the other pillar of 20th century science. You cannot say whether Quantum Mechanics is true by quoting Einstein's dislike of it. Only nature can answer the question is this theory correct.
It is important to separate cause and effect. People once noticed that when the Moon was visible, plants died. People believed that moonlight was harmful to plants. In fact it isn't. When the Moon is visible, the sky is clear. When the sky is clear, frost is more likely in the Temperate regions. It is the frost that kills the plants NOT the moonlight.
The clear sky (cause) produces frost (effect) which kills plants and also makes the Moon visible (effect). The dead plants and the Moon are both the effects of the clear sky. The Moon and the dead plants are not directly related. Much of astrology is based on this type of reasoning.
For all life on earth the Sun is the most important object in the sky. It does not follow that the planets influence the Earth or us.
Some astrologers use tides as an explanation for astrology. The argument is as follows:
The Moon causes tides (correct). Tides are a pull on the Earth's waters (almost true but not quite right). The human brain is mainly water (correct). Therefore the Moon affects the brain.
This argument only sounds good if the listener does not fully understand how tides work. The tidal force of the Moon on the Earth depends on the mass of the Moon and its distance from the Earth. It also depends on the width of the Earth. Remember there are TWO tides per day. So it cannot be just that the Moon is pulling the Earth. The width of the Earth compared to the distance between the Earth and Moon is much much larger than the width of a human compared to that distance. This is difficult to envisage but is mathematically sound.
Astronomy is based on the scientific method of observation, deduction and experiment. Astrology is not. All experiments performed on astrology are inconclusive at best, and disprove it at worst. Astronomy is a science that can make verifiable predictions. Astrology's predictions are hit and miss. In fact you get the same results as chance.
© 1999 Kryss Katsiavriades
| Kryss Katsiavriades Ringmaster of the Black Hole Webring: A. James Click here to learn how to join.  |
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| Why People Believe Weird Things is a survey of a range of irrationalisms, with explanations of their empirical and logical flaws. The book describes the differences between science and pseudo-science, and goes on to describe and critique popular contemporary irrationalisms, UFOs, Holocaust denial and Satanic cult conspiracies. |
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