"Astrology is a language. If you understand this language, the sky speaks to you."
- Dane Rudhyar
It is often said that the fate of man, hides itself in the stars above. Probably that's why, whenever something good happens, he thanks his stars and when things go sideways, he curses them. And despite all these signs and symbols, used in the modern world and found in ancient scriptures that are associated with the movement of celestial bodies, somewhere we are still struggling to accept astrology.
For years, people have tried to find some empirical evidence that can link science and astrology, so as to end the never-ending debate about its plausibility. However, no one has succeeded thus far. And so people refer to astrology as a Pseudoscience.
But all these explanations apart, astrology is undoubtedly, one of the most interesting subjects to dabble in. Because there is no proof of its scientific validity, one gets the opportunity to play around with the various theories and also draw conclusions that suit oneself.
Having said that, let's try to get an overview of this interesting realm, shall we?
What is Astrology?
• Astrology is defined, most commonly as, study of the movements and positioning of the various celestial bodies, in order to understand the effects of celestial movements on mortal beings (all animals) and terrestrial life.
• It is a pseudoscience, meaning it is not a science in entirety, since there is no empirical evidence to prove that there is any relationship between the movement of the heavenly bodies and human life.
• One could call astrology as the study of the stars or simply a search for answers in the positioning of stars.
Difference between Astronomy and Astrology
Astronomy and Astrology are both associated with the same kind of study. Both these fields involve the study of the celestial bodies and everything outside the earth's atmosphere. However, the major difference is that while astronomy is simply the study and calculations of planetary movements, for scientific use; astrology is the study of movement and positioning of celestial bodies, in order to find a connection between the aforementioned movements and the effect it supposedly has on human life.
Astronomy does not try to predict any effect that the celestial bodies may have on the human life or future of human beings. While astrology tries to do that precisely. Astronomy is, thus a proper science, while astrology is a pseudoscience.
Astrology and Horoscopes
• There is a common misconception that Astrology and horoscopes are in some ways synonymous. This is wrong.
• Astrology is the entire concept of studying the celestial movements and positioning throughout the time. It is the continuous observation of the stars for the purpose of getting some form of divine information.
• A horoscope is typically a chart or a map, which tells the position and movements of the celestial bodies, during a particular time, to understand and predict the effects of those movements on a particular person's life.
• It is simply the situation of the heavenly bodies, at the time of a person's birth, which are put down on paper and then calculations are made, based on that information. These calculations are then supposed to reveal the fate of the person in question.
• So it is safe to say that horoscopes are a part of astrology and not the other way round.
Importance of Astrology
Of the many things we all agree on, one of the points is that, there are many things that happen in a person's life for no apparent reason. While the more scientifically inclined people may call it mere 'co-incidence', some other people believe that there is always an explanation.
Considering that all beings are ultimately part of the same nature and the same universe, it is not so unbelievable that the various elements of the universe have some kind of an influence on each other.
So, while I don't wholeheartedly support astrology, I am never going to discount the fact that there are certain things, which science can't explain, but if studied in depth and without bias, astrology may have answers to.
To this end, I'd like to quote Albert Einstein,
"Astrology is a science in itself and contains and illuminating body of knowledge. It taught me many things and I am greatly indebted to it."
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