ASTROLOGY
ASTROLOGY
The word "astrology" comes from two Greek words: "astron," which means star, and "logia," which means study or talk. Put together, they make "astrologia," meaning the study or talk about stars.
Astrology is an ancient practice that goes back to when people first started looking at the sky and noticing how stars and planets moved. This happened thousands of years ago in places like Mesopotamia, which is in present-day Iraq. People in these early civilizations believed that the movements of the stars and planets could affect life on Earth.
Back then, astrology served different purposes. It helped people know when to plant crops or when to hold ceremonies. People thought the positions of the stars could also tell them about their future or what was going to happen to their community.
From Mesopotamia, the idea of astrology spread to other ancient civilizations like Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Each place added its own beliefs and customs to astrology. Greek thinkers, like Plato and Aristotle, also thought about the meaning of astrology and if it was real or just a story.
During the time of the Roman Empire, astrology became very popular. People from all walks of life, from kings to everyday people, believed in it. Astrologers were often seen as wise advisors who could help with important decisions.
In the Middle Ages, astrology continued to be important. It was used in medicine, religion, and even politics. Kings and queens would often consult astrologers before making big decisions.
As time went on, astrology changed. During the Renaissance, which was a time of new learning and discoveries, people started to question astrology more. They wondered if it was based on real facts or just beliefs.
Today, astrology is still around. Some people don't believe in it and think it's just superstition. But others find comfort in astrology and use it to understand themselves and the world around them. You might have seen horoscopes in newspapers or online, which tell you about your zodiac sign and what might happen to you in the future.
The word "astrology" reminds us of our long history of looking up at the stars and wondering about our place in the universe. Whether we believe in it or not, astrology has been a part of human culture for thousands of years, and it continues to shape how we think and talk about ourselves and the world.
HOROSCOPE
Kuṇḍali (also called janmapatra) is the Indian term for the astrological chart or diagram representing the positions of the navagraha-s of Indian astrology at a particular moment like the moment of the birth of a child.
The navagraha-s are the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, and the two nodes of the Moon.
The nodes of the Moon are the points on the celestial sphere where the orbit of the Moon intersects the orbit of the Sun.
At a particular moment the navagraha-s will be at different points in the sky and they will be located in one of the 12 zodiacal signs (rāśi-s in Indian astrology), namely: 1. Meṣa (Aries), 2. Vṛṣabha (Taurus), 3.Mithuna (Gemini), 4. Karka (Cancer), 5. Siṃha (Leo), 6. Kanyā (Virgo), 7. Tulā (Libra), 8. Vṛścika (Scorpio), 9. Dhanuṣa (Sagittarius), 10. Makara (Caprocornus), 11. Kumbha (Aquarius), 12. Mīna (Pisces)
A kuṇḍali will show diagrammatically which one of the navagraha-s are located in which one of the rāśi-s at a particular moment. A kuṇḍali has twelve cells to represent the 12 zodiacal signs. Practitioners of astrology in different parts of India follow different conventions regarding the exact form in which the kuṇḍali is constructed.
Essentially there are three different ways in which these cells are represented in a kuṇḍali, the one followed by people of South India, the one followed by people of North India and the one followed by people of Eastern India (West Bengal and Odisha). [1] The practice of constructing a kuṇḍali per se is not unscientific or pseudo-science as the kuṇḍali is only a diagram depicting the positions in the zodiac of the nine entities called the navagraha-s at a particular moment of time, and the navagraha-s are associated with true astronomical entities. But, the practice of "reading" a kuṇḍali and interpreting or using it to predict the future events or the personality traits of individuals, has no scientific basis and is a pseudo-science.[2][3][4]
