Astrological Beginnings Among the Greeks

Astrology and Astronomy were once a single science used for the same purpose: calculating time. Astronomy is the study and observation of the motions of heavenly bodies, and astrology, the study of the effects that the movements of these celestial bodies have on human affairs. Before the fifth century B.C., the Greeks, primarily sailors and farmers, used astronomy strictly to determine seasonal time. Even great thinkers and philosophers encouraged using the stars for practical …

…forthcoming danger, a reflection of the past in which one could predict the future. Given the rapidly changing government in Greece, it was natural to look for a means of explanation, and what better way than a science that was fully supported by the most respected scholars in society? 1. Lindsay, Jack. Origins of Astrology. New York, NY. Barnes and Noble Inc. 1971. 2. Tester, S.J. A History of Western Astrology. Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. The Boydell Press. 1987.