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posted September 02, 2011 12:50 PM            

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so...as much as i've looked i've been unable to find any good info on how astrology began, not only its history but also the 'why' behind it...like why certain planets and their relative positions mean certain things, etc. Anyone know anything about this?

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posted September 02, 2011 12:56 PM            

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It all started with Greek mythology, what the "Gods & Goddess" represented and how they blessed or cursed the people who served them. If your looking for deeper research than sorry I have on idea, but hope I helped.

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posted September 02, 2011 12:56 PM            

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http://www.kepler.edu/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=324

this seems interesting, but it really only raises more questions. i guess i'm wondering, how did astrology begin, and how has it transformed into what it is today, and are there different lines of though, etc...

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posted September 02, 2011 02:54 PM            

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http://www.astrologycom.com/armstone1.html

Mesopotamia is the cradle of (Western) civilization. Inscriptions on Karahundj, Armenia's Stonehenge, may mark the birthplace of the Western Zodiac system.

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posted September 02, 2011 04:22 PM            

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_astrology

Astrology, the belief in a connection between the cosmos and terrestrial matters has played an important part in human history.

Regional branches of astrology include Western astrology, Indian astrology, and Chinese or East Asian astrology.

Astrology, in its broadest sense, is the search for meaning in the sky. It has therefore been argued that astrology began as a study as soon as human beings made conscious attempts to measure, record, and then predict, seasonal changes by reference to astronomical cycles.

Early evidence of this appears as markings on bones and cave walls, which show that lunar cycles were being noted as early as 25,000 years ago; the first step towards recording the Moon’s influence upon tides and rivers, and towards organizing a communal calendar. Agriculture needs were also met by increasing knowledge of constellations, whose appearances change with the seasons, allowing the rising of particular star-groups to herald annual floods or seasonal activities. By the third millennium BCE, widespread civilizations had developed sophisticated awareness of celestial cycles, and are believed to have consciously oriented their temples to create alignment with the heliacal risings of the stars.

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posted September 03, 2011 04:49 AM            

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imagine a time when there was no tv...

You'd have to double check the infos, but to my understanding, the oldest civilisations known to us (by civilisation I mean groups of people that get together and organise themselves in "cities" and start to write and count their cattle, stock and so on to live in a sort of civilised fashion) well, the first to have lived like this were in mesopotamia (aka IRAK). I think it was around 5000 before Jesus christ. needless to say today we are 2011 after JC so more or less 7000 YEARS ago, plus or minus 1000 years.

but before that, people were not just monkeys. to simplify, the modern man (homo sapiens) goes back to 200 000 years. but the first apparition of the type "homo" (not as gay, but as "human") goes back to 2.3 millions years.

what caracterise the type "homo" from any other creature that it comes from, it is his capacity for creativity.

I suppose they had the time to look up to the sky and talk about it...

if you only consider homo sapiens (200 000 years ago till now), can you imagine 1000 Years ? now imagine 200 000 years. where life didn't change much. they lived in communities but not sophisticated like until 7000 or 8000 years from now. during this very long period, I suppose the sky was their most obvious connection to an other reality. hence astrology (for me)

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posted September 03, 2011 12:29 PM            

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Remember the civilisations which laid the groundwork for Western civilisation are very old (musical instruments, statues and art dating back to 35,000 BC have been dug up in Europe). If it's child civilisation - Western - is anything to go by, they star-gazed.

Meanings aren't set in stone. Saturn was 'huge' as a God in ancient Rome, and his temple towers over the forum. They would be stunned to hear Saturn associated with a 'glue in human relationships'as his planet is often regarded today. Having said that, evidence mounts over time, you can't get up one day and decide Venus means something different than it has for 2000 years and be credible, unless you have a mountain of research.

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