Western Astrology, practiced for thousands of years in
Arabia and Europe, is based upon a system, which uses the path of the sun
through the heavens, as seen from planet Earth. It looks at the
constellations, which used to lie along this path, now called the Zodiac.
Western astrology is geocentric, that is, it considers the Earth as the
centre around which the Sun revolves.
According to western astrology, the horoscope is made on the basis of the
time of the birth of a person. The sun sign represents the sign of the
Zodiac that the Sun passed through at the time of the birth of a person. The
Sun rules the essential personality, ego and willpower of a person. It
represents the core of the potential and distinctiveness of an individual.
The Origin
Modern astrology has as its roots the ancient celestial omen reading of
Mesopotamia. The Mesopotamians lived in the area of modern-day Iraq betwen
the Rivers of the Tigris and the Euphrates. They included the Sumerians, the
Akkadians, the Babylonians and the Assyrians. The Babylonians (Chaldean
Astrology) began to interpret the celestial cycles rather than random
events, which developed into astrology proper.
But it wasn't until the Ancient Greeks that the ecliptic (Sun's path) was
measured against the Earth and an exact solar calendar could be drawn up.
Planets could now be fixed relative to the solstice and equinox points
rather than simply relative to the four compass directions and the zenith
and nadir points relative to the observer.
Sun Signs or Zodiac Signs
Zodiac signs, also called sun signs are determined by the date of birth of
a person. Zodiac is made of 12 different sun signs, which are as follows:
Planets
According to the Western Astrology, there are nine main planets that
influence the life of an individual. They are as follows:
Sun - Self-expression, life force.
Moon - Emotions, intuition, cycles, home,
parents.
Mercury - Thoughts, speech,
communication, business matters, short journeys.
Venus - Love life, creativity, beauty,
social life.
Mars - Action, energy, accidents,
willpower, sexual expression.
Jupiter - Luck, expansion, opportunity,
excess.
Saturn - Duties, responsibilities,
burdens, lessons, ambitions.
Uranus - Sudden changes, stress, insights.
Neptune - Dreams, illusions, deceptions, arts.
Pluto - Elimination, death, birth, regeneration.
North Node - Past life, ingrained habits.
South Node - Your soul's purpose.
