Medieval Astrology
Medieval Astrology
Astrology is an ancient practice many civilizations used. Throughout many years the people believed the stars and planets guided their life to where it would go. Boethius, the counsel of Rome, believed that the movements of the planets told the people of “earthly events.” Astrology originated with the Chaldean, in Babylon, Mesopotamia, around 2300 BC. Many people practiced astrology in temples and became religious to many people. Astrology than spread to Egypt around the third millenium BC. Alexander the Great’s influence and control on others made a big impact. Aristotle, a great philosopher, began spreading the ideas of astrology throughout the Greek world. It was during this 300-year period of time that the acceptance of astrology flourished into horoscope and zodiacal signs as well. It wasn’t until this period it came into existence.
The tradition of Greek, Arabic, and medieval astrology was inseparable during the Middle Ages, better known as the medieval times. They believed in the tradition of alchemy, which is believed that Man responds to energies from planets, the Sun, and the Moon. They used to define different human characteristics like mercurial, saturnine, lunatic, venereal, jovial, and martial. They soon began using the guide of the stars to make cures for those who wee sick.
Kings, emperors, popes, scientists, doctors used astrology, over centuries, to advance in ideas they felt could be only be solved with the stars. Towards the close of the 16th century in Europe, people were losing hope of astrology, but it did stay throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Many began rejecting the reasons of astrology because of new scientific methods being introduced. Astrology soon wasn’t ideas couldn’t be proven with science. For example, the realization that the sun, and not the earth, was at the center of the solar system was proven after the new science that emerged. Nowadays the focus is less on the attempt to predict events and more on the use of entertainment and for personal advantages.