Astrology: It's Impact on the World Then and Now

Many people that are looking for spiritual or intuitive answers turn to astrology. This includes trying to find out what the future will bring, as well as discern hidden influences on virtually every area of life. In fact, many people will start off with a baseline, or "natal chart", and then use that to determine how various influences will enter and exit their lives. No matter whether you start nicknaming people based on planets that enter or exit various houses in your natal chart, or you go with more divinatory meaning, astrology can be a powerful tool to help you change your future to suit your personal goals.

Pre-Modern Uses of Astrology

Regardless of whether you look to ancient Egypt, the Middle East, China, India, Mesoamerica, or post-Renaissance Europe, you will find may variations of modern astrology. Invariably, all of these systems were exclusively available to the leaders and others in elite populations. For example, in ancient Egypt, pharaoh had a special priests and priestesses cast may different horoscopes. This may have included looking for prediction about the outcome of battles, as well as other decision that affected the governance of the country. In a similar way, Chinese emperors made use of "flying stars" combined with arranging cities and internal housing structures to enhance luck.

How Did Astrology Become so Popular?

It should come as no surprise that the conquest of various cultures led to a situation where keepers of astrological knowledge sought to preserve it as best as they could. Without a question, the rampant destruction caused by Christian crusades, witch trials, and other acts led to a situation where astrologers began disseminating their information to the masses. This, in turn, may have made it easier for common people to gain access to predictions about their future.

Over the years, it has become easier to cast a natal chart, as well as a daily horoscope. Instead of making tedious measurements of the planets and stars, any person can buy an ephemeris with tables that span decades and centuries. In addition, if you do not want to do your own calculations, there are dozens of programs that will do them for you. As an added bonus, many of these programs will also provide you with interpretations of each astrological pattern. Needless to say, increased availability and easy of access combined to make astrology far more popular in modern times than it was in the past.

Mass Media Horoscopes and the Growth of Astrology

There is no question that astrology expanded as printed newspapers and other types of media became more available tot the masses. While most astrologers simply read tables and offered bulk predictions, many still gained a reputation for the accuracy of their predictions. At the same time, the ability to acquire information about the motions of the stars and planets also made it possible for individuals to begin working with their own intuition in conjunction with stellar aspects.

Even though mass media led to an increased interest in astrology, it is important to realize that a personal reading is very different from what you will find in a newspaper. Among other things, personal readings often involve specific calculations that include an assessment of asteroids or other celestial features not included in general forecasts. This is just one of many reasons why you should take the time to do you own readings, or have a professional reading done if it seems appealing to you.

When someone reads their horoscope first thing in the morning, it can easily set them into a positive frame of mind or a negative one. In a similar way, back in time, kings, emperors and other leaders used astrological information to set dates to start battles, arrange marriages, and carry out any number of other functions. You may even be surprised to find that leaders modern leaders such as Hitler used astrology in an effort to be as successful as possible

While history books may not offer many details about the usefulness of these methods, you can rest assured that the steady win and loss of wars over time created enormous changes that impact our world to this day. By that token, no matter how small or insignificant your life may seem, all of the effects add up when combined with others around you. From that perspective, can you really afford not to know what the stars have to say about your life, as well as how to change it for the better?