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Skeptics Of Western Astrology

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Eighty-four million Americans believe in astrology; Not only does it psychologically have a strong appeal by giving us mere mortals a sense of estranged, esoteric knowledge, it captivates us by providing answers to our confusing, questionable lives, as well as the fact that it’s highly profitable. Accessories representing the different signs of the zodiac never go out of style, much of today’s society can’t help but check their weekly horoscope in the tabloids; it may barely qualify as a science, but it is more than eligible to be considered a business. In a world that’s constantly and rapidly undergoing evolutionary changes, whether they be technological, social, or economic- the human race continually abandons rituals and traditions as time…show more content…
This belief may be partly based off of religion, or just general, scientific skepticism. Astrology, by definition. is the study of celestial objects and how they influence individual lives on Earth. It all started about 6,000 years ago, with the Mesopotamian Chaldeans, who sought a way to track the seasons in order to sort out their sowing, reaping, and hoarding schedules throughout the year. Using 12 constellations, they were able to derive a 354-day calendar based off of the Moon’s position in relation to each constellation. Each time a new constellation was encountered by the Moon, the following month began. Thousands of years later, the Greeks named these constellations the “circle of animals,” or zodiakos kyklos, presently known as the the “zodiac.” Although the Lunar calendar was primarily effective, the fact that it was 11 days short threw the calendar up to 6-months out-of-sync within 20 years. The Chaldeans then turned to the planets to form a 365-day, in-sync calendar (Bakich). When the European Renaissance came about, astrology was commonly viewed as a common form of divination; people indulged in the constellations and found new ways to interpret them. European astrologers were widely considered scholars that explored the mysteries of the universe through science and research, and their influences spread to not only the European continent, but the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and eventually even the Americas. However, in the 16th and 17th centuries, during a time known as the “Enlightenment,” the Christian religion waged war on astrology, with Pope Sixtus V officially condemning it, though it continued to be practiced. The Italian astrologer Jerome Cardan was convicted and held under house arrest by the Catholic Inquisition under suspicion of violating Sixtus’ papal bull. In England,
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