Astrology is the science of certain cryptic relations between the celestial bodies and terrestrial life. It is considered an art and a practical science.It lays no claim to be what used to be called an exact science, but studiescertain predispositions or tendencies in human life, which are sometimesindicated so clearly that they become virtual certainties. The possible uses ofastrology are endless and may be used to a variety of means. Since the days of the Chaldeans, it was known that the sun, moon, andplanets followed similar paths, the zodiac. It is a zone of the celestialsphere that extends from 8.5 degrees on either side if the path of the sun. Asa primitive calendar, the zodiacal belt was arbitrarily divided into twelvesections of 30 degrees each. these are the famous signs of the zodiac. Theorgins of the names given to each sign extend into the most remote regions ofantiquity. Terrestrial animal gods, whether real or imagined , were one dayprojected onto the constellations which, in the Chaldean imagination, theyresembled. This celestial menagerie has furthermore given the zodiac its name,for in greek, it means "route of animals." The sun enters the first zodiacal sign, Aries , and then continues its paththrough the remaining eleven signs. The twelve signs of the zodiac are: Aries,Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn,Aquarius, and Pisces. The moon and the planets pass through the signs too, but obviously atdifferent speeds from those of the sun. The moon, which is close to the earth,circles the zodiac in twenty-nine days, while the planet Pluto needs two hundredfifty years. Planets also can be seen to slow down, stop, and even reversedirections in relationship to the constellations that they cross. In reality,the planet inexorably continues along its way. But the speed of the earthitself interacts with that of the planet to occasionally give this impression. The s...
