Astrology, a discipline often perceived as mere symbols and lines within a circular diagram, necessitates a dual perspective: one must not only examine these representations but also look upwards to the celestial bodies from which they derive. This episode elucidates the significance of observing the night sky, emphasizing that the origins of astrology are deeply rooted in humanity's ancient practice of sky-watching. We explore the historical trajectory of astronomical observation, tracing it back to the early civilizations of Mesopotamia around 2100 BCE, where the ancients began to document the movements of the celestial wanderers—the planets and luminaries that have captivated human attention for millennia. The narrative underscores the importance of the ecliptic plane, a path along which these celestial entities traverse, and how this understanding laid the foundational stones for both astrology and astronomy. We invite listeners to reflect on their own experiences with the night sky, drawing connections between modern astrological interpretations and the timeless observations of our forebears.
Takeaways:
Astrology requires one to initially focus on symbols and their meanings, which are often represented in a circular format.
The origins of astrology are rooted in humanity's ancient practice of observing celestial bodies in the night sky.
Historically, the tracking of celestial placements can be traced back to Mesopotamia around 2100 BCE, showcasing early astronomical efforts.
The seven wanderers, comprising five planets along with the sun and moon, play a pivotal role in astrological studies and observations.
Engaging with the night sky fosters a deeper understanding of the cosmos and its influence on human affairs.
The zodiac signs, which we recognize today, were once known as places and were derived from the constellations formed by fixed stars.
When you first get into astrology, learning astrology, you spend a lot of time looking down.
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We're looking down at symbols, lines in a circle, learning the meanings.
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But those symbols and lines are more than just things inside a circle moving around.
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As much as you spend time looking down reading, you should spend some time looking up, because that's where all those symbols and lines are actually taking place and how all this astrology began in the first place.
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Looking up, then down.
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If there was no tv, phones nor electricity at the end of the day, when you're sitting around a campfire, what do you think you would be doing other than telling stories and eating and all that?
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You probably would watch the sky while looking up.
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They started making observations.
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They noticed.
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While most stars stayed fixed in their positions, five moved through the sky.
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These five unique stars, along with the sun and the moon, the two luminaries, were known as the seven wanderers.
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This sky watching has been going on since the beginning.
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can be traced as far back as:
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We all know there are nine planets, but back then there was no telescope, so they could only go by what they could see with the naked eye.
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One really cool thing is if you ever outside around 5am Just before light, you will notice all the rest of the stars have disappeared except for the planets.
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Depending on your position on the earth at that time and the planet's location as well.
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I used to walk my dog around that time before leaving to go to work.
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If you follow me on social media, you may have seen some of the pictures I posted of different planets.
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I think the last one I posted was a picture of Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and the moon all together in the sky.
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These seven wanderers move about through the sky on the same path, which is called the ecliptic plane.
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All of the wanderers move about this ecliptic plane at different speeds, but they pretty much stay in this belt line as they move around.
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I guess one day someone decided, you know, maybe we should start keeping track of these placements of these wanderers, which was the beginning of astronomy.
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The way they kept track is from the backdrop of the fixed stars they noticed.
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If you connected the dots of these fixed stars, they are close together.
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They resemble living objects in the sky, things like a ram, a lion, a scorpion, scales so on.
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And now as the places, but we know them.
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They used to know them as they used to call them places, but we know them as the zodiac signs.
