THINK ON THESE – Written in the stars

SIR Francis Bacon believed in it.  So did Queen Elizabeth I, Charles de Gaulle, Ian Fleming, Galileo Galilei, Sylvester Stallone and Dame Edith Sitwell.  Yes, all of them – at some time of their lives – had faith in astrology, according to The Book of Lists.
Influenced by French royal astrologers, the scientist Bacon became a practicing astrologer and advocated a “purification” of the science of astrology.  Later in life, however, he renounced stargazing.  On the other hand, Queen Elizabeth I had, as her personal astrologer, the famous seer Dr. John Dee, who utilized a crystal ball.  As a reward for his occult services, she installed Dee as the chancellor of St. Paul’s in London.
One of De Gaulle’s earliest horoscopes, done before World War II when he was a French army captain, foretold that he was destined to rule France.  Throughout his life, he occasionally consulted professional astrologers and palmists.
Although the creator of James Bond denounced occultism in public, Fleming had one of his first horoscopes cast during World War II while serving in the British Intelligence Service.  He was very concerned about the date of his death, which his astrologers never revealed to him.
Meanwhile, Galilei practiced astrology but was not always able to ascertain correct information from the stars.  In 1609, he prepared the horoscope of the Grand Duke of Tuscany and predicted that he would have a long life.  The duke died a few weeks later.
The mother of Stallone was an astrologer, and she predicted her son would be a writer (he did and won an Oscar for writing the script of Rocky).  Stallone himself believes in astrology strongly that he and his first wife, Sasha, planned the birth of their son, Sage, according to the stars. 
Although Dame Sitwell sought astrologers to do her horoscope, the English poet always lied concerning her date of birth.  She claimed half a dozen signs as her own, so it is doubtful whether she ever had an accurate horoscope chart.
The word “astrology” comes from the Greek words astron meaning “star” and logos, which mean “study.”  Actually, astrology is the study of how events on earth correspond to the positions and movements of astronomical bodies, particularly the sun, moon, planets, and stars.  Astrologers believe that the position of astronomical bodies at the exact moment of a person’s birth and the subsequent movements of the bodies reflect that person’s character and, therefore, destiny.  For many years, scientists have rejected the principles of astrology.  However, millions of people continue to believe in or practice it.
Nobody really knows when astrology started.  As one 20th-century writer, Don Cameron Allen, has put it, “The literature of astrology is as vast as the history of man.  No one scholar can possibly hope to untangle all of its intricately woven strands.”
Historical records show that astronomical observations were carried out by Chaldean priests for thousands of years.  These observations, which probably started before 2300 B.C, recorded the shape and relative brilliance of the constellations, their rising and setting, and the motion of the planets.  “Because of their knowledge of celestial reckoning and their occasional success with divination, the Chaldean priesthood gained political power in Babylon, and by 650 B.C. they had great influence throughout the city-state,” reports The Book of the Bible.
The early Hebrews were familiar with some aspects of astronomy, probably because of the need to be familiar with celestial navigation while in the desert and because their calendar was based on the lunar month. 
Throughout the Bible, astrology and divination are treated with suspicion or outlawed altogether.  To resort to divination or to be an “observer of times, or an enchanter,” was to partake of the “abominations” of other nations (Deuteronomy 18:12).  In Isaiah, those who do not believe in God are scornfully told: “Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, and the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon them” (47:13).
Astrology, however, was a strongly held belief in ancient Babylon (now Iraq); it spread to the Mediterranean world and was used by the Greeks and Romans.  It exerted a powerful influence in the Middle Ages.
Chinese astrology is based on a 60-year cycle and a lunar calendar.  Its signs change annually and are named after animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
“Differing forms of astrology developed in China and India, as well as among the Maya, but in the West the coming of Christianity forced it to the sidelines,” notes the World Facts, a micropedia.
Astrologers create charts called horoscopes, which map the position of astronomical bodies at certain times, such as when a person is born.  A horoscope is illustrated by a circle, called theecliptic.  The ecliptic is the plane on which the earth orbits around the sun in a year.  It is divided into twelve sections, called the signs of the Zodiac, which include Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
Astrologers assign every planet (which in astrology includes the sun and moon) with a particular sign, depending on where that planet appears on the ecliptic at the time for which the horoscope is cast. Each planet represents basic human drives, and each sign represents a set of human characteristics. When astrologers designate a person as a certain sign – a Leo or a Pisces, for example – they are referring to the person’s sun sign – that is, the sign that the sun occupied at the time of the person’s birth.
The horoscope also is divided into twelve houses, which make up the 24-hour period during which the earth rotates once on its axis.  Each house deals with certain areas of a person’s life, such as marriage, health, work, travel, and death.  Astrologers make predictions by interpreting the position of astronomical bodies within the signs and houses of the horoscope.