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   Horoscopes by Joe St Clair
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Horoscopes 
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Do you check your horoscope every time you open a newspaper or magazine? If so, you are not alone! Millions of people across the world read their daily astrological forecast to find out what their future holds. Is good fortune just around the corner? Or is bad luck laying in wait with a nasty surprise?

‘Horoscope’ is the Greek name given to the chart that shows the position of the planets and stars at a specific point in time. Interpretation of the chart is done by an ‘astrologer’ or an ‘astrologist’. And the study of the positions of the movements of


the stars and planets and how they influence people and events is called ‘astrology’. Astrology is based on the premise that the astrological chart can be used to foretell certain future events.

For many people, reading a horoscope is just a bit of fun. But quite a number of people take their horoscope very seriously indeed. Many people look to their horoscope as a key step in the process of making any important decision. And some people plan every aspect of their life around what their horoscope says.

Astrology dates back over many centuries in places like India and China. Astrology spread from Babylon to Greece about 2,500 years ago. From Greece, astrology made its way into the Roman Empire. From the 7th to the 13th century CE, Arab scholars studied the movement of the planets and the stars, and how these movements impacted human lives and events. This thinking spread into Europe and, by the 14th and 15th centuries, many European rulers relied on a court astrologer to advise them on important decisions. The Mayans and the Aztecs of Central America also developed their own form of astrology using sophisticated forms of mathematics.

Despite this long history, most scientists are sceptical about astrology. They are quick to point out that there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that the movements of the stars and planets directly influence individuals or their destiny. Experts in astrophysics, geology, astronomy, chemistry, biology and environmental science have all delved deeply into the mysteries of nature. Today, our level of knowledge is such that some of the most profound workings of the universe are now well understood. It seems that the more we learn about the universe, the less credence we can give to astrology.

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Glossary

Surprise (n)
an unusual or unexpected event.

Premise (n)
a statement or principle that you consider to be true.

Skeptical (adj)
doubting something that others believe to be true.

Credence (n)
accepting something as true
  Last Updated ( Monday, 03 August 2009 14:48 )