People are often curious as to how ancient or modern astrology really is, to answer this question I've put together a few notes that will give you an idea as to how and where the birth of astrology occurred.

Star-gazing is one of the oldest human preoccupations. Ancient peoples such as the Stone circle builders of Europe, who built magnificent structures such as Stonehenge, the aborigines of Australia and the people of Ancient Mesopotamia would use the sky as calendar, predicting the summer and winter solstices and a means of understanding the cycles of nature.

Astrology took its place in the body of Western knowledge with the spread of astrological lore from Babylon to Egypt and then to Greece several centuries before Christ. In fact, the core beliefs of astrology were prevalent in most of the ancient world and are epitomized in the Hermetic maxim "as above, so below". While science may question the validity of astrology there is much to suggest that this ancient tradition is as relevant now as it was in the ancient world. Anyone who has had their natal chart drawn will attest to the uncanny accuracy and depth of insight that natal charts offer.

The foundations for Western astrology were laid in ancient Mesopotamia (now Southern Iraq) some 6,000 years ago. Having identified the visible planets, three ancient cultures, the Sumerians, Akkadians, and Babylonians looked upon The Sun, Moon and Venus in particular as gods, capable of influencing the lives of the people on Earth. As they observed the movement of the visible planets and changes to the position of the stars they began to identify prominent constellations.

It was the Babylonians who realised that the zodiac - the sequence of constellations along which the sun and the planets appear to move in their passage through the heavens - can serve as a yardstick of celestial time if divided into recognisable and equal segments, hence a 360-degree circle was invented to describe their findings. Each of the twelve segments was allocated a specific constellation, often using the names of animals.

In these ancient times, it was the job of the Baru, a divinatory or astrological priest to interpret the signs shown in the heavens and to pass his insights and warnings to the rulers of Babylon and their people.

The 360 degree circle that we still use today was further developed by the creation of a 360 day calendar which was divided into 12 months, each containing 30 days and intended to reflect the movement of the Sun.

It was the Greeks who later coined the term ‘Zodiac’ or ‘animal circle’ to describe circle and constellations identified by the Babylonians.

From this humble beginning, astrology as we know it was born. Astrology grows and develops constantly, adapting to and reflecting societies concerns and prioritees as they change. Today astrologers offer a wide variety of reports that look at traditional areas such as personality profiles, health and wellbeing, romance, love, career and opportunities and much more. Each of these reports are modern reports based on ancent and well tested traditions and each of them are well worth a try.

If you’d like to take a look at the wide range of astrology reports available you can see samples of each one in the shop.