Astrology and watching the patterns and movements of the constellations originated in Mesopotamia around 3000BC. When civilisations changed their nomadic way of life and began farming the land, their survival became dependent on predicting the weather and the seasons.

Early methods of time keeping relied on some kind of calendrical system which monitored the regularities of the stars. The Sun and Moon were already observed in their cycles and appreciated for their influence on fertility and growth. The Mesopotamians counted the complete cycle of the constellations to add up to 365 days. The rising and setting of Alpha Bootis and the Pleaides made their system accurate enough to monitor the seasons and thus when to sow their seeds.

The methods of star-lore and divination used in Astrological calculations today have been said to have spread from Sumer, Babylonia and then later to Egypt. Other isolated cultures in Europe and South America also had discovered the importance of monitoring the Stars, Sun and Moon. Monoliths and Ziggurats still standing today were erected as observatories of the sky. Stonehenge was erected for this purpose around 2000BC. Similar sites of observation appear where the Mayans and Aztecs resided in South America. Their pyramidical structures became a central focus of the communities which surrounded them. They held the purpose of recording eclipses, phases of the Moon and the movement of the planets which were known to them at the time.

The Egyptians had, as far back as 2000BC, devised a calendar of 12 months consisting of thirty days - each day and night divided into 12 equal parts. Astrology was introduced to the Egyptians by the Persians during the sixth century BC. Their beliefs were thus entwined in furthering the system of star-lore. They believed that under the stars, each moment in time had a different influence on humanity and the thirty six stars that they monitored became known as Decans. Each star rose at ten day intervals and each had a certain characteristic which held its cosmic and spiritual power for a ten day period. This was the founding of the ten degree subdivisions within each thirty degree house of the zodiac which is used in Astrology today.

Astrology went through many changes throughout the ages but it was the conquests of Alexander the Great at around 356BC which brought about the Greek mythological influence associated with the planets. The appearance of the constellations and their apparent path along the belt of the sky (zodiac), gave rise to the characteristics of the planets which the Greeks assimilated with their own Gods. In 280BC, it was the Greek astronomer, Ptolemy who became the first publisher of texts describing the ethereal nature of astrology and how it related to all processes of growth and life on the planet. As mathematical calculations became more accurate, predictions and forecasting became possible.

After Alexander the Greats conquests, personal charts came into fashion as more became intrigued and fascinated with the subject. The methods of divination by star-lore spread then to Rome and to the East which evolved into the methodology encompassing a focus on man's spiritual journey through life and the Karmic faith. Hinduism as a religion perceived astrology as not only a map of someone's destiny, but that the stars indicated one's Karmic fate, their spiritual growth and their incarnations.

Cultural and religious influences of Eastern methods adopted their form known as Chinese Astrology which was an adaption to suit their beliefs. Theirs is a more complicated system where five divisions are made. One division is a vertical circumference around the earth incorporating the two poles, the other is a circumference around the equator which corresponds with the four seasons. Their twelve signs had not the influence of the Greek Gods but were characterised by various earthly animals. Each sign is given either the Yin energy (femininity, darkness, repose) or the Yang (masculinity, light, motion). Not all religious ideology blended well with Astrology and in actual fact was opposed quite dogmatically by the early Christian Church and also by Judaism.

Christianity during the middle ages felt that only God should have the power of divination. They believed that Astrology was communicating with demons. Since the coming of Christ, they believed the ideology to be pagan and inferior. Astrology was an intrusion into the territory of God and it was not the right of mortal man to try and read the universe - any accuracy arising from such must have been the workings of Satan.

It wasn't until the end of the dark ages that astrology gained some reputability in Europe. The rise in education during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and the advances in science and philosophical thought brought it into the spotlight once again. Ironically, it was St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274),, who accepted astrology as a science but still debated judicial or personal astrology to be ethically questionable to the Christian faith.

In the seventeenth century, Astrology was revived through many text printed on the subject. It was no longer a privilege of Kings and Queens, Astrology became available to the entire community. When Madame Blavatsky founded the Theosophical Society in Europe in 1875, it was a time of interest for the general populous to delve into spiritual and occult subjects. It appealed to the intellectuals of the era and it became the subject of many journal, almanacs and magazines printed from that time on.

There can be no argument that the qualities of the Sun and Moon have great power over the viability of the Microcosm. The Sun feeds the earth fertility and the Moon governs the tides. With this, we cannot exclude the planets and their influence over mankind. All planets emit radiation to a certain degree. Apart from the obvious Ultra-violet radiation that we experience from our Sun, other planets too have different levels of radiation which penetrates our Earth.

Ancient culture and Mythology believed the Gods existing in the heavens were the stars. The Sun and Moon were obviously valuable for survival and became the main focus for their food gathering and the calculation of time. This is why many of the ancients worshiped the Sun God and Moon Goddess. In the last forty years, Astrology has risen from the ashes of ancient Mythology and belief, transforming from fatalistic methods of prediction to a more accurate and scientific way to forecast the movement of the planets, relating it to a particular point in time or person.

Studies from the industrial revolution to today have proven that organisms of plant life and egg embryos are substantially effected by the exposure to various levels of planetary radiation. Within the molecular structure of all things on earth, there lies an energy flow. It would be ignorant to assume that we, as human matter, could be separate from this entity. The exact science of Cosmobiology is a study which focuses on these effects and scientifically supports the methodology of modern Astrology.

According to Reinhold Ebertin, Cosmobiologist, "Cosmobiology is a scientific discipline concerned with the possible correlations between cosmos and organic life and the effect of cosmic rhythms and stellar motions on man...". It uses statistics, analysis and computer programming to monitor and interpret Natal charts (individual horoscopes) in correlation with the natural sciences.

Judicial Astrology or the natal chart of an individual is calculated mathematically. An individuals time of birth as well as the location are most important to decipher the exact position of the planets at that moment in time. The exact Longitude and Latitude position is important for a geocentric map of the constellations to be completed so as to read the exact influences at that time. These transit through a belt of sky known as the Zodiac.

The Zodiac is a 360º circle, 18º thick which occupies the space around the earth which extends 9º each side of the ecliptic. The equal sections of 30º house a part of the sky, similar to the way Latitude lines describe sections of the Earth. The Sun crosses the equator and appears directly above it at the Vernal equinox. This position is defined at 0º Aries, the first sign of the Zodiac. The way in which planetary energy manifest on Earth depends on its position in the houses of the Zodiac with calculations of degrees, minutes and seconds around the path of the ecliptic. This is how the positions of the planets at the time of birth can be mapped on a wheel of which the cusps of the houses can be drawn up according to the information from the ephemeris and the Table of Houses texts.

An Ephemeris gives the astrologer the orbits and motions of the planets at any time of the year in question. Once the planetary motions for the day have been collected, it is broken down to an exact point in time with the use of logarithms and other forms of calculations. The time of birth also has to be converted into Sidereal time which is time measured by the stars and a Table of Houses is used for the position of the house cusps.

The individuals Ascendant sign is established once all calculations have been made and an accurate map of house cusps begin with this sign. An individuals Ascendant sign is the first house of their natal chart and the rest follow in sequence. Each house has different meanings and relates to different areas of a persons life. As well as planets influencing the housed in which they occupy, their distance between each other on the chart also has great significance. These precise distances are called Aspects.

They have two categories, Major/Minor - Harmonious/Tense. Analysing the Aspects within an individuals chart is how an Astrologer can decipher the strengths, weaknesses and possible conflict areas that the person may encounter in their life. A persons potential is also highlighted by the Aspects, especially if they are reinforced by a Major influence.

Astronomy and Astrology were recognised as the same science up until the seventeenth century. This was because both methods analysed the movements of the stars and required mathematical calculations to recognise the physical effects of the lunar and solar rhythms on our Earth.

When Judicial Astrology (natal charts) came into fashion, the focus was more exact as to the symbolic meanings associated with the various energies of the planets according to a particular person. The effects analysed were more concerned with spiritual and psychological trends mapped out at birth because it related to the character of an individual. Astronomy became the focus of the discovery of new planets after the achievement of Galelieo. This reinforced the differences between the two sciences and they became separate entities in the 1800's and have progressed on their particular paths ever since.

Astrologers use different forms of charting to interpret different things. Natal Astrology is concerned with the life of an individual. This can be used in correlation with Horary Astrology which is selecting a point in the future or past, and matching this with the individuals natal chart. This method is used for answering a question regarding a certain event or situation that the queirent is planning or just to see the favourable time for their plans. The planets are progressed or regressed to the time in question. The planet positions denote the type of environment and the aspects which will influence the person on the particular day.

Electional Astrology is focused on enterprises, journeys or marriages and can calculate the most favourable times for these to be undertaken according to the Natal chart of the queirent. Mundane Astrology is concerned with world events. This incorporates various forms of political, financial and geophysical affairs. It involves the Natal chart of a politician, for example, compared with the chart for the particular country. This is a very involved method of prediction but has proven to be surprisingly accurate. The conjunction of planets at various times throughout history have spurred major upheavals worldwide. This has been monitored by Astrologers throughout the centuries and can be forecasted like any natal planetary position.

Two charts can also be syncronised and analysed together to decipher their compatable co-ordinates. This form of astrology is called Synastry and its purpose is to analyse two Natal charts and their compatibility with each other. This is often used as a form of interpreting the potential for marriage or joint business enterprises between two individuals or even companies!

Astrology has come a long way over the centuries and is a part of our existance on this earth. It is as much of a science as it is an artform and its many uses make it a complex form of divination and prediction. It is an ancient knowledge, like many occult practices which has been adapted to modern society through it's advancement by man's technological apptitude and their philosophical one. Monitoring the influence of our cosmos has both educational and practical benefits for humanity which is why it is used by many for guidance and understanding of our destiny.