Hello Horoscope History!

“Astrology is a language. If you understand this language, the sky speaks to you.”

-French Author, Dane Rudhyar

The belief in horoscopes isn't something that has recently garnered waves of attention. If you’re the type to read through newspapers growing up, you would realise that there’s a horoscope column near the comic section in the newspaper. They certainly have caught up with technology as they have now adapted the daily horoscope readings on their online platform as well.

But social media like the pompous tool it is, have certainly made horoscopes trendy among youngsters worldwide. Our social media feeds are not short from people tweeting or updating status with “I can’t help it, I’m a .. that’s what I do.” liners. Despite little to no knowledge on what it exactly means.

While we’re out there letting people know that mercury is in retrograde and shoving our water, fire signs down people’s throats, how about we take a step back and get to know the rich albeit a little vague history of horoscopes.

According to Merriam Webster, horoscope is a diagram of the relative positions of planets and signs of the zodiac at a specific time such as at one's birth, used by astrologers in inferring individual character and personality traits and in foretelling events of a person's life.

Now while no one is completely sure when horoscopes first came into being, some scholars dubbed the Egyptians as the founder of zodiacs, but most people believe astrology originated in the ancient Babylonian empire.

And back in those days, the discipline of astronomy and astrology was regarded as the same. However, the two started to separate when the Babylonians began to adapt myth to constellations and identify the stars with some of their gods. For example, Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of war and fertility, was identified with the planet Venus, the only planet named as a woman. This is perhaps because planet Venus is the second-brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon, and you know what beauty is associated with? Woman.

Oh BTW, in case you don’t know astronomy and astrology are two different things okay. Astronomy is the study of the universe and Astronomers examine the positions, motions, and properties of celestial objects like stars, planets and moons among others. Astrology on the other hand, is the study of how the positions, motions, and properties of those objects AFFECT people and events on Earth.

Astrology was also once upon a time used for agricultural purposes such as predicting weather patterns, scheduling the planting, cultivating and harvesting of crops too, all of which were based on moon phases and on astrological signs. These moon gardeners, so to say, claim that plants that are sown in the few days before a full moon become stronger and more productive.

I guess now we know why some cultures believe that cutting hair during a full moon is said to be the best time to do so as the hair will grow back longer and stronger. The more you know huh..

Anyways, when the people of Babylonia found out that the weather predictions were reasonably accurate, they started to adapt the methodology to other areas of human existence. The Babylonians began to use astrology to attempt to predict natural disasters, wars and famines. Over time, astrology became one of the several methods of fortune telling that was used to counsel kings and emperors.

Babylonians were not the only ones who studied astrology. The practice exists in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and India. The ancient Mayans, Aztecs and Incans from South America too learned how to chart the stars and planets. Oh yes.. the Mayans. Remember in 2012 when everyone was low key thinking that the world was going to end? Well it probably did cause boy life hasn’t been so lively lately huh?

The first known depiction of the system of 12 zodiac signs that all of us are familiar with today dates back to around 50 B.C and was found on a bas-relief from a temple of the Egyptian goddess Hathor. This sculpture is often referred to as the Dendera Zodiac.

Let’s see the back story of what all the 12 zodiac horoscopes depict in the Greek mythology.

Aries : March 21 - April 19

The sign is represented by a ram. Legend said that Phrixus, god of the ocean was the target of his stepmother’s conspiracy who wanted him dead. Answering the prayers of the prince’s mother, the god Hermes sent a golden ram to rescue Phrixus and his sister. After the rescue, the prince sacrificed the ram in the honour of the god. The sign is often associated with being brave, direct, fearless, independent.

Taurus : April 20 - May 20

Depicts the metamorphosis of Zeus who turned into a bull to attract and abduct the princess Europa. He then took her to the island of Crete where they had a child named Minos who then reigned after the island. Taurus is often associated with positive traits such as driven, tenacious, trustworthy and patient.

Gemini : May 21 - June 20

The sign of Gemini is connected with the myth of brothers Castor and Pollux. When Castor died in a duel, his desolated brother Pollux asked Zeus to bring him back to life. The god suggested him to alternately divide their time on earth with his brother. Pollux agreed, so both of them started to live in the same body alternately. Geminis are depicted as intelligent, adaptable, communicative and informative.

Cancer : June 21 - July 22

The sign of Cancer is depicted by a crab who was sent by the goddess Hera to help Hydra in the fight against Hercules. Even though the crab was defeated, Hera honoured the crab’s effort by placing it among the stars. If you are a Cancer sign you are known to be nurturing, supporting, healing and compassionate.

Leo : July 23 - August 22

This sign is also associated with Hercules. The Neamen lion is the lion of which Hercules defeated during his completion of the twelve labours of penance after he killed his sons. Those who were born between these dates are said to be brave, playful, fun and charismatic.

Virgo : August 23 - September 22

The sign of Virgo is associated with the goddess Astraea, daughter of Themis and Zeus. She was known to be a goddess of purity and innocence. Virgos are known to be humble, altruistic, orderly and logical.

Libra : September 23 - October 22

The sign of Libra is represented as a scale. A symbol of balance of justice that goddess Themis is known for. The goddess was often invoked to assist in trials and battles. The sign is often associated with a charming, harmonious, diplomatic and easy-going nature.

Scorpio : October 23 - November 21

Scorpio is a reference to the giant Orion. He was a great hunter and so he had a close relationship with Artemis, goddess of hunting who was particularly fond of him. The goddess’s brother, Apollo, who wanted to protect her purity, sent a scorpion to kill Orion. Scorpios are known to be passionate, perceptive, emotional and sacrificing.

Sagittarius : November 22 - December 21

Sagittarius is represented by the centaur, Chiron, the wisest of his kind. He was also a great trainer to heroes such as Jason and Achilles. After accidentally being pierced by a poisoned arrow shot by Hercules, he renounced his immortality in favour of god Prometheus and was placed among the stars as the constellation Centaurus. Sagittarius’s positive traits include ambitious, lucky, optimistic and enthusiastic.

Capricorn : December 22 - January 19

Capricorn can be identified as a goat with a fish tail. Zeus’s son Pan was fed with goat milk and during the uprising of Typhon against Zeus, Pan who wanted to escape from the monster, plunged into the water and developed his fish tail. Capricorns are known to be strategic, determined, patient and responsible.

Aquarius : January 20 - February 18

Aquarius is the story of how Zeus abducted Ganymede to serve the gods in Olympus. His role was to fill the bowls and cups of gods with nectar of immortality. To curb the sadness of Ganymede’s parents,Zeus created the constellation Aquarius so that his parents can remember him by looking at the starry skies. This sign is often associated with being intelligent, inventive, altruistic and friendly.

Pisces : February 19 - March 20

The signs of Pisces also mentions Typhon’s revolt. As it happened with Pan, the gods Eros and Aphrodite both plunged into the water to escape Typhon’s wrath. To be able to be submerged for a long time, both of them were transformed into fish. Pisces is known to be intuitive, creative, romantic and compassionate.

Okay so while horoscopes are fun and all, we are not entirely sure if it’s true either. We’re not leaving out the possibilities that hey.. there is some truth in this. All we are saying is that you are not what some signs in the skies tell you to be.

You can be whatever you want to be if you set your mind to it. No need to follow the crowd. Watch as Zamaera and Juzzthin debates about the choice of following the trend in this episode of What's the Feed - Ikut Trend!