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"The placement of the celestial bodies in the heavens at any given moment in time reflects the nature of that moment, including the nature of an individual born in that moment."
The early Hindu religion began with the study of the stars around 5000 B.C.E - 3000 B.C.E. The reigning god of Hinduism is Vishnu, who is the "incarnated sun", and the most divine. Sometimes when there is chaos on the earth Vishnu visits the earth in various forms such as the ram, bull or lion. These symbols were found on temple walls dating back 7,000 years, and are still used in astrology today with the signs of Aries the Ram, Taurus the Bull and Leo the Lion. The Indian zodiac has twelve signs just like the modern zodiac. The Hindus divided the sky into 28 equal parts which they called the "Lunar Mansions". Each part represented a passage of the Moon through it's 28 day cycle. In Hindu astrology the concept of Karma and Reincarnation plays a very important role and can determine the "stage" a persons soul has reached in this current lifetime.
Egyptian Astrology developed from about 3000 B.C.E - 300 B.C.E. and was also linked to their religious beliefs. It was mainly practiced by the Egyptian priests who understood the secrets of the heavens. Egyptians had many gods and deities and each had a specific power or influence over a specific aspect of life. Osiris was the god of the dead and the afterlife, Isis was the goddess of fertility and the ideal wife or mother. Horus was the "sun" of Isis and Osiris. The sun, moon and venus were honored among the Egyptians.
Orginally the Egyptians divided the sky into 36 sections. Later it was divided into 12 parts and each was assigned a special deity to every month, and was given a form and a name. This became the twelve astrological signs. Egpytians were the first to to develop the concept of the birth chart which enabled them to predict a person's character and destiny based on the position of the celestial bodies at the time of birth.
Astrology was independently being developed in China starting around 2800 B.C.E and it's methods and systems are still in use today. In China, the emperor was considered the "son of the heavens". Ancient manuscripts tells us about an specific emperor who named the 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac and divided the sky into 28 "mansions of the moon". Chinese astrology is different from western astrology in that there are 12 years and each is represented by a different animal. The elements of fire, air, earth and water is important to a Chinese horoscope, along with the concept of Yin and Yang (negative and positive forces).
Chinese astrology does not calculate the positions of the sun, moon and planets at the time of birth. Therefore, there is no astrology in the European sense in China. Chinese astrology has a close relation with Chinese philosophy (theory of the harmony of sky, humans and earth). The twelve animals that represent each year in the Chinese Zodiac are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
The History of Astrology
[The Origins of Eastern Astrology]
The Origins of Western Astrology
The Origins of Modern Astrology
Astrology and Astronomy