Astronomy 12 constellation diagram and the constellation relationship in our understanding.

Constellation originated in Babylon, one of the four ancient civilizations. The Babylonians divided the sky into many regions and called them "constellations", but at that time constellations were of little use and were rarely found and named. The constellation 12 on the ecliptic was originally used to measure time, not to express people's character as it is now. Around 1000 BC, 30 constellations have been proposed. The Tigris River and the Euphrates River flow into the Persian Gulf from northwest to southeast, so it is also called the "two river basin" area.

After the culture of the two river basins spread to ancient Greece, it promoted the cultural development of ancient Greece. Ancient Greek astronomers supplemented and developed the Babylonian constellation and compiled the ancient Greek constellation table. In the 2nd century A.D., Ptolemy, an ancient Greek astronomer, synthesized the astronomical achievements at that time and sorted out 48 constellations. Connect the main bright stars in the constellation with imaginary lines, imagine them as images of animals or characters, and give them appropriate names in combination with fairy tales. This is the origin of the constellation name. Most of the 48 constellations in Greek mythology live in the northern sky and north and south of the equator.

After the Middle Ages, European capitalism rose and needed to expand outward, and the navigation industry was greatly developed. Ships sailing at sea need navigation at any time, and stars are the best street lamps. Among the stars, this constellation has a special shape and is the easiest to observe. Therefore, constellations have aroused widespread concern. When Magellan sailed around the world in the16th century, he not only used constellations to navigate and orient, but also studied constellations.

1922, the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union decided to divide the sky into 88 constellations, and their names basically followed the historical names. 1928, the international astronomical union officially announced the names of 88 constellations. These 88 constellations are divided into three celestial regions, 29 in the northern hemisphere, 47 in the southern hemisphere, and near the equator and ecliptic 12.

There are nearly 6,000 stars visible to the naked eye, each of which can be classified as a unique constellation. Each constellation can be identified by the shape of the bright star inside.

In order to facilitate research, people divide the starry sky into several regions, which are called constellations. China has long divided the sky into three walls and twenty-eight nights. Historical records and official records are quite detailed. Sanyuan is the three areas around the north celestial pole, namely Ziweiyuan, Taiweiyuan and Tianshiyuan. Twenty-eight lodges are distributed in 28 areas near the ecliptic and the white road, that is, seven lodges in the east: corner, health, ground, room, heart, tail and dustpan;

In astrology, the zodiac is synonymous with the orientation of the universe. The zodiac represents 65,438+02 basic personality archetypes. When a person is born, the stars fall into the position of the zodiac, which just shows a person's innate character and talent. The zodiac symbolizes the psychological level and reflects a person's behavior.

So the ecliptic is divided into twelve constellations, called 12 constellations. Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces.

Astrology is a system that uses the relative position and motion of celestial bodies (especially the position of planets in the solar system) to explain or predict people's fate and behavior. From a scientific point of view, astrology is pseudoscience. It tries to explain people's character and destiny by birthplace, birth time and celestial position. All cultures in the world have very different astrological systems and theories. Astrologers also have different views on the scope of application of astrology. Some astrologers believe that astrology can objectively predict events that can be verified in the future, while others believe that the interpretation of astrology is only directional, and it cannot make predictions.

In all cultures in the world, people once or still believe that astronomical phenomena have an influence on people.

In astrology, the specific influence of any astronomical phenomena is limited to a specific place and time on the earth, and the influence of other places and times is different. Because all people on the earth see the same astronomical phenomena, the objectivity of astrology is only superficial. This is also the main criticism of astrology by natural science. Today's astrological predictions are generally symbolic, and most of them cannot be verified by physical science, so today's astrologers think that their knowledge has nothing to do with physical and natural science.

Astrological point of view

Astrologers believe that there is a universal connection between things. They tried to find the connection between celestial movement and human misfortune from thousands of years of practice and experience, and summed up a set of methods to predict human destiny by observing the actual operation of celestial bodies. Therefore, astrology and astronomy are inextricably linked. However, with the development of astrology, there are many differences between modern astrology and astronomy, such as the displacement of ecliptic 12 house and the introduction of virtual stars. Today, astrology has long been far from astronomy. As a precognition with an ancient origin, it does not belong to the category of natural science. Astrology believes that the sky at a certain time and place is related to something, and there is a corresponding relationship. The sky phenomenon at a certain time and place can be calculated, so the fate can be predicted to some extent.

The theory of astrology comes from the accumulation of experience of astrologers from ancient times to the present, and a lot of knowledge of astronomy and psychology contained in it has also brought great vitality to it. Astrology has its own terms and symbols, but as mentioned above, astrology is not only realized by mathematical and physical calculations. To make a truly accurate prediction, astrologers need to learn from the wisdom of their predecessors and know themselves. Therefore, an excellent astrologer needs enough creativity besides extensive knowledge. Astrology doesn't need an advanced computer! !

However, because the theoretical system of astrology is not as systematic and accurate as astronomy, it has also attracted many people's criticism. They believe that astrological predictions are not objective enough and therefore lack credibility. Imagine that the so-called real science does not require scientists to join their own understanding and creation? !

The history of western astrology

Western astrology originated in Mesopotamia.

Two thousand years ago, Sumerians built seven temples in Ur and uruk, and each temple represented a celestial body: the moon, the sun, mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. These seven celestial bodies should pave the way to God for the priests. Sumerians already have their own constellations, they divide the sky into three parts, and they also know the white road. They believe that celestial bodies operate according to God's will.

The most accurate calendar in ancient Egypt was born in 2778 BC. Egyptians realized the relationship between the rise of Sirius and the Nile flood. They tried to infer political development from Sirius's position. The four sides of the ancient Egyptian pyramids are determined according to the four directions of the sky. They want to pave the way for the Pharaoh's soul to ascend to heaven after his death. The Pharaoh's soul is the North Star. Under the influence of Babylon, they divided the ecliptic into twelve constellations.

In Europe, Stonehenge in Britain (about 2200 BC) may have astrological significance.

The development of astrology in Europe

In ancient Greece, astrology and astronomy were not clearly decomposed. The Greeks used the Babylonian planet names, but they used the sun as the main star. Greek astrology later influenced alchemy, Manichaeism and Christianity.

Early Christianity's views on astrology were quite contradictory. On the one hand, astrology believes that people's fate can be predicted, which is contrary to one of the most basic teachings of Christianity (people's will is determined by themselves). On the other hand, the birth of Christ Jesus was predicted by an astronomical phenomenon, so it seems that God himself is using astrology. Some people in the church regard astrology as an enemy, while others themselves believe in astrology.

During the Renaissance, astrology was once again favored. Many kings, popes and religious reformers believe in astrology. But at this time, there are more and more criticisms about the rationality of astrology.

At this time, astronomers are usually also astrologers. Tycho brahe and johannes kepler are both astronomers and astrologers. Kepler also clearly regarded astrology as an academic. Although he does not believe that the position of celestial bodies can be used to predict the occurrence of things on earth, he believes in the influence of celestial bodies on things on earth.

After the invention of the telescope, the paths of astronomy and astrology were completely separated. But until the Romantic era (or later), astrology has always had a high influence in the upper class.

Astrology in the west today

To this day, astrology still has many believers. Believe it or not, it seems to satisfy many people's supernatural desires.

Today's astrology has developed various sects, some of which are also different from each other.

Criticism of astrology

From the perspective of the history of natural science or science of science, an ordinary science always tries to summarize the laws of nature, and it should simplify what happens in nature into some relatively clear rules that can explain these things. If a natural science has to use more and more rules to explain the phenomena it observes during its development (for example, geocentric theory introduces more eccentric wheels to explain the differences of planetary orbits), then it often shows that this science is entering a wrong path. On the other hand, astrology has been adding more and more rules since its birth, so that today its rules are so complicated that even professional astrologers can't list them one by one. (Astrologers retort: Look at the development of astronomy, there are more and more new stars and new orbits. Throughout the natural sciences, which discipline is not a milestone because of the advent of new theorems and methods? Star, constellation, house, astrology and astrology are four cornerstones. What's so tedious about staying at home? )

Besides, there is no physical theory to explain how the position of celestial bodies affects people's fate. Some people say that the gravity of the stars can affect a person, but in fact, what are the walls, doors and windows of the hospital where a person was born? The change of gravity may be greater than that of all stars in the universe. Therefore, most natural scientists believe that astrology is a pseudoscience. (Astrologers retort: What a ridiculous point of view. If physics can explain how the position of celestial bodies affects people's fate, then what is the need for astrologers to exist! The idea that astrology uses connections comes from philosophy and psychology. Although astrology uses the word influence, this influence cannot be explained in modern physics, and there are many unknowns in physics! ! It is even funnier to mention the walls, doors and windows of the hospital. Astrology only studies the relationship between celestial bodies and the world, not the relationship between walls, doors and windows and the world. At the same time, it must be pointed out that the prediction object of astrology is not just individuals. Obviously, the person who made this criticism doesn't even know the content of astrology. )

Astrology and belief

Astrology meets the needs of many people for supernatural and metaphysical explanations of their current or future situation. By definition, any metaphysical explanation transcends any criticism of natural science. This is not only true of astrology, but also of any world outlook or morality (such as religion), and natural science and its inevitability cannot be achieved.

Astrology and psychology

Astrology describes a person's personality and future, so it may help to form a similar personality and future. If a person believes that something will happen, he may cause it unconsciously or consciously. He may also unconsciously adopt a specific personality. Therefore, astrological prediction is consistent with actual observation. From the perspective of natural science, such practical observation does not mean that astrology is really realistic.

From a psychological point of view, such self-influence shows that astrology can be used as a tool for self-reflection and self-understanding. In this respect, astrology has the same function as other prediction methods, such as tarot cards. Of course, this does not involve the prediction of non-participating third parties.

From a psychological point of view, in addition to self-reflection, there is also the problem of external influence, that is, to influence another person's character by making astrological predictions for others. Some studies show that these effects can be very strong. From this perspective, the influence of real stars seems insignificant.

In any case, astrology is one of the oldest beliefs of human beings and the longest-lasting belief so far. The reason why it can last so long may be because it directly connects a person's life with the whole universe, thus giving people a special and complete feeling.

The origin of astrology

Astrology, or astrology, is a method for astrologers to predict all kinds of things in the world by observing the positions of celestial bodies, the sun, the moon and the stars and their various changes.

Astrology believes that celestial bodies, especially planets and constellations, predict the changes of everything in the world in a causal or accidental way. The theoretical basis of astrology existed in ancient Greek philosophy from 300 BC to 300 AD, about 600 years. This philosophy combines astrology with the "omen" of ancient Mesopotamian celestial bodies. Astrologers believe that the movements and changes of some celestial bodies and their combinations are related to the appearance and disappearance of four elements on the ground: fire, air, water and earth. The complexity of this connection reflects the complexity of the ever-changing human world. This ever-changing human world is beyond the control of the world, so it is easy for astrologers to find excuses for any mistakes. Astrology has different views on the role of God. Some people think that the universe is completely mechanized. They reject both the possibility of God's intervention and man's free will. Others think that astrology is not as accurate as astronomy, it can only point out the development trend of things, and this trend can be controlled by the will of man or God. Others believe that the planets themselves are powerful gods, and their will can be changed through prayer, while the stars only show the will of God to those who are familiar with astrology. The latter view is very close to that of ancient Mesopotamia. They mainly warn the imperial court of the coming good or bad, which may affect the growth of human beings, animals and plants in the form of weather or disease, or affect the affairs of state or the lives of royal family members in some form, and so on. But they think that the omen of celestial bodies does not determine the future of things, but only shows people the will of God as a sign.

The original purpose of astrology is to predict the fate of a person's life according to the position of the planet and the zodiac when he was born. Later, it developed into several branches, one of which specializes in the relationship between major astronomical phenomena (such as the appearance of solar eclipse or vernal equinox) and human beings, and is called holistic astrology; An auspicious moment to choose action is called timing astrology; The other is called astrology, in which fortune tellers answer questions according to the astronomical phenomena.

Astrology originated from the celestial omen in ancient Mesopotamia. From18th century BC to16th century BC, the first cuneiform writing of celestial omen appeared in the Babylonian dynasty. From the 6th century BC to the 4th century BC, the theory of astronomical phenomena was introduced to Egypt, Greece, the Near East and India. Later, it spread to Central Asia through Indian monks. Since the 3rd century BC, some people have mathematized the concepts of the big universe and the small universe. The so-called "small universe" refers to the human body They further subdivide the zodiac and think that the five stars have their own primary and secondary roles in different arc segments of the zodiac. The influence of a star on people depends on its arc and its relationship with other enemies and friends. The zodiac signs correspond to specific parts of the human body, and the ever-changing material world and human character are also related to the zodiac signs. Astrologers calculate the influence of planets according to the five-star coordinates of the sun, the moon and the zodiac at a certain moment, and their complex geometric relationships, and then use astrology to find out the corresponding relationship between the above factors and ground events and get astrological results. This result is sometimes contradictory, which requires scryer to deal with it flexibly according to the occupier's situation and scryer's own experience. 1 century later, the above method has been finalized.

Greek astrology was also introduced into Indian, Iranian and Islamic cultures. /kloc-After the 7th century, with the establishment of Heliocentrism and the rise of modern science, astrology lost its scientific support. However, in recent years, astrology began to rise in the West, and some people tried to introduce the exoplanets discovered in modern times into astrology, trying to find out the statistical relationship between the positions of planets and human life.

Four schools of astrology

Birth sign (astrology, the core relic of life);

That is, the common judgment of personal fate is related to personal character and various fields of life. Use the time and place of your birth, or other important time and place, to make a fortune for your life, or to make a judgment on lucky days. It is a basic course in the field of modern astrology research, focusing on the overall situation of personal life, including the analysis of personal basic personality, as well as the judgment of personal family, marriage life, interpersonal relationship, career and work, money and financial situation.

Secular astrology (secular astrology):

Astrology related to the current situation, such as political astrology, financial astrology, international situation astrology, climate astrology and so on. All astrological predictions related to the whole human race. Mainly divided into natural disasters and the world situation. Natural disasters are used to predict the changes of natural phenomena on the earth, while the world situation is used to predict the possible major events of the whole mankind.

Time horoscope (divination astrology):

Used to predict a single thing or find possible answers. The answer is either yes or no, just like the divination we usually do, we can decide whether we can see it or not. It's just that its judgment is based on the astrology of celestial bodies, not gossip. It also includes causal analysis of some events. It mainly provides the answer to a special question, and its chart is drawn by asking the time at that time. Its limitation is that only one question can be asked at a time. How about selling the house? * * Can I get my lost wallet back? Generally speaking, astrology is quite practical, because people always want something.

Election constellation (astrology):

The significance of choosing a date is the same as that of China's traditional eight-character study, that is, choosing the most auspicious time for the start of an event. The principle is to choose the time when the planet is in a fairly good position as the start time of something. Sometimes we should consider the nature of the things to be done, such as the opening of a company. According to the nature of the industry in which the company operates, we should choose the time when the planets and constellations leading the industry form a good angle.

The school of astrology

Genre1:> (modern astrology)

Features: Schools that have risen in modern times. Apply a lot of psychological knowledge and emphasize the influence of constellations and planets.

It is the mainstream of astrology in Taiwan Province Province at present.

Representative figures: from Allen Leo of Theosophical Society to Dion Rudia and stephen arroyo. There are too many Chinese documents to list.

Genre 2: > (Traditional/Classical Astrology)

Features: About the predecessor of modern astrology. Use the main star of the palace and pay attention to the power of the planet, which is often used in divination.

Representative: William Lily, Chinese has Mooney Pavilion, and a brief discussion on the practice of choosing a day in Zhong Yiming Stars.

Genre III> (Ancient Astrology)

Features: Retro astrology, which is about the early astrology in various countries, such as the astrology in the Greek era, using Profection house.

Representative: Vitius Vallans, without Chinese.

Genre 4> (Uranus astrology)

Features: use the midpoint of the planet to judge by the combination of the planets.

Representative: Albertine's The Combination of the Influence of Stars, without Chinese.

Genre 5:> (Harmonious Astrology)

Features: draw a new astrolabe by using the multiple of astrological points to judge.

Representative: Eddie's harmonic astrology, Japan's Ishikawa Akira's divergent harmonic is its extension. There is no Chinese document.

Genre six>

Features: Using heavenly stems and earthly branches, there are many Chinese documents and teaching.

Sub-genre 1: Degree theory, represented by Hangzong, with works by Zheng, Lu Qinghe and Li Guangpu.

Sub-genre 2: Miyamoto Theory, represented by Shu Yuan's Secret Biography, such as Huo Minqing and Wu. It is an extension of Jiang Dahong's school that the stars hold the moon and choose the day.

Genre 7> (Vedic Astrology)

Features: Use of planetary pattern (yoga) and division.

Representative: China has Hong Nengping's teaching, but no Chinese language.

Genre VIII & gt (Muharram of Arabic Astrology)

Features: using Arabic dots, ALMUTEN.

Representative: Translation of astronomical literature, practical astrology of Wang Zhonghe.

Genre 9>

Features: Twenty-seven (eight) residences are used.

Sub-genre 1: China shows that birds are mostly used for choosing a day and fighting, such as Birds and Stars Easy to See by Ikemoto and Essentials of Choosing a Day by Zhong.

Sub-genre 2: Obsidian Taoism spread in Japan, such as the Obsidian Sutra of the Tantric Department of the Tripitaka.

Genre 10 & gt

It should not be astrology, but tarot cards, psychic mathematics and other extended applications.

I'm exhausted! )