Understanding astrology from scratch

The popularity of astrology on the Internet makes many people want to really understand what astrology is. Astrology is a method to predict human affairs according to astronomical phenomena, also known as "astrology", "astrology" and "astrology".

In the early stage of primitive social and cultural development, because people's knowledge level and productivity were very low at that time, they were not sure about some laws in natural phenomena, so they linked the good fortune and bad fortune in people's lives with some natural phenomena. Early astrology used astrological observation to predict more important events, such as the victory or defeat of war, the rise and fall of a country or nation, the fate of a king or minister, etc. Later, it gradually expanded to personal destiny and trivial matters in daily life. With the gradual revelation of the implementation law of the sun, the moon and the five stars, various systems and complex calculation methods have appeared in astrology, which increasingly show its mystery. In ancient times, astrology completely belonged to the government, and it was an important work content of astronomical institutions established by * * * *. Astronomers in ancient times were mostly astrologers, and most of the early astronomical works had astrological factors. The existing ancient astrology books mainly include Yi Sizhan by Li in the Tang Dynasty, Kaiyuan by Qu Tansida, Lingtai Secret Garden rebuilt by Wang Anshi in the Northern Song Dynasty and Watching the Elephant and Playing the Ancient in the Ming Dynasty.

In the west, some medieval kings regarded astrologers as senior advisers and often asked them to make decisions on major political events according to astrology. But later, western astrology gradually developed into personal astrology. For example, according to the position of the sun, the moon and the five stars in the zodiac when a person is born, a "fortune-telling horoscope" is calculated to predict the fate of a person's life. Astrology links astronomical phenomena with human affairs, and its length is scientific. But astrology also promoted the development of ancient astronomy. In order to occupy the starry sky, people pay attention to the astronomical phenomena. The rich astronomical records in ancient China were mostly recorded by the ancients for astrological reasons. They are not only valuable historical heritage, but also have academic value for solving some major astronomical problems in contemporary times. Ancient astronomers were often astrologers; Ancient astronomical works often contain astrological elements.

China's astrology

In the East, people began divination as early as the Neolithic Age. At the same time, China's system of the origin of the universe was formed with its application (especially in medicine). The soothsayers use the shoulder blades of cattle or the shells of turtles (known for their intelligence and longevity, so they can get good advice) that have been hollowed out at several certain points in advance. After asking a question to an ancestor of the king, they put a burning stick in the float. The interpretation of cracks or figures (Oracle Bone Inscriptions, the predecessor of the Book of Changes) produced under the action of force can predict the future. The earliest divination remains in 4000 BC were found in northern China.

In Shang dynasty (BC 1500 ~ 1030), some fortune tellers served the king all the year round in order to determine policies and governance, and to know whether hunting was appropriate or not, and whether the next food was favorable or unfavorable. The same theme is carved on shells or bones, for example, in a way that one side faces the other. People found the words on it so small that they thought it was a secret document. At present, there are more than 65,438+000,000 words in sacred works.