Astrology - Science, Art or Conjecture?

Astrology is defined in various ways and while many call it a science, others call it an art. Astrology refers to the study of the movement and position of the stars, moon and the planets and how to they influence events and people on earth. While skeptics and believers abound by plenty, astrology is one field that is either revered or hated, with generally not much lying in between. However, most people do not mind reading their daily or weekly horoscopes as a means of entertainment.

In today’s time, we generally think of the signs of the zodiac whenever astrology is mentioned. However, this is not all there is to astrology and it is a field that is as vast and deep as it is tough to interpret and understand. Astrology is an extremely old science and for centuries people have taken its help in order to make better decisions. Unfortunately, it has been commercialized to such extents that people who have no idea whatsoever about astrology have branded themselves astrologers in an effort to make an easy buck. This has resulted not just in astrology becoming a cause for humor; it has also led to real students and experts of astrology being ridiculed.

That elements on the earth are influenced by planetary movements is a fact proven by the monthly movements of the tide in response to the position of the moon. Just think that if the moon can influence the movement of the largest water bodies on earth to such an extent, would it not have an influence on human beings who themselves are composed of more than seventy per cent water?

Since ages, the Farmers Almanac, which is based on astrology, has been used as a guide to determine planting and harvesting times. At the same time, an extremely large number of animals are influenced by astrological cycles, and science has already proven that oysters, turtles and salmon carry out the functions of reproduction based on astrological movements. At the same time, most of us who do not have a keen interest or belief in astrology expect people with a certain sun sign to behave in a certain way only to be proved right most of the time.

Astrology today is a much maligned and much misused science, but to say that it has no substance whatsoever would be completely wrong. Therefore, while it is not very wise to follow astrology blindly and consider it responsible for everything good or bad that happens to you, at the same time, it is also not prudent to discount astrology as a bogus science.