Astrologize

n. To practise astrology. Astrology, n. [Fr. astrologie; Lat. and Gr. astrologia; from Gr. astron, a star, and logos, a word or discourse.] An expre ion meaning literally the doctrine or science of the stars, but especially taken to signify the art of foretelling future events, and the good or evil fortune likely to befall any man during his lifetime, from the aspect of the heavens and the relative position of the planets and other heavenly bodies at the time of his birth. This art, which is commonly understood by the term A., is properly called judicial A.; for in the early ages of the world, A. included the science of astronomy. as well as the art of making predictions from the motions of the stars; the early astronomers, or rather astrologers, making astronomical observations entirely for the sake of acquiring an insight into futurity as they im. agined. The history of the rise and progre of A. is nearly the same as that of astronomy. Its decline may be dated from the time of Copernicus, who showed that the sun was the centre of our solar system, and not the earth, as it had been formerly supposed; and although this is no argument against the truth of the science, yet the fact that all calculations with regard to the motion of the heavenly bodies had hitherto been based on erroneous suppositions, was mainly instrumental in disabusing the minds of men generally of any reliance that they had previously placed on the deductions derived from the exercise of the art. All astronomers, including Kepler himself, up to his time, had been more or le infected with the idea that their science gave them the power of foretelling events that were about to happen; and remarkable instances have occurred of the verification of astrological predictions; but no one, upon reflection, can a ert in earnest that the aspect of the heavens at the time of birth can have the slightest influence on a man's character, disposition, and fortunes. The practice of A. was universal among the Oriental nations at a very early age; and although its origin is involved in obscurity, it may probably be attributed to the Chaldæans. The Hindoos and Chinese have always attached the greatest importance to it, and the Arabs sedulously cultivated the art, as well as the astronomers who flourished in Egypt before and after the birth of our Saviour, at which period it is considered to have been introduced into western Europe. The Jews practised it after the return from the captivity in Babylon. It appears that the Greeks were the only ancient nation that gave no credence to the revelations of its profe ors. We proceed to give a brief sketch of the outlines of this science, its leading principles, and mode of practice. The heavens above and below the horizon were divided by imaginary circles, drawn through its N. and S. points, into 12 equal parts, which were called the 12 houses of heaven. They were numbered, in order, from the division in the E. immediately below the horizon which contained the part of the heavens about to rise into view. The lines of division were supposed to remain immovable, во that every part of the heavens pa ed through each house succe ively once in 24 hours. The term horoscope was given to the point of the ecliptic about to rise. The 1st house was called the "ascendant;" it was the strongest, and also known as the house of life ; the 2d was the house of riches; the 3d, of brethren ; the 4th, of parents and relatives; the 5th, of children ; the 6th, of health ; the 7th, of marriage ; the 8th, of death ; the 9th, of religion ; the 10th, of dignities , (this house ranked next in importance to the 1st;) the 11th, of friends ; the 12th, of foes . To each division one of the heavenly bodies was a igned as its lord, who was most powerful in his own house. The position of a planet in any house was its distance from the boundary circle, or cusp , of the house measured on the zodiac; and the part of the zodiac which chanced to be in each house was a point which especially demanded the attention of the astrologer in his consideration of the aspects of the various divisions. The relative position of the heavenly bodies in the different houses at any particular moment was called a theme ; and to cast the nativity of any one was to form a plan of the heavens, in the manner above indicated, at the moment of birth. Astrometeorology, n. [Gr. astron , star, meteoros, lofty, and logos , discourse.] The act of foretelling the weather from the aspect of the moon and stars.