What is astrology?
astrology is the practice of divination to predict the future based on the positions of the planets and stars, and how they will influence human events, personalities, and behavior. the natal chart, also known as genethlialogy, is the core of personal astrology, which is a map of the sky at the time of an person’s birth including date, time, and location. the position of the sun, moon, planets and constellations are then used to interpret a person’s traits, personality, and purpose. There are currently several different types of astrology including Vedic, Chinese, and western, each with its own practice and way of interpreting the celestial bodies in the heavens. divination through celestial observation has evolved over thousands of years and has transcended many nations and cultures, but where exactly did astrology originate?
Where did astrology come from?
some of the first records of astrology are dated back thousands of years ago to the ancient empire of Babylon, which was located in Mesopotamia. The Babylonians are widely considered the first astrologers, with the practice becoming popular amongst this civilization around 2,000 b.C. to interpret omens from the gods. the Babylonians worshipped many different deities and they connected the celestial bodies to these gods. Some of these gods include Shamash who was associated with the sun, sin with the moon, marduk with jupiter, ishtar with venus, Nabu with Mercury, Nergal with Mars, and Ninurta with Saturn. It was believed that these gods could be appeased through prayer, magical incantations, and amulets, in order to receive favor from them.
The Babylonian priests also known as ummanu predicted how the celestial bodies would affect society, the king, and the empire. This was known as mundane astrology, and did not focus on the individual, but rather the whole of civilization. The king was seen as the mediator between the gods and the human world, but the priests would aid in this communication. These Ummanu would observe the celestial bodies and record the phenomena to be reported to the king along with their interpretation of the events. many of these omens were recorded on tablets of clay, with the oldest known compilation of astrological texts being the enuma anu enlil. This consisted of more than 7,000 omens covering 70 clay tablets.
by the 7th century b.c. the Babylonians were able to make predictions of both past and future eclipses and other celestial phenomena. This would eventually lead to the creation of the first horoscopes. originally the Babylonian zodiac recognized 18 constellations, but around 400 b.C. they had identified the ecliptic path of the sun and the zodiac was consolidated into the 12 Constellations commonly recognized today. the sky was divided into twelve 30 degree segments to identify the position of planets, and these were divided into four groups of three to establish the houses for each planet. This is where the first horoscopes began to emerge and there are texts that still exist today that outline the position of the planets at the time of the person’s birth but there was very little interpretation included with these. The modern day birth chart, with all of its personal insights, did not come until later when it emerged in Egypt as the Egyptians expanded upon the Babylonian’s methods.
During this time, The greek empire began to grow, and at first, greek philosophers were not interested in the teachings of astronomy and astrology. Eventually Babylonian priests and astrologers began to settle on the island of Cos, a greek island, and were thought to be responsible for introducing astrology to the Greek empire. around the 4th century b.C. the greek philosopher Plato and his student who wrote epinomis, played a pivotal role in Greek society by paving the way from astronomy and the observation of celestial objects into astral piety and the deification of celestial bodies. When alexander the great took over Egypt in 332 b.C., Alexandria grew to become an epicenter for intellectual and cultural exchange, and was a melting pot for astrological beliefs and practices as the Babylonian, egyptian, and greek/Hellenistic ideologies collided. The greeks took the babylonian astrological system, and assigned their gods to each of the constellations. The greek deities assigned to a zodiac sign are what make up modern day astrology and the horoscopes we know today. For example, Scorpio, which is ruled by mars and Pluto, is associated with Hades or ares representing the hidden aspects of the underworld. Leo which is ruled by the sun is often connected with zeus or apollo and is supposed to embody leadership, strength, and radiance.
As astrology spread into Egypt around the 2nd century B.C., the Egyptians began creating horoscopes to determine the fate of a newborn child, and it is believed that natal astrology originated here. Instructional texts found on Ostracas, which were potsherds or broken pieces of ceramic material, are the only known remaining texts pointing to Babylonian methods that filtered into Egypt. the Egyptians put great importance on the name of an individual, which was given based on the circumstances of one’s birth, the alignment of celestial bodies. Unlike the Babylonians, the Egyptians used gods to represent the birth periods as opposed to the constellations. the names of certain deities were called upon during the child’s birth and were incorporated into the child’s name. They even went so far as to write the name and destiny of the child on a piece of papyrus, to be worn around the neck. Each of these deities was believed to pass on certain traits to the child born under that time period. Like the Babylonian’s, the Egyptians also worshipped a pantheon of deities, some of which included Amun-Ra, Osiris, isis, Thoth, Horus, and Anubis. In addition to the gods representing different zodiacs, the Nile is also considered one of their zodiacs. The Nile was considered their lifeblood and was the only zodiac that was not a deity.
By the Second century A.D., astrology grew in popularity and influence. alexandria, an egyptian city now under roman rule, remained an important hub for this knowledge. a greek man named claudius ptolemy living in Alexandria, codified astrological teachings in his book tetrabiblos, which became the foundation for much of western astrology as we know it today. His books systematically laid out the use of the horoscope, zodiac, Houses, planets and aspects, consolidating centuries of teachings into a central text. for over 1,500 Years, astrology was taught using tetrabiblos as a foundational text until it began to lose credibility among the sciences during the seventeenth century when the view of the universe shifted from a geocentric model to a heliocentric model during the “Age of Enlightenment”. It was not until the late nineteenth century when carl Jung began integrating astrology into his theories on the human psyche that we see the practice reinvigorated. By the 1920’s we begin to see horoscopes published in the newspapers and with the rise of the internet, astrology has begun to reach a larger audience than ever before. polling shows that over 25-30% of Americans believe in astrology, with the younger generations of millennials and Gen Z being as high as 80%. It is clear that astrology has become extremely widespread in this current age.
Now that we understand the roots of astrology and where it originated, The question Remains, Is It something we should be practicing?
Is astrology actually safe for us to be practicing?
As we discussed in the first Section of this article, astrology is using the planets and the stars as a tool to divine or predict the future. Let’s see what our Heavenly Father, the one who actually created Mankind, the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars and the earth has to say about this practice in the scriptures.
“Let no one be found among you who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices divination, or a user of magic, or one who interprets omens or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. “For whoever does these are an abomination to YHWH, and because of these abominations YHWH your Elohim drives them out from before you.”
– Deuteronomy 18:10-12
“Stand now with your potent spells and your many witchcrafts, in which you have laboured from your youth, if so be you are able to profit, if so be you find strength. “You are exhausted by your many counsels; let the astrologers, the stargazers, and those who prognosticate by the new moons stand up and save you from what is coming upon you. “See, they shall be as stubble, fire shall burn them, they do not deliver themselves from the power of the flame, there is not a coal to be warmed by, nor a fire to sit before it! “So they shall be to you with whom you have laboured, your merchants from your youth. They shall wander, each one his own way, there is none to save you.”
– Isaiah 47:12-15
YHWH (or YAhweh also known as our Heavenly Father) makes it quite clear that, not only is this practice dangerous for us to be engaging in, it is an abomination to Him. Abomination is quite a strong word and this practice is even listed amongst child sacrifice which is absolutely abhorrent, I think we can all agree.
Image Depicts The passing of children through the fire,
as described in Deuteronomy 18:10-12, This is a sacrifice to Ba’al,
another name for satan.
why exactly does He feel so strongly about this practice?
If you study the scriptures, all through out both the old testament and the new testament, belief and trust in our heavenly Father and His son Yeshua/Jesus for our salvation and every need, is a command. If we intend to follow our Messiah to make peace and be reconciled back to our heavenly Father, we must place our full faith/belief, and trust in THEM. The scripture states very clearly that it is impossible to please our Heavenly Father without Faith in HIM and His Son.
“But without belief it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to Elohim has to believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him.”
– Hebrews 11:6
Therefore, having been declared right by belief, we have peace with Elohim Through our Master Yeshua Messiah, through whom also we have access by belief into this favour in which we stand, and we exult in the expectation of the esteem of Elohim.
– Romans 5:1-2
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” – that is, the word of belief which we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth the Master Yeshua and believe in your heart that Elohim has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, and so is saved. Because the Scripture says, “Whoever puts his trust in Him shall not be put to shame.”
– Romans 10:8-11
“Trust in YHWH with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; Know Him in all your ways, And He makes all your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
“The one steadfast of mind You guard in perfect peace, for he trusts in You. “Trust in YHWH forever, for in Yah, YHWH, is a rock of ages.”
– Isaiah 26:3
But our Heavenly Father created the Heavens and all that is in them.. What’s the big deal? How is practicing Astrology not trusting Him?
When using astrology to DIVINE the future, we are putting our trust in the creation, instead of our creator YHWH, and His Son, Yeshua, the Messiah. By practicing a form of divination, we are communicating that we do not trust THEM, we do not trust that they have our best interest at heart, and we do not trust Them with our future and their plan for our salvation. By practicing astrology, and not putting our trust in THEM we are even accusing our Heavenly Father and Yeshua of being liars.
How could that be, you say? Well, By our lack of trust in Him, we are accusing Him of not being Pure Agape Love, as He clearly states that He is, in His word. If They Love us as much as They say They do, then wouldn’t they want what is best for us? In Fact, They Do, and they even state this Truth in the scripture below.
‘For I know the plans I am planning for you,’ declares YHWH, ‘plans of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and an
expectancy (Hope). ‘Then you shall call on Me, and shall come and pray to Me, and I shall listen to you. ‘And you shall seek Me, and shall find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.– Jeremiah 29:11-13
If we are to build a genuine and deep relationship with our King and Messiah Yeshua, and our Heavenly Father, Faith and Trust is an absolute must. Think about all of the relationships in your life. Don’t they require both Faith and Trust? There is no difference when it comes to our Father in Heaven and His Son Yeshua. Our Father and His Son have made it abundantly clear throughout the Scriptures that their intention for humanity is to be in relationship with us and to bring us into their family. They did not need us when they existed in eternity, but the Father chose to create us to share his love and goodness with us. When you understand that they have our best interest at heart, you begin to realize that there is a purpose behind everything They do. There is a reason we are commanded not to practice divination, and this is actually for our protection.
How Is it for my protection?
When it comes to accessing the spiritual realm, there are only two ways, or doors in which we can enter by. As scripture states, Divination is an abomination to our Heavenly Father, by process of elimination, this only leaves one other door by which we can enter into the spirit when practicing divination through astrology. that door is through the kingdom of darkness which is ruled by satan.
When Lucifer rebelled against our Heavenly Father, he was cast out of heaven and he brought a third of the angels with him. Lucifer became satan, meaning the adversary, and the fallen angels became demons. They warred against the Father, and sought to lead mankind away from Him as a way of hurting Him, because they knew how precious mankind is to Him. Satan and his minions began teaching mankind all kinds of things that would cause us to harm one another physically, emotionally and spiritually, and commit spiritual adultery against our Father in Heaven.
And Azâzêl taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all colouring tinctures. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjâzâ taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, Armârôs the resolving of enchantments, Barâqîjâl, taught astrology, Kôkabêl the constellations, Ezêqêêl the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiêl the signs of the earth, Shamsiêl the signs of the sun, and Sariêl the course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven . . .
– Enoch 8:1-2
As we can see here, this is the true origin of astrology, it did not originate from any nation or man. In the pages before this scripture, we see 200 Fallen angels swear an oath to descend to the earth to take women as wives for themselves to bring forth children. They began to to teach mankind the abominations listed above with the sole purpose of destroying us and leading us astray from our Father in Heaven. It is out of our Father’s eternal and infinite love for us that He tells us not to engage in these practices, He seeks only to protect His children. When our Father commands us not to practice divination through astrology, He has our best interest at heart, because He knows that we are interacting with demonic spirits that are attempting to harm us and lead us away from Him both in this life, and ultimately to eternal separation from our Creator. Our Heavenly Father also knows how cunning and deceptive these fallen angels are when it comes to the various methods they use to lead mankind away from Him, and Astrology is no Exception.
But How Are horoscopes so accurate if it’s not of God?
When the Earth was created by our Father in Heaven, many laws were established, both physically and Spiritually. When nature is observed, it has a natural process, law, and order that is followed. The same can be observed in the spiritual realm. When we were created, we were all given choice, and with that choice no one is forced to worship and love our Father in Heaven. With that choice comes consent or Agreement. You must come into agreement with either the Kingdom of light with our Father in Heaven and Yeshua, or the kingdom of darkness with satan and his demons. When you practice astrology, you are giving consent and legal access to demonic spirits to come into your life and to influence you. For example, people born in the time period associated with Gemini are often considered to possess two different sides to their personality. The Bible calls this double mindedness. People born during the time of Taurus are associated with laziness and jealousy, while People born during the time of Scorpio are often considered vengeful and controlling. These are all traits of demonic spirits. You are giving access to these spirits and coming into agreement with its characteristics thus you begin to embody these traits.
That’s all bad, what about all the good things that have come true?
When you come into agreement with your horoscope and birth chart, you are providing legal access to your life to demons to work on your behalf and it may even result in some things that appear beneficial on the surface, but it is only to further deceive you to continue down the path of darkness. Like many other practices in the new age, Astrology will often lead you to other demonic spiritual practices further adding to the links in the chain of your bondage. Satan and His minions were given power on this earth and they will stop at nothing to use it to deceive you. if that means throwing you a bone every now and then to lead you further down the path of death, they will do so. These demons will work to fulfill demonic prophesy and execute the devil’s plan for your life which will ultimately lead to your destruction and eternal separation from God where all those in rebellion against Him will go.
“And no wonder! For Satan himself masquerades as a messenger (Angel) of light!”
– 2 Corinthians 11:14
Who will you put your trust and faith in? our Heavenly Father and His Son Yeshua/Jesus, or satan and his minions?
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