"Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world. In the West, astrology most often consists of a system of horoscopes that claim to explain aspects of a person's personality and predict future events in their life based on the positions of the sun, moon, and other planetary objects at the time of their birth. Many cultures have attached importance to astronomical events, and the Indians,Chinese, and Mayans developed elaborate systems for predicting terrestrial events from celestial observations."
In past generations Astrology was an art form for many people. But with the Christian Church coming to power it was banned as devil worship and idolatry. Ancient people recognized that things that happen and peoples' behaviors all correlated to events that happened in the stars. They found that things in the night sky moved but never changed. Certain stars were fixtures above them and carried set patterns across the seasons and year. They began to chart and map out these patterns and noticed that there were also patterns to events that happened during them. As they began to chart these things they were able to predict other events that might happen when they saw the same patterns come back around.
Earlier astrology was based on the concept of geocentric beliefs. The belief that the Earth was the center and everything revolved around it. Astrology is one of the earliest forms of science and was look down upon by the church, so it was not until the 17th century that a heliocentric belief began to really take hold. Though modern scientists have tested the theories of Astrology they can find no basis for them, however, farmers for generations have relied on astrology to predict seasonal changes and used them to determine when to plant crops, breed livestock, and harvest. This has worked for them for centuries. Astrology was used for an early form of meteorology to determine which weather patterns lay ahead for the farmers to insure that crops weren't destroyed by frost or droughts.
Astrology is a form of divination and with modern advances in space travels and exploration we have a stronger understanding of why certain events in the night skies affects life here on earth. Moon phases and positions, in relation to the Earth's position around the sun affects seasonal changes as well as other aspects of life here on Earth. As a woman I can tell you that the moons cycles have a strong effect on my fertility cycles! Because the Moon's gravitational pull affects the Earth's tides it also affects the cycles of the human body which is made up of 70% water! It only makes sense that it would affect the cycles of other breeding animals such as livestock.
Charting these patterns and changes allows them to chart out the changes in weather patterns that could predict common things such as early/late frosts, springs, droughts, and rains so that they can plant around these patterns and do what needed to be done to protect crops and insure their survival. It also was noted that changes in otherwise normal animal behavior also took place during these changes. Astrology is a form of nature worship that takes a broader scale including a wider part of the natural universe into the life cycles of individuals based on things that were happening in the universe during their birth and lifetimes. Astrology is not a fool proof study but a general understanding can be valuable knowledge, as any understanding of the universe we live in can be.
Blessed be,
Lady Alicee