Horoscope History

Hi there, friends -

Does anyone know of the history of the daily/weekly/yearly horoscope? When did "newspaper horoscopes" first appear? Did Shakesspeare consult the stars? Did 18th century folk have their charts done? When did astrology gain popularity en masse? I know that star prophecies (much to the chagrin of many a Christian) are abundant in the bible. Hey, the wisemen followed a star, didn't they? I'm 32 and as far back as I can remember there has always been a "daily horoscope".

I'm just curious about when astology came to be a recognized art and science. I'm sure our ever-stellar AG will have some thoughtful input!

~ january

my refrences say about 3000 B.C.
I don't know what part of the world you are in, but the History channel had a show on the History of Astrology. I tells about Queen Elizabeth consulting an astologer, The Star of Bethlahem.
and found in a very old buried synogog was an astrological mosiac.

Really fuzzy here, but the Chinese definitely consulted the stars and their civilization is very old. Didn't the Egyptian Pyramids line up with some stars as well? That would suggest they attributed significance to the positions of the stars and planets.

To my knowledge, it's existed since 747 BC (the Babylonian days). When it came into mainstream, I'm not sure, but I'll check with an astrologer friend of mine.

In the New Astrologer, by Martin Seymour-Smith, it says....'Astology and astronomy began as one and the same thing.....The Historical origins of astrology are confused. It was being practiced in India as long ago as 3000 BC, a fact often ignored. An astrological treatise by the sage Parasara, dated about 3000 bc, still exists....we know that Parasara used equal houses and measured aspects from sign to sign....Back in about 3000 BC, the Chaldeans of Mesopotamia built their famous ziggurats, watch-towers...from which the priests observed the movement of stars and planets.
The Chaldeans divided the sky into 12 sections...'
It goes on to say that personal chart where rare and that they were drawn up by priests for the Babylonian kings, fifth century BC Chaldean astrology reached Greece, third century BC Berosos, a Babylonian priest settled in Greece.
There is reference to Alexander the Great, it seems that after his death that the people started to turn other directions (astrology) in their uncertainty...and there's a part that tells about the rediscovery in the 15th and 16th century..

Then it's that records existed since 747 BC, according to the Parkers' "bible" of astrology.

Hi January,

I checked with my friend and he has no idea when the horoscopes first appeared in the newspapers. You may want to post your question on: www.noeltyl.com
then click on "forum". Noel has written over thirty astrological books and I'm sure he would know.

Regards,
AG

Whilst I can't be precise, it is almost certain that Newspaper horoscopes are very much a twentieth century invention. In the US, Evangeline Adams (1865-1932) is generally regarded as the first newspaper columnist, as well as being a serious practioner. Her columns and articles ran during the last thiry years of her life.

R. H. Naylor, in the UK, first wrote in the Sunday Express in 1930 with a horoscope for the the infant Princess Margaret. Asked to provide a second article he did so and predicted that an English aircraft might be in danger - on the day of publication the R-101 airship crashed in France. Since then horoscopes in one form or another have been an essential feature of the UK press.

Regards

Mindewiz