With astrology and zodiacs becoming increasingly popular, it is common to know your zodiac sign, or even your entire birth chart, with the help of apps such as Costar. If you are unaware of your sign, it is quite easy to find out– just search it up! Zodiac signs are a part of astrology, which is the process of using the movement of celestial bodies to detect signs, predictions, and answers. Although believing in zodiac signs is up to the individual, understanding their origin might provide some clarity regarding your stance on the issue.
Dating back to ancient civilizations, stars are often used to provide guidance. For example, Egyptians used the rising of Sirius to identify the annual flooding of the Nile. However, using the stars to explain people’s behavior and characteristics is unconventional. In fact, the person who first developed the concept is unknown. It seems to have been formed by the combination of various customs of divination from ancient civilizations. Noblemen in China would observe sunspots and eclipses to foresee light or dark times for the emperor. Tablets created by the Sumerians and Babylonians helped them observe the stars and planets to track a god’s location in the sky. Ancient Egyptians created constellations that the sun moved through at particular times of the year. Around 330 BC, Alexander The Great conquered Egypt, and these methods merged. The Greeks were deeply involved with logic and mathematics, resulting in the creation of the zodiac signs.
Understanding the dialectic of the signs is simple. First, envision a line from Earth through the sun to where the stars lie. The Earth revolves around the sun, causing this theoretical line to rotate as well, prompting it to point to different stars throughout the year. The constellations in the zodiac are swept up by this imaginary line. All twelve signs divided by the Babylonians are thirty degrees wide and named after the constellation that lies within them. Furthermore, they are matched with a date based on the relationship between their placement in the sky and the sun. The Great Twins, The Lion, and The Scales were names received by the zodiac signs. Claudius Ptolemy, a Greek mathematician, astronomer, and geographer, codified and popularized the concept of zodiac signs as we know them today.
Even centuries later, many individuals seek guidance from astrology and zodiac signs, demonstrating that seeking signs in nature is a practice that will never fade away.
Written by Anushka Dalvi
