Astrology is the symbolic study of the positions and movements of celestial bodies — the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars — and how they relate to life on Earth. It's built on the idea that there's a correspondence between celestial cycles and human cycles: seasons, personalities, turning points.

A symbolic language

It's worth separating astrology from astronomy. Astronomy is the science that studies celestial objects physically and mathematically. Astrology, on the other hand, is an interpretive tradition: it uses the position of the stars as a system of symbols to reflect on personality, life cycles, and tendencies. There's no scientific consensus on astrology's predictive validity, but it remains popular as a tool for self-reflection.

Origins

The earliest forms of astrology appeared in Mesopotamia over three thousand years ago, when priest-astronomers watched the sky to try to predict events affecting kings and nations. Over time, the Greeks, Egyptians, and later Arab and European scholars developed the system we know today, centered on the twelve zodiac signs.

The birth chart

The starting point of modern astrology is the birth chart (or natal chart): a "snapshot" of the sky at the exact moment and place of a person's birth. In it, each planet sits in a sign and a house, forming a unique pattern that astrologers interpret as a symbolic portrait of personality and life path.

Why does it still fascinate so many people?

The astrology remains appealing because it offers a rich language for talking about emotions, relationships, and choices — a symbolic mirror where people can project and make sense of their own experiences.