The Esotericism Library - Witchcraft

Since the earliest civilizations, humans have observed the sky in hopes of discovering order, signs, or answers. The stars, their cycles, and movements have nourished a discipline several millennia old: astrology. Long considered a legitimate knowledge, it accompanied societies in their way of understanding the world, time, and the place of humans within the universe. While the horoscope is today the most popular manifestation of astrology, this tradition has its roots in ancient Mesopotamia. The orientation of the Great Pyramid of Giza takes into account the constellations, the Persians established some of the first astronomical observatories, and Galileo himself cast horoscopes for the Medici family. From the Renaissance onward, the development of experimental sciences gradually separated these two disciplines. Astrology then found a new field of expression in literature, the arts, and certain currents of psychology. It inspired figures such as Goethe, Byron, and William Blake, before experiencing a resurgence of interest in the 20th century under the influence of the Theosophical Society and later the New Age movements.