Trick Tracts Facts: Astrology

In the Chick Tract Bewitched [tract][review], Jack Chick claims that the rising sale of astrology books is pleasing to the devil. Why this is isn't explained, but there may be people reading this tract and wondering just what astrology is and why it is so evil that Chick believes the devil is behind its marketing. Hopefully this page will clear up any confusion you had about astrology and any ill-informed "evil" connotations you might have held about this ancient art.

Astrology is the study of the planets and their positions and how these things affect us and our daily lives. If your only knowledge of astrology is from newspaper horoscopes, you will be hugely misinformed about the mechanics and usage of the sister of astronomy.

Astrology is ancient, and has been practiced, and followed, for centuries by everyone from royalty to peasants, philosphers, mathematicians, artists, Presidents and celebrities.

Hippocrates, known as "The Father of Medicine" believed that medicine should never be practiced without astrology.

"A physician without a knowledge of astrology has no right to call himself a physician."
- Hippocrates

We know that the Moon affects us; it is well documented that a Full Moon makes for a busy night for police and hospitals. We know that the Moon's gravitational pull affects the tide, the opening and closing of oysters, and a woman's menstrual cycle. Why, then, is it so far-fetched to believe the other planets have sway over us as well?

There is nothing evil about astrology. It does no one any harm, and can only benefit and enrich the lives of those that choose to delve into it.


More Info on Astrology

Astrology on Encyclopedia.com:
form of divination based on the theory that the movements of the celestial bodies—the stars, the planets, the sun, and the moon—influence human affairs and determine the course of events. Celestial phenomena have been the object of religious sentiment since earliest times. The Chaldaeans and the Assyrians were the first to discard their sky gods in favor of a nondeistic system of divination founded upon astronomy and numerology. They saw the heavenly bodies as exerting an influence upon the lives of individuals and the destinies of empires. Generally, future events were believed determined beforehand by a universal order that was a result of the motions of the planets and stars. The practices of astrology spread throughout the ancient Middle East, Asia, and Europe, but with the rise of Christianity, which emphasized divine intervention and free will, interest in astrology subsided, although astrologers continued to flourish. During the European Renaissance astrology as a form of divination regained popularity, due in part to the rekindled interest in science and astronomy. The European astrologer, considered a scholar exploring the mysteries of the universe through science and reason, was held in high esteem in the community for many years. However, in the 16th and 17th cent., Christian theologists waged war against astrology. In 1585 astrology was officially condemned in a bull of Pope Sixtus V, and in 1631, Pope Urban VIII reinforced this with another bull. At the same time the astronomical work of such men as Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Kepler, and Galileo was undermining the tenets of astrology. Astrology, however, continued to be practiced. All of the aforementioned scientists remained practicing astrologers, as did other great thinkers such as Descartes and Newton; moreover, Copernican theory did not find sudden and widespread acceptance. Gradually, however, astrology declined, although this form of divination is still very much alive. One's horoscope is a map of the heavens at the time of one's birth, showing the position of the heavenly bodies in relation to the 12 "houses" or signs through which they pass and their positions in relation to each other. Each house has as its "lord" one of the heavenly bodies; the one in the "ascendant" is the one of greatest significance to the inquirer, supposedly endowing him with his temperamental qualities, his tendencies to particular diseases, and his liability to certain fortunes or calamities.

Essay querying the compatibility of astrology and religion from Astrology & Religion - Are They Compatible?:

Excerpt:
Five thousand years ago, astrology and religion were connected. Iraq was called Sumer and a very sophisticated civilization flourished there. Sumer was the birthplace of writing and astrology. Through the centuries this association has brought about various monetary gains and sources of success. Does this combination still exist today?...read more.

Viewing astrology from the standpoint of different world religions from Astrology-Religion Nexus:

Excerpt:
Astrology is not a religion and is just a study of life, like physics or psychology. Nevertheless, because it deals in archetypal truths, shows unvarying cycles and can register major events in individual lives and national history, astrology is closer than other disciplines to describing "the will of God". Its potential depth of meaning and essential sacredness is lost today when it is reduced to nothing but sun sign columns and party gossip. It may also be that only new insights of the religious mind can help astrology resolve the eternal problems it presents with regard to fate and freewill - which are perhaps two sides of the same thing.

Astrology does not claim to be the answer to everything but it can provide striking insights and clues to many things and there are few aspects of life to which it cannot be applied ...read more.

Astrology & horoscopes info from Astrology-Numerology.com:

Excerpt:
You may be at the stage of asking, "What is a horoscope?" If so, you're going to find the answers here. To begin, the horoscope is a map that appears as a two dimensional chart. It shows the position of the Sun, the Moon, and planets at the precise moment of your birth. The planets are frozen in their position at that initial moment of birth. That is why this type of horoscope is known as the birth chart or the natal chart ...read more.

The Western history of astrology from Short History of Astrology In The Western World:

Excerpt:
The fact is that from the very dawn of humanity (until today), people have looked up to the heavens and the planets for guidance...read more.

Astrology and astronomy history from Astro Energetics:

Excerpt:
Astronomy is concerned with the observation of the motions of heavenly bodies, and reduces to mathematical order these observations. Astrology is the study of the effects the movements of these celestial bodies have on human affairs. Through prolonged observation, the ancient astronomers were able to predict the recurrence of cosmic phenomena, and astrologers began to forecast the earthly events which coincided with these.

Astronomy is probably as old as man’s conception of time itself. In the beginning, astronomy was largely used to predict weather patterns and the most propitious time for sowing and planting crops. Later, these orbs of moving light, the planets, were believed to be gods, and the subsequent quest for divine knowledge was probably the beginning of astrology ...read more.

All about astrology from about.com:

Excerpt:
"My goal is providing a good experience for everyone with an interest in astrology - from the person simply looking for a good Sun Sign description, to the wizened astrologer of thirty years." - Anthony Pena...read more.

Basic astrology from Elysian Astrology & New Age Shop:

Excerpt:
Basic astrology requires an understanding of the parts of a birth chart or natal chart, and of how the astrology symbols can be interpreted and synthesised. The planets, signs, houses and aspects are the nuts and bolts of astrology...read more.

Informative astrology links from The Zodiac Master:

Excerpt:
The Zodiac Master is not your typical, "bread and butter," Sun Sign astrology site. The ancient art of astrology is spoken, practiced, and taught here ...read more.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Facts & Lies

The Lies

The Facts