In Tibet, there existed a mash-up of diverse astrological systems, including Tibetan astrology and Indian astrology.
, as well as Chinese astrology Despite the fact that Buddha himself was against astrology, Buddhism eventually embraced and adopted astrological systems.
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What religion was it that invented astrology?
During the Vedic period, India’s first known usage of astrology was documented. Astrology, or jyotia, is classified as a Vedanga, or branch of the Vedic religion’s Vedas. The Vedanga Jyotisha, which contains rules for tracking the motions of the sun and moon over a five-year intercalation cycle, is the only work of this class that has survived. The dating of this work is unknown since its late style of language and composition, which is consistent with the last decades BC, albeit pre-Mauryan, contradicts internal evidence of a far older date in the 2nd millennium BC. Astronomy and astrology developed in tandem in India. During the Vedic era, the sage Bhrigu authored the Bhrigu Samhita, the first treatise on Jyotisha. Bhirgu is one of the revered Saptarishi, or seven Vedic sages, and is known as the “Father of Hindu Astrology.” The Saptarishis are also represented by the Ursa Major constellation’s seven primary stars.
The interplay of Indian and Hellenistic cultures through the Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek Kingdoms is linked to the documented history of Jyotisha in the subsequent newer sense of modern horoscopic astrology. The earliest extant treatises, such as the Yavanajataka and the Brihat-Samhita, come from the early decades of the Christian era. The Yavanajataka (“Sayings of the Greeks”), a versification by Sphujidhvaja in 269/270 AD of a now lost translation of a Greek treatise by Yavanesvara during the 2nd century AD under the patronage of the Indo-Scythian king Rudradaman I of the Western Satraps, is the oldest astrological treatise in Sanskrit.
The Samhita (Compilation), written on tree bark pages, is supposed to include five million horoscopes for everyone who has lived or will live in the future. The first known authors authoring treatises on astronomy come from the 5th century AD, which is considered the start of Indian astronomy’s classical period. Aside from Aryabhata’s theories in the Aryabhatiya and the lost Arya-siddhnta, there is Varahamihira’s Pancha-Siddhntika.
Who was the first to use astrology?
Jones stated, “This is possibly older than any other known case.” “It’s also older than any of the written-down horoscopes from the Greco-Roman period,” he said, adding, “we have a number of horoscopes written down as a kind of document on papyrus or on a wall, but none of them as old as this.”
The discovery was presented in the most recent edition of the Journal for the History of Astronomy by Jones and StaoForenbaher, a researcher at the Institute for Anthropological Research in Zagreb.
Forenbaher told LiveScience that the crew was working near the entrance of a Croatian cave in 1999, a site well known to archaeologists and residents of the surrounding hamlet of Nakovana who simply named it “Spila,” which means “the cave.”
Nobody realized at the time, however, that the cave featured a part that had been locked for over 2,000 years. Forenbaher’s girlfriend (now his wife) dug under the rubble and discovered a broad, low passageway that ran for over 33 feet in the dark (10 meters). “The unique King Tut experience, arriving to a spot where nobody has been for a couple of thousand years,” Forenbaher said of passing down the corridor.
When Forenbaher entered the cavern, “there was a very thin limestone crust on the surface that was splitting under your boots,” indicating that “nobody had gone there in a very, very, long time,” he added.
The researchers eventually discovered that it had been blocked off in the first century B.C., presumably as a result of a Roman military effort against the locals.
The archaeologists discovered a phallic-shaped stalagmite, as well as countless drinking containers deposited over hundreds of years and something more. “These very small bits and pieces of ivory came out in the course of that dig,” Forenbaher explained, “and we didn’t even recognize what we had at the time.”
The group got to work. “It took years to piece them together, find more bits and pieces, and figure out what they were,” Forenbaher explained. They ended there staring at the ruins of the world’s oldest known astrologer’s board.
Archaeologists aren’t sure how the board got inside the cave or where it came from. The Babylonians developed their own version of horoscopes around 2,400 years ago, which is where astrology began in antiquity.
Then, around 2,100 years ago, astrology went to the eastern Mediterranean, where it became popular in Egypt, which was ruled by a dynasty of Greek monarchs at the time.
Jones explained, “It gets transformed very much into what we think of as the Greek style of astrology, which is really the present type of astrology.” “The Greek style of astrology is the foundation of astrology that spans the Middle Ages, modern Europe, modern India, and beyond.”
The ivory used to produce the zodiac images dates back to 2,200 years, just before the advent of this new kind of astrology, according to radiocarbon dating.
The location of the board’s manufacture is unknown, though Egypt is a possibility. They believe the ivory came from an elephant that was slain or died in the area around that period. Because ivory is such a valuable commodity, it would have been preserved for decades, if not a century, before being utilized to make the zodiac. These signs would have been adhered to a flat (probably wooden) surface to form the board, which could have featured other features that did not survive.
It could have been loaded onto a ship sailing through the Adriatic Sea, a vital trade route that the cave overlooks. Illyrians were the people who resided in Croatia at the time. Despite the fact that ancient writers had a negative view of them, archaeological evidence reveals that they interacted with surrounding Greek colonies and were a vital part of the Mediterranean civilization.
An astrologer from one of the Greek colonies may have visited the cave to make a prediction. A consultation in the cavern’s flickering light would have been a powerful experience, if not particularly convenient for the astrologer.
Jones commented, “It doesn’t sound like a very practical site for performing horoscope homework like calculating planetary placements.”
Another hypothesis is that the Illyrians acquired or stole the astrological board without fully comprehending its use. The board, along with the drinking containers, would have been presented as an offering to an unknown deity worshipped in the cave.
“This astrologer’s board could have shown up as an offering along with other exceptional items that were either bought or robbed from a passing ship,” Forenbaher speculated. He noted that the drinking cups discovered in the cave had been chosen with care. They were made in another country, and only a few cruder amphora storage vessels were discovered with them.
“It nearly appears that someone was bringing out wine there, pouring it, and then discarding the amphora away because they weren’t good enough for the gods, or to be deposited in the shrine,” Forenbaher said.
The phallic-shaped stalagmite, which may have formed naturally on the site, appears to have served as a focal point for these offerings and rituals held in the cavern. Forenbaher cautioned that all stalagmites appear phallic in some way, and it’s difficult to know what significance it had to the cave’s inhabitants. “It had to mean something significant,” he said.
“This is a spot where goods of local importance were deposited with some type of supernatural power, transcendental being, or whatever.”
Buddha belongs to which zodiac sign?
For decades, modern historians have been debating and questioning Gautama Buddha’s chronology. This is due to the lack of accurately dated records from his time, and the interpretation of data from later times is debatable. European scholars have mainly believed that the Buddha was born in 563 BCE since the 19th century (-562). However, more lately, this method of dating has been abandoned, and birth years after 500 BCE are being debated.
The Buddha is said to have lived far earlier in Buddhist tradition. According to ancient Sri Lankan chronicles (Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa chronicles, 4th to 6th centuries CE), his death or Parinirvana occurred in 544 or 543 BCE. The Buddha’s birth year would be 624 or 623 BCE (= -623/-622) because he lived for 80 years. Despite the fact that modern historians question this chronology, Buddhists nevertheless adhere to it.
We chose 624 BCE as the main date of this article in deference to Buddhist tradition and since historians have not offered a specific date. The order in which the “alternative birthtimes” are listed above is entirely coincidental. This is not to say that one proposal is superior to the other. It is caused by a mechanism in the Wiki editing software that the editor cannot affect.
Although it is widely accepted that Buddha was born in Lumbini, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) northwest of the ruins of old Kapilavastu (Tilaurakot), it is possible that he was born in Kapilavastu and his birthplace was transferred by storytellers after the old Shakya capital was destroyed late in the Buddha’s life. According to recent archaeological study in Lumbini by a team led by Professor Robin Coningham of Durham University, the site was likely a focus of worship even before Gautama’s reign.
The date given here (26 April 624 BCE (-623)) is based on “palm leaves in the possession of certain Ceylonese priests” that allegedly state that “the Buddha was born in Kaliyuga 2478, on the Full Moon day of the lunar month of Vaisakha, Tuesday, at about midday” (B.V. Raman, “Notable Horoscopes,” 1991(6), pp. 9ff., footnote). This corresponds to April 26th, 624 BCE (-623), however the date was a Saturday (Raman believes it was Friday). The chosen moment, 11:55:48 a.m. LMT, corresponds to 12 noon LAT (Local Apparent Time), when the Sun was at its highest point.
Raman prefers the full moon of Vaisakha in Kali 2479, which he dates to 14 April 623 BCE (-622) and is in fact a Tuesday, because the weekday indicated in the source is incorrect. The date, however, is incorrect. The exact full moon occurred one day later, on April 15th. Because weekdays were unknown in India during the time of Buddha, it may be unwise to place undue emphasis on the weekday.
This Buddha’s birth date is evidently back-calculated, as the Kaliyuga Era only began around 500 CE. Nonetheless, it is the oldest surviving source for Buddha’s birth date.
Raman does not specify when he was born. He claims it happened “about midday,” yet he places the ascendant (Lagna) at 2645 degrees Cancer and assumes an ayanamsha of 1416 degrees. Using the Swiss Ephemeris and the Raman ayanamsha (1400 in 623 BCE with current calculations), it is determined that he was born around 11:03 a.m., or about an hour before noon. His planetary locations are impossible to duplicate. He places the Sun in 2903 Aries, while according to Raman ayanamsha, it should be in 037 Taurus. He gives the Moon’s position as 2045 Libra, whereas the true location is 1811 Libra. It would be necessary to apply Lahiri ayanamsha to transfer the Sun to 29 Aries (which, however, was 1233 for 623 BCE). To arrive at the same Lagna, the birth time would have to be adjusted to 11:10 a.m. Raman interprets the Sun in elevation (Aries) in the 10th house, but the Sun in exile (Taurus) in the 11th house with Raman ayanamsha. For Raman’s interpretation with the raised Sun in 10 to be valid, he would have to choose Lahiri or another ayanamsha or the tropical zodiac. (Because ephemeris calculations are far easier currently than they were in Raman’s time, Raman should not be held responsible for his faults with this chart from the distant past.) The full moon of Vaisakha certainly falls on the sidereal Taurus-Scorpio axis (26 April 624 BCE (-623) and 15 (!) April 623 BCE (-622) if Suryasiddhantic techniques are utilized. As a result, it indicates that the belief that the Buddha’s Sun must be in Aries is not ancient, but rather new.
The German Buddhist and astrologer Friedel Roggenbuck proposed the following dates for the Buddha’s most important stages of life (in the German astrology magazine “Meridian” 5/2002 – 1/2003, “Der Weg zur Erleuchtung – Das Buddha-Portrait”, 3 parts), starting with Raman’s Buddha birth date and based on the scanty clues provided by tradition:
– Birth: 14 April 623 BCE (622; same as Raman), but 10:57 LMT; this is 6 minutes earlier than Raman’s birth time, causing the midheaven to move to the end of tropical Pisces, whereas it is in the beginning of tropical Aries in Raman’s chart.
Friedel Roggenbuck is an astrologer who specializes in tropical astrology. As a result, the Sun is exalted in Aries rather than exiled in Taurus in his Buddha birth chart.
Despite the above-mentioned issues with Raman’s answer, Roggenbuck believes that his own proposal is correct for astrological reasons. It may be postponed until the next day’s genuine full moon, but he’d still go with the midheaven at 29 degrees of tropical Pisces. (D. Koch, private communication)
The 8th day of the 4th month of the Chinese lunar calendar is observed as Buddha’s birthday in China and some other East Asian countries. This is a waxing half moon, not a full moon. Since 1873, when the Gregorian calendar was created, the commemoration has always taken place on April 8th in Japan.
Based on careful historical, geographical, and astrological research, American astrologer and history researcher Wayne Turner, who is also a long-time student of Buddhism and other religions, proposes the following dates (data taken from e-mails Turner sent to Alois Treindl in January 2005 and Dieter Koch in January 2017). (Also see the “Discussion” tab.):
– Birth: Lumbini, Nepal, 21 May 587 BCE (-586), 6:14 am LMT, 2728’11″n, 8316’33″e (Keep in mind that this is a new moon date.)
– Renunciation: Old Kapilavastu (Tilaurakot), Nepal, 2734′ 34″n, 8303’16″e, 21 June 558 BCE (-557), 12 noon LMT.
– Enlightenment: 22 May 552 BCE (-551), 4 a.m. LMT, Bodh Gaya, India, 24n41’45”, 84e59’29” Enlightenment: 22 May 552 BCE (-551), 4 a.m. LMT, Bodh Gaya, India, 24n41’45”, 84e59’29” (Mahabodhi temple; the Bodhi Tree is next to it.).
– Dharma Wheel: 7 July 552 BCE (-551), 3 pm LMT, Sarnath, India, 25n22’51”, 83e01’28” (Dhamekh Stupa), 25n22’51”, 83e01’28” (Dhamekh Stupa), 25n22’51”, 83e01’28” (Dhamekh Stupa), 25n22’51”, 83e01’28 “On the same day, the Buddhist Sangha was created with the ordination of Kondanna, a former ascetic friend of the Buddha.”).
– Parinirvana: May 22, 507 BCE (-506), 9 a.m. LMT, Kushinagar (Kushinara), India, 2644’21″n, 8353’26″e (Parinirvana stupa. It’s possible that Ananda declared his death to the local assembly in Kushinara at this time, given the sutras indicate he died late at night.”).
Wayne Turner is a sidereal astrologer who works with the Fagan-Bradley zodiac system (ayanamsha).
Jhampa Shaneman, a lay Buddhist teacher and astrologer from Canada, offers the following dates in his book “Buddhist Astrology” (2003, co-authored with Jan V. Angel):
– Date of Birth: May 23, 575 BCE (-574). The birthplace used in the chart illustration on page 15 is Patna, but we use the right birthplace Lumbini per Shaneman’s request. He claims that when he was writing the book in 1998, his computer program couldn’t handle Lumbini. The difference between the two graphs is negligible. On page 4, he claims that the Buddha is rising in Leo. In reality, both tropically and sidereally, Virgo is rising. Virgo is also rising in the chart on page 15. The Buddha was born with a tropical Taurus Sun and a sidereal Gemini Moon in this birth chart. Shaneman, on the other hand, doesn’t employ zodiac signs in his astrology. He’s referring to Johannes Kepler, who thought the zodiac was a fictitious invention.
What is the origin of the zodiac signs?
The zodiac signs are a division of the ecliptic that dates back to Babylonian astronomy in the first millennium BC. Stars from earlier Babylonian star catalogues, such as the MUL.APIN catalogue, which was produced approximately 1000 BC, are used in the zodiac. Some constellations, such as Gemini “The Twins,” from MA.TAB.BA.GAL.GAL “The Great Twins,” and Cancer “The Crab,” from AL.LUL “The Crayfish,” can be traced even further back, to Bronze Age (First Babylonian dynasty) sources.
What was Jesus’ take on astrology?
I believe that God created astrology as a tool for us to better understand ourselves and to use as a spiritual tool. Numerous bible texts, in my opinion, support astrology. As a Christian, I try to remember what Jesus said. “There shall be signs in the sun, moon, and stars,” Christ predicted in Luke 21:25, referring to the importance of astrology. He explains the value of astrology with his pupils, as well as how it might be used as a sign of his return. Why would Jesus provide us this critical knowledge if we are not intended to understand the energies of the planets and signs, and if he was actually against it? Just as the three wise men knew Jesus would be born under the star in the sky that led them to him lying in the manger, Jesus warned us that when he returns, there will be signals in the sky.
Is there a link between astrology and God?
I’ve been asked numerous times over the years to speak about the compatibility of astrology and religion by clients who are deeply religious. Despite the fact that some passionately religious people consider astrology to be heretical, I’ve noticed an extraordinary ideological connection between organized religions and the orderly world of astrology.
Astrology is completely compatible with a strict religious belief system. It’s a graceful jump to assume that a God created the universe, with noble ideals guiding even the planets and stars.
The study of the planets and stars precedes and has influenced religious belief and practice around the world, according to evidence from ancient texts, sculptures, and stained glass art. Symbols of astrological signs and planets can be found in our earliest ancient religious sites. Significant religious luminaries including Jesus, Mohammed, Moses, Buddha, and Mary Baker Eddy were born within astrological alignments that synchronistically confirmed their arrival.
Some devoted religious believers’ opposition can be traced back to a time when priests and religious authorities sought to interpret and mediate all religious experiences from their positions of authority. Our forefathers sought divine inspiration straight from the stars and considered themselves to be an intricate part of an active universe evolving before the development of male-dominated organized religion. Astrology as a technique and a belief system founded on an enchantment with the divine orchestrations of the heavens was open to anyone. Astrology does not necessitate the worship of a single deity or figurehead; rather, it assumes the existence of an infinite and purposeful intellect that pervades the heavens and the earth in a grand symphony of meaning.
Religion comes from the Latin term religio, which meaning “to connect together.” What could be more inextricably interwoven than celestial motions and human experiences and events?
The meanings of the 9th and 12th houses, as well as the archetypes of the planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune, all honor the importance of religion and spirituality in astrology. The 9th and 12th houses represent areas of life where religious or spiritual guidance, experience, and/or ordainment may be sought. Jupiter can represent a powerful spiritual or religious figure, Saturn a harsh God image, and Neptune mystical experiences and religious rapture.
A trustworthy, unbiased astrologer can assist a client in strengthening their confidence. Through an examination of their chart, I’ve assisted several clients in reclaiming and activating their religious roots, leading them toward the power that comes from following a religious path. Religion is a cornerstone of psychological and mental well-being for some people.
Unlike many organized religions, astrological ideas and practices are free of sexism, racism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression. Even the old astrological metaphors of masculine and feminine planets and energies have been redesigned as receptive and active energies that are not gendered in expression. Every human has a strong seat at the table of the universe, just as every planet and star has a position in the sky.
Astrology and organized faiths are both:
- Are you looking for a way to express yourself?
- Are not backed up by scientific evidence
- Thousands of years have passed
- Are based on legend and folklore.
- Have spawned works of art and poetry that are both inspired and stunning.
- Give people a sense of belonging and identity
- Assist folks who are going through a lot of pain and loss.
- Investigate the concepts of fate and free will.
- Have a history of group rituals?
- Keep track of important dates on your calendar.
In contrast to religion, astrology:
- There are no places of worship.
- There are no membership requirements or vows.
- There are no moral edicts.
- Has no claim to superiority based on merit
- Is there no human saint?
- There is no such thing as a hierarchy of worthiness.
- Does not indicate that there is an afterlife.
- There is no specific code of social conduct outlined.
- There is no formal consensus on the amount of training that must be completed.
- There are no official uniforms or costuming for practitioners.
- It does not necessitate worship.
These lists demonstrate how religion and astrology can have a fruitful relationship.
Religion is a Saturn word in astrological terms: it is ordered, spells out right and wrong, and is constructed on and in institutions and agreements. Astrology has a Uranian bent to it:
