Astrology has been practiced across the world in various forms for centuries despite there being much debate over its legitimacy, or more to the point accuracy. As without doubt the most popular of the pseudo-sciences, astrology has origins dating as far back as 2600 BC in China and has gained increasing popularity over the centuries.

Despite its complexity, astrology is said to be an important tool we can use in our day-to-day lives by understanding and acknowledging the celestial forces that influence each moment. Given some practice and familiarization, many people find astrology to be easier to understand than first thought and liken it to a symbolic clock which can be read once thoroughly understood.

One reason that many people today tend not to believe astrology is that they are only familiar with the Sun Sign readings found in local newspapers, which unfortunately are simplistic and rarely accurate so should be considered as entertainment value at best.

Some people say that astrology is more like a language than an art or science. No matter what description you subscribe too one thing is clear and that is astrology is based on a mathematically precise system that measures the position and movement of the stars, planets and asteroids to postulate how they affect our lives.

Types of Astrology

Western Astrology
Most people are familiar with Western Astrology through the horoscope readings in newspapers. This form of astrology is probably the least accurate which is why there is widespread disbelief of astrological readings in general.

Indian (or Vedic)
Vedic Astrology is said to be used to understand our lives and the karma associated with our present incarnation better. The main difference between Western Astrology and Vedic Astrology is that they use a different Zodiac; however Vedic Astrology has been around far longer and is considered more accurate than its western counterpart.

Chinese Astrology
Chinese Astrology, otherwise known as "Zi Wei Dou Shu" in Chinese (Mandarin) is the oldest form of astrology and dates back so far the exact year of origin is not known, however it can be traced back to ancient saints. Each of the 12 years that make up the Chinese lunar cycle are represented by an animal which are said to influence your luck and is further influenced by the 5 elements (earth, metal, water, wood, and fire) and Ying/Yang.

Although there are differences between the various forms of astrology it is clear that they are all based on various aspects of planetary and cosmic forces and how they affect and shape our lives. Despite Western Astrology being acknowledged as the least accurate of all of the forms most people will have noticed that each Sun Sign personality does indeed exhibit a number of characteristics associated with their particular sign which indicates some degree of truth even in Western Astrology.

When choosing to use astrology as a guide to your life it would be more beneficial to both learn and apply one of the more accurate and historically proven methods such as Vedic or Chinese Astrology as apposed to the Western variety to gain a better insight into the planetary influences on your life. While astrology may not prove to be 100% accurate it has shown to be a trusted guide for thousands of people through the ages in choosing the direction of their lives and assisting to make important decisions that we face each day.