Author: Piergiorgio Lavezzini

Astrology for the ancients was a science reserved for the elect, the initiates (those who possess knowledge), and was considered the science of the gods, because nature was confused with God, and it was the great stars of the sky that traced the path of men. The entire natural world was believed by the ancients to be populated by gods, spirits, and demons; even the Sun, the Moon and the stars were considered the domain of the gods. Hence the common belief that star deities directly influenced earthly events, such as droughts, floods, wars, epidemics, changes of dynasties, and the fall of empires. Only priests and initiates were given the careful study of the motion of the celestial bodies in order to be able to know the will of the heavenly gods in a timely manner.