Editing Astrology (section)

=== Western ===

[[Western astrology]] is a form of [[divination]] based on the construction of a [[horoscope]] for an exact moment, such as a person's birth.<ref>{{cite book |editor=[[Philip P. Wiener]] |title=Dictionary of the history of ideas |year=1974 |publisher=Scribner |location=New York |isbn=978-0-684-13293-8 |url=http://xtf.lib.virginia.edu/xtf/view?docId=DicHist/uvaBook/tei/DicHist1.xml;brand=default; |access-date=16 July 2011 |archive-date=25 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925152742/http://xtf.lib.virginia.edu/xtf/view?docId=DicHist/uvaBook/tei/DicHist1.xml;brand=default; |url-status=live }}</ref> It uses the tropical zodiac, which is aligned to the [[Equinox|equinoctial points]].<ref>James R. Lewis, 2003. ''The Astrology Book: the Encyclopedia of Heavenly Influences''. Visible Ink Press. Online at Google Books.</ref>

Western astrology is founded on the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies such as the Sun, Moon and planets, which are analysed by their movement through [[Astrological sign|signs]] of the [[zodiac]] (twelve spatial divisions of the [[ecliptic]]) and by their [[Astrological aspect|aspects]] (based on geometric angles) relative to one another. They are also considered by their placement in [[House (astrology)|houses]] (twelve spatial divisions of the sky).<ref>{{cite book |last=Hone |first=Margaret |title=The Modern Text-Book of Astrology |year=1978 |publisher=L. N. Fowler |location=Romford |isbn=978-0-85243-357-7 |pages=21–89}}</ref> Astrology's modern representation in western popular media is usually reduced to [[sun sign astrology]], which considers only the zodiac sign of the Sun at an individual's date of birth, and represents only 1/12 of the total chart.<ref>{{cite book |last=Riske |first=Kris |title=Llewellyn's Complete Book of Astrology |year=2007 |publisher=Llewellyn Publications |location=Minnesota, US |isbn=978-0-7387-1071-6 |pages=5–6; 27}}</ref>

The horoscope visually expresses the set of relationships for the time and place of the chosen event. These relationships are between the seven 'planets', signifying tendencies such as war and love; the twelve signs of the zodiac; and the twelve houses. Each planet is in a particular sign and a particular house at the chosen time, when observed from the chosen place, creating two kinds of relationship.<ref name="Kremer-1990">{{cite journal | title=Horoscopes and History. by J. D. North; A History of Western Astrology. by S. J. Tester |last=Kremer |first=Richard | journal=Speculum | year=1990 | volume=65 | issue=1 | pages=206–209 | jstor=2864524 | doi=10.2307/2864524}}</ref> A third kind is the aspect of each planet to every other planet, where for example two planets 120° apart (in 'trine') are in a harmonious relationship, but two planets 90° apart ('square') are in a conflicted relationship.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Pelletier, Robert |author2=Cataldo, Leonard | title=Be Your Own Astrologer | pages=57–60 | publisher=Pan | year=1984}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | author=Fenton, Sasha | title=Rising Signs | pages=137–9 | publisher =Aquarian Press | year=1991}}</ref> Together these relationships and their interpretations are said to form "...the language of the heavens speaking to learned men."<ref name="Kremer-1990"/>

Along with [[tarot divination]], astrology is one of the core studies of [[Western esotericism]], and as such has influenced systems of [[magic (paranormal)|magical]] belief not only among Western esotericists and [[Hermeticism|Hermeticists]], but also belief systems such as [[Wicca]], which have borrowed from or been influenced by the Western esoteric tradition. [[Tanya Luhrmann]] has said that "all magicians know something about astrology," and refers to a [[table of correspondences]] in [[Starhawk|Starhawk's]] ''[[The Spiral Dance]]'', organised by [[planets in astrology|planet]], as an example of the astrological lore studied by magicians.<ref>{{cite book | title=Persuasions of the witch's craft: ritual magic in contemporary England | publisher=Harvard University Press | author=Luhrmann, Tanya | year=1991 | pages=147–151 | isbn=978-0-674-66324-4}}</ref>