The main activity of astrologers is to draw up horoscopes and interpret them, including predicting personal destiny. Important elements of a horoscope are zodiac signs, planets (including the Sun and Moon). The coordinates of the planets in the zodiac signs are determined using tables called ephemerides. The position of the Sun in the sign is of particular importance. Astrology is used to determine and interpret the destinies of countries and peoples, as well as the best time for travel, financial transactions, weddings, etc. Natal astrological calculations are used to determine the development of a person’s personality and character, to find out possible events in his or her future life and even the moment of death.
In addition to the above-mentioned cycles of the Earth’s rotation around the Sun and on its axis (forming the circles of the zodiac), there is also the cycle of precession of the Earth’s axis. The point of the vernal equinox moves backward in the constellations in the circle of the ecliptic (hence the term “precession” – anticipation of the equinoxes). The 12 signs of the zodiac originally corresponded to 12 constellations with the same names, but as a result of precession over the past 2000 years, the constellations have shifted by 30 degrees of the celestial sphere. This means that the constellation Virgo now corresponds to the sign of Libra, and the constellation Libra – to the sign of Scorpio, and so on. Thus, if a person was born, for example, on September 1, astrologers say that he was born “under the sign of Virgo” (the position of the Sun on this day corresponds to the sign of Virgo), but in fact the Sun on this day is in the constellation Leo. In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in historical speculation based on this phenomenon. As a result of the circular shift of the earth’s axis, the Sun on the first day of astronomical spring (March 21) every 2160 years appears against the background of a new constellation. The cycle of constellation change begins anew every 26 thousand years. Astrologers try to connect historical processes with the moments of the Sun’s entry into the region of new constellations. At the time of the birth of astrology, the Sun on the first day of spring was in the constellation Aries, but shortly before Christmas it crossed the border of the constellation Pisces.
It is difficult to say exactly when a new “stellar era” will begin – the “era of Aquarius” (the next constellation in which the Sun will appear on the vernal equinox).
The “Age of Pisces” was the era of Christianity (astrologers usually add negative epithets to characterize it). Because Aquarius (Aquarius) is supposed to be a male creature, the new “Age of Aquarius,” according to astrologers, should be an era of humanism and brotherhood of people. Astrologers declare that an era of universal harmony, peace, and occultism is coming. The ethical system of this “golden age” should be based on human will. However, the view of history as an endless, closed cycle of epochs being replaced by others is pessimistic and hopeless. From this point of view, history has no definite content, because the same cycle begins every 26 thousand years, and each subsequent cycle is no different from the previous one.