Whether you are a believer in horoscopes or not, there are not many people who have not been tempted to check them out sometimes in their lifetime. Chinese horoscopes are a particularly popular theme with their 5 basic elements of life and 12 animals animal signs. Weekly horoscopes found in the newspapers are the most widely read and it is surprising just how many people , of all professions ardently follow them. Monthly horoscopes are reputed to be the most accurate as they are more related to lunar monthly changes. Many western experts practise Chinese astrology. Horoscopes are compiled by taking a person’s birth date, sometimes fine tuning it down to the hour of birth and checking it against charts that denote future happenings. Every zodiac horoscope takes account of the movement of planets like the Sun and moon and professes to track the predetermined destiny of every individual.

Many western religions do not recognise such practises and some even forbid their members to contemplate paying any attention to them claiming they are pagan rites that can be damaging to the soul. Despite this, many people, at some time in their lives, pay some attention to what the charts have in store for them personally. Many claim there is something kosher in what horoscopes can do and the millions of books that have been written on the subject are witness to the fact. For the sceptics, however, the future cannot be foretold. There have been endless tales claiming relevance and accuracy of such actions but the veracity of these claims is left to each person. There are nearly as many people who denounce such principles and some go out of their way to counteract and disprove the theories. The word itself comes from Greek and literally translated means ‘look at the hours’. In its strictest interpretation, a horoscope is only related to the sun and is formed by using charts that map out position and time of year.

Astrology goes hand in hand with the concept of horoscopes. There are 12 phases or houses that denote their actual ruling sign. A chart starts with Aries and ends with Pisces. During the middle ages, people who dabbled in this type of area were sometimes classed as witches and part of the occult. Today, that is far from the case and many people make a good living out of practising these ‘arts’. As with anything else, you pay your money and you take your choice. Some people absolutely swear by them whilst others find all kinds of ways to find fault and claim trickery and subterfuge are at the centre of it all.

Whatever is the case, there has been a strong following down the ages and the art can be traced back to Egyptian, Greek, Chinese and other great civilisations. At the end of the day it is up to the individual to weigh up the pros and cons and decide whether to believe or not.