astrology
n. a pseudoscience based on the belief that the movements and positions of the planets in relation to the constellations of the zodiac influence the lives of individuals and the course of events. The systematic study of astrology originated in ancient Babylon and spread to Greece, India, and the Islamic world. China also developed an astrological system that incorporated astronomy and philosophy. Despite the disapproval of the Church, astrology remained widely influential during the medieval and Renaissance periods in Europe. Even in the modern scientific world, many people believe that their horoscope determines their personal characteristics, tendencies to particular diseases, and liability to good or bad fortune. There is no evidence to support this belief, except perhaps as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Astrology is mainly of interest to psychology because it involved an early theory of personality types, relating the physical and
psychological characteristics of individuals to the supposed influence of the heavens. —astrologer
n.
—astrological
adj.