Astral cult

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An astral cult is the worship of heavenly bodies in the form of deities. Such elements are contained in almost all ancient civilizations , as the naming of the planets after Roman deities still shows today . The early astral cults developed into astrology in many cultures , the Babylonian sky observations provided the basis for Greek astronomy in antiquity.

The astral cult is based on reflection on the phenomena of the stars, their movement and constellations , which are interpreted as divine power, in particular because of their predictable, cyclical nature. Elements of well-known astral cults include the heliacal rising and setting of the Pleiades and Sirius , the cycles of Venus as morning and evening stars, as well as the sun and moon . Sometimes gender also plays a role, like femininity in Venus , ( Ištar , Astarte , Aphrodite ). The moon is also often revered as female in astral cults. The worldwide widespread worship of the sun, e.g. B. by Akhenaten in Egypt or Indian high cultures, is also an astral cult.

Traces and effects of ancient astral cults are still present today, e.g. B. the planet names in the weekdays or the orientation of sacred buildings , for example as easting .

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• Astrology as religion and 'empirical science' (PDF file; 363 kB)