horoscopy

Horoscopy is the practice of constructing and interpreting a horoscope, a chart that encodes the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, and zodiacal points at a specific time and place. The chart is used to infer tendencies about character, life events, and potential outcomes, and it is central to both natal (birth) astrology and various predictive techniques.

In Western astrology, horoscopes are typically based on the tropical zodiac and twelve houses. A birth chart is calculated from birth date, time, and location, and its interpretation focuses on the Sun, Moon, Ascendant, planetary dignities, and aspects between planets. Predictive methods include progressions and transits, as well as returns such as solar or lunar returns. Other traditions, such as Vedic (Jyotisha) astrology, use the sidereal zodiac and additional methods like dashas and nakshatras to time events, while Chinese astrology emphasizes cyclical patterns tied to animals and elemental forces.

Horoscopy has long-standing historical roots in Babylonian, Egyptian, and Hellenistic astrology, later refined in medieval Muslim and European traditions. In the modern era, it remains widely used in popular culture and professional practice, though it is also pursued as a form of spiritual or psychological introspection rather than a scientifically verified method of prediction.

Scientific evaluation generally regards astrology as a pseudoscience because its hypotheses are not testable under controlled conditions and its predictive success is not demonstrated beyond chance. Nevertheless, horoscopy continues to be studied as a cultural and historical phenomenon and used by many for personal meaning, guidance, or entertainment.