Venus, the planet of love and money, is still in retrograde, with a Mercury Retrograde this year set to follow hot on Venus’s heels starting January 14th. It’s going to be an interesting ride and perhaps a bumpy first quarter as planets in retrograde are often seen to be disruptive due to their apparent backwards motions. This disruption in the force can sometimes cause people to feel on edge or upset as retrogrades are seen to affect various aspects of human behavior depending on which planet is in motion. Effects of retrogrades can include changes in communication and emotional shifts which vary depending on your Zodiac sign.
Mathematics and the formation of astrology
Ancient African civilizations were able to interpret astrology through geomancy (divination that interprets markings on the ground or patterns formed by tossing bones, soil, or rocks) whose results corresponded with African Zodiac signs.
Often described as one of the oldest and most accurate forms of astrology, geomancy can be traced to many African cultures and Islam, with the earliest documentary attestations of geomancy in an Islamic context identified by Fahd in his monumental study La divination arabe.
In his paper, Islam as a constitutive factor in African ‘traditional’ religion: the evidence from geomantic divination, anthropologist Wim van Binsbergen asserts that these systems of astrological format and idioms gradually became more and more pronounced. They spread rapidly over the Islamic and Jewish intellectual world, and hence into Europe, Africa and the Indian Ocean region.
What Is Your African Zodiac Sign?
The spread of geomancy across Africa can be said to not only go hand in hand with the emergence of the first Lunar Calendar but the recognition of the first mathematicians. As explained by Paulus Gerdes in On Mathematics in the History of Sub-Saharan Africa, Belgian geologist Jean De Heinzelin Braucourt discovered the Ishango bone (originally dated between 9000 and 6500 B.C.) in the then Belgian Congo. The Ishango Bone provided early evidence for mathematical activity in Africa, which also held astrological significance.
After a series of examinations, Harvard University archaeologist, Alexander Marshack, speculated that the Ishango bone represents numeric notation of a six-month lunar calendar. Meanwhile, mathematician Claudia Zaslavsky suggested that the creator of the tool may have been a woman, tracking the lunar phase in relation to the menstrual cycle which led her to express that women were undoubtedly the first mathematicians.
The significance of the sun, the moon and the stars
Lombe Bwalya Musonda is a specialist in Critical Studies and African Thought) and a lecturer at the University Of Zambia (UNZA). He explains to AMAKA that African astrology pays major attention to the use of the Moon, the Sun, the North Star, and the South Star in their practices.
The sun is revered to as a God status in some cultures whilst the moon holds higher significance in others. For example, in Southern Africa the moon is regarded as a goddess (the wife of the sun) and in North Africa, especially in the ancient Egyptian culture with its lunar deity Toth, the Moon is rooted deeply in connection with magic, science and wisdom.
Studies, such as those by Ohaeri et.al, have explored the relationship between African myths about the moon and emotional distress and have found that in many ancient civilisations the moon was viewed in terms of the rhythmic life of the cosmos and was believed to govern vital changes.
“One of the most popular myths is that which relates to the incidence and severity of emotional distress in the new moon and full moon periods . . . Among the Caucasians, the myth associating the phases of the moon (especially the full moon) to mental disorders and crime is popularly attributed to [Swiss physician and philosopher] Paracelsus. Hence the word, ‘lunatic’ (from the Latin word for moon). According to this viewpoint, the special energies reaching the earth are so strong that they can adversely affect those whose emotions have a tendency to be unstable.”
Musonda expresses that he has noticed a growing interest in African Traditional Religion (ATR) and Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).
“As you rise in education you begin to ask questions,” Musonda explains. “For example, when you take a look at Catholicism you realise that there is a lot of ancestral worship in Catholicism. They call them saints but they are actually ancestors. You’re simply just worshiping someone else’s ancestors.
And so when you study religion and culture you will be able to understand the true nature of some of these saints like the early popes. Some saints were full of debauchery and yet your great-grandfather is demonised for taking part in traditional practices like Gule Wamukulu.”
The Spirit World and Legendary Creatures
Exploring spirituality
The more one studies, the more questions one has and this usually tends to lead one further into the study of their topic of interest. This would explain the rise in ATR and ICH interest, most especially in people of African descent.
“When you get to find out such things you ask yourself; if they’re worshiping their ancestors, then why can’t I also worship mine? You will understand that God is bigger than religion. God is not interested in religion. This bigger God is interested in a relationship with your soul. That is called spirituality and is different from religion.
Disillusionment with Western religion is what leads us to this path. There is also a movement towards being natural that’s why there is a rise in herbal remedies because people are learning more,” Musonda explains.
As we discover more about the effects of the lunar and planetary cycles, perhaps it is worth taking a closer look into what our ancestors believed and thought about astrology to garner a more holistic and informed view of life.