astrology the study of the ancients
If you're talking about the astrology columns in the papers, that's far from a cult but a harmless pastime many people have.
What I'm talking about when is the astrology that the ancient masters studied. Here's a dictionary definition:
astrology |əˈsträləjē|
noun
the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world.
Ancient observers of the heavens developed elaborate systems of explanation based on the movements of the sun, moon, and planets through the constellations of the zodiac, for predicting events and for casting horoscopes. By 1700 astrology had lost intellectual credibility in the West, but continued to have popular appeal. Modern astrology is based on that of the Greeks, but other systems are extant, notably those of China and India.
DERIVATIVES
astrologer |-jər| noun
astrological |ˌastrəˈläjikəl| adjective
astrologist |-jist| noun
ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French astrologie, from Latin astrologia, from Greek, from astron ‘star.’ The term (in full natural astrology) originally denoted the practical uses of astronomy, applied in the measurement of time and the prediction of natural phenomena. The current sense (in full judicial astrology, relating to human affairs) dates from the mid 16th cent.