Astrology

Astrology is the system of using the relative positions of celestial bodies (including the sun, moon, and planets) to try to predict future events or gain insight into personality, relationships, and health.

Humans
One human astrological practice was to draw a circular chart, called a personal chart, showing the position of the planets at the time of a person's birth. Creating one was an intensive process, requiring the consultation of timetables, as well as the calculation of angles. Once completed, this chart could be used in combination with data on upcoming planetary movements to work out a personal forecast, called a horoscope.

The Daily Prophet listed current zodiac aspects on its front page starting in 1994. By 1995, it also ran a feature on page six called "Astro News," which was presumably dedicated to astrology.

Centaurs
Like humans, centaurs practiced astrology, but their approach to it was different. While centaurs used astrology only to foresee major, world-changing events, humans also utilized it to predict mundane, day-to-day occurrences and better understand themselves. Centaurs viewed these things as being far too trivial to be affected by the movement of the planets.

According to Firenze, his species spent hundreds of years observing celestial movements, unlocking their secrets and thereby learning to see signs of "great tides of evil or change" to come written in the sky. It could take up to a decade of watching for centaur astrologers to be confidant they knew what they were seeing. Even then, Firenze stressed that one should never place too much trust in such things, as it was possible to misinterpret signs.