Mysticism, also called the "Mystery religion", originated approximately 2,500 years ago in ancient Greece and ancient Egypt, where it was taught in what were called "mystery schools", and was actively practiced throughout the ancient world, the Roman empire, the wider Mediterranean, and the Near East. The core tenets of this tradition are outlined in the book the Corpus Hermeticum, and as a result Mysticism is sometimes also called Hermeticism.
The core belief of Mysticism is that each human, Earth, and the universe as a whole, are all part of the same single organism (variously referred to as "The One", “The All”, "The Creator" or “God”), and that by obtaining knowledge of the mysteries of how this universe works - usually by attending one of the mystery schools - a person could themself achieve spiritual enlightenment and get closer to the Creator. This belief of humankind’s inherent “one-ness” and "connectedness" with the broader universe, and therefore the Creator, was so prevalent that over time the word "mysticism" has come to refer to anything involving heightened spiritual feelings of oneness, and not just the religion itself.
Because of its popularity in Greece, Egypt, and much of the ancient world, Mysticism heavily influenced the development of astrology, alchemy, the Scientific Revolution of the renaissance, and many modern "New Age" or "New Thought" philosophies. Mysticism is still widely practiced by millions of people today, even if they may not be completely aware of it. For example, reading your daily horoscope, believing in a collective consciousness, or believing in things like positive energy or "good vibes" are modern practices of the Mysticism tradition.
In Mysticism’s numerology tradition, first made famous by the Greek mathematician Pythagoras, mystics investigate the mathematical relationships of numbers, visual angles, shapes and sounds to help to define the relationship between humans and the broader cosmos. In Mysticism’s astrology tradition, mystics study the movement of the stars, believing that it is possible to gain insight into the relationship between individuals and the universe as a whole by constructing a horoscopic chart which evaluates the mathematical relationship between the individual and the position of the most influential heavenly bodies such as the sun, moon, planets, and stars. Mystics traditionally divide the sky into twelve parts or "Houses", and they also recognize twelve major constellations or “signs” which move through the sky and which are believed to represent twelve basic personality types or characteristic modes of expression.
The twelve traditional signs of the zodiac are: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces
