Astrology

Astrology (from Greek: αστρολογία = άστρον, astron, "star" + λόγος, logos, "word") refers to any of several traditions or beliefs in which knowledge of the apparent positions of celestial bodies is held to be useful in understanding, interpreting, and organizing knowledge about reality and human existence on earth.

All traditions are based on the relative positions and movements of various real and construed celestial bodies as seen at the time and place of the birth or other event being studied. These are chiefly the Sun, Moon, planets, Ascendant & Midheaven axes, and the lunar nodes.

A practitioner of astrology is called an astrologer or an astrologist. Astromancy, the prediction of the future by the stars, is a slightly archaic synonym for astrology. An astrologer may sometimes be called or an astromancer (or the rather rarely used astromancist). The term astromancy is most often used when listing astrology among other, different forms of divination such as geomancy and necromancy.

Many of those who practice astrology believe the positions of certain celestial bodies either influence or correlate with people's personality traits, important events in their lives, and even physical characteristics.

Introduction

Professional astrologers say the positions of celestial bodies like the planets and stars relative to the Earth either influence or correlate with people's personality traits, important events in their lives, illnesses, and relationships.

Astrologers maintain that the cosmos of which the Earth is a part transits in cycles that have repeating patterns which vary in time and space and influence the earth. By observing and recording the operations and various influences of the planets and stars relative to the earth over thousands of years, a very large body of astrological observations has been built up through the centuries of work by astrologers from nearly every culture.

Detractors say there is no evidence for the claims that astrologers can predict the future and maintain that astrology is a "pseudo-science" at best. Astrologers claim that the centuries of astrological history proves otherwise. And the great debate on the validity of astrology continues into the 21st century.

Astrology & 20th Century North American Expansion

Astrology can be defined as the serious observations and studies of planetary and stellar cycles and their mathematical patterns in time as they affect life on Earth. Professional astrologers apply mathematical aspects such as the conjunction, sextile, square, trine, and opposition to form complex calculations of activity between celestial objects in constant motion among the constellations relative to the Earth's position using charts called horoscopes to examine planetary transits at any given moment. Spans of time and space where a person is born is charted through the application of a horoscope to forecast potential future events. Free will is a given in true astrological practice, but destiny is within the principles of universal laws - and not outside of it.

The earliest knowledge of astrology dates back to antiquity and required constant renewing through presentation because of the growth of the many branches of astrological practice. This development can be compared to that of the medical sciences, with the many special branches over time. Some professional astrologers say that one of the handicaps of astrology as practiced in the late 20th century, is that much of the expansion has been done by groups of isolated reseachers that has limited the opportunities for building astrological work into a more solid body of work and consensus.

Many prior astrological works were contained in the almanac form in Europe in the Middle Ages. These almanacs were popular throughout western Europe, and were also published in the United States in the mid-1700s. One of the most famous was penned by Benjamin Franklin, who created Poor Richard's Almanac under one of his pen names (Richard Saunders, a destitute astrologer.) Franklin's almanac was immensely popular and maintained a circulation over 10,000 a year for 25 years.

A great surge of popular interest in astrology also took place between 1900 through 1949 in America. A very popular astrologer based in New York City named Evangeline Adams help feed the public's thirst for astrology readings with many accurate forecasts, her biographers say. A famous court case involving Adams, who was arrested and charged with illegal fortune-telling in 1914 - was later dismissed when Adams correctly read the horoscope of the judge's son with only a birthdate. Her acquital set an American precedent that if astrologer's practiced in a professional manner that they were not guilty of any wrong-doing.

The hunger for astrology in the earliest years of the 20th century by such astrologers as Alan Leo , "Sephariel", "Paul Cheisnard" and the British astrologer Charles Carter, among others, further led the surge of interest in astrology by wide distribution of astrological journals, text, papers, and textbooks of astrology thoughout the United States.

The serious and complex writings on astrological practice and concepts in America progressed from the turn-of-the-century years and into a new period of popular expansion in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Many complex astrological materials were simplified to attempt to carve a clear line through points of contention and controversy. The result of this attempt was to "simplify astrology" in the minds of professionals and gave the impression of settled and agreed positions on many points that were not resolved.

The period between 1920-1940 gave way to the popular media jumping on board the great public interest in astrology. Publishers realized that millions of readers were interested in astrological forecasts and the interest grew ever more intense with the advent of America's entry into the First World War. The war heightened interest in astrology. Journalists began to write articles based on character descriptions and astrological "forecasts" were published in newspapers based on the one and only factor known to the public: the month and day of birth, as taken from the position of the Sun when a personis born. The result of this practice led to modern-day publishing of Sun-Sign astrology columns and expanded to some astrological books and magazines in later decades of the 20th century.

As most students of astrology soon learn, the position of the Sun at birth is only one of many planetary positions. The work required for the highly technical calculations means that a professional making personal or global forecasts must have a wide knowledge of world conditions before any astrological deductions are made.

The wide popularity of Sun-sign articles in newspapers didn't hesitate to capture the uniqueness of astrological terminology and language - using such terms as "Astrology Predictions" and "Personal Horoscope Readings" to entice readers to buy more newspapers with astrology articles. The depth of over-simplication of astrology had reached a new level by the start of the Second World War and the average person who has not been educated or read a decent serious astrology book formed their own ideas from the over-simplified newspaper "Sun-sign Astrology" accounts and ever since, astrology has been discredited by those confusing serious astrological practice with sun-sign astrology.

This simplified view of astrology has forced serious professional astrologers to navigate through the muddied waters of confusion in public opinion on astrology while at the same time continuing to practice astrology as a serious and complex applied science. Many experienced astrologers fight the tendency of others to practice astrology without a general education, which they believe allows a student and a person to be critical.

Professional astrologers say that the average educated adult or beginner should not be misled by false astrological statements, or over-simplifying by the biased opinions of those who have academic status in other fields of learning while using their positions to direct others to believe that their ideas on astrology are valid. Such examples exist of somw writers of books on astrology who have admitted that that they did not know how to cast an astrological horoscope or to interpret one. Astrologers state that writers and detractors who possess no practical knowledge of the workings of astrological principles, its history, and techniques are not qualified to state that astrology is a pseudo-science.

Seeking to protect serious astrology from the perceived attacks of conventional scientists - astrologers in the latter half of the 20th century have fought to protect themselves against Sun-Sign "pseudo-astrologers" in much the same way the medical profession has sought to protect itself from "quacks." With the advent of computer technology, astrological work has had great benefit with the speed and accuracy of complex calucations. But the downside has been that those who buy such astrological software believe that with the ability to print out a horoscope that they qualify as professional astrologers and can give "readings" to clients.

As with any profession, only true scholarship, study and practical application can successfully attain the proper professional status to become a true astrologer. It takes years to learn the most basic principles and apply them practically. And decades to master many astrological techniques and branches. Many professional astrologers are self-taught, or have taken correspondence courses with professional tutors in the global astrological community. Many new schools of astrology led by responsible leadership have opened their doors in the latter half of the 20th century, and teaching schools now offer diplomas after rigorous examination courses are passed by students. As in medicine, passing an examination cannot always mean that the candidate is an expert in the subject. However, it can show that a successful student has assimilated what they have studied and is fit to produce practical and accurate astrological work for clients that will give them the experience where, in time, they may eventually become expert.

Judicial Astrology: Astronomers, Mathematicians & Prophets

The oldest known form of astrology, classical, or judicial astrology, practiced by ancient astrologers who made calculations of their direct view of the constellational night skies. Judicial astrology as many branches (see below) such as Mundane astrology a branch that uses mathematical calculations of the celestial bodies to forecast future world events.

Known as "judges of the heavens" - judicial astrologers rank among the most well-known astronomers, mathematicians and medical doctors in human history, and include such names as Hippocrates, Copernicus, Nostradamus, Brahe, Johann Kepler, Galileo, William Lilly and Isaac Newton, the inventor of calculus. The earliest known judicial astrologers were ancient astronomers, priests, and excellent mathematicians who served ancient governments, kings and queens as the most valued advisors kept close by for guidance and strategy before any important decision was made.

The origin of astrology included astronomy; as both were combined as one applied science before the emergence of conventional scientific practice in the 18th Century. Judicial astrologers were considered masters of the celestial sciences and were much sought-after mathematicians and forecasters by royalty and the wealthy. One of the first uses of astrology was accurately predicting the weather using meteorological astrology - a another branch of judicial astrology which Ptolemy first mastered.

Judicial astrologers were once called prophets or seers and one of the earliest known astrologers was a prophet of the Bible called Abraham, also believed to be the inventor of the Chaldean Alphabet. Other names for these astrologers include Magi or Magus, considered to be "wise men" for they were experts of the "times and seasons."

Claudius Ptolemy, the Second Century A.D. a judicial astrologer who is considered the father of western astrology, declared that prediction of events was only possible through the union of two factors: first, correct mathematical calculations of the positions and motions of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars. Second, a prophetic spirit derived from God by which their configurations can be correctly interpreted by certain inspired human beings known as judicial astrologers.

Texts show that judicial astrologers practiced as teachers, medicial doctors and strategists and were known for their strict astrological principles and ability to forecast the future. Today, judicial astrologers are rare due to the false popularization of sun-sign astrology; however, those who do practice judicial astrology are known to be very accurate forecasters, and astute observers of celestial movements relative to the Earth. It is said that nothing forecasted by a judicial astrologer should ever be taken lightly due to the seriousness and many years of practice to become a judicial astrologer. The average span of learning and professional astrological practice to reach the experience qualification level of judicial astrologer is said to be over 20 years.

Mathematics and Core Principles

The calculations performed in applied Astrology involve complex arithmetic that include Algebra, Geometry and Trigonometry - mathematical techniques invented by astrologers. They calculate the positions of the planets and stars relative to the Earth and serve to locate the apparent location of heavenly bodies on desired dates and times based on tables of planets - also known as an scientific ephemeris.

The opinion of the conventional scientific community is that astrology is superstition, with no actual ability; yet, conventional scientists cannot account for the numerous accurate forecasts of astrologers throughout the centuries using astrological principles. For examples, the world forecasts of judicial astrologers like Nostradamus hundreds of years prior to world events cannot be disputed as false since many of his predictions did come true. However, skpetics claim that seeing into the future is not possible while astrologers maintain that predicting future events using astrological techniques is more than possible.

According to Geoffrey Cornelius^[1] [2], astrology (and divinatory practices in general) do not so much predict as put the questioner in a position where he or she may discover the means to make something significant come about (See katarche.) This view has been increasingly adopted by influential astrologers (see for instance, Robert Hand [3]. ) There are other astrologers (for example, Robert Zoller) who feel that our lives are, in the main, predestined.

The core principles of astrology reflect a general principle, which was accepted in some parts of the ancient world, that events in the heavens should have analogies on Earth. In some places, such as ancient India, China and Babylon, the apparently untoward movement of a comet across the otherwise orderly movement of the heavens was taken as a portent of disaster. Such ancient beliefs are epitomized in the Hermetic maxim: As Above, So Below. The famous astronomer/astrologer Tycho Brahe also used a similar phrase to justify his studies in astrology: Suspiciendo despicio — "By looking up I see downward."

Description

In past centuries astrology often relied on close observation of celestial objects, and the charting of their movements, and might be considered a protoscience in this regard. In modern times astrologers have tended to rely on data drawn up by astronomers and set out in a set of tables called an ephemeris, which shows the changing positions of the heavenly bodies through time. It is the interpretation of these science-based tables that makes astrology a target for the label pseudoscience.

Central to most traditions of horoscopic astrology is the calculation of a horoscope. This is a diagrammatic representation in two dimensions of the celestial bodies' apparent positions in the heavens from the vantage of a location on Earth at a given time and place. The horoscope of an individual's birth is called a natal chart (other names for this diagram in English include natus, nativity, star-chart, astrological chart, astro-chart, celestial map, birth chart, sky-map, cosmogram, vitasphere, soulprint, radical chart, radix, or simply chart).

The path of the sun across the heavens as seen from Earth during a full year is called the ecliptic by astronomers. This, and the nearby band of sky followed by the visible planets is called the zodiac by astrologers. A few Western and all Jyotish (Hindu) astrologers use the sidereal zodiac, which uses the true astronomical positions of the stars and constellations which lie on the ecliptic. The majority of Western astrologers base their work on the tropical zodiac, which aligns with the Northern hemisphere seasons but not with the actual positions of the stars.

To determine the astrological signs in which the Sun, Moon, and the other celestial bodies fall on any given day, hour, minute, or second, it is necessary to consult an ephemeris or use an astrological computer program which will have a built-in ephemeris.

Computer programs make it easy to calculate the horoscope so that the modern astrologer can spend more time interpreting the chart rather than calculating it. The consequence is that it is now possible for some to practice astrology with little understanding of celestial mechanics.

Interpretation of a horoscope/natal chart is governed by:

astrological aspects: the positions of the major planetary bodies relative to each other,
their positions relative to the astrological signs of one of the zodiac sytems,
their position in one of the systems of astrological houses,
their positions relative to the horizon line (namely the ascendant/descendant axes, zenith/midheaven and nadir/immum coeli axes),
the position of deduced astronomical entities, namely the Moon's nodes.

Significant traditions of astrology include but are not limited to:

Western astrology (using the tropical zodiac),
Chinese astrology,
Jyotish (Vedic astrology),
Western sidereal astrology (using the sidereal zodiac),
Mesoamerican astrology,
Tibetan astrology, and
Kabbalistic astrology.

Some of these can also be subdivided into specific branches, such as:

natal astrology (the study of a person's birth, or natal chart),
judicial astrology (the foretelling of the destinies of individuals and nations),
horary astrology (a chart drawn up to answer a specific question), and
electional astrology (a chart drawn up ahead of time to determine the best moment to begin an enterprise or undertaking).
medical astrology (using the client's natal chart and/or a horary chart to diagnose and treat various illnesses)

Other areas of specialized astrological study are:

Mundane astrology that sees correlations between geological phenomena (such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc.) and astronomical phenomena.
Political astrology , is the ancient branch of astrology dealing with politics, and government.
Meteorological astrology uses methods which are supposed to be able to predict the weather.

History of astrology

Extract and symbol key from a 17th century book on alchemy. The symbols used have a one-to-one correspondence with symbols used in astrology at the time.

The study of Western astrology and the belief in it, as part of astronomy, is found in a developed form among the ancient Babylonians; directly or indirectly through the Babylonians, it spread to other nations. It came to Greece about the middle of the 4th century BC, and reached Rome before the opening of the Christian era. For a detailed description, including astrology in other cultures, see the main article.

The validity of astrology

Astrology is a very controversial subject. The case for and the case against astrology's objective validity are discussed more fully at Validity of astrology.

Few astrologers today believe that a causal relationship exists between heavenly bodies and earthly events, but there are a number who have called for better statistical studies (for example, Mark McDonough, the President of Astrodatabank [[4]]) and several individuals (most notably Michel Gauquelin) who have found correlations between some planetary positions and extraordinary personalities. Many astrologers have posited acausal relationships between astrological observations and events, such as the synchronicity ^[5] proposed by Jung. Many others have assumed there was a religious mechanism in operation, from the original Mediterranean astrologers through Guido Bonatti from Forlì (Italy), William Lilly, and to some extent, Geoffrey Cornelius.^[6]

Skeptics see astrology as repeatedly failing to demonstrate its effectiveness in controlled studies, one prominent group saying those who "continue to have faith in astrology do so in spite of the fact that there is no verified scientific basis for their beliefs, and indeed that there is strong evidence to the contrary." and have gone so far as to call astrology "the pretentious claims of astrological charlatans." ^[7]

Effects on world culture

Astrology has had a profound influence over the past few thousand years on Western and Eastern cultures, along with the English language. Influenza was so named because doctors once believed it to be caused by unfavorable planetary and stellar influences. The word "disaster" comes from the Latin "dis-aster" meaning "bad star". Also, the adjectives "lunatic" (Moon), "mercurial" (Mercury), "martial" (Mars), "jovial" (Jupiter/Jove), and "saturnine" (Saturn) are all old words used to describe personal qualities said to resemble or be highly influenced by the astrological characteristics of the planet, some of which are derived from the attributes of the ancient Roman gods they are named after.

There are many Astrological references in the Old and New Testament.

Astrology as a descriptive language for the mind

Many writers, notably William Shakespeare [8], used astrological symbolism to add subtlety and nuance to the description of his characters' motivation(s). An understanding of astrological principles is needed to fully appreciate such literature, along with the work of many other writers and poets of this and many other eras. Some modern thinkers, notably Carl Jung, have acknowledged its descriptive powers of the mind without necessarily subscribing to its predictive claims.

Astrological interpretation is dependent on the particular culture's prevailing mythology. Most classicists think that Western astrology is dependent on Greek mythology. But the Greeks never claimed to have their own mythology. The Greeks claimed that half of their mythology was borrowed from the Egyptians and the other half borrowed from the Hebrew. But where did the mythoogy of the Egyptians and Hebrew come from? The upper Nile River - Ethiopia. (See "Black Athena", Rutgers University Press) The research of the Gauquelin's, which resulted into Neo-Astrology, has modified, updated, but mainly reinforced the Ethiopian/Greek/Roman word association of behavioral characteristics with the particular planets.

Western Astrology and the classical elements

Astrology has used the concept of classical elements from antiquity up until the present. Most modern astrologers use the four classical elements extensively, and indeed it is still viewed as a critical part of interpreting the astrological chart.

Western Astrology and alchemy

Alchemy in the Western World and other locations where it was widely practiced was (and in many cases still is) closely allied and intertwined with traditional Babylonian-Greek style astrology; in numerous ways they were built to complement each other in the search for hidden knowledge. Traditionally, each of the seven planets in the solar system as known to the ancients was associated with, held dominion over, and ruled a certain metal.

A separate article also exists on astrology and numerology.

The seven liberal arts and Western astrology

In medieval Europe, a university education was divided into seven distinct areas, each represented by a particular planet and known as the Seven Liberal Arts. They were seen as operating in ascending order, beginning with Grammar which was assigned to the quickest moving celestial body (the Moon) and culminating in Astronomia which was thought to be astrologically ruled by Saturn, the slowest moving and furthest out planet known at the time. After this sequence wisdom was supposed to have been achieved by the medieval university student.

Dante Alighieri used the following associations of the seven liberal arts to the seven traditional astrological planets in the Divine Comedy and Convivio.

Astrology and the days of the week

Each day of the week was created in honor of one of the seven celestial bodies (the Sun, Moon and five planets known in ancient times); and in ancient astrology, each day of the week was said to be influenced by the traits of the celestial body it was named after. The system was symmetrical and free of complication until the discovery of Uranus in 1781.

The English names, other than the obvious Saturday, Sunday and Monday, are taken from the Teutonic deities that were correlated with the Roman deities that were associated with the planets that the days were named after.

The days of the week and celestial bodies they are named after are:

More information about planetary linguistics can be found on this site.

Notes, References & Sources

Whitfield, Peter, Dr. Astrology: A History (2001)
Grafton, Anthony, Cardano's Cosmos (1999)
Hone, Margaret, The Modern TextBook of Astrology 1951
Gettings, Fred, The Secret Zodiac 1987
Rudhyar, Dane & Rael,Leyla Astrological Aspects 1980
Mann, A.T. The Round Art: The Astrology of Time & Space 1979

^ Bart Bok, Paul Kurtz and Lawrence Jerome, "Objections to Astrology: A Statement by 186 Leading Scientists" in The Humanist," September/October, 1975. (and also accompanying articles by Messers Bok and Jerome.) Text reproduced here: Objections to Astrology (The Humanist, 1975)
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02018e.htm
^ Geoffrey Cornelius, The Moment of Astrology. The Wessex Astrologer (Bournemouth, 2003.)
http://cura.free.fr/quinq/01gfcor.html -- Cornelius article summarizing some arguments in The Moment of Astrology.
http://www.stariq.com/pagetemplate/article.asp?PageID=1172
http://www.astrodatabank.com
^ Maggie Hyde, Jung and Astrology. The Aquarian Press (London, 1992) p. 24-26.
^ Cornelius, op. cit.
^ Bok, et alii., op. cit.
http://www.chartplanet.com/html/shakespeare.html

External links

History

Skyscript — Classical Astrology - A modern yet faithful look at Classical astrology.
Astrology: Between Religion and the Empirical - A serious academic treatise on astrology by Dr. Gustav-Adolf Schoener and translated by Shane Denson.
Hellenistic Astrology - An Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry outlining the development of Hellenistic astrology and its interaction with philosophical schools.
The real romance in the stars - A critical view of astrology by Richard Dawkins.
Astrologia - Article in Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities
The Scientific Basis of Astrology, Dr Percy Seymour - Book Review.
The Astrological Star Of Bethlehem - How the Magi (astrologers) knew of the birth of Christ
The Devolution and Evolution of Astrology - Article by American mystic Manly Palmer Hall

Schools

Kepler College of Astrological Arts and Sciences - Based in Seattle, USA, Kepler College is the only college in the western hemisphere authorized to issue A.A., B.A., and M.A degrees in Astrological Studies.
The Sophia Centre Based near Bath, England, the Centre is a department of School of Historical and Cultural Studies at Bath Spa University College. Funded by the Sophia Trust, the Centre teaches an innovative MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology and supervises postgraduate research.
Faculty of Astrological Studies - Founded on 7th June 1948 in London, England at 19.50 BST; its Diploma, the D.F.Astrol.S., is among the most highly valued and recognised international qualifications.

Validity

Astrofaces Research Project The Astrofaces project seeks to verify astrology with photographs grouped by the sun, moon and ascendant signs. Do people who share the three most prominent factors in the chart resemble each other?
Astrology and Science - A series of articles in which believers and skeptics debate the merits of astrology.
The Astrotest - An account of a test of the predictive power of astrology, with references to some other experiments.
The True Disbelievers by Richard Kamann and Marcello Truzzi is a report of alleged internal events at CSICOP regarding their own claimed confirmation of M. Gauquelin's 'Mars Effect'
The Skeptic's Dictionary on astrology and the Mars effect
An Astrophysicist's Sympathetic and Critical View of Astrology - by Victor Mansfield.
Proof of Astrology? - A critical look at Percy Seymour's books.
The Magus of Magnetism: How Planetary Motion Orchestrates Solar Activity and Geomagnetism - An interview with Percy Seymour by Bronwyn Elko.

Comparision with other thought systems

Tools

Astrolabe Software - Calculate your personal natal chart or any astrological chart for free using this simple online calculation form.
A Comprehensive Astrological Dictionary -- Use this to look up many common astrological terms, both in ancient and modern astrology.
Astrolog 5.40 - Home of the freeware astrology program Astrolog 5.40.
Astrolog32 - Home of the freeware astrology program Astrolog32.
Astrology for Windows Public domain astrology software.
The Original 3,000 Year High-Precision Daily Astrological Online Ephemeris from Khaldea.com -- 600BC to 2400AD -- Calculated for Midnight GMT; also with an Aspectarian included for years 1900 to 2005
Classical Use of the Astrological Aspects - Learn all about the astrological aspects at this site.
Astrowin - Free Astrology Calculation Programs - Astro123, AstroWin, MatchMkr, and more.
ChronosXP - Free Planetary Hours software for Windows
Classical Astrology Archives
Astrology software - Programs for making horoscopes.
ephemeral.info Tools - Many free web-based tools for looking up information about various celestial objects.
RFIntrep, RFAstro, RF ACSS & RF PHour - Free software & online free Rosicrucian Astrology book library
Astrological Articles Open Postings - Open Community Knowledge Base for astrologers to submit articles on astrological related subjects.
Astrological Dictionary & Glossary - Hundreds of specialized astrological terms are accurately explicated here.

Western astrology natal reports

http://www.astro.com/ -- Astrodienst (available in 8 languages)
http://www.stariq.com/ -- StarIQ.com, Modern Astrology
http://astrology.newkerala.com/
http://www.widgetsworld.co.uk/
http://www.astrologie-info.com/ -- Astrology Info: Natal chart in graphic/text mode and Interactive Moon calendar

Natal reports for other systems