![]() Whatever the differences in scale of reference, technical structure and symbolic content, we are invited to see that the casting and interpretation of the horoscope is in principle similar to laying out a Tarot spread, using three coins to consult the I Ching, or reading tea leaves. The issue becomes explicit when we compare horoscopic astrology with other recognised divinatory practices. Saint Peter’s Basilica an Astrological TriumphĬharles Harvey ~ 1991 Carter Memorial Lectureįor this to say anything useful we must put to one side vague ideas of intuition, and recognise that divination involves the manifest and the concrete. New Study Confirms Gauquelin ‘Plus Zones’ Along similar lines I suggest that the interpretation of horoscopes is to be understood as divination. The epithet 'divinatory astrology' was current in the Renaissance critique of astrology, for instance in the writings of Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola, particularly referring to the claims by astrologers of the power of judgment and prediction through the horoscope. With judicial astrology we enter the realm of divination. It moves towards science in the original (non-modern) sense of this word. It includes the doctrine of signatures and the occult correspondences of the stars, for instance in metals and herbs. Natural astrology refers to a much broader perception of order in the cosmos, above the contingencies of life and chance which may be revealed in the individual horoscope. All conventional forms of horoscope interpretation, whether natal, horary, electional, mundane etc., are part of judicial astrology. These judgments are commonly horoscope-based, and they are made for an individual, or for an individual entity such as a nation. Judicial astrology is the art of specific judgments and predictions. I follow a division already established in the late medieval tradition, between Natural and Judicial Astrology, and my concern is limited to the latter. The first step is to divide that domain, and to make clear that I am not trying to marshal the whole of astrology under the banner of divination. Step One: Judicial Astrology is DivinationĪstrology covers a vast domain of theories and practices. More difficult still, it runs counter to the Saturnian spell of false objectivity and determinism which has for so long held astrology in its thrall. It is not easy because the direction we are taking runs against the grain of our common way of thinking about things. Different themes have to be harnessed, like horses in a team of four, before a consistent direction can be determined. ![]() ![]() The issue is not at first easy to take on board. This article outlines in a few steps this reinterpretation of a significant part of our astrology, while throwing into relief some of its more radical suggestions. The modern argument for astrology-as-divination has been around for some years, but its ramifications are not widely appreciated. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |