Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

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This article is about the historical organization of the late 19th century. For similar later organizations, see Golden Dawn (disambiguation).

Part of a series of articles onHermeticism
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The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (or, more commonly, the Golden Dawn) was a magical order active in Great Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which practiced theurgy and spiritual development. It has been one of the largest single influences on 20th-century Western occultism.^[1][2]
Concepts of magic and ritual at the center of contemporary traditions, such as Wicca^[3][4] and Thelema, were inspired by the Golden Dawn.
The three founders, William Robert Woodman, William Wynn Westcott, and Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers were Freemasons and members of Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (S.R.I.A.).^[5] Westcott appears to have been the initial driving force behind the establishment of the Golden Dawn.
The Golden Dawn system was based on hierarchy and initiation like the Masonic Lodges; however women were admitted on an equal basis with men. The "Golden Dawn" was the first of three Orders, although all three are often collectively referred to as the "Golden Dawn". The First Order taught esoteric philosophy based on the Hermetic Qabalah and personal development through study and awareness of the four Classical Elements as well as the basics of astrology, tarot divination, and geomancy. The Second or "Inner" Order, the Rosae Rubeae et Aureae Crucis (the Ruby Rose and Cross of Gold), taught proper magic, including scrying, astral travel, and alchemy. The Third Order was that of the "Secret Chiefs", who were said to be highly skilled; they supposedly directed the activities of the lower two orders by spirit communication with the Chiefs of the Second Order.

Contents [hide] 1 History 1.1 Cipher Manuscripts 2 Influences 2.1 Founding of first temple 2.2 Secret Chiefs 2.3 Golden Age 2.4 Revolt 2.4.1 Splinters 2.5 Reconstruction 3 Structure and grades 4 Golden Dawn book 5 Known or alleged members 6 Contemporary Golden Dawn Orders 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Cipher Manuscripts

Main article: Cipher Manuscripts

Folio 13 of the Cipher Manuscripts

The foundational documents of the original Order of the Golden Dawn are known as the Cipher Manuscripts; they were written in English using Trithemius cipher. The Manuscripts give the specific outlines of the Grade Rituals of the Order and prescribe a curriculum of graduated teachings that encompass the Hermetic Qabalah, astrology, occult tarot, geomancy, and alchemy.
According to the records of the Order, the manuscripts were passed from Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie, a Masonic scholar, to Rev. A.F.A. Woodford, whom British occult writer Francis King describes as the fourth founder^[6] (although Woodford died shortly after the Order was founded).^[7] The documents did not excite Woodford and in February 1886 he passed them on to Freemason William Wynn Westcott, who managed to decode them in 1887.^[6] Westcott was pleased with his discovery and called on fellow Freemason Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers for a second opinion. Westcott asked for Mathers' help to turn the manuscripts into a coherent system for lodge work. Mathers in turn asked fellow Freemason William Robert Woodman to assist the two and he accepted.^[6] Mathers and Westcott have been credited for developing the ritual outlines in the Cipher Manuscripts into a workable format.^[8] Mathers, however, is generally credited with the design of the curriculum and rituals of the Second Order, which he called the Rosae Rubae et Aureae Crucis ("Ruby Rose and Golden Cross" or the RR et AC).^[9]

[edit] Influences

Influences on Golden Dawn concepts and work include: Christian mysticism, Qabalah, Hermeticism, the religion of Ancient Egypt, Theurgy, Freemasonry, Alchemy, Theosophy, Eliphas Levi, Papus, Enochian magic, and Renaissance grimoires.

[edit] Founding of first temple

In October 1887, Westcott purported to have written to Anna Sprengel, whose name and address he received through the decoding of the Cipher Manuscripts. Westcott claimed to receive a wise reply which conferred honorary grades of Adeptus Exemptus on Westcott, Mathers, and Woodman and chartered a Golden Dawn temple consisting of the five grades outlined in the manuscripts.^[10][11]
In 1888, the Isis-Urania Temple was founded in London,^[10] where the rituals decoded from the cipher manuscripts were developed and practiced.^[12] In addition, there was an insistence on women being allowed to participate in the Order in "perfect equality" with men, in contrast to the S.R.I.A. and Masonry.^[11] This first lodge did not teach any magical practices per se (except for basic "banishing" rituals and meditation), but was rather a philosophical and metaphysical teaching order. It was called "the Outer Order" or "First Order" and for four years the Golden Dawn existed only in this order. The "Inner Order", which became active in 1892, was the circle of adepts who had completed the entire course of study for the Outer Order. This group eventually became known as the Second Order.^{[citation needed]}
In a short time, the Osiris temple in Weston-super-Mare, the Horus temple in Bradford, and the Amen-Ra temple in Edinburgh were founded. A few years after this, Mathers founded the Ahathoor temple in Paris.^[10]

[edit] Secret Chiefs

Main article: Secret Chiefs

In 1891, Westcott's correspondence with Anna Sprengel suddenly ceased, and he received word from Germany either that she was dead or that her companions did not approve of the founding of the Order and no further contact was to be made. If the founders were to contact the Secret Chiefs, therefore, it had to be done on their own.^[10] In 1892, Mathers claimed a link to the Secret Chiefs had been formed and supplied rituals for the Second Order, called the Red Rose and Cross of Gold.^[10] These rituals were based on the tradition of the tomb of Christian Rosenkreuz, and a Vault of Adepts became the controlling force behind the Outer Order.^[13] Later in 1916, Westcott claimed that Mathers also constructed these rituals from materials he received from Frater Lux ex Tenebris, a purported Continental Adept.^[14]
Some followers^[who?] of the Golden Dawn tradition believe that the Secret Chiefs are not necessarily living humans or supernatural beings, but are rather symbolic of actual and legendary sources of spiritual esotericism, a great leader, or teacher of a spiritual path or practice that found its way into the teachings of the Order.^[15]

[edit] Golden Age

By the mid 1890s, the Golden Dawn was well established in Great Britain, with membership rising to over a hundred and including every class of Victorian society.^[7] In its heyday, many celebrities belonged to the Golden Dawn, such as actress Florence Farr, Irish revolutionary Maud Gonne, Irish writer William Butler Yeats, Welsh author Arthur Machen, English author Evelyn Underhill, and English author Aleister Crowley.
In 1896 or 1897, Westcott broke all ties to the Golden Dawn, leaving Mathers in control. It is speculated that this was due to some occult papers having been found in a hansom cab, in which Westcott's connection to the Golden Dawn came to the attention of his superiors. He may have been told to either resign from the Order or to give up his occupation as coroner.^[16] After Westcott's departure, Mathers appointed Florence Farr to be Chief Adept in Anglia, and Dr. Henry B. Pullen Burry succeeded Westcott as Cancellarius—one of the three Chiefs of the Order.
Mathers was the only active founding member after Westcott's "departure". However, due to personality clashes with other members and absences from the center of Lodge activity in Great Britain, challenges to Mathers' authority as leader developed among the members of the Second Order.^[17]

[edit] Revolt

Towards the end of 1899, the Adepts of the Isis-Urania and Amen-Ra temples had become dissatisfied with Mathers' leadership as well as his growing friendship with Crowley. They were also anxious to make contact with the Secret Chiefs themselves, instead of relying on Mathers.^[18] Among the personal disagreements within the Isis-Urania temple, disputes were arising from Florence Farr's The Sphere, a secret society within the Isis-Urania, and the rest of the Adepts Minor.^[18]
Crowley was refused initiation into the Adeptus Minor grade by the London officials. Mathers overrode their decision and quickly initiated him at the Ahathoor temple in Paris on January 16, 1900.^[19] Upon his return to the London temple, Crowley requested the grade papers to which he was now entitled from Miss Cracknell, the acting secretary. To the London Adepts, this was the last straw. Farr, already of the opinion that the London temple should be closed, wrote to Mathers expressing her wish to resign as his representative, though she was willing to carry on until a successor was found.^[19] Mathers replied on February 16, believing Westcott was behind this turn of events. Once the other Adepts in London were notified, they elected a committee of seven on March 3 and requested a full investigation of the matter. Mathers sent an immediate reply, declining to provide proof, refusing to acknowledge the London temple, and dismissing Farr as his representative on March 23.^[20] In response, a general meeting was called on March 29 in London to remove Mathers as chief and expel him from the Order.^[21]

[edit] Splinters

In 1901, W. B. Yeats privately published a pamphlet titled Is the Order of R. R. & A. C. to Remain a Magical Order?^[22] After the Isis-Urania temple claimed its independence, there were even more disputes, leading to Yeats resigning.^[23] A committee of three was to temporarily govern, which included P.W. Bullock, M.W. Blackden and J. W. Brodie-Innes. After a short time, Bullock resigned, and Dr. Robert Felkin took his place.^[24]
In 1903, A.E. Waite and Blackden joined forces to retain the name Isis-Urania, while Felkin and other London members formed the Stella Matutina, Yeats remaining in it until 1921, and Brodie-Innes continued his Amen-Ra temple in Edinburgh.^[25]

[edit] Reconstruction

Once Mathers realised that reconciliation was impossible, he made efforts to reestablish himself in London. The Bradford and Weston-super-Mare temples remained loyal to him, but their numbers were few.^[26] He then appointed Edward Berridge as his representative.^[27] According to Francis King, historical evidence shows that there were "twenty three members of a flourishing Second Order under Berridge-Mathers in 1913."^[27]
J.W. Brodie-Innes continued leading the Amen-Ra temple, deciding that the revolt was unjustified. By 1908, Mathers and Brodie-Innes were in complete accord.^[28] According to sources that differ regarding the actual date, sometime between 1901 and 1913 Mathers renamed the branch of the Golden Dawn remaining loyal to his leadership to Alpha et Omega.^{[29][30][31][32]} Brodie-Innes assumed command of the English and Scottish temples, while Mathers concentrated on building up his Ahathoor temple and extending his American connections.^[30] According to occultist Israel Regardie, the Golden Dawn had spread to the United States of America before 1900 and a Thoth-Hermes temple had been founded in Chicago.^[28][30] By the beginning of the First World War in 1914, Mathers had established two to three American temples.
Most temples of the Alpha et Omega and Stella Matutina closed or went into abeyance by the end of the 1930s, with the exceptions of two Stella Matutina temples: Hermes Temple in Bristol, which operated sporadically until 1970, and the Whare Ra in Havelock North, New Zealand, which operated regularly until its closure in 1978.^[33][34]

[edit] Structure and grades

Rosy Cross of the Golden Dawn

Much of the hierarchical structure for the Golden dawn came from the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, which was itself derived from the Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross.^[35]

First Order

• Introduction—Neophyte 0=0
• Zelator 1=10
• Theoricus 2=9
• Practicus 3=8
• Philosophus 4=7
• Intermediate—Portal Grade

Second Order

• Adeptus Minor 5=6
• Adeptus Major 6=5
• Adeptus Exemptus 7=4

Third Order

• Magister Templi 8=3
• Magus 9=2
• Ipsissimus 10=1

The paired numbers attached to the Grades relate to positions on the Tree of Life. The Neophyte Grade of "0=0" indicates no position on the Tree. In the other pairs, the first numeral is the number of steps up from the bottom (Malkuth), and the second numeral is the number of steps down from the top (Kether).
The First Order Grades were related to the four elements of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire, respectively. The Aspirant to a Grade received instruction on the metaphysical meaning of each of these Elements and had to pass a written examination and demonstrate certain skills to receive admission to that Grade.
The Portal Grade was an "Invisible" or in-between grade separating the First Order from the Second Order.^[36] The Circle of existing Adepts from the Second Order had to consent to allow an Aspirant to be initiated as an Adept and join the Second Order.
The Second Order was not, properly, part of the "Golden Dawn", but a separate Order in its own right, known as the R.R. et A.C. The Second Order directed the teachings of the First Order and was the governing force behind the First Order.
After passing the Portal, the Aspirant was instructed in the techniques of practical magic. When another examination was passed, and the other Adepts consented, the Aspirant attained the Grade of Adeptus Minor (5=6). There were also four sub-Grades of instruction for the Adeptus Minor, again relating to the four Outer Order grades.
A member of the Second Order had the power and authority to initiate aspirants to the First Order, though usually not without the permission of the Chiefs of his or her Lodge.

[edit] Golden Dawn book

The Golden Dawn as system and book has been the most intensively used source for modern western occult and magical writing. As a book it is both a text and an encyclopedia.^[37]

[edit] Known or alleged members

• Sara Allgood (1879–1950), Irish stage actress and later film actress in America
• Allan Bennett (1872–1923), best known for introducing Buddhism to the West
• Arnold Bennett (1867–1931), British novelist^[38]
• Edward W. Berridge (ca. 1843–1923), British homeopathic physician^{[3]:148–149}
• Algernon Blackwood (1869–1951), English writer and radio broadcaster of supernatural stories^[39]
• Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), occultist, writer and mountaineer^[39]
• Florence Farr (1860–1917), London stage actress and musician^[39]
• Robert Felkin (1853–1925), medical missionary, explorer and anthropologist in Central Africa, author
• Frederick Leigh Gardner (1857–1930), British stock broker and occultist; published three-volume bibliography Catalogue Raisonné of Works on the Occult Sciences (1912)^[40]
• Maud Gonne (1866–1953), Irish revolutionary, author, feminist
• Annie Horniman (1860–1937), British repertory theatre producer and pioneer; member of the wealthy Horniman family of tea-traders^[39]
• Arthur Machen (1863–1947), leading London writer of the 1890s, author of acclaimed works of imaginative and occult fiction, such as "The Great God Pan", "The White People" and "The Hill of Dreams". Welsh by birth and upbringing.
• Gustav Meyrink (1868–1932), Austrian author, storyteller, dramatist, translator, banker, and Buddhist
• E. Nesbit (1858–1924), real name Edith Bland; English author and political activist
• Sax Rohmer, novelist, creator of the Fu Manchu character
• Charles Rosher (1885–1974), British cinematographer
• Pamela Colman Smith (1878–1951), British-American artist and co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck
• William Sharp (1855–1905), poet and author; alias Fiona MacLeod
• Bram Stoker^[41][42] (1847–1912), Irish writer best-known today for his 1897 horror novel Dracula
• John Todhunter (1839–1916), Aktis Heliou Irish poet and playwright who wrote seven volumes of poetry, and several plays
• Violet Tweedale (1862–1936), author.
• Evelyn Underhill (1875–1941), British Christian mystic, author of Mysticism: A Study in Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness
• Charles Williams (1886–1945), British poet, novelist, theologian, and literary critic
• Arthur Edward Waite (1857–1942), British-American author, Freemason and co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck^[39]
• William Butler Yeats (1865–1939), Irish poet, dramatist, and writer.

[edit] Contemporary Golden Dawn Orders

While no temples in the original chartered lineage of the Golden Dawn survived past the 1970s,^[33][34] several organizations have since revived its teachings and rituals. Among these, the following are notable:

• The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Inc.
• The Open Source Order of the Golden Dawn

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

• A∴A∴
• Tattva vision

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Jenkins, Phillip (2000) Mystics and Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in American History, pg. 74. "Also in the 1880s, the tradition of ritual magic was revived in London by a group of Masonic adepts, who formed the Order of the Golden Dawn, which would prove an incalculable influence on the whole subsequent history of occultism." USA: Oxford University Press.
2. ^ Smoley, Richard (1999) Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions, ppg 102-103. "Founded in 1888, the Golden Dawn lasted a mere twelve years before it was shattered by personal conflicts. At it's [sic] height it probably had no more than a hundred members. Yet its influence on magic and esoteric thought in the English-speaking world would be hard to overestimate." USA: Quest Books.
3. ^ ^{a b} Colquhoun, Ithell (1975) The Sword of Wisdom: MacGregor Mathers & the Golden Dawn. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
4. ^ Phillips, Julia (1991) History of Wicca in England: 1939 - present day. Lecture at the Wiccan Conference in Canberra, 1991.
5. ^ Regardie, 1993, page 10
6. ^ ^{a b c} King, 1989, page 42-43
7. ^ ^{a b} King, 1989, page 47
8. ^ Golden Dawn researcher R. A. Gilbert has found evidence which suggests that Westcott was instrumental in developing the Order's rituals from the Cipher Manuscripts. See Gilbert's article, From Cipher to Enigma: The Role of William Wynn Westcott in the Creation of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, from Carroll Runyon's book Secrets of the Golden Dawn Cypher Manuscripts.
9. ^ Regardie, 1993, page 92
10. ^ ^{a b c d e} King, 1989, page 43
11. ^ ^{a b} Regardie, 1993, page 11.
12. ^ King, 1997, page 35
13. ^ King, 1989, page 44
14. ^ King, 1989, page 46
15. ^ Penczak, Christopher. Spirit Allies, p. 27. Red Wheel/Weiser Books. ISBN 1-57863-214-5
16. ^ King, 1989, page 48
17. ^ Raine, Kathleen (1976) [1972]. Liam Miller. ed. Yeats, the Tarot and the Golden Dawn. New Yeats Papers. II (second ed.). Dublin: Dolmen Press. p. 6.
18. ^ ^{a b} King, 1989, page 66
19. ^ ^{a b} King, 1989, page 67
20. ^ King, 1989, page 68-69
21. ^ King, 1989, page 69
22. ^ Melton, J. Gordon, editor, Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, v. 2 p. 1327, Gale Group, 2001 ISBN 0-8103-9489-8
23. ^ King, 1989, page 78
24. ^ King, 1989, page 94
25. ^ King, 1989, pages 95-96
26. ^ King, 1989, page 109
27. ^ ^{a b} King, 1989, page 110
28. ^ ^{a b} Regardie, 1993, page 33
29. ^ King, 1971, p. 110-111
30. ^ ^{a b c} King, 1989, page 111
31. ^ "The Golden Dawn ceased to exist by that name after October, 1901, replaced by Mathers' Alpha et Omega and the London group’s Order of the Morgan Rothe. No longer associated with the SRIA after 1902, Mathers continued to oversee a few temples until his death, when his wife, Moina, assumed supervision." Samuel Liddel MacGregor Mathers biography, Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, February 26, 2001
32. ^ Golden Dawn Time Line, Chic Cicero and Sandra Tabatha Cicero, Llewellyn Encyclopedia
33. ^ ^{a b} Gilbert, R. A. Golden Dawn Companion. Aquarian Press, 1986. ISBN 0-85030-436-9
34. ^ ^{a b} Llewellyn Encyclopedia: "Golden Dawn Time Line"
35. ^ The masonic career of A.E. Waite by Bro. R. A. Gilbert
36. ^ Golden Dawn Research Center - What is the Golden Dawn?
37. ^ Weschcke, Carl L., Publisher, Publishers Preface (1982) The Golden Dawn
38. ^ Regardie, 1982, page 16
39. ^ ^{a b c d e} Regardie, 1982, foreword - page ix
40. ^ "Frederick Leigh Gardner", Biographies: Fringe freemasons, Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon (Freemasons) web site. Retrieved November 2008.
41. ^ Ravenscroft, Trevor (1982). The occult power behind the spear which pierced the side of Christ. Red Wheel. p. 165. ISBN 0-87728-547-0.
42. ^ Picknett, Lynn (2004). The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ. Simon and Schuster. p. 201. ISBN 0-7432-7325-7.

[edit] References

• Fra. A.o.C. (2002). A Short Treatise on the History, Culture and Practices of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Retrieved August 3, 2007.
• Armstrong, Allan & R. A. Gilbert, eds. (1997). Golden Dawn: The Proceedings of the Golden Dawn Conference, London - 1997. Hermetic Research Trust.
• Cicero, Chic and Tabatha Cicero (1991). The New Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications. ISBN 0-87542-139-3
• Colquhoun, Ithell (1975). Sword of Wisdom: Macgregor Mathers and the Golden Dawn. Neville Spearman. ISBN 0-85435-092-6.
• Greer, Mary K. (1994). Women of the Golden Dawn. Park Street. ISBN 0-89281-516-7.
• Greer, Mary K. & Darcy Kuntz (1999) The Chronology of the Golden Dawn. Holmes Publishing Group. ISBN 1-55818-354-X
• Gilbert, Robert A. (1983). The Golden Dawn: Twilight of the Magicians. The Aquarian Press. ISBN 0-85030-278-1
• Gilbert, Robert A. (1986). The Golden Dawn Companion. Weiser Books. ISBN 0-85030-436-9
• Gilbert, Robert A. Golden Dawn Scrapbook - The Rise and Fall of a Magical Order. Weiser Books (1998) ISBN 1-57863-037-1
• Howe, Ellic (1978). The Magicians of the Golden Dawn: A Documentary History of a Magical Order 1887-1923. Samuel Weiser. ISBN 0-87728-369-9.
• Jenkins, Phillip (2000) Mystics and Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in American History. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-512744-7
• King, Francis (1971). The Rites of Modern Occult Magic. New York: Macmillan Company. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 76-158-933
• King, Francis (1989). Modern Ritual Magic: The Rise of Western Occultism. ISBN 1-85327-032-6
• King, Francis, ed. (1997). Ritual Magic of the Golden Dawn: Works by S. L. MacGregor Mathers and Others. Destiny Books. ISBN 0-89281-617-1
• Regardie, Israel (1982). The Golden Dawn. Llewellyn Publications. ISBN 0-87542-664-6.
• Regardie, Israel, et al., eds. (1989). The Golden Dawn: A Complete Course in Practical Ceremonial Magic. Llewellyn. ISBN 0-87542-663-8
• Regardie, Israel (1993). What You Should Know About the Golden Dawn (6th ed.). ISBN 1-56184-064-5
• Runyon, Carroll (1997). Secrets of the Golden Dawn Cipher Manuscripts. C.H.S. ISBN 0-9654881-2-8
• Smoley, Richard (1999). Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions. Quest Books ISBN 978-0-8356-0844-2
• Suster, Gerald (1990). Crowley's Apprentice: The Life and Ideas of Israel Regardie. Weiser Books. ISBN 0-87728-700-7
• Wasserman, James (2005). The Mystery Traditions: Secret Symbols and Sacred Art. Rochester, VT: Destiny Books. ISBN 1-59477-088-3

[edit] External links

• The Golden Dawn FAQ (original from 1990s Usenet groups)
• The Golden Dawn Library Project
• Golden Dawn entries in Llewellyn Encyclopedia
• Golden Dawn Tradition, by co-founder Dr. W. Wynn Westcott
• Photocopies and the translation of the original Cipher Manuscripts
• Lots of GD material on display in Yeats exhibition including Ritual Notebooks.
• The Golden Dawn Roll Call
• Golden Dawn at the Open Directory Project

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[hide] v t e Magic and Witchcraft in Britain Folk Magic Variants Anglo-Saxon magic Cunning folk in Britain Magicians Dummy, the Witch of Sible Hedingham George Pickingill Ceremonial Magic Organizations Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn Illuminates of Thanateros Ordo Templi Orientis Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia Magicians Peter J. Carroll Andrew Chumbley Aleister Crowley Kenneth Grant Dion Fortune Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers Alan Moore Ray Sherwin Arthur Edward Waite Early Modern Witchcraft Trials Witches of Warboys (1589–1593) North Berwick witch trials (1590) Pendle witches (1612) Northamptonshire witch trials (1612) Samlesbury witches (1612) Witches of Belvoir (1619) Bury St. Edmunds witch trials (1645, 1662, 1655 & 1694) Bideford witch trial (1684) Paisley witches (1696) Islandmagee witch trial (1711) Accused Witches Isobel Gowdie Neopagan Witchcraft Variants Wicca: Alexandrian Wicca Gardnerian Wicca Cochrane's Craft Neopagan Witches Charles Cardell Robert Cochrane Stewart Farrar Janet Farrar Gerald Gardner Alex Sanders Doreen Valiente Cecil Williamson

Astrology

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It has been suggested that astrologer be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) Proposed since August 2012.

Not to be confused with Astronomy.

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Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world. In the West, astrology most often consists of a system of horoscopes that claim to explain aspects of a person's personality and predict future events in their life based on the positions of the sun, moon, and other planetary objects at the time of their birth. Many cultures have attached importance to astronomical events, and the Indians, Chinese, and Mayans developed elaborate systems for predicting terrestrial events from celestial observations.
Among Indo-European peoples, astrology has been dated to the third millennium BCE, with roots in calendrical systems used to predict seasonal shifts and to interpret celestial cycles as signs of divine communications.^[1] Through most of its history, astrology was considered a scholarly tradition. It was accepted in political and academic contexts, and was connected with other studies, such as astronomy, alchemy, meteorology, and medicine.^[2] At the end of the 17th century, new scientific concepts in astronomy (such as heliocentrism) called astrology into question, and subsequent controlled studies failed to confirm its predictive value. Astrology thus lost its academic and theoretical standing.
Astrology is a pseudoscience, and as such is rejected by the academic and scientific communities. Some scientific testing of astrology has been conducted, and no evidence has been found to support any of the premises or purported effects outlined in astrological traditions. Furthermore, there is no proposed mechanism of action by which the positions and motions of stars and planets could affect people and events on Earth that does not contradict well understood, basic aspects of biology and physics.^[3]:249[4]

Contents [hide] 1 Etymology 2 Principles and practice 2.1 Western 2.2 Indian and South Asian 2.3 Chinese and East-Asian 3 History 3.1 Ancient world 3.2 Medieval Islamic world 3.3 Since 1900 4 Cultural influence 5 Scientific appraisal 5.1 Cognitive bias 5.2 Lack of consistency 5.3 Lack of mechanism 5.4 Carlson's experiment 5.5 Gauquelin's research 6 Theological criticisms 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External links

[edit] Etymology

Marcantonio Raimondi engraving: 15th cent.

The word astrology comes from the early Latin word astrologia,^[5] deriving from the Greek noun ἀστρολογία, 'account of the stars'. Astrologia later passed into meaning 'star-divination' with astronomia used for the scientific term.^[6]

[edit] Principles and practice

Robert Fludd's 16th century illustration of man the microcosm within the universal macrocosm

Advocates have defined astrology as a symbolic language, an art form, a science, and a method of divination.^[7][8]
Although most cultural systems of astrology share common roots in ancient philosophies that influenced each other, many have unique methodologies which differ from those developed in the West. These include Hindu astrology (also known as "Indian astrology" and in modern times referred to as "Vedic astrology") and Chinese astrology, both of which have influenced the world's cultural history.

[edit] Western

For more details on this topic, see Western astrology.

Western astrology is a form of divination based on the construction of a horoscope for an exact moment, such as a person's birth.^[9] It uses the tropical zodiac, which is aligned to the equinoctial points.^[10]
Western astrology is founded on the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies such as the Sun, Moon, planets, which are analyzed by their movement through signs of the zodiac (spatial divisions of the ecliptic) and by their aspects (angles) relative to one another. They are also considered by their placement in houses (spatial divisions of the sky).^[11] Astrology's modern representation in western popular media is usually reduced to sun sign astrology, which considers only the zodiac sign of the Sun at an individual's date of birth, and represents only 1/12 of the total chart.^[12] The names of the zodiac correspond to the names of the constellations originally within the respective segment and are in Latin.^{[citation needed]}
Along with tarot divination, astrology is one of the core studies of Western esotericism, and as such has influenced systems of magical belief not only among Western esotericists and Hermeticists, but also belief systems such as Wicca that have borrowed from or been influenced by the Western esoteric tradition. Tanya Luhrmann has said that "all magicians know something about astrology," and refers to a table of correspondences in Starhawk's The Spiral Dance, organized by planet, as an example of the astrological lore studied by magicians.^[13]

Page from an Astrological Treatise, ca. 1750

[edit] Indian and South Asian

For more details on this topic, see Hindu astrology.

Hindu astrology originated with western astrology.^[14]:361 In the earliest Indian astronomy texts, the year was believed to be 360 days long, similar to that of Babylonian astrology, but the rest of the early astrological system bears little resemblance.^[15]:229 Later, the Indian techniques were augmented with some of the Babylonian techniques.^[15]:231 Hindu astrology is oriented toward predicting one's fate or destiny.^{[16]:237[unreliable source?]} Hindu astrology relies on the sidereal zodiac in which the signs of the zodiac are aligned to the position of the corresponding constellations in the sky. In order to maintain this alignment, Hindu astrology uses an adjustment, called ayanamsa, to take into account the gradual precession of the vernal equinox (the gradual shift in the orientation of the Earth's axis of rotation). In Hindu astrology the equinox occurs when the Sun is 6 degrees in Pisces. Western astrology places the equinox at the beginning of Aries, about 23 degrees after the equinox in the Hindu system.^{[16][unreliable source?]} Hindu astrology also includes several sub-systems of zodiac division, and employs the notion of bandhu: connections that, according to the Vedas link the outer and the inner worlds.^{[citation needed]}
Sri Lankan astrology is largely based on Hindu astrology with some modifications to bring it in line with Buddhist teachings. Tibetan astrology also shares many of these components but has also been strongly influenced by Chinese culture and acknowledges a circle of animal signs similar to that of the Chinese zodiac (see below).^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Chinese and East-Asian

For more details on this topic, see Chinese astrology and Chinese zodiac.

Chinese astrology has a close relation with Chinese philosophy (theory of the three harmonies: heaven, earth and man) and uses concepts such as yin and yang, the Five phases, the 10 Celestial stems, the 12 Earthly Branches, and shichen (時辰 a form of timekeeping used for religious purposes). The early use of Chinese astrology was mainly confined to political astrology, the observation of unusual phenomena, identification of portents and the selection of auspicious days for events and decisions.^{[17]:22,85,176}
The constellations of the Zodiac of western Asia and Europe were not used; instead the sky is divided into Three Enclosures (三垣 sān yuán), and Twenty-eight Mansions (二十八宿 èrshíbā xiù) in twelve Ci (十二次).^[18] The Chinese zodiac of twelve animal signs is said to represent twelve different types of personality. It is based on cycles of years, lunar months, and two-hour periods of the day (the shichen). The zodiac traditionally begins with the sign of the Rat, and the cycle proceeds through 11 other animals signs: the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.^[19] Complex systems of predicting fate and destiny based on one's birthday, birth season, and birth hours, such as ziping and Zi Wei Dou Shu (simplified Chinese: 紫微斗数; traditional Chinese: 紫微斗數; pinyin: zǐwēidǒushù) are still used regularly in modern day Chinese astrology. They do not rely on direct observations of the stars.^[20]
The Korean zodiac is identical to the Chinese one. The Vietnamese zodiac is almost identical to Chinese zodiac except that the second animal is the Water Buffalo instead of the Ox, and the fourth animal is the Cat instead of the Rabbit. The Japanese zodiac includes the Wild Boar instead of the Pig. The Thai zodiac includes a Naga in place of the Dragon and begins, not at Chinese New Year, but at either on the first day of fifth month in Thai lunar calendar, or during the Songkran festival (now celebrated every 13–15 April), depending on the purpose of the use.^[21]

[edit] History

Main article: History of astrology

[edit] Ancient world

For more details on ancient astrology, see Babylonian astrology and Hellenistic astrology.

Astrology, in its broadest sense, is the search for meaning in the sky. It has therefore been argued that astrology began as a study as soon as human beings made conscious attempts to measure, record, and predict seasonal changes by reference to astronomical cycles.^[22]:2,3 Early evidence of such practices appears as markings on bones and cave walls, which show that lunar cycles were being noted as early as 25,000 years ago; the first step towards recording the Moon’s influence upon tides and rivers, and towards organizing a communal calendar.^[23]:81ff Agricultural needs were also met by increasing knowledge of constellations, whose appearances change with the seasons, allowing the rising of particular star-groups to herald annual floods or seasonal activities.^{[24][verification needed]} By the third millennium BCE, widespread civilizations had developed sophisticated awareness of celestial cycles, and are believed to have consciously oriented their temples to create alignment with the heliacal risings of the stars.^[25]
There is scattered evidence to suggest that the oldest known astrological references are copies of texts made during this period. Two, from the Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa (compiled in Babylon around 1700 BCE) are reported to have been made during the reign of king Sargon of Akkad (2334–2279 BCE).^[26] Another, showing an early use of electional astrology, is ascribed to the reign of the Sumerian ruler Gudea of Lagash (ca. 2144–2124 BCE). This describes how the gods revealed to him in a dream the constellations that would be most favorable for the planned construction of a temple.^[27] However, there is controversy about whether they were genuinely recorded at the time or merely ascribed to ancient rulers by posterity. The oldest undisputed evidence of the use of astrology as an integrated system of knowledge is therefore attributed to the records of the first dynasty of Mesopotamia (1950–1651 BCE).
The system of Chinese astrology was elaborated during the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC) and flourished during the Han Dynasty (2nd century BC to 2nd century AD), during which all the familiar elements of traditional Chinese culture – the Yin-Yang philosophy, theory of the 5 elements, Heaven and Earth, Confucian morality – were brought together to formalise the philosophical principles of Chinese medicine and divination, astrology and alchemy.^[17]:3,4

[edit] Medieval Islamic world

For more details on this topic, see Astrology in medieval Islam.

Latin translation of Abū Maʿshar's De Magnis Coniunctionibus (‘Of the great conjunctions’), Venice, 1515.

Astrology was taken up by Islamic scholars following the collapse of Alexandria to the Arabs in the 7th century, and the founding of the Abbasid empire in the 8th. The second Abbasid caliph, Al Mansur (754–775) founded the city of Baghdad to act as a centre of learning, and included in its design a library-translation centre known as Bayt al-Hikma ‘Storehouse of Wisdom’, which continued to receive development from his heirs and was to provide a major impetus for Arabic-Persian translations of Hellenistic astrological texts. The early translators included Mashallah, who helped to elect the time for the foundation of Baghdad,^[28] and Sahl ibn Bishr, (a.k.a. Zael), whose texts were directly influential upon later European astrologers such as Guido Bonatti in the 13th century, and William Lilly in the 17th century. Knowledge of Arabic texts started to become imported into Europe during the Latin translations of the 12th century, the effect of which was to help initiate the European Renaissance.
Other important Arabic astrologers include Albumasur and Al Khwarizmi, the Persian mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, who is considered the father of algebra and the algorithm. The Arabs greatly increased the knowledge of astronomical cycles, and many of the star names that remain in common use today, such as Aldebaran, Altair, Betelgeuse, Rigel and Vega retain the legacy of their language.

[edit] Since 1900

This section requires expansion. (September 2012)

Astrology saw a popular revival from the nineteenth century as part of a general revival of spiritualism and later New Age philosophy^[29]:239-249, and through the influence of mass media such as newspaper horoscopes^[29]:259-263 and astrology software.
Early in the twentieth century psychologist Carl Jung developed some concepts concerning astrology,^[30] which led to the development of psychological astrology.^{[29]:251-256[31][32]}
Other new developments included Uranian astrology,^[33] Astrocartography^[34][35] and Financial astrology.

[edit] Cultural influence

Main article: Cultural influence of astrology

In the West there have been occasional reports of political leaders consulting astrologers. Louis de Wohl worked as an astrologer for the British intelligence agency MI5, after it was claimed that Hitler used astrology to time his actions. The War Office was "interested to know what Hitler's own astrologers would be telling him from week to week".^[36] In fact de Wohl's predictions were so inaccurate that he was soon labelled a "complete charlatan" and it was later shown that Hitler considered astrology to be "complete nonsense".^[37] After John Hinckley's attempted assassination of U.S. President Ronald Reagan, first lady Nancy Reagan commissioned astrologer Joan Quigley to act as the secret White House astrologer. However, Quigley's role ended in 1988 when it became public through the memoirs of former chief of staff, Donald Regan.^[38]

Birth and death rates of Japan since 1950, with the sudden drop in hinoeuma year(1966)

In India, there is a long-established and widespread belief in astrology. It is commonly used for daily life, particularly in matters concerning marriage and career, and makes extensive use of electional, horary and karmic astrology.^[39][40] Indian politics has also been influenced by astrology.^[41] It remains considered a branch of the Vedanga.^[42][43] In 2001, Indian scientists and politicians debated and critiqued a proposal to use state money to fund research into astrology,^[44] resulting in permission for Indian universities to offer courses in Vedic astrology.^[45] In February 2011, the Bombay High Court reaffirmed astrology's standing in India when it dismissed a case which had challenged its status as a science.^[46]
In Japan, a strong belief in astrology has led to dramatic changes in the fertility rate and the number of abortions in the years of "Fire Horse". Women born in these years are called hinoeuma, and believed to be unmarriageable and to bring bad luck to their father or husband. In 1966, the number of babies born in Japan dropped by over 25% as parents tried to avoid the stigma of having a daughter born in the hinoeuma year.^[47][48]

[edit] Scientific appraisal

Astrology is a pseudoscience^{[49][50]:1350} that has not demonstrated its effectiveness in controlled studies and has no scientific validity.^[51][52]:85 The majority of professional astrologers rely on performing astrology-based personality tests and making relevant predictions about the remunerators future.^[52]:83 Those who continue to have faith in astrology have been characterized as doing 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."^[53] Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson commented on astrological belief, noting that "part of knowing how to think is knowing how the laws of nature shape the world around us. Without that knowledge, without that capacity to think, you can easily become a victim of people who seek to take advantage of you".^[54]
The former astrologer, and scientist, Geoffrey Deans and psychologist Ivan Kelly^[55] conducted a large scale scientific test, involving more than one hundred cognitive, behavioral, physical and other variables, but found no support for astrology.^[56] Furthermore, a meta-analysis was conducted pooling 40 studies consisting of 700 astrologers and over 1000 birth charts. Ten of the tests, which had a total of 300 participants, involved subjects picking the correct chart interpretation out of a number of others which were not the astrologically correct chart interpretation (usually 3 to 5 others). When the date and other obvious clues were removed no significant results were found to suggest there was any preferred chart.^[56]:190 A further test involved 45 confident^[a] astrologers, with an average of 10 years experience and 160 participants (out of an original sample size of 1198 participants) who strongly favoured certain characteristics in the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire to extremes.^[56]:191 The astrologers performed much worse than merely basing decisions off the individuals age, and much worse than 45 control subjects who didn't use birth charts at all.^[b][56]:191
Science and non-science are often distinguished by the criterion of falsifiability. The criterion was first proposed by philosopher of science Karl Popper. To Popper, science does not rely on induction, instead scientific investigations are inherently attempts to falsify existing theories through novel tests. If a single test fails, then the theory is falsified. Therefore, any test of a scientific theory must prohibit certain results which will falsify the theory, and expect other specific results which will be consistent with the theory. Using this criterion of falsifiability, astrology is a pseudoscience.^[57] Popper regarded astrology as "pseudo-empirical" in that "it appeals to observation and experiment", but "nevertheless does not come up to scientific standards".^[58]:44
In 1953, sociologist Theodor W. Adorno conducted a study of the astrology column of a Los Angeles newspaper as part of a project examining mass culture in capitalist society. Adorno concluded that astrology was a large-scale manifestation of systematic irrationalism, where individuals were subtly being led to believe that the author of the column was addressing them directly through the use of flattery and vague generalizations.^[59]

[edit] Cognitive bias

See also: Forer effect

It has also been suggested that much of the continued faith in astrology could be psychologically explained as a matter of cognitive bias.^[60]:42-48 In 1949 Bertram Forer conducted a personality test on students.^[61] While seemingly giving the students individualized results, he instead gave each student exactly the same sheet that discussed their personality. The personality descriptions were taken from a book on Astrology. When the students were asked to comment on the accuracy of the test with a rating more than 40% gave it the top mark of 5 out of 5, and the average rating was 4.2.^{[62]:134, 135} The results of this study have been replicated in numerous other studies.^[63]:382 Thus, study of this Barnum/Forer effect has been mostly focused on the level of acceptance of fake horoscopes and fake astrological personality profiles.^[63]:382 Recipients of these personality assessments consistently fail to distinguish common and uncommon personality descriptors.^[63]:383
By a process known as self-attribution, it has been shown in numerous studies that individuals with knowledge of astrology tend to describe their personality in terms of traits compatible with their star sign. The effect is heightened when the individuals were aware the personality description was being used to discuss astrology. Individuals who were not familiar with astrology had no such tendency.^[64]

[edit] Lack of consistency

Testing the validity of astrology can be hard because there is no consensus amongst astrologers as to what astrology is or what it can predict.^[52]:83 Most professional astrologers are paid to predict the future or describe a person's personality and life, but most horoscopes only make vague untestable statements that can almost apply to any individual.^[52]:83 Astrologers avoid making verifiable predictions and instead rely on making vague statements which allows them to try to avoid falsification.^[58]:48-49
Georges Charpak and Henri Broch dealt with claims from astrology in the book Debunked! ESP, Telekinesis, and other Pseudoscience.^[65] They pointed out that astrologers have only a small knowledge of astronomy and that they often do not take into account basic features such as the precession of the equinoxes which would change the position of the sun with time; they commented on the example of Elizabeth Teissier who claimed that "the sun ends up in the same place in the sky on the same date each year" as the basis for claims that two people with the same birthday but a number of years apart should be under the same planetary influence. Charpak and Broch noted that "there is a difference of about twenty-two thousand miles between Earth's location on any specific date in two successive years" and that thus they should not be under the same influence according to astrology. Over a 40 years period there would be a difference greater than 780,000 miles.^[66]
The tropical zodiac has no connection to the stars and avoids the issue with precession moving the constellations as long as they make no reference to the constellations themselves being in the associated zodiacal sign.^[66] Charpak and Broch, noting this, referred to astrology based on the tropical zodiac as being "empty boxes that have nothing to do with anything and are devoid of any consistency or correspondence with the stars".^[66] Sole usage of the tropical zodiac is inconsistent with references made, by the same astrologers, to the Age of Aquarius which is dependent on when the vernal point enters the constellation of Aquarius.^[51]
Some astrologers make claims that the position of all the planets must be taken into account, but astrologers were unable to predict the existence of Neptune based on mistakes in horoscopes. Instead Neptune was predicted using Newton's law of universal gravitation.^[52] The grafting on of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto into the astrology discourse was done on an ad-hoc basis.^[51]
On the demotion of Pluto to the status of dwarf planet, Philip Zarka of the Paris Observatory in Meudon, France wondered how astrologers should respond:^[51]

"Should astrologers remove it from the list of luminars [Sun, Moon and the 8 planets other than earth] and confess that it did not actually bring any improvement? If they decide to keep it, what about the growing list of other recently discovered similar bodies (Sedna, Quaoar. etc), some of which even have satellites (Xena, 2003EL61)?"

[edit] Lack of mechanism

Astrology has been criticized for failing to provide a physical mechanism that links the movements of celestial bodies to their purported effects on human behaviour. In a lecture in 2001, Stephen Hawking stated "The reason most scientists don't believe in astrology is because it is not consistent with our theories that have been tested by experiment."^[67] In 1975, amid increasing popular interest in astrology, The Humanist magazine presented a rebuttal of astrology in a statement put together by Bart J. Bok, Lawrence E. Jerome, and Paul Kurtz.^[53] The statement, entitled ‘Objections to Astrology’, was signed by 186 astronomers, physicists and leading scientists of the day. They said that there is no scientific foundation for the tenets of astrology and warned the public against accepting astrological advice without question. Their criticism focused on the fact that there was no mechanism whereby astrological effects might occur:

We can see how infinitesimally small are the gravitational and other effects produced by the distant planets and the far more distant stars. It is simply a mistake to imagine that the forces exerted by stars and planets at the moment of birth can in any way shape our futures.^[53][68]

Astronomer Carl Sagan declined to sign the statement. Sagan said he took this stance not because he thought astrology had any validity, but because he thought that the tone of the statement was authoritarian, and that dismissing astrology because there was no mechanism (while "certainly a relevant point") was not in itself convincing. In a letter published in a follow-up edition of The Humanist, Sagan confirmed that he would have been willing to sign such a statement had it described and refuted the principal tenets of astrological belief. This, he argued, would have been more persuasive and would have produced less controversy.^[69]
Many astrologers claim that astrology is scientific.^[70] Some of these astrologers have proposed conventional causal agents such as electromagnetism and gravity.^[70][71] Scientists dismiss these mechanisms as implausible^[70] since, for example, the magnetic field, when measured from earth, of a large but distant planet such as Jupiter is far smaller than that produced by ordinary household appliances.^[71] Other astrologers prefer not to attempt to explain astrology,^{[72][dubious – discuss]} and instead give it supernatural explanations such as divination.^[73]:xxii Carl Jung sought to invoke synchronicity to explain results on astrology from a single study he conducted, where no statistically significant results were observed. Sychronicity itself is considered to be neither testable nor falsifiable.^[74] The study was subsequently heavily criticised for its non-random sample and its use of statistics and also its lack of consistency with astrology.^[c][75]

[edit] Carlson's experiment

Across several centuries of testing, the predictions of astrology have never been more accurate than that expected by chance alone.^[52] One approach used in testing astrology quantitatively is through blind experiment. When specific predictions from astrologers were tested in rigorous experimental procedures in the Carlson test, the predictions were falsified.^[51] The Shawn Carlson's double-blind chart matching tests, in which 28 astrologers agreed to match over 100 natal charts to psychological profiles generated by the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) test, is one of the most renowned tests of astrology.^[76] The experimental protocol used in Carlson's study was agreed to by a group of physicists and astrologers prior to the actual experiment itself.^[51] Astrologers, nominated by the National Council for Geocosmic Research, acted as the astrological advisors, and helped to ensure that the test was fair. They also choose 26 of the 28 astrologers for the tests (the other 2 being interested astrologers) themselves.^[77]:420 The astrologers helped to draw up the central proposition of natal astrology to be tested.^[77]:419 Published in Nature in 1985, the study found that predictions based on natal astrology were no better than chance, and that the testing "clearly refutes the astrological hypothesis".^[77]

[edit] Gauquelin's research

Main article: Mars effect

The initial Mars effect finding, showing the relative frequency of the diurnal position of Mars in the birth charts (N = 570) of "eminent athletes" (red solid line) compared to the expected results [after Michel Gauquelin 1955]^[78]

In 1955, Michel Gauquelin stated that although he had failed to find evidence to support such indicators as the zodiacal signs and planetary aspects in astrology, he had found positive correlations between the diurnal positions of some of the planets and success in professions (such as doctors, scientists, athletes, actors, writers, painters, etc.) which astrology traditionally associates with those planets.^[78] The best-known of Gauquelin's findings is based on the positions of Mars in the natal charts of successful athletes and became known as the "Mars effect".^[79] A study conducted by seven French scientists attempted to replicate the claim, but found no statistical evidence, and attributed the effect to selective bias on Gauquelin's part, accusing him of attempting to persuade them to add or delete names from their study.^[80]

[edit] Theological criticisms

See also: Christianity and astrology, Jewish views on astrology, and Muslim views on astrology

Some of the practices of astrology were contested on theological grounds by medieval Muslim astronomers such as Al-Farabi (Alpharabius), Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen) and Avicenna. They said that the methods of astrologers conflicted with orthodox religious views of Islamic scholars through the suggestion that the Will of God can be known and predicted in advance.^[81]
For example, Avicenna’s 'Refutation against astrology' Risāla fī ibṭāl aḥkām al-nojūm, argues against the practice of astrology while supporting the principle of planets acting as the agents of divine causation which express God's absolute power over creation. Avicenna considered that the movement of the planets influenced life on earth in a deterministic way, but argued against the capability of determining the exact influence of the stars.^[82] In essence, Avicenna did not refute the essential dogma of astrology, but denied our ability to understand it to the extent that precise and fatalistic predictions could be made from it.^[83]
Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya (1292–1350), in his Miftah Dar al-SaCadah, also used physical arguments in astronomy to question the practice of judicial astrology.^[84] He recognized that the stars are much larger than the planets, and argued:^[85]

"And if you astrologers answer that it is precisely because of this distance and smallness that their influences are negligible, then why is it that you claim a great influence for the smallest heavenly body, Mercury? Why is it that you have given an influence to al-Ra's and al-Dhanab, which are two imaginary points [ascending and descending nodes]?"

—Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Belief in astrology is incompatible with Catholic beliefs^[86] such as free will.^[87] According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.^[88]

—Catechism of the Catholic Church

St. Augustine believed that astrology conflicted with church doctrine, but he grounded his opposition with non-theological reasons such as the failure of astrology to explain twins who behave differently although are conceived at the same moment and born at approximately the same time.^[87]

[edit] See also

• List of astrological traditions, types, and systems

[edit] Notes

1. ^ The level of confidence was self rated by the astrologers themselves.
2. ^ Also discussed in Martens, Ronny; Trachet, Tim (1998). Making sense of astrology. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books. ISBN 1573922188.
3. ^ Jung made the claims, despite being aware that there was no statistical significance in the results. Looking for coincidences post hoc is of very dubious value, see Misuse_of_statistics#Data_dredging.^[74]

[edit] References

1. ^ Koch-Westenholz, Ulla (1995). Mesopotamian astrology : an introduction to Babylonian and Assyrian celestial divination. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press. pp. Foreword,11. ISBN 978-87-7289-287-0.
2. ^ Kassell, Lauren (5 May 2010). "Stars, spirits, signs: towards a history of astrology 1100–1800". Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 41 (2): 67–69. doi:10.1016/j.shpsc.2010.04.001.
3. ^ Vishveshwara, edited by S.K. Biswas, D.C.V. Mallik, C.V. (1989). Cosmic perspectives : essays dedicated to the memory of M.K.V. Bappu (1. publ. ed.). Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521343542.
4. ^ Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association, vol. 1. Dordrecht u.a.: Reidel u.a.. 1978. ISBN 978-0-917586-05-7. http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/bnccde/PH29A/thagard.html.
   • "Chapter 7: Science and Technology: Public Attitudes and Understanding". science and engineering indicators 2006. National Science Foundation. http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind06/c7/c7s2.htm#c7s2l3. Retrieved 28 July 2012. "About three-fourths of Americans hold at least one pseudoscientific belief; i.e., they believed in at least 1 of the 10 survey items[29]" ..." Those 10 items were extrasensory perception (ESP), that houses can be haunted, ghosts/that spirits of dead people can come back in certain places/situations, telepathy/communication between minds without using traditional senses, clairvoyance/the power of the mind to know the past and predict the future, astrology/that the position of the stars and planets can affect people's lives, that people can communicate mentally with someone who has died, witches, reincarnation/the rebirth of the soul in a new body after death, and channeling/allowing a "spirit-being" to temporarily assume control of a body."
5. ^ Harper, Douglas. "astrology". Online Etymology Dictionary. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=astrology. Retrieved 2011-12-06. "Differentiation between astrology and astronomy began late 1400s and by 17c. this word was limited to "reading influences of the stars and their effects on human destiny.""
6. ^ "astrology, n.". Oxford English Dictionary (Second ed.). Oxford University Press. 1989; online version September 2011. http://www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/12267. "In Old French and Middle English astronomie seems to be the earlier and general word, astrologie having been subseq. introduced for the ‘art’ or practical application of astronomy to mundane affairs, and thus gradually limited by 17th cent. to the reputed influences of the stars, unknown to science. Not in Shakespeare."
7. ^ The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica,' v.5, 1974, p. 916
8. ^ Dietrich, Thomas: 'The Origin of Culture and Civilization, Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists, 2005, p. 305
9. ^ Dictionary of the history of ideas. New York: Scribner. 1974. ISBN 0-684-13293-1. http://xtf.lib.virginia.edu/xtf/view?docId=DicHist/uvaBook/tei/DicHist1.xml;brand=default;.
10. ^ James R. Lewis, 2003. The Astrology Book: the Encyclopedia of Heavenly Influences. Visible Ink Press. Online at Google Books.
11. ^ Hone, Margaret (1978). The Modern Text-Book of Astrology. Romford, U.K.: L. N. Fowler & Co. Ltd.. pp. 21-89. ISBN 0852433573.
12. ^ Riske, Kris (2007). Llewellyn's Complete Book of Astrology. Minnesota, USA: Llewellyn Publications. pp. 5-6; 27. ISBN 978-0-7387-1071-6.
13. ^ Luhrmann, Tanya (1991). Persuasions of the witch's craft: ritual magic in contemporary England. Harvard University Press. pp. 147–151. ISBN 0-674-66324-1.
14. ^ Pingree, David (18). "Indian Astronomy". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. American Philosophical Society 122 (6): 361-364. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/986451. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
15. ^ ^{a b} Pingree, David (June 1963). "Astronomy and Astrology in India and Iran". Isis. The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science Society 54 (2): 229-246. http://www.jstor.org/stable/228540.
16. ^ ^{a b} Braha, James (1995). How to predict your future : secrets of eastern & western astrology^{[unreliable source?]}. Hollywood, FL: Hermetician Press. ISBN 9780935895070.
17. ^ ^{a b} The Chinese sky during the Han : constellating stars and society. Leiden: Brill. 1997. ISBN 978-90-04-10737-3.
18. ^ F. Richard Stephenson, "Chinese Roots of Modern Astronomy", New Scientist, 26 June 1980. See also 二十八宿的形成与演变
19. ^ Theodora Lau, The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes, pp2-8, 30–5, 60–4, 88–94, 118–24, 148–53, 178–84, 208–13, 238–44, 270–78, 306–12, 338–44, Souvenir Press, New York, 2005
20. ^ Selin, Helaine, ed. (1997). "Astrology in China". Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Springer. http://books.google.bg/books?id=raKRY3KQspsC&pg=PA76&dq=astrology+in+China+Springer&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7NILUNvWDeeq0AWD1djHCg&sqi=2&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
21. ^ "การเปลี่ยนวันใหม่ การนับวัน ทางโหราศาสตร์ไทย การเปลี่ยนปีนักษัตร โหราศาสตร์ ดูดวง ทำนายทายทัก". http://www.myhora.com/%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%99%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%8C/%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%87%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%8C-004.aspx.
22. ^ Campion, Nicholas (2009). History of western astrology. Volume II, The medieval and modern worlds. (1. publ. ed.). London [u.a.]: Continuum.. ISBN 978-1-4411-8129-9.
23. ^ Marshack, Alexander (1991). The roots of civilization : the cognitive beginnings of man's first art, symbol and notation (Rev. and expanded. ed.). Mount Kisco, N.Y.: Moyer Bell. ISBN 978-1-55921-041-6.
24. ^ Evelyn-White, Hesiod ; with an English translation by Hugh G. (1977). The Homeric hymns and Homerica (Reprinted. ed.). Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. pp. 663-677. ISBN 978-0-674-99063-0. ""Fifty days after the solstice, when the season of wearisome heat is come to an end, is the right time to go sailing. Then you will not wreck your ship, nor will the sea destroy the sailors, unless Poseidon the Earth-Shaker be set upon it, or Zeus, the king of the deathless gods""
25. ^ Aveni, David H. Kelley, Eugene F. Milone ; foreword by Anthony F. (2005). Exploring ancient skies an encyclopedic survey of archaeoastronomy (Online-Ausg. ed.). New York: Springer. p. 268. ISBN 978-0-387-95310-6.
26. ^ Two texts which refer to the 'omens of Sargon' are reported in E. F. Weidner, ‘Historiches Material in der Babyonischen Omina-Literatur’ Altorientalische Studien, ed. Bruno Meissner, (Leipzig, 1928-9), v. 231 and 236.
27. ^ From scroll A of the ruler Gudea of Lagash, I 17 – VI 13. O. Kaiser, Texte aus der Umwelt des Alten Testaments, Bd. 2, 1–3. Gütersloh, 1986–1991. Also quoted in A. Falkenstein, ‘Wahrsagung in der sumerischen Überlieferung’, La divination en Mésopotamie ancienne et dans les régions voisines. Paris, 1966.
28. ^ Bīrūnī, Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad (1879.). "VIII". The chronology of ancient nations. London, Pub. for the Oriental translations fund of Great Britain & Ireland by W. H. Allen and co.. LCCN 01006783.
29. ^ ^{a b c} Campion, Nicholas (2009). History of western astrology. Volume II, The medieval and modern worlds. (1. publ. ed.). London [u.a.]: Continuum.. ISBN 9781441181299. "“At the same time, in Switzerland, the psychologist Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961) was developing sophisticated theories concerning astrology...”"
30. ^ selected, C.G. Jung ;; Hull, edited by Gerhard Adler, in collaboration with Aniela Jaffé ; translations from the German by R.F.C. (19uu). C.G. Jung Letters : 1906-1950.. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-09895-1. "Letter from Jung to Freud, 12 June 1911 “I made horoscopic calculations in order to find a clue to the core of psychological truth.”"
31. ^ Gieser, Suzanne. The Innermost Kernel, Depth Psychology and Quantum Physics. Wolfgang Pauli’s Dialogue with C.G.Jung, (Springer, Berlin, 2005) p. 21 ISBN 3-540-20856-9
32. ^ Campion, Nicholas. "Prophecy, Cosmology and the New Age Movement. The Extent and Nature of Contemporary Belief in Astrology."( Bath Spa University College, 2003) via Campion, Nicholas, History of Western Astrology, (Continuum Books, London & New York, 2009) pp. 248, 256, ISBN 978-1-84725-224-1
33. ^ Harding, M & Harvey, C, Working with Astrology, The Psychology of Midpoints, Harmonics and Astro*Carto*Graphy, (Penguin Arkana 1990) (3rd edition pp. 8–13) ISBN 1-873948-03-4
34. ^ Davis, Martin, From Here to There, An Astrologer’s Guide to Astromapping, (Wessex Astrologer, England, 2008) Ch1. History, p. 2, ISBN 978-1-902405-27-8
35. ^ Lewis, Jim & Irving, Ken, The Psychology of Astro*Carto*Graphy, (Penguin Arkana 1997) ISBN 1-357-91864-2
36. ^ "The Strange Story Of Britain's "State Seer"". The Sydney Morning Herald. August 30, 1952. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JrdVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5bADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6779,6948658&dq=hitler-astrologer&hl=en. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
37. ^ "Star turn: astrologer who became SOE's secret weapon against Hitler". The Guardian. March 4, 2008. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/mar/04/nationalarchives.secondworldwar. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
38. ^ Regan, Donald T. (1988). For the record : from Wall Street to Washington (1st ed. ed.). San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 0-15-163966-3.
    • Quigley, Joan (1990). What does Joan say? : my seven years as White House astrologer to Nancy and Ronald Reagan. Secaucus, NJ: Birch Lane Press. ISBN 1-55972-032-8.
    • "The Reagan Chart Watch; Astrologer Joan Quigley, Eye on the Cosmos". The Washington Post (The Washington Post). http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/73606295.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=May+11%2C+1988&author=Cynthia+Gorney&pub=The+Washington+Post+%28pre-1997+Fulltext%29&edition=&startpage=c.01&desc=The+Reagan+Chart+Watch%3B+Astrologer+Joan+Quigley%2C+Eye+on+the+Cosmos. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
39. ^ Kaufman, Michael T. (23 December 1998). "BV Raman Dies". New York Times, 23 December 1998. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/23/world/bangalore-venkata-raman-indian-astrologer-dies-at-86.html. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
40. ^ Dipankar Das, May 1996. "Fame and Fortune". http://www.lifepositive.com/mind/predictive-sciences/astrology.asp. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
41. ^ "Soothsayers offer heavenly help". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/428081.stm. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
42. ^ "In countries such as India, where only a small intellectual elite has been trained in Western physics, astrology manages to retain here and there its position among the sciences." David Pingree and Robert Gilbert, "Astrology; Astrology In India; Astrology in modern times". Encyclopædia Britannica, 2008
43. ^ Mohan Rao, Female foeticide: where do we go? Indian Journal of Medical Ethics Oct-Dec2001-9(4)[1]
44. ^ "Indian Astrology vs Indian Science". BBC. 31 May 2001. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/sci_tech/highlights/010531_vedic.shtml.
45. ^ "Guidelines for Setting up Departments of Vedic Astrology in Universities Under the Purview of University Grants Commission". Government of India, Department of Education. Archived from the original on 2011-05-12. http://web.archive.org/web/20110512154221/http://www.education.nic.in/circulars/astrologycurriculum.htm. Retrieved 26 March 2011. "There is an urgent need to rejuvenate the science of Vedic Astrology in India, to allow this scientific knowledge to reach to the society at large and to provide opportunities to get this important science even exported to the world,"
46. ^ 'Astrology is a science: Bombay HC', The Times of India, 3 February 2011
47. ^ "Japanese childrearing: two generations of scholarship". 1996. http://books.google.com/books?id=1bTGN21ev2MC&pg=PA22&dq=hinoeuma&hl=en&sa=X&ei=66cLUMDsPMuxrAfBso3ICA&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAQ. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
48. ^ "The Political Economy of Japan: Cultural and social dynamics". 1992. http://books.google.com/books?id=uAOrAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA22&dq=hinoeuma&hl=en&sa=X&ei=66cLUMDsPMuxrAfBso3ICA&ved=0CD0Q6AEwAw. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
49. ^ "Science and Pseudo-Science". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pseudo-science/. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
    • "Astronomical Pseudo-Science: A Skeptic's Resource List". Astronomical Society of the Pacific. http://www.astrosociety.org/education/resources/pseudobib.html.
50. ^ Hartmann, P; Reuter M, Nyborga H (May 2006). "The relationship between date of birth and individual differences in personality and general intelligence: A large-scale study". Personality and Individual Differences 40 (7): 1349–1362. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2005.11.017. "To optimise the chances of finding even remote relationships between date of birth and individual differences in personality and intelligence we further applied two different strategies. The first one was based on the common chronological concept of time (e.g. month of birth and season of birth). The second strategy was based on the (pseudo-scientific) concept of astrology (e.g. Sun Signs, The Elements, and astrological gender), as discussed in the book ‘‘Astrology: Science or superstition?’’ by Eysenck and Nias (1982)."
51. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Zarka, Philippe (2011). "Astronomy and astrology". Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union 5 (S260): 420–425. doi:10.1017/S1743921311002602.
52. ^ ^{a b c d e f} The cosmic perspective (4th ed. ed.). San Francisco, Calif.: Pearson/Addison-Wesley. 2007. pp. 82–84. ISBN 0805392831.
53. ^ ^{a b c} "Objections to Astrology: A Statement by 186 Leading Scientists". The Humanist, September/October 1975. Archived from the original on 18 March 2009. http://web.archive.org/web/20090318140638/http://www.americanhumanist.org/about/astrology.html.
54. ^ "Ariz. Astrology School Accredited". The Washington Post. 27 August 2001. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/20010827/aponline135357_000.htm.
55. ^ Matthews, Robert (17 Aug 2003). "Astrologers fail to predict proof they are wrong". The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1439101/Astrologers-fail-to-predict-proof-they-are-wrong.html. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
56. ^ ^{a b c d} Dean G, Kelly I.W. (2003). "Is Astrology Relevant to Consciousness and Psi?". Journal of Consciousness Studies 10 (6-7): 175-198.
57. ^ Stephen Thornton, Edward N. Zalta (older edition). "Karl Popper". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/popper/.
58. ^ ^{a b} Popper, Karl (2004). Conjectures and refutations : the growth of scientific knowledge (Reprinted. ed.). London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-28594-1.
    • The relevant piece is also published in, Schick Jr, Theodore, (2000). Readings in the philosophy of science : from positivism to postmodernism. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Pub. pp. 33-39. ISBN 0767402774.
59. ^ Theodor W. Adorno (Spring 1974). "The Stars Down to Earth: The Los Angeles Times Astrology Column". Telos 1974 (19): 13-90. doi:10.3817/0374019013. http://journal.telospress.com/content/1974/19/13.short.
60. ^ Eysenck, H.J.; Nias, D.K.B. (1984). Astrology : science or superstition?. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-022397-5.
61. ^ Forer, Bertram R. (1 January 1949). "The fallacy of personal validation: a classroom demonstration of gullibility.". The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 44 (1): 118–123. doi:10.1037/h0059240.
62. ^ Paul, Annie Murphy (2005). The cult of personality testing : how personality tests are leading us to miseducate our children, mismanage our companies, and misunderstand ourselves. (1st pbk. ed. ed.). New York, N.Y.: Free Press. ISBN 0743280725.
63. ^ ^{a b c} Rogers, P.; Soule, J. (5 March 2009). "Cross-Cultural Differences in the Acceptance of Barnum Profiles Supposedly Derived From Western Versus Chinese Astrology". Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 40 (3): 381–399. doi:10.1177/0022022109332843.
64. ^ Wunder, Edgar (1 December 2003). "Self-attribution, sun-sign traits, and the alleged role of favourableness as a moderator variable: long-term effect or artefact?". Personality and Individual Differences 35 (8): 1783–1789. doi:10.1016/S0191-8869(03)00002-3. "The effect was replicated several times (Eysenck & Nias 1981,1982; Fichten & Sunerton, 1983; Jackson, 1979; Kelly, 1982; Smithers & Cooper, 1978), even if no reference to astrology was made until the debriefing of the subjects (Hamilton, 1995; Van Rooij, 1994, 1999), or if the data were gathered originally for a purpose which has nothing to do with astrology at all (Clarke, Gabriels, & Barnes, 1996; Van Rooij, Brak, & Commandeur, 1988), but the effect is stronger when a cue is given to the subjects that the study is about astrology (Van Rooij 1994). Early evidence for sun-sign derived self-attribution effects has already been reported by Silverman (1971) and Delaney & Woodyard (1974). In studies with subjects unfamiliar with the meaning of the astrological sun-sign symbolism, no effect was observed (Fourie, 1984; Jackson & Fiebert, 1980; Kanekar & Mukherjee, 1972; Mohan, Bhandari, & Meena, 1982; Mohan and Gulati, 1986; Saklofske, Kelly, & McKerracher, 1982; Silverman & Whitmer, 1974; Veno & Pamment, 1979)."
65. ^ Giomataris, Ioannis. "Nature Obituary Georges Charpak (1924–2010)". Nature. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v467/n7319/full/4671048a.html. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
66. ^ ^{a b c} Charpak, Georges; Holland, Henri Broch ; translated by Bart K. (2004). Debunked! : ESP, telekinesis, and other pseudoscience. Baltimore [u.a.9: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press. p. 6,7. ISBN 0801878675. http://books.google.ie/books?id=DpnWcMzeh8oC&q=astrology#v=onepage&q&f=false.
67. ^ "British Physicist Debunks Astrology in Indian Lecture". Associated Press. http://www.beliefnet.com/story/63/story_6346_1.html.
68. ^ Bok, Bart J.; Lawrence E. Jerome, Paul Kurtz (1982). "Objections to Astrology: A Statement by 186 Leading Scientists". In Patrick Grim. Philosophy of Science and the Occult. Albany: State University of New York Press. pp. 14–18. ISBN 0-87395-572-2.
69. ^ The Humanist, volume 36, no.5 (1976).
70. ^ ^{a b c} Chris, French. "Astrologers and other inhabitants of parallel universes". 7 February 2012. The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/feb/07/astrologers-parallel-universes. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
71. ^ ^{a b} Randi, James. "UK MEDIA NONSENSE — AGAIN". 21 May 2004. Swift, Online newspaper of the JREF. http://www.randi.org/jr/052104uk.html. Retrieved 8 July 2012. ^{[dead link]}
72. ^ M. Harding. "Prejudice in Astrological Research". Correlation, Vol 19(1). http://www.astrozero.co.uk/astroscience/harding.htm.
73. ^ Curry, Geoffrey Cornelius ; foreword by Patrick (2003). The moment of astrology : origins in divination (Rev. and expanded 2nd ed. ed.). Bournemouth: Wessex Astrologer. ISBN 1-902405-11-0. ""despite all appearances of objectivity and natural law. It is divination despite the fact that aspects of symbolism can be approached through scientific method, and despite the possibility that some factors in horoscopy can arguably be validated by the appeal to science.""
74. ^ ^{a b} editor, Michael Shermer, (2002). The Skeptic encyclopedia of pseudoscience.. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. p. 241. ISBN 1576076539.
75. ^ Samuels, Andrew (1990). Jung and the post-Jungians. London: Tavistock/Routledge. p. 80. ISBN 0203359291.
76. ^ Muller, Richard (2010). "Web site of Richard A. Muller, Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of California at Berkeley,". http://muller.lbl.gov/homepage.html. Retrieved 2011-08-02. My former student Shawn Carlson published in Nature magazine the definitive scientific test of Astrology.
    Maddox, Sir John (1995). "John Maddox, editor of the science journal Nature, commenting on Carlson's test". http://www.randi.org/encyclopedia/astrology.html. Retrieved 2011-08-02. " ... a perfectly convincing and lasting demonstration."
77. ^ ^{a b c} Carlson, Shawn (1985). "A double-blind test of astrology". Nature 318 (6045): 419–425. Bibcode 1985Natur.318..419C. doi:10.1038/318419a0. http://muller.lbl.gov/papers/Astrology-Carlson.pdf.
78. ^ ^{a b} Gauquelin, Michel (1955). L'influence des astres : étude critique et expérimentale. Paris: Éditions du Dauphin.
79. ^ Gauquelin, Michel (Fall 1988). "Is There Really a Mars Effect?". Above & Below Journal of Astrological Studies (11): 4–7. http://www.theoryofastrology.com/gauquelin/mars_effect.htm.
80. ^ Benski, Claude, et al., The "Mars Effect" (Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1996).
81. ^ Saliba, George (1994b). A History of Arabic Astronomy: Planetary Theories During the Golden Age of Islam. New York University Press. pp. 60 & 67–69. ISBN 0-8147-8023-7.
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83. ^ George Saliba, Avicenna: 'viii. Mathematics and Physical Sciences'. Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition, 2011, available at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/avicenna-viii
84. ^ Livingston, John W. (1971). "Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah: A Fourteenth Century Defense against Astrological Divination and Alchemical Transmutation". Journal of the American Oriental Society 91 (1): 96–103. doi:10.2307/600445. JSTOR 600445.
85. ^ Livingston, John W. (1971). "Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah: A Fourteenth Century Defense against Astrological Divination and Alchemical Transmutation". Journal of the American Oriental Society 91 (1): 96–103 [99]. doi:10.2307/600445. JSTOR 600445.
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• Astrology at the Open Directory Project
• Digital International Astrology Library at C.U.R.A. (Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Astrologie) International Astrology Research Center; (Retrieved 15 November 2011).

[show] v t e Astrology History of astrology History of astrology Astrology and astronomy History of astronomy Musica universalis Tetrabiblos Astrologers Astrologers by nationality List of astrologers Traditions, types, branches and systems Astrology by tradition Babylonian astrology Burmese astrology Celtic astrology Chinese astrology Christian astrology Magi Egyptian astrology German astrology Cosmobiology Hamburg School of Astrology Huber School of Astrology Rosicrucianism Uranian astrology Hellenistic astrology Hindu astrology Nadi astrology Jewish astrology Hebrew astrology Kabbalistic astrology Mesoamerican astrology Aztec astrology Mayan astrology Persian and Arab astrology Islamic astrology Astrology in Sri Lanka Tibetan astrology Vietnamese astrology Western astrology Astrology by type Agricultural astrology Electional astrology Esoteric astrology Alchemy and astrology Chiromancy and astrology Geomancy and astrology Numerology and astrology Physiognomy and astrology Tarot divination and astrology Evolutionary astrology Financial astrology Heliocentric astrology Horary astrology Horoscopic astrology Judicial astrology Katarchic astrology Locational astrology Astrocartography Medical astrology Meteorological astrology Mundane astrology Political astrology Natal astrology Natal chart Psychological astrology Sidereal astrology Sun sign astrology Tropical astrology Miscellaneous astrological topics Archaeoastronomy Astrological Ages Astrological aspects Astrological signs Astrological symbols Astrological texts Astrology and the classical elements Chronobiology Cultural influence of astrology Ephemeris Planets in astrology Technical factors of astrology Zodiac See also Astrology Portal

[show] v t e Pseudoscience Terminology Cargo cult science Charlatan Crank Fringe science Junk science Paranormal Pathological science Quackery Snake oil Superseded scientific theories True-believer syndrome Examples AIDS denialism Astrology Body memory Bogdanov Affair Creation Science Dianetics Faith healing Homeopathy Intelligent design Japhetic theory Lunar effect Lysenkoism Melanin theory Moon landing conspiracy theories Nibiru cataclysm Perpetual motion Polygraph Ufology Resources Committee for Skeptical Inquiry Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience James Randi Educational Foundation The Ragged Edge of Science The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience Snopes.com List of topics characterized as pseudoscience

[hide] v t e Constellation history [show] v t e The 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy after 150 AD Andromeda Aquarius Aquila Ara Argo Navis Aries Auriga Boötes Cancer Canis Major Canis Minor Capricornus Cassiopeia Centaurus Cepheus Cetus Corona Australis Corona Borealis Corvus Crater Cygnus Delphinus Draco Equuleus Eridanus Gemini Hercules Hydra Leo Lepus Libra Lupus Lyra Ophiuchus Orion Pegasus Perseus Pisces Piscis Austrinus Sagitta Sagittarius Scorpius Serpens Taurus Triangulum Ursa Major Ursa Minor Virgo [show] v t e The 41 additional constellations added in the 16th–17th c. Vespucci or Corsalius early 16c: Crux Triangulum Australe Vopel 1536: Coma Berenices Keyser & de Houtman 1596: Apus Chamaeleon Dorado Grus Hydrus Indus Musca Pavo Phoenix Tucana Volans Plancius 1613: Camelopardalis Columba Monoceros Habrecht 1621: Reticulum Hevelius 1683: Canes Venatici Lacerta Leo Minor Lynx Scutum Sextans Vulpecula de Lacaille 1763: Antlia Caelum Carina Circinus Fornax Horologium Mensa Microscopium Norma Octans Pictor Puppis Pyxis Sculptor Telescopium Vela [show] v t e Obsolete constellations including Ptolemy's Argo Navis Anser Antinous Argo Navis Asterion Cancer Minor Cerberus Chara Custos Messium Felis Frederici Honores/Gloria Frederici Gallus Globus Aerostaticus Jordanus Lochium Funis Machina Electrica Malus Mons Maenalus Musca Borealis Noctua Officina Typographica Polophylax Psalterium Georgianum/Harpa Georgii Quadrans Muralis Ramus Pomifer Robur Carolinum Sceptrum Brandenburgicum Sceptrum et Manus Iustitiae Solarium Rangifer/Tarandus Taurus Poniatovii Telescopium Herschelii Testudo Tigris Triangulum Minus Turdus Solitarius Vespa Vultur cadens Vultur volans obsolete constellation names Apis Phoenicopterus Serpentarius Xiphias

[show] v t e Methods of divination Theriomancy Ailuromancy Alectryomancy Augury Myomancy Myrmomancy Ornithomancy Bibliomancy I Ching Scrying Crystal gazing Oculomancy Catoptromancy Hydromancy Cleromancy Astragalomancy Favomancy Ifá Merindinlogun Runic magic Necromancy Nigromancy Somatomancy Cephalomancy Chiromancy Podomancy Rumpology [show] Other methods A Abacomancy Acultomancy Aeromancy Agalmatomancy Aichmomancy Aleuromancy Alomancy Alphitomancy Alveromancy Amathomancy Ambulomancy Amniomancy Anthomancy Anthropomancy Anthracomancy Apantomancy Anthroposcopy Anthracomancy Apantomancy Arachnomancy Archeomancy Arithmancy Ariolation Armomancy Aspidomancy Astragalomancy Astrapomancy Astrology Astromancy Auramancy Axinomancy B – D Belomancy Bletonomancy Brontomancy Bumpology Capnomancy Carromancy Cartomancy Catoptromancy Cattabomancy Chalcomancy Choriomancy Chresmomancy Chronomancy Cineromancy Clamancy Cledonism Cleidomancy Colormancy Conchomancy Coscinomancy Crithomancy Cromniomancy Cryptomancy Cybermancy Cyclomancy Dactyliomancy Dactylomancy Dōbutsu uranai Dowsing Dream question E – N Enochian chess Eromancy Extispicy Fal-Gûsh Geomancy Geloscopy Gematria Graphology Gyromancy Haruspex Horoscope Ichnomancy Isopsephy Jiaobei Kabbalah Lampadomancy Lecanomancy Libanomancy Literomancy Lithomancy Macharomancy Margaritomancy Megapolisomancy Metoposcopy Moleosophy Molybdomancy Numerology O – Z Onomancy Oinomancy Omphalomancy Oneiromancy Onomancy Onychomancy Oomancy Ouija Phrenology Physiognomy Plastromancy Psychic reading Psychognomy Pyromancy Qiu qian Rhabdomancy Rhapsodomancy Scapulimancy Slinneanachd Sortes Spodomancy Sternomancy Tarot reading Tasseography Uromancy

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[show] v t e Philosop