An illuminating look at the surprising history and science of astrology, civilization’s first system of algorithms, from Babylon to the present day. Humans are pattern-matching creatures, and astrology is the universe’s grandest pattern-matching game. In this refreshing work of history and analysis, data scientist Alexander Boxer examines classical texts on astrology to expose its underlying scientific and mathematical framework. Astrology, he argues, was the ancient world’s most ambitious applied mathematics problem, a monumental data-analysis enterprise sustained by some of history’s most brilliant minds, from Ptolemy to al-Kindi to Kepler. Thousands of years ago, astrologers became the first to stumble upon the powerful storytelling possibilities inherent in numerical data. To correlate the configurations of the cosmos with our day-to-day lives, astrologers relied upon a “scheme of heaven,” or horoscope, showing the precise configuration of the planets at a particular instant in time as viewed from a particular place on Earth. Although recognized as pseudoscience today, horoscopes were once considered a cutting-edge scientific tool. Boxer teaches us how to read these esoteric charts—and appreciate the complex astronomical calculations needed to generate them—by diagramming how the heavens appeared at important moments in astrology’s history, from the assassination of Julius Caesar as viewed from Rome to the Apollo 11 lunar landing as seen from the surface of the Moon. He then puts these horoscopes to the test using modern data sets and statistical science, arguing that today’s data scientists do work similar to astrologers of yore. By looking back at the algorithms of ancient astrology, he suggests, we can better recognize the patterns that are timeless characteristics of our own pattern-matching tendencies. At once critical, rigorous, and far ranging, A Scheme of Heaven recontextualizes astrology as a vast, technological project—spanning continents and centuries—that foreshadowed our data-driven world today.

The actual beginnings of astrology are unknown and unknowable. The science emerges already highly refined from the utter obscurity of the pre-historic world. The ends of astrology are also unknown. There is already evidence that the perfection of this science will elevate man to an intellectual and social condition far beyond the limitations of our present consciousness. -from "Astrology's Place in the Modern World" In this concise book, one of the preeminent metaphysicists of the 20th century gives us an extraordinarily informative and entertaining survey of the astrological disciplines and beliefs of the ancient Chinese, Tibetans, HIndus, Greeks, Romans, Aztecs, and Arabians. Then, his discussions of astrology as science, religion, and philosophy bring this paranormal system into the contemporary world, and he explains how, in his estimation, that the heavenly bodies, acting as the "foci of intellectual energy," dramatically sway the course of civilization itself. A classic of supernatural spirituality is a must-read for those fascinated by the influence of paranormal belief in the 20th century. American mystic MANLY PALMER HALL (1901-1990) founded the Philosophical Research Society in 1934. He is also the author of The Lost Keys of Freemasonry, The Ways of the Lonely Ones, and The Secret Teachings of All Ages.

Superb general account.' Times Literary Supplement The story of the history of Western astrology begins with the philosophers of Greece in the 5th century BC. To the magic and stargazing of Egypt the Greeks added numerology, geometryand rational thought. The philosophy of Plato and later of the Stoics made astrology respectable, and by the time Ptolemy wrote his textbook the Tetrabiblos, in the second century AD, the main lines of astrological practice as it is known today had already been laid down. In future centuries astrology shifted to Islam only to return to the West in medieval times where it flourished until the shift of ideas during the Renaissance.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From beloved astrologer Chani Nicholas comes an essential guide for radical self-acceptance. Your weekly horoscope is merely one crumb of astrology's cake. In her first book You Were Born For This, Chani shows how your birth chart--a snapshot of the sky at the moment you took your first breath--reveals your unique talents, challenges, and opportunities. Fortified with this knowledge, you can live out the life you were born to. Marrying the historic traditions of astrology with a modern approach, You Were Born for This explains the key components of your birth chart in an easy to use, choose your own adventure style. With journal prompts, reflection questions, and affirmations personal to your astrological makeup, this book guides you along the path your chart has laid out for you. Chani makes the wisdom of your birth chart accessible with three foundational keys: The First Key: Your Sun (Your Life's Purpose) The Second Key: Your Moon (Your Physical and Emotional Needs) The Third Key: Your Ascendant and Its Ruler (Your Motivation for Life and the Steersperson of Your Ship) Astrology is not therapy, but it is therapeutic. In a world in which we are taught to look outside of ourselves for validation, You Were Born for This brings us inward to commit to ourselves and our life's purpose. --Los Angeles Magazine

Enhance your storytelling with the cosmic drama of the stars The nighttime sky has inspired writers and astrologers alike to spin stories on the strands of starlight. Discover that inspiration for your own creative writing in Astrology for Writers, the essential guide to understanding the core concepts of astrology--the planets, signs, and houses--and discovering how they correspond to the elements of fiction. Unleash your creativity with a wide range of ideas that help you add astrology to your writing practice. Learn how to use the planets for characters, the signs of the zodiac for plot and themes, and the houses of the horoscope for settings. Develop unique characters based on mythic archetypes, use astrological imagery and symbolism for your descriptions and dialogue, and put theory into practice with writing prompts and examples. Invite the gods and goddesses of astrology to enter your writing and share their stories through you.

The zodiac was first clearly defined by the Babylonians some 2500 years ago, but until recently the basis of this original definition remained unknown. This zodiac of the Babylonians, known as the sidereal zodiac because it is specified in direct relation to the stars (Latin sideris, 'starry'), was used for centuries throughout the ancient world, all the way to India, and must be distinguished from the tropical zodiac in widespread use by astrologers in the West today, which was introduced only in the middle of the second century A.D. by the Greek astronomer Claudius Ptolemy. Such was Ptolemy's influence, however, that the tropical zodiac gained prominence and, except for its survival (in a variant form) in India, knowledge of the sidereal zodiac was lost. In this thrilling study of the history of the zodiac, first submitted in 2004 as his Ph.D. thesis, Robert Powell rescues the the sidereal zodiac from the dusts of time, tracing it back to the Babylonians in the sixth/fifth centuries B.C. The implications of this discovery-among them the restitution of the sideral zodiac to its rightful place at the heart of astrology-are immense, they key point being that the signs of the sidereal zodiac, each thirty degrees long, coincide closely with the twelve astronomical constellations of the same name, whereas the signs of the tropical zodiac, since they are defined in relation to the vernal point, now have no direct relationship to the corresponding zodiacal constellations, owing to the precession of the equinoxes.This revolutionary history of the zodiac includes chapters on the Egyptian decans and the Hindu nakshatras, showing how these sidereal divisions, which originated in Egypt and India, are related to the original Babylonian zodiac. It also sheds light on the controversy surrounding the 'zodiac question' (tropical vs. sidereal), illuminating the history of the tropical zodiac-showing that originally it was not a zodiac at all, but a calendar for describing the course of the seasons! This book, the fruit of thirty years of research, is intended not only for scholars but for general readers as well, and offers the clearest and most comprehensive study of the history of the zodiac yet published.

1907 the Bible Founded on Astrology. "The old testament and astrology or religion keeps pace with the sun through the great zodiac. the story of the Sun God and the story of the Son of God are one and the same. Man made in the image of his creator, th.

Learn a straightforward method for using astrological terms to interpret the correspondences of the planets, zodiac signs, cardinal axes, houses, and aspects. Astrology is the language of the cosmos. For anyone interested in “reading”—that is, interpreting—a birth chart, understanding the language is key. As in any language, there are rules and patterns to follow. Authors Hajo Banzhaf and Anna Haebler take the mystery and confusion out of astrological interpretation. The authors begin with a concise breakdown of the horoscope, presenting the reader with a solid but easy-to-grasp foundation on what reading a chart entails. They cleverly compare the horoscope to a play with the planets as actors, the signs as their roles, the houses as stages of life, and the aspects as how the players interact with one another. Keywords for Astrology is more than just a simple reference list of astrological terms. It explains all the essential configurations in a horoscope, offering a remarkably straightforward method for using keywords to interpret the correspondences of the planets, zodiac signs, cardinal axes, houses, and aspects. It weaves together the relationships between each of these elements and then expands on them by highlighting harmonious and discordant qualities. The interpretations readily apply to natal placement as well as transiting influence. This approach allows new perspectives and insights to emerge in your interpretations. Banzhaf and Haebler combine their vast knowledge with humor and compassion, making this book a pleasure to read, and a must-have reference for your astrological library. First published by Weiser Books in 1996, this new edition includes a foreword by Theresa Reed, author of Astrology for Real Life: A Workbook for Beginners.

Tapping into the political power of magic and astrology for social, community, and personal transformation. In a cross-cultural approach to understanding astrology as a magical language, Alice Sparkly Kat unmasks the political power of astrology, showing how it can be channeled as a force for collective healing and liberation. Too often, magic and astrology are divorced from their potency and cultural contexts: co-opted by neoliberalism, used as a force of oppression, or distilled beyond recognition into applications that belie their individual and collective power. By looking at the symbolic and etymological histories of the sun, moon, Saturn, Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter, we can trace and understand the politics of magic--and challenge our own practices, interrogate our truths, and reshape our institutions to build better frameworks for communities of care. Fearless, radical, and fresh, Sparkly Kat's Postcolonial Astrology ushers in a new wave of astrology revival, refusing to apologize for its magickism and connecting its power to the spirituality and politics we need now. Intersectional, inclusive, and geared towards queer and POC communities, it uses our historical and collective constructs of the planets, sun, and moon to re-chart our subconscious history, redefine the body in the world, and assert our politics of the personal, in astrology and all things.

OVER HALF A MILLION COPIES SOLD! This is the classic guide to astrological history, legend, and practice! Readers will enjoy simple, computer-accurate planetary tables that allow anyone born between 1900 and 2100 to pinpoint quickly their sun and moon signs, discover their ascendants, and map out the exact positions of the planets at the time of their birth. In addition to revealing the planets' influence on romance, health, and career, The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need takes a closer look at the inner life of each sign. Celebrated astrologer Joanna Martine Woolfolk offers abundant insights on the personal relationships and emotional needs that motivate an individual, on how others perceive astrological types, and on dealing with the negative aspects of signs. Readers will also welcome the inclusion of new discoveries in astronomy. Lavishly illustrated and with an updated design, this new edition is an indispensable sourcebook for unlocking the mysteries of the cosmos through the twenty-first century and beyond.