Astrology: why we still look to the stars
APPARENTLY 2017 will be my year – indeed, it is a good year for everyone born between November 22 and December 21 under the sign of Sagittarius – half man, half horse, all myth.
Modern astrology as we know it – in the form of a yearly, monthly or daily horoscope – is based on a celestial coordinate system known as the “zodiac”, Greek for the circle of life. And although astrology has been dated to the third millennium BC, it has been argued that it began as soon as humans made a conscious attempt to measure, record and predict seasonal changes.
But, unlike modern times where the idea of star signs and horoscopes is often scoffed at, until the 17th century astrology was seen as a scholarly tradition.
And it is credited with influencing the development of astronomy – because back then its concepts were used in alchemy, mathematics, meteorology and medicine. It was even accepted in political and cultural circles.But by the end of the 17th century, emerging scientific concepts in astronomy undermined the theoretical basis of astrology, which as a result fell out of favour.
Medieval astrologers – “mathematici” – wove stories in an attempt to say something true about the world, and much like modern mathematicians, made predictions they hoped could be verified.
One of the earliest Christian authors, Origen, hinted at the presence and desire for knowledge about the future, given by mathematici.
Astrologer-astronomer Richard of Wallingford is shown measuring an equatorium with a pair of compasses in this 14th-century work.
He complained about the situation of the Old Testament Israelites forbidden from “heathen” divination techniques, including “astrology”,
and argued that in the Israelites’ desperation to know more about their future they turned to their prophets and the stories they told.
Several centuries after Origen’s death, bishops at the Christian council of Braga in 561 condemned these mathematici and their stories because of their assumption that the future could be told by looking at the stars – which raised questions about free will.
Throughout history, astrology and the stories told by mathematici were repeatedly condemned.
Part of the problem was that the stories astrologers and their
horoscopes elicited could be dangerous, wielded by kings and emperors like monarchical manifestos that described the tone of their rule, violent or peaceful, long or short. But like beauty, the meaning of a story lies in the eye of the beholder.
Astrology in the Middle Ages held an ambiguous position, disparaged but common, satiating an “innate desire”.
It told stories about the world and the lives of the people in it, that hinted at their true desires and motivations.
Such desires are no more apparent and perhaps surprising than in the case of bishop and amateur
astrologer Pierre d’Ailly around the year 1400. At the time, the church faced a division which threatened to rip it in two.
The Great Schism was a result of a desire for a Roman pope after years of the pope having a base in Avignon, France – and a series of popes and antipopes brought turmoil across Europe.
Plus the beginnings of centuries and millennia have tended to encourage people to reflect on the stability of the world and its possible end – and the schism brought that sharply into focus.
D’Ailly examined the night sky, but did not predict fire and damnation. He suggested the end of the world was far in the future, something for other generations to worry about. D’Ailly confounded expectations by reading the stars and telling whoever would listen a convenient truth: the stars tell us to press on and to make something more of this world – and who could argue with that?
For D’Ailly, the prospect of an imminent apocalypse called only for man to repent and pray – and possibly abandon the institutions that kept the world ticking over. Whereas D’Ailly hoped that by facing the fact that the world would continue, the church would heal its recent division and carry on with what it was good at – saving souls.
Like D’Ailly, these messages from ancient stargazers tapped into an innate human desire: to gain a sense of control in a world of disorder. Something to hold on to when doubts formed about the road ahead.
Human history is filled with foreboding about the future – and 2016 has shown us that the world is still full of surprises.
So while these days we’re not all looking to the skies for an explanation of worldly happenings – like our ancestors did – perhaps we can look to the past to understand people’s desire to make reason out of the unreasonable.
And while astrology has a somewhat problematic relationship with modern science, my own prediction is that the year 2017 looks set to be as turbulent as any. So perhaps D’Ailly was on to something when he suggested we just try to do our best.
●Kinsella is a lecturer in Medieval Art and Architectural History, University of York.
This article was first published in