Judicial astrology
Encyclopedia
Judicial astrology is the art of forecasting future events by calculation of the planetary and stellar bodies and their relationship to the Earth
. The term "judicial astrology" was mainly used in the Middle Ages
and early Renaissance
to mean the type of astrology that was considered to be heretical by the Catholic church, distinguished from the "natural astrology" such as medical astrology
and meteorological astrology
, which were seen as acceptable because they were a part of the natural sciences of the time. Today this distinction is largely obsolete.
. An additional use would have been the application of astrology to determine future weather patterns based on the Aristotelian
/Ptolemaic
rationale that the planets cause change in the sublunary world by producing an efflux of elements and qualities. Every other branch was lumped together into the heading of 'judicial astrology'. These included natal astrology
, mundane astrology
, horary astrology
, and electional astrology
.
Skeptics of astrology opine that if interpreting the celestial influences were actually real it could be proved by the scientific method
.
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. The term "judicial astrology" was mainly used in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and early Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
to mean the type of astrology that was considered to be heretical by the Catholic church, distinguished from the "natural astrology" such as medical astrology
Medical astrology
Medical astrology is an ancient medical system that associates various parts of the body, diseases, and drugs as under the influence of the sun, moon, and planets, along with the twelve astrological signs. Each of the astrological signs is associated with different parts of the human body...
and meteorological astrology
Meteorological astrology
Meteorological astrology or astrometeorology is the practice of applying the astrological/astronomical placements of the Sun, Moon, and planets to forecast the weather.Astrometeorology is thousands of years old and based on astronomical positions that directly affect the weather...
, which were seen as acceptable because they were a part of the natural sciences of the time. Today this distinction is largely obsolete.
Description and classical history
In the Middle Ages natural astrology would have been mainly focused on the diagnosis and the treatment of medical patients. For more information on this, see the article on medical astrologyMedical astrology
Medical astrology is an ancient medical system that associates various parts of the body, diseases, and drugs as under the influence of the sun, moon, and planets, along with the twelve astrological signs. Each of the astrological signs is associated with different parts of the human body...
. An additional use would have been the application of astrology to determine future weather patterns based on the Aristotelian
Aristotelianism
Aristotelianism is a tradition of philosophy that takes its defining inspiration from the work of Aristotle. The works of Aristotle were initially defended by the members of the Peripatetic school, and, later on, by the Neoplatonists, who produced many commentaries on Aristotle's writings...
/Ptolemaic
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
rationale that the planets cause change in the sublunary world by producing an efflux of elements and qualities. Every other branch was lumped together into the heading of 'judicial astrology'. These included natal astrology
Natal astrology
Natal astrology, also known as genethliacal astrology, is the system of astrology based on the concept that each individual's personality or path in life can be determined by constructing a natal chart for the exact date, time, and location of a their birth...
, mundane astrology
Mundane astrology
Mundane astrology is the application of astrology to world affairs and world events, taking its name from the Latin word Mundus, meaning "the World". Mundane astrology is a branch of Judicial astrology and is widely believed by astrological historians to be the most ancient branch of astrology...
, horary astrology
Horary astrology
Horary astrology is an ancient branch of horoscopic astrology by which an astrologer attempts to answer a question by constructing a horoscope for the exact time at which the question was received and understood by the astrologer...
, and electional astrology
Electional astrology
Electional astrology, also known as event astrology, is a branch found in most traditions of astrology in which a practitioner decides the most appropriate time for an event based on the astrological auspiciousness of that time...
.
Modern judicial astrology and skeptical treatment
Today, judicial astrology tends to be an obsolete distinction because between the Middle Ages and modern times other sciences have arisen and astrology has ceased to be one of the primary diagnostic tools in medicine and meteorological studies. In the modern world, all forms of astrology would fall under the broad heading of judicial astrology because it is no longer one of the natural sciences, and there is no known causal mechanism to account for any sort of astrological influences which would be needed for it to regain such status.Skeptics of astrology opine that if interpreting the celestial influences were actually real it could be proved by the scientific method
Scientific method
Scientific method refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of...
.
Branches of judicial astrology
- Electional astrologyElectional astrologyElectional astrology, also known as event astrology, is a branch found in most traditions of astrology in which a practitioner decides the most appropriate time for an event based on the astrological auspiciousness of that time...
- Natal astrologyNatal astrologyNatal astrology, also known as genethliacal astrology, is the system of astrology based on the concept that each individual's personality or path in life can be determined by constructing a natal chart for the exact date, time, and location of a their birth...
- Mundane astrologyMundane astrologyMundane astrology is the application of astrology to world affairs and world events, taking its name from the Latin word Mundus, meaning "the World". Mundane astrology is a branch of Judicial astrology and is widely believed by astrological historians to be the most ancient branch of astrology...
- Horary astrologyHorary astrologyHorary astrology is an ancient branch of horoscopic astrology by which an astrologer attempts to answer a question by constructing a horoscope for the exact time at which the question was received and understood by the astrologer...
Judicial astrologers of note
These people were astrologers or are believed to have made important contributions to it :- NostradamusNostradamusMichel de Nostredame , usually Latinised to Nostradamus, was a French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties , the first edition of which appeared in 1555...
- Claudius PtolemyPtolemyClaudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
- Jean-Baptiste Morin
- PorphyryPorphyry (philosopher)Porphyry of Tyre , Porphyrios, AD 234–c. 305) was a Neoplatonic philosopher who was born in Tyre. He edited and published the Enneads, the only collection of the work of his teacher Plotinus. He also wrote many works himself on a wide variety of topics...
- RegiomontanusRegiomontanusJohannes Müller von Königsberg , today best known by his Latin toponym Regiomontanus, was a German mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, translator and instrument maker....
- Campanus of Novara
- Nicolaus CopernicusNicolaus CopernicusNicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance astronomer and the first person to formulate a comprehensive heliocentric cosmology which displaced the Earth from the center of the universe....
- Tycho BraheTycho BraheTycho Brahe , born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations...
- Francis Bacon
- John DeeJohn Dee (mathematician)John Dee was an English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, occultist, navigator, imperialist and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I. He devoted much of his life to the study of alchemy, divination and Hermetic philosophy....
- William LillyWilliam LillyWilliam Lilly , was an English astrologer famed during his time. Lilly was particularly adept at interpreting the astrological charts drawn up for horary questions, as this was his speciality....
- Johann Kepler
- Galileo GalileiGalileo GalileiGalileo Galilei , was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations and support for Copernicanism...
- Nicholas CulpeperNicholas CulpeperNicholas Culpeper was an English botanist, herbalist, physician, and astrologer. His published books include The English Physician and the Complete Herbal , which contain a rich store of pharmaceutical and herbal knowledge, and Astrological Judgement of Diseases from the Decumbiture of the Sick ,...
- Vivian Robson
- Dane RudhyarDane RudhyarDane Rudhyar , born Daniel Chennevière, was an author, modernist composer and humanistic astrologer. He was the pioneer of modern transpersonal astrology.-Biography:...
- Marc Edmund JonesMarc Edmund JonesDr. Marc Edmund Jones was an American astrologer.-Early life:Born October 1, 1888, 8:37 a.m. CST in St...
See also
- AstrologyAstrologyAstrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
- AlgebraAlgebraAlgebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
- GeometryGeometryGeometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
- TrigonometryTrigonometryTrigonometry is a branch of mathematics that studies triangles and the relationships between their sides and the angles between these sides. Trigonometry defines the trigonometric functions, which describe those relationships and have applicability to cyclical phenomena, such as waves...
- Conjunction
- SextileSextileIn astrology, a sextile is an astrological aspect that is made when two planets or other celestial bodies are 60 degrees apart. A sextile is considered to be highly benefic, being the sixth harmonic of the 360 degree zodiac...
- SquareSquare (geometry)In geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral. This means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles...
- OppositionOpposition (astronomy)In positional astronomy, two celestial bodies are said to be in opposition when they are on opposite sides of the sky, viewed from a given place . In particular, two planets are in opposition to each other when their ecliptic longitudes differ by 180°.The astronomical symbol for opposition is ☍...
Further reading
- A History of Western Astrology, Jim Tester, New Hampshire: Boydell Press (1987).
- An Introduction to Political Astrology, by Charles E.O. Carter (1951)
- Astrology: A History, Dr. Peter Whitfield (2001)
- Cardano's Cosmos, Anthony Grafton (1999)
- Electional Astrology, by Vivian Robson (1937)
- Hebrew Astrology and Hindu Astrology, by Sepharial
- Precepts in Mundane Astrology, Frederic Van Norstrand (1962)
- The Modern TextBook of Astrology, Margaret E. Hone (1951)
- The Nostradamus Code, by David Ovason (1997)
- The Secret Zodiac, by Fred Gettings (1987)