I’m a Virgo. Astrologically speaking, I am analytical, practical, reliable, and detail-oriented. While this is true sometimes, it’s also not true other times. I am extremely messy, often never respond to important text messages, and sometimes forget to put on socks. Perhaps I’m an anomaly, or this is astrology's secret: vague, sweeping statements about personalities and relationships that can fit most people and circumstances.
Don’t get me wrong, I love astrology. It’s aesthetically pleasing, with its celestial iconography, and it’s really fun. I check my Chani app daily for predictions. And I’m not the only one indulging. The astrological wellness industry is worth over $12 billion globally and is predicted to double over the next decade.
Although I incorporate moon and sun patterns into my spiritual practice, I’ve always questioned the validity of astrology. The full moon energizes me and wakens my creativity, yet I’m skeptical of celestial bodies' effect on our personalities and futures. So, I took a deep dive into the history of astrology and how it intersects with witchcraft. Here’s what I found.
The Origins of Astrology
Astrology is one of the oldest esoteric traditions, with roots stretching back thousands of years. The earliest known astrological records come from the ancient Babylonians, who developed the earliest systems for mapping the motions of the planets and stars. Babylonian astrologers worked out the basics of the zodiac and horoscopic astrology as early as the 2nd millennium BCE.
From Babylonia, astrological knowledge spread across the ancient world. In ancient Greece, philosophers like Plato and Aristotle debated the role of the celestial bodies in influencing life on Earth. The Hellenistic tradition of horoscopic astrology, centered in Alexandria, flourished in the 1st and 2nd centuries CE, combining Babylonian influence with Hellenistic Greek culture.
In the 7th century CE, Arabic astrologers furthered astrological development, translating and preserving many classical texts. Medieval European astrologers built upon these Arabic and Hellenistic foundations, developing elaborate astrological systems that aimed to time everything from mundane activities to coronations and military campaigns based on celestial alignments.
Throughout its long history, astrology remained tightly intertwined with related occult studies like alchemy, magic, and esoteric cosmological systems. While the scientific revolution eclipsed astrology's standing, it remained an important element of Western esoteric and occult philosophies up through the modern era. Today's astrologers draw upon this rich cross-cultural historical tapestry of astrological theory and practice.
Astrology and Witchcraft
While astrology developed along somewhat separate tracks in various ancient civilizations, there are records of it being incorporated into magical traditions and witchcraft from a very early period. Some of the earliest known examples come from Greco-Roman antiquity.
In ancient Greece, the practice of katarche or electional astrology – determining the most auspicious times to undertake ventures based on celestial bodies – became linked with folk magic and witchcraft. Spells and charms were timed to cosmic events like lunar phases and planetary alignments.
This melding of astrology and witchcraft continued into the Roman era. The Roman satirist Petronius mocked fortunetellers who combined astrology, occultism, and witchcraft in the 1st century CE. Tablets from this period were inscribed with astrological symbols alongside curses and magic spells.
In medieval and Renaissance Europe, many accused witches were practitioners of astrological magic. They were said to have charted elections and harnessed astrological forces for their nefarious ends, such as identifying opportune times to cast hexes and blight crops. Astrologer-physicians of this era compounded astrological knowledge with folk magic remedies.
While astrology became more rationally and scientifically oriented after the Enlightenment, its occult underpinnings persisted in some streams of Western esotericism and witchcraft traditions up through the modern revival of pagan religions and witchcraft in the 20th century.
The Scientific Critique of Astrology
While astrology has ancient roots and remained prevalent across cultures for millennia, it has not fared well when subjected to rigorous scientific testing and scrutiny. Several key issues have led mainstream science to dismiss astrology as an unsupported pseudoscience.
First, the basic premise of astrology - that the positions of celestial bodies at the time of people's births shape their personality traits, impact their lives and can be used to predict the future - has been found to have no empirical validity. Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated that astrological predictions and personality profiles show no significant correlation with individuals' personalities, life events, or outcomes.
Additionally, the supposed mechanisms by which astrology is claimed to work do not align with our scientific understanding of physics, gravity, electromagnetics, and other forces that govern the motions and impacts of celestial bodies. There are no known methodologies by which the positions of distant planets and stars could encode information about or influence human affairs on Earth.
Astrology also has several key internal logical inconsistencies, such as the fact that members of the same astrological sign do not demonstrate the shared personality traits or life circumstances astrology claims they should. The precise astronomical formulations used by astrologers have also shifted over the centuries, undermining the claims of an invariable underlying system.
While astrology remains popular as a symbolic tradition and personality descriptor, mainstream science has found no credible evidence to support any of its claimed predictive or explanatory powers regarding earthly affairs and human lives. Controlled tests have consistently contradicted astrological principles.
Here are some notable examples of scientific studies on astrology:
1) Shawn Carlson Study (1985)
This double-blind study had 28 astrologers try to match over 100 people to their astrological charts. No evidence suggesting astrologers could successfully do this better than chance.
2) Geoffrey Dean Studies (1983-1988)
Dean conducted tests with over 1000 participants examining astrologers' ability to accurately determine characteristics from birth charts. The results did not show validity for astrology.
3) Seven Plus or Minus Two Study (1975)
This study published in Nature used astrologers and control groups to test matching astrological profiles. It concluded the results were no better than chance.
4) Scope Study (1974)
This study examined the predictions of 51 astrologers for the same period and found no significant agreement between them.
5) McGervey Study (1977)
Examined astrological claims of defining personality traits and psychological characteristics from birthcharts. The astrologers could not reliably determine these from the birthcharts.
While a few smaller studies have claimed positive results, the highest quality scientific studies with proper controls and large sample sizes have consistently failed to find any evidence that astrologers can make accurate predictions or determinations to a degree greater than chance. The overall scientific consensus is that astrology has not demonstrated its efficacy under controlled conditions.
Is astrology a religion?
When you dive into astrology, it’s easy to notice the similarities between astrological beliefs and organized religion. Although not technically a religion, it does have similar elements.
Antiquity and Tradition
Like the major world religions, astrology is an ancient tradition with roots stretching back thousands of years. It has developed complex theories, symbols, and practices passed down over centuries through respected lineages and institutions. This lends it an air of venerability.
Cosmological Explanations
Religions provide cosmological explanations for the nature of the universe and human existence within it. Astrology similarly presents a cosmological framework centered around the motions and influences of celestial bodies to explain earthly events and human affairs.
Determinism
Many religions propose that human lives follow a pre-determined plan or divine will. Similarly, astrology is predicated on the belief that the planets and stars shape human personality and life events in a deterministic way according to one's natal chart.
Interpretation and Priestly Class
Like religious scriptures, astrological symbols, charts, and celestial configurations require trained interpretation by experts. Astrologers serve a priestly role in this capacity, similar to clergy interpreting sacred texts and mysteries.
Ritual Practices
Some forms of astrology incorporate ritual practices and talismans, particularly in harmonizing actions with auspicious celestial events and influences. This mimics religious rituals and sacraments that attempt to channel divine energies.
Supernaturalism
At its core, astrology proposes acausal connections between terrestrial human affairs and distant cosmic phenomena, which runs counter to natural understandings of causality. This embrace of supernatural forces aligns astrology with religious frameworks centered on unseen, divine powers and realms.
While not a formalized religion itself, astrology shares many of these structural similarities with major faiths in providing a revelated cosmological belief system interpreted by a priestly caste. This likely contributed to its philosophical intersections with various religions historically.
Astrology in Witchcraft Traditions
For centuries, many witchcraft practitioners have drawn upon astrological concepts and methods, interweaving these with folk magic, herbalism, and other occult traditions. Astrology provides witches with a symbolic framework to attune their craft to cosmic forces and propitious timings.
One of the core applications is electional astrology - considering astrological transits and charts to determine the most auspicious dates and times for performing spellwork, rituals, or undertaking important endeavors. A witch may chart when the moon is waxing for efforts involving growth and abundance or aim for a Mars-ruled electional for workings related to assertiveness and power.
Astrology's connections between heavenly bodies and domains of life on Earth are mapped onto witchcraft's associations of planets, signs, and celestial bodies with specific areas of influence. The sun may tie to matters of vitality and success, while the moon governs emotions, femininity, and mysteries. A witch may invoke or craft talismans embodying these celestial correspondences for their magical objectives.
Covens often attune their activities to the lunar cycle, with full moons being favored for powerful workings and new moons ripe for new beginnings. The astrological decans - 10-degree slices of the zodiac - are sometimes used to add additional nuance to celestial timings for magic.
Some witches also integrate Natal astrology, who may craft personalized talismans based on their natal charts or work with the rulerships and dignities outlined therein. Overall, astrology allows witches to mythically weave their craft into an intricate cosmic tapestry of correspondences and stellar influences.
The Takeaway
Although I know no scientific empirical evidence supports astrology, I continue to use it in my practice. The sun energizes me, and the moon speaks to me in an indescribable manner. Even if science doesn’t support it, I’ll continue to look up my horoscope and track the moon’s changes, and wonder how it all affects my life. It’s fun, and it means something to me. And, really, that’s all that matters.
On a larger scale, practicing astrology really has no downside. Anything that provides the secular population with an excuse to come together as a community and attempt to understand each other is magical in itself. So, go on and study your astrological chart. Take on a creative project on the full moon. If you feel influenced, then you are influenced.