Western Sidereal Astrology: From Ancient Babylonia to the Modern West By Ninian L Nijhuis

https://www.academia.edu/50008714/Western_Sidereal_Astrology_From_Ancient_Babylonia_to_the_Modern_West?nav_from=2f4f9d18-dfb4-42c0-873d-4c1858c1a5bd phenomenon of precession of the equinoxes, to explain the difference between the tropical and sidereal zodiac. The third part of this paper will discuss Hellenistic astrology and the astrological theories of Ptolemy, which fully established the tropical zodiac. I will then briefly dive into the Copernican Era, to discuss the academic downfall of tropical astrology and Johannes Kepler's call for its reform. At last, I will examine the 20 th century's resurrection of sidereal astrology, initiated by the Irish astrologer and researcher Cyril Fagan (1896-1970). The Babylonian Origins of Astrology The astrological system as we know it today in the West was developed predominantly in ancient Greece. However, the ancient Greeks were not the ones who invented astrology. Its roots are found in ancient Babylonia, dating back to the second millennium BCE. 10 Omen astrology is argued as the oldest form of astrology and its persistence in Greek astrology uncovers its dependence on Babylonian astrology, for the Greek form bears no substantial difference to the Babylonian form from which it descended. 11 Omen astrology interprets both astronomical and meteorological phenomena, such as eclipses, settings, risings and conjunctions of stars and planets, as well as, thunder, clouds and rains, in relation to predictions of war or peace, good crops or bad crops, and abundance or famine. 12 Historically, omen astrology was the first type of astrology on the scene and best exemplified in the cuneiform Enuma Anu Enlil celestial omen tablet series. 13 Furthermore, as stated above, it has been argued that the Greeks were responsible for the development of horoscopic astrology or genethlialogy. 14 However, this practice cannot be solely attributed to the Greeks either, for the earliest 10 Bowser, An Introduction to Western Sidereal Astrology, 191. 11 What distinguishes omen astrology from horoscopic astrology is basically the lack of a comprehensive astrological system, which includes the actual and potential positions of the celestial bodies relative to each other and to the earth, see: Reiner, "Babylonian celestial divination," 21-37; and Beck, "Origins and Types of Astrology," 10. 12 Swerdlow, The Babylonian Theory of the Planets, 2. 13 Beck, "Origins and Types of Astrology," 14. 14 Ibid., 9. ..