The Moment of Astrology: Origins in Divination

by Geoffrey Cornelius, Patrick Curry (Foreword)

This is an exploration of the philosophy of astrology, as propounded by Ptolemy and practised especially in the Middle Ages, with a view to re-establishing horary astrology and offering an assessment of the establishment's critique of this aspect of astrology.

Genres: Astrology, Nonfiction, Spirituality

Paperback

First published November 1, 1994

Reviews

[Kevin U · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a sea of garbage books about astrology, THIS is the one to read, and to reference … whether your interest is in debunking astrology, finding out why it has been so enduring for millennia, looking deeper into its roots and history, or practicing it yourself, this book has something to offer you.
The scientific, humanist, and religious critiques of astrology are all presented and thoroughly discussed.
In fact I would say that reading this book is a MUST for anyone who wants to publicly critique/debunk astrology, and not look like they are clueless about what it is.
Cornelius is a practicing astrologer himself, but I really appreciated how he just presented ideas and let the reader make their own judgments. This is a very well-crafted and thoughtful book.
You will get more out of this book if you have basic knowledge of astrology, but it is accessible to anyone and I guarantee you that anybody who carefully reads this book will actually emerge with more knowledge about the philosophy and *idea* of what is happening with the astrology phenomenon than most practicing astrologers out there.

[Jon Adler · Rating 5 out of 5]

an exceptional work of scholarship, thoroughly researched and extensively annotated. perhaps the most academically rigorous astrology book i have read that's written by a practicing astrologer.

was helpful to understand how Ptolemy's understanding of astrology - to grossly paraphrase, his view that it is a science, bound up with all the normal considerations used when evaluating a science - has shapes centuries of astrological practice.

i have long been wanting to find something to help me think about the metaphysics of divination, and Cornelius' research really helped me come to a new understanding of the inherent subjectivity that (ultimately / realistically) is core to every divinatory practice, from the tarot to the I Ching. it also helped me think through what kinds of question divination can meaningfully help with; for example, his observation that querents to the Oracle at Delphi almost never asked how the future would unfold was eye-opening. i think my understanding of how the Greeks viewed fate was largely imported from the prophecy in the Oedipus cycle (i. e. you-can't-outrun-what-you're-fated-to-do), which seems like a unique situation compared to the kinds of questions people actually took to the Oracle.

for some time now - likely thanks to Cornelius' work - i have viewed attempts to "prove" astrology with science as disinteresting, if not outright wastes of time for all parties involved. Cornelius explains this infinitely better than I could. this book gave words to a lot of things i'd suspected or considered, but do not have the intellectual chops or authority to readily argue for.

[Jo Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative but so very dense. I could only read a few pages a day because it was heavy material. Def not for astrology beginners.

[Niranjan Kunwar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relevant Reading for Every Reader.

[Tiffany McNeish · Rating 5 out of 5]

its difficult to overstate what a profound and transformative impact reading this text had on my understanding of what astrology is and how i, as a practitioner and student, relate to it. i cannot recommend this text highly enough for my fellow enthusiasts, students, and practitioners.