Contents:

About Nostradamus work
History of Astrology
What is astrology ?

NOSTRADAMUS E-BOOK

The following lines represent an excerpt from Nostradamus Book which you may order for free (with another astro product). It reveals the recent history: Bush-USA Aquilon (the symbol of America) goes with the British prime-minister (King of Europe) to free Iraq (former Babylon) from Saddam Hussein reign and so the war starts...
"Like a griffin will come the King of Europe,
Accompanied by those of "Aquilon":
He will lead a great troop of red ones and white ones,
And they will go against the King of Babylon."

The following is the preface of this book, it is a letter of Nostradamus to his son:

Preface by M. Nostradamus to his Prophecies

Greetings and happiness to César Nostradamus my son

Your late arrival, César Nostredame, my son, has made me spend much time in constant nightly reflection so that I could communicate with you by
letter and leave you this reminder, after my death, for the benefit of all men, of which the divine spirit has vouchsafed me to know by means of
astronomy.

And since it was the Almighty's will that you were not born here in this region [Provence] and I do not want to talk of years to come but of the
months during which you will struggle to grasp and understand the work I shall be compelled to leave you after my death: assuming that it will not be
possible for me to leave you such [clearer] writing as may be destroyed through the injustice of the age [1555]. The key to the hidden prediction
which you will inherit will be locked inside my heart.

Also bear in mind that the events here described have not yet come to pass, and that all is ruled and governed by the power of Almighty God,
inspiring us not by bacchic frenzy nor by enchantments but by astronomical assurances: predictions have been made through the inspiration of divine
will alone and the spirit of prophecy in particular.

On numerous occasions and over a long period of time I have predicted specific events far in advance, attributing all to the workings of divine power
and inspiration, together with other fortunate or unfortunate happenings, foreseen in their full unexpectedness, which have already come to pass in
various regions of the earth. Yet I have wished to remain silent and abandon my work because of the injustice not only of the present time [the
Inquisition] but also for most of the future. I will not commit to writing.

Since governments, sects and countries will undergo such sweeping changes, diametrically opposed to what now obtains, that were I to relate events
to come, those in power now - monarchs, leaders of sects and religions - would find these so different from their own imaginings that they would be
led to condemn what later centuries will learn how to see and understand. Bear in mind also Our Saviour's words: Do not give anything holy to the
dogs, nor throw pearls in front of the pigs lest they trample them with their feet and turn on you and tear you apart. For this reason I
withdrew my pen from the paper, because I wished to amplify my statement touching the Vulgar Advent (1),

by means of ambiguous and enigmatic comments about future causes, even those closest to us and those I have perceived, so that some human
change which may come to pass shall not unduly scandalize delicate sensibilities. The whole work is thus written in a nebulous rather than plainly
prophetic form. So much so that,

You have hidden these things from the wise and the circumspect, that is from the mighty and the rulers, and you have purified those things
for the small and the poor, and through Almighty God's will, revealed unto those prophets with the power to perceive what is distant and thereby to
foretell things to come. For nothing can be accomplished without this faculty, whose power and goodness work so strongly in those to whom it is
given that, while they contemplate within themselves, these powers are subject to other influences arising from the force of good. This warmth and
strength of prophecy invests us with its influence as the sun's rays affect both animate and inanimate entities.

We human beings cannot through our natural consciousness and intelligence know anything of God the Creator's hidden secrets, For it is not for us
to know the times or the instants, etc.

So much so that persons of future times may be seen in present ones, because God Almighty has wished to reveal them by means of images, together
with various secrets of the future vouchsafed to orthodox astrology, as was the case in the past, so that a measure of power and divination passed
through them, the flame of the spirit inspiring them to pronounce upon inspiration both human and divine. God may bring into being divine works,
which are absolute; there is another level, that of angelic works; and a third way, that of the evildoers.

But my son, I address you here a little too obscurely. As regards the occult prophecies one is vouchsafed through the subtle spirit of fire, which the
understanding sometimes stirs through contemplation of the distant stars as if in vigil, likewise by means of pronouncements, one finds oneself
surprised at producing writings without fear of being stricken for such impudent loquacity. The reason is that all this proceeds from the divine power
of Almighty God from whom all bounty proceeds.

And so once again, my son, if I have eschewed the word prophet, I do not wish to attribute to myself such lofty title at the present time, for whoever
is calles a prophet now was once called a seer; since a prophet, my son, is properly speaking one who sees distant things through a natural
knowledge of all creatures. And it can happen that the prophet bringing about the perfect light of prophecy may make manifest things both human and
divine, because this cannot be done otherwise, given that the effects of predicting the future extend far off into time.

God's mysteries are incomprehensible and the power to influence events is bound up with the great expanse of natural knowledge, having its nearest
most immediate origin in free will and describing future events which cannot be understood simply through being revealed. Neither can they be
grasped through men's interpretations nor through another mode of cognizance or occult power under the firmament, neither in the present nor in the
total eternity to come. But bringing about such an indivisible eternity through Herculean efforts (2), things are revealed by the planetary movements.

I am not saying, my son - mark me well, here - that knowledge of such things cannot be implanted in your deficient mind, or that events in the distant
future may not be within the understanding of any reasoning being. Nevertheless, if these things current or distant are brought to the awareness of this
reasoning and intelligent being they will be neither too obscure nor too clearly revealed.

Perfect knowledge of such things cannot be acquired without divine inspiration, given that all prophetic inspiration derives its initial origin from God
Almighty, then from chance and nature. Since all these portents are produced impartially, prophecy comes to pass partly as predicted. For
understanding created by the intellect cannot be acquired by means of the occult, only by the aid of the zodiac, bringing forth that small flame by
whose light part of the future may be discerned.

Also, my son, I beseech you not to exercise your mind upon such reveries and vanities as drain the body and incur the soul's perdition, and which
trouble our feeble frames. Above all avoid the vanity of that most execrable magic formerly reproved by the Holy Scriptures - only excepting the use
of official astrology.

For by the latter, with the help of inspiration and divine revelation, and continual calculations, I have set down my prophecies in writing. Fearing lest
this occult philosophy be condemned, I did not therefore wish to make known its dire import; also fearful that several books which had lain hidden
for long centuries might be discovered, and of what might become of them, after reading them I presented them to Vulcan. [i.e. burned them]. And
while he devoured them, the flame licking the air gave out such an unexpected light, clearer than that of an ordinary flame and resembling fire from
some flashing cataclysm, and suddenly illumined the house as if it were caught in a furnace. Which is why I reduced them to ashes then, so that none
might be tempted to use occult labours in searching for the perfect transmutation, whether lunar or solar, of incorruptible metals (3).

But as to that discernment which can be achieved by the aid of planetary scrutiny, I should like to tell you this. Eschewing any fantastic imaginings,
you may through good judgement have insight into the future if you keep to the specific names of places that accord with planetary configurations,
and with inspiration places and aspects yield up hidden properties, namely that power in whose presence the three times [past, present, and future]
are understood as Eternity whose unfolding contains them all: for all whings nare naked and open.

That is why, my son, you can easily, despite your young brain, understand that events can be foretold naturally by the heavenly bodies and by the
spirit of prophecy: I do not wish to ascribe to myself the title and role of prophet, but emphasize inspiration revealed to a mortal man whose
perception is no further from heaven than the feet are from the earth. I cannot fail, err or be deceived, although I may be as great a sinner as
anyone else upon this earth and subject to all human afflictions.

But after being surprised sometimes by day while in a trance, and having long fallen into the habit of agreeable nocturnal studies, I have composed
books of prophecies, each containing one hundred astronomical quatrains, which I want to condense somewhat obscurely. The work comprises
prophecies from today to the year 3797.

This may perturb some, when they see such a long timespan, and this will occur and be understood in all the fullness of the Republic (4); these things
will be universally understood upon earth, my son. If you live the normal lifetime of man you will know upon your own soil, under your native sky,
how future events are to turn out.

For only Eternal God knows the eternity of His light which proceeds from Him, and I speak frankly to those to whom His immeasurable, immense
and incomprehensible greatness has been disposed to grant revelations through long, melancholy inspiration, that with the aid of this hidden element
manifested by God, there are two principal factors which make up the prophet's intelligence.

The first is when the supernatural light fills and illuminates the person who predicts by astral science, while the second allows him to prophesy through
inspired revelation, which is only a part of the divine eternity, whereby the prophet comes to assess what his divinatory power has given him through
the grace of God and by a natural gift, namely, that what is foretold is true and ethereal in origin (5).

And such a light and small flame is of great efficacy and scope, and nothing less than the clarity of nature itself. The light of human nature makes the
philosophers so sure of themselves that with the principles of the first cause they reach the loftiest doctrines and the deepest abysses. But my son, lest
I venture too far for your future perception,

be aware that men of letters shall make grand and usually boastful claims about the way I interpreted the world, before the worldwide conflagration
which is to bring so many catastrophes and such revolutions that scarcely any lands will not be covered by water (6), and this will last until all has
perished save history and geography themselves. This is why, before and after these revolutions in various countries, the rains will be so diminished
and such abundance of fire and fiery missiles shall fall from the heavens that nothing shall escape the holocaust. And this will occur before the last
conflagration [1999].

For before war ends the [twentieth] century and in its final stages [1975-99] it will hold the century under its sway. Some countries will be in the grip
of revolution (7) for several years, and others ruined for a still longer period. And now that we are in a republican era, with Almighty God's aid, and
before completing its full cycle, the monarchy will return, then the Golden Age (8). For according to the celestial signs, the Golden Age shall return,
and after all calculations, with the world near to an all-encompassing revolution

- from the time of writing 177 years 3 months 11 days (9) - plague, long famine and wars, and still more floods from now until the stated time. Before
and after these, humanity shall several times be so severely diminished that scarcely anyone shall be found who wishes to take over the fields, which
shall become free where they had previously been tied.

This will be after the visible judgement of heaven, before we reach the millennium which shall complete all. In the firmament of the eighth sphere, a
dimension whereon Almighty God will complete the revolution, and where the constellations will resume their motion which will render the earth
stable and firm, but only if He will remain unchanged for ever until His will be done.

This is in spite of all the ambiguous opinions surpassing all natural reason, expressed by Mahomet; which is why God the Creator, through the
ministry of his fiery agents with their flames, will come to propose to our perceptions as well as our eyes the reasons for future predictions.

Signs of events to come must be manifested to whomever prophesies. For prophecy which stems from exterior illumination is part of that light and
seeks to ally with it and bring it into being so that the part which seems to possess the faculty of understanding is not subject to a sickness of the
mind.

Reason is only too evident. Everything is predicted by divine afflatus (10) and thanks to an angelic spirit inspiring the one prophesying, consecrating
his predictions through divine unction. It also divests him of all fantasies by means of various nocturnal apparitions, while with daily certainty he
prophesies through the science of astronomy, with the aid of sacred prophecy, his only consideration being his courage in freedom.

So come, my son, strive to understand what I have found out through my calculations which accord with revealed inspiration, because now the
sword of death approaches us, with pestilence and war more horrible than there has ever been - because of three men's work - and famine. And this
sword shall smite the earth and return to it often, for the stars confirm this upheaval and it is also written: I shall punish their injustices with iron
rods, and shall strike them with blows.

For God's mercy will be poured forth only for a certain time, my son, until the majority of my prophecies are fulfilled and this fulfilment (sic) is
complete. Then several times in the course of the doleful tempests the Lord shall say: Therefore I shall crush and destroy and show no mercy;

and many other circumstances shall result from floods and continual rain (11) of which I have written more fully in my other prophecies, composed at
some length, not in a chronological sequence, in prose, limiting the places and times and exact dates so that future generations will see, while
experiencing these inevitable events, how I have listed others in clearer language, so that despite their obscurities these things shall be understood:
When the time comes for the removal of ignorance, the matter will be clearer still.

So in conclusion, my son, take this gift from your father M. Nostradamus, who hopes you will understand each prophecy in every quatrain herein.
May Immortal God grant you a long life of good and prosperous happiness.

Salon, 1 March 1555


Notes:

1.Le commun advènement, the Vulgar Advent, or the accession of the people to power, is generally taken by commentators to refer first to
republicanism (via the French Revolution), then to its development towards and change into communism. (Tr.)

2.Nostradamus here compares his work, the twelve Centuries, to the Twelve Labours of Hercules, in order to stress their difficulty and
importance.

3.Moon and Sun are constant symbols in Nostradamus of the republic and the monarchy respectively, hence the alchemic imagery also has a
political aspect here.

4.Reference to toute la concavité de la lune. Cf. note 3 above.

5.Ether: originally personified as a deity of the upper atmosphere, and later confused with Zeus. (DL7V).

6.Water and flooding are often as a symbol of revolution in Nostradamus.

7.The French text refers to Aquarius, i.e. the water-bearer. Cf. note 6 above.

8.Golden Age: rule of Saturn, the happy, peaceful time, to commemorate which the Romans celebrated with Saturnalia.

9.1555 + 177 = 1732, the exact date when Rousseau arrived in Paris, Nostradamus considered Rousseau the father of revolutionary and
atheistic ideas.

10.Breath or inspiration, oracular possession.

11.Upheavals and revolution. Cf. notes 6 and 7 above.

Abbreviations

Cf. "confer", Latin, compare.
DL7V "Dictionnaire Larousse", 7 vol.
etc. et cetera, French, and others.
i.e. "id est", Latin, that is.
M. Michel or Monsieur.
Tr. translator.
vol. volumes.


Notes Specific to This Reproduction

This text is reproduced from Nostradamus, Countdown to Apocalypse written by Jean-Charles de Fontbrune, translated by Alexis Lykiard,
prefaced by Liz Greene, and published by Henry Holt and Company, Inc., New York, 1983. This largely literal translation is reproduced, here, as
accurately as possible.

The "original" source is Les Prophéties de M. Michel Nostradamus, the edition of 1568 by Benoist Rigaud at Lyon; stored in 8. B.U.
"Montepellier", no. 48340.

De Fontbrune uses the second edition of 1605 by Benoist Rigaud at Lyon. This is a complete copy of the 1568 edition which is considered the most
reliable. If we accept the 1568 edition as an accurate reproduction, which is reasonable, then this reproduction, here, has been copied once from the
1568 edition to the 1605, copied again by De Fontbrune, translated once from 16th- century French with a Proven&cced;al accent to modern
English by Alexis Lykiard, and finally copied to the form you see here.
 

DEFINITION OF ASTROLOGY ³
 

The word astrology derives from 'ASTROLOGIA' in
Latin and ancient Greek. It is a compound of the
word 'ASTRON' meaning 'STAR' and the word 'LOGOS'
meaning 'discourse.'

According to the standard dictionary definition it
is "the study professing to foretell the future
and interpret the influence of the heavenly bodies
upon the destinies of men. Originally regarded as
the practical application of astronomy to human needs."

Such common dictionary-views are far from adequate
in describing the complex meaning of this word. It
has many branches and thus many meanings.



The narrow view of astrology portrayed merely as a
fortune-telling craft may have applied very well
several thousand years ago, but it is an injustice
to use it today. Nowadays, it is a serious study
that involves the understanding of human behavior
more than the foretelling of events. This new view
is more commonly referred to now as 'Humanistic
Astrology,' a term invented by Dane Rudhyar. How-
ever, the prediction-oriented form is also in use
at a serious level in mundane and financial areas
and at an entertaining level in sun-sign horoscope
columns available in newspapers. Although, it is
the 'changes' in human behavior that is predicted
now, and not the 'events' in one's life.



Astrology has been practiced in many ways over the
centuries and still is. In the beginning, the idea
was very simple, the Sun and Moon were believed to
be the only major influences on human affairs.

Eventually, more celestial items were added, such
as planets, zodiac signs, bright stars, asteroids
and countless astronomical factors. But all are
linked directly to the heavens and fall under the
general term "cosmic influences." So, in a general
sense, we can say that:

"ASTROLOGY IS THE STUDY OF COSMIC INFLUENCES ON
HUMAN BEHAVIOR."




Each astrologer, of course, will have his or her
own favorite definition. Here are some examples:



"Astrology is the study of cycles.
Astrology is a system of thought.
It is a symbolic language which has
structure, order and form."

Alan Oken,
Complete Astrology
Bantam, NY, 1988






"Astrology is the science of the relationships
which bind all the parts of the universe
into one organic whole.

It is the art of interpreting the effects
of these relationships upon the behavior
of individuals and groups, or any entity
whose origins can be traced to a point
in time and space."

Marcia Moore & Mark Douglas,
Astrology, the Divine Science,
Arcane Publications,
York Harbor, Maine, 1976





"To define astrology is as difficult a task as to
define, let us say, philosophy, psychology, or
even medicine. Not only are there many schools or
systems of philosophy, psychology and medicine,
but a definition which would fit the respective
purposes of those various systems and be
acceptable to all is well-nigh impossible.

"Astrology was, as far as we know, man's original
attempt to formulate the order of the universe
and to draw from it a sense of relative security."

Dane Rudhyar
Person-centered Astrology
CSA Press, 1976




"Astrology is an important key to psychological
and spiritual insights which may be less
obtainable in other systems of knowledge.

Its immediacy lies in the fact that it deals
with time and space as described by the cyclic
motions of the Sun, Moon and planets of this
solar system. Astrology is the study of those
cycles and patterns as they affect man."

Landis Knight Green
The Astrologer's Manual
Arco Publishing, 1988




"Modern astrology might be defined as the study
of the movements of the Sun, Moon and planets
in relation to events on Earth, especially
human personality and behavior; or, conversely,
as the study of human affairs in relation to
their cosmic environment. The central assumption
of astrology is that the positions of the Sun,
Moon and planets at the birth of an individual
or the beginning of an enterprise or any event
are related in a significant manner to the
intrinsic character and later development of
that individual, enterprise or event."

Larousse Encyclopedia of Astrology,
New American Library, 1982



³ ORIGIN OF ASTROLOGY ³


Markings on Ice Age bones suggest that humans were
aware of lunar cycles as far back as 30,000 years
ago, according to Julia Parker.

MOON CYCLES RECORDED IN PALEOLITHIC PERIOD

In The Lure of the Heavens, Donald Papon, wrote:

"Some 25,000 years ago or so, man was observing
and reporting the cycles of the moon. Alexander
Marshack, writing in the November 6, 1964 issue of
Science, thought that the nicks cut in reindeer
bones and in mammoth ivory during the upper
Paleolithic period represent notations of lunar
sequences."




ASTROLOGY IN MESOPOTAMIA: 4000 B.C.

Astrology originated in Mesopotamia. This ancient
part of the world was located on the plain between
the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (currently Iraq).

THE ZIGGURATS: FIRST ASTROLOGICAL OBSERVATORIES

In her Encyclopedia of Astrology, Sandra Shulman
reiterates what astrology-historians have found,
"the earliest civilization to leave its indelible
prints on Mesopotamia was that of the Sumerians,
who settled there around 4000 B.C.. The most un-
usual feature of their cities was the ziggurat.
Its flat summit was used by the priests for study-
the night skies."



The Sumerians left behind an extensive library of
cuneiform tablets which provide us with detailed
records of their astrological knowledge.

AKKADIANS RECORDED LUNAR ECLIPSES IN 2350 B.C.

The tablets of Sargon of Akkad dating from 2350 BC
confirm that the astrologer-priests had identified
omens of solar eclipses. Curiously, they recorded
more information about lunar eclipses. They must
have regarded these events with great respect as
their calculations were accurate to within minutes
of a degree. -- (from Astrology, History, Symbols
and Signs by Solange de Mailly Nesle)





AKKADIANS WORSHIP SUN, MOON AND VENUS

The Akkadians conquered Sumeria in 2350 B.C.. and
translated the Sumerian astrological records into
their own writings. They worshipped the Sun, Moon
and Venus, but used all the planets up to Saturn.

THE NAMMAN-BEL: 2300 B.C.-

Sargon had summarized all the astrological records
of his era into seventy tablets. His heirs added
their findings to this data base and this compila-
tion came to be known as the Namman-Bel. According
to Seneca, Berosus apparently translated this work
for the Greeks.




ASTROLOGY IN BABYLON: 2000 B.C.- 600 B.C.

By 2000 B.C., Sumeria was replaced by Babylonia.

The Babylonian astrologers raised astrology to yet
further heights with the invention of the zodiac
and accurate astronomical calculations. This fact
is found not in astrological texts, but in the
Time Tables of History (Simon & Shuster - 1982).

The Babylonians were comprised of many different
peoples that conquered one another in the Tigris-
Euphrates valley. They were descendants of the
Akkadians and mixtures of Hittites, Elamites,
Amorites, Kassites, Seleucids, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Scythians and Persians.



The Random House Encyclopedia states that early
Babylonian astrology was not directly personal. It
dealt with grand-scale events such as wars, floods
and affairs of the state. Eclipses were heeded the
most, particularly as they affected the King.

The Encyclopedia Britannica (ed.1953) states that
the Babylonian priests created an advanced system
of astrological interpretation which involved not
only the five planets, Mercury to Saturn, but the
more prominent fixed stars along the ecliptic. The
system also involved the angular relationships of
these 7 heavenly bodies and all kinds of unusual
cosmic events. The theory of the ecliptic divided
into 12 30-degree sections or zodiac signs was
completed by 540 BC.



ASTROLOGY SPREADS TO EGYPT AND GREECE: 600 BC-

In A History of Astrology, Julia Parker writes:
"From Babylonia, the Chaldeans carried astrology
into Egypt and more importantly into Greece."

According to her knowledge, the ancient Egyptians
never developed an advanced system of astrology
involving case studies, statistics and vast tables
of factors and interpretations, as the Babylonians did.

In Greece, astrology reached the classic look that
we are familiar with. It finally became personal.
It also acquired most of the details that we see
in today's traditional horoscope.




ASTROLOGY BEYOND GREECE: 0 A.D. - PRESENT

From Greece, astrology spread westward to Rome and
eastward to India under Alexander the Great. Then
it was taken up by the Arabs after declining in
Europe due to the suppression by the Church.

Astrology reappeared again in Europe during the
Renaissance when scholars began to investigate old
manuscripts and ancient knowledge, especially that
of the Greeks. Since then, astrology has had its
ups and downs, but has continued to evolve until
the present. Many ancient beliefs are falling by
the wayside, as computers and rational empirical
methods of research are redefining and refining
the mother of all sciences.


³ TIMETABLE: 30000 BC TO 1900 AD ³


30000 BC Beginning of Cro-Magnon culture.
Marks are made in reindeer bones to
possibly record lunar cycles.

4242 BC Earliest recorded date in history.
(in ancient Egypt). Egyptian calendar
which is regulated by Sun and Moon
has 360 days with 12 months of 30 days.

4000 BC Astrology begins in Mesopotamia.
Sumerians build ziggurats, the first
astrological observatories. The Sun,
Moon and 5 visible planets are used.
Astrological knowledge is recorded in
cuneiform on clay tablets.

3761 BC First day of Jewish calendar (according
to Jewish sources).

3500 BC Systematic astronomical observations in
Mesopotamia, Egypt and China. Sumerian
numerical system is based on 6 and 12.

3000 BC Egypt refines calendar to 365 days.

2700 BC The Great Pyramid of Khufu is built
in accordance with astronomical factors.

2350 BC Akkadians record solar & lunar eclipses
according to tablets of Sargon of Akkad.
Sargon summarizes astrological records
of his era into 70 tablets. His heirs
add their findings to this data base and
call it the Namman-Bel.

2000 BC Sumeria is replaced by Babylonia.
Babylonian astrologers introduce
zodiac signs and devise more accurate
astronomical calculations.

1250 BC Rameses II fixes 4 cardinal points using
Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn.

1200 BC Babylonian Boundary stones contain much
astrological imagery

700 BC Babylonian priests create ecliptic
divided into 12 30-degree sections
or zodiac divisions (Mul.APIN).

670 BC King Assurbanipal of Assyria expands
astrological library in Ninevah.

600 BC Babylonian astrology spreads to Egypt
Greece and other parts of Middle East.

535 BC Pythagoras sets up esoteric colony near
Crotona in southern Italy where scholars
learn about numerology, astrology and the
occult arts, which Pythagoras learned
during his 20 years of travels in Babylon
and Egypt.

475 BC Empedocles of Agrigentum introduces the
4 elements, Fire, Earth, Air and Water,
into astrology, as the 4-fold root of all
things. He discovered the idea that
nothing can be destroyed (or created)
only transformed.

420 BC Democritus popularizes astrology for all.
Xeno founder of the Stoics, gives zodiac
signs Greek names.

409 BC Date of oldest Babylonian horoscope.

380 BC Babylonians begin to use 19 year cycle.

370 BC Eudoxus of Cnidus devises calendars
using zodiac with 12 equal zodiac signs.
Invents geometrical theory of proportion.

350 BC Petosiris, chief administrator of the
Temple of Khumunu (Hermes) near
Hermopolis becomes known for mastering
Egyptian esoteric astrology.

330 BC Alexander the Great (356-323 BC)
helps to spread astrology from Babylon
and Egypt throughout the Middle East.
Greek Philosophers exposed to new
occult ideas from Egypt and Babylon.
Astrology is personalized in Greece.
Alexander founds Library of Alexandria.

300 BC Greek model of Astrology reaches India.

290 BC Alexandria in Egypt becomes center
of astrological research. Eratosthenes,
Arristyllus and Timocharis are its
leading astrologers.

280 BC Berosus, a Chaldean astrologer and priest
of Bel Marduk at Babylon moves to Greek
island of Cos where he sets up school of
astrology for Greek astrologers. Berosus
writes The Babylonica, an enormous work
about the history of astrology and life
in Babylonia. He writes The Eye of Bel,
based on the 70 tablets in the library of
Assurbanipal, and uses it as text to
teach Greek astrologers.

275 BC The famous poem Phainomena written by
Aratus in 275 BC further popularizes
astrology and becomes common reading
material for generations of Greeks.

250 BC Antipatrus and Achinapolus continue
the work of Berosus at Cos and teach
medical astrology. They are the first
astrologers to experiment with the
moment of conception rather than birth
for the casting of a horoscope.

220 BC First known picture of zodiac in Egypt
is created north of Esna.

200 BC Predictive astrology spreads to Rome.

150 BC Esoteric form of astrology based on the
teachings of Hermes or Thoth circulates
in numerous works under such titles as:
Astrologoumena, Hermaikai Diataxeis or
Doctrines of Hermes, Apokotastasis,
Liber Hermetis, Asklepios.

135 BC Posidonius brings astrology to Roman
intellectuals.

130 BC Greek astronomer Hipparchus is credited
for the discovering the precession of the
equinoxes which was already known
in Babylonia centuries earlier.

100 BC Essenes develop Qabbalah and esoteric
astrology.

60 BC Nigidius Figulus starts first school of
astrology in Rome and publishes books on
astrological prediction. The Georgics of
Virgil constitute astrological almanacs.

20 BC Roman Emperor Augustus has coins stamped
with his sign Capricorn.

7-4 BC Three Wise Men or Magi from the East
(astrologers from Chaldea or Persia)
predict birth of Messiah (Jesus Christ)
according to Gospels of New Testament.

17 AD Egyptian zodiac at Denderah is erected.

50 AD Astrology has prominent role in Roman
literature such as in The Tragedies
of Seneca and Thyestes. Fourth Roman
Emperor Claudius becomes versed in
astrology. In his reign, Rome is caught
up in a frenzy of astrology.

117 AD Roman Emperor Hadrian, also an astrologer,
casts his own horoscope and consults it
regularly.

150 AD Ptolemy writes The Tetrabiblos, the most
comprehensive work on astrology to date.
Already aware of the precession of the
equinoxes, Ptolemy cautions astrologers
to use the tropical spring equinox as
the start of the first zodiac sign. Other
astrologers such as Hephaestion of Thebes
and Julius Firmicus use it as seminal
work.

188 AD Vettius Valens of Antioch, well-known
astrologer amasses fine library of
horoscopes and analyzes 100 in his
Anthologiae.

222 AD Alexander Serverus sets up teaching
posts in astrology which are subsidized
by the imperial budget.

250 AD Plotinus declares that astrology indicates
a possible future but does not shape it.

400 AD Library of Alexandria is destroyed with
loss of many astrology texts.

450 AD Proclus writes paraphrase of Ptolemy's
Tetrabiblos.

476 AD Astrology declines in Europe with the
Fall of the Roman Empire.

500 AD Rhetorius introduces triplicities of
elements into the zodiac.

600 AD Church condemns astrology and attempts
to suppress it in the following centuries.

650 AD In the Etymolgiae of Isodore, Bishop of
Seville, it is mentioned that astronomy
and astrology were complementary arts
in antiquity.

700 AD Monks in monasteries learn about astrology
in Classical literature, and investigate
it in secret.

750 AD Muslim astrologers Masha'allah, al-Kindi,
Abu Ma'shar revive the astrology of
Hellenistic Greece, based on Ptolemy's
Tetrabiblos and works of Firmicus.
Ibrahim Al-Fazari invents astrolabe.
Accuracy of Ptolemy's work is enhanced
with Arabic numerals and zero. Stars
are identified and observatories built.

850 AD Well-known Arabic astrology texts appear
such as Treatises of Albategnus and
The Flowers of Astrology by Albumazar.
Harun-al-Rashid builds observatory in
Baghdad and sets up renowned school for
astrology in Cairo, Egypt.

900 AD Son of Harun-al-Rashid, Caliph Al-Mamun
establishes House of Wisdom were the
Tetrabiblos was translated and used as
basis for further astrological study.

950 AD Ibn Unis, Muslim astronomer compiles
Hakimite tables of planetary motions.

1000 Firdausi, Abul-Qasim Mansur, great
Persian poet writes Shah-Namah which
contains many astrological references.

1000-99 Astrology flourishes in Byzantium through
Psellus, Caerularius and Xiphilin.

12th University of Bologna becomes center for
Century medical astrology. Tetrabiblos is trans-
AD lated by Plato of Tivoli. Adelard of Bath
(England) brings astrology to Europe.
Sacrabosco writes Sphaera Mundi, early
English textbook of spherical astrology.

1250 AD Albertus Magnus recommends Tetrabiblos.
Roger Bacon links ancient magic and
astrology in Speculum Astronomiae. Guidi
Bonati is famous astrologer of his time.
Thomas Aquinas accepts philosophical
aspect of astrology. Emperor Frederick II
uses astrologer Michael Scot. Astrology
is taught at Cambridge University.

1280 Johannes Campanus devises new method of
house division and serves Pope Urban IV.

1327 Cecco D'Ascoli, astrology teacher and
astrologer to Duke of Florence is burned at
the stake for his teaching that Christ's
story was astrological.

1375 Chaucer, first great English poet uses
astrological references.

1400 Book of Hours, rich in astrological
illustrations, appears in France and is
dedicated to royalty and aristocracy.
This book attracts wealthy to astrology.
The most famous version is the Tres Riches
Heures by the Limburgs.

1431 The Amicus Medicorum, by Jean Ganivet, is
standard reference used by doctors for next
two centuries to diagnose and cure illness
with astrology.

1437 At the University of Paris ideal times for
bloodletting are selected on astrological
basis.

1450 Charles 5th of France is also astrologer.
Pope Sixtus IV, first of the great Pope-
astrologers. Writings of Oresme, Peter
D'Ailly, Jean Gerson show that astrology
is valid and part of science.

1474 The first ephemeris ad XXXII Annos
Futuros by Regiomontanus (Johann Muller)
is printed in Nuremberg, 2nd in Venice.

1475 Famous Lorenzo Medici uses astrologers.

1400- Invention of printing (1455 by Gutenberg)
1499 allows astrological records and writings
stored in monasteries, libraries or royal
palaces to be mass-reproduced and dis-
tributed throughout Europe. Astrology is
taught in many universities. Ideal
astrological times are selected for specific
ventures. Astrologers serve in royal palaces
of France, England, Italy, Austria.
Astrologer Luc Gauric serves Popes Julius
II, Leo X, Clement VII and Paul III. Under
Leo X, Vatican promotes research and
instruction in astrology. Astrological
themes appear in stained-glass windows of
cathedrals, in facades of public buildings,
frescos, art.

1500 Leonardo da Vinci draws illustrations
associating astrological symbols with parts
of the body and terrestrial life in Zodiac-
Man and Sphaera manuscripts. Boticelli
paints famous 'Venus and Mars.'

1508 Luca Gaurico, author of Tractatus
Astrologicus publishes Oratio de Inven-
toribus et Astrologiae Laudibus in which he
defends judicial astrology.

1510 Lucrezia Borgia explores astrological
philosophies with astrologers and her father
Pope Alexander VI.

1520 German artist Beham produces engravings
showing functions of planets.

1530 Swiss physician Paracelsus uses astrology
to understand the human mind or psyche.

1543 Copernicus presents theory that Earth
revolves around Sun, which is placed on the
Papal Index of forbidden books until 1835!

1545 At Council of Trent, the Church condemns
judicial astrology.

1550 Catherine de Medici consults astrologers
Gauric, Ruggieri and Nostradamus.

1552 Martin Luther supports astrology by writing
preface to work by prominent astrologer
Johannes Lichtenberger.

1555 Nostradamus gains fame in Europe. His
famous prophetic work 'Seven Centuries' is
published in 1555. He works in Henry II's
court and publishes almanacs.

1560 Girolamo Cardano, physician, philosopher,
mathematical genius and astrologer. He
writes commentary on Tetrabiblos.

1570 John Dee is astrologer for Queen Elizabeth I
and helps to arrange Gregorian calendar
(1583) and dabbles in alchemy and magic.

1574 Tycho Brahe, famous astronomer known for
discoveries in observational astronomy.
Dislikes frivolous astrologers. He draws up
charts for Danish royal family and in 1585
compiles accurate star catalogue.

1600- Shakespeare helps to popularize astrology
1699 for centuries by inserting astrological
references in almost all his plays. Tommaso
Campanella writes six books on astrology in
accordance with the teachings of Church
Theologians. Francis Bacon attacks personal
astrology but still accepts divinatory
astrology on masses of people. Richard
Burton looks into the astrology of mental
illness.

1610 Kepler establishes facts that planets move
in elliptical orbits around Sun. Discovers
three famous laws of planetary motion which
bear his name. Kepler is also astrologer-
mystic. He links planet orbit spheres with
geometric solids, and writes 'Music of the
Spheres.'

1613 Galileo denounced for his Letters on Sun-
spots. In 1632 is condemned by Church for
his heliocentric view of solar system. He
dabbles in some astrology.

1640 Morin de Villefranche is regarded as most
noted astrologer of his time and serves as
adviser to Cardinal Richelieu and to
Cardinal Mazarin.

1645 Nicolas Culpepper practices medicine using
herbal astrology and publishes many books.

1650 William Lilly writes Christian Astrology
which becomes reference for subsequent
astrologers. Publishes prophetic Almanac in
1644. Predicts Great Plague of London in
1665 and Great Fire of London in 1666.

1650 Elias Ashmole inherits W. Lilly's library
and publishes Lilly's works. He is historian
and diary-writer and steward of astrological
society in London.

1650 Placidus de Tito devises house system.

1662 Collectio Geniturarum, a collection of
150 horoscopes, compiled by John Gadbury.

1666 Astrology is banished from French Academy of
Science. Great Fire of London (capital of
world's superpower at the time) burns to the
ground, as predicted by Lilly.

1687 Sir Issac Newton presents universal law of
gravity in Principia Mathematica. He invents
calculus and studies astrology.

1690 The Chapter of Perfection, an esoteric
astrological community, in Germantown,
Pennsylvania, is led by John Kelpius. Its
astrologers help to upgrade the almanac pub-
lished by Daniel Leeds. It practices occult
arts based on the principles of European
Rosicrucians and Freemasons, and is the
offspring of a secret order in London, the
Masonic Rite of Perfection, which involved
John Jacob Zimmerman and Jane (Ward) Lead,
former members of the Philadelphians, a
mystic cult inspired by Jakob Boehme in
Germany.

1698 Johann Seelig, member of the Chapter of
Perfection, is commissioned to find the best
astrological time for building the Swedish
Lutheran Church at Wisaco.

1700- John Partridge and Henry Season are major
1799 British astrologers. Almanacs with many
astrological sections are published. In
America, Yale and Harvard Universities
cautiously accept astrology. American
astrologers such as Joseph Satfford of Rhode
Island, Nathaniel Low of Boston, John Tobler
of Carolina provide advice to merchants and
common people. Much of the astrology is done
secretly in Masonic Lodges in Britain and
America.

1712 The Husbandman's Guide provides astrological
advice for farmers.

1733 Benjamin Franklin publishes astrological
Almanac 'Poor Richard's Almanack' under
alias R. Saunders.

1770 Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and
George Washington are influenced by
astrology and Egyptian-Alexandrian occult
ideas supplied by esoteric astrologers in
Germantown, Pennsylvania. Christopher Witt,
the esoteric community's magister is a
physician and astrologer. Much of the
concern is to select the best times, ideas,
designs of seals and monuments, to initiate
activities that would lead to the creation
of a nation powerful enough to withstand the
attempts of Britain, the world superpower,
to regain its prized colonies. Egyptian
magic is evident.

1781 7th planet from Sun, Uranus, is discovered
by William Herschel.

1784 Ebenezer Sibly compiles a voluminous
illustrated book on astrology, A New and
Complete Illustration of the Celestial
Science of Astrology.

1801 The Magus, written by Francis Barrett, is
synthesis of astrological-magical lore.

1816 A Complete Dictionary of Astrology by James
Wilson is published. For the first time a
book provides all the basic information for
anyone to construct and interpret charts.
This marks a new era in astrology.

1824 Raphael introduces a periodical with weekly
predictions on love, finance and travel, the
first of its kind.

1825 Robert C. Smith, known as Raphael, writes
Manual of Astrology, compiles ephemeris
(still currently in use), and launches first
successful astrological publishing house.

1831 The Herald of Astrology by Zadkiel (alias
for Richard James Morrison) is the first
work that is produced in editions of tens
of thousands of copies, which indicates the
mass interest in astrology. Alfred J. Pierce
continued Morrison's work under the same
pseudonym.

1839 The Vox Stellarum is the most popular
almanac in Britain because of its
predictions.

1844 The British Association for Astral Science
is formed.

1846 Neptune is discovered by Leverrier.

1860 The History of Magic by Eliphas Levi
(Alphonse Louis Constant) sums up much of
the sort of astrology favored in his time.
In 1861 he writes The Key of the Mysteries.

1862 Frances Rolleston publishes Mazzaroth
(Hebrew for "Zodiac") in which she explains
zodiacal references in the Bible.

1865 Mark and Luke Broughton publishes many
astrological journals in America. Luke
teaches thousands of astrologers.

1875 Helena Blavatsky forms Theosophical Society
in New York, which spurs the evolution of
spiritual astrology.

1880 Richard Garnett writes The Soul and the
Stars in the University Magazine in which he
attacks astrologers of the time for using
too much cabbala and magic rather than using
astrology as a science.

1889 The Order of the Magi is formed in Chicago
by Olney H. Richmond. The order involves
Christian occult astrology.

1890 William Henry Chaney publishes Primer of
Astrology and American Urania. Taught by
Luke Broughton, Chaney spends 40 years
teaching astrology.

1890 Sepharial (Walter Gorn Old), a well-known
English astrologer, specializes in occult
astrology and joins Blavatsky's inner circle
of the Theosophical Society. He has know-
ledge of Cabbala, Coptic, Assyrian, Sanskrit
and Chinese languages. Eventually, Sepharial
abandons interest in the esoteric aspect of
astrology and practices the practical form.

Alan Leo (William Frederick Allen) publishes
the Astrological Magazine. It is financed by
Aphorel (F.W.Lacey) a member of the Theo-
sophical Society and is very popular and
profitable. Leo becomes official astrologer
for the Society. He defines astrology within
a divine, karmic and spiritual framework.

1890 Alan Leo sets up a chart business and hires
a staff of astrologers.

1892 Karl Anderson writes and publishes his
Astrology of the Old Testament, a large text
with more insights into astrological con-
cepts and references in the Bible than
previously disclosed by astrologers. Much of
it deals with Christian-Egyptian-Hebrew-
Sanskrit numerology, symbols, and ideas used
by Freemasons and Rosicrucians.

1895 Karl Brandler Pracht forms astrological
society and the Astrologische Rundshau, the
most prominent astrological journal in
Germany. This renewal of astrology in
Germany was mostly the result of Helena
Blavatsky's influence.

1895 Alan Leo renames Astrological Magazine to
Modern Astrology.

1896 Alan Leo forms The Astrological Society

1897 Old Moore's Almanac sells 500,000 copies.

1898 New Manual of Astrology by Sepharial. Joseph
G. Dalton publishes the American Ephemeris.
Dalton is involved in the astrological
establishment of Boston. Luke Broughton
publishes Elements of Astrology.

1899 Evangeline Adams takes up residence in a
fashionable hotel in New York and does
astrological charts for the rich and
powerful for the next years. She becomes
famous for her accurate predictions.
-

Copyright (c) 1995-2000 R.Logush