''Christian Astrology'', written in 1647 by the English astrologer
William Lilly
William Lilly (9 June 1681) was a seventeenth century English astrologer. He is described as having been a genius at something "that modern mainstream opinion has since decided cannot be done at all" having developed his stature as the most imp ...
, is considered to be one of the most important seminal works of
Western astrology
Western astrology is the system of astrology most popular in Western countries. Western astrology is historically based on Ptolemy's ''Tetrabiblos'' (2nd century CE), which in turn was a continuation of Hellenistic and ultimately Babylonian tra ...
.
William Lilly successively treats the rules of western astrology,
horary astrology
Horary astrology is an ancient branch of horoscopic astrology in 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.
The answer t ...
and 'nativities', about erecting and analysing a birth chart in
natal astrology
Natal astrology is also known as Genethliacal Astrology, which implies nativity. It is a system of astrology that claims to shed light on an individual’s personality or path in life. This concept is based on constructing a horoscope or natal c ...
. He wrote the book when he was ill and had to stay at home. Running away from the
plague
Plague or The Plague may refer to:
Agriculture, fauna, and medicine
*Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis''
* An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural)
* A pandemic caused by such a disease
* A swarm of pe ...
in London, he spent a year in the countryside to study, reflect, and write ''Christian Astrology''.
[Autobiography: "William Lilly's History of His Life and Times: From the Year 1602 to 1681"]
Lilly himself explains that he was influenced among others by
Ptolemy's ''Quadripartitum'' ''(
Tetrabiblos
''Tetrabiblos'' () 'four books', also known in Greek as ''Apotelesmatiká'' () "Effects", and in Latin as ''Quadripartitum'' "Four Parts", is a text on the philosophy and practice of astrology, written in the 2nd century AD by the Alexandrian ...
)'', ''
De occulta philosophia'' by
Agrippa Agrippa may refer to:
People Antiquity
* Agrippa (mythology), semi-mythological king of Alba Longa
* Agrippa (astronomer), Greek astronomer from the late 1st century
* Agrippa the Skeptic, Skeptic philosopher at the end of the 1st century
* Agri ...
, ''De Astronima Tractarus 10'' by
Guido Bonatti
Guido Bonatti (died between 1296 and 1300) was an Italian mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, who was the most celebrated astrologer of the 13th century.
Bonatti was advisor of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, Ezzelino da Romano III, Gu ...
, ''120 Aphorismi'' of
John Dee, ''Medicina Catholica'' by
Robert Fludd
Robert Fludd, also known as Robertus de Fluctibus (17 January 1574 – 8 September 1637), was a prominent English Paracelsian physician with both scientific and occult interests. He is remembered as an astrologer, mathematician, cosmologis ...
, ''Epitomes Astronomiae'' by
Johan Kepler and
Paracelsus' ''De Meteoris'', all of which are mentioned in the
appendix of ''Christian Astrology''.
The modern edition of ''Christian Astrology'' consists of three volumes:
#Book 1: An Introduction to Astrology
#Book 2: The Resolution of all manners of Questions and Demands
#Book 3: An Easie and Plaine Method How to Judge Upon Nativities
Book 1
;Introduction to Astrology
Lilly referred to this book as a course for astrology students in which he expounds the general principles of astrology. Topics covered:
*the use of the ephemeris
*preparing the horoscope
*the nature of the 12 signs of the zodiac
*the nature of the planets
*the nature of the 12 houses
Book 2
;About the solution of many questions and issues
This part of Lilly's work is a methodical instruction the student must follow to be able to answer all kinds of questions - on disease, wealth, marriage choices, travel, etc. - using the techniques of horary astrology. Lilly includes 35 examples of such questions. He gives a detailed explanation of the procedure to be followed and elaborates on all elements that are important in the analysis. The act of choosing the right "significator" is especially important, as well as choosing the right house and its ruler that are involved.
Book 3
;An easy and clear method for the natal chart
In this third part "How to judge upon Nativities' William Lilly discusses the interpretation of the natal chart.
He treatment includes the following topics:
*determining body build, shape, color and intelligence of the unborn
* if the person will be born rich, which diseases he will likely suffer from, and whether he will suffer a violent death, his marriage, the number of spouses, their origin, his children and what will be the most appropriate career
*In the section on primary directions (predictions by 'advancing' the birth planets according to a formula) Lilly gives advice on the use of solar returns,
transits and the signification of the
aspects the planets make.
In addition, he also gives clues about how these techniques can be used to 'correct' a natal chart in case the time of birth is not exactly known to the astrologer. This he finds to be of major importance to make accurate predictions.
See also
*
Christian views on astrology
References
* Christian Astrology, by William Lilly, Book I,II, Book III, Astrology Classics (2004)
{{reflist
External links
Christian Astrology Book I, IIChristian Astrology Book III, William Lilly (pdf-document)
Astrological texts