Astrology Soc. 100 Lecture 02a Astrology Edited 3/31/01 Soc. 100 Lecture 02a Astrology Astrology An Early Model of Human Behavior From: Walter Clide Curry Chaucer and the Mediaeval Sciences;New York Barnes & Noble 1960 E. M. W. Tillyard, Lett. D The Elizabethan World Picture;1960 London, Chatto and Windus Like religions there are various interpretations of astrology 1

Astrology Personality Quiz 2

Observations 1. Widely believed and practiced in "medieval England" Many aspects of astrology go back to the early Greeks; Aristotle, Pythagros, etc. 1. Widely believed and practiced in "medieval England" 2. Much referenced by Shakespeare. 3. A folk knowledge that can be seen as a primitive science with a cause and effect relationship. 4. An integrated perspective that includes psychology, medicine, chemistry , physics, astronomy (as well as a predictor of the future). 5. All things were composed of 4 basic elements that took different forms,based on hot, cold, moist and dry, ideal was a balanced compound* 6. Opinion polls in US typically show a large % having some degree of belief (60-85%) 3

basic elements •Earth, fire, Water, Air •All planets are dominated by one of the elements •in humans the elements take the form of "humors"or "Biles" (Black, Yellow, Red [blood], Green [phlegm]) •all metals are made of these elements (alchemy was the notion of changing the composition of elements in lead to make gold 4

Astrology chart 5

Personality Characteristics The Theory of Humors Primary Humor Character Type Element Elemental Symptoms Blood Sanguine Air Hot & Moist confidence, wit, courage, hope,extrovert Yellow Bile Choleric (Libra) Fire Hot & Dry rashness, violance, discontent, envy, extravert Phlegm Phlegmatic Water Cold & Moist slow, dull-witted, sweet - tempered, easy going, introvert Black Bile Melancholy Earth Cold & Dry (Leo) (Virgo) Sulleness, sadness, depression, (Scorpio) frustration, emotional, introvert cf. Hippocrates Of The nature of Man (5th Century B.C.), Galen’s Of Temprements (Second Century A.D.), Sir Thomas Elyot’s Castel of Health (1593), and Robert Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy (1621) 6

Medical/Problems—”Catharsis” •Illness and personality were the result of tension between elements • Too much of an element was the cause of problems (a compound of balance was the ideal) • Catharsis was the general model for treatment e.g. "Spring Tonic to clear black bile build up Blood letting for a fever • Modern day meaning of "humors" still exists in language 7

• Adolf Hitler (Note: England employed corps of Believers • Nancy Reagan ( Note: She had a private phone Installed in the Whitehouse just for calls to her astrologer • Adolf Hitler (Note: England employed corps of Astrologers to guess Hitler's moves in WWII) • Japanese/Chinese Culture Chinese Years—snake, rabbit, tiger, mouse…. • Large % of current US population 60-80 have some degree of belief 8

DATA From 1994 GSS, Only .07 percent did not report their sign