Astrology and Western Society from the First World War to Covid-19

This book gathers contributions on the topic of astrology in the West during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, from 1914–2022. It is the first collection exclusively devoted to a period that has been mostly neglected by historians of astrology, who have mostly devoted themselves to the ancient, medieval and early modern periods. Uninterested in vindicating or debunking astrology, contributors consider its cultural impact, its relation to historical events, and the ways in which it has changed in the last century. The broad range of subjects on modern Europe and the US include the relation of astrology with indigenous thought, interwar Polish astrology, and the relation of American astrologers to COVID. A bibliography of studies of modern astrology on a global basis is also included. This collection is a thoughtful contribution to the history of astrology and the sociology of belief as well as carrying significant implications for twentieth and twenty-first century history broadly. Acknowledgments Contents Notes on Contributors Introduction Modern Western Astrology as Indigenous Thought and Practice Introduction Astrology and the Modern West Indigeneity Indigenous Astronomy Defining Astrology Conclusion Bibliography Astrology, Modernity, and the Disputed Nature of Self Modernity and Disenchantment Taylor’s “Porous” and “Buffered” Selves Bifurcations of Astrology The Buffered Self and Astrology Dreams of Future/Past A Need for Purification The Divisive Case of Horary Astrology Jung, Rudhyar, Synchronicity Synchronicity as Science (or Not) Astrology as Divination Bibliography Phillipson – Texts Cited The Power of a Name: Albert the Great, the Speculum astronomiae, and Legitimization of Astrology and Astrological Magic in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries Albert the Great, the Speculum astronomiae, and Astrology’s Shifting Reputation The Uses of Albert’s Reputation Astrology’s Declining Reputation Modern Uses of Albert’s Reputation Conclusion Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources Astrology for Everyone: World War I and Astrology in the United States Unholy Rich, Unhealthy Poor: Astrology Before World War I Mutable Signs: U.S. Societal Change in the 1910s Star Wars: Astrology 1914–1919 Sonic Boom: Post-World War I Astrology Bibliography Astrology in Interwar Poland Astrological Societies, Astrologers, and Journals Rethinking of Astrology Polish Astrology in the Context of European and American Astrology Forecasts Political Events Horoscopes of Politicians Astrological Discussions About a Future War Studying Accidents in Astrology The History of Astrology Not Only Policy Conclusions Bibliography Astral and Hermetic Symbolism in Béla Hamvas’ Tabula Smaragdina Astrology, the Arithmology of Fate, and Metaphysical Realization Metaphysical Reduction as Tawil in the Tabula Smaragdina Hermetic Phenomenology of Numbers and Kabbalistic Cosmogenesis The Imaginal Transcendence Bibliography Images of Blood, Stories of the Stars: Astrology in Its Shifting Cultural Context Astrology in the Age of Shakespeare Astrology During the Flowering of Civic Culture: The 1960s The Great Reaction: Astrology in an Age of Democratic Decline Conclusions Bibliography Olga Tokarczuk, the Astrology Industry, and Women’s Anxiety Bibliography Books and Articles Web Sources American Astrologers in the First Year of COVID-19 Astrology and Modern American Politics Astrologers Confront the Plague Rob Brezsny: New Age Optimism Meets a Pandemic Chris Brennan: Mundane Astrology and the Pandemic The Astrotwins: Pop Culture Astrology and COVID-19 Bibliography Books and Articles Web Pages Bibliography of Scholarship on Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Astrology Books, Book Chapters and Articles Dissertations and Theses Available on the Internet Index