Mundane Astrology

The nations' wheel of destiny

Mundane astrology is the branch of astrology whose subjects are the events of geographical regions, places, countries and the whole world (as opposed to individual astrology).

The name derives from the Latin term mundus, 'world'.

Certain countries have astrological charts (or horoscopes) just like a person is said to in astrology; for example, the chart for the USA is widely thought to be sometime during the day of July 4, 1776, for this is the exact day that the Declaration of Independence was signed and made fully official, thus causing the "birth" of the United States of America as a nation. Indeed, July 4 is a major national holiday in America and unequivocally thought of as the "birthday" of the entire nation.

History

Mundane astrology is widely believed by astrological historians to be the most ancient branch of astrology. Early Babylonian astrology was exclusively concerned with mundane astrology, being geographically oriented, specifically applied to countries, cities and nations, and almost wholly concerned with the welfare of the state and the king as the governing head of the nation. Astrological practices of divination and planetary interpretation have been used for millennia to answer political questions, but only with the gradual emergence of horoscopic astrology, from the sixth century BC, did astrology develop into the two distinct branches of mundane astrology and natal astrology.

The techiques of the subject were discussed in detail in the 2nd century work of the Alexandrian astronomer Ptolemy, who outlined its principles in the second book of his Tetrabiblos. Ptolemy set this topic before his discussion of individual birth charts because he argued that the astrological assessment of any 'particular' individual must rest upon prior knowledge of the 'general' temperament of their ethnic type; and that the circumstances of individual lives are subsumed, to some extent, within the fate of their community. The third chapter of his work offers an association between planets, zodiac signs and the national characteristics of 73 nations. It concludes with three assertions which act as core principles of mundane astrology:

1. Each of the fixed stars has familiarity with the countries attributed to the sign of its ecliptic rising.
2. The time of the first founding of a city (or nation) can be used in a similar way to an individual horoscope, to astrologically establish the characteristics and experiences of that city. The most significant considerations are the regions of the zodiac which mark the place of the Sun and Moon, and the four angles of the chart – in particular the ascendant.
3. If the time of the foundation of the city or nation is not known, a similar use can be made of the horoscope of whoever holds office or is king at the time, with particular attention given to the midheaven of that chart.

The first English astrologer for whom we have evidence of astrological practice is Richard Trewythian, whose notebook is largely concerned with mundane astrology. He constructed horoscopes for the Sun's ingress into Aries over thirty years, and recorded general predictions for twelve of those years between 1430 and 1458.

The aspects, such as opposition, square, etc.

Techniques and principles

There are different approaches to mundane astrology.
They include analysis, interpretation and prediction of political and economic developments, historical developments and natural or man-made disasters.

Several main factors are taken into account when considering mundane events:

• Planetary cycles (including the lunar cycle and the Jupiter-Saturn cycle)
• Eclipses
• Ingresses (which occur when planets enter a new sign of the zodiac)
• Astrocartography

A chart is usually drawn when considering events related to a group of people, such as companies, clubs, countries, and so on. For this to work there must be a specific event such as the signing of a treaty or some other document or a clearly defined ritual that marks the beginning of a new process. A horoscope is then drawn for this time.

A chart drawn to a country is a national chart. Countries usually have several horoscopes (for example for the signing of the constitution or the beginning of a legislative period) which together give a better reflection of a country's complexity than any single horoscope.

Event charts are also drawn when considering natural events (such as earthquakes, eruptions and so on) or man-made disasters (such as accidents, fires and so on).

Early astrology was strongly influenced by mundane astrology. Up until the time of antiquity, the individual was not considered to be especially important. He or she was part of the community which astrology was meant to serve. Even the horoscopes of high ranking individuals were only viewed as having legitimacy for their significance for the wider community. At this time astrology played an important social role. It was expected to be able to predict when dangers would occur and how they might be avoided. Military action without some kind of astrological consultation was almost unthinkable.

In the course of history, the individual became the focus of attention in the western world and this development has led to the general decline of mundane astrology; its influence on the development of society has almost completely disappeared. However, it continues to be practised in small specialist circles. Politicians who consult astrologers before making important political decisions (as was the case with Ronald Reagan) are usually treated with derision.

The importance of mundane astrology has continued in Asia. In India or China representatives of the state would be met with looks of incomprehension if they were to ignore astrological advice.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

See also

• Astrological Interpretation of History
• Economic Astrology
• Great Conjunction
• Lunar Phase

Weblinks

• Inresses: An Introduction to Mundane Astrology (Deborah Houlding, Tom Callanan & Sue Toohey; Skyscript)
• Nature, Place, Countries, etc. (traditional significations by the twelve signs)
• A Basic Guide to Astro-Meteorology (Kim Farnell)
• Astrology, the new entrant in Rajasthan battle (sundayguardianlive.com, 2020)
• The national chart of the United States 2008 - 2024 (Liz Greene, 2005; Astrodienst)
• The Alma Revisited... was it an Accident? (Dennis Elwell/Skyscript, 2003)

Doubts about the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, don't go away...

• 17th Century study in the Ancient Art of Mundane Astrology (PDF, hosted by Skyscript

The complete fourth book of William Ramesey's Astrologiae Restaurata, 'Astrology Restored' (London, 1653), edited and annotated by Steven Birchfield (1.43MB). The Fourth book is entitled Astrologia Munda, 'Mundane Astrology' - said by Birchfield to be the closest thing we have to an accessible textbook on traditional mundane astrology.

Raphael's edition

Bibliography

• Nicholas Campion: The Book of World Horoscopes (1987) ISBN 0850305276, 2004 updated edition The Wessex Astrologer Ltd. ISBN 1902405153 Review (by Deborah Houlding, 2004)
  • Nicholas Campion with Michael Baigent and Charles Harvey: Mundane Astrology, Thorsons 1992. ISBN 1855381400
• Richard Tarnas: Cosmos and Psyche. Intimations of a New World View Viking, 2006 ISBN 0670032921

About the aspects of the slow-moving Generational Planets and human history

• Ron Howland: American Histrology. 312 pages, American Federation of Astrologers 2014. ISBN-13: 978-0866906500

More than six hundred charts regarding the US

• • Raphael's Mundane Astrology Or the Effects of the Planets and Signs Upon the Nations and Countries of the World, 1996
  • Anthony Louis & Robert T. Cross: The Annotated Raphael’s Mundane Astrology, 173 Pages · 2013 Download (PDF)
• H.S. Green, Charles E.O. Carter, Raphael: Mundane Astrology: The Astrology of Nations and States, 320 pages, 2005, ISBN-10 1933303115, ISBN-13 978-1933303116