What is traditional astrology?
If you read about astrology frequently, you may have encountered articles referring to modern astrology and traditional astrology and wondered what these terms meant. Traditional astrology represents the knowledge of Hellenistic, Arabic, Medieval and Renaissance astrologers from around 150 BCE through around 1650, a period of nearly 2,000 years. Modern astrological practice, on the other hand, is slightly more than 100 years old.
Modern Astrology
Astrology fell into disrepute during the Age of Enlightenment when science was deemed the only form of wisdom and metaphysical knowledge was disdained. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, when all types of metaphysical topics again became popular, there was renewed interest in astrology. Information about newly discovered planets was then discussed and incorporated into new texts. Modern astrology draws on concepts about the soul and personality which became popular in the 1890s and later, including Asian philosophies and religion and the psychology of Freud and Jung.
Traditional Astrology
Traditional astrologers use techniques developed and refined before Copernicus. Many of those techniques were only recently re-discovered so that modern practice of traditional astrology can actually be described as relatively new. During the era when astrology was held in disfavor, many of the texts comprising several hundred years worth of astrological knowledge languished dusty and ignored, scattered in various old libraries, untranslated into modern languages. Since the revival of interest in astrology, scholars have gradually collected and translated many of these works, making it possible for astrologers of this era to tap into this well of information.
Many traditional astrologers do not use the planets discovered since the invention of the telescope, only the seven which are visible to the naked eye. Astrologers who use this style of astrology say that narrowing the number of planets they use, while drawing on highly sophisticated methods of analyzing those planets developed over the course of nearly 2,000 years, gives them deeper astrological insights. Other astrologers focus on bridging modern and traditional astrology, but this can be challenging as there are key differences which are hard to reconcile.
Differences between the two styles of astrology
The question of planetary rulership of zodiac signs is one of the most important areas of difference. Modern astrology attributes the rulership of some signs to planets not yet discovered during the era of traditional astrology. According to modern astrology, Pluto rules Scorpio, but traditional astrology attributes Scorpio’s rulership to Mars. Saturn ruled both Aquarius and Capricorn in the traditional system, but modern astrologers see this sign as ruled by Uranus.
Another difference is the degree to which the two schools of astrology emphasize fate vs. free will. Modern astrology views free will as paramount, while traditional astrology believes the natal chart reveals much which is fated in a person’s life. Both systems, however, offer a powerful set of tools for understanding your life.