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Welcome to Cosmocritic: resources for enquiry into non-linear understandings* of horoscopic astrology

* By which we mean approaches outside the causal, realist and objectivist approaches typically associated these days with classical, materialist science.

We present a range of perspectives - including ones that conflict with and even contradict one another - in the hope of promoting controversy and enquiry.

This is a non-profit website - on purpose!



For an introduction to most of the texts on this site we recommend:

Little, Kirk: 'A Reader's Guide to Cosmocritic' (2016/22)

Video

Astrology as Divination: Questions to Geoffrey Cornelius.

A conversation under the aegis of Cosmocritic.com, 4th October 2022. 1 hour 22 mins. Can be played from this site, or downloaded. 430mb.

Texts

Addey, Crystal: 'The Connected Cosmos: Harmony, Cosmology and Theurgy in Neoplatonism' (2020)

A concise depiction of the Neoplatonic cosmos with much that might be applied to astrology. 17 pp.; 18 mb.

Addey, John: 'Astrology as Divination' (1982)

A critical perspective on divination which asserts the importance of an experimental, empirical approach. 7 pp.; 1.7 mb.

Andrikopoulos, Laura:'The Psychologisation of Natal Astrology in the Twentieth Century' (2023)

PhD thesis on psychological astrology discussing the extent to which it may be labelled a 'psychologised' form. 359 pp.; 3.8 mb.

Bader, Claudia: 'Astrology and Transitional Phenomena' (2023)

PhD thesis which studies the power of astrology in the psyche through Winnicott’s concept of transitional phenomena/objects and Bollas’ transformational object. 270pp; 6.3 mb.

Bird, Alie: 'Astrology in Education: an Ethnography' (2006)

PhD thesis examining how astrology is taught; discusses astrology as divination and Vaihinger's 'philosophy of "as if"'. 302 pp.; 1.7 mb.

Blixen, Karen: 'On Natural Divination' (1939)

A short excerpt from Blixen's autobiography which exemplifies natural divination, with an introduction by Patrick Curry. 2 pp.; 200 kb.

Brady, Bernadette: 'Can astrology be viewed as an expression of chaosmos...' (2004)

Ranges from pre-historical creation myths to contemporary chaos and complexity theories; considers their potential relevance to astrology. 88 pp.; 900 kb.

Brockbank, James: 'Different Ways to Characterise Astrology' (2016)

Considers the basis upon which astrology is characterised as belonging to a particular approach or school. 4 pp.; 50 kb.

Brockbank, James: 'The Responsive Cosmos: An Enquiry into the Theoretical Foundations of Astrology' (2011)

PhD thesis which examines the philosophical implications of an astrological cosmos. 402 pp.; 2 mb.

Brockbank, James: 'Human Judgement Errors and Astrology' (2015)

Discusses and evaluates the attribution of astrology's apparent efficacy to failings in human judgement. 13pp.; 160 kb.

Brockbank, James: 'Two Issues for Astrologers to Debate and Discuss' (2017)

Fundamental questions about the nature of astrology. 3pp.; 230 kb.

Clark, Vernon: 'Three Articles' (1960 - 1)

Tests of astrologers which remain controversial and potentially significant. Now with an introduction by Kirk Little (added May 2022) 53pp.; 9.4 mb.

Cornelius, Geoffrey: 'An Anti-Astrology Signature' (1978)

Discusses astrological symbolism within the 'Humanist' attack on astrology of 1975; features a new introduction by Kirk Little. 16 pp.; 9 mb.

Cornelius, Geoffrey: 'Is Astrology Divination - and Does it Matter?' (1998/2000)

Concise summary of the case for taking astrology as a form of divination. 11 pp.; 700 kb.

Cornelius, Geoffrey: The Oslo Paper and Moment of Astrology articles (1982 - 6)

An early paper and series of articles in which Cornelius articulates the idea of astrology as a form of divination for the first time in his work. With an introduction by Kirk Little. 51 pp.; 17 mb.

Cornelius, Geoffrey: Psychoanalysis, Divination, Astrology (1991)

Edited version of a talk originally given to the Philadelphia Association. 8 pp.; 2 mb.

Curry, Patrick: 'An Aporia for Astrology' (1983)

An introduction to the philosophical quandries around the practice of astrology. 30 pp.; 7 mb.

Curry, Patrick: 'Truth, The Body and Divinatory Astrology' (2006)

The relevance of divinatory discussion to the characterisation of astrology's truth, with a novel proposal for the relevance of the body. 8 pp.; 80 kb.

Curry, Patrick: 'Two Chapters from Astrology, Science and Culture' (2004/2017)

Chapters from the book. 36 pp.; 200 kb.

Douglas, Graham: 'Aristotle's Four Causes and Tinbergen's Four Whys' (2019)

Discussion of fourfold structures in Aristotle, astrology and elsewhere. 31 pp.; 300 kb.

Eccles, Bernard: '21st Century Astrology: Judgement without Consideration' (2015)

Evaluates the future of astrology in the digital age. 11 pp.; 1 mb.

Greenbaum, Dorian Gieseler: 'Arrows, Aiming and Divination: Astrology as a Stochastic Art' (2010)

Explores the roots of divination and science in Hellenistic philosophy and astrology. 30 pp.; 1.5 mb.

Hamblin, David: 'Astrology as Religion' (1990)

Letter in which an influential astrologer announced his loss of confidence in astrology - specifically, the scientific model thereof. 3 pp.; 40 kb.

Hand, Robert: 'The Proper Relationship of Astrology and Science' (1989)

Examines negative and positive expectations for scientific analysis of astrology, and the limitations of both. 11 pp.; 4 mb.

Harding, Mike: 'Review of: Cosmos, Chaosmos and Astrology by Bernadette Brady' (2015)

Detailed discussion of Bernadette Brady's book on chaos theory and astrology. 10 pp.; 60 kb.

Harding, Mike: 'Metaphysical Psychology: The 8th Great Problem of Astrology' (2020)

A philosophical analysis of our relation to astrology and the world, drawing particularly on the thought of Wittgenstein. 16 pp.; 150 kb.

Heaton, John: 'A Talk and an Essay Relating to Astrology' (texts from 1989 to 2017)

By the psychotherapist John Heaton (1925 - 2017), with an introduction to his life and work by Kirk Little and an obituary by Mike Harding. 42 pp.; 7 mb.

Hildreth, Sally: 'Deep Ecology and Western Astrology: The Kuiper Belt and Cosmological Mystery' (2017)

Sally's MA thesis places astrology in a context of dialogical psychology and deep ecology.

Hyde, Maggie: 'The Cock and the Chameleon: Divination, Platonism and Postmodernism' (2007)

Exploration of the relevance of Platonism to divination, with particular reference to two instances of divinatory work. 10 pp.; 90 kb.

Hyde, Maggie: 'The Judder Effect' (2001)

Versions, and consequences, of astrological success as perceived outwardly and experienced inwardly. 6 pp.; 1.5 mb.

Hyde, Maggie: 'The One World in Judicial Astrology: Lilly and the Philosopher's Stone' (2014)

Analysis of a horary interpretation by William Lilly, with particular focus on the cosomological vision that is implied. 13 pp.; 0.5 mb.

Kochunas, Brad: 'Why Astrology Works' (1999)

A vision of astrology as a useful application of myth and imagination. 5 pp.; 140 kb.

Lawrence, D. H.: Excerpt on divination and astrology from 'Etruscan Places' (1932)

D. H. Lawrence's take on divination, with a little bit of astrology too. Thanks to Patrick Curry for suggesting this text. 3 pp.; 700 k.

Levi-Strauss, Claude: 'Trystes Cosmologiques' (1969/2014)

The famous anthropologist in an interview focused on astrology, with Andre Barbault and Jean-Pierre Nicola. Translated and introduced by Graham Douglas. 14 pp.; 175 k.

Little, Kirk: 'A Reader's Guide to Cosmocritic' (2016/22)

Comprehensive introduction to this website, the ideas behind it, and the texts hosted herein. Includes a major update from 2022. 27 pp.; 468 k.

Little, Kirk: 'Defining the Moment: Geoffrey Cornelius and the Development of the Divinatory Perspective' (2006)

One of the first works to place the development of Geoffrey Cornelius's 'Moment of Astrology' in the context of UK Astrology. 42 pp.; 400 k.

Little, Kirk: 'Patrick Curry and the Advent of Astrology, Science and Culture: A Segment of Astrology's History and Philosophy in Text and Biography' (2017)

Introduction to Patrick's thought, particularly focused on Astrology, Science and Culture. 22 pp.; 300 k.

Mansfield, Victor: 'An Astrophysicist's Sympathetic and Critical View of Astrology' (1997)

Reflects on ways to reconcile inner and outer worlds, drawing on contemporary science and Jungian thought. 14 pp.; 400 kb.

Phillipson, Garry: 'Astrology and Truth: A Context in Contemporary Epistemology' (2020)

Doctoral thesis which evaluates astrology's truth-status in light of the three major theories of truth. 383 pp.; 2.9 mb.

Phillipson, Garry: 'Modern Science, Epistemology and Astrology' (2006)

Considers if and how scientific developments such as quantum mechanics impinge on astrology. 16 pp.; 250 kb.

Phillipson, Garry: 'The Philosophy of William James as a Context for Astrology' (2010)

Exploration of themes in James's philosophy such as pragmatism and panpsychism and their relevance to astrology. 12 pp.; 160 kb.

Radermacher, Lindsay: 'The Role of Dialogue in Astrological Divination' (2011)

MPhil dissertation that focuses on a divinatory and dialogical model of astrology with particular reference to the thought of Martin Buber. 210 pp.; 4 mb.

Rudhyar, Dane: 'How Can Astrology's Claims be Proven Valid' (1970/1961)

The influential astrologer, musician, painter and philosopher questions whether astrology is inherently capable of scientific vindication. 4 pp; 1.7 mb.

Ruperti, Alexander: 'Meaning of Humanistic Astrology' (1994)

Clear statement of the view (drawing on Rudhyar's thought) that astrology is necessarily different from one astrologer to the next.

Saunders, Janet: 'Hermeticism and Astrology' (2017)

MA dissertation which draws equally on ancient texts and the neurological insights of Iain McGilchrist. 36pp; 1mb.

Taylor, Carole: 'Imagining the World' (2015)

MA dissertation exploring the nature of astrological knowledge in a manner both profound and accessible. 50pp; 350kb.

Voss, Angela: 'The Astrology of Marsilio Ficino: Divination or Science?' (2000)

Introduction to the Renaissance philosopher's perspective on astrology and divination.