1.What is so significant about Medieval Astrology?

Medieval Astrology is the astrology of the great professional astrologers of history. It is the astrology of Abu Ma'shar, Messahallah, Abu 'Ali al-Khayyat, Ibn Ezra, Bonatti, Montulmo, Gaurico, Nostradamus, John Dee, Placidus, Morinus and others. It is not the astrology of hobbyists and charlatans but rather of men who lived in societies which valued astrology as the Queen of the sciences. 

Medieval Astrology gives you the ability to delineate the objective reality the native lives in and to accurately predict events in his/her life e.g. marriage, the birth of children, profession, finances, health, family, spiritual life; in short, all aspects of human existence. Medieval Astrology can do this because, unlike modern Western Astrology (which approaches astrology from a subjective, metaphorical approach which blurs the distinction between self, other and ones ideas about the affairs of life signified by the astrological houses), Medieval Astrology distinguishes the native from the concrete circumstances of his life. 

It is called Medieval Astrology so as to distinguish it from other forms and "schools" of astrology. 

2. Are all the Course materials in English?

Yes, the Medieval Astrology Foundation Course and the various publications on the Website are in English. 

The language my sources wrote in was Latin. Most of what you will find here comes from 12th and 13th century Latin texts which Robert Zoller has translated, studied and applied for over 25 years. But these sources were themselves translations of earlier works written in Arabic, Hebrew and Greek. However, you need not fear that you will have to learn Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Arabic. That part of the work has been done for you.

3.How can Medieval Astrology be relevant to people in the 21st century? Haven't we evolved?

Not really. People often confuse evolution with progress. But progress is measured in terms of new things whereas evolution is measured in terms of being. No one would deny that Mankind has invented many wonderful things since the Middle Ages, but there is a great deal of doubt that the human being has improved, advanced, evolved or progressed much. The most superficial glance around at contemporary political and social events shows that people are doing to each other pretty much the same things they were doing in 1300. They still love, hate, marry, divorce, raise empires, fall in warfare, lie, write poetry, create beauty, etc. So, no, we have not changed essentially. If there is such a thing as evolution, its adaptations take long stretches of time to establish themselves and the few hundred years which separate the Middle Ages from the 21st century are not long enough to matter. Therefore, just as we may still find relevance in ancient and Medieval Philosophies, so too may we find that Medieval Astrology works as well today as it did in 1300 AD. My experience of using this astrology for over 25 years with thousands of examples has proven to me and to my students that Medieval Astrological methods work very well in describing the actual life experiences of contemporary people.

4.What about the Modern (Trans-Saturnian) planets?

Medieval Astrology did not know Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, nor did it recognise asteroids as being of significance. Likewise it knew nothing of Hypothetical Planets, Chiron, Vulcan or Lilith. In this regard, as in a number of other regards, Medieval Astrology is similar to what has recently come to be known as "Vedic" Astrology, i.e. the astrology practised by the inhabitants of the Indian sub-continent. Excellent results can be obtained without the Modern Planets, etc. Whether the practitioner of Medieval Astrology cares to include them in his/her practice is a matter of personal experience, but the texts of Medieval Astrology, and its methods, do not include them.

5.If I learn Medieval Astrology will it conflict with my present astrological knowledge?

That depends upon what you know. Medieval Astrology's rulerships are different from what many people are used to. Conceptualisation of aspects, orbs, planetary natures, house meanings, etc are somewhat different, though not radically so. If you are steeped in Traditional Astrological teachings, you will find much that is familiar. Indeed, Medieval Astrology is the grandparent of what is usually referred to as Traditional Astrology.

6.Can Medieval Astrology be used in conjunction with Psychological Astrology?

Yes, there is no conflict. They complement each other. This is because Medieval Astrology, while it does have something to say about the native's character, has nothing to compare with the sophisticated theories of personality and psychological development which are features of contemporary psychological astrology. Medieval Astrology's character analysis, while it offers penetrating insights, is crude, practical and ad hoc. On the other hand, contemporary psychological astrology, in order to be able to depict the totality of the native's psyche has sacrificed the ability to predict. Indeed, many contemporary psychological astrologers believe that astrology is not about prediction. 

The Medieval Astrologer existed prior to the development of psychological theory and so didn't do psychology. However, the Medieval Astrologer, because of the way he conceptualised his Art, could delineate the objective features of the native's life and predict events. There is nothing to stop a psychological astrologer from adding the delineation and prediction capabilities of Medieval Astrology to his or her skill in understanding the subjective psychological reality the native lives in. Similarly, the Medieval Astrologer may learn the sophisticated psychological insights which many people today want from the modern practitioners of psychological astrology.

7.Where did you get this Medieval Astrology stuff from?

Robert Zoller first became interested in Medieval Astrology in the early 1970's after studying with Zoltan Mason in New York City. He read a book Anima Astrologiae, or the Astrologer's Guide. It contained the 146 Considerations of Guido Bonatti, a 13th century Italian astrologer. Zoller was impressed with its rules of judgment and its concrete and logical approach. Following Mr Mason's suggestion, He went back to college in order to learn Latin so that he could get access to primary sources such as Bonatti's Liber Astronomiae. Robert Zoller got a BA in Medieval Studies and learned the use of scholarly resources to locate relevant texts. Texts had been obtained from New York, Washington DC, Vienna, London and Paris. 

8.What do I gain from learning Medieval Astrology?

Wisdom. Initially, you gain the ability to accurately delineate the objective facts of the native's life and to predict events. This leads you to recognise your place in the cosmos and to perceive the operation of a Higher Mind ordering the apparently random events of life. Perceiving the rule of the stars we turn to that which is beyond them. 

Astrology uncovers for us the secret of the Spirit's action in the world; the way in which God's Will becomes manifest and our role in that process. Properly used, astrology can tell us in advance what our lives will be like, how to optimise the blessings of life, how and to what degree we may avoid adversity and what path each of us must travel in order to achieve Wisdom.

9.Isn't Medieval Astrology fatalistic?

If you mean by this question, "Does Medieval Astrology demonstrate the action of Fate in our lives?" The answer is yes. When you see that the general course of your life and many of its details are predictable and the result of responses to patterns clearly marked out in the Natal Figure, it becomes inescapable that while we may have been given the potential for Free Will, few seem capable of using it. Our lives are predictable for the most part as a result. The wise will admit this and then seek the way out of the warp and woof of Fate. This too is possible, but it is not astrology's field of concern.

10.How long does it take to learn Medieval Astrology?

The Foundation Course on Medieval Astrology should take a person of average intelligence working 4 hours a week about three weeks at the most. The Advanced Course is considerably more comprehensive but the same person working 4 hours a month, in spite of the pressures of making a living, can learn the basics of Medieval Astrology in 21 months. Those who can put in more time can attain the goal in 21 weeks.

11.Is Medieval Astrology anti-religious?

Julius Firmicus Maternus, the Roman astrologer said that the study of astrology leads us to the divine. Zoller concurs. While it is possible to abuse any good art or science, the proper study of astrology leads its devotees to believe in an ordering Cause. How they conceptualise that Cause may vary depending upon culture and the Age, but there is nothing inherently anti-religious about astrology.

12.Does Medieval Astrology have a spiritual dimension or is it exclusively concerned with temporal matters?

Yes, Medieval Astrology, while it openly addresses the concrete, everyday experience of life, transmits to us an Hermetic Spirituality harmonising with the more esoteric dimensions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

13.What good is knowing the future?

It is by knowing that there is a future which can be known that we learn of God's Providence and Wisdom. From a more worldly point of view, it is good, where possible, to minimise suffering and accentuate life's benefits. In the effort to know oneself, it is helpful to know ones capabilities and ones weaknesses. In the education of children it is useful to know what to teach them and what evil influences to protect them from. In the midst of adversity it is reassuring to know the limit of suffering and in moments of success it is wise to foresee impending danger and to take steps to avoid it.

14.Can you get 100% accuracy with Medieval Astrology?

No. A more realistic approach is to say that the rules of Medieval Astrology should give you 75% accuracy. By the addition of your own insight and experience you may get 85% - 90% accuracy using medieval methods. Inspiration may raise this success to 95% occasionally. But the truth is that man is not God. He knows, we surmise. The rules of the Art help us to say more than we know but perfection (100%) eludes us. Humility and truthfulness are valuable in themselves. It is enough if we cultivate the Art and practice these virtues.

15.Is Medieval Astrology magic or part of the Occult?

The answer may be yes or no to the first and yes to the second. The Magi practised astrology and what they practised was called magic. Yet astrology has nothing to do with sleight of hand, miracles or diabolism. Medieval Astrology is a part of Medieval Science. It is essentially a symbolic algebra. Yet its causality is hidden from us. The arguments for astrological influence as a form of electro-magnetic radiation are untenable. We know of no convincing physical explanation for why an astrological chart properly read is accurate. Robert Zoller has convinced many sceptics that astrology works, but always by demonstration, never by argument. The causes of astrological influence are hidden. "Hidden" in Latin is "Occult." Therefore one can say that astrology is occult.



If you are interested in learning more about Medieval Astrology, you may want to sign-up for Robert Zoller's Medieval Astrology Foundation Course.