The idea that the stars can answer a specific question is by no means a modern invention. In the first century AD, the astrologer Dorotheus of Sidon, in the fifth book of his influential work Carmen Astrologicum, referred to a method that can be considered the prototype of horary astrology. For a time after Dorotheus, however, major astrologers left no written records of a practice designed to answer specific questions.
Entering the Middle Ages, the center stage of astrology shifted to the Arab world. At that time, while Japan was in its Nara and Heian periods, ancient knowledge that had been scattered was translated from Greek and Persian into Arabic within the Islamic sphere. It was during this era that astrology was once again systematized and integrated as a scholarly discipline, and horary astrology, in a form close to what we know today, was established. These works were later translated into Latin, thereby passing on astrological knowledge to Europe. During the Renaissance, astrology was taught alongside astronomy in universities, and giants of astronomical history such as Copernicus, Brahe, Galileo, and Kepler all studied the subject. In those days, astrology and astronomy were viewed as closely related fields of study.
A turning point arrived in the 17th century. The English astrologer William Lilly published Christian Astrology, the world’s first comprehensive guide to horary astrology written in English. Ironically, it was precisely at this time that the fate of astrology in the West began to change. With the rise of modern science, astrology was gradually excluded from the category of “science,” losing the support of intellectuals and the culturally influential. The era when astrology and astronomy were one came to a close, and stargazing came to be treated as mere superstition or entertainment.
Nevertheless, the embers of the tradition of questioning the stars were never completely extinguished. Around the time the Meiji government was established in Japan, a new astrological boom was taking place in Europe and America, fueled by the rise of Theosophy and interest in Eastern thought. Then, in the latter half of the 20th century, horary astrology experienced a revitalization. A movement to resurrect Lilly’s classical methods gained momentum, leading to a revival of traditional astrology centered in the UK and the US. This trend eventually reached Japan, where translated works and specialized courses on horary astrology became available.
For those who wish to delve deeper, the appendix provides a guide to further reading, including books and articles, as well as alternative theories and additional reflections on the topics discussed in the main text.
特定の質問に星が答える――その発想は決して近代の産物ではありません。紀元1世紀の占星術師シドンのドロテウスは著書『占星詩』第五巻「質問と始まり」において、ホラリー占星術の原型ともいえる方法に言及しました。その後しばらく主要な占星術師たちは、特定の質問に答える占星術について何も書き残しませんでした。
中世に入り占星術の舞台はアラビア世界へと移ります。その頃の日本は奈良・平安時代。当時のイスラム圏で、散逸していた古代知識がギリシア語やペルシア語からアラビア語に翻訳され、占星術は再び学問体系として整理・統合されました。現在の形に近いホラリー占星術が確立したのはこの時代です。やがて、それらの成果はラテン語へ翻訳され、占星術の知識はヨーロッパへ受け継がれました。ルネサンス期の大学では天文学と共に占星術が教えられ、コペルニクスやブラーエ、ガリレオ、ケプラーといった天文学史上の巨人たちも占星術を学んでいます。占星術は当時、天文学と地続きの学問分野でした。
転機が訪れたのは17世紀のことです。イングランドの占星術師ウィリアム・リリーが世界で初めて英語による本格的なホラリー占星術の手引書『クリスチャン・アストロロジー』を出版しました。しかし皮肉にも、まさにこの頃から西洋における占星術の運命は転換します。近代科学の台頭により、占星術は次第に「科学」のカテゴリーから外され、知識人や文化人の支持を失い下火になっていきました。そして、占星術と天文学が一体であった時代は終わりを告げ、星占いは迷信や娯楽として扱われるようになります。
それでも星に問う伝統の火種が完全に消えたわけではありません。日本で明治政府が樹立した頃、欧米では神智学や東洋思想の興隆とともに新たな占星術ブームが訪れます。そして20世紀の後半、再びホラリー占星術が息を吹き返しました。リリーの古典的手法を現代に甦らせようという動きが起こり、英米を中心に古典占星術の復興運動が展開されたのです。この流れは日本にも伝わり、ホラリー占星術の翻訳書や専門講座が提供されるようになりました。
資料篇では、さらに学習したい方に向けて書籍や論文、本篇に対する異説や考察を紹介します。