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The science of the stars: learning astrology at the University of Pavia -- The making of a dynasty: astrology under Bianca Maria Visconti and Francesco Sforza -- Astrology is destiny: Galeazzo Sforza and the political uses of astrology -- The star-crossed duke: Gian Galeazzo Sforza and medical astrology -- The viper and the eagle: the rise and fall of astrology under Ludovico Sforza

"This treatise on religious studies traces the European tradition of astrology from its oriental beginnings to the present day. The aim is to get a view of the different mythological, philosophical and theological ideas of the cosmos (especially with Platonic and Aristotelian borrowings), which astrology has repeatedly reformulated and carried through all epochs. However, it seems as if astrology had lost its plausibility with the overcoming of the geocentric world view by Copernicus and Kepler and could only continue to exist as an "intellectual regression" (Theodor Adorno). This view is countered by the thesis, founded here, that astrology has been able to survive the changes in world views unscathed because it designs philosophical (holistic) patterns of reasoning into the relationship between cosmos and humans, which in a Platonic sense understand the cosmos as an intelligent and vital organism"--

Astrology is investigated as an instance of a modern mass movement characterized by interacting rational & irrational forces which can be studied on a small scale. It is viewed as a type of 'secondary superstition'; ie, the individual has no primary experience with the occult, but participates through the medium of magazines & newspapers. Because it is 'pseudo-rational' & occurs between reason & unconscious urges, it lends itself to analysis through psychoanalytic concepts. The study is exploratory & is based on a content analysis over 3 months in 1952 & 1953 of the daily astrology column of The Los Angles Times. The basic nature of the column is its dependence on popular psychology; it gives common sense advice, but is irrational in its claim that the advice comes from the stars. A detailed analysis of the underlying psychology of the column indicates that it is designed for a reader who feels weak & dependent--someone who is successful, but still an underling. The image of the reader which is projected by the columnist is distinguished from his real underlying estimate. The column attempts to promote conventional, conformist, & contented attitudes. The column recognizes that the reader may be aware of some of the negative aspects of reality & its contradictions; the solution to these contradictions is analyzed in detail under 4 categories: (1) the bi-phasic approach, (2) work & pleasure, (3) adjustment & individuality, & (4) ruggedness & dependence. Analysis of the column concludes with its conception of family, neighbors, friends, experts, & 'higher-ups'. A discussion is presented of astrology as a symptom of some tendencies & typical psychological trends in modern society. J. N. Mayer.