October is a good time to fight and fight, but in November, it’s time to gather acorns.
That’s some of the timely advice from medieval astrologers featured in a new exhibit at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles called Rising Signs: The Medieval Science of Astrology.
For centuries, astrology was taught in major European universities as part of scientific disciplines, including medicine. Kings employed court astrologers and consulted them on matters of diplomacy and military strategy. The position of the stars and planets at the time of a person’s birth was thought to influence the organs of their body and the diseases they might be more likely to develop. A Gemini was seen as more susceptible to respiratory problems, Sagittarius to muscle and joint problems and Scorpio to sexually transmitted diseases.
Today, star study has moved from an elite intellectual practice to a popular pastime. The Getty exhibit has already attracted at least one A-list celebrity, Andrew Garfield, who called the collection of illuminated manuscripts “kind of dope.” But it has also proved challenging for some visitors, as it explains that their main zodiac sign may actually be different based on medieval calculations.
The exhibition is curated by Dr Larisa Grollemond, assistant curator of manuscripts at the Getty, who is also writing a book on medieval wellness practices. Grollemond spoke to the Guardian about how the culture of astrology has changed over the centuries, what shocks contemporary astrology fans about medieval practices and why people in the Middle Ages would have loved Instagram. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
What are some of the big differences between how people use astrology today? and how they used it in Medieval Europe?
Modern astrology is much more focused on aspects of personality – often on matters of compatibility, romantic things, how you relate to other people. Astrology in the Middle Ages was a much more scientific pursuit. People gave it much credence as a principle to understand the passage of time and the influence of the sun and moon and other planets on the body. There was much more to do with everyday life: diet, medicine, activities you should undertake at a certain time of the year.
How many people in front Would medieval Europe have recognized their sign?
It’s a fascinating and difficult question to answer. The zodiac and astrology were definitely part of the intellectual discourse. It was part of the university curriculum. It was part of medical practice. It is fair to say that most people who are being treated for medical ailments of any kind would have come into contact with some sort of astrological idea, whether or not it has to do with the balance of humors in their body. [fluids like blood and phlegm, which were thought to influence personality]or the right time for bleeding, for example. If that meant every peasant in the countryside of medieval France [knew their sign] – maybe not.
Are you saying that astrology is used as part of medical treatment? Would people who were sick and trying to get medical treatment be asked their astrological sign?
Within medicine, you have a great deal of variation in practices. You might have someone like a barber surgeon, who does more detailed, slightly more invasive surgery and does more bleeding, and you might have someone who is a folk medicine doctor who prescribes herbal remedies or does light bleeding. In both of these cases, there would be some consultation with astrological ideas, whether that meant a deeper analysis of one’s sun sign and time of year or their mood and illness – or it could be much more level-headed. surface: Is this a good season to take medicine in general? It was believed that different signs ruled different parts of the body.
This exhibit explains to visitors that, according to medieval astrology, your astrological sign could be different from the one you have today. Why is that so?
In the Middle Ages, the system was much simpler: each month was associated with a sign. With an increased precision in astronomical observation, today we have much greater information about the position of certain constellations at certain times of the year, which indicates a greater specificity in the dates assigned to the corresponding zodiac signs.
The idea that you can have a different sign in the Middle Ages – it shakes up people’s identities in a way that I think is quite fascinating. Our astrological sign is part of our personality in a way that makes us readable to other people. I am a September Virgo. In the medieval system, I’m a Libra and I don’t identify as a Libra at all. People who have the same sign in the Middle Ages and today, they are sure that the sign is really who they are and have a sense of superiority about it.
Was there so much sSkepticism about astrology in the Middle Ages as it is today?
It was a fairly common practice for noble and royal courts to employ an astrologer, who consulted kings and rulers on macro-level decisions, military decisions. There were always whispers about the advisers having too much influence, or which ruler paid too much attention to what his astrologer was saying. This is where the skepticism started. They were skeptical of the idea of using astrological interpretation to tell the future, or aspects of divination, because it assumes something about people’s ability to understand God’s plan in a way that may be overstepping boundaries. .
People who reject astrology today reject the whole idea. Medieval opinion was a little more nuanced.
Today we think of astrology as separate from Christianity—perhaps even a spiritual competitor, or an alternative to religious practice. Was it like this in the Middle Ages?
The signs of the zodiac often appeared in devotional or religious books, and the interpretation of the movement of the heavenly bodies was indeed consistent with a Christian worldview. It was believed that God not only created everything divinely, but that he individually placed the stars where they were destined to go. The interpretation of those divinely created objects was in accordance with what God wants people to do.
You recently hosted a chat with astrologers online. One of said panelists, Kyle Thomas there have been major changes in the culture of astrology in just the last few years, and this Gen Z and other young people have a much more rigid and literal approach to astrological guidance than previous generations. What do you think about this?
There’s something about common tragic events like a pandemic that forces a reevaluation of how people exist in the world, and the fact that people are using astrology to fill that void, to answer those questions, is such an interesting cultural shift. . It makes me wonder if, 600 years from now, people will think of 2024 as a particularly astrological time.
What is one of the biggest similarities you have found between astrology centuries ago and now?
In the late 15th and 16th centuries, some of these astrological treatises appeared in print. Information was disseminated much more widely and there was an increase in knowledge about different temperaments based on mood and astrological signs. There was a cultural parallel between this and people today having greater access to the details of astrology through social media and apps. I think it is fueling a growing interest in astrology, in the same way that the press did in the fifteenth century.
You mentioned that medieval astrological illustrations are very popular with people on social media today; these very old images are still relatable, even shareable content. Do you think medieval people would also be able to relate to today’s online astrology content?
I believe the average medieval person would love Instagram because it’s really a natural visual experience. They would be able to recognize some of the astrological content we have today, especially the representations of the Zodiac symbols. I think they’re going to get a little lost in the idea of personality, like, “Because you’re a Virgo, you are this.”
What advice does this medieval astrology offer us? October and November?
October is a good time to fight and fight, this is a very Scorpio thing. Also a good time to take medicine in general. November is Sagittarius. It is a particularly good time to gather acorns, harvest and marriage, as well as reconciliation with enemies and bleeding from arms.
People always ask if it’s a good season for bloodletting. That’s all people want to know.