Three Things I Learned About Fate, Fortune and Friends from the Astrology of Vettius Valens

Committed astrologers owe it to themselves to dabble in the canon of ancient astrological literature whether they practice traditional astrology or not.

Yes, this is my personal opinion.

Yes, it’s biased because I love history.

And yes, it’s arguably an antiquated view, but one which is entirely defensible when one recalls the now-famous-ish statement from C.G. Jung, that “…astrology represents the sum of all the psychological knowledge of antiquity” (1).

I came to astrology through its more evolutionary and psychological techniques as practiced by the likes of Liz Greene and Howard Sasportas. Appreciating the archetypal and mythological perspectives of modern astrology, it was initially celestial cultural shock to engage directly with what might be reductively considered more “fortune-telling-esque” approaches to the art, such as techniques that predict the length of a native’s life, or whether the benefic planets are configured to the ascendant ruler by favourable aspects.

Horary astrology is my favourite example of this. Though I appreciate so much of the historical context around its use — especially when knowing one’s birth time was woefully rare back in the day — it really is the closest we ever get to the stereotype of what many think astrology is used for: divining whether you’ll find the right job, get rich, or meet your soul mate. However, when…