I am writing something about the contrast between individual fate versus the fate of the collective and was going to use the old Hiroshima A-bomb example. I have found a quote from Charles Carter in which he poses a rhetorical question about whether the nativities of all the inhabitants could have shown the event.

I have also seen an article that says it was predicted in "Old Moore's Almanac" Was there not a British astrologer who foresaw unusually heavy bombing over Tokyo on the date the A-bomb was detonated? Can anyone remind me who it was?

If anyone knows of any sceptic who has posed Carter's question that would be great as well.

Thanks in advance

Matt

Hello Matt,

Afraid I dont have the answer to your question. I just wanted to remind members we had an interesting discussion on mass tragedies and nativities here in the mundane forum a couple of years ago.

http://skyscript.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3391

Its revealing that mass tragedies have been used as an argument against astrology since classical times. For example, the Roman writer Sextus Empiricus writing in the 2nd century AD makes the following critcism of astrology:

For the man who was born in the arrow's point of the Archer is doomed -- according to astrological theory -- to be slain, how is it that all those myriads of barbarians who fought against the Greeks at Marathon were all slain at one time? For the horoscope was not the same for them all. And again, if he who was born in the pitcher of Aquarius is doomed to suffer shipwreck, how is it that the Greeks who were being brought back from Troy were all drowned together round the Hollows of Euboea? For that all these men, who differed greatly from another, could have been born in the pitcher of Aquarius is impossible.(Against The Professors V:92-93)

However, the notion of a hierarchy of fate with collective destiny outlined in mundane astrology taking precedence over individual nativities has a long pedigree in astrology. For example its found in the medieval astrologer Ibn Ezra.

Where is your piece going to appear Matt?

regards

Mark

Mark,

Thank you for your reply and quote. I will read the posts you refer to. I was aware of Ibn Ezra but it seems that he was not the only one so to expound on this.

At present it is just for course work but maybe it could be expanded for an article later. Who knows? There might be plagues, wars, storms at sea as Ibn Ezra does indeed warn us.

Thanks again

Matt

I was aware of Ibn Ezra but it seems that he was not the only one so to expound on this.

I would be interested to know which others you had in mind? I am aware this kind of argument appears in Theosophical thought ie individual vs national Karma but I was curious if you came up with more classical or medieval sources. There is an argument for Ptolemy of course from the way he organised Tetrabiblos. Equally, going back to ancient Mesopotamia mundane astrology is undeniably the original form of astrology from which all others stem. If you want to keep your research private for now you could PM me. I am quite interested in this topic myself.

Thanks

Mark