I've read many of the alarming predictions that great comets have supposed to foretell. I'm not entirely convinced.
Agreed. We need to avoid buying into the hysterical overreaction that could accompany the appearance of such a comet. I can see the apocalypse merchants using this comet as their next focus when the Mayan prophecies deadline of December 21st comes and goes without incident.
Bright comets to me have always been happy companions.
In terms of visual spectacle comets can be stunning. I suppose that is what you mean?
Nevertheless the astrological tradition over the millennia is unanimous in seeing comets as generally malefic phenomena. Moreover, such views are not limited to western astrology but occur in a variety of cultures across the world such as China, Peru, India etc. One might argue such views were formed when people did not understand the nature of the solar system and the place of comets in it. Their appearance out of nowhere could be most alarming. Based on the ideas of Aristotle it was long believed comets were probably Meteorological phenomena in the upper atmosphere rather than physical bodies in space. Hence Ptolemy does not discuss comets in his great astronomical work the Almagest. Does this mean that we should dispense with the older view of comets entirely? If you follow that astronomical logic we should also reject astrological traditions connected to the planet Saturn since these formed from a geocentric worldview which was later discarded.
What astrologers mean by saying comets are malefic is that they have destructive potential like Mars and Saturn. However, like our approach to these planets each comet must be delineated individually based upon its time of apparition, its physical appearance, and its path across the heavens etc. Hence, my comments above on the comets McNaught and Holmes were based on the individual delineation of those comets not a vague reference to them as noteable bright comets.
Mark
