Book Review

The Nature of Astrology:
History, Philosophy, and the Science
of Self-Organizing Systems

by Bruce Scofield

Publisher: Inner Traditions

544 Pages

Release Date: January 3, 2023

 

 

 

 

This is not a casual read. This is not the kind of astrology book that tells you what your sun sign is, what your moon sign is, your rising sign, and so on – you’re not going to find out how to learn how to find the love of your live or the best career for your personality by casting a perfect horoscope and following the planets each month, day, year – this is not that book. This is a serious study of astrology – you’ll be reading about biology, anthropology, archeology, meteorology, astrometeorology, history from the very beginning of time, the history of the Catholic Church, the Renaissance, the Reformation – it’s some real heavy stuff. Someone like me eats books like this for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but still, it’s not an easy read. I read it with tabs to mark the pages I wanted to come back to and a highlighter to mark passages I remember and a notebook so I could take notes and jot down ideas that came to me as I read. This book made me remember certain classes I took at the University of New York at Buffalo – it’s on that level. So be forewarned.

But that makes perfect sense because it’s written by a professor. Bruce Scofield got his BA in History from Rutgers University, his Masters in Social Sciences from Montclair State University (Montclair, New Jersey), and his Doctorate in Geosciences at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he teaches science. He also teaches astrology-related courses at Kepler College, an online college based in Shoreline, Washington. He presently serves as the president of the Professional Astrologers Alliance (PAA). Obviously, he is a heavy hitter and not a player in the minor leagues – he’s been playing in the majors for a long time. Not only am I not in that league, I’m not even playing the game. All I can do is admire this level of intellectual athleticism and scholarly excellence.

He’s got several websites and of course I checked them out. There’s a lot to see on each one. Do yourself a favor and visit these links.

Link here ~~~~~> https://www.wessexastrologer.com/authors/bruce-scofield/

Link here ~~~~~> http://www.naturalastrology.com/about.php

Link here ~~~~~> https://www.onereed.com/

In the Preface, Scofield lays out how he is going to present the material in the book. Part 1 of the book begins with a review of modern biological studies which touch upon our understanding of how the Earth’s rotation and the “rhythms of light, gravity, magnetism, and solar radiation” have been used as navigational indicators and life activators. Scofield explains that these biological triggers are evidence that our “solar system neighbors, particularly the Sun and the Moon” affect life on Earth in “profound ways” (Scofield, x). Because of this, scientists have found links between the solar system and terrestrial weather and climate systems, which is considered in depth. He reviews the history of astronomy in nature, which the Greeks called astrology, and then he goes into astrometeorology, which is a method of weather forecasting “which has been studied and employed from ancient times through the Renaissance and looks to the solar system for correspondences” (Scofield, xi). I have to admit that I had never heard of astrometeorology before reading this book. It did seem to me to be a linguistic redundancy – putting together “astro” and “meteorology” – doesn’t meteorology study the weather by viewing the sky – the “astros”? But of course – I’m just a poet, not a scientist.

Scofield goes on to explain that in Part Two, he will discuss the “historical, philosophical, and scientific issues that astrology, in all its forms” produced. This section of the book was the most interesting to me – I love reading about the history of almost anything at all. Scofield also covers the religious aspect of astrology, another interest of mine. This part of the book is also the most political – although Scofield is never coy about his political leanings in any section of The Nature of Astrology. However, it is in the section part of the book where Scofield most definitely lays the blame for the denigration of the art and science of astrology and “how both religious and secular institutions, and sometimes just a few individuals, control definitions and reality and shape history.” (Scofield, xi). At this point, we are ready for Part 3, this is a critique of the “scientific evidence and theoretical explanations” surrounding the subject, and then “some observations on the contemporary condition” of astrology.

This is exactly what he does, in scholarly detail and in a most engaging prose that draws in the reader, even if sometimes that engaging prose is a bit over your head, intellectually. It still rolls off the tongue like a creamy Béchamel, smooth as silk.

The book is filled with charts and figures and illustrations. This chart, illustrating Pico Della Mirandola’s attack on Astrology and Scofield’s comments is one of my favorites:

“Pants on fire”? Am I reading this right? Scofield obviously has a sense of humor! (Scofield, 292)

Near the end of The Nature of Astrology: History, Philosophy, and the Science of Self-Organizing Systems, Scofield says that this book is “both a science book on astrology and an astrology book on science” and I think that’s probably the best way to sum up this book. If you’re looking for the usual astrology book, this is not your book. But if you’re looking for a book that discusses astrology from a historical, philosophical and most of all a scientific aspect, this is THE book. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It was a challenge to read – without a doubt – and it was an educational read. I’ll never look at an astrological chart or even the night sky the same way again.

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About the Author
Bruce Scofield

Bruce Scofield (b. 7/21/1948) lives in Western Massachusetts, emigrating from New Jersey in 1989. His writings span several subjects including trails and hiking, astrology, history and science. After early interests in paleontology and astronomy, he began studying astrology in 1967. In 1980 he began a private practice from which he earned a living as an astrological consultant for many years. He is on the faculty of Kepler College (www.keplercollege.org), speaks at astrology conferences and meetings and has written many articles for the Mountain Astrologer magazine, Llewellyn Publications, the NCGR Journal, Dell Horoscope, American Astrology and many other astrological magazines and journals. His interest in Mesoamerican astrology has a major online presence at www.onereed.com. He holds a BA in history from Rutgers University, an MA in social sciences from Montclair University and a PhD in geosciences from the University of Massachusetts where he has taught environmental evolution and Gaia Theory.

 

 

The Nature of Astrology on Amazon

 

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About the Author:

Polly MacDavid lives in Buffalo, New York at the moment but that could easily change, since she is a gypsy at heart. Like a gypsy, she is attracted to the divinatory arts, as well as camp fires and dancing barefoot. She has three cats who all help her with her magic.

Her philosophy about religion and magic is that it must be thoroughly based in science and logic. She is Dianic Wiccan but she gets along with a few of the masculine deities. She loves to cook and she is a Bills fan.

She blogs at silverapplequeen.wordpress.com. She writes about general life, politics and poetry. She is writing a novel about sex, drugs and recovery.