This book is an investigative look at the origins and development of Astrology. A simple enough investigation one might think…but not as obvious as all that; 'The Moment' being the key issue.

For instance, what about the time factor in casting a Horary Chart? When was the moment of the question? In addition, what does time mean in erecting a Natal Chart? Does life begin at conception? The Author examines these questions by delving into the earliest forms of Astrology and the ideas of its exponents.

From early times, critics have slated the validity of Astrology and have equated it to a form of divination as well as witchery. As late as 1975 controlled studies were conducted to show that astrologers could not match a series of Natal Charts to certain chosen personalities and that suicidal tendencies could not be ascertained in various given charts. Cornelius concludes that there is an extra 'something' that the practitioners of The Craft (as he calls it) have, that no scientific study can exactly pinpoint. He traces Horary Astrology from its earliest beginnings through its darkest days as an unfashionable art. Again, how can prediction and definite answers come from a question of the moment?

In the Seventies there was a revival of the ancient art of Horary, and Cornelius takes us through a particularly complex question involving himself and an aunt's property. His interpretation of the Horary Chart is as neat as a Monsieur Poirot solution in an Agatha Christie novel. He points out that Horary is not just about a yea or nea answer, but that it can give eerie details surrounding the question and factors contributing to the question itself. Do the Heavens know what is on our minds? And, if we ask a question, is the answer up there in the stars?

Most of us learn the principles of Classical Astrology and perhaps of Horary but rarely, do we question the nitty gritty of what we practise. Cornelius draws our attention to the fundamentals of Astrology through an academic and exhaustive treatise with thorough research and many explanatory footnotes. Robert Hand says, "One of the most important astrological books of our time. It not only reshapes the view of Astrology that Astrologers might have; it challenges the entire notion of what constitutes knowing and knowledge in our civilisation."

NOTE TO ASSA MEMBERS: This book is now available from the ASSA Library. Book Details

• Title : The Moment of Astrology
• Author : Geoffrey Cornelius
• Publisher : Wessex Astrologer, Ltd; New Ed edition (August 2005)
• Language : English
• ISBN : 1902405110