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| Abbreviation | FAS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 7 June 1948 |
| Legal status | Company Limited by Guarantee |
| Purpose | Educational |
The Faculty of Astrological Studies (FAS; founded 7 June 1948) is a UK-based school of astrology which in its over sixty years of existence has enrolled more than 10,000 students from ninety countries. [1]
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| Background |
| Traditions |
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| Astrological signs |
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The Faculty of Astrological Studies was founded on 7 June 1948 under the auspices of the Astrological Lodge of London, for the purpose of advancing the understanding of the astrological tradition and producing practicing astrologers of integrity. [2] Its founding members were Charles E. O. Carter, Edmund Casselli, Margaret Hone, and Lorenze von Sommaruga. [2] The Faculty became independent of the Lodge in 1954. Its first Principal was the British astrologer Charles Carter, [3] who was supported by his friend and FAS fellow-council member John Addey. [4] Carter remained in the post of president until 1954, when he was succeeded by Margaret Hone, [3] and later by Jeff Mayo in 1969 [5] and by Julia Parker in 1973. [6] Two of its former tutors, Liz Greene and Howard Sasportas, went on to found the Centre for Psychological Astrology in London in 1983.
In the 'Prospectus and Brief Syllabus of the Faculty of Astrological Studies' issued in August 1948, the objectives of the Faculty were set out as follows:
The Faculty of Astrological Studies runs training courses by distance learning or classes in London. Its syllabus is reputed to be "rigorous" and includes a study of "history, astronomy, psychology, counselling methods, and every kind of astrological technique". [7] Holders of its diploma are required to sign its Code of Ethics. [8] It also holds an annual Summer School in Oxford.
The Faculty is a member of the Advisory Panel on Astrological Education.
The present patrons are Robert Hand, Liz Greene, Baldur Ebertin, Julia Parker and Melanie Reinhart. [9]
Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Different cultures have employed forms of astrology since at least the 2nd millennium BCE, these practices having originated in calendrical systems used to predict seasonal shifts and to interpret celestial cycles as signs of divine communications. Most, if not all, cultures have attached importance to what they observed in the sky, and some—such as the Hindus, Chinese, and the Maya—developed elaborate systems for predicting terrestrial events from celestial observations. Western astrology, one of the oldest astrological systems still in use, can trace its roots to 19th–17th century BCE Mesopotamia, from where it spread to Ancient Greece, Rome, the Islamic world, and eventually Central and Western Europe. Contemporary Western astrology is often associated with systems of horoscopes that purport to explain aspects of a person's personality and predict significant events in their lives based on the positions of celestial objects; the majority of professional astrologers rely on such systems.
Western astrology is the system of astrology most popular in Western countries. Western astrology is historically based on Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, which in turn was a continuation of Hellenistic and ultimately Babylonian traditions.
Most horoscopic traditions of astrology systems divide the horoscope into a number of houses whose positions depend on time and location rather than on date. In Hindu astrological tradition these are known as Bhāvas. The houses of the horoscope represent different fields of experience wherein the energies of the signs and planets operate—described in terms of physical surroundings as well as personal life experiences.
In Western astrology, astrological signs are the twelve 30-degree sectors that make up Earth's 360-degree orbit around the Sun. The signs enumerate from the first day of spring, known as the First Point of Aries, which is the vernal equinox. The astrological signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. The Western zodiac originated in Babylonian astrology, and was later influenced by the Hellenistic culture. Each sign was named after a constellation the sun annually moved through while crossing the sky. This observation is emphasized in the simplified and popular sun sign astrology. Over the centuries, Western astrology's zodiacal divisions have shifted out of alignment with the constellations they were named after by axial precession of the Earth while Hindu astrology measurements correct for this shifting. Astrology was developed in Chinese and Tibetan cultures as well but these astrologies are not based upon the zodiac but deal with the whole sky.
Astrological belief in correspondences between celestial observations and terrestrial events have influenced various aspects of human history, including world-views, language and many elements of social culture.
An astrological age is a time period which, according to astrology, parallels major changes in the development of human society, culture, history, and politics. There are twelve astrological ages corresponding to the twelve zodiacal signs in western astrology. One cycle of the twelve astrological ages is called a Great Year, comprising 25,772 solar years, at the end of which another cycle begins.
Liz Greene is an American-British astrologer and author. Her father was born in London, and her mother in the United States.
Alan Leo, born William Frederick Allan, was an English astrologer, author, publisher, astrological data collector and theosophist. He is often referred to as "the father of modern astrology".
Julia Parker is an astrologer and author who, often in partnership with her husband Derek Parker, has written many popular and introductory books on astrology.
John Michael Addey was an English astrologer.
Psychological astrology, or astropsychology, is the result of the cross-fertilisation of the fields of astrology with depth psychology, humanistic psychology and transpersonal psychology. There are several methods of analyzing the horoscope in the contemporary psychological astrology: the horoscope can be analysed through the archetypes within astrology or the analyses can be rooted in the psychological need and motivational theories. No methodologically sound scientific studies exist that show a benefit or detriment in using psychological astrology. Psychological astrology, or astropsychology is a pseudoscience.
Nicholas Campion is a British astrologer and historian of astrology and cultural astronomy. He is the author of a number of books and currently pursues an academic career.
Dennis Elwell was a British astrologer, journalist, author and lecturer. He is the author of the book Cosmic Loom, and has contributed articles to the publications The Future of Astrology, the Astrological Association Journal, American Astrology, Prediction and Mountain Astrologer.
Margaret Ethelwyn Hone was an influential mid–20th century astrologer and astrological author. She was also known as "Peg Hone".
Hellenistic astrology is a tradition of horoscopic astrology that was developed and practiced in the late Hellenistic period in and around the Mediterranean Basin region, especially in Egypt. The texts and technical terminology of this tradition of astrology were largely written in Greek. The tradition originated sometime around the late 2nd or early 1st century BC, and then was practiced until the 6th or 7th century AD. This type of astrology is commonly referred to as "Hellenistic astrology" because it was developed in the late Hellenistic period, although it continued to be practiced for several centuries after the end of what historians usually classify as the Hellenistic era.
Some medieval Muslims took a keen interest in the study of astrology, partly because they considered the celestial bodies to be essential, partly because the dwellers of desert-regions often travelled at night, and relied upon knowledge of the constellations for guidance in their journeys. After the advent of Islam, the Muslims needed to determine the time of the prayers, the direction of the Kaaba, and the correct orientation of the mosque, all of which helped give a religious impetus to the study of astronomy and contributed towards the belief that the heavenly bodies were influential upon terrestrial affairs as well as the human condition. The science dealing with such influences was termed astrology, a discipline contained within the field of astronomy. The principles of these studies were rooted in Arabian, Persian, Babylonian, Hellenistic and Indian traditions and both were developed by the Arabs following their establishment of a magnificent observatory and library of astronomical and astrological texts at Baghdad in the 8th century.
Stephen Arroyo is an American best-selling author and astrologer.
In astrology, planets have a meaning different from the astronomical understanding of what a planet is. Before the age of telescopes, the night sky was thought to consist of two similar components: fixed stars, which remained motionless in relation to each other, and moving objects/"wandering stars", which moved relative to the fixed stars over the course of the year(s).
Robert Sterling Hand is an American astrologer, historian, and writer.