A Brief Astrology History: The Resurgence of Classical Astrology (20th Century)

The history of every field follows the same pattern: humans are never content with a static state. The perpetual cycle between the classical and the deviation is a fundamental societal norm.

Before the 20th century, classical astrological literature often required proficiency in specific languages such as Latin, Arabic, Ancient Greek, or Mesopotamian cuneiform to be deciphered, which significantly hindered its dissemination.

American astrologer James Holden had been independently translating Ancient Greek and Latin astrological texts since 1950. After 1980, he served as the Research Director for the American Federation of Astrologers (AFA). However, the AFA was not particularly popular during the 1980s and 90s. Younger astrologers of that era preferred establishing their own organizations, such as The National Council for Geocosmic Research (NCGR), The International Society for Astrological Research (ISAR), and The Association for Astrological Networking (AFAN). Consequently, Holden’s translations failed to gain the significant attention they deserved at the time.

Beginning in 1980, a new generation of astrologers rediscovered an interest in astrological traditions. A prominent example is Robert Zoller. In 1981, he published a book on Arabic Parts, drawing extensively from his studies of the 13th-century astrologer Guido Bonatti and 16th-century astrological literature written in Latin. At the time, Zoller was a "lone wolf," conducting independent research with promoting traditional astrology in mind.

In 1985, Clive Kavan republished William Lilly’s Christian Astrology, sparking a wave of interest in horary astrology and other classical techniques among British astrologers throughout the 80s and 90s. Clive was actually an electrician by trade, yet he possessed an extraordinary passion for Lilly’s work. Working after hours, he painstakingly deciphered the archaic typography by eye and manually re-typed the entire masterpiece word by word. He even established his own company, Regulus Publishing, to self-fund the project. Ultimately, this book acted as a spark that ignited a widespread classical astrology movement across the United Kingdom.

Between 1992 and 1998, The Golden Hind Press, founded by Robert Schmidt and Ellen Black, recognized a strategic opportunity. They believed that re-translating classical texts would offer fresh perspectives for modern astrology, leading them to launch Project Hindsight.

Initially, the project relied on a handful of works translated by historians and cultural scholars. These academics had zero interest in astrology; they viewed the texts merely as a lens to understand the social context of the era. As a result, these translations were of limited use for actual practice.

Over time, Project Hindsight pivoted toward original, edited Greek source materials. This included the Catalogus Codicum Astrologorum Graecorum (CCAG), a monumental collection that had been gathering dust in European libraries for a century. This massive compendium brought together a vast array of mysterious, short-form astrological manuscripts.

Note: A wealth of fascinating resources can be found on Robert Schmidt and Ellen Black’s website: projecthindsight.net.

Another challenge was the general disdain academia held for astrology at the time, which made it difficult to find suitable translators. Even for those with linguistic expertise, it is nearly impossible to convey the subtle nuances of an author’s stance without a genuine interest in the subject matter.

The writing style and the state of preservation of Hellenistic literature further increased the difficulty: cryptic meanings with multiple interpretations, fragmented remains that had been re-copied and redacted by predecessors, a writing style rooted in oral poetry rather than everyday vocabulary, content heavily simplified to save space, and authors who intentionally withheld information for fear that their work might fall into the wrong hands.

Fortunately, the astrology community provided massive support through subscriptions for the project’s books and audio recordings. Over several years, this initiative inspired many contemporary astrologers to seriously engage with Hellenistic astrology, many even choosing to learn Ancient Greek themselves.

Robert Hand and Robert Zoller were also key figures in Project Hindsight. However, the "Three Roberts" eventually developed disagreements over how to interpret the texts, and the story concluded with the group parting ways.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a wave of interest in studying Vedic astrology emerged in the West, during which the American College of Vedic Astrology was founded.

Consequently, the resurgence of classical astrology at the end of the 20th century was not limited to Western traditions but also encompassed ancient Vedic astrology. Due to its supportive religious and cultural environment, astrology in India did not experience the cycles of rise and fall seen in the West; instead, it has developed steadily over thousands of years. For this reason, the Indian system of astrology still retains many characteristics of Western classical astrology to this day.