Linguistics and Astrology
One of the biggest risks of devoting your studious mind to the exploration of astrology is that most people will think you are a mad witch. The negativity of the uninformed can be quite irritating! However, the road less travelled is always a rocky one but I'm going to pursue my observations and I have a few more ideas here...
As I mentioned in my first blog post, astrology makes sense to me because everything in the universe is connected and most forms of life are cyclical:
The circle of life (think Simba)
The seasons cycle
The water cycle (think Geography GCSE)
The carbon cycle (think Chemistry GCSE)
Moon circles the earth
Earth circles the sun (giving most of us on earth seasons, which guide the circle of life for most of nature; think penguins on BBC Planet Earth)
Yes, that’s over simplified, however, many areas of life are cyclical and that is a scientific fact. What used to be accepted by all was that the position of the rest of the planets as they cycle the sun have an impact on live on earth. However the enlightenment period (18th century), the rapid advancement of science, the rise of psychology, the demise of faith and religion has induced mass skepticism and a subsequent schism between humanity and nature.
Humans are now removed from nature (not like the penguins) we are protected from the elements and live in a globalized world; eating strawberries in January and watching American news as it happens. We are so busy and distracted that there is less time and inclination to notice the patterns of astrology. There is no room, need, desire or inclination to study people and patterns.
Astrology is often described as an intuitive science; it is the earliest known ordering of existence and also called the “mother of all sciences.” Intuition is not valued much in society today, rationality is king, and it is not enough (in my opinion). The redundancy of the intuitive mind is proportional to how well astrology is received (not well.) What often baffles me with astrology is that it still pervades society, it refuses to die out. All magazines and papers offer horoscopes, nearly everyone understands how they relate to their sun sign and everyone knows a few people who really love astrology. Ancient understandings that have been proved as being inaccurate have faded out. Whereas, astrology is in limbo and will stay there until enough advocates get the facts noticed again, returning astrological teachings to the western world!
I have been thinking about the demise of astrology and about the language we use. I am trying to think of words that have derived from astrological terms and their connotations. I’ll give a few examples and then I will be able to explain myself better. (Definitions taken from t’internet.)
saturnine
adjective
1(Of a person or their manner) gloomy: a saturnine temperament
Synonyms
gloomy, sombre, melancholy, melancholic, moody, miserable, lugubrious, dour, glum, unsmiling, humourless, grumpy, bad-tempered; taciturn, uncommunicative, unresponsive
1.1(Of a person or their features) dark in colouring and moody or mysterious: his saturnine face and dark, watchful eyes
Origin
late Middle English (as a term in astrology): from Old French saturnin, from medieval Latin Saturninus 'of Saturn' (identified with lead by the alchemists and associated with slowness and gloom by astrologers).
mercurial
adjective
1Subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind: his mercurial temperament
Nor does she depict adolescence as a period of mental instability, characterized by mercurial moods and impulsive, self-gratifying actions.
He grinned briefly in a mercurial change of mood.
The mercurial singer-songwriter's mood is as unpredictable as Halifax weather and each night's performance lives and dies on which attitude the capricious star brings to the rink.
Synonyms
volatile, capricious, temperamental, excitable, fickle, changeable, unpredictable, variable, protean, mutable, erratic, quicksilver, inconstant, inconsistent, unstable, unsteady, fluctuating, ever-changing, kaleidoscopic, fluid, wavering, vacillating, moody, flighty, wayward, whimsical, giddy, impulsive
Origin
late Middle English (in sense 3 of the adjective): from Latin mercurialis 'relating to the god Mercury', from Mercurius 'Mercury'. sense 1 of the adjective dates from the mid 17th century.
lunatic
A person who is mentally ill (not in technical use).
maniac, madman, madwoman, psychopath, psychotic
informal loony, loon, nut, nutter, nutcase, nutjob, cuckoo, head case, headbanger, screwball, psycho
1.1An extremely foolish or eccentric person: this lunatic just accelerated out from the side of the road
Origin
Middle English: from Old French lunatique, from late Latin lunaticus, from Latin luna 'moon' (from the belief that changes of the moon caused intermittent insanity)
These words all developed because of observed links with mythology and the natural world. I’m sure there are a vast range of words that have developed from ideas about the natural world that have subsequently been proven wrong… please do let me know! I can’t think of any right now… I would also appreciate any more words that are linked to planets. Venerate has a loose link to Venus, the Goddess of love and devotion and ruling planet of Taurus (the loyal lover and who appreciated beauty.)
I love these links, I love astrology. I love the idea that everything is connected, I love seeing patterns. If you have any more words that connect with astrology please let me know.
Love Frank; a mercurial girl enduring the saturnine slowness of the 30th year of life, (it takes Saturn approximately 29 years to circle the earth. Saturn dominates this time and makes us focus. Saturn is the serious father figure, holding us accountable and encouraging us to improve our lives by highlighting what is wrong and presenting challenges. If we have been on the right path, we are rewarded. If we have not been following the correct route, changes hit home!) Though that’s a story for another day.
Thanks again,
F x