The Cosmos of Aristotle

Aristotelian philosophy runs deep throughout history and theology. It's no surprise that the man who lectured on nearly every aspect of nature from biology to physics would find a place in the intellectual and cosmological structures well after his time on Earth ended. It also helps that Aristotelianism itself had an easier time being adapted to fit in with Christian scripture than Platonism did.

The ideas and arguments laid out in his On the Heavens and On Generation and Corruption would become the definitive description of cosmology and man's relationship to the heavens above and nature around him. Ultimately, the Aristotelian universe would compete with and compliment the Ptolemaic universe that both intellectuals and laymen recognized and lived within. This means Aristotle's arguments of what the planets were, how they moved, and the elements and their relationship to each other and the World as a whole became necessary topics in conceptualizing a Universe wherein astrology was possible.

The Sublunar Sphere

"On all these grounds, therefore, we may infer with confidence that there is something beyond the bodies that are about us on this earth, different and separate from them; and that the superior glory of its nature is proportionate to its distance from this world of ours."
​- On the Heavens, Chapter II

Like the Ptolemaic universe, the Aristotelian universe is also constructed of concentric spheres wherein the planets and outer spheres envelope the earth which occupies the center. This center is also referred to as the Sublunar Sphere as it is the sphere of space that is immediately under the Moon's sphere who acts as something of a gatekeeper between the Earth and the higher planetary spheres. This sphere is our home.

Within the Sublunar Sphere reside the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Through them, their relationships with one another, and their ability to transform into one another everything on earth - from simply existing, to growing, and becoming something else - is possible. This is in stark contrast to the consistent nature of the heavens that experience motion, but no alteration or diminution.

There is, of course, more to say about the elements than simply identifying them. One of Aristotle's main points of physics was his idea of Natural Place (see the section on Aristotelian Physics for more information and this theory's impact on other applications of astrology) which is, essentially, an early theory of gravity.

The idea itself is rather simple; when left alone, the elements will assume certain positions in relation to each other. Earth will settle at the bottom. Water will sit on top of Earth yet continue to seek to move downward and fill any gaps there may be. Air will move to the superior position of Water and continue to try and force its way up. Fire, as the final element, will settle at the top in the most superior position. It's important to remember that these elements were conceived as the building blocks of all matter on earth. Heavier and more dense objects were considered to be constructed of more Earth element than those objects that are lighter which were thought to be made of more Water, Air, or Fire.  

​The opening quote summarizes an essential point to Aristotle's overall worldview that things furthest from the center exhibit "superior glory". Superior glory is natural perfection, of which we cannot experience down here on earth as everything physical is naturally defective in that it is not eternal, but ages and dies. The Earth element, which is in the center-most position, is the most imperfect element as it is the most solid or material. As we move up the ladder, the elements become less and less reliant on a physical body or solid state, indicating their increased relative perfection or wholeness. Ultimately, as we move up we end with Fire which is the most perfect element that is capable of existing on earth.

Fire is a very special element, often seen as a metaphor or in some way analogous to the soul which is considered the least physical part of a living being. Placed closest to the cosmos, many spiritual traditions would explain astral theurgy as a method of contacting spirits and intelligences in the celestial spheres via the will ascending the ladder of the elements and the manipulation of the Fire element. This idea is most easily seen in the sacrificial traditions where the sacrifice (be it plant, incense, or animal) is ritualistically burned freeing the Airy and Fiery spiritual portion of the being from its Earthly, physical body (represented by the ashes left behind) which then drifts up towards the heavens in the more purified form of smoke.

Planetary influences also shared a similar path, but in reverse. In order to interact with the world of the elements, the influences of the planets would need to cascade down the hierarchy. These planetary powers would first turn to Fire, then Air, then Water, before finally completely materializing in Earth. This process explains how one planetary configuration (be it through direction, progression, or some other activation) can influence drastically different areas of a single life as the rippling effect of the influence passing through the levels of elemental being would initiate events in the physical and spiritual realities those elements signified.

The Lunar Sphere

"You it is whose sphere among the planets is closest to us and who can most powerfully among them bring weal or woe, you it is who establish bonds between the planets, who transmit their light, and turn to good that which is unfavorable to us;...you are the first and lost of everything..." - Picatrix Call to the Moon

As our nearest heavenly neighbor the Moon has held special significance to man since the dawn of time. It is perhaps unfortunate then that the Moon is considered the most lowly of the planets as she sits nearest to the alterable and transient world of the elements.

Alteration and transience are notable meanings of the Moon in classical astrology. While she is a heavenly body composed of their special material (more on that later), the special material she is constructed of is the least pure of all seven planets. This is easily observable in her phases. The Moon's shape visibly changes as she increases and decreases in light, a phenomenon that no other planet visibly experiences. However, she is not so much of the earthly realm that her intrinsic quality changes, she merely superficially mirrors the quality of time on the earth. When waxing, she indicates the earth's proclivity towards growth and she shows the earth moving towards decline when she wanes.

The Moon fills an extremely pivotal role in astrology and all related arts. As the most earth-like of the celestial bodies the Moon forms a bridge between us and the superior spheres. She is the celestial messenger who connects the planets to one another and their influences to us, one foot in each world as it were. The emphasis placed on the Moon in ritual timing is due to this ability to unite the physical and celestial/spiritual worlds together. It does no good to conduct rituals, prayers, or sacrifices for Jupiter, for example, if the Moon does apply to him as he will likely not receive the message.

In this respect, the Moon is something like a celestial secretary, picking up the prayers and offerings of man from the elemental world and delivering them to the superior planets.

The Heavenly Sphere

Perhaps the most significant difference between Aristotle's cosmological structure and Ptolemy's is that Aristotle did not attribute elemental qualities to the planets like Ptolemy did. Instead, Aristotle suggested that it was impossible for the planets to be composed of elements, as that would mean they would be susceptible to the same generation and corruption of the lower world, which is not the case. Thus, the planets and their spheres must be constructed of some separate material.

This material ​would ultimately come to be called aether, but Aristotle simply referred to it as the "first element". It was also very special, in that it could only move in circles unlike the other four elements which could only move up and down. This explained why the spheres of the planets were concentric circles and why the planets continually moved in circles around the earth and their individual deferents.

This circular motion of the planets is important for both practical and theological reasons. To Aristotle, the universe was eternal and had no beginning, this means no creator gods or forces are necessary, because the universe was never actually created. He did, however, allow for what he called Unmoved Movers, which are divine or semi-divine beings whose lack of physical bodies (not even constructed of the First Element) restrains them from interacting with the physical world or knowing what happens here. These beings spend their time thinking about thinking which the planets imitate (as they are much purer substances) through their circular motion. This argument creates a link between the planets and divinity (thus enabling astrology to have divinatory applications) on the one hand and also providing a method for humans to reach a similar state of divinity as well.

The End of an Era

While this conceptualization of the universe dominated scientific, philosophical, and theological thought for nearly 1800 years, it was eventually replaced by the more objectively accurate cosmology of Copernicus. The heliocentric model of the universe and the myriad corrections that were made to it over time have done a fantastic job in explaining the solar system around us. However, the arguments laid out in Aristotle's and other philosopher's works are still extremely important to astrology. They are not only key components of our past, but they remain functioning philosophies concerning why and how astrology could operate in a world that is very much the center of our universe, even if it isn't to anyone else.