Astrology Again Popular in London Society

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 224, 10 December 1927, Page 13

Astrology Again Popular in London Society

Crystal Gazers Ousted From West End by New Craze REVIVAL OF "SCIENCE” There are, it seems, fashions in A fortune-telling, as well as in skirts. Palmistry, long the resort of the superstitious, who must pry into the future upon every possible occasion, is almost as dead as lie dodo. Crystal-gazing, which succeeded it among the patrons of the “seers,’* is . disappearing. } The new craze—which is. of course, . merely a revival of an old one—-is astrology, and the “science” is rapidly ousting all the ordinary forms of pie- , dieting the future, says a London correspondent of the “Melbourne Herald.” Consequently “wizards” of the West End— the long-robed ascetic-looking individual and the tall dark lady with fh© gloomy foreign name, and similar “prophets,” who sit in their ponder-ously-draped parlours for all the world like spiders in the centre of their webs a succulent fly—are changing Paraphernalia in their consulting- i f°°nis, learning a new jargon about i horoscopes and .Tupiters and Saturn i and their ‘houses.” and providing pre- | dictions with all the assurance of the \ individuals who. claiming to be astro- t lowers, first revived the ancient lore in modern London. r What Isaiah Knew Astrology is. of course, nearly as old t as history. The prophet Isaiah, when * he was scornfully chastising Babylon, j cried contemptuously, “Let now tie f astrologers and stargazers, the monl “ * Prognosticators, stand up and save tm • y f rom these things that shall come upon ' thee!” , t Which shows that he, at least, had f no delusions as to their claim to powei c When man began to notice the wonders i °f the earth and of the flrmanien. it f natural that he should study tn. c ■tars, and astrology grew up becaus t me ancients had not the advantages the moderns in the shape of telescopes, i instruments and other v of examining, measuring and in other n "aya investigating the glories ot the q oteht skv. Once having viewed, named v and realised the succeeding movements c °f the limited number of stars ana a PUnets visible to the naked eye and r exhausted their subject in one direc- c P on * the astrologers decided that these 1 heavenly bodies must be portents sent influence events upon earth. Thus i built up their “science.” which 1 continued in varying degrees ot iri- t. n U©nce to tlie present day. I Uncertain Guides Innumerable instances occur through- v history of rulers being advised by p astrologers as to their attitude in cor- a hn questions, the proper date for t.ie t ■tatting of a campaign or some other _ Venture. But history cannot show that fi *trologers ever were able to ensure - ■access. The march of events proved ; ’UPremely indifferent to the predictions ? phe stars. If the astrologers were hght upon one occasion, they were upon another. Astrology in recent centuries has been jjoribund in the West, but in India 2®J*hout the ages astrologers have btinued to practice an honourable

and comparatively lucrative profession. Hindus believe whole-heartedly in the influence of the planets, and the casting of a horoscope is one of the first things which arc done for a child when lie is born. He is then said to be under the influence of this or that planet, and his parents are warned as to the'course necessary to preserve him from harm and ensure his success in life. Horoscopes are naturally necessary at subI sequent stages in life when any im- ! portant venture is contemplated. Like “Old Moore's” There used to be in India an astrologer—a picturesque old gentleman with his hair in long grey ring’rets, who always wore flowing garments—who called himself the "Indian Zadkiel.’ He not only cast horoscopes for individuals. but produced annually a forecast of events all over the world on lines similar to “Old Moore’s” Almanac. Some Europeans with an eye to the main chance tried very frequently to get the astrologer to predict which horses would win at a given race meeting. But they were told that before that could be done it would be essential to have at least the actual moment of the birth of the jockeys engaged as well as of the foaling of the horses i and possibly the same information regarding trainers and owners before any successful horoscope could be cast.