Mundane Astrology is the application of astrology to world affairs and world events, taking its name from the Roman word Mundus, meaning "the World". Mundane astrology is widely believed by astrological historians to be the most ancient branch of astrology in the history of the world.

Many modern and ancient mundane astrologers believe correlations exist between geological phenomena (such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc.) and astronomical phenomena (the movement of celestial bodies in relation to the Earth).

In the Middle Ages it was more commonly known as the Study of Revolutions - meaning the study of the revolutions of the planets in their apparent orbits around the Earth. This is the origin of the idea of the political revolution – the rise and fall of states in line with celestial revolutions.

Mundane Astrology had two purposes; one was to look back and explain history, looking for patterns and a sense of some greater purpose in apparently chaotic events such as the rise and fall of empires or religions. The other was to predict the future. Some philosophers believed that the world could be saved from disaster if future troubles could be predicted – and subsequently averted.

Although it was originally developed in ancient Babylon there have been three subsequent major periods of developments. In 120 AD the Greek astrologer Claudius Ptolemy set down the fundamentals of mundane astrology in his famous treatise on astrology, the Tetrabiblos. In the ninth and tenth centuries the astrologers of the Islamic world added many more techniques, particularly the use of the cycles of Jupiter and Saturn to identify the rise and fall of states and religions. The twentieth century saw a major proliferation of techniques mainly based on the use of planetary cycles rather than, as had always been the case the intepretation of planetary positions in horoscopes or natal charts.

External links

• Mundane Astrology - A very cogent introduction to Mundane Astrology, the most ancient branch of astrology.