Table Of ContentIDEAS OF ORDER: THE MEANING AND APPEAL OF CONTEMPORARY
ASTROLOGICAL BELIEF
by
TRACY A. THORNTON
A THESIS
Presented to the Folklore Program
and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Master of Arts
June 2016
THESIS APPROVAL PAGE
Student: Tracy A. Thornton
Title: Ideas of Order: The Meaning and Appeal of Contemporary Astrological Belief
This thesis has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the Master of Arts degree in the Folklore Program by:
Daniel Wojcik Chair
John Baumann Member
and
Scott L. Pratt Dean of the Graduate School
Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Oregon Graduate School.
Degree awarded June 2016
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© 2016 Tracy A. Thornton
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THESIS ABSTRACT
Tracy A. Thornton
Master of Arts
Folklore Program
June 2016
Title: Ideas of Order: The Meaning and Appeal of Contemporary Astrological Belief
Astrology is a belief system that has existed for almost 2,500 years. This
enduring form of belief has not been effectively studied by scholars and thus we know
little about why beliefs commonly stigmatized as superstitions continue to appeal to
people today. My research, based on fieldwork and interviews with astrologers in the
Portland, Oregon area, demonstrates that the longevity of this belief system may be
attributed to its ability to provide meaning and purpose to people. Throughout history,
astrology has been adapted to and has evolved within the cultures in which it exists, and
its latest adaptation reveals a close connection to the New Age movement. Astrological
worldviews, which assume a correlation between predictable celestial cycles and human
activity, are rooted in a premise of fatalism, but this analysis reveals a nuanced view of
fate that often is empowering rather than limiting.
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CURRICULUM VITAE
NAME OF AUTHOR: Tracy A. Thornton
GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED:
University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
Emporia State University, Emporia, KS (Portland, OR program)
DEGREES AWARDED:
Master of Arts, Folklore, 2016, University of Oregon
Master of Library Science, 2002, Emporia State University
Bachelor of Arts, English, 1992, University of Oregon
AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST:
Belief Systems
Folk Religion and Folk Belief
History and Practice of Astrology
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Project Coordinator for Northwest Folklife Digital Collection (Internship), Knight
Library Digital Scholarship Center & Archives of Northwest Folklore,
University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 2016
Certificate, Graduate Teaching Initiative, University of Oregon Teaching
Effectiveness Program
Instructor, WR 121: College Composition I , WR 122: College Composition II,
2015-2016
Guest Lecturer, FLR 235: Folklore & the Supernatural, 2016
Guest Lecturer, FLR 411: Folklore & Religion, 2016
Guest Lecturer, FLR 255: Folklore & U.S. Popular Culture, 2015
Student Archivist, Randall V. Mills Archives of Northwest Folklore, University
of Oregon, 2014
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GRANTS, AWARDS, AND HONORS:
Alma Johnson Graduate Folklore Award, University of Oregon, 2016
Graduate Teaching Fellowship, University of Oregon Composition Program,
2015-2016
Folklore Summer Research Award, 2015
Cum laude, University of Oregon, 1992
Phi Beta Kappa, 1992
Presidential Scholarship, University of Oregon, 1988-1992
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank Dr. Daniel Wojcik for his wise, perceptive, and practical
counsel as well as his encouragement during my time in the Folklore Program and
through the process of writing this thesis; his rigorous attention to detail and thoughtful
questions improved my work immeasurably. Dr. John Baumann provided helpful and
supportive feedback as a member of my thesis committee and allowed me to explore
interesting astrological topics in his classes. I am grateful to the UO Folklore Program
for its openness towards such a wide range of folkloric expressions and for creating a
welcoming and supportive environment, and also for financial support during my
graduate study. I had excellent professors both within and outside of the Folklore
Program who allowed me to explore the topic of astrology in ways that may not be
overtly present this project, but are there in spirit and nonetheless informed my work: Dr.
Dianne Dugaw, Dr. Lisa Gilman, and Dr. Sarah Wald. This work would be incomplete
without all the astrologers who generously agreed to share their stories with me and
provided insightful and beautifully articulated examples of what astrology means to real
people: Lauren Balin, Mark Dodich, Andrea Gehrz, Melanie Gurley, Gary Lorentzen,
Jaysen Paulson, Debora Tramposh, Rhea Wolf, Linda, and C.M. I thoroughly enjoyed
my conversations with them.
Finally, I would like to thank those individuals behind the scenes who made this
work possible in mundane but essential ways: my brother Brad and sister-in-law Tiffany,
for generously providing me a place to rest my teeming brain during my weekly stays in
Eugene; my brother Mark and sister-in-law Meryl, for encouragement and moral support
along the way; and Ernie Conway, for everything.
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To my late mother, Millie, for encouraging my love of language and learning, and
to my father, Larry, for fostering my love of folklore before I knew what it was.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page
I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1
Notes .............................................................................................................. 7
II. SUN SIGNS, SURVIVALS, AND SUPERSTITIONS: REPRESENTATIONS OF
ASTROLOGY ...................................................................................................... 8
Astrology in Everyday Life: Folk Religion, Belief Studies, and the
Vernacular ...................................................................................................... 14
Lived Religion, Seekership, and the New Age Movement ............................ 19
Fate, Fatalism, and Astrology ........................................................................ 27
Astrology in Historical Context ..................................................................... 28
Notes .............................................................................................................. 31
III. A BRIEF HISTORY OF WESTERN ASTROLOGY ........................................ 33
Notes .............................................................................................................. 40
IV. CONTEMPORARY ASTROLOGY AND THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT .... 41
Individualism and Holism .............................................................................. 44
Meaning and Personal Growth....................................................................... 47
Esotericism ..................................................................................................... 50
Notes .............................................................................................................. 52
V. FREEDOM IN LIMITATION: ASTROLOGY, FATE, AND FREE WILL ...... 53
Greek Concepts of Fate .................................................................................. 55
Teleology ....................................................................................................... 60
Astrological Fate ............................................................................................ 62
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Chapter Page
Negotiable Fate .............................................................................................. 71
Notes .............................................................................................................. 77
VI. CONTEMPORARY ASTROLOGY: VARIATIONS ON A THEME .............. 79
Psychological Astrology ................................................................................ 80
Evolutionary Astrology .................................................................................. 81
Traditional Astrology ..................................................................................... 86
Notes .............................................................................................................. 92
VII. ASTROLOGY IN SHAKESPEARE’S TIME: A CASE STUDY ................... 93
Astrology in Shakespeare’s Era ..................................................................... 94
Shakespeare’s Astrological Imagination ........................................................ 102
Astrology as a Poetic Language ..................................................................... 111
Notes .............................................................................................................. 113
VIII. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................ 114
Notes .............................................................................................................. 129
APPENDIX: GLOSSARY OF ASTROLOGICAL TERMS ................................... 130
REFERENCES CITED .............................................................................................. 134
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Description:This thesis has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the .. serves a range of purposes: Astrology helps with self-understanding;
