Celtic Astrology: Did It Exist? (1 of 2)

(portion of Coligny Calendar)

Did the Celts practice astrology? Peter Berresford Ellis of the Irish Astrological Association contends that they did. Basing his work on the Diffusionist Theory of Proto-Indo-Europeans (PIE)(1), Mr. Ellis found the same concepts for astrology in the Irish and Sanskrit languages. He, also, noted the similarities between the Vedics and Irish in their approaches to astrology.

The Celts practiced many forms of divination. They studied signs, read entrails, watched how their captives died, practiced sortilege, and went on Shamanic journeys. Did they also use astrology? Would they need to?

The Celts divided their year into two: the Light Half from May to October and the Dark from November to April. In May, the Celts drove their cattle into the hills, and in November brought them back for wintering in. Since their survival depended on the seasons, the Celts were familiar with the cycles of the stars, moon, and sun. An example of their consummate skills is the Coligny Calendar (from First Century BCE), a sophisticated lunar-solar calendar.

However for me, it would a leap of logic for the Celts to go from astronomy to astrology. Moreover, their close cousins, the Germanic peoples, were noted navigators, who also studied the stars. However, they did not see the necessity of astrology for divination. Why would the Celts?

Meanwhile, astrology, which was invented by the Babylonians, traveled westward with the Greeks. The Romans learned astrology from the Greeks. As the Roman Empire, expanded so did astrology. By the First Century C.E, Britain and Continental Gaul were under Roman rule. Celts under the Romans would have spread astrology to Ireland and elsewhere. As proof of Irish astrology, Mr. Ellis cites from writings from the Eighth Century CE. Of course, by then, the Irish would have incorporated astrology into their culture.

However, what about the Celts before Roman contact? Mr. Ellis based his thesis on various PIE theories. According to these theories, PIE peoples were a horse culture that swept from the steppes of Eurasia into Europe, overturning the local populations. They also moved into Iran and India as well. Therefore, according to diffusionist PIE theories, Sanskrit and Irish are branches of a root language, and share some commonalities.

However, Paleolithic Continuity Theory (PCT)(2) began to usurp PIE theories in the 1990s. PCT explains more aptly how early European civilization came to be. According to PCT, Europeans developed their own cultures and languages, without an invasion of foreign peoples.

Copyright: Virginia Carper, 2009
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