‘Quod est superius est sicut quod inferius, et quod inferius est sicut quod est superius.‘
‘That which is above is like to that which is below, and that which is below is like to that which is above.’ Emerald Tablet by Hermes Trismegistus, second verse
This is a hermetic quote that has passed on from ancient Greece that appeared in Arabic sources in the late 8th, early 9th centuries and made popular simply in the last century in an abbreviated form as ‘As above, So Below’. It is a very common quote used by astrologists who believe that microcosm and macrocosm are inevitably linked and ‘we’ are the microcosms that reflects the macrocosmos.
And astrology is growing with accelerated speed in İstanbul as more and more people are seeking to understand themselves, fix their relationships and make sound decisions through astrology. It is very commonplace for someone you meet in İstanbul to ask you what your sun sign is along with your rising sign. Especially women are into astrology seeking to understand their natal and solar charts via visiting astrologists. The number of ‘schools’ teaching astrology is also growing as more and more people are curious about learning what is ‘written’ in the stars.
İstanbuiltes’. fascination with astrology goes back to our Ottoman roots where the sultans had their own astrologers within the palace. The position of head astrologer was well and alive till the establishment of the modern Turkish Republic in 1923. The function of the chief astrologist was to guide the Sultan in his decisions based on his observations of celestial movements.
An Ottoman Zodiac
We also know that there was an observatory in Beyoğlu during the 16th century where astronomers of the era who were also astrologists observed the movements of the planets. Ottomans believed that astrology was the metaphysics of astronomy.
Takiyüddin who was one of the most important astronomers of the era was actively involved in the observatory in a period when Tycho Brahe (teacher of Kepler) was observing the planets in Europe.
During the Ottoman Era, it was not only the Sultans who were interested in the guidance of the stars, İstanbulites were also fascinated with the endeavour and sought the help of ‘yıldızname’s which were literally the birth charts of that time.
Unfortunately the observatory was destroyed in 1580 with the order of the Sultan who thought that the activity of observing the stars was a heresy. It took 300 years for another observatory to be built in İstanbul.
A miniature showing the Observatory in İstanbul in the 16th century
Here is an interesting book by a Turkish historian specialised on the topic of astrology in the Ottoman Court.
If you are in İstanbul and interested in learning about yourself and your life from an astrological perspective or want to learn astrology itself, there are many choices but here is a reliable one for you: asudeargun.com. Although her website is under construction, you can always have access to her email through this link.
