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"Astrology was not interested in the "forces", or if it was, it was a peripheral matter. It was interested in direct observation of both heavenly bodies and human behavior and then correlating the two."

And it correlated this behavior with the motions of the stars and planets horribly. The predictive power of astrology was and still is nil.

"It would not be "nonsense" if they observed recurring patterns on a consistent basis over a large population for hundreds of years. It was the best they had at the time."

They DIDN'T observe any of those things. There IS NO consistent pattern of human behavior based on birth date and the movement of the stars and planets. NONE.

"Not if you want to distill astrology into sheer mysticism and superstition. Otherwise the analog clock is one of many tangible benefits of the direct observations of ancient astrologers."

But we got those benefits DESPITE the astrological nature of their pursuits.

"I always thought they were somehow connected to lunar cycles."

Are you married? Have you been in a relationship with a woman? If so, you will know that menstrual cycles happen at all different times of the month, with no regard to what stage the lunar cycle is in. They are also not exactly 28 days. They vary. One month it can be 30, next month it's 27. What the ancients DID notice is the closeness to the LENGTH of time to the lunar cycle. This is why the Moon was considered a Goddess. This was long before astrology was developed.

"Did people need to see an astrologer to "know the schedule?" No."

Then what did the astrologer predict about menstrual cycles?