But we can test the force of gravity. We can indirectly observe it. No such luck with astrology.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.
I find it noteworthy that you allow the indirect observation of gravity to suffice as evidence of a force, but do not allow the direct observation of organized matter to suffice as indirect evidence of a designer.
. . . they predicted, as they do today, all sorts of things about love and romance, fortune or misfortune in wealth, the rise and fall of kings. That was the nature of the predictions made. These are all nonsense.
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.
That has nothing to do with astrological aspects of their work.
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 menstrual cycles occur at all different times of the month.
I always thought they were somehow connected to lunar cycles. I can assure you the menstrual cycle is one of many physical and direct observations discussed by astrologers from ancient times to this day. Did people need to see an astrologer to "know the schedule?" No.
"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?