Martin Gansten
Lund University

Placidean teachings in early 19th century Britain: John Worsdale and Thomas Oxley

John Worsdale (1766 – c.1826) has been described as something of a historical anomaly, perhaps the last representative of a dying astrological tradition, struggling uselessly against the rising tide of modernity. While this may be true with regard to the natural philosophy underpinning his view of how and why astrology works, Worsdale’s actual practices place him rather in the vanguard of an emerging modern astrology characterized by a modified Placideanism. Although the first stirrings of Placidean teachings were felt in Britain towards the end of the 17th century, they gained firm ground only after the subsequent hiatus of judicial astrology spanning most of the 18th. This paper examines the British adoption and transformation of the doctrines of Placidus, particularly as evinced in the writings of John Worsdale and those of his junior contemporary and occasional critic, Thomas Oxley (1789 – 1851).

Martin Gansten is a Sanskritist and historian of religion specialising in astrological and other divinatory traditions.  His doctoral thesis, Patterns of Destiny, examined the South Indian phenomenon of nāḍī reading based on ethnographic material and textual sources.  Current research interests include the development of the technique of primary directions (aphesis, at-tasyīr) in western astrological traditions.  He is based in Lund University, Sweden.