Volume 7, No. 2
Ficino's Approach to Astrology as Reflected in Book VII of his Letters
Julia Cleve
Abstract
The twelve volumes of Marsilio Ficino's correspondence are rich in astrological references. Most celebrated among these is Letter 17 in Book VII which is addressed to Federico, Duke of Urbino, and whose express intention is to reconcile genuine astronomers and Christians. Ficino himself was a practising astrologer, and yet the arguments he advances in this letter are taken from his unpublished treatise Against the Judgement of Astrologers. This apparent contradiction - is Ficino a champion or a scourge of astronomia? - may be resolved if considered in the light of his over-arching Platonic cosmology.