This book takes a global look at the relationship between astrology and cosmology. It complements my History of Western Astrology volume 1 and volume 2. Astrology, as the practice based on the assumption that the movement and appearance of the stars and planets have significance for human and terrestrial affairs, whether as signs,  influences, or causes, has diverse perspectives and applications. The Greek word astrology, from astro-logos, literally means the word – or -logic – of the stars. From a broad perspective the moment that human beings seek any kind of meaning from the stars then they are practicing astrology. Likewise, cosmology is the word – or logic – of the cosmos. These days the word has two separate meanings. The first, perhaps the most familiar, is the scientific study of the universe. The second, as used by anthropologists and cultural theorists, refers to the ways in which people construct and act out models of the cosmos and the way it works, usually expressed through myth, religion, social structures and the built environment.

The book is primarily intended as a historical source book, covering different cultural perspectives in each chapter, beginning with one chapter on the relationship between cosmology and religion, and one on astrology. In the following 14 chapters I look at different cultures, which I define either as geographical (such as Australia, Oceania, Sub-Saharan Africa, and North and South America), or as worldviews and religions (Judaism, Islam, Christianity and Theosophy and New Age), or as a combination of both (Egypt, India, China and Babylon and classical Greece).