Occult and mystical systems developed in Western culture.
Astrology interprets celestial configurations—planets, luminaries, and zodiac signs—in relation to human affairs. Originating in Mesopotamia and systematized through Hellenistic, medieval, and modern eras, it informs culture and counseling but lacks robust scientific validation.
A premodern tradition combining laboratory techniques and theories of matter to transform substances—seeking transmutation, elixirs, and the philosopher’s stone—and shaping early chymistry, medicine, and scientific methods.