Index Astrologicus

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As people all over the world and all across history have believed in the effects of stars and celestial bodies on fate, fortune, and romance, so too does the art of astrology and its practitioners appear in all manner of media, genres, and works. Following is an index of tropes pertaining to astrologers, horoscopes, zodiacs, and other concepts related to the astrological arts.

This index deals with astrology, the mystical tradition of divining future events from stars and the movements of heavenly objects, as well as related space- and star-themed magical powers and practices. For tropes more related to the empirical science of astronomy and space exploration in general, see Tropes in Space.

Tropes:

Archetypal Astrologers And Astrological Creatures

• Astrologer: Astrologers, The Trope.
• Celestial Body: Immensely powerful magical astrologers or their respective guardians (such as Sentient Stars) may take on the appearance of the night sky.
• Court Mage: An astrologer who works directly for a king or ruler, and who is often consulted on major decisions.
• Fortune Teller: In their most basic capacity, astrologers will read omens and offer horoscopes.
• Living Constellation: In more fantastical media, an astrologer might summon these as guardians or astral Attack Animals; an especially powerful wizard-astrologer might shapeshift into one of these as a show of their might.
• Non-Linear Character: Astrologers that spend all their time stargazing will often be depicted as having a partly muddled perception of time.
• Phony Psychic: An astrologer who pretends as though their powers are genuine; might be a harmless pretender, or in some cases, a predatory charlatan intending to swindle people.
• Sentient Stars: Depending on the work, cute versions of this trope might serve as Familiars for magical astrologers, while more powerful versions might serve as unruly sentries or sources of secret knowledge, the way demons or fairies might for more conventional wizards.
• Wizard Classic: The classic wizard astrologer. Expect a Wizard Workshop designed like a planetarium or observatory, with spinning armillary spheres and an enormous telescope.

Astrological Abilities, Powers, Principles, And Predictions

• Axis Mundi: The theoretical support structure that connects the earth to the heavens.
• Celestial Deadline: In many cases of this trope, a spell only lasts as long as a certain lunar phase, or until the occurrence of an eclipse or planetary alignment of some kind.
• Comet of Doom: A comet in the sky serves as an omen for a terrible or world-changing event.
• Cosmic Power: In some fantastical media and Role-Playing Games, astrologers are essentially space-themed mages that can wield cosmic forces and energies against their opponents. In these cases, their powers might also include sway over gravity, the sun and the moon, meteor strikes, and similar phenomena.
• Heaven Above: The sky and the heavens are associated with the divine.
• Heavenly Concentric Circles: In astrological charts or diagrams, space will often be mapped as a series of circles.
• Hermetic Magic: As astrology forms an integral part of historical occult traditions and Hermeticism, it will usually appear in magic systems based on such traditions.
• Horrorscope: A horoscope that foretells terrible peril or woe.
• Natural Elements: In astrology, zodiacal signs will fall under a certain element; the makeup of these elements depend on whether the zodiac is Western (fire, water, earth, air) or Eastern (fire, water, earth, metal, wood).
• Portent of Doom: An astrologer reads an omen of a terrible future, which the heroes will typically have to stop from happening.
• The Prophecy: An astrologer might be the discoverer of the central prophecy of a fantasy saga; expect it to overlap with a special eclipse, a once-in-a-lifetime planetary alignment, or similar event.
• Psychic Powers: In some settings, astrology is treated as a subset of psychic powers, as opposed to magic or mysticism.
• Ritual Magic: An astrologer may have to perform a special ceremony in order to obtain a reading.
• Scry vs. Scry: In Fantasy media, rival astrologers might try to out-predict or out-read each other.
• Star Power: By virtue of their art, all astrologers are subject to this trope; in more fantastical works, they might use stellar energy to fuel their spells, or fire shooting stars as magical projectiles.
• Stellification: An Archmage-level astrologer might transform themselves into a star or constellation, as a final act of cosmic apotheosis.
• Strangely Specific Horoscope: A horoscope that predicts its reader's future with unsettling or comical precision.
• Time Master: In more fantastical settings, astrology may overlap with or subsume time-based magic and related disciplines.
• Winds of Destiny, Change!: Astrologers in more fantastical settings may be able to use their magic to shift the luck or manipulate the fate of their allies or enemies; this is common as a buffing or debuffing skill or spell for astrologers in Role-Playing Games.

Astrological Locations, Plots, Visuals, And Vibes

• Celestial Theme Naming: Astrologers and their summoned creatures will almost always take their names from stars, constellations, and other celestial phenomena.
• Cosmic Motifs: Astrologers' garb, spells, and magical foci will usually feature lots of sun, moon, star, and planet designs.
• Instant Runes: When astrologers partake in this trope, expect glowing circles of zodiac symbols, star maps, geometries from astronomical diagrams, and/or miniature, spectral models of the solar system.
• Magical Star Symbols: Astrologers are almost guaranteed to wear things decorated in stars, as an easy visual indicator of their profession.
• Star-Spangled Spandex: More powerful magic astrologers will often wear suitably dramatic capes, cloaks, or robes that look like the night sky, with appropriate enchantments.
• Stargazing Scene: A character observes or studies the night sky; this is what other characters will typically find the astrologer doing, when they visit them at their observatory.
• Superstition Episode: A plot centered around some bad luck-related superstition, which can easily be an unfavorable horoscope.
• Tarot Motifs: Owing to astrology's associations with fortunetelling and occultism, there's often a great deal of overlap between astrology and Tarot card imagery. If an astrologer has their own deck of Tarot cards, it will almost always be themed around constellations, astrological signs, or similar motifs.
• Total Eclipse of the Plot: A special eclipse will often factor into a plot with astrologers and/or an astrological Prophecy.
• When the Planets Align: Astrologers love predicting planetary alignments, especially as part of a Prophecy. Expect a model of the solar system in the astrologer's observatory to illustrate, simulate, or emphasize the alignment as it happens.
• Wizard Workshop: An astrologer's version of this trope will usually be an astral observatory, complete with a giant telescope, clockwork orreries, and maps of the stars.

Constellations And Zodiacs

• Animal Motifs: Expect to see lots of animal designs and characters, whenever the world has its own unique set of constellations or zodiacs.
• Eastern Zodiac: The Chinese zodiac, in which a person's personality is decided by their birth year.
• Fictional Constellations: To better create a sense of a fantastical world or setting, an author will often come up with their own constellations inspired by the real-world ones.
• Fictional Zodiac: A zodiac invented by an author (but usually inspired by a real-world zodiac), to add more texture to a fantastical world or setting.
• The Four Gods: A quartet of mythical animals from Chinese Mythology, that factor prominently into astrology and constellations of many cultures.
• Western Zodiac: The classical Western zodiac, in which a person's personality is decided by when they are born in regards to the months of the calendar year.
• Zodiac Motifs: Visual or thematic motifs associated with the Eastern or Western Zodiac; commonly the sign of an astrologically-themed group or organization of characters.