Dancing with the Stars: A Preliminary Exploration as to Whether the Astrology in Ficino’s De vita is Theurgical

ABSTRACT Although there has been an immense amount of scholarship on Marsilio Ficino, his life and writings, much of it excellent, an area that I would argue is fundamental for understanding both him and his work – astrology – has received much more problematic attention. In this essay, I will indicate some of my first and still coalescing thoughts on one central facet of this issue by asking whether Ficino’s astrology in De vita has a significant theurgical dimension, and by exploring what this might mean.