You're mistaken. Astrology was always a 9th House Matter, and never an 8th or 12th House Matter.
According to The Rulership Book by Rex. Bills, 8th house:
Occult abilities, or faculties, one's talent
Occult, study of the
Occultism, occlutists, occult writers,
Mysticism, mystics, the mystical
Psychism, psychics, psychic receptivity and faculties, psychic disturbances, psychometry and psychometric functions of the body, gain from psychic influences, experiences
outcome of speculation
12th house
Research, researchers, research workers
Religions, occult
Occult religions
occultism, occultists, occult writers, one's occult faculties
Psychism, psychics, psychic receptivity and faculties, psychic disturbances, psychometry and psychometric functions of the body, gain from psychic influences, experiences
Secret services, secret service agents
Secret Societies
Understanding, ultimate
According to Skyscript 8th house rules all the hidden matters, 12th rules secrets, hidden matters, witchcraft.
I suppose what you referring to as Astrology is different to the occults.
According to Oxford Dictionary:
occult
http://oxforddictionaries.com/translate/english-spanish/occult_1 noun
(
the occult)
- mystical, supernatural, or magical powers, practices, or phenomena:a secret society to study alchemy and the occult
adjective
- 1involving or relating to mystical, supernatural, or magical powers, practices, or phenomena:an occult ceremony a weird occult sensation of having experienced the identical situation before
- communicated only to the initiated; esoteric:the typically occult language of the time
- 2 Medicine (of a disease or process) not accompanied by readily discernible signs or symptoms: careful palpation sometimes discloses occult spina bifida
- (of blood) abnormally present, e.g. in faeces, but detectable only chemically or microscopically.
verb
Pronunciation:
/ɒˈkʌlt/
[with object]
- cut off from view by interposing something:a wooden screen designed to occult the competitors
- Astronomy (of a celestial body) conceal (an apparently smaller body) from view by passing or being in front of it: the Moon occults Mars during daylight on March 22