Astrology-ew

Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1990

Correlation Journal, 2014

Editor in chief: Wout Heukelom. Guest Editor and Principal Compiler: Geoffrey Dean Sub-editor: Bert Terpstra. Production Rudolf H. Smit Publisher: Wout Heukelom and Cygnea van der Hooning, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 364 pages. Hardback. Price: €25 plus €10 postage. Available via PayPal Contact: [email protected] Astrology under Scrutiny is probably the first coffee table book for astrology sceptics. It’s a high-quality hardback book of over 200,000 words, printed on glossy paper, and accompanied by detailed graphs, photographs and illustrations. Astrology under Scrutiny (AuS) is divided into four sections: (1) Summaries of the best 110 articles from Dutch astrological research journal Astrologie in Onderzoek (1977-2003), (2) Astrology My Disaster by Rudolf Smit, (3) the history of the lifework of the Gauquelins, and (4) the largest (containing over 60% of the content): The case for and against astrology. Most of this last section is so controversial that it deserves more than a general review in Correlation. So the focus of this article is The Case for and against Astrology, referred to herein as The Case. ____________________________________________________ Contents Proposers of the Case: Dean and his team Their case in a nutshell The core myth: “Hundreds of scientific tests have solved the puzzle.” Meta-Analysis of matching birth charts to owners Using White Swans to camouflage Black Swans Lunar ‘effects’ Red Hair & Mars Rising Omission of Inconvenient Data Divination Natural Astrology The Origins of Astrology: Observation or Invention? Quote mining and circular reasoning The 110 Best articles in Astrologie in Onderzoek Smit and the Placebo effect The Gauquelin Research and the Parental Tampering Conjecture Who will read Astrology under Scrutiny? Conclusion Acknowledgements References

International Astrologer, 2011

The astrological premise regarding effects differs from classical scientific concepts, yet is scientific in principle and scope. Symmetrical processes take precedence over causal processes, and influences should be viewed as interactions between individuals. Astrological effects have been demonstrated to be amplified by ranks of eminence, and longstanding studies of this remain unrefuted. The basis for the belief that science has repeatedly falsified astrology is critically examined. Forer effect arguments, the most commonly cited evidence, are found to be based on tests of selectively assembled non-astrological artifacts, which normal science would eliminate as bias. The acclaimed 1985 Carlson study, which dealt a devastating blow to astrological research, is found to be equally biased. It ignores its own test design, which when actually followed provides significant support for astrology.

Abstract—In traditional astrological frameworks of interpretation, resonances between positions of astrological planets in the birth charts of friends (called “candidates” and their “partners”) are assumed to play a decisive role. In the study presented here, this general claim is investigated at diff erent levels of sophistication. For this purpose, five main hypotheses are formulated, all of which are different versions of the general assumption that there are more resonances between birth charts of friends than can be expected randomly. The material on which the study is based is taken from a questionnaire concerning the dates of birth of candidates to whom the questionnaire was distributed, as well as those of their partners. Having gained interesting results with partially supporting evidence, but also with elements that did not support the hypotheses, the experiment was repeated with a second sample. It failed to replicate the results of the first experiment.

Journal of Consciousness Studies, 2016

Two of the staunchest critics of astrology presented their case in an article published in the Journal of Consciousness Studies (2003) that has since become a standard reference. The authors argue that the astrological experience is more likely to work by " hidden persuaders " than by either objective or psychic criteria, yet their argument provides no evidence of this. The authors demand careful testing yet their own examples and claims against astrology are not careful. The meta-analysis claim mixes studies with widely disparate data types. The parental tampering argument against Michel Gauquelin's planetary eminence findings lacks supportive evidence. The " definitive " time twins test fails to define the criteria of resemblance. The test of predicting psychological test profiles does not discriminate between permanent personality dimensions and psychological states as astrology requires. The blind chart matching studies evaluated skills on the wrong parties where they would not be expected by either astrology or psychology. The authors fail to mention the most interesting and promising peer-reviewed astrological research studies that were available to them. Improved discourse with astrological subject matter experts is recommended.

2020

2012

This is my MA thesis written in 2012 for the Central European University (Budapest, Hungary).

Astrology is in every sense a wholly mystical religious paradigm. It is the sine qua non of all religions that ever was, is or ever will be. Its innumerable mysteries cannot be fathomed by the human intellect. This article investigates the origins of Astrology. Where did the idea for Astrology come from and how did it develop globally?

An online search questioning “is Astrology a science” will produce a long list of articles dismissing Astrology as a pseudoscience lacking any connection to science that has been tested repeatedly and failing all the tests carries no predictive capability. Nothing could be further from the truth. In this text I will comment on some of the history of Astrology and its link to modern Astronomy and Celestial Mechanics, how it relates to the Scientific Method used in all science research today and provide a model for the physics of Astrology using Conventional Science’s Electromagnetic Wave Physics to illustrate the way that the celestial bodies and our bodies are interrelated.