Astrology and Astronomy: From Conjunction to Opposition Resources Daniel Kunth Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, France E-mail:[email protected] Summary Key Words As science communicators dealing with astronomy we often find a strong interest amongst the public in astrology — how the stars and planets directly Astrology affect our individual lives. Nowadays astrology is at odds with the scientific Society nature of astronomy, but this has not always been the case. Presented here is a background to astrology, to give a deeper understanding of where it has come from and why it has such an enduring place in all forms of global media. Astrology has adapted to changes in soci- be considered a science. Astrological analy- constitutes a psychological alienation that ety throughout history, and as a result it sis, while sometimes quite sophisticated, can easily be over-exploited by those inter- continues to benefit from a positive public does not utilise any traditional scientific ested in financial gain. image. The commercial and social success methodology. Astrology even skips the nec- of astrology, largely driven by the media, is essary confrontation between hypothesis Throughout our own civilisation, astrology surprising given the dominance that science and proof, the opposite of a rigorous scien- has had both fervent and casual believers enjoys within our society. Its foundations tific approach. Astronomers oppose not only within nearly all social classes or cultures. exploit the widely held belief that pervasive the astrological assertion that cosmological From ancient times to the present, humans connections exist between the macrocosm positioning can directly impact a person’s have been challenged to predict and pre- (the Universe as a whole) and our microcosm destiny, but also astrology’s ignorance of pare for life events from the joyous to the (human society and social relationships). the physical reality, richness and variety of catastrophic. Faced by disorder on Earth, Astrologers aim to decipher the hidden stars and planets. astrology proposes that an ordered and meaning behind planetary movements and readable structure exists in the firmament positions, which they believe correspond to Moreover, no serious statistical study has that is intricately involved with the saga of human personality traits or predict major and been able to establish the reliability of astro- human life. However, this belief does not minor life events. The lexical ambiguity, with logical predictions. In modern times, most of at all constitute a cosmic science because which these predictions are made, however, its adherents opt for a psychological inter- neither the tools of the astrologer nor their produces results that can be neither proven pretation of astrology in which the stars have subjective analysis allows the astrologer to nor disproven. set forth the keys to our destiny, personality deduce facts or test a theory. Is astrology and predilections at the very time of our therefore more of a social science? That is Without an objective method by which a pre- birth. The foundation of a belief in astrology to say a mode of knowledge in competition dicted result can be tested, astrology cannot is based upon a deterministic approach and with scientific cosmology? Astrology and Astronomy: From Conjunction to Opposition CAPjournal, No. 5, January 2009 Page 11 Some astrologers, discontented by their rel- of this technique in order to determine the Astrology face to face egation to the margins of official sciences, charted angles of a planet with respect to request academic recognition that would a sign. For example, a person born under with science allow the public financing of astrological the sign of Virgo might have the planet Mars research and strengthen the scientific and charted in close proximity to their sign; the So now we have one cosmos to investigate, academic standing of astrology and its astrological characterisation of Mars as the studied by two wholly different schools of followers. The utilisation of computers, sta- planet of war could be interpreted as an indi- analysis. Many astrologers describe them- tistics and ephemerides of great precision cation of impending conflict. selves as scientists and insist upon the suggests an increasingly scientific prac- existence of genuine celestial influences on tice. However, an overwhelming majority the individual. They hope to demonstrate its of scientists completely reject the scientific A brief return to the past authenticity by using statistical studies that relevance of astrology and remain critical of are often ill-conceived and badly executed new superficial uses of technology. Historically, astrology and astronomy were (Fraknoi, 1989). not considered entirely separate fields; Astrologists have been at the centre of an much of an astrologer’s time was spent In borrowing astronomy’s methods of calcu- explosion in both traditional print and elec- working on star charts or taking meticulous lation (the ephemerides of astrologers are tronic media that has bombarded readers measurements. Observations repeated scientific tables graciously made available with intense (and intensely lucrative) com- thousands of times allowed the prediction to the public by astronomers), this type of mercialisation of astrology. Astrology in the of certain celestial events and, as a result, astrology recovers a kind of scientific legiti- print media is especially common – today, terrestrial events (the Egyptian calendars macy that plays a role in its durability. The from the tabloid to the weekly, many news- were inextricably linked to the life of the Nile). confusion of genres and the questions of the papers offer an astrology column. Some Proceeding from the correlation between public are relayed by media debates where people read their horoscope as if it were celestial and terrestrial events, a control of astronomers and astrologers confront one fiction; others rely on it for predictions and the latter by the former was imagined. The another. The most critical arguments of advice that will help them manage their planets or “wandering stars” were perceived astronomers regarding astrology focus on personal or professional lives or perhaps as a coded communication from the deities; the misunderstanding of the physical real- how and when to plan a holiday. If so much hence observation of tiny planetary move- ity of the Universe and its richness. What is money is devoted to astrology, perhaps it ments was a way of interpreting the will of the the point of invoking the sky and its planets is because it fulfils an essential need that Gods. The Greeks, then the Romans, were if they are not taken into account for them- neither science, nor psychology, nor religion convinced of the divine nature of this kind of selves – that is, if the sky is without object? takes into consideration. astrology, also known as Chaldean, deriving from its ancient Sumerian origins. In ancient In essence, the symbolic language of astrol- Greece, the regularity and often predictable ogy possesses some limits that keep it at Symbolism in astrology nature of celestial events gave birth to a a distance from the realities of the physical mathematical mysticism, a singular marriage world. Taking the example of the planet Mars: One of astrology’s great forces of persua- between mathematics and divination, which for the astrologer, the colour red evokes flow- sion lies in its symbolic perception of the western astrology has drawn upon, allowing ing blood, therefore war, and with it, death; world. This symbolism follows, more or less, it to endure to this day. Modern astrology for the scientist, the colour red can have from observations made since antiquity has broken with the concept of gods, but multiple causal reasons, which can only be regarding the lustre or colour of astronomical has conserved the belief that a universal will determined by experiment. The first space bodies, the apparent vagaries of planetary can be perceived through careful evaluation missions to Mars attested to the presence of movement as well as solar or lunar proxim- of planetary movements. With the evolution iron on the surface of this planet, the colour ity. These symbols do not have a universal of both knowledge and scientific tools, the red was partly due to the oxidation of iron. value: each culture elaborates its own. gap has widened between the premises of Oxidation, however, required the presence astrology and those of science. of oxygen, most notably in the form of water. Most people know their zodiac sign: to be a Water is considered synonymous with life on Cancer sign signifies that at that individual’s Historically astronomers renounced unproven Earth so the question was then posed about birth, the Sun (when projected on the sky) principles regarding the influence and con- the existence of life on Mars. Did life exist in was in the position corresponding to the nection between planetary configurations and the past? Such a hypothesis will be explored sign of Cancer. In order to be more focused terrestrial events. These became sources of during future missions to the red planet. on the individual or to help account for disagreement and eventually rupture be­­tween Mars-red-war-blood and death, the symbolic evident differences between those with the astronomy and astrology. Astronomy attempts chain that functions on analogy has made same sign, the sign is countered or nuanced to explain the cosmos; scientists are objective room for Mars-red-iron-water and life, which by other personalised elements, such as the observers. The astronomer builds upon or comes from strict ties with causality. ascendant sign that rises in the east at the rejects a theory based on available evidence, precise moment of birth or the position of while an astrologer’s work is controlled by a Mars, a simple mass of red stone covered the principal planets in the birth chart. doctrine of predetermination. with iron oxide, continues to be assigned the virtues of the god of war.