Astrology in the news

Astrology and Islam don’t get along (now)

…according to this article in the Saudi Gazette (thanks Elsa):

Belief in astrology and the casting of horoscopes are in clear opposition to the letter and spirit of Islam. It is really the empty soul, which has not tasted real Iman (belief) that seeks out these paths. Essentially these paths, represent a vain attempt to escape Qadr (predistination). The ignorant believe that if they know what is in store for them tomorrow, they can prepare for them today. In that way, they may avoid the bad and ensure the good. Yet, Allah’s messenger was told by Allah to say: ” I possess no power over benefit or hurt to myself except as Allah wills.”

Now I have no desire to bash someone else’s religion, and all scriptures are subject to interpretation.  We know that in the 8th and 9th centuries when sacred knowledge was stifled in the West by the Catholic Church it was the Arabic astrologers who rescued the sacred arts, translating the ancient Greek works into Arabic, and their wisdom,such as the Arabic Parts (including the widely used Part of Fortune), is taught to this very day ..

Astrology is banned by the major religions that seek to put power over individuals into the hands of a priestly class.  As we know, astrology has the potential to help us to recognize personality traits and inner conflicts which limit us and keep us from serving the Divinity of our choice in a fully conscious and present way, not to mention living a life of joy and fulfillment.

This article was originally posted in February 2009. 

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By |2019-11-10T19:44:33-05:00October 20th, 2014|Astrology in the news, Religion|0 Comments

The astrology of puppies: A scientific study

astrology of pupsThanks to the Astrological News Service for this article.  

No one who owns one doubts the family pooch exhibits personality traits that seem remarkably human at times. Is there a way to rationally explain this?

Incredibly, a new book describing the original and unusual research pursuits of award-winning French scientist Suzel Fuzeau-Braesch presents rigorous proof that humans and animals — specifically pedigreed pups and cloned cows — are behaviorally impacted by where the major planets turn up in their astrological birth charts. . . .

Initially a skeptic herself, on a lark Fuzeau-Braesch decided to test the accuracy and reliability of an astrological report writing system she chanced upon in an Oxford Street shop in London in 1970. Computerized report-writing systems produce detailed personality profiles based on birth data alone.

The scientist recalls being surprised by how “accurately and uncannily” the astrological profiles described some close family members. The experience triggered a decades-long effort to determine “if astrological tools and concepts could be confirmed by hard science.”

read more here… 

My pets have always been rescues and I’ve never been able to test this theory myself so I’m thrilled to learn that someone else has done it.  Fuzeau-Braesch tested for variants of extroversion and intraversion characteristics, but finding clear characteristics using a limited data set can be difficult.  For example, a pup (or human) may have Jupiter on the ascendant and appear more extroverted but have other planetary dynamics that are more inverted and perhaps the inversion characteristics come out during testing and skew the data.

Human behavior is impossible to test using the scientific method which requires that every person will respond the same way to the same stimuli.  Every […]

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By |2022-10-09T13:42:15-04:00July 4th, 2014|Astrology in the news|2 Comments

Two noted astrologers teach in China

western astrology in ChinaOur friends Steven Forrest and Jeff Jawer along with Noel Tyl have been teaching workshops in China as part of an effort to bring western astrology to that country which has its own brand of astrology that is over 5,000 years old. I discovered this from this People’s Daily article giving the workshops some good press.  However, it does illustrate some confusion over the type of astrology practiced by western astrologers such as Steven and Jeff and this:

 PeiEn is a full-time astrologer who is also familiar with the teachings of Forrest, havingheard him lecture when he came to China in 2010. Most of her clients come to her after finding out about her online or through word-of-mouth feedback from satisfied customers. Their needs include requiring a reading ofthe future, finding out more about themselves or seeking help to overcome personalanguish. Pei then reads their future using an astrolabe, the predecessor of the sextant used to find the altitude of stars, and offers her advice.

Astrolabes are amazing instruments, but I don’t know of too many western astrologers that use them. The article also indicates a fair amount of suspicion.  One woman is quoted as saying “Who knows where these ‘meanings” attached to stars come from? If it’s not from statistics, then where does it come from?”  Which will open up a whole other door of discussion, but as most of us who follow astrology know, human behavior simply cannot be broken down into statistical variants. A claim that “the astrological profession is strictly regulated” in the US and Europe sent me off into a peal of laughter.  Still, over the past ten years astrologers HAVE been able to educate the Western public about what astrology is and isn’t.  China is probably a bit behind the curve. To read more about Western offerings in China, open this link and use the translator.

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By |2018-08-04T08:44:28-04:00October 19th, 2012|Astrology in the news|6 Comments

Mercury retrograde roundup: Wild times

mercury retrogradeI knew this would be a tough Mercury Retrograde period when I wrote this post.  With Mercury and Uranus turning retrograde on the same day, we were bound to be in for some surprising (Uranus) twists of fate and weird events and we are certainly seeing that in some corners of the world, especially in the highly charged electrical atmosphere of yesterday’s Full Moon in Aquarius.

By |2012-08-02T17:14:12-04:00August 2nd, 2012|Astrology in the news|14 Comments

Chinese jobs use “star signs” to discriminate

chinese astrology job discriminationWhile I always love to see astrology getting some press in mainstream news, the first clue that someone doesn’t know a thing about astrology is when they call the zodiac “star signs.”  The twelve signs of the zodiac represent an image of the apparent path of the Sun as it travels around the Earth, from our perspective.  The signs are relevant to the Sun, not the stars.

::rant over::

A Chinese firm has decided Scorpios and Virgos are too moody and critical, telling job seekers with those star signs they need not apply. Capricorns, Pisces and Libras, on the other hand, are welcome.

 

The unusual requirements are part of a job ad posted at a university in the central city of Wuhuan by an English language training company, and have generated a storm of online controversy since they were uncovered this week.

 

“We don’t want Scorpios or Virgos, and Capricorns, Pisces and Libras will be prioritised,” the job spec reads, according to the Chutian Metropolis Daily, a local newspaper in Wuhan.

 

The report quoted a woman in charge at the unnamed firm as saying she had done research and found Scorpios had strong personalities and were moody, while Virgos were hugely critical and did not stay in one job for long.

 

“I hired people with those two star signs before, and they either liked quarrelling with colleagues or they could not do the job for long,” the woman, surnamed Xia, said.

As my brilliant readers know, the article is talking about Sun signs, the sign that the Sun was traveling through at the time the individuals involved were born.  Sun signs are just one piece of the birthchart, which contains an intricate collection of infinite personality possibilities.  Someone with a […]

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By |2011-11-29T06:31:52-05:00November 29th, 2011|Astrology in the news|1 Comment