The astrolgers are in quite a tizz. Since the moon orbital shift last year the heavens have become realigned and suddenly, people who were born on the cusp of one 'birth sign' find to their chagrin (or maybe pleasure) that they are now in another one. And so it is that someone in my family who was born a 'Leo' suddenly finds that she is now a 'Virgo'. Really?
Yes, the astrologers and all the others who propagate pseudo-scientific mumbojumbo are in disarray. They're not even sure how to plot birth charts anymore. Not that this is the first time this has happened. The ancient Babylonian astrolgers had 13 birth signs, 'decided' they only wanted 12, and so got rid of their first one, Ophiuchus, the 'Snake-Holder'. Why did they do that? Because at some point in history, the star signs were one month out of orbit owing to the gravitational influence of the moon. As a result, the time periods for the signs of the zodiac had to be changed.
Astrology has been subjected to careful objective study by scientists in the past and found to be wanting. Michael Gauquelin, director of the Laboratoires d'Étude des Relations entre Rhythmes Cosmiques et Psychophysiologiques, disproved most of the fundamental tenets of astrology about 30 years ago. His conclusion was straightforward: "There is no correlation between character traits of the subjects and the signs under which they were born".
First, the astronomical background. The Solar System (with the exception of Pluto) is to all intents and purposes flat, a disc of planets circling the Sun. This means that, viewed from down here, the Sun and planets are seen against a band of stars that apparently encircles the Earth. That band is the zodiac, divided by convention into 12 familiar signs, better known to astronomers as the constellations on the ecliptic. For astrologers, the Sun, Moon and planets play a distinct part depending on the sign of the soziac they are seen against at the moment of birth. So does does the ascendant, the sign that is rising over the horizon at the moment of birth. Each of the 12 signs of the zodiac, say astrologers, is related to a type of character or destiny.
Gauquelin put the astrological claims to the test. Firstly, he used a sample of 15,650 successful Europeans to see whether the zodiac has any influence on professions. "Results were entirely negative", Gauquelin says, but "astrologers claimed that professional success is far too crude a criterion to reveal the astral subtlety of zodiacal influences, which are far more effective on personality than on success." Nothing daunted, he moved on to assess the influence of the zodiac on personality.
The raw data were the biographies of 2,000 subjects - "sports champions, actors, men of science, and writers." From each biography, Gauquelin's team extracted the character traits, such words as courageous, daring, enterprising, unsubtle, and so on. Having gathered 52,188 personality traits, Gauquelin turned to the astrologers. Eight different astrology books provided an extensive list of traits, for both Sun and Moon in each sign and the rising sign.
The next step was to correlate the two sets of data. If the astrologers had been correct, there would have been a strong correlation between the traits a person actually possesses and the traits he ought to possess on the basis of his birthday. Alas, the results were "sharply against the influence of the signs". Of 288 trials (8 astrologers, 12 signs, 3 categories), 131 were positive (better than chance) and 157 negative (worse than chance). So no effect.
Even if Sun, Moon and ascendant are pooled together, with each sign examined separately, there is still no effect. "No sign scores significantly higher than expected by chance", Gauquelin points out, adding that this result is "discouraging for the true believer [in astrology]".
Gauquelin described the interpretations of the astrologers as being "in total disarray". He also selected a couple of choice examples to show just how far off the mark they often are. Jeff Mayo, for example, who ran schools in astrology, had many cases in which the appropriate zodiac sign got the worst score of the 12. Gauquelin also mentioned "striking psychological contradictions. For instance, the key words of the aggressive and passionate Aries and Saggitarius correspond to a maximum of subjects born within the Sun in Cancer, a sensitive and dreamy sign; and so forth."
Astrolgers depend for their credibility on there being a direct relationship between personality and the position of the, Sun, Moon, planets and zodiac at birth. Gauquelin, to be thorough, repeated his entire investigation using the 'siderial' zodiac instead of the more usual 'tropical' arrangement but with identical results. The inevitable conclusion: there is no scientific basis to the claims of astrology whatsoever.
Though we are indebted to the work of Gauquelin and others, we could have told them the result before they started analysing the data. Yahweh has made it perfectly clear that astrology is worse than mumbojumbo or totally useless - it is demonic and idolatrous:
"Stand now with your enchantments and the multitude of your sorceries, in which you have labored from your youth -- perhaps you will be able to profit,
perhaps you will prevail. You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels; let now the astrologers, the stargazers, and the monthly prognosticators stand up and save you from what shall come upon you" (Isa.47:12-13, NKJV).
"Hear the word which Yahweh speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says Yahweh: 'Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them. For the customs of the peoples are futile..." (Jer 10:1-3a, NKJV).
No Christian or Messianic should have anything to do with astrology or the occult. These are deceivng, lying practices of demons. Countries like India, which either run or stand still on the basis of astrological readings, carry crushing mental and psychological loads. Not that they are alone - astrology is everywhere in the world today, just as it was anciently, as people prefer a pagan version of Calvinism to the responsibility that comes with the free agency given by the Creator to every man and woman to shape his/her own life according to Yahweh's will or his/her own.
If you are involved with astrology in any form, repent immediately, for your interest in, or adherance to, this occult art is a slap in the face of the Almighty Elohim and another nail of unbelief and rebellion into the crucified flesh of Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ). Do not partake of the dark spirit of the unbelievers and idolaters of the 21st century who, in spite of their technological know-how, are as riddled with superstition and rebellion as the ancients were. If you are involved with any form of occultism, now is the time to be purged of it completely.
Acknowledgements
[1] Jeremy Cherfas, Horroscope Horror Story in New Scientist, 22 April 1982, pp.245-246
Comments from Readers
"Astrology is a lie about the creator's book of the heavens. Just like private interpretations lie about the one we read of in words. The story of the stars has only one true interpretation and that is the same story of Yahushua Salvation, Jesus. Day and night telling the same story of love for all of creation. Psalms 19:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of YHWH; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof" (RDR, USA, 1 February 2011)
