Science and Celestial Influence by Tony Cartledge Author of Planetary Types: the Science of Celestial Influence Astrology has not fared well under the scrutiny of science. Indeed, according to premier researcher Rudolph Smit, astrology has been tested in more than 600 scientific studies, and failed almost every time. The significance and value of astrology seems to me to fall into two camps – let’s call them the ‘mechanists’ and the ‘humanists.’ Humanists believe astrology’s value is primarily therapeutic and diagnostic, while mechanists also look for real and verifiable effects according to current laws of physics. For the humanist, there is more to astrology than being true or false. For most people, astrology works if it provides meaning. It does not need to be ‘true’ in a scientific sense, and, according to Smit, attacking it would be like attacking a religious faith. Faith needs no facts: it is all a matter of belief. A warm and sympathetic astrologer provides easily accessible therapy that gives emotional comfort, spiritual support, and intellectual stimulation. A caring astrologer provides personal support and affordable advice. However, if you demand of astrology and the cosmos some form of empirical demonstration of its influence, then you embark on a more rigorous and challenging road — a road already littered with negative results. Astrology has failed almost every test it has been subjected to. With one possible exception. Michel Gauquelin tested hundreds of thousands of subjects in numerous experiments to prove that the planets influence character. His results are still disputed by scientists, despite the sheer mass of evidence. It now may be possible to approach the Gauquelin findings from a new and exciting angle. The Gauquelin planetary types bear a remarkable similarity to a scheme of types discovered by mystic and author Rodney Collin, a student of the Russian polymath and mystic Peter Ouspensky. This system of planetary types has been a tool in esoteric schools since at least the beginning of the Christian era. What distinguishes these types from other schemes is the connection made by Collin between the ancient astrological archetypes and the endocrine types of veteran endocrinologist Dr Louis Berman. The endocrine glands strongly influence physiology and psychology, giving a very definite physical shape and character, and were seen by Collin as the physical link to the planetary world. Given the easily identifiable physical characteristics of these types – eg, Martial types often have red hair, Jovial males are prone to baldness, Saturnine types have long bones and are usually the tallest – it may now be possible to subject the planetary types to statistical tests that prove to be more accurate than Gauquelin’s original experiments. This new research has attracted the interest of gifted astrologer AT Mann and veteran researcher Geoffrey Dean. Further tests have been proposed, for both the scientist and the layman that will determine, once and for all, whether the planets can influence physiology and character. The seven ‘organic’ planetary/endocrine types that are the foundation of the research are unique in human typology and offer profound insights into human nature and behaviour. For the student of self-knowledge, they are the most accurate map to understanding oneself. Astrology and science have not been able to forge a successful partnership in the past: this may be astrology’s last and best chance of establishing a ‘physics’ of celestial influence. Tony Cartledge is the author of Planetary Types: the Science of Celestial Influence. He has had articles published in WellBeing International, Conscious Living, and other magazines and web sites within the alternative fields. For more information see planetarytypes.com.au RETURN TO OMPLACE HOME