ASTROLOGY:
The Ultimate Tool
in a Relative
World
by Adrian Ross
Duncan
 The Client
A middle-aged woman who had spent
most of her life alone visited me one day. The consultation was dominated by her
fantasies about being followed by strange men and a general sense of being
persecuted. She had a Pisces Ascendant, with Neptune in exact conjunction to her
Descendant. According to astrological theory, this would give one the tendency
to have fantasies in relation to other people. When she left at the end of this
rather difficult session -- she appeared to be something of a borderline case --
I decided to go shopping. After some minutes, I opened the door to leave my
office, only to find the client talking to herself on the stairs. Acutely aware
that it might seem like I was following her, I smiled weakly and closed the door
again, waiting until I saw her depart in the direction of the bus stop. I then
left, taking a new route into town so as not to pass the bus stop, and after
about a 20-minute brisk walk, I arrived at the town square. As I entered the
square, the bus drew up and my client stepped out, virtually bumping into me.
She took one look at me, abruptly turned around, and walked rapidly in the
opposite direction!
Were the stories this woman had
told me about being followed true or not?
Measuring Truth
One of the difficulties about
ascertaining truth is to define the yardstick with which to measure it.
Scientists have developed complex systems of measurements that have enabled them
to map out the material world and describe its workings in intricate detail.
Traditionally, there has been a clearly defined division between subject (the
inquiring mind) and object (the outer reality). Although the belief system of
science is no more than a working hypothesis under constant revision, it has
functioned well. However, as science in the 20th century examines extreme states
in the material world -- subatomic particles and phenomena in the deepest
reaches of space -- the subject-object division is beginning to be undermined.
On a simple level, a researcher intent on a particular pursuit will
automatically make choices that favor an intended result. And on a more subtle
level, such as in the sub-atomic world, the actual intention of the researcher
can be scientifically shown to affect the outcome of the research. This means
that modern science has now become aware that it must take the condition of the
subject into account when measuring reality.
Cold Fusion
Confusion
On March 23, 1989, at the
University of Utah, researchers Pons and Fleischmann1 claimed a
world-shattering discovery. The phenomenon of cold fusion was confidently
announced to an astonished world. Instead of the several hundred million degrees
normally considered necessary to fuse lighter nuclei into one heavier nucleus,
thereby creating vast quantities of energy, these two researchers maintained
that they had created fusion at room temperature. Initially this cold fusion
process was apparently successfully replicated in France and in other
laboratories around the world. Yet, at a subsequent conference in May, the
process was discredited, and reports of successful replication dwindled. How
could reputable scientists make such a mistake?
It is an interesting fact that on
March 23, 1989, Saturn and Neptune were in tight conjunction. This conjunction,
which recurs once every 36 years, lasted most of the year. Astrologers associate
Saturn with form and Neptune with dissolution; and on a more abstract level,
Saturn relates to experienced fact and Neptune to fantasy and fiction. The
conjunction occurred in the sign of Capricorn, which is connected with
boundaries in the material world and the drive to overcome them (and on a more
personal level the ambitious urge to rise in status). As Saturn merged with
Neptune, an astrological picture arose of the fusion process and the subsequent
confusion about cold fusion, as well as the loss of status for the two research
scientists.
Was the whole thing fact or
fiction? Such is the nature of Neptune, which casts its misty cloak around
everything it touches -- the truth may never emerge. Perhaps cold fusion really
did happen and can only repeat itself during the next conjunction of those two
representatives of the concrete and sublime -- Saturn and Neptune. The important
lesson of this event that shook the scientific world was its concern with the
nature of reality, the nature of illusion, and the difficulty of establishing
objective truth.
As Above, So
Below
The basic principle of astrology
is that the smallest thing in the universe is subject to the same process as the
largest.2 The same rules apply for both the micro and the macro, and
indeed an action in one sphere will reflect an action in the other. In other
words, the force that affects us in our daily life is a reflection of the primal
force that affects the universe. Furthermore, time and the physical world are
deeply interconnected. When we try to understand the physical world, we have a
spatial experience of a reality in a state of constant flux, and time is the
convention that enables us to grasp this flux. This astrology is unique in that
it applies rules of correspondence between the flux of time and of space,
linking them through planetary movement to human character and
history.
Human character is linked to this
flux through consciousness. The degree of individual consciousness is the factor
that speeds up or slows down the unfoldment of personal fate. In this context,
fate is in no way fixed, but instead is interactive with consciousness. If past
actions create fate in the present, then so do present actions have their effect
on the future. This puts the individual much more in control of the time and its
material consequences in the world than opponents of astrology might
imagine.
Sensory Filters
Experience of the outer world is
completely dependent on the physical senses and mental convictions of the
individual. Apparent reality is entirely relative to the consciousness of the
experiencer. Practicing astrologers are well aware of how different
psychological theories reflect the horoscopes of the psychologists who founded
them; how literary themes reflect the lives of the author; how films reflect the
mind of the director; and how actors choose roles reflecting their planetary
transits. Every impression has to pass through mental and physical filters
unique to each individual. Therefore, considering the subjectivity of personal
truth, the most one can hope for in establishing truth is a broad agreement
shared by as many people as possible about what standards to apply to
reality.
The Battle for
Truth
The more people who embrace a
belief system, the more power it has. That is why preaching was such an
important part of the Christian religion. That is why defenders of the
scientific model, like the English professor Richard Dawkins and the late
American Carl Sagan, have invested so much energy defending the tenets of
scientific belief and doing their utmost to discredit what they regard as the
superstition of astrology. They understand that the real battle for truth is in
winning the hearts and minds of the people. Fighting for beliefs is essential to
maintaining power and influence.
For astrologers, the desire to
defend their beliefs is natural though often misguided. Personal identity is
often inextricably connected with the beliefs one embraces, and arguments are
consequently infused with emotion, because a defense of beliefs often
constitutes a defense of personal identity. It is normally the case that people
cling to their beliefs during the whole of their adult lives, especially if
their work is centered around them. In the last analysis, great changes of
thinking occur as old proponents of ideas lose influence and die and proponents
of new ideas come into prominence.
Unity in Duality
As we begin to integrate the
philosophical consequences of the scientific discoveries of the past century, a
transition is occurring. Relativity theory shows the interactivity of subject
and object, matter and energy, body and mind.3 The awareness of unity
within duality is arising, and it is in this awareness that a meeting point can
be found between the worlds of rational science and less-rational astrology.
Astrology cannot be proven satisfactorily by using the methods of thinking
founded upon dualistic thought. But then there are aspects of modern science
that do not respond well to dualistic logic either. Using old-fashioned
scientific methods and insisting upon replication, without considering the ever
changing cycles of time and its influence on the process, can lead both the
modern scientist and the astrologer astray. Indeed, the successful practice of
astrology is in fact dependent upon the awareness of interactivity between the
mind of the astrologer and the object of his or her
consciousness.
Subjective Truth
Astrology ascribes meaning to
planetary events and assumes that the energy moving the universe has a kind of
inherent intelligence. The astrologer also maintains that there is a natural
resonance between the evolving motion of the universe and the development of the
human soul. I believe this to be a very effective working hypothesis, and the
astrologer who puts aside his or her doubts about this hypothesis' effectiveness
and embraces it wholeheartedly is rewarded by this intelligent universe. On the
other hand, the clinical and objective approach of the skeptic will lead to very
poor results in the interpretation process, while the enthusiastic believer will
find him or herself in dialogue with a supportive universe magically geared to
his or her development.
The Consultation
Moment
Consider the story mentioned
earlier. I see clients daily and always use their birth chart in combination
with the chart for the moment of their arrival. Subsequently, I have found major
correspondences between these two charts. One client born in January 1950 was a
Capricorn with the Moon in Sagittarius and the Ascendant in Aries. This client
arrived for the consultation in January 1996 when the Sun, Moon, and Ascendant
were in the exact same combination. The chances of this happening are 1:1728. As
if that were not enough, Mercury was retrograde at 29° Capricorn in both charts.
This combination has only happened four times in the client's life -- at birth,
January 1963 and 1970, and the day of the visit to the astrologer. Yet this kind
of parallel is a normal occurrence in consultations.
The Unified Field
Astrologers -- and indeed everyone
else -- create a world around them that reflects their methods for seeing the
world. And the world responds intelligently. Events unfold in discrete harmony
with the beliefs and conceptions of the observer. It is in the nature of things
that events normally confirm convictions. Where the scientific approach to the
consultation might see the client as the object, the non-duality approach sees
the sensory and intellectual interaction of the astrologer and client as a
unified field, which affects each individual equally. And in this unified field,
where consciousness focuses its attention on events, meaning arises. Therefore,
objectifying astrology by trying to prove it removes the observer from the very
field of consciousness in which astrology works so effectively. Conventional
scientific methods may be effective at quantifying the stationary observable
universe, but in the mysterious and invisible universe of consciousness -- a
world that has its parallels in the field of quantum mechanics -- the concepts
of relativity and paradox come into their own.
Shared Reality
The truth of astrology will be
accepted when the majority of people embrace it as a part of their reality. We
are now very close to this happening, and, in all probability, future
generations will accept the natural correlation between humankind and cosmos in
much the same way that we believe in psychology today. It is not a question of
whether or not astrology is objectively true, but whether it will become a
generally accepted representation of reality. Whatever the case, it should be
clear that what the individual experiences as reality is not objective reality.
Individually experienced reality does not exist before the individual
experiences it and will not exist afterward. In other words, the individual
creates his or her own private experience of reality. This is why shared beliefs
are so important. The more people who agree to share a certain interpretation of
reality, the more that reality is validated. This does not, however, make that
reality objectively true. Astrology is simply a very good basis for constructing
reality because it is based on the observable planetary system of which we are a
part.
The Magic of
Astrology
There is no doubt that astrologers
are able to produce irrefutable examples of the effectiveness of astrology,
among them being wonderful correlations from their own lives, and numerous
obscure predictions that have come true. But their reality is based on the same
rules as the female client described earlier. They are being followed -- by the
interaction of the world with their own belief systems.
It is perhaps more relevant to ask
whether the system in question enriches our lives, whether it harms or does
good, than whether it represents truth. The world is vast, and the capacity to
extract meaning from it unlimited. Astrology is one way -- a very effective way
-- to do this. So is astrology true? In an absolute sense, no, but relatively,
yes, of course. It is arguably more effective than any other system for mapping
out the character of events and their significance in time. It is not an
infallible system, but it has its moments: as when Michael Baigent predicted so
accurately in 1983, in the book Mundane Astrology, that the Soviet Union would
experience from 1989 to 1991, "some basic restructuring of the nation... a
change ...with regard to the leadership and the style of rule. It would appear
possible that this period will herald some new revolution in Russia which would
restructure the country dramatically...the tight command structure will fail and
the country will collapse back into the numerous autonomous states that it once
was."4
Yes, there are times when it feels
like a privilege to be granted insight into this ancient art.
©1998 Adrian Ross Duncan - all rights
reserved
References and Notes:
1. For more
information about the extraordinary saga of cold fusion, read The Ballad of
Pons and Fleiichmann by Thomas Gieryn, 1992. This story was
originally published in a science magazine called The Tech, on Tuesday,
February 6, 1990, Vol. 110 (year in review), p.
7.
2. For a very succinct analysis of the philosophical basis of
astrology, read Tai Situpa XII, Relative World, Ultimate Mind, Boston:
Shambhala Publications, 1992.
3. For a full treatment of interdependence, read Tibetan
Psychology and Psychotherapy by Tarab Tulku XI. This is a private
publication available from Lene Hanberg, phone +45 4586 2027.
4.
Michael Baigent, Nicholas Campion, and
Charles Harvey, Mundane Astrology, London: The Aquarian Press,
1984, pp. 444-45.
 Book by this author:
Astrology: Transformation & Empowerment
by Adrian Ross Duncan.
About The
Author
Adrian Ross Duncan is
a full-time practicing astrologer. For seven years he was both president of the
Copenhagen Astrological Association (Ekliptika) and ran AstrologSkolen, a
finishing school for consultant astrologers. He is the author of Doing Time on Planet Earth and developed WOW - World of Wisdom; Horoscope Interpreter, as well as Astrology for Lovers, user-friendly astrology programs.
You may visit his Website at http://wow.world-of-wisdom.com
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