Unruled Notebook

After about five years of attempts to understand what astrology is, I am left with these questions (which will be growing in number) the answers for which is never straight-forward from the astrological community. Unless done that way, i.e., in plain words in the first place, the subject of astrology can never be appraised and elevated to the level of a science, as most of the practitioners of this subject claim already.

1. How does Stars and Planets influence human beings?

2. How is the character of a(ny) person determined by the influence of inanimate bodies?

3. What exactly is the force (if there is one) that is the source of influence?

4. If it is similar to the many body problem of mechanics - which would be ever present until the person dies (and in principle, even after he dies) - then why their (Stars and Planets) exact position at the time of birth determines the fate of a person?

5. Why only twelve constellations, a group of a handful of stars? There are million more in the sky.

6. What effects does the visitations of a comet or a supernova (both of which, we witnessed in the last twenty years) have or had on the predictions?

7. What about the asteroid belt.

8. What about satellites of the respective planets?

9. What about the artificial satellites (at the last count, about 400 circle Mother Earth)?

10. What about the precession of the Earth?

11. In English astrological system (which is based on the Gregorian calendar), what happened to the eleven days, omitted while changing the Julian to the present Gregorian calendar? What influence or non-influence does this have or had on people? For instance, one astrologically fine day, George Washington got his zodiac sign changed from Aries to Pisces!

12. The conflict among the different calendars used by different cultures (for instance, the South Indian Panchangam calendar and the English Gregorian calendar) lead to different predictions from each of the respective astrological systems, for the same person. Why?

13. Are the predictions of the astrological system from one culture (sic) true for all of the human beings in this Earth? Why (for both ways)?

If astrology is not a science but only a claim, then it can never be scientifically tested. Attempts to do so will always lead to uncertain outcome. For instance, how many of us do actually count the hits and the misses, from the predictions of an astrologer, go back, and demand an explanation from him or her? At least then, astrology will be sold with a money-back guarantee!

The influence of these heavenly bodies on human nature purportedly is predicted well by any or all of the different forms of astrology but usually is well concealed, insensible to any instrument or method that is invented or could be invented. This means, we are left with only an algorithm of working out the results. That is, the outcome of planetary positions on human character and well being can be predicted through a program called astrology, without knowing why it works. And the algorithm is highly subjective, depending strongly on the interpretation of the particular astrologer.

Nevertheless, we can at least standardize this procedure (i.e. merge all of the inter- and intra- culturally different astrological systems into one single well-knit procedure) and make it universal. By this, we have a chance of testing the system by trial and error, through careful experiments on chosen human specimen during their lifetime, which could lead to a systematic appraisal. Until then, the rational can safely believe in their personal God and save their money.

More thoughts in another post.