{"id":2215,"date":"2010-05-20T17:03:03","date_gmt":"2010-05-20T21:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/?p=2215"},"modified":"2010-05-20T17:03:03","modified_gmt":"2010-05-20T21:03:03","slug":"astrologys-last-stand-the-science-of-celestial-influence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/?p=2215","title":{"rendered":"Astrology’s Last Stand: The Science of Celestial Influence"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Tony Cartledge<\/p>\n

The planets are in us.
\n Paracelsus<\/em><\/p>\n

Astrology\u2019s chances to qualify as a true science seem to be dead, but a small door of possibility remains open <\/em><\/p>\n

Astrology has been a mainstay of spiritual seekers for close to four thousand years. It is one of those spiritual tools that are simply accepted without question as a reliable window into the soul and the soul\u2019s journey on earth. Such spiritual maps are somehow exempt from critical investigation, yet the great 20th century mystic G I Gurdjieff said that critical thinking was an essential requirement on the path to awakening, and that gullibility was one of modern man\u2019s most serious obstacle to seeing the truth about himself and the world.<\/p>\n

Astrology has been subjected to hundreds of controlled scientific tests and has failed almost every one. Some of the more high-profile tests have been undertaken not by critics, but by astrologers and their supporters in order to find true scientific proof, so the charge of prejudiced scepticism can not be used as an excuse.<\/p>\n

The significance and value of astrology seems to me to fall into two camps \u2013 let\u2019s call them the \u2018mechanists\u2019 and the \u2018humanists.\u2019 Humanists believe astrology\u2019s value is primarily therapeutic and diagnostic, while mechanists also look for real and verifiable effects according to current laws of physics. <\/p>\n

For the humanist, there is more to astrology than being true or false. For most people, astrology works if it provides meaning. 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 sage advice. <\/p>\n

However, if you demand of the cosmos some form of empirical evidence of its influences, then you embark on a more rigorous and challenging road. But it\u2019s a road already littered with the unsuccessful attempts in the search for proof. Astrology has failed almost every test of the more than 600 it has been subjected to. With one possible exception.<\/p>\n

Michel Gauquelin tested hundreds of thousands of subjects in numerous experiments to prove that the planets influence character. His results are still disputed by most scientists, despite the sheer mass of experiments undertaken and the unexpected results. <\/p>\n

It may now be possible to approach the Gauquelin findings from a fresh, new 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, a pupil of Gurdjieff. This system of planetary types has been a tool in esoteric schools since at least the beginning of the Christian era. <\/p>\n

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. The link between planets and man are the endocrine glands via resonant frequencies. Each gland is tuned to the frequencies of the planets.<\/p>\n

Given the easily identifiable physical characteristics of these types \u2013 eg, Martial types often have red hair, Jovial males are prone to baldness, Saturnine types have long bones and are usually the tallest \u2013 it has now become possible to subject the planetary types to statistical tests that prove to be more accurate than Gauquelin\u2019s original experiments. This new research into the Science of Celestial Influence has attracted the interest of innovative astrologer AT Mann and veteran researcher Dr Geoffrey Dean. The experimental results of the Science of Celestial Influence have been examined by Dr Dean and have shown enough promise that more experiments are being set up to establish once and for all whether the planets influence life on earth.<\/p>\n

The planetary types have their origins in ancient Harran, the birthplace of Gnostic Mandeanism and the mystery schools of Mithraism, but are echoed in the endocrine types of Louis Berman, which gives us one foot in ancient esotericism and the other in science. Astrology and science have never really been able to forge a successful partnership in the past: this may be astrology\u2019s last and best chance of establishing a \u2018physics\u2019 of celestial influence.<\/p>\n

THE SEVEN TYPES<\/strong><\/p>\n

The seven \u2018organic\u2019 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. <\/p>\n

The Saturnine\/anterior pituitary type<\/strong>: the paternalist\/teacher\/leader; the tallest of all types, with long bones, high cheek-bones, a strong jaw, and high forehead. <\/p>\n

The Martial\/adrenal type<\/strong>: the warrior\/fighter\/defender\/destroyer; small, muscular, robust and strongly built. They often have a short, thick neck on rounded but powerful shoulders and a large chest, a strong jaw-line and chin and often a pale or ruddy or freckled complexion, with red hair or blonde hair and blue eyes. <\/p>\n

The Jovial\/posterior pituitary type<\/strong>: the maternalist\/humanitarian; a large frame and a big waist on top of thin legs, the men often have thick, bushy eyebrows and are prone to baldness, and both men and women have poor eyesight and more Jovials wear glasses than any other type. <\/p>\n

The Lunar\/pancreas type<\/strong>: the hermit\/dreamer\/clerk
\nThe classic Lunar is small and thin with soft and rounded features. Their complexion is very pale and the chin is receding or always small in proportion to the rest of the face. <\/p>\n

The Venusian\/parathyroid type<\/strong>: the libertine\/nurturer
\nThe pure Venusian has gracefully rounded, shapely or well-balanced features, and a soft, rubenesque voluptuousness, with abundant and wavy hair, nearly always black or dark brown. <\/p>\n

The Mercurial\/thyroid type<\/strong>: the thinker\/performer
\nThe classic Mercurial type is short, wiry, and compact, with an angular face. They are tidy and fastidious and it shows in their grooming; the men with facial hair nearly always opt for goatee beards, and thin moustaches.<\/p>\n

The Solar\/thymus type<\/strong>: the eternal child
\nThe classic Solar is small, thin and waif-like, with a light, supple, childlike body, a slender waist, little body hair. They are distinctly androgynous with transparent, \u201cmilk and roses\u201d skin, delicate features and delicate health. <\/p>\n

$\"\"$ <\/a>About the Author:<\/strong>
\nTony Cartledge is the author of \u201cPlanetary Types: the Science of Celestial Influence,\u201d a critical look at astrology, and scientific research into a unique approach to planetary influences. http:\/\/planetarytypes.com.au <\/a>He was born in Victoria, Australia and currently lives in Bundaberg, Queensland, four hours north of Brisbane, where he works as an advertising features writer and page designer for the local newspaper. He is currently working on a book that further explores the intersection of belief and reality, of science and spirituality, critically examining many hitherto accepted tenets of the spiritual path.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"