Pelligrini (J. Psychology, 1973, 85, 21-28) found a strong relationship between femininity as indicated by the California Personality Inventory (CPI), and birth under ‘feminine’ signs July 24th through January 20th. This Australian replication reasoned that the effect would be reversed in the Southern Hemisphere. 126 students gave their birth date and completed the CPI. Students born at a cusp, or who had immigrated from Northern Hemisphere were excluded. No statistically significant effects were found, except that males generally scored significantly lower on ‘feminine’ dimensions, regardless of period of birth. The conclusion is that Pelligrini’s findings cannot be replicated in this study.

2324 adults completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, yielding scores on the dimensions of Extraverson-Introversion, and Emotionality-Stability. The traditional astrological descriptions of personality according to Earth, Air, Fire and Water groupings were tested, in particular the hypothesis that those born under earth signs (Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn) would be practical and stable, while the water signs (Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces) would be emotional and intuitive. Findings indicated a statistically significant departure from random distribution which strongly supported the astrological hypotheses, except that Aries-born individuals were wrongly depicted as highly emotional.

C. G. Jung devoted his entire life to exploring the human psyche. To this end he carried through a variety of experiments. During the fifties, he performed an original study associating astrology and statistics, aiming at establishing an empirical basis for the principle of synchronicity. Does this mean we have to count C.G. Jung as one of the precursors of scientific astrology? We analayze the study and conclude ngatively.

Personality descriptions of successful American professional were compiled from their biographies. The precise birth times, dates and locations of the 500 subjects were obtained from official American records. The precise positions of the planets Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were calculated for each person, with particular attention beingn paid to the period following the rise and upper culmination of the respective planets. The results of this study on American data are in very good agreement with those of a similar study previously carried out by the authors on European data. A correlation between Eysenck’s personality dimensions and the positiion of the planets at birth was again found. Extraverts are significantly more frequently born when Mars and Jupiter had just risen or just passed their upper culmination: introverts when Saturn had just risen or just passed its upper culmination. Mars and Jupiter appear to be also associated with psychoticism and Saturn associated with non-psychoticism. Again, no positive effects were found for neuroticism.

The breadown of the French population according to the culminating and rising degrees at the time of birth is strikingly uneven. Out of 56 million population, we show that the most frequently observed combination is Sun in Cancer with Leo rising (617,000 occurrences) versus the less frequently observed Sun in Saggitarius with Aries rising (155,000 occurrences). In a similar wein, it is estimated that 3 million French people living today are born with Pluto in their descendant, while 6 million of them are born with Pluto rising. A degree of disparity had been anticipated, but not to that extent. In this respect our study brings a valuable contribution. The results are disconcerting to both the statistician and the astrologer, and they lead to several questions. For instance, are these disparities taken into account in the samplings used by astrological research? Our study could also lead to the determination of a national astrological collective profile, refelcting the seasonality of births as well as astronomical factors.

This study reports a test of the astrological prediction that extraversion is increased by being born with the Sun in one of the odd-numbered tropical zodiacal signs, and introversion by being born with the Sun in one of the even-numbered zodiacal signs. Also tested was the hypothesis that greater emotionality is linked to being born with the Sun in one of the so-called water signs. A sample of 572 Indian boys and 618 Indian girls were administered the Junior Personality Inventory and their birth dates ascertained. Results supported the prediction for neuroticism for boys and girls separately and jointly. But the hypothesis concerning Extraversion was not supported in the total sample.

In this article the concepts of symbolism, chronicity and archetype are reviewed with a rational and critical eye; we show that they have no sound scientific basis and rather constitute fashionable, literary notions, which eventually undermine astrology and strengthen its opponents’ arguments.

Ten scientific studies of the correlation between sun sign and the Eysenck personality dimensions, Extraversion and Neuroticism are briefly reviewed. Four produced positive results and for statistical or methodological reason, even these are not clealry supportive of the hypotheses tested. Smithers’ 1981 study is examined and found to be methododologically flawed.

The ‘Mars effect’ identified by Gauquelin is controversial, and has been challenged by various studies. The present study reanlyses French data (Benski et al ‘The Mars Effect’: A French Test of Over 1000 Sports Champions. Amherst NY: Prometheus) which, apparently, rejected the Mars hypothesis. The French data included 1,066 sports champions obtained from studying two biographical sources. Mathematical calculations by the Dutch statistician Nienhuys corrected for the effect of a wrong expectancy.
Ertel further investigates the possibility that some of the sports champions were not eminent enough to be included for study, since their names were listed in only one of the biographies of eminent sports people (this posssiblity was investigated by CFEPP for only 2 of 36 sports disciplines). Ertel identifies “supreme eminence” of some 300 sports champions, in that they were listed in both biographical sources. These men and women did indicate a statistically significant Mars effect (p = .02). Ertel then asked various researchers to check his data and calculations. Six scholars responded and all confirmed Ertel’s data counts. Four of these experts also confirmed Ertel’s statistical model and calculations.

After covering the relations bewteen neo-astrology and various branches of science, the author discusses the present and possible impact of astrology and astrological research on those disciplines which study science itself. Some of the current literature is considered and the paper concludes by reviewing the current state of the “Mars effect” controversy, and its implications.