From the Conclusion on p. SE46:

“The Mars effect, having shaken off three skeptics’ attacks, needs to be reassessed by those who failed to disarm it. For the skeptic committees this should not pose much of a problem. They merely need to live up to their own principles of ‘methodological skepticism’ … The present study has shown that the results do survive all rechecks. Are the researchers now ready to accept planetary correlations as an objective for science?”

Ertel’s argument is that when the new studies by the skeptics are carefully considered and interpreted, Gauquelin’s original findings are supported.

“Of all the astrological problems which beckon to us from the future there is one which must excite the thoughtful astrologer more than any other. It is also the problem the solution of which may prove to
be of greatest practical scientific value to mankind. This is the question of how astrology and genetics are to be related and, specifically perhaps, how the genetic code is expressed astrologically.
To put the matter in a nutshell, we know that there are laws of heredity by which natural characteristics are transmitted from generation to generation; we also know that the natural characteristics of each person are described by the horoscope
calculated for his date, time and place of birth. It therefore follows – and we must be clear about this, it does inevitably follow – that the astrological code, by which the horoscope is interpreted, must be in agreement from one generation to the next …
On the most basic scientific level Michel Gauquelin has demonstrated the existence of an astrological relationship between the nativities of parents and children in a massive scientific experiment involving the horoscopes (all calculated for the time of birth) of some 25,000 parents and children.”

All deaths occurring in North Cheshire, UK were logged by cause of death, and month of birth. In this period 502 individuals killed themselves. Suicides differed in months of birth from non-suicides to a highly significant degree (p<.01). Suicide from hanging was significantly more frequent in those born in September and July (p<.005). Those whose suicide was caused by a violent method were significantly more likely to have been born in Summer months. While astrological or planetary factors at time of birth were not considered as causal possibilities, such explanations are open to exploration.

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.