Anecdotal and historical evidence suggests that solar eclipses have a powerful effect on those who experience them. This qualitative study, conducted by email, used emailed questionnaires and semi-structured personal interviews in order to record first-hand testimony from eclipse-watchers. The results support the propo-sition that the direct observation of a solar eclipse tends to be an emotionally profound experience

Taking the proposal that all astrology is divination as a basic hypothesis, this pilot study explored the phenomenology and experience of divination during the consultation between the astrologer and the client. The study collected qualitative data in ninety-minute taped interviews with six experienced astrologers. The in-terview schedule was semi-structured so as to allow the subjects to explore their experiences at length. The results showed a very rich and varied experience of divinatory features with altered states of consciousness in the consultation being common. All the subjects acknowledged that divinatory processes play a part in astrological practice. The high level of use of intuitive processes reported in the interviews led to a sample of astrologer delegates at an Astrological Association conference being given a short questionnaire asking them about the use of intuition in their practice. 80% of a 26% sample of 246 delegates often used intuitive processes in their astrological work and 20% did not. The results of this pilot study are discussed in terms of the current literature and the possibility of further work to test the hypothesis.

This paper documents my research into the working practices of astrologers and to discuss the methodology I have employed. For the purposes of this research, I have conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with practising astrologers based in Glastonbury in Somerset, all of whom work face-to-face with individual clients. I am attempting to ascertain how they approach their work, the steps taken in preparing for a consultation, the nature and extent of any ritualised activities undertaken in the process and the importance that they attach to these. Through this, I hope to discover something of the motivations behind the astrologers’ approach, what it is that astrologers consider they are doing and why, and the role they believe themselves to be playing in the client’s life.

A survey comprising 500 pedigree dogs was realised in the Paris region. For each dog six behavioural traits were determined and ten of their astrological traits were retained. A statistical interpretation of the possible relationships between the two sets of traits was performed with permutation tests. Two strong associations were detected between the angular positions of Jupiter and the Sun, and the extraversion dominant trait. Other associations were also suggested. Remarkably, these associations are similar to standard indications proposed by astrology for humans.

This is a critical comment on the work of Professor Edward Dewey (see “The 9.22 year cycle on grasshopper abundance, Correlation old edition 5 Autumn 1969) on sunspot influence where Dewey concluded from a study involving the analysis of economic and sociological cycles, that the main sunspot cycle was 22.22 years, double the length that had normally been hitherto assumed. Gillman exhorts astrologers to give attention to the intervals occurring between successive planetary conjunctions in this new sunspot cycle as this may lead, eventually, to an explanation of how planets are able to exert an influene upon life on earth.

The literature on cyclic variations in birth rates is reviewed with special focus on material not cited by Michel Gauquelin. This is considered together with the literature on variations in the geomagnetic field and on the Schumann Resonance (SR), with a view to identifying points of interest for further studies of the Gauquelin heredity and professional databases. It is concluded that SR is unlikely to be a candidate for explaining the Gauquelin Effect but that the so-called Solar Quiet Day Variations are worthy of further investigation. With this in mind two studies have been undertaken, the first of which is reported here: an investigation of seasonal factors in the professional database using the sun’s zodiac position. Each professional group as a whole shows annual or semi-annual variations in birth rates near the solstices, while subsets filtered by the sector position of a Gauquelin planet reveal strong and unexpected variations close to the equinoxes.

A detailed c ompoarison is presented of available birth charts of all haemophiliac and haemophilia carrier descendants of Queen Victoria. Non-haemophiliac siblings are also included. Saturn and
Mars/Saturn midpoints are dscussed for their relevance to the findings, and further research into a possible correspondence between cosmic factors and genetic structures is recommended. (See also “Queen Vctoria and her 9 children: Charles Harvey, Correaltion 6 Winter 1969-70 pp8-9)

Review:
Astrologers of the reviewer’s generation, who drew on the works of Addey, Harvey and Ruperti, will at once recognise the central theme of Scofield’s thesis: that an understanding of planetary cycles is an essential prerequisite to an understanding of human development. But there is an important difference: the Platonic/Spiritual ideas that informed these writers are substantially replaced by the demands of biology. Scofield asks us to consider whether biological development in both human and non-human subjects is causally entrained with the planets. He proposes that the cycles of the planets actually trigger developmental changes within us in a factual, rather than a symbolic manner, and offers a variety of evidence to support his claim.

In doing so, he draws mainly on the developmental theories of Freud, Piaget and Erikson, but also includes Percy Seymour’s work on resonance, Bowlby’s attachment theory, and also the work of Timothy Leary. This is a heady and complex mixture, which Scofield acknowledges. Although the psychologists frame much of his argument, they are far from a solid foundation. Freud’s psychosexual stages, as originally described, have very little use within current psycho-analysis, and in his later years Freud was far more interested in the seven-year dentition cycle, with which he associated his own creative process, and also constantly returned to Wilhelm Fliess’ hypothesised 23/28-day cycles, which were the precursor of biorhythms, and which Freud believed could predict illness and even death. As the moment of birth determined the start of these cycles, they should hold an interest for astrologers. However, with so many models on offer, there is a surfeit of cycles. Erikson’s extension of Freud’s epigenetic principle postulated eight developmental stages, beginning with Trust vs. Mistrust up to age one, to Integrity vs. Despair at 50 and beyond, and mixed biological functions with more culture-dependent interpretations. While Piaget makes more precise observations, and has tighter time periods, there are still stages such as the Intuitive Phase, from four to seven years, which gives an enormous orb of time relative to the child’s age, and for which a wide range of planetary cycles could be invoked as causal agents. Jung’s work is also drawn upon, but profound as it is, does not really lend itself to temporal analysis, as concepts such as ‘youth’ and ‘middle-age’ are open to endless re-definition.

While those influenced by Freud and Jung have their own interminable arguments, they do share a central theme, echoed by both Erikson and Piaget: that of the developing ego, or self. Here, Scofield readily admits that there is a philosophical problem at the core of his work: there is no real understanding of what might be meant by ‘a self’ (the development of which is the theme of his book), and here seems to come down on Adler’s side, who suggested that the concept of an ego may not be needed. Freud, Jung and Adler each owed a debt to Nietzsche, who first suggested that the concept of the ego was primarily a consequence of language, that we are now stuck with – an observation taken to heart only by the Lacanian and Existential schools of psychotherapy. However, nothing illustrates this problem better than the oft-repeated claim that the planets revolve around the sun: the classic ego symbol. In truth, they revolve around an empty space, the centre of mass, which the sun occupies for erratic periods. As good a symbol of the ‘self’ problem as one could hope to find.

Leaving such observations aside, Scofield’s picture is a challenging one. The cycles of planets literally switch on various developmental processes as they resonate to their natal positions, much as the function of a gene may be switched on by a chemical agent. With so many personality variables, and so many different ways of developing, we must be in train with innumerable cycles, some of which may coincide with others and bring early development, or slip out of phase and delay growth, depending on the specific natal arrangement. While this thought may offer a reason for the wide time frames observed by the psychologists referred to above, it also raises a perplexing question: why has Scofield omitted any reference to the work of John Addey, even though he uses the term ‘harmonic’ and asks us to pay attention to phase angles? This is particularly puzzling, as Addey’s method of work would seem to offer an ideal template for exploring the complexity of interlocking cycles. Interestingly, Addey was pursuing a similar direction – the possibility of a relationship between astrology and genetics – and was studying for an MA in genetics at the time of his death.

All of the above might suggest that the reviewer has great reservations about this book. Not so. Scofield has had the courage to engage with a massive raft of influential ideas, many of which have never been properly addressed by astrologers, and which form the basis of acceptable theories of human development. No less a figure than Darwin acknowledged that many creatures have lunar-related developmental periods. He felt that the full moon made successful mating more likely, and thus this factor became selected. For him (and for Freud) current examples are the product of evolution, which are now genetically embedded. If the moon were to disappear, the rhythms would presumably remain, for they are not currently caused by the Moon but are a consequence of evolutionary history. In the field of chronobiology, such arguments continue. Do we have inbuilt biological clocks, or do we actually respond to external factors such as the sun, moon, or the rotation of the earth? Scofield’s thesis pushes this discussion towards the astrological paradigm with commendable honesty, recognising that his book is ‘work in progress’ and that he may ‘have published too soon’. But such is the case with many scientists; indeed the constant re-drawing of ideas is virtually the paradigm for scientific exploration, and should be no less for the astrologer.

This is a book that will provoke many thoughts and reactions – as it has done here – for it opens up new ways of thinking about the astrological paradigm, and it does so with a clarity that is admirably ‘waffle-free’. I would urge all astrologers to read it for themselves, and engage, thoughtfully, with Scofield’s ideas.

The search for a method to determine criteria for recognising sexual deviancy in the natal chart is discussed. Significant pattersn are identified. Volunteers completed questionnaires providing personal data. Definition of deviancy: homosexuality, sexually submissive, fetishism, and other factors. Moon, Pluto and Saturn are the most frequently involved planets. (See also “Criticism by Ronald Harvey p 11 Correlation 5 Autumn 1969)

Book review:
This is a revised and expanded version of a classic text that was first published in 1998. Ever since I got that first edition, it has been one of the very few books I keep within arm’s reach while I work, and this new edition is even better.

The book’s particular angle is stated on the first page of the Introduction:

…despite all the books that speak of the essential message of house meanings, very little exists in contemporary literature to foster a true appreciation of that essence by illustrating where the meanings come from. The origin of their symbolism is poorly understood, and little effort has been made by modern astrologers to investigate and define their meaning. (p.ix.)

The book fulfils two distinct functions. Firstly, it is a ‘cook-book’ for houses – and in this role it is the best there is. (The meanings of each house are covered on pp.61-92, and there is also a rulership index, pp.160-168). Secondly, underpinning the entire text is an enquiry into where the house meanings come from, and an attempt to purge the misinterpretations that have crept into this area of astrology.

Probably the worst source of distortion, Houlding judges, is the attempt to equate signs and houses:

Although modern natal astrology allows a considerable exchange of meaning between houses and signs, the suggestion that houses derive their meanings from signs is clearly contradicted in traditional texts, where a much stronger distinction is readily apparent. (p.x).

There is much very interesting material in her description of what is needed in order to understand the houses correctly. The two things that stand out in my mind are:

– the observation (p.19) that while there is mileage in considering the houses as a ‘cycle of life’, this works only if we judge the cycle to move according to diurnal motion – i.e. from the 12th house to the 11th, and so on. As she points out, this is the opposite motion from the (counter-clockwise) numerical sequence of houses which modern authors have often taken as their starting point.

– The author’s illustration of how the joys of the planets have fed back into the understanding of house meanings – with perhaps the most significant single instance being the Venusian qualities which have been assimilated into the definition of the 5th house (see p.32 – 40).

What Houlding offers here is a way of understanding the houses which is more hard-edged than is met with in many modern astrology books, as for example when she insists:

The 8th house remains the house of death, loss and grief, no matter how pleasantly we wrap that up in digestible phrases such as ‘personal-transformation’. (p.21.)
I think the perspective offered here might be of interest to many researchers, both insofar as it challenges certain common assumptions about the core meanings of the houses, and also for the way that it lays out the philosophical basis for the houses’ meanings, making it possible by working from first principles to figure out which house might be expected to rule any given subject. The final two chapters are devoted to the problem of which house system is ‘the best’. Houlding concludes that this is an unanswerable question:

…there are so many valid frames of reference, and it is impossible to fully recognise the potential of them all within any one technique. (pp.122-3.)

Anyone who already has the first edition will find the text thoroughly overhauled, and often expanded. Much of the expansion is by way of further explanation and definition of terms, so if you have the first edition and already understand everything in it then this new version should count as ‘desirable’ rather than ‘essential’. Otherwise, this is simply a must-have for anyone with a serious interest in astrology.