Science, Physics and Astrology
I have spent a great deal of time on this site sorting out the ‘backstory’ of how the practice of Astrology could logically fit into the ‘scientific world’. I have purposely drawn attention to the fact that there is a growing realization that we don’t really understand the level of wisdom some ancient civilizations had. This is pertinent in this section when you are considering Astrology because of its extensive ancient obscure roots. Increasingly the proof that we are finding of ancient civilizations does not fit into our contemporary scheme of linear conscious evolution. Our history books cannot account for the level of knowledge and skill it must have taken to leave behind many of the ancient artifacts that are now surfacing. Something is amiss with our beliefs about the past. The ancient Vedas offer one solution to this puzzle with their explanation of the evolution of human consciousness in rising and falling cycles: the Yuga cycles. The Yuga cycles repeat with the precession of the equinoxes and mirror what Plato called ‘the Great Year.’ If we consider the possibility that there have been ancient cultures in the past that were more advanced than we are today the mysterious historical puzzle pieces (that seem to be growing in number) finally find a home. Specifically with regards to Astrology, the mystery of how such a profound body of knowledge could have grown from such primitive roots can finally be lay to rest.
I have spent a great deal of time on this site sorting out the ‘backstory’ of how the practice of Astrology could logically fit into the ‘scientific world’. I have purposely drawn attention to the fact that there is a growing realization that we don’t really understand the level of wisdom some ancient civilizations had. This is pertinent in this section when you are considering Astrology because of its extensive ancient obscure roots. Increasingly the proof that we are finding of ancient civilizations does not fit into our contemporary scheme of linear conscious evolution. Our history books cannot account for the level of knowledge and skill it must have taken to leave behind many of the ancient artifacts that are now surfacing. Something is amiss with our beliefs about the past. The ancient Vedas offer one solution to this puzzle with their explanation of the evolution of human consciousness in rising and falling cycles: the Yuga cycles. The Yuga cycles repeat with the precession of the equinoxes and mirror what Plato called ‘the Great Year.’ If we consider the possibility that there have been ancient cultures in the past that were more advanced than we are today the mysterious historical puzzle pieces (that seem to be growing in number) finally find a home. Specifically with regards to Astrology, the mystery of how such a profound body of knowledge could have grown from such primitive roots can finally be lay to rest.
I have spent a great deal of time on this site sorting out the ‘backstory’ of how the practice of Astrology could logically fit into the ‘scientific world’. I have purposely drawn attention to the fact that there is a growing realization that we don’t really understand the level of wisdom some ancient civilizations had. This is pertinent in this section when you are considering Astrology because of its extensive ancient obscure roots. Increasingly the proof that we are finding of ancient civilizations does not fit into our contemporary scheme of linear conscious evolution. Our history books cannot account for the level of knowledge and skill it must have taken to leave behind many of the ancient artifacts that are now surfacing. Something is amiss with our beliefs about the past. The ancient Vedas offer one solution to this puzzle with their explanation of the evolution of human consciousness in rising and falling cycles: the Yuga cycles. The Yuga cycles repeat with the precession of the equinoxes and mirror what Plato called ‘the Great Year.’ If we consider the possibility that there have been ancient cultures in the past that were more advanced than we are today the mysterious historical puzzle pieces (that seem to be growing in number) finally find a home. Specifically with regards to Astrology, the mystery of how such a profound body of knowledge could have grown from such primitive roots can finally be lay to rest.
Secondly, it seems to be a popular misconception amongst (strangely the less scientific) critics of Astrology that somehow science has ‘debunked’ or ‘disproven’ astrology. This is inaccurate and ironically many of these so-called critics actually do not really know what Astrology is. This may still be partly due to the success of Linda Goodman’s 1968 book Sun Signs which earned a spot on the New York Times best sellers list and rebooted astrology’s popularity with mainstream culture in the 1970’s. A mixed blessing for the discipline I would say however as many people equate their ‘natal sun sign’ with their ‘natal chart‘ which is kind of like equating the first initial of your name with who you are; it is a very incomplete comparison. To discuss whether astrology fits into the scientific world or not we must first clarify what that world looks like. Having a basic understand of relativity (special and general), quantum physics, particle physics and astrophysics can radically alter what the average person’s view of reality might be. For that reason, although it is not my area of expertise, I have written several simple pages reviewing these areas so as to orient the reader to a common starting place for this discussion… (if unfamiliar with these topics please see the drop down menu above under the heading: Science, Physics and Astrology.)
Secondly, it seems to be a popular misconception amongst (strangely the less scientific) critics of Astrology that somehow science has ‘debunked’ or ‘disproven’ astrology. This is inaccurate and ironically many of these so-called critics actually do not really know what Astrology is. This may still be partly due to the success of Linda Goodman’s 1968 book Sun Signs which earned a spot on the New York Times best sellers list and rebooted astrology’s popularity with mainstream culture in the 1970’s. A mixed blessing for the discipline I would say however as many people equate their ‘natal sun sign’ with their ‘natal chart‘ which is kind of like equating the first initial of your name with who you are; it is a very incomplete comparison. To discuss whether astrology fits into the scientific world or not we must first clarify what that world looks like. Having a basic understand of relativity (special and general), quantum physics, particle physics and astrophysics can radically alter what the average person’s view of reality might be. For that reason, although it is not my area of expertise, I have written several simple pages reviewing these areas so as to orient the reader to a common starting place for this discussion… (if unfamiliar with these topics please see the drop down menu above under the heading: Science, Physics and Astrology).
Secondly, it seems to be a popular misconception amongst (strangely the less scientific) critics of Astrology that somehow science has ‘debunked’ or ‘disproven’ astrology. This is inaccurate and ironically many of these so-called critics actually do not really know what Astrology is. This may still be partly due to the success of Linda Goodman’s 1968 book Sun Signs which earned a spot on the New York Times best sellers list and rebooted astrology’s popularity with mainstream culture in the 1970’s. A mixed blessing for the discipline I would say however as many people equate their ‘natal sun sign’ with their ‘natal chart‘ which is kind of like equating the first initial of your name with who you are; it is a very incomplete comparison. To discuss whether astrology fits into the scientific world or not we must first clarify what that world looks like. Having a basic understand of relativity (special and general), quantum physics, particle physics and astrophysics can radically alter what the average person’s view of reality might be. For that reason, although it is not my area of expertise, I have written several simple pages reviewing these areas so as to orient the reader to a common starting place for this discussion… (if unfamiliar with these topics please see the drop down menu above under the heading: Science, Physics and Astrology).
Starting from a common point of departure then, I would like to say astrology is almost weird enough to fit into the world of science! Yes I jest, although it is kind of true. Quantum physics teaches us how strangely atoms behave (like they have magic powers), particle physics teaches us that we are made up of the materials of the stars (although our atoms are mostly just empty space and energy) and astrophysics teaches us how little we know about our expanding universe and what it is made of (dark energy). The constancy of the speed of light is not a new discovery but I’m not sure most people are aware of the bizarre implications that it has for time and space while on the other hand I’m not sure most people know the difference between Newton’s universal law of gravitation and Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. I do not say these things to be critical of anyone; our world is overflowing with information and it is impossible to keep up with all of it. I say these things because I don’t think the concept of Astrology is that bizarre from the perspective of modern physics anymore!
Starting from a common point of departure then, I would like to say astrology is almost weird enough to fit into the world of science! Yes I jest, although it is kind of true. Quantum physics teaches us how strangely atoms behave (like they have magic powers), particle physics teaches us that we are made up of the materials of the stars (although our atoms are mostly just empty space and energy) and astrophysics teaches us how little we know about our expanding universe and what it is made of (dark energy). The constancy of the speed of light is not a new discovery but I’m not sure most people are aware of the bizarre implications that it has for time and space while on the other hand I’m not sure most people know the difference between Newton’s universal law of gravitation and Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. I do not say these things to be critical of anyone; our world is overflowing with information and it is impossible to keep up with all of it. I say these things because I don’t think the concept of Astrology is that bizarre from the perspective of modern physics anymore!
Starting from a common point of departure then, I would like to say astrology is almost weird enough to fit into the world of science! Yes I jest, although it is kind of true. Quantum physics teaches us how strangely atoms behave (like they have magic powers), particle physics teaches us that we are made up of the materials of the stars (although our atoms are mostly just empty space and energy) and astrophysics teaches us how little we know about our expanding universe and what it is made of (dark energy). The constancy of the speed of light is not a new discovery but I’m not sure most people are aware of the bizarre implications that it has for time and space while on the other hand I’m not sure most people know the difference between Newton’s universal law of gravitation and Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. I do not say these things to be critical of anyone; our world is overflowing with information and it is impossible to keep up with all of it. I say these things because I don’t think the concept of Astrology is that bizarre from the perspective of modern physics anymore!
We may not know the exact mechanism behind the synchronicity of human life with the movement of the solar system (although we may if Dr. Percy Seymour, who wrote the Scientific Evidence of Astrology is correct) however astrology’s ‘spooky action at a distance’, fractal and mathematical nature actually allow it to fit in quite well with some of the key concepts in modern physics. French psychologist Dr. Michel Gauquelin (1928–1991)and his wife Françoise opened the floodgates with over two decades of research for what will hopefully be the beginning of a much needed procession of comprehensive studies on large pools of birth data in astrology. Many examples of how we are clearly already connected with the movement of the cosmos exist: just think of the sun waking you up in the morning or the tides moving with the moon. For many more examples check out this wonderful article by Kevin Williams Scientific Evidence Suggestive of Astrology. If you are, however looking for hard-core scientific journal articles on astrology you may want to start reading here or head directly over to Correlation, the Astrological Association Journal of Research in Astrology or Archai, the Journal of Archetypal Cosmology.
I was convinced many years ago by the correlations I saw repeatedly that there was something more to Astrology than superficial fortune telling. Therefore although I found writing this part of my website (Science, Physics & Astrology) interesting I did not include this section for my own interest, (astrologers generally see proof of astrology every day) I’ve included this section because there was a time in my life when I would not have considered astrology, I would have dismissed it out of hand. Author Joseph Selbie articulately refers to this as Scientific Materialism; a religious type of belief that everything that is or ever will be is the result of matter/energy reactions and nothing else. Selbie notes that this attitude creates a ‘bias’ towards material explanations for all phenomenon that is so strong that it nearly eliminates the possibility for any funding that attempts to explore any realities other than the material. Having previously ascertained a science degree yet today working as a professional astrologer I find myself on the flip side of this bias and it is both strangely enlightening and ‘irksome’ at the same time. We give names to these different subjects in our lives but the truth is we are all trying to define the world around us and how we interact with it. I have included this section to illuminate some of the parallels between astrology and science and to build a bridge on which to meet some of those who cannot imagine what the mechanism for Astrology could be.
I was convinced many years ago by the correlations I saw repeatedly that there was something more to Astrology than superficial fortune telling. Therefore although I found writing this part of my website (Science, Physics & Astrology) interesting I did not include this section for my own interest (astrologers generally see proof of astrology every day) I’ve included this section because there was a time in my life when I would not have considered astrology, I would have dismissed it out of hand. Author Joseph Selbie articulately refers to this as Scientific Materialism; a religious type of belief that everything that is or ever will be is the result of matter/energy reactions and nothing else. Selbie notes that this attitude creates a ‘bias’ towards material explanations for all phenomenon that is so strong that it nearly eliminates the possibility for any funding that attempts to explore any realities other than the material. Having previously ascertained a science degree yet today working as a professional astrologer I find myself on the flip side of this bias and it is both strangely enlightening and ‘irksome’ at the same time. We give names to these different subjects in our lives but the truth is we are all trying to define the world around us and how we interact with it. I have included this section to illuminate some of the parallels between astrology and science and to build a bridge on which to meet some of those who cannot imagine what the mechanism for Astrology could be.
I was convinced many years ago by the correlations I saw repeatedly that there was something more to Astrology than superficial fortune telling. Therefore although I found writing this part of my website (Science, Physics & Astrology) interesting I did not include this section for my own interest (Astrologers generally see proof of astrology every day) I’ve included this section because there was a time in my life when I would not have considered astrology, I would have dismissed it out of hand. Author Joseph Selbie articulately refers to this as Scientific Materialism; a religious type of belief that everything that is or ever will be is the result of matter/energy reactions and nothing else. Selbie notes that this attitude creates a ‘bias’ towards material explanations for all phenomenon that is so strong that it nearly eliminates the possibility for any funding that attempts to explore any realities other than the material. Having previously ascertained a science degree yet today working as a professional astrologer I find myself on the flip side of this bias and it is both strangely enlightening and ‘irksome’ at the same time. We give names to these different subjects in our lives but the truth is we are all trying to define the world around us and how we interact with it. I have included this section to illuminate some of the parallels between astrology and science and to build a bridge on which to meet some of those who cannot imagine what the mechanism for Astrology could be.
There is no higher religion than truth.