An essay by S D Anugyan. “With astrology I have moved through near-wholesale acceptance at the beginning… to a letting go of it in favour of the accepted science of astronomy; and finally to an interesting hybrid of the two, where I practise a certain detachment in favour of observation.”
In my early twenties I abandoned astrology in favour of its sibling, separated later in life – astronomy. My rebirth into conventional science was like a necessary purging of questionable ideas and beliefs that had accumulated during my passionate foray into alternative approaches. The stars were magnificent enough through a top-of-the-range telescope, without attributing meanings.
Then someone approached me with their birth chart. ‘I know you’re not into this anymore,’ she said, ‘ but you understand the symbols and I just want to know what they mean.’ I was happy to oblige, word got out, and more and more people approached me with the same request. At the time I was simply relating the subscribed meanings, without any assumption that they were correct. Then I noticed something interesting.
So many people were coming to me, I gleaned a pattern that was not in any text books of which I was aware. From the angle the moon makes to the sun, it is easy to spot which phase of the moon a person has been born under, and there was a marked difference between those born during the waxing phase and those when the moon was waning. The ‘waxers’ (or ‘new moon people’) were often loners, and the ‘waners’ (or ‘old moon people’) committed to relationships of one sort or another. The former would grow and flourish by having adventures by themselves, the latter would grow and thrive through love.
As a generalisation, one could say the waxers were lone wolves and the waners family people, but it wasn’t that simple. Some of the waxers, for instance, would be parents. The difference was in the quality of relationship with their children. One mother born during the waxing phase tended to treat her daughter more as a sister or friend than a daughter. Likewise, a father had a very close loving relationshp with his son, but it was often long distance as he was always travelling. There is something reminiscent here for me in hearing Osho talk about people being either on the Path of Meditation, with love as its shadow; or the Path of Love, with meditation as its shadow.
Further discernment could be made regarding the actual phase of the moon. A person born just after new moon would remain adventurous and perceived as childlike throughout their life; the closer a person was born towards full moon, the more ‘grown up’ they would appear, though still requiring their own space considerably. After full moon, the emphasis on relating dominates, and a parent would quite naturally put their own needs aside for their children, or a lover, their partner. The older the waning moon, the more an extreme of martyrdom could manifest, the individual sacrificing their own needs for those of others.
This hints at the developing complexity of the phenomenon, and it works differently for everyone because everyone is different. But the overall pattern was there and observable. In my detachment to astrology I could bear witness to this. Books had been written about the phenomenon, I recall Lunation Cycle by Dane Rudhyar, but my experience had a freshness to it I found invigorating, and it initiated a personal renaissance into astrology.
Conventional scientists have for a long time been keen to discredit astrology, it makes them uncomfortable. Once I was out for a walk one full moon night. On a bridge I bumped into a senior scientist from the laboratory where I worked. He was out walking his dog. We chatted a bit, remarking about the beauty of the moon. I commented about how the full moon affects people. ‘There’s no evidence for that,’ he said dismissively. I didn’t have a good response to offer, but years later was hearing nurses telling me how they braced themselves for full moon nights on the ward, because everything would become a bit crazy. I asked someone if there was any research on this and was advised to check PubMed online. Within seconds I found a paper about excessive bleeding during surgery on full moon nights. In retrospect, the scientist I had spoken to should have answered, ‘There is no evidence of which I am aware.’ Because that would have been true. Now a quick search on PubMed reveals a number of interesting articles, and that’s just one source.
There has been considerable research into astrology, the most notable being the French scientist Michel Gauquelin who, along with his wife, published several books on his findings. One of the interesting things from their work was the revelation that although there was a link between the planets and careers, it wasn’t necessarily one that astrologers had picked up on. The Gauquelins noted that a specific planet on either of the four extremes of the ascendant, descendant, deep heaven or mid-heaven – i.e. either on the horizon or directly above or below – at birth, could determine one’s career. Mars at any of these points would favour an athletic path, Jupiter a public life such as acting or law, and Saturn science. Looking deeper, they realised that it was likely certain personality types that favoured certain paths i.e. vigorous and physical (Mars), outgoing (Jupiter) and methodical and cautious (Saturn). Yet it is worth noting that though the positions may differ from traditonal astrology, the meanings subscribed to the planets remain essentially the same. As I recall (and this is all from memory), Venus is linked with traits that actually didn’t favour any career, but more a ‘good, pleasurable’ life. Again, that would fit with the traditional view.
As with any scientist finding evidence of something threatening the dominant paradigm, the Gauquelins experienced academic persecution. ‘[Their research] served as part of the catalyst for the formation of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of the Claims of the Paranormal, which began a project to refute the data presented by the Gauquelins. The project, in fact, replicated the Gauquelins’ results, but rather than publish its findings, the committee falsified the results. The ensuing “Starbaby” scandal severely damaged the credibility of the committee.’ Encylopaedia
Astrologers have often accepted that they’re working with an incomplete science i.e. that they don’t know everything. It’s even been said that they’re dealing with fragments of a system from a previous unknown civilisation. Even so, when I had my chart done at the age of nineteen, I found it one of the most helpful tools I had ever received in regards to self-knowledge. This can be tricky though. In one experiment people were offered free birth charts with interpretation from a machine, much like a cashpoint. The majority said the charts provided accurate insights into themselves. The twist was that every single chart issued was identical, and not related at all to the person’s actual birth data. I actually watched the documentary about this with an astrologer, and he remarked to me, ‘The trouble is, people don’t know themselves very well.’
Here is where true scepticism is invaluable, that everything is taken with a pinch of salt. In other words, don’t just believe everything you’re told, take it in, consider it, and reflect as to whether it’s true and helpful or not.
A well-known astrological effect is when Mercury goes retrograde. This happens when the Earth ‘overtakes’ Mercury in orbit around the sun, so that the smaller planet appears to be going backwards. Traditionally, as Mercury is the planet of communication and travel, this means plans often go awry during these periods, manifesting these days with train cancellations or delays, traffic jams, the internet going down, phonecalls not going through, letters missing etc. On a personal level it can mean incomprehension, misunderstandings and a general clumsiness. This happens two or three times a year for a few weeks each time.
Sometimes it does seem really obvious this is happening, so much so, people will sometimes say to me, ‘Wait until Mercury goes direct before attempting to sort it out’, whatever ‘it’ is. A twist for me is that I often observe the chaos around these dates, but am rarely affected. It’s possible this is because I was born during a retrograde phase, so the difficulties around communication are most of the rest of the year perhaps! It does explain my life a bit.
My point though is that this is fairly observable. I’m not aware of anyone having done empirical research on this, and it would be difficult to do, but it is a possible avenue to pursue. Do some research yourself with a simple internet search to find out the dates of Mercury retrograde in the coming months, and see how/if it affects you. If this is a valid phenomenon, understanding and preparing for it can be very useful.
The infamous Saturn return is probably more obvious on a personal level. Approximately every twenty-eight years Saturn returns to the same position it was when you were born. As someone explained to me once, the planetary symbols already tell us quite a bit about their effects. With Saturn it’s a cross above a crescent, Earth dominant over the Moon, or matter dominant over the soul. Saturn brings many of our life lessons and delivers them in four seven-year packages. When it returns to its original position, the theory is, all of the lessons we didn’t learn pile up to be experienced within one year.
This is so obvious to many people, they make allowances for what happens in that year. A while ago I was about to experience my second Saturn return. As the previous one was so dramatic and intense, involving a break-up and job change, I decided to pre-empt its shenanigans this time by leaving where I had been living for almost a decade. This seemed to be working except the inner anguish I was experiencing was worse than ever. It was like my whole life was being undermined and taken apart on a deep level. I described my situation to someone who dabbled in astrology, and she said, ‘This is much more than a Saturn return,’ and consulted the ephemeris. ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘it’s not just Saturn. It’s conjunct with Pluto.’
That was a eureka moment. Pluto, the planet of destruction and transformation, had its guns blazing on me as well. It all made sense. Once again, the validity, the truth astrology offers, was being presented. Once I knew what was going on, I could accept and work with it.
More recently I had a reminder of another astrological phenomenon.
I went on a journey from Plymouth to St Austell in Cornwall one bright morning recently to look at a potential apartment, and a whole new start after three years of sofa surfing. The journey there was sunny and full of hope. On the way back it was another story, for once there I had realised the apartment would be a disaster and wouldn’t work at all.
The train carriage was almost empty but there were two teenagers near me who were clearly out of their minds on some drug or other, and being repulsive and loud. It felt horrible so I moved to another carriage. ‘You’re trying to confuse me,’ commented the guard as he came through.
As the journey continued, and I felt a numbing despair at the situation, I remembered it was new moon. What I know about me and new moon, is that nothing external ever works out for a day or two at this time in the lunar cycle.
In Plymouth I missed the bus by one minute. There should have been another in twenty, but it was cancelled. Then I realised buses left right and centre were being cancelled. People were in disarray. Smartphones were disagreeing with the bulletin board, none of which turned out to be correct. I was desperate for a cup of tea but couldn’t risk it as the display and internet were so unreliable, and a bus could turn up at any moment. Apparently the company who ran the service were notorious for not giving a damn.
Eventually a bus did turn up, with three times the normal amount of passengers. It was the school run and it went to pick up the girls from a school I call St Trinians. Then it got ridiculous, much to the girls’ delight, so overcrowded and them sitting on top of each other. To their credit, they managed to turn the situation into a party and even I in my state had to get the joke. Things were so bad now they were hilarious.
The bus driver at some point refused to pick up any more passengers which was a dreadful situation for them as who knew when the next one would turn up. So the crazy bus got to my destination by the moor, to find another bus had broken down. Its occupants, again mostly school kids, were sprawled about on the grass by the road and acting like they were on a picnic. I think they had the right idea in regard to dealing with these situations. As some of us got off, the driver allowed the stranded passengers on, even though it was a completely different service.
I arrived at my destination after a half-hour’s walk, feeling drained, exhausted and defeated. It was a typical ‘dark of the moon’ experience for me whenever I attempt to succeed in something externally. I had actually anticipated something before setting out but assumed I’d be able to just push through it. Much of what I describe is a bit like Mercury retrograde, which is a possible factor: It wouldn’t go retrograde for two days but there is often a ‘foreshadowing’ effect.
As I write this, it is new moon again, and I am reminded to not attempt nor expect too much for the next day or two. The rebirth and growth will come in three days. Now, it is an inward time. Fortunately, that accommodates writing easily! Us writers like our own company.
With astrology I have moved through near-wholesale acceptance at the beginning, just because of the valuable insights it provided; to a letting go of it totally in favour of the accepted science of astronomy; and finally to an interesting hybrid of the two, where I practise a certain detachment in favour of observation. In that way I feel the Gauquelins were on the right track; but so much more needs to be done and that can only happen if people of all camps are open to ideas from those of others. Thus, an adventure beckons.
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