Testing astrology with statistical methods

The determination of planets is in three ways: naturally, accidentally and specifically. Their indications and significance is based on these three elements. Their universal or “natural” significations are just that; universal. But that testimony may be (and I can’t lay any percentage on how often) weaker than its accidental or specific testimony just as often as not!

This is why trying to prove anything statistically is futile. Perhaps delineation could be measured but absolutely not with the methods presented so far. A statistical method would have to be able to separate and show clear lines between the differences that occur in delineation and signification. That is a very difficult thing to do since one might arrive at a type of profession, for example, because of the testimony of the lord of the 10th and another with the same type of profession where the indications are because of an angular “natural significator of profession” joined to another. Because there is no “one” and “only” means of delineation, then how do you separate and distinguish significations statistically? In fact something is determined because it has a preponderance of testimony and not just one!

I can show you dozens of examples of real people who have the same type of work (for example I have many charts of architects and engineers), and no two of them are alike in their determinations! But if you consider all the elements that we are reminded by the ancients to use, then we will find that charts are individuals and are each unique but give “similar” indications.

We can find this in Sahl for example. When discussing illness was their just one signification? No… here is a typical example from Sahl Ibn Bishr;

1 Now as for illness, recognize in which sign the Moon is, and in which degree, and who is looking at her from the aspects, and who is partnering with her and associating with her, and especially in the house of illness. 2 Then, see what the Ascendant is and what its nature is, and do not neglect to know the place of illness (and it is the sixth house), what it is and who of the planets is in it, and who is its lord, and know the Lot of illness.[1]

1 Now as for the lords of chronic illness, look at the sixth house and its lord, and the aspect of the infortunes to it. 2 Then, look also at the Lot which is called the Lot of chronic illness, and its lord, and the sign in which they both are, and who of the fortunes and infortunes is looking at them. 3 Then, look at the second lord of the triplicity of the house of fathers, and who of the fortunes and infortunes is looking at it. 4 Then, look at the sign which is the house of chronic illness: over which limb (of the limbs of the body) does it have authority? 5 Then, look at the Lot of Fortune and its lord, and the mixture of that planet and the sign in which it is. 6 Then, look at the separation of the Moon, and her connection. 7 Then, look at the Head of the Dragon: is it with the infortunes or with the fortunes?[2]

With the Ascendant there are 8 significators listed just for illnesses! And that is not counting looking at the Releaser or Giver of life!! This is absolutely typical of pretty much all the houses and accidents happening to a person in life.

This is what irritates many people today who read these ancients texts; one astrologer tells us to look at one thing and another tells us to look at another. Has it ever occurred to anyone that either is valid or is necessary to establish a preponderance of testimony? – And people give up on traditional because one technique does not give a testimony 100% of the time. Instead of trying to cast one rule into stone, we have to know many circumstances and the results of those particular circumstances and weigh them all in each nativity, which is unique in itself and unlike any other.

This is why trying to statistically analyze particular significations is hopeless and waste of time. I stopped trying to justify astrology a long time ago. Because even if I could devise a statistical approach which took consideration of all the factors of “determination” or “disposition“, still the modern scientific mind-set would never accept that I understand something because of “wisdom”. So I’ll let people continue to argue and theorise on the subject. As for me I just continue to practice it, every day and on real live people and their problems and victories.

Steven

[1] On Nativities Chapter 6.1: On illness and ailments (p.538) – The Astrology of Sahl B. Bishr Volume 1 – translated from the Arabic by Benjamin Dykes PhD and published by Cazimi Press 2019

[2] On Nativities Chapter 6.3: On the lords of chronic illness (p.552) – The Astrology of Sahl B. Bishr Volume 1 – translated from the Arabic by Benjamin Dykes PhD and published by Cazimi Press 2019

The US 2020 Presidential Election Prediction: What went wrong!

First I have to apologize it has taken me so long to get to this. I think it is very important to examine the results and see just where the prediction went wrong. It is important to see if the techniques were invalid and wrong or if, and this is more likely, the astrologer (meaning me) went wrong with understanding the significations. I am not going to blame the failed prediction on alleged voter fraud or some error of the system. Either astrology sees the results regardless of how it got there or it doesn’t.

Specifically I used techniques that are a part of the historical record. They are not ‘new’ techniques although I think for many the knowledge of them is new, which is not the same as being a ‘new’ technique. When using these techniques I made a couple of assumptions that in hindsight really made and ass of u and me!

To continue reading download the full PDF here!

Update 24.01.2021

I hope everyone is having a good start to the new year; well as good as can be expected under the demanding and stressful conditions in many parts of the world at this time.

I am sorry I have not had the time to post some things here that I have in the works. With Christmas and New Year and new clients I have found myself a little short of time for everything I want to do. One thing that I have at the top of my list and that is very important is a look at my prediction concerning the elections in the States. I feel it is a responsibility to comment especially since my delineation was incorrect. So to be honest I have to look at where I erred and the mistakes behind the delineation.

Other projects I have in the works are a review of Abu Ma’shar’s work, The Greater Introduction to Astrology; A closer look at the technique of profections as instructed in Abu Ma’shar’s On the Revolution of the Years of the Nativity and a look at the indications concerning the conjunction of Saturn & Jupiter in Aquarius and the general portents for this triplicity.

So as I get the time to write so will I publish these items. Thanks for checking in and please follow to get updates and new publications!

The Star of Bethlehem

This is a topic that has piqued my curiosity for years now. As a Christian & a traditional/classical astrologer, I have read just about every theory out there and devoted some time to examining the various arguments, speculations, and facts we can point to. We are dealing with ancient history; sometimes the evidence is ambiguous or non-existent so it is clear my opinion is also largely conjecture.

The story of the Star of Bethlehem is found in the second chapter of the book of Matthew in the New Testament.

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship[1] him.”

Many questions present themselves and perhaps these following two are at the top of the list; what did the wise men see that led them to believe a king would be born in Israel? Why were they even interested? To answer those questions one has to know 1) what astrology was being practiced at the time and 2) the historical context.

To continue reading, download the PDF here…

[1] proskuneō gr – literally or figuratively to prostrate oneself in homage. As you will see later in this study, paying homage is much closer to the truth than using the religiously loaded word, worship.

US Elections 2020

I have been intensely debating with myself whether or not to share the charts that I have looked at with regard to the upcoming election in the US. It seems over the last few years there has developed this culture of, “who made the prediction”, like it is some kind of game show. These kinds of prognostications are not a competition or ‘ego’ shot, simply because they deal with the lives of millions of people and it is certain that at this point in time no matter what the outcome, millions are not going to be happy. It appears to me, as a 3rd party with no bone in this fight, that the politics in the US has reached a point of crisis that I have not seen in my 70 years of life.

What methods & charts should I use to delineate an outcome of such a political event? Should I use the personal or natal charts of those running for the office?

Continue reading or down load this blog post US-election 2020Download

A Teachers Thoughts

The Lessons in natal delineation that we teach in classical or medieval astrology are many times, by today’s standards, controversial. When we teach lessons like whether a subject will survive birth and childhood or on finding the Hyleg, we are looking at the ‘bread and butter’ considerations of the ancients when delineating a nativity; i.e. the considerations concerning longevity and length of life.

There are some things about this teaching that we need to keep in mind. The prediction of death is not to be taken lightly or used irresponsibly. There are several ethical and moral ramifications of this subject. But the self-appointed, sanctimonious, self-righteous opportunist who admonishes that we should not teach these subjects or predict death should please take heed that I am not urging students to burden their subject clients with predictions of death or their loved ones death. I would merely intend to bring forward the study of the methods by which death was predicted by professional astrologers when astrology was considered the highest science. This is an ongoing work where it is yet dangerous to cast anything into stone and you are hereby being advised to study it as such!

I give my students the full counsel of everything I know or believe regarding this subject. With knowledge comes responsibility and accountability. I do not tell my clients, you are going to live so or so many years. The information I derive from the chart only helps me to place other issues in the chart into perspective. In fact, it is quite impossible to accurately predict a subject’s deeds and fortune without the careful and wise consideration of longevity! I believe that the subject matter is absolutely necessary to the study of ‘traditional’ astrology.

But this is not something that should be attempted in practice until the student has mastered the full battery of delineation techniques taught and advocated by the ancients. This subject matter is not entertainment! The astrologer delineating a client’s or native’s ‘longevity’ has entered the ‘guts’ of the native’s soul, so to speak, and must be discreet, compassionate and careful. We need to “walk circumspect as wise”. The word “circumspect” means to be cautious, carefully considering all the related circumstances and possible results of one’s actions, decisions and judgments. I have some very strong feelings about this teaching myself. This is not a teaching that one should make ‘general’ and there is a reason the ancients did not teach everything they knew on the subject. In the hands of the foolish, this kind of teaching is potentially very harmful.

We should never be afraid to know the truth. King David wrote in the Psalms,
Lord, make me to know my end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am…teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.[1]

By numbering our days, we are made aware of the fact that our lives are truly like the grass of the field that is here today and gone tomorrow. For some people, this kind of information motivates humility and spurs loving actions to live one’s life fully in the service of others and God. For other people, it is a further excuse to ‘live like hell’ selfishly – eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die! While I believe this knowledge is a gift of God, like everything in the world, it can be used for good or evil. Therefore, we do have to be very discriminate with this teaching.  I still have to spend time in prayer seeking wisdom in how to share these kinds of things. It is a responsibility that I personally do not take lightly. I honestly try not to lean to my own understanding of these things and my own wisdom and it is not something I freely volunteer! We have to make every effort to be right, but realise we can err.

To continue reading you can find the entire article as a PDF here…

[1] Psalms 39:4 & Psalms 90:12 from the King James Version of the Bible

The Conjunctions of Saturn & Mars in Historical Astrology & A Look at Recent Events

Something I have been seeing more and more over the last few years is just how significant the Saturn/Mars conjunctions are in the greater scheme of national events. It is a subject that several of the Persian authors spent time documenting in their own national forums. The correlation of events like riots and rebellions and overthrowing of law and order and removal of caliphs etc. to the Saturn/Mars conjunctions in Cancer is documented especially in Abu Ma’shār.

“Related to the superior planet furthest from the world of generation and corruption, i.e. to Saturn, is the indication for matters of Beginnings like religions, dynasties, and whatever lasts for a long time, since it is like the beginning for the other celestial bodies in terms of height… Related to the third of these planets in order, i.e. to Mars, is the indication for wars, strife, and the like, being as it were, the decline to the final ends of things, because the ends of things indicate destruction of their orderly arrangements after their perfection, and corruption of their regularity.” [1]
“[3] We say that the most distinct of the indications occurring as a result of the influence of the conjunction of Saturn and Mars is in the sign of Cancer, since this sign is the detriment of Saturn and the dejection of Mars, and since the indication of this sign with Jupiter is for Iraq… Each sign has an indication for one of the regions, because sometimes a city is related to one of the signs and the predominant <planet> over it (the city)  is not the lord of that sign. For example, the indication of Cancer with Jupiter is for Iraq because Jupiter is predominant over <the degrees of> the sign indicating Iraq, i.e. from its 19th to 26th degree. For the extent of these degrees of the sign of Cancer is the term of Jupiter, indicating Iraq… The presence of the malefics in it and their aspecting it from quartile or opposition indicate calamity, the change of rule, and bloodshed, if the triplicity to which the conjunctions shifts should necessitate that, especially when the two malefics are in conjunction without the aspect of the benefics.”.” [2]

Abu Ma’shār goes on to examine this conjunction (i.e. Mars & Saturn in Cancer) with regards to changes in the rule over the Islamic empire. While his examination focuses on the conjunction in Cancer it is not entirely clear why Cancer is associated so strongly with Islam. That answer I believe lies in the chart of the beginning of Islam which we find in Māshā´allāh.[3]

“And Māshā’allāh said that when he looked in this image [at] the places of its planets, he found the strongest of them and the greatest of them in testimony, to be Saturn: because he was entering into the Ascendant,[4] and he is the lord of its exaltation, and the Moon (the lord of the light of the night) is pushing her management to him from the tenth (by number) and the ninth (by division), the place of prophethood, and Jupiter is pushing his management to her. And he found Mars in Gemini (and it is the ninth by number), in the highest [part] of the belt,[5] climbing to its highest point, receiving the management of the Sun, Venus, and Mercury (through his retrogradation)… Because the place of the Moon is in upper midheaven indicates that he will be secure from being killed and because Venus escaped combustion this indicates that he will meet hardships and go into hiding for a while; then he will establish connections and be strengthened, and become known, and the people of his doctrine will rule. Because the place of the moon is in upper midheaven and Mars is in the house of religion, these indicate that he will seek religion and its being established by struggle.[6] And because of the connection of the moon with Venus the people of his doctrine will have the nature and manners of Venus [7]…”

What makes Cancer so relevant to the rule and rulers in the Islamic empire was the fact that the sect light, the Moon, was in the midheaven of the chart and indicated “the people of his doctrine shall rule.” It is no wonder that the Mars/Saturn conjunction in Cancer was relevant for each real change in the dynasty within the Islamic empire! This is exactly what Abu Ma’shār was indicating when he talks about how the signs indicate empires or countries and cities; “…each sign has an indication for one of the regions…”

Read the entire article here.…

[1] Ibid Part I, Chapter 1:7 (p.7)

[2] Part II, Chapter 8:3 – The Book of Religions & Dynasties (On the Great Conjunctions) – by Abu Ma’shār, translated by Keiji Yamamoto and Charles Burnett from the Arabic original, Brill 2000.

[3]  f230v & f231r (pp. 48-50) – The Astrological History of Māshā´allāh – translation and comments by E.S Kennedy & David Pingree – Harvard University Press 1971

[4] That is, he is retrograding into Libra.

[5] Mars is in the middle of Gemini, advancing towards the solstitial point at 0° Cancer, the most northern zodiacal point in declination.

[6] An interesting comment; It is clear under the reign of Islam that political correctness was the ‘de jour’ thing to do. It being Mars and knowing history at the time of Māshā´allāh, it would have been more precise to say “and it being established by war”! Of course the cancel culture thrives under totalitarian rule; but there the cancel would have included their head and not just their livelihood like it is today!

[7] And here is the origin of Venus indicating the people of Islam!

A compilation of longevity techniques using the prenatal lunation with other techniques

I did not go into details with the each longevity technique to find the releaser (hīlāj) and its lord (kadukḫudhāh). I mainly wanted to see how each major astrologer treated the prenatal lunation in that context. It is clear there were 2 main lines of technique; Dorothean & Ptolemy. Valens methods were only cited in a few cases and often the techniques were not quite what we find in Valens but a derivative most certainly. There were many techniques using the prenatal lunation in delineation. I have only touched briefly on some of them in this compilation

I think it is safe to start with Dorotheus.

Dorotheus used the prenatal lunation for indications concerning the native and his mother; whether free or slaves.

[Prenatal lunations and their triplicity lords]
24 I command you to look (for one born in the meeting)[1] at the degree of the meeting, so it may be known who the lord of the triplicity of that sign is (and for one whose nativity was in the fullness, so that the lord of the triplicity in which the fullness was, may be known). 25 So you look at these two signs: who is looking at them?
26 Now if you found the first lord of the triplicity in a bad place and the second one in a good place, then those people will go out from slavery to emancipation.
27 And if you found the first lord of the triplicity in a good place and the second one in a bad place, then say that in his first years he will be free, and at the end of his life poverty, baseness, and service will come to him. 28 (And the bad places are the sixth, twelfth, eighth, and third, except that the Moon rejoices in her alighting in the third.)
29 And if you found the first and second lords of the triplicities of the meeting and fullness in a bad place, then one born like that will not cease to be a slave or servant, from the beginning of his life to the end of his life.
30 And if they were both in a good place, then he will be free from the beginning of his life to the end of his life.
31 And if you found an infortune in the sign of the meeting or fullness, and you found the other infortune looking at it, you report his [terrible] fate, and misfortune will overwhelm him.
32 And <if you found> the lord of the bound of that degree in which the meeting and fullness was, in a bad place or in the sign of the seventh or the fourth from the Ascendant, then it indicates slavery and poverty. 33 But if a planetary fortune looks at it, and the lord of that bound is in a good place, and the meeting or fullness is in a bad place and the infortunes look <at it>, then the father of the native will be esteemed and his mother will have poor esteem. [2]

Dorotheus’ gave instructions when to use the prenatal lunation as the releaser (hyleg); as translated by ´Umar:

[Chapter III.2:] The releaser
1 <Now I will explain to you> the releaser (and it is the indicator [of the matter of life]), and the house-master (and it is the governor of the matter of life). 2 So the releaser by day is the Sun, and by night the Moon, then the degrees of the bound of the Ascendant, then the Lot of Fortune, and for one whose nativity is from the meeting to the fullness,[3] [the next strongest is] the degree of the meeting,[4] and for one whose nativity was in what is between the fullness and the meeting,[5] [it is] the degree in which the fullness was (and it is fifteen [days] in the month, and its night is more powerful [for] that).[6]
3 And by day the Sun and by night the Moon and the better of the two is the one in a stake, and especially the Ascendant. 4 And there is no escaping [that] if the one whose lord of [its] bound is looking at the releaser (or the lord of its house, or the lord of its elevation,[7] or the lord of its triplicity, or the lord of its image [8]), then it was in this status, it is the releaser. 5 But if the lord of the bound or one of those I mentioned (the lord of its house, or its triplicity, or its exaltation, or its image; the primary one of them being the lord of the bound, then the lord of the triplicity) is not witnessing it, then it is not fit to be made the releaser.[9]

To continue reading you can find the full PDF under the New Articles menu.

[1] ‘Meeting’ is referring to the ‘meetings’ of the luminary; i.e. either the prenatal new moon ( ‘the meeting’) or the prenatal full moon (the ‘fullness’).

[2] Book I chapter 10 (p. 74) – Carmen Astrologicum by Dorotheus of Sidon – Translated and edited by Benjamin Dykes PhD, Cazimi Press 2017

[3] i.e. from the new moon to the full moon.

[4] I am not sure why been inserts the text [the next strongest] because what Dorotheus is saying is that if the Moon in the nativity was from the new moon up to the full moon then use the degree of the new moon.

[5] i.e. when the Moon is found between the full moon to new moon.

[6] This seems to mean that the degree of the prevention is more significant for people born at night. But this sentence could also be understood in the following, more simple way: (1) for people born after the meeting, the degree of the meeting is the next strongest releaser; (2) for people born after the fullness, the degree of the fullness is the next stronger; and (3) the fullness happens on the fifteenth day of the month, which includes the night. –Ben Dykes 
[My opinion is that it simply meant that in a nocturnal chart, if it was a prenatal full moon, it was more significant; not that should be preferred in a nocturnal chart. It might be desired but not necessary. He most certainly does not choose one above the other but obviously in a diurnal chart one could say that the new moon is perhaps more weighty in delineation than the full moon simply because the new moon is not visible and the sun predominates, i.e. it is of the diurnal sect; just like in a nocturnal chart a prenatal full moon would be ‘of the sect’ and therefore more weighty. If Ptolemy were working from the same root text as Dorotheus, or maybe even citing Dorotheus here, then I would say Ptolemy has extrapolated a rule that was not in fact a rule but a comment on how strong the prenatal lunation would work in the nativity. We know Hephaistio was working with the original manuscript and poem because he cites it. And the diurnal/nocturnal distinction is not in that citation he gives from Dorotheus. Therefore it is hard for me to believe Dorotheus’ intention was to say that the prenatal full moon should only be used in nocturnal charts. The number 1 problem with Ptolemy’s astrology is that he NEVER tells us his sources! This is odd in itself but even odder knowing the fact that he always cites his sources in the Almagest! -Steven Birchfield]

[7] Exalted ruler

[8] This is not included in Hephaistio’s quote from Dorotheus…perhaps a Persian addition?

[9] Book III Chapter 2 (p. 189) – Carmen Astrologicum by Dorotheus of Sidon – Translated and edited by Benjamin Dykes PhD, Cazimi Press 2017

The National Chart for the US… Is Sibley correct?

I am intrigued! Why is a declaration of intent a birth? I have several business clients and they consult with me on the affairs of their businesses. How does one cast a chart for a business? Is it when the owners first conceive the idea and declare their intent? The answer is no! For businesses, the chart is cast for the moment they open their doors for business.

I think we can safely say that the astrological community, by large, has accepted the signing of the Declaration of Independence as the “birth of the US”. What is usually disputed is the time of its signing. However, there are several very important things that really “shook my tree” in my recent historical readings and they are connected to some of the discussions I have had about accurate birth times for nations.

The first thing I will point out is that the majority of secular political scientists do not consider a declaration of independence as the beginnings of any nation. The Declaration of Independence issued by the colonies was in fact only the united intention of 13 independent entities, each which had their own constitution or charter. If by definition, the natal ascendant is the “body”, fully formed and functioning independently, then why does the astrological community accept the date and time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence as the birth? Was a nation born then?

The ascendant of any nativity is that degree which rises on the horizon at the moment in which a native first enters the world and draws his first breath. That is the commencement of life. At that point, the native is fully formed and functional with a head and body, limbs and all the internal and external organs. In fact, one can say that from conception until the foetus is born, it has at certain stages of foetal development, certain functions in order, so that while still in the womb it is semi-functional but it is the birth process, which activates the remaining functions like breathing. In the uterus, the foetus even has a heartbeat and circulation and brain functions and even internal organ functions that are complimented by the umbilical connection to the mother. In the foetal stages, we can say it is a living organism but it is not a truly independent organism until it takes that first breath on its own and the umbilical cord is cut and it either survives or dies under its own functions.

To view the entire article you will find it here….

Understanding modern events through Astrology

One of the main tenets of understanding the historical astrology of astrologers like Abu Ma’shār lies in the understanding of their conception of history. We read for example,

“Saturn, is the indication for matters of Beginnings like religions, dynasties, and whatever lasts for a long time, since it is like the beginning for the other celestial bodies in terms of height…. laws do not come into being except because of religions and dynasties. If these states are arranged inversely, the case once more requires them to be connected and ordered, because religions and dynasties do not function except by laws…” [1]

The question is rightly posed concerning ancient historical astrology; can we really compare equivocally their observance of “divine law” with modern secular laws? Western society has done just that. The whole point in democracy or social democracy, any democracy; is a mandate that man’s ethics and morals are just as good, if not better, than any based on divinity! This is why the Theory of Evolution is so important in so-called democratic societies; if there is no God then man is God! It is humanism. It is the modern religion.

Personally, I am apolitical – I believe what astrology tells me rather than the perceptions the media wants me to have. I have certain moral convictions, but Astrology is particularly amoral. It was never intended to pass moral judgments. Its only intention is to tell us what is and what isn’t. A very good example of modern practice of astrology is how people have tried to make charts fit their perceptions. This has resulted in an almost entire western astrological society making prognostications so far from reality that many have tried to once again make apologies by saying astrology was never meant to predict!

T.S. Elliot once wrote:

“When a word acquires a universally sacred character . . . , as has today the word democracy, I begin to wonder, whether, by all it attempts to mean, it still means anything at all.” [2]

As one historian on Democracy points out, the only way possible to understand particular events and players is to accept the objective reality that democracy is nothing more than a secular religion.

“As in religion, although the partial theological framework [of democracy] may be a marvel of logic, with syllogism following syllogism, the first premises, the axioms or the postulates must remain a matter of faith. They can be neither proved nor disproved. And it is they that really matter. They determine the ideas and acts, and resolve contradictions into some higher identity or harmony.
The postulate of some ultimate, logical, exclusively valid social order is a matter of faith, and it is not much use trying to defeat it by argument. But its significance to the believer, and the power it has to move men and mountains, can hardly be exaggerated…
The modern secular religion [democracy] must first be treated as an objective reality. Only when this has been done will it be possible to consider the intellectual and historical patterns created by the interplay between the secular religion and particular men and situations…
Eighteenth-century philosophers were never in doubt that they were preaching a new religion. They faced a mighty challenge. The Church claimed to offer an absolute point of reference to man and society. It also claimed to embody an ultimate and all-embracing unity of human existence across the various levels of human and social life. The Church accused secular philosophy of destroying these two most essential conditions of private and public morality, and thereby undermining the very basis of ethics, and indeed society itself. If there is no God, and no transcendental sanction, why should men act virtuously? Eighteenth-century philosophy not only accepted the challenge, but turned the accusation against the Church itself. The philosopher felt the challenge so keenly that, as Diderot put it, they regarded it their sacred duty to show not only that their morality was just as good as religious ethics, but much better.” [3]

The substance of its acceptance is faith; the same as any divine belief! When it comes to secular law, it is the popular belief that the state knows better than the “Divine” and passes its laws to protect the rights of all, even those who transgress “divine law”! Even when those laws are contrary to any “divine law”! Democracy is the call word in everything that is printed today. And those that base law on Divine law are called religious extremists.

In so-called “democratic” Europe for example, 47 nations are now members of the Council of Europe, which has nothing to do with the EU. Not one citizen of the member nations has voted to belong to this council. It is the Council of Europe however that wrote the “Convention on Human Rights” and this convention makes up 70% of the proposed EU constitution. In fact to be a member of the Council of Europe a nation must incorporate the “Convention on Human Rights” as well as all the conventions passed by the Council of Europe, into their national constitutions by enacting laws to fulfil its provisions. If not they cannot be a member state! I really don’t understand people worrying about the EU….it is in fact irrelevant and it is now being absorbed by the Council of Europe. Note the logo of the Council of Europe; in 1983 the European Parliament decided that the Communities’ flag & logo should be that used by the Council of Europe. More than this however is the fact that the European Union is in serious disagreement amongst its members states. Just how much longer it will survive is questionable. But no matter because the real rulers sit in the Council of Europe passing “conventions” which are nothing short than their secular laws for member states to obey; with or without the consent of the people of the state. This is the text book definition of a totalitarian democracy.

We are in monumental times! As astrologers in order to understand world events we need to see these events objectively through eyes as spectators while embracing doctrines and teachings that historical astrologers like Māshā´allāh, ´Umar, and Abu Ma’shār  passed down to us, which are very relevant to understanding the astrology involved!

(first written in 2017 revised 2020)

[1] Part I, Chapter 1:7-8 – The Book of Religions & Dynasties (On the Great Conjunctions) by Abu Ma’shār, Translated and edited from the Arabic by Keiji Yamamoto & Charles Burnett – Brill 2000
[2] T.S. Eliot, “The Idea of a Christian Society” (London: Faber & Faber, 1939)
[3] The Origins of Totalitarian Democracy by J. L. Talmon Published 1986 by Penguin (first published 1952)