The Scientific Basis of Astrology
Dr. Percy Seymour (1997) Astronomer/Astrophysicist Plymouth University, UK.
Web Publication by Mountain Man Graphics, Australia

Introduction to this Review

Where does the author stand? The author is an astronomer and astrophysicist at Plymouth University in the UK. He has had a number of other books published, and a distinguished academic career. We will let him speak for himself on this issue ...
"I am a scientist. As such I cannot propose or understand a model of reality which does not take account of scientific data. I am not an astrologer - in fact this theory developed out of an examination of the arguments that astrology cannot work! As a theoretical astrophysicist, with an interest in the relationship between fundamental physics and the large-scale structure of the universe, I am searching, as are many others, for a model to explain the current anomalies and paradoxes in these areas that are beyond the domain of astrophysics (ie: biology, chemistry, and to my amazement, astrology.)"




ISBN 0-572-02181-X represents an in-depth treatise concerning the influence of the local cosmic environment (ie: the sun and its solar system) on the environment of the terrestrial realms, and explores a large number of informational facets in the presentation of a history of the development of the sciences (astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, geology, geophysics, solar physics, oceanography, etc) all of which have common roots in man's ancient past and, as the research of the current day is hinting, are inextricably joined together in the face of an holistic cosmos.

Further research is begged by a number of claims and theories presented by the author, and the author draws upon many instances and phenomena in the biological kingdoms of nature which relate to the inter-relationship of living beings with the geomagnetic field, and its outlined sources of fluctuation. The earth's magnetic field - in its extended sense - has only been explored in the modern era of technology and space flight.

The author refreshingly points out the fallibility of modern (and ancient) scientific thought, in that the author clearly understands that the subject matter of astrology is more often dismissed out of hand by the average scientist, due to a number of preconceptions, which the author outlines and clarifies. On the other hand, the book is written by a practicing scientist (astronomer; astrophysicist) and the painstakingly step-by-step progress through the histories of human thought in a number of disciplines is orderly and comprehensive.

Popper and Einstein, Feynman and others all get quoted in this book with references which are similar in nature, the common theme being the ongoing quest of the scientific mind to explain all incidents and events of the inexplicable.

"The game of science is, in principal, without end.
He who decides one day that scientific statements
do not call for further test,
and that they can be regarded as finally verified,
retires from the game."

-- Karl Popper

The only omission of note, from my perspective as a gatherer of global traditions and threads, is the lack of any reference to that culture which may have given rise to the earliest of the astrological thoughts, that of the ancient Veda of the land of the Indian Sun. Nonetheless, from my perspective the subject matter of astrology has at last been given a thorough review by an independently thinking scientifically-versed thinker, and the publication (and the author's earlier work) will probably be seen to be forward-scouts of a generic scientific appreciation of more holistic (ie: multi-environmental) views of a resonant structuring of the cosmos.

In fact, it is the notion of resonance which is at the heart of this author's presentation and structure of theories. He uses the word as a keyword in a number of critical places, and it is clear that the properties of resonant systems, within resonant systems opens a very specific, yet very new technical challenge for the future paths of research which will spread from contact with this book, and the author's theory and gathering of not-too-far-fetched hypotheses in the matter of furthering the scientific basis of astrology.

The following section largely contains selected quotes and what I have reacted to as important issues in this publication, and it is hoped that all who read this article will be enthused to take up the challenge of research and development in this most ancient of the arts, and its current manifestation in the age of information and technology.


PRF Brown
Mountain Man Graphics
Falls Creek,
New South Wales
Australia

Southern winter -- 2001

Book Review

In the following section the author outlines in simple terms a brief overview to a theory which he has developed in order to explain all the data which he had at hand at the time:
[P.263]

"It is now accepted by almost all scientists that the sunspot cycle effects the magnetic field of Earth, and the agency responsible for this effect, the solar wind, has been detected. It is also beyond doubt that the moon causes tides in the upper atmosphere which give rise to electric currents, and these generate the lunar daily magnetic variation. There is also plenty of evidence that both the steady state as well as the fluctuating behavior of the geomagnetic field can be used by organisms, including man, for purposes of finding direction and keeping internal body time. This much is all well documented, and widely accepted.

There is evidence, largely ignored, that positions and movements of planets as seen from the sun, play a major role in the solar cycle. Furthermore, there is some evidence - highly controversial but difficult to dismiss - that some positions of the planets as seen from Earth at time of birth and linked to personality characteristics of individuals. [Gauquelin]

This evidence exists. What my theory does is to prepare an interpretation, based on this evidence, which can be scientifically tested. Very briefly the steps are:

• (1) Planets effect the solar cycle in specific ways.
• (2) The solar cycle effects the geomagnetic field.
• (3) The geomagnetic field affects life on Earth in certain observed ways.
• (4) Specifically, many species, including man, can be influenced by particular states of the geomagnetic field.
• (5) The particular influences appear to correlate with the planetary positions.
• (6) I propose that the behavior of the fetus at the time of birth is linked to the cycles within the geomagnetic field, which in turn are influenced by the solar cycle and positions of the planets. Resonance is the phenomenon by which the fetus is phase locked to specific cycles.

  To put this in more specific terms, my theory proposes that the planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune control the direction of the convective motions within the Sun, which generate the solar magnetic field. They do so because they play the major role in moving the sun about the common center of mass of the solar system. As the solar cycle builds up to a maximum, so certain configurations of all the planets, at different stages, play a part in the disrupting the magnetic field of the sun, by means of the tidal tug (due to gravitation) of the planets on the hot gases in the Sun.

  Thus the planets play a role in the modulation of Earth's magnetic field by the solar wind. I am also proposing that the tidal tug of the planets on the hot gases trapped within our magnetosphere will, because of resonance, lock some of the vibrations of the Earth's field in step with the planetary movements. The resulting fluctuations of Earth's field are picked up by the nervous system of the fetus, which acts like an antenna, and these synchronize the internal biological clocks of the fetus which control the moment of birth. The tuning of the fetal magnetic antenna is carried on by the genes which it inherits, and these to some extent will determine its basic genetically inherited personality characteristics. Thus the positions of the planets at birth are not altering what we have inherited genetically but are labeling our basic inherited personality characteristics."

  ---- At the time of this specific publication (1997), Dr. Percy Seymour was Principal Lecturer in Astronomy at the University of Plymouth, where he taught astronomy and astrophysics to undergraduates and carried out research on magnetic fields in astronomy ...

It has occurred to me to present this small section in the form of an FAQ, of Frequently Asked Questions, although at this stage of the article these appears only to be perhaps 2 or 3 questions. Nevertheless, here we go with the first ... [P174-6]
Q1: How can the relatively small planetary gravitation influence the dynamics of the sun and/or its interior?

This is often one of the first obstacles presented to any hypothesis leading towards any theory related to the influence of planets on the sun. The sun is huge and has a huge enate gravitational field, whereas the planets are small, and those which are largest (ie: Jupiter, Saturn, etc) are a reasonable distance away from the sun.

The answer to this question points directly to the existent tidal activity on the Earth's oceans. The tidal pull of due to the gravitational attraction of the moon and the sun on the waters of the Earth is far weaker than Earth's own gravitational tug by a factor of about ten million. Yet, twice a day, all over the Earth, this relatively weak gravitational pull from the sun and moon is moving billions of tons of water to and fro ...[...]... The gravitational tug of the sun and moon can have such an effect because of a phenomena called resonance.


Q2: How can the gravitational influence of planets, when pulling at right-angles to each other, be additive?

Explanation of this references a tidal theory worked out by the astronomer royal George Biddell Airy in 1845. In fact Airy's theory overcomes both criticisms in a very natural way, since it is what one would expect near resonance, and it allows us to understand how such a resonance can exist beneath the surface of the sun.

Airy worked out a rigorous mathematical theory which shows that it is possible to build a water canal around the Earth, parallel to the equator, in which the spring tides would occur at first and last quarter, rather than at full and new moon. This corresponds to ninety degree positions of the sun and moon as seen from the earth. Such a canal would also greatly amplify the rather weak tides associated with the open ocean ...[...]...

How are these results applicable to the Sun? It is well known from the observation of sunspots that magnetic structures which resemble canals parallel to the sun's equator exist on the sun in the buildup to the maximum sunspot activity. Such canals can greatly amplify the weak tidal forces of the planets on the sun, because they are able to channel very hot gases of the Sun parallel to the solar equator. The present theory of solar activity also tells us that the strength of this field increases towards solar maximum - when the number of sunspots on the sun reach a maximum. This strength will effect the speed with which a magnetic wave will travel along a magnetic canal. The speeds with which planets travel with respect to the material on the spinning surface of the sun vary from one planet to the next. This means that as the speed of a free wave in the magnetic canal increases with the increasing strength of the field, it will equal the speed of the tidal wave of each of the planets in turn, starting with Mercury. In other words, the magnetic free wave and the tidal wave of Mercury will, at some stage of the solar cycle, be in tune with each other. When this happens, Mercury's tidal influence on the magnetic canal will be considerably increased and it will cause a disruption of the canal. The canal will then rise to the surface, causing a solar prominence and a sunspot pair where this loop crosses the sun's surface.

[...]

My theory thus proposes that we apply Airy's canal theory of the tides to the magnetic tubes of force that exist beneath the surface of the sun in the build up to solar maximum. These tubes of magnetic lines of force resemble canals that are parallel to the solar equator, and thus it appears to use canal theory.

Just as the magnetic field of the Earth is generated by little convective eddy currents in the outer mantle, so the magnetic field of the sun is generated by eddy currents in the convective zone of the Sun. I am further proposing that the change in direction of the eddies near the poles of the sun, sometime before the start of the next cycle, is triggered by the movement of the sun about the common center of mass of the solar system. The movement is controlled by the orbiting of the outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. These planets move the sun through a total distance of twice its own diameter (ie: just under 2 million miles) roughly every ten and a half years.

In this book, Dr. Percy Seymour reserves a number of references to the work of Michel Gauquelin, a psychologist and statistician, who was internationally known for his pioneering research on the relationship between planetary positions at birth and human behavior. Gauquelin published a number of books in his time, among them a book entitled "Cosmic Influences on Human Behaviour", Futura, London, 1976. In an afterword for this pioneer, Seymour writes the following:
"Battling with heroic courage and tenacity against the immense scientific prejudice and hostility of his colleagues in the scientific community, he was able to conclusively demonstrate, through repeated and stringently controlled experiments, that, as the ancients had believed, outstanding individuals in different professions tend to be born at times when appropriate planets were close to the horizon or the meridian.

He was able to show that top military men, athletes, and entrepreneurs tend to be born "under Mars", while scientists favor Saturn, poets and politicians favor the Moon, and actors Jupiter. He was able to show that the more outstanding the individual the more likely appropriate planets would be prominent. He went on to demonstrate that, in the case of natural births, children tend to be born with the same planets prominent in the sky at birth as their parents."

Elsewhere, the author makes the comment that Gauquelin found no evidence in favor of the standard Sun-sign astrology during his research. Also, there is mentioned the fact that much of the criticism levelled towards Gauquelin was motivated by the fact that the critics could not conceive of a mechanism by which Gauquelin's results could be understood.

It would appear that the author was quite impressed with the data presented by Gauquelin's research, and although the data is surprising to the traditional scientific viewpoint, it nevertheless exists, and thus needs to be explained. Where others would "have it go away", Dr Seymour at least confronts the evidence head on, and puts forward convincing arguments as to why it is this way, and not another.

Elsewhere, Seymour quotes:

" ... a major weakness in our approach as scientists: a collective unwillingness to welcome new or anamolous results. We dont want to lose sight of the fundamental fact that the most important experimental results are precisely those that do not have a theoretical interpretation; the least important are often those that confirm theory to many significant figures."

--- Professor Philip Anderson, Physics Today. (Reference Frame - September 1990)


To conclude this review, it might be helpful to reiterate that one of the key concepts presented in Dr. Seymour's book is the phenomenom known as resonance. The characteristics of resonant systems within resonant systems are only now beginning to be explored and researched. The mechanism of the selective "tuning-in" to various frequencies involves the establishment of resonant sessions such as that which occur in the standard radio antenna for frequencies in the radio-wave spectrum.

The physiology of our bodies as human beings includes our neurology, which has clearly been established to operate via electric current generation. As such, the generation of corresponding magnetic fields is also in progress within this disapative structure known as the body. Comprehensive citations of literature concerning the detection of the geomagnetic field by animals, birds, fish, plants would indicate that man may also possess such capabilities, in his genetic record. Dr. Seymour draws our attention to the fact that the 11 year solar cycle corresponds to specific configurations of the planets, and that the solar wind directly influences the geomagetic field. Other cycles in the geomagetic field are brought about by the tidal influence of the moon on the upper atmosphere.

When the concept of resonance is discussed, in many cases examples are provided with very small frequencies (ie: cycles), such as those to do with electromagnetic energy in various frequencies, or indeed with sound waves. Readers are invited to exercise their imagination and understanding in order to determine the nature of resonant systems which are based on cycles which are in the order of the tidal (6H 14M), the diurnal (24 H), the lunar cycles of 28-9 days, the seasons of quarter years, the annual cycles, and still greater cycles from the sunspot/solar cycles of 11 years through to the great geological cycles which may reflect the journey of the (earth/moon)/sun system about the Milky Way galaxy, of 200 million years (or so).

Dr. Percy Seymour, Astronomer and Astrophysicist, demonstrates that there are indeed some scientists out there who do not subscribe to any form of rampant skepticism when confronted with the leading keyword of Astrology. A healthy skepticism is warranted however in most matters, and the author uses a collection of quotes from immanent scientists, and from the philosophy of science, to assure us that he still has his feet firmly on the ground.

I wish him the very best in his future research and develoment, and congratulate him on the calibre and theme of this publication " A Scientific Basis of Astrology".

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