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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Astrologers unfazed by new planet plans

Star signs and astrology charts -- relied on by millions as a key to divining the future -- would not be much affected if three new planets are added to the solar system, experts said.

Sylvain Pech, an astrologer from the French city of Marseille, said the discovery of Xena "opens a door" since it is situated outside the orbit of Pluto, until now seen as "the deepest level of our collective psyche."

"It has got astrologers interested... but first we need to work out the meaning of its place within the solar system."

But he said the addition of the other two objects -- Charon and Ceres -- was of no special interest, the first forming part of Pluto's planetary system, and Ceres having been known to astronomers for a long time.

Adding three planets to the solar system

She described astrology as a "very ancient method based on observations made again and again over thousands of years, using laws of analogy and correspondences."

In antiquity, she said, astronomers -- who were also astrologers -- observed parallels between what they saw taking place in the skies and on Earth.

"When Mars moved in front of the constellation of Aries, they observed an increase in aggressivity and conflicts," she said.

Pech explained how astrology maps correlations between the different parts of a human being and those of the solar system.

For instance the moon, Earth's closest satellite, is traditionally associated with the first moments of a person's life and as such is linked to impulsive behaviour.

Saturn, the furthest planet visible to the naked eye, is associated with ageing and death.

The planets located on the outer rim of the solar system -- Uranus, discovered in 1781, Neptune (1846) and Pluto (1930) -- are associated with the collective psyche, rather than the individual, Pech explained.

For Christine Haas, "we can even function without Uranus, Neptune and Pluto" -- the three most recent discoveries in the solar system.

Fundamentally, she said, "astrology is not a science but an art of interpretation".

More here: www.physorg.com/news75266229.html

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It will be amusing to watch the astrologers jocky and squirm, attempting to keep up with the new "influences". At this rate, the most insignificant aspects of our lives will be assigned a planet...

[Centaur]

Below are pasted a couple of today's news articles regarding Pluto and astrologers. Crawford is an acquaintance of mine. He replied to me with a long emotional response yesterday after I e-mailed to him my favorable opinion of the removal of Pluto from the list of major planets. His thoughts are condensed in these Bloomberg articles.

No, I do not take his astrological predictions seriously. However, he is also a rather savvy stock market technical analyst, and I respect his observations from that perspective. He even endorsed my book on the subject. I suspect that his solid technical analysis helps to shape his subjective interpretations of messages from the planets

I’ve asked him how Pluto’s insignificant gravitational field could affect Earthlings. He replies that it must have something to do with an ability to disrupt the Sun’s magnetic field. Of course, he does not feel he or any astrologer needs to prove this theory.

Unfortunately, astrologers seem to have more influence on the general public than astronomers do. If astrologers want Pluto to remain classified as a planet, it may remain one within the popular culture no matter what astronomers have to say.
_____________________________________________________________

Aug. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Astronomers' decision that Pluto
isn't a planet has unsettled astrologers who are now trying to
figure out what impact the change will have on human
personalities, the Wall Street Journal said.
The International Astronomical Union's yesterday voted in
Prague to relegate Pluto to a class of solar-system bodies known
as dwarf planets, the Journal said.
Astrologers believe that positions of the moon, sun and
stars affect humans and that people born under the 12 signs of
the Zodiac have characteristics associated with those signs, the
Journal said. Some warn that Scorpios, born between Oct. 23 and
Nov. 21, should be especially careful because the sign is
closely associated with Pluto, the Journal reported.
Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice are all
Scorpios, the Journal said. Milton Black, an Australian
astrologer, said Scorpios have extremely explosive and direct
personalities ``and this could be the trigger that makes them
explode,'' the Journal reported.

******************************************************************

Aug. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Astronomers have banished Pluto to
second-class status. Not so astrologists: They're sticking up
for the celestial body that had been the smallest planet in our
solar system for 76 years.
``I'm going to continue using it,'' said Wall Street's
best-known astrologer, Arch Crawford, who has studied the effect
of the planets on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. ``They can
stick it where the sun don't shine,'' Crawford, 65, said.
The International Astronomical Union's decision yesterday
to relegate Pluto to the status of ``dwarf'' planet makes no
difference to astrologers, who use planetary positions to
predict earthly and human events. About 31 percent of Americans
believe in astrology, according to a 2003 Harris Poll of 2,201
adults.
Americans spend about $200 million a year on astrology,
said Stephanie Jean Clement, a director at the American
Federation of Astrologers in Tempe, Arizona. Former First Lady
Nancy Reagan relied on astrologers, including the late Jeane
Dixon, during the 1980s to help set the daily schedule for
President Ronald Reagan.
Discovered by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh in 1930, Pluto is
3.67 billion miles (5.91 billion kilometers) from the sun and is
smaller than the moon. It's named for the Greek god of the
underworld, or Hades, and often associated with intense energy,
transformation and the astrological sign of Scorpio. Until this
week, it was counted as one of nine planets in the solar system.

`Pluto Works'

``Pluto works for me, so you can call it whatever you
want,'' said San Francisco-based lawyer and part-time astrologer
Eamonn Markham, who charges $125 to $600 an hour to read
personal charts. ``It doesn't matter to me whether Pluto is
classified as a moon or an asteroid.''
Markham, 40, says he uses Pluto to help determine when a
major transformation will come into a person's life. ``The
information it gives me about someone is very powerful,'' he
said.
Astrologers charge for compiling personal charts, which use
the position of the planets at the time of a client's birth to
make conclusions about personality, abilities and the future.
Newspapers pay for daily horoscopes, and Amazon.com carries more
than 48,000 titles that touch on astrology.
Using a number of variables that include the position of
the planets, the sun and the moon, Crawford says he predicts the
outbreak of World War III will take place some time between
Sept. 4 and Sept. 22, most likely on the 4th, 7th, 8th or 22nd.

Forget the Scientists

``Pluto's station is the underworld, underworld-type
figures and activities: drugs, prostitution, terrorism and that
which is hidden from corporate view,'' Crawford said in a phone
interview. ``What scientists are saying is not going to exclude
its effect.''
Astrology dates back to the Babylonians, who used charts to
predict the recurrence of seasons. It was introduced to the
Greeks in the fourth century B.C., and later embraced by the
Romans and Arabs. John Pierpont Morgan, one of the wealthiest
men in America at the turn of the 20th century, employed a full-
time astrologer at his bank, J.P. Morgan & Co.
``Everyone wants to speak to an astrologer after a shrink
and their friends,'' Markham said. ``We're the last resort."

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I agree that yesterdays decision won't affect the astrologers divinations. What I get a kick out of is that astrologers were content and plotting out various aspects of lives with 8 planets...and then Pluto comes into play. Now they rushed to stick certain human aspects to the "dwarf planet". Now again, they are content with the present status. I wonder if when Ceres was a planet, if astrologers included it into their predictions?

So, what happens when other bodies are included in our sphere of influence....Xena, Sedna etc...?

Like most beliefs and religions, astrology is a manmade concept and being so, tainted with manmade prejudices and boundaries.

No, it's entertainment for entertainments sake.

[Centaur]

It should be no surprise that Arch and his cohorts got hopping mad and immediately came to the defense of Pluto. His PDF e-mail to me and others was headlined, “PLUTO, A PLANET WRONGED!” An astrologer’s power and wealth depends on his patrons’ continued acceptance that what they have been told about a planet’s powers remains true. Hence, the astrological community now feels compelled to crush any doubt about Pluto’s status and perceived powers.

I suspect the influence astrologers have over their patrons is of greater importance to them than the physical qualities of Pluto. Reputations are at stake. It’s a matter of face. They’ve been telling people for decades that Pluto affects their personal lives as well as geopolitical events. When the headlines say that Pluto is not a planet, believers may begin to doubt some of their astrological gurus’ prescient abilities. I would say that the only power Pluto has over a person is psychological. And that power becomes seemingly real when that person has faith in his astrologer. Now a few of the faithful may have begun to “Ignore the man behind the curtain.”

[stargazer]

I used to believe in astrology but lookiing at this debate now I am royally pissed over this. Yes i am a scorpion and Pluto is my ruling planet. I am about to explode over this. Boy I cant even type im so upset. Im going to sit down mon after I work with Laramie and read that 22 page report then send it off to a friend of mine and see what he says about it.

As for the charts not being affected by this move yes tghey might be. the astrologers look to see what planet was in line when you were born. with nine planets they knew they circled at so much time per constelation. with 12 it wiuld mean each constelation would have its own planet. Yes I used to do the charts. No I dont do them anymore so dont ask.

just my two cents. I'll voice my opinions after i read the report once I read it.