Omen Astro Science Foundation
Abstract
It is commendable that the science of Astrology can perceive aspects of the subtle world and destiny that is beyond the comprehension of modern sciences. Through spiritual research methodology we have ascertained that the accuracy of Astrology is a maximum of 30%. The accuracy and power of interpretation of an astrologer can be increased only through spiritual practice.
1. Introduction to the accuracy of Astrology
From time immemorial, the concept that celestial bodies in the sky can provide a map of the future has fascinated mankind. Mankind’s romance with Astrology ranges from a casual glance at the newspaper’s zodiac signs section, to making important decisions in life such as matrimonial, financial and even medical on the advice of astrologers. It is known that some heads of state too have consulted astrologers to help make decisions that could influence the course of history. So what is the accuracy of Astrology when used as a tool to predict the future or for decision making? We have used spiritual research methodologies to assist in shedding light on this question along with providing a spiritual perspective to the accuracy of Astrology and the parameters that could affect it. What is interesting about Astrology is that astrologers try to understand the destiny of people based on very limited data like the time of birth and the latitude and longitude of the place of birth. The astrologer tries to give data about certain aspects of a person’s life like the astrological cause of a particular illness or difficulty, such as
inability to get married,
the best time to start a business venture or any other personal venture and
national issues. According to the science of Spirituality, destiny is that part of our lives which is predetermined even before our birth. All the major events in our lives are pre-destined such as the parents we are born to, the person that we marry or a life threatening disease we could have. Destiny is inherently a spiritual issue which cannot be comprehended by the five sense organs, the mind and the intellect. The fact that astrologers claim that they can predict our destiny by using their astrological science and a bit of intuition1 peaked our interest and hence we decided to research this knowledge system
2.1 What is Astrology? We found that there are various definitions of Astrology based on peoples’ understanding of the subject. They include:
Astrology is an elaborate system of knowledge and there are voluminous treatises containing very intricate calculation based on the position of stars and planets and the inter-relation existing between them and the various phenomena on earth including human life. "Astrology does not offer an explanation of the laws of the universe, nor why the universe exists. What it does, to put it in simplest terms, is to show that there is a correspondence between macrocosm and microcosm. In short that there is a rhythm to the universe, and that man's own life partakes of this rhythm." Astrology is an ancient practice that assumes that the position of the stars and planets has a direct influence upon people and events. Supposedly, one's life pattern can be charted by determining the position of the stars and planets at the time of one's birth. The chart that attempts to accomplish this is known as a horoscope. Some of the more common phrases we found were:
Inter-relation between position of stars and planets and phenomenon on Earth including human life. The position of the stars and planets has a direct influence on people and events. Even though there are variations in definition of Astrology there is agreement that for every horoscope, the time of birth is the essential starting point, along with the place of birth (latitude and longitude of the birthplace).
2.2 How is Astrology used? Through research we found that there are many types of Astrology and their main applications include:
Application or Use Meaning
Predictive To know about what lies ahead
Diagnostic To act as an aid to solve difficult medical cases or for that matter understanding the root cause of a difficulty affecting any aspect of life. For example, a person may ask an astrologer the question as to why he is continually facing financial difficulties despite having a good income. Basic nature and compatibility To understand one's basic nature and compatibility with profession or with a life partner based on each other's zodiac signs or horoscope. Decision making This includes knowing the recommended auspicious time for a planned event such as marriage or an opening ceremony for one's business or to answer a specific question such as when one should get married. Later in the section on a spiritual perspective we have provided details on the accuracy of these applications of Astrology. Also it is pertinent to add that depending on whom we go to for assistance to solve our problems, the manner of investigating the cause of problems would be different. There is a Sanskrit (an ancient Indian language) verse which states that in the case of any difficulty:
If one consults a person who practices the science of Āyurvēda, i.e a vaidya (Ayurvedic doctor), he will say it is because of the imbalance between the three humours of bile, phlegm and wind. If one consults an astrologer he will say it is because of a particular position of stars and planets. If one consults a doctor he would say it is because of disease affecting some part of the body
If one consults a spiritually evolved person he will say it is because of destiny. So which diagnosis is to be believed? According to the science of Spirituality, the answer is that all are true, because these answers are not mutually exclusive or different from each other but just different ways of expressing the same truth behind the difficulty based on the point of reference. For example, what is to happen according to one’s destiny may also be explained in terms of position of stars and planets.
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3. Modern sciences' arguments against the reliability and accuracy of Astrology
The promise of the definitions of Astrology given above in section 2.1 i.e. of being able to predict the future has far reaching possibilities. However it has met with strong opposition from some religions and also modern sciences with regards to its accuracy and reliability. Modern sciences refer to Astrology as a fake or pseudo science. From research conducted, we found a number of generic objections against Astrology. Some of the main arguments of modern sciences against the accuracy and reliability of Astrology include:
3.1 What about free will? If the position of the planets (the macro), influences and produces a corresponding reaction in man (the micro), this makes man a pawn in the cosmos, with his life and actions pre-determined and unalterable. What about free will in being able to determine one’s future?
3.2 No standardisation in interpretation
There are many systems of Astrology, each having their own methods diametrically opposed to each other. There is no unanimity in the standardisation of interpretation. For example, astrologers in the West would not interpret a horoscope in the same way as a Chinese astrologer.
3.3 Too generalised
Most predictions of behaviour and personality are so generalised that it would be hard for them not to be at least partially accurate.
3.4 Does not use all the planets
The basis of Astrology concerns the number of planets in our solar system. Yet most astrological charts are based upon the assumption that there are seven planets in our solar system (including the Sun and the Moon). In ancient times, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto could not be observed with the naked eye. As a result, astrologers based their system upon the seven planets they believed revolved around the Earth. Since that time, it has been proven that the Sun, not the Earth, is the centre of the solar system and that three other planets exist in our solar system. According to the astrological theory (that the position of planets has a definite influence upon human behaviour and events), the three previously undiscovered planets should also influence behaviour and must be considered for an exact horoscope to be cast. They usually are not considered, so the astrological theory breaks down, for no accurate horoscope could be charted without considering all the planets and their supposed influence.
3.5 Shifting Constellations
Astrology is unscientific because of the fact of the precession or the shifting of constellations. The early astronomers were not aware of precession and therefore failed to take it into account in their system. The twelve signs of the zodiac originally corresponded with the twelve constellations of the same names. However due to precession, the constellations have shifted about in the last 2,000 years. This means that the constellation of Virgo is now in the sign of Libra, the constellation of Libra is now in the sign of Scorpio, and so on.
3.6 Other factors that influence childbirth
Astrology ignores other gravitational forces of non-solar system bodies for example., the pull of gravity by the obstetrician on a newborn child is about six times greater than that of Mars. Spiritual perspective: Astrologers mainly do take the influence of planets as significant. But is Astrology about the physical influence of planets or is it about planetary positions that act as a roadmap of our destiny?
3.7 Why is the moment of birth, rather than conception, considered when drawing up the chart for Astrology? The horoscope is based on an exact datum: the subject's time of birth. However why is this time taken and not the time of conception? Scientists now believe that many aspects of a child's personality are set long before birth – so a horoscope should take into account the life before birth. Spiritual perspective: The exact time of conception is difficult to identify, However if the horoscope was drawn up prior to birth
3.8 Statistical evidence
Through the years there have been various statistical studies conducted trying to validate the accuracy of Astrology. states an experiment wherein many sets of birth charts were jumbled up with descriptions of their owners. The task for astrologers was to match the charts to owners.
4. A spiritual perspective into the accuracy and reliability of Astrology
The following are some points that we have obtained during the course of our spiritual research that will shed light on Astrology as a knowledge system and its accuracy.
4.1 How much of free will do we really have in our lives? According to the science of Spirituality, on an average in the present era 65% of our lives are ruled by destinyand 35% by wilful action (freedom to choose). Destiny is that part of our life where we have no control over life’s situations. Wilful action is that part of our life over which we have control. Astrology can only perceive to some extent what is in one’s destiny and how a person will be likely to use his wilful action based on his basic nature. Ordinarily one cannot dodge destiny even if one knew it. However since destiny is inherently a spiritual factor it can be overcome by spiritual means only, that is by spiritual practice or the grace of a Guru (i.e. a spiritual master above the spiritual level of 70%).
4.2 The planets and stars do influence human behaviour, however they act as markers. According to the science of Spirituality:
The life of a man or events on earth are not solely influenced by celestial bodies or their position. If we were to take the gross or physical influences, there are many other things that could affect our lives and it would not be limited to just the celestial bodies. However it acknowledges that celestial bodies do have a limited influence on human lives, for example the effect of a full moon and new moon on human lives has been well documented. Along with this, celestial bodies do act as markers or a roadmap to a person’s life. Refer to section 5.4 for all the major influences in a person’s life.
4.3 Astrology as a science
Astrology just like modern sciences is part of the all-encompassing science of Spirituality. The reason for this is that Astrology has been confirmed and reconfirmed based on observation, inference and conclusion just like modern sciences. However the use of intuition in the science of Astrology is only possible if the astrologer is of a high spiritual level.
4.4 Accuracy of Astrology
As mentioned earlier, Astrology is generally applied in four ways. What is the maximum amount of accuracy that can be obtained on average in these four applications of Astrology? Spiritual research carried out indicated the following results:
Application Meaning of application Maximum possible accuracy2
(Through spiritual research)
Predictive To know about what lies ahead 30%
Diagnostic To act as an aid to understand the root cause of a difficulty affecting any aspect of life. 27%
Basic nature and compatibility To understand one's basic nature and compatibility with life partners or profession based on each other's star signs or horoscope. 27%
Decision making This includes knowing the auspicious time for a planned event or answering a specific question such as when one should get married. 5%
2 This accuracy is based on the ability to ascertain the root cause of a problem across the physical, psychological and spiritual dimension.
5. Factors influencing accuracy of Astrology
5.5.1 Depending on tradition of Astrology used
There are various traditions used in Astrology. Each of them has varying methodology. The following table is a comparative chart of the accuracy able to be achieved by the more significant traditions obtained through spiritual research. Note: Accuracy is based on the same ability of the astrologer who is able to achieve a 30% accuracy in Vedic Astrology.
5.5.2 Based on the spiritual level of the astrologer
Depending on the spiritual level of an astrologer results can vary in accuracy. The spiritual level of the astrologer Accuracy
20% 3 (i.e. an average person, no spiritual practice) 27%
30% 31%
40% 4 34%
50% 38%
60% 42%
Beyond 70% 5 Do not need Astrology
5.5.3 Based on the person doing spiritual practice
The only way to overcome destiny or be insulated from it is to do spiritual practice. This is because destiny which is a spiritual problem can only be overcome by a spiritual remedy. However the effect of spiritual practice and religious rituals done to overcome a problem where the root cause is spiritual in nature is not reflected in the chart. Hence an astrological reading does not reflect the spiritual practice undertaken by the person. For example, at birth if an astrologer detects an ancestor’s problem in the horoscope of a person and if the person does a ritual etc. then that defect is removed but the next astrologer will still read it the same way. From this perspective, palmistry is superior to Astrology as the changes are reflected in the lines on the hands. As an average person does not do spiritual practice in the true sense of the word, he is not really impacted by this inherent shortcoming of Astrology.
6. In summary
The accuracy of a horoscope is directly dependent on the power of interpretation of an astrologer. If we consider the power of interpretation of the present astrologer (who is able to predict upto a maximum of 30% accuracy) as 1, then to get a 100% accurate answer the power of interpretation would need to be 1000 times the present power of interpretation. The power of interpretation and intuition can only be increased by spiritual practice. In this current era 65% of our lives are destined. If we use the 35% of our free will to do spiritual practice we can overcome or be insulated from our destiny. Spiritual practice is the only way to counteract an adverse destiny.
