the-astrology-book

In the second, astrologers were asked, in 10 instances, to match one of two
charts with a brief case history. They were not informed that one of each pair was an
actual horoscope and the other a chart cast for a random place and time. In the third,
astrologers were asked to distinguish natal charts for high-IQ people from charts of
victims of brain damage. As a control group, the same tests were given to psychologists
and social workers with no background in astrology.
In all three tests, the accuracy of the astrologers was statistically significant. In
comparison, the accuracy of the control groups was never more than what would be
expected from random chance. Clark’s first and second tests, with some variations,
were also successfully conducted by both Zipporah Dobyns and Joseph Ernest Vidmar
in the 1970s.
Clark’s work was important for providing a suggestive model from which to
design other experiments. This model has been referred to as holistic because of the
way in which it is able to bring the entire astrological chart into the test. Other
approaches, such as the aforementioned studies, isolate one factor, such as the sun
sign, and ignore other influences.
Sources:
Brau, Jean-Louis, Helen Weaver, and Allan Edmands. Larousse Encyclopedia of Astrology. New
York: New American Library, 1980.
Mayo, Jeff, O. White, and Hans Eysenck. “An Empirical Study of the Relation between Astrological
Factors and Personality.” Journal of Social Psychology 105 (1978): 229–36.
Miller, Neil Z. Astrology (Newsletter). Santa Fe: UniSearch, 1991.
Newmeyer, John, and Steven Anderson. “Astrology and Addiction: An Empirical Probe.” Drug
Forum (Spring 1973): 271–78.
Pellegrini, Robert J. “The Astrological ‘Theory’ of Personality: An Unbiased Test by a Biased
Observer.” Journal of Psychology (September 1973): 21–28.
———. “Birthdate Psychology: A New Look at Some Old Data.” Journal of Psychology (March
1975): 261–65.
Sosis, Ruth H., et al. “Perceived Locus of Control and Beliefs about Astrology.” Journal of Social
Psychology (Feb. 1980): 65–71.
Stack, Steven, and David Lester. “Born under a Bad Sign Astrological Sign and Suicide
Ideation.” Perceptual and Motor Skills (April 1988): 461–62.
Startup, Michael. “Belief in Astrology: A System of Maladjustment” Personality and Individual
Difference 4: no. 3 (1983): 343–45.
Tyson, G. A. “People Who Consult Astrologers: A Profile.” Personality and Individual Difference
v. 3, iss. 2 (1982): 119–26.
Van Rooij, Jan J., et al. “Introversion-Extroversion and Sunsign.” Journal of Psychology (May
1988): 275–78.
Ptolemy, Claudius
PTOLEMY, CLAUDIUS
Claudius Ptolemy (100–178), sometimes called the father of Western astrology, was a
Greek astronomer and astrologer who lived in Alexandria, Egypt. Ptolemy was a highly
learned individual, with a broad grasp of geography, mathematics, astronomy, and
music. His account of the motions of the planets, which placed Earth as the stable
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