Astrologer Pat Harris, PhD, reports that a system based on ground-breaking research she completed for her doctorate thesis at the University of Southampton, UK, is in the early development stage. The research, titled Applications of Astrology to Health Psychology: Astrological Factors and Fertility Treatment Outcomes, successfully demonstrated that certain angular relationships of Venus and Jupiter to planets in a woman’s natal birth chart can identify those years in a woman’s life when she is more likely to bear children.

The research makes it easier for interested patients and clinicians to incorporate astrology into fertility treatment plans. Women can now find optimal dates for successful conception – with or without assisted reproductive technology (ART).

Dr. Harris is Editor of Correlations, a journal published by the Astrological Association of Great Britain (AA). She also earned a masters degree in health psychology from the University of Southampton, and has been a consulting astrologer for more than 30 years.

“I have clients who have been with me for more than 20 years who keep returning for life management advice. Some would ask if they would marry and have children and when this would be. I used traditional astrology to locate the years when there was a strong likelihood of these events happening in their lives.

“Astrology didn’t let me down as I had considerable success with these forecasts for natural conceptions,” she said.

Dr. Harris says a decision to look at astrology and fertility treatment outcomes was made because the treatment process is stressful and invasive as well as being expensive. And because the rate of success is poor – only one in four in the UK.

“If a new method could be found to reduce the number of treatments needed to succeed this would be invaluable in every way to women who hope to have children through assisted reproductive technology,” she added.

In an interview with the Astrology News Service (ANS) Dr. Harris provided the following insights:

ANS: Can astrology bring you a baby?

Dr. Harris: Based on my research I believe the answer to this question is a very clear yes. Clinicians may wish to consider use of astrology to select dates for embryo implantation because of its potential to increase the likelihood of a successful outcome. However, it is very important that the patient understands that astrological indicators do not guarantee success. My research shows only that attempts to conceive during optimal times have an increased likelihood of success (the birth of a live baby) compared with attempts made when the indicators are not present. It should also be made clear to patients that the absence of favorable astrological indicators means only that the chances of succeeding may be lower and does not portend a failed outcome.

ANS: When and how was your research carried out?

Dr. Harris: Between 2000 and 2002 I collected data from woman volunteers in the U.S., Australia and the UK who had undergone fertility treatment and were willing to let me explore their outcomes. I looked at the volunteers’ birth charts and the dates at which they underwent embryo transfers, including IVF (in vitro fertilization); ICSI (intra-cytoplasm sperm injection); IUI (donor insemination); and other forms of treatment, such as GIFT (gamete intra-fallopian transfer) and ZIFT (zygote intra-fallopian transfer).

For the study I used a very sophisticated statistical model called logistic regression. With this model, different variables can be considered together to see if any of them might account for the apparent significance of another. With this model I was able to consider many different variables like age, belief in astrology, location of clinic, experience of depression, levels of anxiety and reproductive health problems together with astrology to see if any of them had an impact on any significant finding regarding astrology and treatment outcome.

The first exploratory study looked at 114 treatments and found that astrology, clinic location, and family history (reproductive health problems) all had significant associations with success and failure of outcome.

Between 2003 and 2005 I gathered new data from women patients attending to National Health Service (NHS) clinics and one private clinic for a replication study that was intended to test only the factors found to be significant in the first exploratory test. In the second study I examined 55 treatments and ran the model developed for the first study. This time, only astrology was significant with a 94 percent likelihood the result was not a chance finding.

ANS: What astrological methods did you use?

Dr. Harris: I developed the astrological model by referring to authors such as Ptolemy and William Lilly (17th century), who had described particular associations of astrology with times in a woman’s life when she was likely to have children. Using these and other sources for information on ancient astro-fertility associations I divided the 114 treatments from my exploratory group into two treatment outcome groups: successes (resulting in the birth of a live baby), and fails (a live birth not achieved). I checked the astrology for each group using the women’s birth charts and time of embryo transfers. To be determined was the absence or presence of astrological transits or secondary progressions that, traditionally, are believed to be present when children are born.

By carefully assessing the differences in each group I was able to build up a picture of a collection of astrological contacts that were significantly more likely to be present at embryo transfers for a successful outcome compared with embryo transfers that resulted in failure.

ANS: What are transits and secondary progressions?

Dr. Harris: An astrological birth chart (or natal chart) is a map of planetary positions in the sky at the time, date and place of birth for any individual. But the birth chart isn’t static; it continually evolves or progresses over time.

As they orbit the sun transiting planets form new stressful and/or helpful alignments with the planetary placements in an individual’s birth chart. In the fertility study, the only significant transits observed involved transiting Jupiter aligned with or conjoined with either natal sun or natal Jupiter in the birth chart.

To find secondary progressions astrologers advance planets in the natal chart using a day-for-a-year formula. Simply, in the progressed horoscope, planets in the natal chart are advanced the exact number of degrees they have actually traveled in a single day, either forwards or backwards. For example, to find out how far planets have symbolically progressed by age 30 the astrologer counts forward 30 days from the date of birth and casts a new chart for that day using the time and coordinates for the place of birth for the original birth chart.

Progressed planets can form new angular relationships with either natal or progressed planets in an individual’s birth chart. In the fertility study a number of progressed alignments were significant when fertility treatment was carried out during the windows of time when these astrological progressions and/or transits were active. These included:

• Progressed sun and Venus making exact contact (a conjunction) within six months each side of the date when the contact became exact in the year or years being forecast..
• Progressed moon making exact contact with natal Venus within two weeks on each side of the date when the contact became exact in the year or years being forecast.
• Progressed Jupiter making contact with natal sun, moon, Venus or Jupiter. Or Jupiter contacting the major angles (ascendant ad midheaven) of the chart – all within three months on either side of the date when the contact became exact in the year or years being forecast.
• Progressed ascendant or midheaven making exact contact with Jupiter and Venus within six months on each side of the date when the contact became exact in the year or years being forecast.

ANS: What can we take away from your fertility study?

Dr. Harris: The research did not directly confirm ancient writings on fertility indications in astrology. But it did clearly support the association of Venus and Jupiter with fertility and an increased likelihood of having children.

My original research increased the likelihood of a successful outcome when fertility treatment was timed to coincide with my researched astro-fertility windows by 10 percent when the birth time was known to within half an hour and 14 percent when the exact birth time was known. Continuing research with new data has enabled me to increase that percentage to 21 percent and 23 percent respectively.

ANS: What does the future hold?

Dr. Harris: I’m currently working on additional data and with alternative healthcare professionals with the objective of further improving the model and its effectiveness as a diagnostic tool. Importantly, the data I’ve continued to collect in my practice has supported the original study findings.

“Clients know far more about their lives than an astrologer ever will. So astrologers should listen to what clients are asking and saying,” she says.

“There needs to be dialogue, not one way ‘readings‘. Ideally, the conversation will be aimed at helping clients take responsibility for their own lives.”

Cossar says this is one of the main messages she’s attempting to get across in her new book, Using Astrology to Create a Vocational Profile. The book is designed to help astrologers help clients discover the type of work that best suits them – and spot the problems that block their paths.

Cossar has been an astrologer for personal and business clients for more than 25 years and also is in practice as a therapist. She studied astrology in New Zealand and London and was among the first to earn an MA degree in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at the Bath Spa University near Bristol. Today she runs the Amsterdam School of Astrology and lectures worldwide.

“My mission seems to be to promote astrology as a practical, useful tool. I see it as a model for looking at life’s questions,” she said.

For example, questions like what should people be doing with their lives?

The astrologer spent many years in the business world before committing to a fulltime astrological practice. She was managing training, public relations and marketing for a consulting firm before making the change.

“I already had a part-time astrology practice and was finishing up my therapy training. So I set out to combine these two skills with my business background. Career counseling was a natural service for me to offer.”

In an interview, the Astrology News Service (ANS) asked Cossar about her book, her practice and her unique approach to vocational counseling.

ANS: When did you start helping people find or develop their vocations?

COSSAR: My work in this area began as soon as I started getting more serious about astrology in 1984. Career questions always came up, but in London more and more people started saying things like “I hate my job”, or I don’t know what my passion is”, or “I want a change.” And there were all manner of ways of asking “what is my calling?” I realized this was always going to be one of the main reasons that people consult astrologers.

ANS: In addition to astrology what other methods or techniques do you use when working with clients?

COSSAR: Various therapy methods are involved, including gestalt therapy, voice dialogue, guided imagery and body work – all combined with astrology. Also, I studied and later assisted in the development of a course on Inner Child Integration with past life regressions. I include all of these in my work, using what I think might work for a particular client.

I do straight astrology for short-term, one-off sessions. But when I see clients often I use all of the techniques. On rare occasions I see clients that don’t want to use astrology, but by the time they’ve been in a few times they always want their chart looked at.

ANS: From the client’s perspective, what kind of information is she/he likely to find in a vocational profile?

COSSAR: The vocational profile model I use comes from the Dutch career-counseling world and is based on three things: Who Am I? What do I want? What can I do? This method leads to a personal career profile (PCP), which consists of several parts: Vocation, talents, style, communications and relational skills, the kind of environment that suits people best, and the kind of boss people work best with. And it helps define blocks and what might be holding people back. Astrology provides clarity. And the whole process helps clients focus on what they really want in their lives.

ANS: Are business clients open to astrology in the Netherlands?

COSSAR: They are very curious about it. People in business and in private sometimes want advice but even more than that, they need to know what they can ask of an astrologer. I often give talks to professional women’s groups and they love astrology and can see the benefits of looking from another perspective at current problems. Most of my clients are women but more and more men are coming to talk about themselves and their businesses.

ANS: Is astrology’s image improving in the business community?

COSSAR: Every country has its own issues with astrology. However, I find most people are curious about astrology even if they are skeptical. One of the things that has helped me the most in getting astrology accepted in business circles was the MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at Bath Spa University. Professional people and others are impressed and amazed by the fact that astrology is being taught in universities again. I chose a really good business topic for my dissertation – organizational development – so that has helped too.

To make astrology acceptable astrologers need to combine other skills with the discipline; they need to specialize in what they love and are good at. If the plan is to offer career counseling the astrologer needs to know about the job market and the ways companies work. They need to study what job-seekers need and understand things like employment law and outplacement.

ANS: Might the tools involved in creating vocational therapy be effectively used by HR professionals or is the potential for abuse too great?

COSSAR: I have worked with HR professionals who offer sessions for staff. This can be tricky as often it is clear that many people are in unsuitable and unfulfilling jobs. The sessions are private, of course, so it is up to managers and staff what they share.

It can be difficult for HR professionals to use an astrological framework; astrologers need years of experience to be able to offer good sessions. Astrology cannot be made simple without losing its power. Working together with managers and leaders is very powerful, though.

ANS: What do you believe astrology’s role in the workplace should be?

COSSAR: Vocational work is often done in companies. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a personality test widely accepted in many countries. Most people don’t realize it has astrology’s four elements at its heart. The Enneagram is also widely used in business to establish personality types. The interpretation is frequently done by experts, so I think astrologers can offer their services in the same way. Acceptance of the Enneagram shows this may be possible.

Astrology in business has much wider possibilities than just in HR. But this is a very good place to gain ‘street cred’ as there are many good astrologers who might do this work. I’ve suggested a framework for astrologers that aims at making the work more results-oriented in order to enhance its acceptance in a business environment.

Her fascination with astrology has never waned.

Gryphon moved with her family to Seattle as a pre-teen and later earned a BA, MA and JD law degree from Stanford University in California. She continued to study traditional astrology even while attending law school.

In addition to work with clients she has taught classes on a variety of astrological subjects, including how to use astrology to elect favorable times for business and investing. Her astrological predictions have appeared in USA Today, Associated Press, Reuters, Chicago Tribune, Sina.com, Times of India and other publications.

Gryphon recently completed a mundane research study that successfully pointed to winners in U.S. Presidential elections dating to 1880 with uncanny accuracy. At the United Astrology Congress (UAC) earlier this year, she was one of five astrologers on a panel of experts asked to predict the outcome for the 2012 Presidential election in the U.S. All predicted that President Obama would be successful in his bid to win four more years in the White House.

In making her call, Gryphon used the same technique and rules she successfully applied in her study of earlier U.S. elections, including President Obama’s victory in 2008. But she doesn’t believe the research broke any new ground.

“At its core, the concepts used to evaluate the political climate for winners and losers was first set down in writing by the Sumerians four millennia ago and, in all likelihood, dates back much farther than that,” she explained.

The ancient predictive technique used by Gryphon is keyed to interpreting what astrologers call an Aries ingress chart. Simply, this is a birth chart or horoscope created for the exact time the Sun enters the astrological sign of Aries and can be prepared for any location on earth, including Washington D.C.

Ancient astrologers used Aries ingress charts to predict the fortunes of kings in power and those who might challenge or threaten the throne. Gryphon reasoned that a similar situation might be set up when titans from the major political parties battled for political supremacy. It was her idea that ingress charts prepared for the capital city during an election year should reveal something meaningful about the candidates over the next 12 months.

“The ancients thought of the Spring Equinox – when the Sun arrived at zero degrees of Aries – as the yearly anniversary of the creation of the Universe, the first moment of its existence containing the seeds of the future unfolding through time. The Persians still celebrate this day as Nowruz, the New Year. So it is a theory with a respectable pedigree and is worthy of examination,” she said.

In the Aries ingress chart, specific rules regarding layout of the astrological map and the planetary patterns within it apply. In her study, Gryphon analyzed results for 32 elections held over the132-year period. A more detailed explanation of the research can be found here.

In an interview with the Astrology News Service (ANS) she provided these additional insights:

ANS: Was it especially challenging to apply ancient astrological rules and techniques to events in the modern world?

Gryphon: After examining a few horoscopes I found a consistent pattern. In the Aries ingress charts, the planets of the winning party were found to have a connection with other strongly placed planets, whereas the losing party’s planets were either not doing anything or were being actively harmed by other planets. This is extremely basic astrology.

When I started doing the horoscopes the first rules I applied worked on about 80 percent of the charts. But it was clear I wasn’t seeing the whole picture. I took some time off and came back to all the horoscopes with a less expectant attitude. And more of the rules underlying the remaining 20 percent (of the charts) gradually began to reveal themselves. Given a random horoscope from my sample, I’m now able to predict the outcome correctly 90 to 95 percent of the time. Any lack of accuracy I attribute to operator error.

ANS: Have you been able to test the technique elsewhere?

Gryphon: Earlier this year, when Francois Hollande defeated Nicolas Sarkozy in France, I used the rules and technique from the study to predict Hollande would be the winner. This prediction was reported in advance in the monthly Gryphon Astrology Newsletter. With so many past and present elections in the offing the theory clearly is testable.

ANS: What is the climate for astrology like on college campuses these days?

Gryphon: Historically, astrology has flourished at times when culture and economic prosperity was at an apex – the Italian Renaissance, the Arab advancement of science, mathematics and culture, the Elizabethan era in England, and so on. We in the West have just lived through a period like this, the second half of the 20th Century, and Western astrology has been immensely enriched as a result.

Unfortunately, due to the economic situation, students today are probably less likely to explore ideas they do not see preparing them for the task of earning a living. My hope is that there is sufficient momentum in astrology – and a sufficient number of young people entering the astrology world.

ANS: What about the corporate world. How is astrology doing with business people?

Gryphon: In my experience there is a great demand for astrological advice in the financial and corporate worlds; one simply has to speak the right language. In any highly competitive sphere, people want to gain an edge over the competition. Our earliest texts indicate that astrology was developed to advise the rich and powerful. The early Babylonians spent considerable time watching the Sun and Venus specifically for information about the political and economic situation in their land. This is one application for astrology that does not get much play in the public eye, yet is extremely useful and very frequently used.

Many use astrology yet few will admit it publicly, partly because it is socially unacceptable to speak against the prevailing scientism but also because no one wants to give away their advantage. I’ve come to realize we live in two overlapping worlds. There’s the world described in our public discourse, such as the news media, where things are portrayed as rational, scientific and measurable. And there’s the world we actually live in, which motivates our decisions and which is far richer, more complicated and filled with things reason cannot explain. Astrology brings together reason and instinct to help us function in the realm of our choice.

ANS: You have a law degree. If you were to defend astrological truth claims in a court of law what might your best legal arguments be?

Gryphon: Any lawyer or politician will tell you that to win an argument one must be in control of definitions. The naming of things defines our reality, and thus contains great power. The first task, then, is to define “astrology” in such a way that gives us a chance defending its truth before an imagined objective court. So I would exclude from our definition astrology packaged as entertainment, such as mass media astrology columns. While these predictions may be entertaining, I would not be prepared to defend their accuracy in a court of law.

A working definition of astrology for our case could be: “A means of using celestial bodies to forecast future events.” If we can convince our judge to use our definition, and prove that astrology can perform according to its definition, then we will have won. If astrology can do better at predicting than its mainstream equivalent, this would be an added bonus.

Of course, astrology can be used for much more than just prediction, but predictions are easy to verify. So, our argument would rest upon being able to show that astrology is right a certain percentage of the time in a relatively unambiguous field, such as weather forecasting. Astro-meteorology has an illustrious history, with practitioners as well known as Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler. And there are many fine astro-meteorologists carrying on their work today. The added benefit of predicting the weather is that we can compare astrologers’ results with those of mainstream meteorologists. If astrology does better than the meteorologists, which I believe would be the case given the skilled practitioners, astrology would stand alone among the sciences. In either case, a world-view revision would be in order.

The fuzzy end is that space where bad things happen to good people. Here we’re keenly aware of inequities in the system and chafe at the apparent double standard that has some of us dealing with more challenging or catastrophic issues than others – with mixed results

Linda Furiate had been studying astrology for about a year when her ordeal began, triggered by an auto accident that left her reeling. After the crash she was diagnosed with cervical dystonia, a painful and incurable condition in which contracting neck muscles cause uncontrollable spasms. She wasn’t able her to maintain her balance and experienced hideous jerky movements and abnormal posturing that caused friends and onlookers alike to recoil in horror. Her neck was twisted at an angle that made it impossible for her to look forward when she walked, so she found herself tripping over her feet and running into walls

Things in her personal life fell apart. But Furiate wasn’t ready for a pity party.

“I never asked why me?

“But I did ask why this?” she recalls.

This, all things considered, is the better question for an astrologer to ask. Furiate didn’t see the accident coming but hindsight was revealing.

“Researching my chart revealed layer upon layer of evidence pertaining to how I was feeling physically, emotionally and psychologically. I noted the timing for the accident and saw that a transiting planetary configuration was in fact interacting with a stressful Mars – Saturn alignment in my natal chart; in a challenging way that related to my health and to the physical structure of my body and the muscle spasms I was experiencing,” she said.

At the time of the accident Furiate’s interest in astrology was enthusiastic but halting. However, seeing how the planetary patterns played out so dramatically in her own life changed all that.

“I was hooked,” she said

In analyzing her own natal chart, Furiate focused on the stressful Mars-Saturn opposition that was “triggered” at the time of her accident. An opposition means the planets are roughly 180 degrees apart, usually but not necessarily in opposite astrological signs. When lined up in this fashion the Mars-Saturn opposition can indicate a crisis in action related to impulsiveness and the overweening need to control it.

Furiate began researching astrological medical books and found they confirmed Mars as the traditional “ruler” of the body’s muscular system and Saturn its skeletal structure. Once she was able to rule out the possibility she was dealing with a brain or neurological disorder, she was able to develop a series of neck exercises, breathing exercises and posture improvement techniques that have helped her function symptom-free for extended periods of time.

Those demanding proof for astrological influences in human affairs might check out the compelling evidence in Furiate’s on-going battle with cervical dystonia.

“Over the years I came to realize that when the planet Saturn changes signs and interacts with my natal Saturn or Sun there is a shift in how my body responds to my current treatment plan. There are times when I am mainly symptom-free and other times my neck is in such spasms – and my body so twisted – that it’s hard to look at someone without moving my entire body towards them. Fortunately, I understand the rhythms of planetary motion and can adjust my life and treatment plan accordingly,” she said.

Furiate completed a four-year training program with the International Academy of Astrologers (IAA) and has a growing list of clients. She also has picked up on the marketing career that was cruelly interrupted by her medical ordeal and works with both marketing and astrological clients from her home office in the Baltimore area.

In her practice she balances gritty stoicism with a calming spiritual acceptance of the fact that life unfolds the way it does for a reason. In an interview with the Astrology News Service (ANS) she provided these insights:

ANS: What do you believe adversity is attempting to teach you?

Furiate: Most of us tend to be blessed with multiple astrological aspects of either challenging or flowing energy. In my case, I find it is the challenging configurations that move me off the couch to do something about whatever the adverse situation might be. Everyone is born with troublesome issues to some degree. It’s all a matter of how we choose to respond to life when something happens that throws us off course.

Adversity provides us an opportunity to peek beneath the depths of our psychological make-up with the hope of finding revealing insights – or awakenings that may offer a newfound sense of wisdom or wholeness.

ANS: What’s the most important advice you have for people who have lost all hope of having the life they planned on?

Furiate: When we lose any part of ourselves or fail to achieve something we planned on or hoped for a part of our identity may feel damaged or lost. It’s always possible to get caught up in defining ourselves based on the roles we play – wife, boss, whatever. But these roles do not define our underlying purpose in life, they merely are the things we do. Our true purpose lies much deeper than that. When we haven’t achieved something we’ve planned on we owe it to ourselves to reflect upon these desires and ask if they are truly what we want in the first place.

ANS: Can an astrological reading help?

Furiate: An astrological reading may be helpful in determining why someone might long to be in a particular relationship only to find out that their behavior or attitude is pushing opportunity away. Or a reading may offer insights regarding the potential for obtaining something the client desires. For example, one may dream of being a great motivational speaker and have hopes for sharing their insights and wisdom with the world. Only the placement of planets in their chart may suggest they are better suited to working behind the scenes. Astrological insights can help a client decide how to realistically pursue their desires.

ANS: Has coping with difficulties in your own personal life made you a better astrologer?

Furiate: Yes, definitely. Or I would like to think so. I’m motivated to offer clients the kind of advice or guidance that will help them better fulfill their higher soul purpose. I think my personal challenges have made me a better astrologer and, perhaps more importantly, a better person. I’m better able to listen to clients and learn of their struggles without making judgments or affixing blame.

Philosophically, I believe each of us has taken on an earthly presence to learn, to grow and to experience love at its deepest level. The reason for intelligent life is to understand the purpose and complexities of the universe. Astrology is a great tool we can use to better define our existence and serve others.

ANS: You manage your own marketing and astrological consultation businesses from your home. How is this working out?

Furiate: It seems to work out well. I often turn clients from my marketing business into astrology clients – or vice versa.

A former U. S. Navy officer, Harris covered the 2003 Iraq War for CNN in a hair-raising stint as an embedded reporter with the 2^nd Marine Division.  Over the past three decades, he has covered virtually every news story of consequence for various news outlets.  For example, he is the Washington Post reporter who broke the story on the no-tell motel on Airline Highway where the Reverend Jimmy Swaggart often met with a prostitute while attacking other TV preachers for indiscretions of their own.  Following the attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, he traced several hijackers to the Atlanta motel and the local flight school they used to train while preparing for the attack, again for CNN. As part the team that won a first place National Headliner award for investigative reporting.

The veteran investigative journalist earned a reputation for digging and getting it right – and while he has not cast his investigative journalist’s eye on astrology, he has used respected members of our profession to delineate his chart and provide what he calls “a valuable reality check and sounding board for patterns in my life.”  He plans to share his ideas on how astrologers can win over his skeptical media colleagues when he participates in a panel discussion devoted to the subject at the United Astrology Conference (UAC) in New Orleans May 24.  More information on this program is available here.

In an interview, Harris answered the following questions for the Astrology News Service (ANS):

ANS: You’ve checked it out.  What do you really make of astrology?

Harris:  From childhood I remember reading the comics and Sydney Omarr’s astrology column was on the same page.  I’m not sure how I figured it out, but recognized that my birthday qualified me as a Pisces.  I was hooked – peeking at what he said the stars had to say about the day and how it would go.  I know, very shallow of me.  But the column and others,  however shallow, made astrology hugely popular on a very superficial level to millions of people.  Most don’t take it further or realize there’s much more to astrology than Cliff’s Notes or the fortune cookie in a Chinese restaurant.

ANS:  At what point in your life did you realize there might be more to astrology than sun-sign columns?

Harris:  When I moved to San Francisco to write for the San Francisco Examiner and freelance for Rolling StoneI rekindled an interest in Eastern religions and other spiritual pursuits, even tracked down an ex-NFL linebacker to an ashram in India who said meditation took away his anger and violent streak in a profile for the Washington Post.  Intrigued by the icons from the hippie days, I was able to interview the late (“tune in, turn on, drop out” guru)Timothy Leary and poet Alan Ginsberg.  And I  became friends with the late gonzo journalist Hunter Thompson.  When I broke the Jimmy Swaggart hooker story, Hunter sent a fax to CNN declaring me to be “an evil, chrome-dome, scorpion…with more skeletons in his closet that Pol Pot.”  It was during this period that I decided to get my astrology chart done to see if it could be useful in helping me figure out just what those skeletons were rattling around in my closet.

ANS:  What did you learn?

Harris:  I found the readings to be valuable as a reality check and sounding board for patterns in my life – what to look for and look out for.  And I learned that an astrological chart is not a crystal ball that describes what will happen but a road map that can offer perspective on how the road might wind.

ANS:  What’s the best advice an astrologer has ever given you?

Harris: Our astrologer (David Railey of Atlanta) helped my wife Carol and I pick an auspicious wedding date, November 11, 2000.  And now, 12 years later, I can say we’re still going strong.  We also asked David to look at a favorable window for my back surgery in 2007 and it was a big success. Carol  gave my sons readings for birthday presents this year and says “they were blown away.”

ANS:  What’s far and away the most interesting story you’ve ever covered?

Harris:  Impossible to say, but stories where power, ambition, sex, greed, murder, money, religion and politics are in the mix – and certainly riding with the 2^nd Marines during the Iraq invasion.

I remember Swaggart lusting after Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s powerful TV satellite that beamed religious programs across the country, and he used Bakker‘s tryst with a babysitter to get him defrocked.   What a window on America.  These were the same powerful TV preachers courted by Presidents for their clout.  I  called them “Godfathers of the Gospel,” televangelists in search of ratings and market share who were bumping each other off, not with bullets but sex scandals.

The last race of Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards, who later went to prison on federal corruption charges, stands out. When I interviewed him he was flying high , leading in polls that also showed voters believed he was a crook.  How can that be? I asked him. “Cher, lemme tell you,” he said in his charming Cajun lilt.  “I ain’t never been caught in bed with a live boy or a dead woman.”   That made headlines!

But for sheer drama I’d say true crime stories like Atlanta’s missing and murdered children case and the conviction of the first African-American serial killer.  Covering O.J. Simpson’s murder trial for CNN and Michael Jackson’s molestation trial are other examples.   And in between was investigating the death of Princess Diana in Paris, the Oklahoma City bombing and covering domestic terrorists like bomber Timothy McVeigh.  There also was Atlanta’s convicted  Olympic Park bomber Eric Randolph, who hid from the FBI in the rugged mountains of North Carolina for five years. Who knows, maybe they should have used a criminal astrologer, if there is such a thing.

ANS:  What was it like being an embedded reporter with the 2^nd Marine Division?

Harris:  While writing about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden I volunteered to be an embedded journalist for CNN and wound up riding shotgun with a light armored recon unit during the Iraq invasion.  Nothing as exhilarating as getting shot at, except getting shot at and missed.  At a low point I had to break the tragic friendly fire story of a U.S. Air Force A-10 that mistook a Marine unit for enemy Iraqi troops and unleashed rockets and 20mm cannons.  Eighteen Marines died  in the crossfire and my story sparked the Pentagon to re-open the investigation.  I was later invited to speak to the Army War College and showed video I’d shot in Nasyria, a pivotal battle and one of the bloodiest in the Iraq campaign.

Out of all that, what I value most are the close bonds with the young Marines who kept me safe and trusted me to tell their stories, brave guys not much older than my own sons.  During lulls in the fighting, they lined up to use my sat phone, and to play ghost writer on my laptop, sending missives to wives and girlfriends back home.

“What’s her name, son?” I asked one.

“Judy”

“What do you want to tell her?”

Just say, I’m fine and miss her.”

He showed me her photo.  “Don’t you want to say you miss her beautiful blue eyes,  her soft white skin and the beautiful curve of her neck?” I asked?

“Yes sir, write that!”

ANS:  Is it fair for the media to refer to astrology as entertainment?  What might a more accurate description be?

Harris:  First, it is entertaining. To hear an astrological explanation for why a politician keeps getting caught with other women, or why a celebrity can’t stay out of jail, or rehab is entertaining.  But a more serious forecast about the way an election might turn out – or what the economic outlook will be – should generate more interest in the media and maybe even more respect for astrology in the long run.  Especially if you can back up stories with studies that link stars to science and certain patterns to public peccadillos of politicians and others. Venus on the loose?

ANS:  Is there something astrologers can or should be doing to change the public’s perception of astrology?

Harris: The more the community is able to attach its message to breaking news the better.  Keep doing studies, making forecasts about major events, profiling newsworthy personalities and offering insights into why certain things have happened the way they have.  Also, predict what might be new on the horizon.   Then go back and take credit or blame for getting it right or wrong. Being transparent and not taking yourself too seriously can work wonders.

But the biggest sin in the media is to be wrong and boring, not necessarily in that order.

In his latest book, Integral Astrology, Understanding the Ancient Discipline in the Contemporary World, Diaz describes how astrology relates to a new paradigm that is emerging in Western civilization led by transpersonal psychology, chaos and complexity theories, general evolution theory and the human potential movement.

“Leading developmental researchers are extending psychology upwards, linking it with mystical states to embrace spirituality.  Coordinating fields of information both old and new, integral theorists are creating a truly holistic approach to the many ways of knowing that are part of the human experience,” he says.

In an interview with Astrology News Service (ANS) he provided these additional insights:

ANS: What is divination and to what good purpose is it applied in an astrological reading?

Diaz:  To divine literally means to contact the mind of the god(s) – although I think most practitioners today have a slightly less grand view of what they are doing!  Divination includes astrology, tarot and a myriad of other means and devices for accessing information that isn’t available through the senses or our other usual approaches to life – such as thinking and logic, feeling, and so on.  Astrology is a means of divination because it’s a way of interfacing the physical world and the underlying symbolic patterns that inform the cosmos.  Even among systems of divination, as well as psychic and mediumistic phenomena, astrology is unique because it assumes a correspondence between the two at all levels, including everyday reality.

I think the greatest value of any form of divination is that it offers perspective for most people most of the time.  It isn’t about what is going to happen. It’s about understanding the patterns involved and the kinds of choices that are open to us.  It’s a little like a weather forecast – meteorologists tell you if it’s going to be sunny or rain.  But they don’t tell you if you are going to be dry or wet because they assume you’ll take the information they are giving you and make an informed choice.

One of the things I discovered when working with psychic-mediums is that they don’t view what they do as extraordinary, and they have no real desire to impress anyone with their skills. They see themselves as helping professionals. I think most astrologers have the same approach. Like those in most helping professions, astrologers can help people to get a different perspective on whatever issues they have.

ANS:  How do academic peers reconcile your interests in Tarot and the I Ching?

Diaz:    And astrology! A few express some interest. Most are bemused, but many of those eventually agree that there may be some validity to nonmaterial phenomena. It’s about the same with my students, by the way.

ANS:  What are the most important things going on in the field of consciousness research and what have these to do with astrology?

Diaz: Consciousness research has, in my opinion, already successfully demonstrated that information and even conscious awareness can exist and be transited apart from physical means.  Now the big question is: what is happening?  A number of people, including biologist Rupert Sheldrake, are attempting to answer that question, developing working models and theories.  Many of these are testable and successfully meet scientific criteria.

For astrology, the question is whether we can be included in this, and if so, how.  Over the last 50 years or so, there has been a significant and serious challenge to the view that the material world is the only “real” world.  A new paradigm is emerging in which consciousness is seen as an integral part of existence.  Astrology and this new paradigm have followed a parallel course of development, although they have done so at considerable distance from each other.

The problem is, much of consciousness research is focused on finding out if specific information can be shared across space and time.  On the other hand, astrology – as it is practiced by most contemporary Western astrologers – is symbolic in nature, and symbols are hard to measure.  It’s like the difference between measuring how many words are in Richard III and measuring what the play means.

ANS: What is integral astrology?

Diaz:  Integral means whole, and an integral approach to astrology is one that recognizes not only astrology but a variety of non-astrological factors, as well. Although astrology provides extraordinarily helpful information, making optimal use of it is dependent on understanding all kinds of things, such as a person’s culture, gender, and education.

Key to integral astrology is the understanding that how astrological symbols manifest – as events in peoples lives or as interior experiences, for example – is related to an individual’s degree of conscious awareness, and that’s something you can’t know from looking at a birth chart. Sometimes the emphasis is on how specific events will unfold, sometimes it’s about understanding the options that are available, sometimes it’s about how a person is feeling, or about the meaning of a particular time in one’s life. Matching the client to the right astrologer, who is practicing the right astrology for the situation, is very important.

As with many disciplines – psychology, for example – there are many different schools of astrology, each using its own techniques and each having areas of life where it will have greater and lesser value. Integral astrology provides a way of recognizing the value of all of these schools, and organizing them in a cohesive way. So the integral approach to astrology isn’t about a set of new techniques, it’s about knowing how to best apply the tools that we have.

ANS: What lessons can we learn from ancient astrologers?

Diaz: Well, for one thing, ancient astrologers actually looked at the sky, and taking a peak up there every now and then is a good idea for us, too. A contemporary astrologer could easily work from an underground location, never seeing the stars and planets. In a sense, that’s appropriate, as astrology has become more abstract and formalized over the centuries. But I feel there’s great value in connecting with the sky when you can, and remembering why it is that we began to see meaning threaded through the cosmos at every level.

ANS: What can people do to live out the best expression of the energies they’re born with?

Diaz:  Astrology describes the basic, fundamental energetic patterns that inform our approach to life. But astrology says absolutely nothing about our degree of awareness, how conscious we are, or in other words, our level of psycho spiritual development. Astrology tells us what we have packed in our bags for our evolutionary journey, but not how much progress we have made along the way.

That’s why people born at the same time – like twins – can often be so very different. It also helps to explain why some people seem to be tossed around by fate, while others have a greater degree of control. So the key to living out the best expression of our energies is to bring as much awareness and compassion to them as possible.

Articles by Diaz are posted at www.integralastrology.net.

In his book, How I Got This Way, Regis Philbin, an inveterate story-teller and master of “spontaneous conversation,” describes a series of on-air meetings with the “remarkable” astrologer Sydney Omarr (his adjective).

Early in a broadcast career that spanned more than five decades, Philbin, who holds the Guinness World Record for most time spent in front of a television camera, was feeling incredibly blessed. With only a low-budget, live TV talk show in a secondary market (San Diego) to recommend him, he was asked to take over Steve Allen’s nationally syndicated TV talk show, which was filmed in Hollywood at the time.

The first guest he booked on The Regis Philbin Show was Omarr, whose syndicated horoscope column was a staple in newspapers from coast to coast. The astrologer was asked to predict how successful the new show would be.

It was October, 1964. Omarr showed up and solemnly delivered the bad news.

“Sydney fixed a haunted gaze on me and said there’s a fight going on right now behind the scenes as to what direction the show should go. He told me the show will fail. You won’t make it,” Philbin recounted.

An Earth Moving Revelation

In private after the show, Omarr told Philbin he was heading into the worst period of his life. “The earth will literally move under your feet,” he warned.

Philbin worried about the dire forecast but was pleasantly surprised when his show was renewed after 13 weeks. So he invited Omarr back on the program to see if he was ready to change his mind about anything.

The astrologer was even more insistent. He told his host the show would be going off the air within 48 hours.

The end actually arrived 36 hours later when Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, the show’s sponsor, lowered the boom.

The next few years for Philbin were as personally and professionally challenging as the astrologer had predicted they would be. Even the part about the earth moving under his feet.

Philbin owned a house on a hillside overlooking Universal City. At one point in 1968, it rained heavily for two straight weeks. On one of those rainy days half of his backyard slid into the canyon.

“City officials ordered the house evacuated. When I couldn’t pay the bills to shore up the property, I lost the house entirely,” he said.

Philbin had managed to land on his professional feet with a three-year stint as sidekick to Joey Bishop on the Joey Bishop Show. When this show was winding down after a disappointingly short run in 1969, he invited Omarr back to predict how things would go forward career-wise for Bishop and himself.

The outlook for Bishop was not especially up-beat. But the astrologer predicted Philbin was destined to become “a household name in America” and would have “great success.”

When pressed for a timetable, Omarr said it wasn’t going to happen right away. It would take another 20 years.

In his book, Philbin points out that Omarr made this prediction in December 1969. In September of 1988, his New York morning talk show, Live with Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford, was syndicated nationally and “we were well on our way to making that prediction come true,” he said.

Show Host Interviewed by ANS

In an interview with the Astrology News Service (ANS), Philbin offered these insights:
ANS: What do you really think about astrology?

Regis: I was always fascinated by the subject for many years.

ANS: Did Omarr’s gloomy forecast disturb you?

Regis: It sent a chill down my spine. I didn’t believe it was going to be that bad, but it was.

ANS: What was the reaction of your show sponsors?

Regis: The sponsors and most of the people around me didn’t believe in astrology in the first place.

ANS: Did you later learn that the show was already on life support when Omarr made the forecast?

Regis: Sydney was the first guest we had. His first forecast was an eye-raiser but when we got renewed for another 13 weeks I asked him to come back and that’s when he became more definite. He said the death notice was 48 hours away. It came 36 hours later.

ANS: According to a report in the N.Y. Times, you thought bringing the astrologer onto the show would be a “good gag.” Did you later change your mind about this?

Regis: I thought it was a daring and different way to start a new TV show.

ANS: Did you ask Omarr for advice of a personal nature?

Regis: Naturally I did and he repeated what he told me on the air. That like all good or bad things eventually it would come to an end.

ANS: Based on your first-hand experience, what would you say to someone who seriously asks for your opinion on whether astrologers might be on to something?

Regis: I was fortunate in those days to have Sydney Omarr join me. It makes me wish all astrologers could be as accurate.

ANS: What does the future hold for Regis Philbin?

Regis: Unfortunately Sydney is not around to answer that.
In his book, each chapter remembers a different celebrity guest and closes with a “What I Took Away from it All” summary of the experience. He closed the chapter devoted to his interviews with Omarr in this way:

“Astrology isn’t for sissies. Those stars do seem to know things we don’t – and maybe never should.

“Great things can happen much later than you might have hoped. But even then, great things are still great – and always worth appreciating – so don’t give up.”

Editor’s Note: After 28-plus years, Regis has moved on from his morning show. But at age 80 he is not retiring, his agent Ken DiCamillo insists. He’s still actively doing concerts, television appearances, book signings, lectures, and the like.

David’s PhD dissertation will focus on practical applications for data mining, a discipline that involves extracting patterns from large data sets by combining methods from statistics and artificial intelligence with database management. His driving ambition is to collaborate with academics in related disciplines to produce research papers for peer-reviewed journals that convincingly support specific astrological assumptions.

In the meantime, he continues to tweak Cosmic Patterns’ Sirius software, the research program he believes can be used to demonstrate the validity of astrology once and for all. The software has been used in a series of pilot tests that have successfully linked planetary alignments with observable events. The most exciting and promising of these tests, the Gold Forecast Report, used minor harmonic aspects between the sun and Jupiter to accurately predict short-term bumps in gold prices over a period of time that spanned more than three decades. In the study, the astrological “signature” for short-term gold price gains was 7th harmonic aspects (angles of 51, 102 and 154 degrees) formed between the sun and the solar system’s largest gas giant.

ANS: Can you simply describe the research in a step-by-step fashion?

DC: Daily gold price data was collected for a 31½ -year period between January 1, 1975 and June 20, 2006. Because of the effects of overall economic conditions on gold prices, there was no expectation that astrological variables would be able to predict long-term price trends. However, it was reasonable to assume that short-term price trends might be predicted. The collected data was divided into 126 three-month periods. The Sirius astrology software program was used to pick out dates when gold prices peaked during these relatively short-term periods, and then was used to see if aspects that were expected to occur did in fact show up during these times. Another feature of the Sirius program was then used to create an astrological forecast for gold prices, compare this forecast to actual prices, and provide statistical significance values. These results were then exported to a file and analyzed using a program written for the R statistical software package, a freeware product that can be downloaded from the Internet.

ANS: What is the likelihood that the correlation observed between the signature aspect and rising gold prices occurred by chance?

DC: Less than one in a thousand.

ANS: In your opinion, what about this research was most impressive?

DC: The study demonstrated that a simple and elegant astrological formula that is based on previous research and a clearly specified theoretical framework was able to predict short term changes in gold prices. One study does not prove anything, but this study provides a strong indication that astrological effects are measurable. And that astrology really works. Of course, further research is needed to confirm this.

This finding may be surprising not only to non-astrologers but also to many astrologers as well. There is a growing sentiment among astrologers that astrology has symbolic meaning and can reveal meaning and purpose in a person’s life, but is not capable of measuring anything tangible. This study challenges this belief among astrologers as well as the assumption of many people that astrology is not capable of being validated through research. Although the study is not a 100% solid proof that astrology can be validated through research it strongly suggest this.

ANS: Why do you say the analysis represents one of the strongest validations of a measurable effect of astrological variables?

DC: There are several reasons. For one thing, the formula used in this research is based on earlier research and is founded on principles that have been developed over the past 30 years. So the research is not just exploratory research where the researcher blindly searches for relationships without having a clear theoretical basis. In other words, it’s not a random finding.

Also, importantly, the findings of this study can be applied to other research. There is a lot of economic data available that can be used in additional studies. And the astrological formula used in the study can be refined or expanded upon in future research.

A simple formula has a greater likelihood of successfully being replicated with new data. Purposely, the astrological formula used in the Gold Forecast Report is simple and was not touched up to fit the data. No non-astrological variables are included in the formula.

It can also be argued that the astrological formula used in the study is more compatible with mainstream scientific thinking than many other astrological ideas. There is no idea in astrology that clearly builds upon well established scientific theories and findings, but some astrological theories are more far-fetched than others. For example, the astrological concepts of zodiac signs and planet rulerships of zodiac signs are more removed from any kind of scientific principles than the concept of harmonics, which was re-introduced in the modern era by British research astrologer John Addey more than 35 years ago. This research is quite different from anything Addey attempted, but harmonic astrology nevertheless provides a theoretical framework for the Gold Price Report. Simply, the report assumes that relatively rare and large massive objects (the planets) somehow create an as yet unidentified wave function with different wave sizes having different effects. This idea is still a bit far-fetched but not as radical a departure from established scientific theory as many other astrological ideas.

ANS: What are the practical implications of this particular research activity?

DC: Investors study an enormous number of different factors to determine if commodities or stock prices will go up or down. Investors who are buying or selling over relatively short periods of time may find the forecasts give them a better sense of how prices are likely to change when used in combination with other economic indicators. But the stronger implications are on the science side. The theoretical foundations of the research may very well have unlocked a new secret of the universe that can be developed and improved upon in future studies.

ANS: What are the broader implications of the research for the astrological community?

DC: Many astrologers seem to dismiss scientific research as unimportant, preferring to view what they do as a symbolic language that imparts meaning to a person’s life but nothing of scientific value. An astrologer may say that someone is stubborn because of fixed signs, picky and critical because of a Virgo stellium, optimistic because the sun in Sagittarius trines Jupiter, and so forth. And they may claim the variables that they analyze are too complex for scientific research, even though breakthroughs in research methodology can model extremely complex relationships among variables. In fact, astrologers continually make statements that can be scientifically tested.

Although there may be some concern about this, astrological research does not deny or contradict the potential benefits of other uses of astrology. If astrologers continue on their current path of dismissing science as irrelevant, the case could be made that astrology is heading towards a crisis that eventually finds it on equal footing with tarot cards and the I Ching. Tarot cards and the I Ching may be useful and helpful divination tools, but they are vastly easier to master than the endless rules of astrology. And you do not need cutting edge software in your computer to use them. In this analysis, tarot cards and the I Ching have huge advantages over astrology. If, on the other hand, astrological effects can actually be measured through scientific research, then astrology can be credibly applied to a much wider range of problems.

ANS: What does the future for astrological research look like to you?

DC: With the possibility of obtaining huge amounts of data through social networks, the availability of large economic databases, and the rapid advancement of research methodology and computer technology, the opportunities for astrological research today seem almost endless. At this time, researchers can inexpensively purchase economic data. So with relatively few resources and low costs it’s possible to open an entire new field of study with many practical benefits. In short, the future of astrological research looks very bright and very exciting to me. The key issue is to pick out an area of research and investigate it with sufficient thoroughness. Also, successful research is typically conducted with collaboration and feedback from others with expertise in various disciplines. Hopefully this kind of collaboration can develop in the future.

ANS: Where can I learn more about the Gold Forecast Report?

Articles describing the Gold Forecast Report and other research activities can be found on the www.AstroSoftware.com website. For the more serious student there is a DVD audio file of a two-day seminar and a large PDF file that can be purchased. The astrological theory and the ways it can be applied in astrological research is sophisticated and requires some training to develop facility with it. The software is fairly elegant and easy to use, but one needs to know what to look for. Weekend seminars on the subject are planned at the Avalon School of Astrology when interest is expressed.

In the late 1970s, Railey was asked by then Mayor Maynard Jackson to serve on the Atlanta Board of Astrology Examiners (ABAE), a city sponsored program that tests for astrological competency and provides accreditation for astrologers.  He is a past president of the Metro Atlanta Astrological Society and, at one point in his career, was the astrologer on WSB TV’s Good Morning Atlanta.  The ABC affiliate is believed to be the first station in the U.S. to broadcast a weekly “cosmic forecast” as a regular feature on a morning news program.

Railey moved to Los Angeles in 1995, where he continued to build his astrological practice but also found time to write six screen plays and complete the first draft of his book, The Soul Purpose, before returning to Atlanta in 2000.  He was totally unprepared for the reception he and his book received during a recent tour to promote a translated version on mainland China in the Fall of 2010.  The response, he says, has been “quite astonishing.”

ANS: Are you telling us that people on the Chinese mainland today are interested in Western astrology?

DR: You have to understand the history of China over the last 60 years; they have been through more as a people than most of us in the west can even begin to grasp.  Traditional Chinese astrology, of which there are several distinct schools, was labeled as feudal superstition and barely survived on mainland China — though it continued to thrive in Hong Kong and on Taiwan.  However, there was no attempt to modernize traditional Chinese astrology, even after it began to slowly reemerge in China over the past 15 to 20 years.

The advent of the internet has coincided with the emergence of a more affluent and well educated “young” Chinese population.  There are slightly more than 500 million Chinese internet users –many that read English — out of a population of more than 1.3 billion.   Many Chinese people have encountered western astrology on the internet and love it!  It speaks to them.  They find it relevant to their modern urban life.  The crowds that attended my events in China were mostly young, twenty to forty, and wild for astrology.  Quite frankly, it’s like the late 60s and early 70s was in the west all over again in China as far as astrology is concerned.  You can hardly imagine…  There are many new students that are quite serious about pursuing astrology professionally.

ANS: The reception for your book went well?

DR: Better than I could ever have imagined.  On the tour, there were crowds at every event.  At lectures, if there were chairs for 60 people, 90 people were standing!  I did five or six book signings, seven lectures, seven newspaper interviews, a TV interview on KU6 and a two-day workshop. Since its publication date, the book has been selling about 200 copies per day on Amazonchina.com and, apparently, the first printing sold out in less than five months.  As still another indication of interest, in January of 2010 I started a blog on Sina (an online Chinese newspaper published in English) and, by the end of the year, had already counted more than 208,000 visitors

ANS: What led to your decision to test the publishing waters in China?

DR: I’ll give you the short version of the story.  Three years ago I was completely happy living with my wife and the youngest of our three sons in an Atlanta suburb.  My astrology practice was thriving and I felt blessed every day just to do astrology and work with my clients, most of whom I’d known for 20 years or more. Even though China had fascinated me as a boy — and I had kept a translation of Lao Tzu’s ‘Way of Life’ close at hand for nearly 40 years  — I was not thinking about China.  Then an email arrived from a woman in China who wanted me to do a chart rectification (an evaluation technique astrologers use to help determine accurate birth times when this information is not available from other sources).  The client, Felicia Jiang, was referred to me by a close friend and fellow astrologer (Jeff Jawer).  She was very happy with the rectification and gradually, through email correspondence and Skype, became an enthusiastic and serious student of astrology. It wasn’t long before this one client opened the door to China for me, and little by little things began to happen.

ANS: What sort of things?

DR: Beyond referrals and introductions, I found myself increasingly aware of a real interest in western astrology in China. A number of online study groups began to form.  In the fall of 2008,  I rewrote The Soul Purpose and the second edition of the book published in March, 2009.  The book was plugged as a “must read” by a popular online western astrology site (Star IQ), and my growing list of friends in China noticed.  Felicia Jiang, who is now my partner in an astrological services company we’ve started in Beijing, touted the book to Chinese publishing companies and, in less than a month, three companies were interested.  I signed a contract with Totebooks in June 2009 and spent the summer of 2009 rewriting the book for a Chinese audience, substituting well-known Chinese examples in place of their lesser known or unknown American counterparts.  With help from others, Felicia Jiang translated the book into Chinese and sent it to the Bureau of Censorship.  It was published in July 2010.

ANS: So how is your business venture in Beijing doing?

DR: The interest in western astrology in China is incredible.  There are study groups in China there that are familiar with the work of many of the leading astrologers in the west.  Our company has opened an office on the 19th floor of a building in the Chaoyang District of Beijing.  We have a fulltime staff of three wonderful dedicated people, Zoe, Cora and Michelle, plus a wide audience that we are in constant communication with.  They don’t have Twitter in China, but they do have “micro blogs.”  Thanks to my staff, I have three micro blogs currently and the largest has 150,000 people following my comments every day.  Right before I left China at the end of October (2010) I was told that my name had been Googled in China three and a half million times already.  This was quite astonishing to me.

ANS: What about plans for the future?

DR: I plan to work in China four times a year for up to three weeks at a time.  We’ll be launching a website, but mainly I’ll be teaching workshops and classes and meeting with students at informal gatherings.  On my last visit I introduced my workshop students to the various astrological organizations in the U.S. and told them about the United
Astrology Congress (UAC) conference scheduled for May 12 in New Orleans.  I hope to bring a contingent of Chinese astrologers and students to this event.  It should be quite exciting!

ANS: It sounds like you’ll be keeping busy?

DR: For whatever reason, I find myself faced with the opportunity to share the astrology I’ve studied and practiced for forty years with the largest audience in the world.  I want the new Chinese students of astrology to know about the resources we have in the west.  Also, it is my belief that the widespread serious interest in western astrology in China today will infuse what we are working on here in the west with new, young energy.  I can only begin to imagine how hundreds of new students might impact our astrological organizations, and am dedicated to guiding them in this direction.

ANS: You were able to get your book approved by the Bureau of Censorship.  How would you characterize the “official” response to western astrology in China?  Is the academic community as hostile to the subject as it is in the west?

DR: The fact that the government has gone from officially branding astrology as feudal superstition to allowing a westernized explanation to be published for Chinese audiences speaks volumes for the changes underway in 21st century China.  However, quite frankly, I have no idea what the official response is to western astrology, and am in no position to characterize it.  I do know I am both grateful and humbled by the opportunity to teach western astrology in the country.

The western astrology I’m introducing to China is of a very responsible and ethical character, where the interests of the person, be it student or client, are of the utmost concern. Astrologers should always be careful as both teachers and counselors to make sure that the information they are providing is carefully and responsibly considered.

I think the academic community in China may have a “healthy” skepticism.  Interest in astrology is growing, so there’s bound to be a reaction to it.  However, I had an interesting exchange with a scientist at one lecture at the Lady Book Salon, where he asked me what I thought was the “physical basis” of astrology.  My response, which centered around “Earth cycles” pleased him very much.  He said that this was, in his mind, “the only way that astrology could be substantiated scientifically– if it was going to be.”  I was encouraged by his openness in our discussion but don’t know to what extent this is representative of the academic community in China.