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An Astronomer's
Magnetic Theory of Astrology:
How Planetary Motion Orchestrates Solar Activity and
Geomagnetism
Since the dawn of human history, stargazers have sought to
discover the forces by which the planets influence life on
Earth. Now, as we enter the 21st century, the long search for
a physical mechanism that explains how astrology works may at
last be nearing an end. Apropos to these times, which many
astrologers believe to be a Neo-Renaissance period for
astrology, an English astronomer named Percy Seymour has
formulated a scientific theory of astral influences that
describes the solar system as an intricate web of planetary
fields and resonances. The Sun, Moon, and planets telegraph
their effects to us via magnetic signals, says Seymour, an
astrophysicist and respected authority in the field of cosmic
magnetism. Omnipresent throughout the universe, magnetism is
known to affect the biological cycles of numerous creatures
here on Earth, including humans. In sum, Seymour's multi-link
theory proposes that the planets raise tides in the gases of
the Sun, creating sunspots and their particle emissions, which
then travel across interplanetary space to strike Earth's
magnetosphere, ringing it like a bell.[1]
(See Fig. 1) These planetary magnetic signals are then
perceived by the neural network of the fetus inside the
mother's womb, heralding the child's birth.
[TMA's Note: Words in
bold italics are defined in the Glossary, cf. infra]
Seymour's
"magnetoastrology" theory [2] expands
themes from French statistician and scientist Michel
Gauquelin's work, in which human biological clocks keep time
withthe planets.[3] Gauquelin's studies,
which showed striking planetary similarities in the birth
charts of parents and their children, comprise the strongest
scientific evidence in support of astrology to date. But,
whereas Gauquelin's studies showed planetary influences for
Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Moon, Seymour proposes
that Mercury, Uranus, and Neptune also play a role in
orchestrating the sunspot cycle and violent solar activity.
Like Michel Gauquelin
before him, Seymour's alignment with astrology predictably
raised a storm of protest from several members of the
scientific community when his book, Astrology: The Evidence
of Science, appeared in April 1989. In an Omni
interview later that same year, Seymour commented, "Of course,
I expected people to take objection to my theory. But I didn't
expect the reaction to be so vehement or so irrational."
[4]
Seymour brings to the
astrology-science debate a rich body of experience and
credentials. His grandfather taught him to identify Orion's
belt and other southern constellations. Growing up as the son
of an interracial couple in apartheid South Africa, Seymour
also learned what it meant to be labelled "Cape colored," a
racist colloquialism applied in that country to non-whites. It
was an experience that has left him intolerant of bigotry of
any kind, including the prejudicial arguments against
astrology employed by some scientists. Holding doctorates in
astronomy and astrophysics, Seymour's expertise in the study
of the magnetic fields that thread our galaxy, and his book,
Cosmic Magnetism, have won him academic acclaim.[5]
Director of the William Day Planetarium and principal lecturer
in astronomy at the University of Plymouth, Seymour teaches
gifted undergraduate students and conducts research in
astronomy. In addition to Cosmic Magnetism, he is the
author of five books: Halley's Comet, The Scientific Basis
of Astrology, Astrology: The Evidence of Science, The
Paranormal: Beyond Sensory Science, and Adventures in
Astronomy, a hands-on approach to building simple
astrolabes, star clocks, and sundials.
A chartered member of the
Institute of Physics and Fellow member of the Royal
Astronomical Society, Seymour's fascination with navigational
instruments and the history of science has inspired him to
organize and hold a pioneering conference at Plymouth
University entitled, "Navigation in Astronomy." Scheduled to
run simultaneously with the "Astrology in the 21st Century"
conference, which is being organized by the Astrological
Association of Great Britain, these two events will bring
hundreds of astrologers and astronomers together under the
full shadow of the much-discussed eclipse of August 11, 1999.
Conference attendees from the sister sciences will be
observing the total eclipse from Plymouth Hoe, a vast,
elevated, southern-facing waterfront with adjacent promenade,
from which spectacular open vistas will maximize visibility.
Seymour lives in southwest
England with his wife, Dianna, and his 16-year-old son, Bruce.
He enjoys walking the moors in the company of family pets, a
beagle and a spaniel. A Sun-sign Capricorn and self-described
"inventive fixer-upper" with Uranus in Taurus on the IC,
Seymour restores old family furniture in his spare time and
reads extensively. Our first transcontinental conversation
occurred during an exact Sun-Jupiter conjunction.
TMA:
How did you first become interested in astrology?
Percy Seymour:
In the summer of 1984 a BBC film training crew came to
Plymouth to do a film about astrology. The film crew
interviewed people on the streets and byways, asking their
views on the subject. They sought out my opinion due to my
reputation here in Plymouth as the reigning authority on
astronomy. Of course, as a trained astronomer and physicist, I
trotted out all the normal objections. I told them that I knew
there was some evidence in support of astrology, but that I
couldn't think of a mechanism that might explain how the
planets affect human life. It was actually the first time I'd
been put on the line, so to speak, with no other astronomers
there to back me up. (laughs) Suddenly these arguments didn't
sound right to me. They ruled out the idea that any progress
could be made in this area. They were totally dogmatic. And
that got me thinking.
Then one of the BBC
interviewers asked me whether I'd read a book, Astrology:
Science or Superstition?, in which authors Eysenck and
Nias suggest that solar disturbances and their particle
emissions are the most probable link between biological and
extraterrestrial events.[6] Also
mentioned by the BBC people was the work of a radio engineer
named Nelson, who had apparently noted heliocentric planetary
alignments corresponding with bad radio conditions.[7]
At the time, I hadn't heard of either of these works. After
the film crew left I found myself delving deeper into the
scientific objections to astrology, and it became quite clear
to me that the arguments being put forth were based on
single-link theories, simple models that are easy to disprove.
A well-known example of this is using gravity to explain how a
planet might directly influence the fetus, and then showing
how this can't possibly work because of the weak tidal
tug of the planets. This type of approach completely
ignores the possibility of multi-link theories.
TMA:
A multi-link theory being one that draws upon several
different scientific disciplines?
Percy Seymour:
That's right. It's my view that those who use simplistic
models to disprove astrology are violating the principles of
the philosophy of science, which is a particular interest of
mine. From the viewpoint of the philosophy of science, any
number of theories may be shown not to work, but to say it
follows that no theory of astrology can work is just bad
science. It totally rules out scientific method. So, having
examined the arguments that supposedly disproved astrology, I
came to the conclusion that they were totally unscientific - a
form of rationalized bigotry cloaked in academic language.
TMA:
I know you've been influenced by Gauquelin's research. Have
you been following the controversy that still surrounds
his results?
Percy Seymour:
In The Journal of Scientific Exploration, Gauquelin's
Mars effect [8] has again come under
attack, most recently by the Committee PARA of Belgium.[9]
One of its members decided to defend their earlier arguments,
claiming that, although the Mars effect showed interesting
correlations between planetary positions at birth and eminence
in certain professions, Gauquelin's controls weren't rigorous
enough because he failed to consider all of the
sociodemographic factors involved, leaving his results
inconclusive. On the other hand, there are those who, over the
last three years, have reassessed their original objections,
largely, I think, as the result of Suitbert Ertel's and Ken
Irving's book, The Tenacious Mars Effect.[10]
TMA:
What do you think?
Percy Seymour:
I've always known about this argument regarding the Mars
effect. Basically, the difficulty lies in defining in
objective terms what constitutes eminence in professions. I
found Gauquelin's work on planetary heredity links
[11] much more interesting, as it dealt
exclusively with hard data-time, place of birth, and the
planetary positions for both parents and child. In those
studies, it was shown that, if a certain planet in a parent's
birth chart was placed in a Gauquelin planetary zone of
influence (see Fig. 2), the child showed a tendency to be born
with a similar planetary placement. So these new objections to
Gauquelin's work are limited, in my view, because they totally
ignore the planetary heredity effect.
Figure 3 shows an Increase in Planetary Heredity with High
Geomagnetic Activity: Children of parents who are born when
a given planet has just passed the horizon (270°) or meridian
(0°) are twice as likely to be born under similar planetary
configurations if they are born on a magnetically disturbed
day (continuous line) than if they are born on a magnetically
quite day (broken line). The results have been combined for
the Moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. (Dr. P. Seymour)
Gauquelin's studies also
showed that on days when the geomagnetic index
was high, the planetary heredity effects of Venus, Mars,
Jupiter, Saturn, and, to some extent, the Moon, were enhanced
(see Fig. 3). This seemed very significant to me because
geomagnetism is known to rise during periods of heightened
solar activity. The level and intensity of solar activity
waxes and wanes within the eleven-year solar cycle, also
called the sunspot cycle. My theory proposes that certain
planetary alignments affect solar activity. Thus, the build-up
of sunspots within the solar cycle can be accounted for by the
complex interactions of planetary forces acting upon the Sun's
magnetic field, which in turn affects Earth's magnetosphere.
(A sunspot is a dark area in the Sun's photosphere, or visible
surface layers, that is associated with strong magnetic
fields.)
This brings us to another
intriguing aspect of Gauquelin's planetary heredity work that
his critics often ignore, and which fueled my interest in
astrology-the fact that the four-pronged pattern, involving
two large peaks and two small peaks, that emerges for Venus,
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Moon, is very similar to the
shape of the average lunar daily magnetic variation
for one month. Earth's magnetosphere (see Fig. 4) contains
a wide range of frequencies, one of which we know is connected
to the Moon, and is well known to geophysicists. This lunar
daily magnetic variation is caused by the Moon tugging at the
layers of plasma, or charged particles, trapped
in Earth's magnetosphere. When this plasma is dragged around
by the Moon's tidal forces, it causes variations in the
atmospheric pressure at ground level, and these we can
measure. So, this resemblance between Gauquelin's four-pronged
pattern for Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Moon and the
pattern for the monthly average of the lunar daily magnetic
variation suggested to me that the tidal tugs of the planets
were in some way disturbing Earth's magnetosphere, just as the
Moon and Sun are known to do. I began to suspect the existence
of a daily planetary magnetic variation, different for each
planet, which might account for Gauquelin's planetary maximums
all falling into this same four-pronged pattern.
TMA:
Your theory posits that the planets play a role in disturbing
both Earth's and Sun's magnetic fields. First, tell us how the
planets affect solar activity.
Percy Seymour:
According to my theory, the tidal effects of the planets on
the geometry of the Sun's field disrupt that field, causing
violent solar activity. We're saying that it doesn't matter
that the tidal forces of the planets are weak; they can be
amplified via what I call magneto tidal resonance.
I'll try to explain this as simply as possible.
The Sun's magnetic field can be pictured as a series of
meridian lines that, roughly speaking, come in at the south
pole and go out at the north pole (see Fig. 5A). Because the
Sun's equator rotates faster than its polar regions, these
lines of force become stretched and distorted over time (see
Fig. 5B). The indication is that, as the solar cycle
progresses, just below the surface of the Sun the magnetic
lines or tubes of force are getting twisted, dragged sideways.
The field is getting "wound up" by the differential rotation
of the Sun. As the sunspot cycle builds toward maximum,
because the equatorial regions of the Sun rotate faster than
the polar regions, the north-south lines are distorted,
forming a series of magnetic canals parallel to the surface on
either side of the solar equator (see Fig. 5C).
The eddy currents
twist and braid the lines of force in these canals to form
ropes of magnetic force. It is these ropes that will
eventually form the loops for the generation of the field.
Conventional theory requires that the lines of force generally
remain in circles parallel to the equator (i.e., without
braiding). Bundles of lines of force in these regions, all
pointing in the same direction, will repel each other, thus
creating elongation "bubbles" in which the density will be
lower. These lower-density bubbles will rise to the surface
because of their buoyancy. Unfortunately, this simple theory
gives a solar cycle that is only a few months long. Our claim
is that braiding considerably reduces the effects of buoyancy.
So, in order to explain why the tubes come to the surface, we
have invoked tidal resonance.
Now, what's important about
the Sun's magnetic canals is their capacity to greatly amplify
the weak tidal forces of the planets. Such canals can amplify
planetary tidal effects because they are able to channel the
Sun's very hot gases parallel with the equator. If you could
pluck one of these canals with your finger, it would vibrate
like a violin string. Thus, the magnetic lines of force
actually behave like the strings of a musical instrument. And
what we've shown is how the weak tidal effects of the planets
on the gases trapped in these lines of force could give rise
to resonance late in the solar cycle.
What we've basically done
is apply George Biddell Airy's canal theory of ocean tides to
the magnetic canals beneath the surface of the Sun.[12]
Airy worked out a rigorous mathematical theory which showed
that if you constructed a specially designed water canal
around Earth's equator, a wave traveling around the canal
could become amplified. Amplification of this kind is called
resonance, and it means that you can get much bigger ocean
tides than normal. How you get tidal resonance in the case of
the Sun works like this. Say you take the subplanetary
point of Jupiter and plot its course across the
surface of the Sun. As the Sun spins on its axis, Jupiter's
subplanetary point moves across the Sun's surface at a
specific speed.
Now, the braided lines of
force vibrate with their own frequency as they travel around
the Sun's magnetic canals. The speed of the wave as it goes
around the magnetic canals is called the Alfven speed, which
varies within the solar cycle. The Alfven speed
of the free wave moving along the canal travels faster and
faster as the solar cycle progresses toward maximum. When the
speed of Jupiter's subplanetary point matches the speed with
which the free wave propagates along the Sun's canals, you'll
get resonance. In other words, the free wave that keeps step
with the subplanetary point grows as it travels around the
Sun, and will gain amplitude. I call this phenomenon magneto
tidal resonance. When the tidal tug of a planet sits on a
given wave crest traveling around the magnetic canals, it
causes the wave to grow in size, until eventually it erupts on
the Sunís surface in the form of a bridge, or prominence. The
"feet" of the bridge, or prominence, are called sunspots. The
loops or prominence of sunspots that arch high above the
visible surface are still anchored in the active sunspot
region of the Sun (see Figs. 6 and 7). They will be stretched
out into interplanetary space by a stream of energetic
particles, called the solar wind, which gusts against Earth's
magnetosphere, causing it to fluctuate.
TMA:
Which planetary alignments disrupt the Sun's magnetic field?
Percy Seymour:
Jane Blizard's work for NASA showed evidence for heliocentric
planetary conjunctions, oppositions, and certain 90°
alignments giving rise to violent solar disturbances.[13]
No one could explain the squares until we put forward this
theory. Since each planet possesses its own orbital speed
around the Sun, the speed of each subplanetary point differs
as it moves across the surface of the Sun. Say, for example,
that the speed of the Alfven free wave within magnetic canals
of different depths lies between the speed of Jupiter and the
speed of Saturn. Then you can actually get a Jupiter-Saturn
heliocentric square configuration that gives rise to strong
events on the Sun. So our theory is able to explain this
aspect of Blizard's work.
The theory also goes
further in proposing that the regular magnetic reversal of the
Sun's field, which occurs roughly every eleven years, is due
to the tidal effects of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
The Sun itself actually moves about the common center of mass
of the solar system with a period of just over ten years, and
this is mainly due to the pull of Jupiter and Saturn. By
violently tugging on the common center of the mass of the
solar system, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune cause the
little eddy currents that generate the Sun's magnetic field to
reverse or flip over from being in one direction to being in
another direction. (See Fig. 8) As these four planets cause
the flipping over of the Sun's magnetic field, and the Sun's
equator rotates faster than the poles, the lines of force are
dragged into the form of canals. Then all the planets in turn
can play a part in disrupting the Sun's magnetic canals.
So, we've clarified how the
planets can affect the magnetism of the Sun by amplifying
tidal resonance. We've also generalized the theory by
extending the application of magneto tidal resonance to
Earth's magnetosphere. We're saying that some of the planets
can have a direct influence on Earth's magnetic field.
TMA:
Certain planets directly affect Earth's magnetosphere, not
just via the solar wind?
Percy Seymour:
Yes, I think so. Earth's magnetic field shows myriad bands of
frequencies, ranging from a few minutes to several years. We
know one such frequency is associated with the Moon-the lunar
daily magnetic variation. Not all of these frequencies will
have a coherence about them. When they start and end will be
random. But, say you have a spectral line or
frequency in Earth's magnetic field that is very close to the
synodic period of Mars. If placed on a graph, you would see a
peak that closely coincides with the synodic period of Mars.
Just as resonance occurs when the subplanetary point of Mars
moving across the surface of the Sun matches the speed of the
free wave, resonance can also happen when the frequency of
Mars closely matches a frequency already present within
Earth's magnetic field. It then becomes phase-locked. In other
words, those frequencies in Earth's magnetosphere that are
close to the tidal frequencies of the planets Venus, Mars,
Jupiter, and Saturn will remain in step with those planets.
Youíll have one magnetic frequency associated with Mars,
another with Jupiter, and so on.
TMA:
Your theory draws upon research into the biological
consequences of fluctuations in Earth's magnetosphere. How did
this research impact the formulation of your theory?
Percy Seymour:
In the process of trying to formulate a mechanism to explain
Gauquelin's results, I was led to consider magnetobiology, a
vast body of knowledge that links planetary alignments with
magnetic events on the Sun and the biological consequences of
fluctuations in Earth's magnetic field. That's what actually
gave me the idea that there is a mechanism, magneto tidal
resonance, which can not only explain the Sun's magnetism, but
also why specific fluctuations in Earth's magnetosphere can
get phase-locked with the tidal effects of the planets.
Research in magnetobiology
shows that a wide variety of organisms respond to changes in
Earth's magnetic field.[14] For
instance, Professor Franck Brown of Northwestern University,
who has done much work in this area, showed how mudsnails and
turtles followed the lunar daily magnetic variation even when
these creatures were removed from the sea and lodged inside
laboratory tanks.[15] The experiments of
Dr. Robin Baker of Manchester University suggest that humans
are also sensitive to changes in Earth's magnetic field.[16]
Baker first placed people inside a darkened room and asked
them to locate North. Most of the time people got it right.
But when Baker then fitted these same subjects with a little
magnetic skullcap, they lost their ability to find North. This
strongly suggests the presence of an internal compass or
biological clock.
What I think might be
happening is that the fetus's neural network acts as a sort of
antenna that tunes into fluctuations in Earth's magnetic
field. The imprinting of the neural antennae depends on
genetic heredity, which gives us our basic congenital
personality. Thus, the fetus is genetically predisposed to
hear specific planetary signals, much as a radio is resonantly
tuned to receive a particular station. So it's not that the
planets make the person. Rather, the planets label a person's
genetic predisposition to respond to specific magnetic
signals.
Take the Moon in the case
of the lunar personality. We already know that the lunar daily
magnetic variation has two peaks and two troughs that roughly
correspond to Gauquelin's four-pronged pattern of the child
born with a lunar personality. This suggests that the fetus is
responding when the lunar daily magnetic variation is at
either maximum or minimum, but nowhere between these two
extremes. It doesn't matter whether it's a peak or a trough
because it is acting on something in the body that is
responding to the lunar daily magnetic variation. The neural
network of the fetus thus tunes into very low frequency
fluctuations in Earth's field that are connected with where
the Moon is, and ignores all others.
Looking at the lunar daily
magnetic variation around the globe, however, shows that the
peak of the lunar daily magnetic variation doesn't always
occur when the Moon is about to rise. There can be a phase
lag, which is a function of the longitude and latitude on the
surface of Earth, that is actually telling you something about
the geometry of the field in that particular locale. This can
be caused by geological deposits of magnetic materials. The
Moon rises at a given observatory, and the lunar daily
magnetic variation peaks, but at another observatory where the
geometry of the field is different, it might peak up to 40
minutes later. The peak won't exactly coincide with the Moon
rising on the horizon. There's a time delay vis-à-vis
the Moon's position due to the phase lag. So the fetus doesn't
really respond to where the Moon is in the sky per se, but to
the actual physical agency that the Moon is affecting, in this
case the lunar daily magnetic variation.
The fact that a phase lag
occurs as a result of changes in the local geometry of the
field could explain why Gauquelin's third study of planetary
heredity effects failed to support his two earlier findings.[17]
After successfully replicating the planetary heredity link on
two separate occasions, Gauquelin was deeply puzzled when the
third study failed to yield similar results. This anomaly
might be explained by the fact that the local magnetic field
alters over a given period of time, due to variations in
Earth's field that are longer-term changes of internal origin
(see Fig. 9). And I think this is where a theory can perhaps
help improve astrological prediction. What we need to do now
is actually observe and compare what the lunar daily magnetic
variation is doing at the time and location of the births of
lunar-personality children. If my theory is correct, these
children will be born when the lunar daily magnetic variation
peaks.
TMA:
You propose that pairs of planetary alignments dominate the
solar cycle during specific periods. Does this mean that
certain conjunctions or oppositions possess greater intensity
than others?
Percy Seymour:
I think this might be so. It might well be that the human
neural network has a threshold above which the magnetic
fluctuations of given planets must be in order for it to
respond to these signals. So it's likely that certain
planetary alignments will cause the geomagnetic tide of
specific planets to be above this level.
As things look presently,
it seems likely that Mercury and Venus are the planets that
first play a role early in the solar cycle by giving rise to
high solar activity. They are followed by Venus and Earth,
then Earth and Mars, gradually working out toward the outer
planets. Because of their size and relative proximity to the
Sun, Jupiter and Saturn cause larger tides than the other
planets. Jupiter and Saturn play the major role late in the
solar cycle, whereas the inner planets play an important part
early in the solar cycle, but only for short periods. This is
because the formation of the canals and the braiding are
giving rise to an enhanced magnetic field. The Alfven speed
depends on the strength of this field, increasing as the
strength increases. The inner planets soon pass out of
resonance, but the outer planets stay in resonance longer
because they move through only small angles during one
rotation of the Sun's equator. Hence, according to our theory,
the dominant planets would be Jupiter and Saturn later in the
solar cycle. One of my Ph.D. students is presently trying to
map this planetary sequence, but the rigorous calculations
have yet to be further worked out.
We've expanded the theory
since 1992, but we still can't explain everything about
Gauquelin's results. We know that high sunspot activity causes
Earth's magnetosphere to grow in size, amplifying
solar-terrestrial effects. Gauquelin himself noted that
periods of violent solar activity corresponded with enhanced
planetary heredity results.[18]
TMA:
You mention in your books that, while there's strong evidence
supporting the effect of planetary alignments as seen from the
Sun, only some evidence exists to support geocentric aspects.
What does this mean in terms of your theory?
Percy Seymour:
If you have, say, a Sun-Jupiter conjunction opposite Saturn,
the planets are actually all in a straight line. It doesn't
matter whether the view is heliocentric or geocentric, but,
with the square, it depends on which planets are involved. An
exact heliocentric square of Jupiter and Saturn, as seen from
Earth, would be about 98° instead of 90°. Tight squares
involving Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are possibly
influential. But the theory thus far rules out geocentric
squares involving inner planets with outer planets because,
heliocentrically, the orb would be too wide. Smaller aspects,
such as semi-squares, also do not appear to be influential.
TMA:
Where does Pluto fit into this scheme?
Percy Seymour:
We haven't actually plotted Pluto because its orbit is too
elliptical and the planet too lightweight to have much of an
effect in terms of my theory. However, we're not ruling out
the possibility that it may play a role later on in the solar
cycle.
TMA:
Ten years have passed since you first proposed your ideas on
how astrology may work. Have there been any new developments
or discoveries since then that either support or alter your
theory?
Percy Seymour:
We've found out that the strength of the field that we've
calculated is in keeping with the strength of the field
measured by other methods, such as the Zeeman effect,
which is how the magnetic field affects the light of the Sun.
The theory gives us an independent method of calculating what
the strength of the magnetic field of the Sun ought to be in
sunspots in order to make this mechanism work. It also
explains quite naturally why there is a migration of sunspots
from higher to lower latitudes as the solar cycle progresses
toward maximum (see Fig. 10). According to our theory,
sunspots should migrate toward the Sun's equator in a way that
is consistent with a solar cycle of roughly eleven years. This
just sprang out of the equations once we began dealing with
the more detailed calculations, and we didnít realize it until
1993. In other words, the theory explains sunspot migration in
a way that suggests the theory itself is correct in some
respects. Interestingly, our critics often ignore these facts.
We're not saying our theory is right, but at least it doesn't
run into certain problems presented by other theories that say
the solar cycle should only be a few months long.
TMA:
You once mentioned hopes for predicting the next sunspot
maximum.[19] Have you made any progress?
Percy Seymour:
We're still working on this. Our calculations thus far seem to
suggest that the next solar maximum will be around May 2000,
when Jupiter and Saturn are making particularly strong
alignments.[20] Both planets play a role
in two different aspects of the theory. That is, Jupiter and
Saturn both affect the canals of the Sun and play a role in
determining how the Sun moves about the common center of mass
of the Solar System. So, given what we know so far, May 2000
should coincide with the next solar maximum.
TMA:
You've organized a conference to be held at Plymouth
University during the August 11, 1999 eclipse. "Navigation in
Astronomy" is scheduled to run parallel with another
conference, "Astrology in the 21st Century," organized by the
Astrological Association of Great Britain. What hopes do you
have for astrologers and astronomers rubbing shoulders at
these event?
Percy Seymour:
The Astrological Association of Great Britain is holding their
conference in conjunction with ours at my suggestion. The
conference I'm organizing is on the impact of navigation on
the history of science. Nautical instruments are another keen
interest of mine, so in a way it's an opportunity for me to
combine several areas of interest under one umbrella. But I
also hope the conference will inspire scientists to realize
that astronomy wouldn't exist without the two main stimuli of
navigation and astrology. Greenwich Observatory, for example,
wasn't founded solely in the interests of science, but to
solve the longitude problem. Then Greenwich Observatory
broadened its work to include all extraterrestrial events
affecting navigation. And when it was found that the compass
needle had a deviation that depended on the sunspot cycle, a
solar observatory was also set up. Some astronomers are snooty
in that they dismiss all astrology as superstition, which is
wrong. The Greek and Babylonian astrology that arose 200 years
before the birth of Christ was different from earlier star
lore, which was more the result of an associative process.
From Greco-Babylonian astrology emerged the first systematic
attempt to form a theory that could explain life and the
universe, a Theory of Everything, which is basically what
physicists strive to formulate today. The great historian of
science, Otto Neugebauer, pointed out that it is wrong to
dismiss the astrology of the ancient world, because it
heralded the beginning of an orderly methodology as a means of
formulating a theory within which all phenomena could be
explained.[21] So I hope conference
attendees will mix their diet with both astrology and
astronomy.
TMA:
Any comments on the eclipse itself?
Percy Seymour:
As far as my theory is concerned, an eclipse is not any
different from a conjunction because the Moon doesn't have a
magnetic field that stretches way beyond it. So I don't think
it's going to be dramatic from an astrological point of view.
The solar cycle will be approaching, but not near, maximum. I
do think we're going to see some spectacular solar flares,
which would enhance direct planetary effects on the
magnetosphere, but not dramatically so. From the point of view
of solar activity, May 2000 is the time to watch.
TMA:
The language describing these solar-terrestrial events evokes
images of a living system. Particles eject from beneath the
surface of the Sun and energize the plasma of Earth's
magnetosphere, which resembles a sort of womb. It's similar to
how living bodies operate.
Percy Seymour:
Yes. The way sunspots are born out of the Sun is very much
like the way a baby is born out of the womb. Changes in the
Sun's magnetic field can be likened to a gestation period for
sunspots. The "flipping" over of the eddy currents, due to the
movement of the Sun about the common center of mass of the
solar system, determines the total length of time that the
field will have one direction of polarity rather than another
(see Fig. 8). This process and the differential rotation of
the Sun are the astrophysical processes that "prepare" the
solar magnetic field to respond to the resonant tidal tug of
the planets. In this sense, the formation of a sunspot pair
plus a loop prominence is somewhat akin to the birth process.
And so you have the biological process taking place inside the
womb ó preparing the nervous system to respond to the magneto
tides of the planets-causing an ejection from the womb.
Modern physicists'
viewpoint of the subatomic, deepest level of reality is not
dissimilar from that of the mystics of old. I think concepts
presented by Fritjof Capra in his book, The Tao of Physics,
are essentially correct.[22] And I see
my theory in a similar light. We're actually attempting to
quantify and rephrase in scientific terms ideas that have been
around for a long time.
I think there may very well
be other ways that Earth's magnetosphere can affect the
developing fetus. Right through the entire nine-month
gestation period, the neural network of the fetus may be
synchronizing and tuning its biological clock into Earth's
magnetic fluctuations. Thus, our own resonances may be
evolving along with changes in Earth's magnetic field. Perhaps
at different stages of development we pick up different
magnetic tunes from out of the solar symphony, which later
become part of our earliest memories. These preprogrammed
magnetic memories may be evoked later in life when similar
magnetic tunes are repeated. And this may even help us through
certain exciting or challenging phases in life.
TMA:
The idea of my own resonances evolving with cosmic fields of
energy is very inspiring. It makes me wonder about our solar
system in turn being influenced by the magnetic fields of
other star systems...
Percy Seymour:
That's right. My work on the galactic magnetic field shows us
that particles are coming to us from way beyond the Sun. These
are called galactic cosmic ray particles, which are generated
in supernova explosions. When a supernova explodes on the
other side of the galaxy, cosmic ray particles are trapped
inside the magnetic bottle that envelopes the whole Milky Way.
I've attempted to work out the geometry of the galactic field
by looking at how it affects radio waves and light waves.
Oddly enough, explanation
in science isn't about certainty. People who believe that are
fooling themselves. What we do is grope toward a better
understanding of how the universe hangs together. To believe
that weíve found all the answers simply isn't true. I think
there's a grudging respect from critics of my theory because
I'm not dogmatic about being right. I'm not saying, "This is
the Truth." In trying to clarify basic principles to explain
the salient features of Gauquelin's work and the solar cycle,
we've developed the principles of resonant coupling between
the tides of the planets and the evolving magnetic field of
the Sun.[23] We're still working out
details of a theory that may provide a fundamental
underpinning for astrology. Meanwhile, I'm using the debate to
highlight the very real need for science students to be taught
the philosophy of science.
TMA:
Paving the way for open-mindedness in future scientists --
that's exciting news. We look forward to hearing the results
of your student's thesis on planetary dominance in the solar
cycle. Thank you very much, Dr. Seymour.
Percy Seymour:
You're welcome. It was nice talking to you.
References and Notes
[1] The ringing bell
analogy was taken from Doug Margel's article, "Ringing the
Bell: Storms on the Sun," The Mountain Astrologer,
Aug./Sept. 1997. Margel examines the astrology of solar flares
affecting Earth's magnetosphere. « Text
[2] Percy Seymour,
The Scientific Basis of Astrology, W. Foulsham, Slough,
U.K.: Quantum, November 1997. « Text
[3] Michel Gauquelin,
The Cosmic Clocks, San Diego, CA: ACS Publications,
1982. « Text
[4] Dava Sobel, "Dr.
Zodiac," Omni, December 1989, p. 62.
« Text
[5] Percy Seymour,
Cosmic Magnetism, Bristol, U.K.: Adam Hilger, 1986.
« Text
[6] H. Eysenck & D.
Nias, Astrology: Science or Superstition?, London,
England: Maurice Temple Smith, 1982. « Text
[7] J. H. Nelson, "Shortwave
Radio Propagation Correlation with Planetary Position,"
RCA Review, March 1951. « Text
[8] Michel Gauquelin,
Neo-Astrology: A Copernican Revolution, Chapter 3,
London: Arkana, Penguin Group, 1991. Gauquelin examines the
controversy surrounding his studies, in which the birth charts
of outstanding athletes were shown to have Mars positioned in
one of the four "Gauquelin plus zones" of the diurnal circle
(see Fig. 2). This planetary effect later became known as "the
Mars effect." « Text
[9] J. Dommanget, "The
'Mars Effect' as Seen by the Committee PARA," Journal
of Scientific Exploration, Volume 11: Number 3: Article 2,
1997, pp. 275-295; Jan Willem Nienhuys, "The Mars Effect in
Retrospect," Skeptical Inquirer, Nov./Dec. 1997,
pp. 24-29; Suitbert Ertel and Kenneth Irving, "Mars Effect
-Dead or Alive? Dissenting from J. W. Nienhuys' 'Retrospect,'"
Skeptical Inquirer, Vol. 22, No. 4, July/Aug. 1998, p.
59; and J. W. Nienhuys, "Responding to Ertel: Mars Flukes,"
Skeptical Inquirer, Vol. 22, No. 4, July/Aug. 1998, p.
60. « Text
[10] Suitbert Ertel &
Kenneth Irving, The Tenacious Mars Effect, Urania
Trust, England, 1996. « Text
[11] Michel Gauquelin,
Planetary Heredity, San Diego: ACS Publications, 1988.
« Text
[12] George Biddell
Airy, "Tides and Waves," London, England:
Encyclopedia Metropolitan, 1845. « Text
[13] J. B. Blizard, "Long
Range Solar Flare Prediction," NASA Contractor Report, CR
61316, 1969. « Text
[14] P. A. H. Seymour,
Astrology: The Evidence of Science (revised and
extended paperback version), Great Britain: Arkana-Penguin,
1990. Diverse research and references provided by Dr. Seymour
on the biological consequences of fluctuations in the
geomagnetic field. « Text
[15] F. A. Brown, Jr.
et al., "Comparison of Fluctuations in Cosmic Radiation and
Organismic Activity during 1954, 1955, and 1956," Amer. J.
Physiolo., Vol. 195, 1958, pp. 237-243. Brown has several
published works detailing his research in this vast field of
study. « Text
[16] R. Robin Baker, "Human
Navigation and Magnetoreception in Animal Behavior,"
Phys., Technol., Vol. 35, 1987, pp. 691-704.
« Text
[17] Michel Gauquelin,
Neo-Astrology: A Copernican Revolution, pp. 171-173.
Gauquelin discusses possibilities as to why subsequent studies
of the planetary heredity effects failed to replicate earlier,
positive results. « Text
[18] Michel Gauquelin,
The Cosmic Clocks, pp. 127-129. « Text
[19] Dava Sobel, "Dr.
Zodiac," Omni, p. 68. « Text
[20] For more details
on the strong planetary aspects of May 2000, see Tem
Tarriktar,"Millennial Alignments: 1999-2000," The
Mountain Astrologer, June/July 1998, p. 67.
« Text
[21] Otto Neugebauer,
The Exact Sciences in Antiquity, New York: Dover, 1969.
« Text
[22] Fritjof Capra,
The Tao of Physics, Berkeley, CA: Shambhala, 1975.
« Text
[23] P. A. H. Seymour,
"Magneto-Tidal Coupling Between the Components of the Solar
System," in Proceedings of the First International
Conference on Geocosmic Relations, Pudoc (Wageningen),
1990. « Text
Bibliography
- R. B. Culver and P. A.
Ianna, The Gemini Syndrome: A Scientific Evaluation of
Astrology, Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books, 1982.
- John Anthony West, The
Case for Astrology, London: Viking, Penguin Group, 1991.
West examines the astrology-science debate in great detail,
and not without humour. Also included are several letters of
correspondence following a debate between Seymour and two of
his critics.
Glossary
Magnetosphere
- A magnetic cavity surrounding Earth formed by the
interaction of the planetary magnetic field with the solar
wind as it flows past. Earth's magnetosphere fluctuates
between 20 to 30 times the size of the diameter of the planet,
and contains layers of multi-frequencies, some of which make
shortwave and satellite communications possible. High sunspot
activity causes Earth's magnetosphere to grow in size (see
Fig. 4).
Tidal forces/tidal
tug - The gravitational pull of
the Sun, Moon, and planets on each other. The Moon, for
instance, is known to "tug" on the Earth's oceans, causing the
changing tides. Likewise, the planets constantly pull on each
other.
In Seymourís theory, a key effect of tidal tugs is how the
outer planets tugging on the common center of mass of the
solar system cause the reversal of the Sun's magnetic field.
Geomagnetic index
- A general term for a
measurement of magnetic variations in Earth's field. Several
indices using various methods are employed for this purpose.
"A-index," for example, measures solar particle radiation by
its magnetic effects. Gauquelin noted in The Cosmic Clocks,
" . . . if a child is born on a [magnetically] disturbed day,
the number of heredity similarities is twice as high as on
quiet days. This suggests that the Moon and planets do affect
life, through the solar field," p. 127.
Lunar daily
magnetic variation - A
phenomenon in which the Moon's tidal tug on Earth's ionized
regions of plasma registers variations in the atmospheric
pressure at ground level. The lunar daily magnetic variation
varies according to latitude on the surface of the planet, the
geometry of the land mass, and the presence or lack
of iron ore deposits. Seymour asserts the possibility that
even buildings constructed with reinforced steel may affect
the local geometry of the field, thus distorting magnetic
signals picked up by the fetus.
Plasma
- A highly ionized gas cloud comprised of
electrically-charged particles. Earth's ionosphere has various
layers differing in intensity and frequency. These layers
exist in the Earth's upper atmosphere due to solar radiation,
which strips atoms of some of their electrons, thus creating
an electrically- conducting medium. Four major factors seem to
influence the Earth's ionosphere. Daily changes in the various
layers are caused by the rotation of the Earth about its axis.
Seasonal changes occur due to the constantly changing
positions of the Earth and Sun relative to the Earth's orbit
around the Sun. Geographical variations in the ionosphere
depend on latitude; in equatorial regions where the Sun is
more directly overhead, greater intensity is noted. Cyclical
variations caused by the eleven-year sunspot cycle are perhaps
the most influential in altering the intensity of plasma
regions, which are the regions employed by radio short- wave
communications. This happens as a result of the solar wind
transporting charged particles from the Sun's magnetic field
to the Earthís magnetosphere, thus disrupting the field.
Magneto tidal
resonance - Seymour's new term
to describe resonance phenomena connected with the tidal
effects of the planets. An example of resonance is when an
opera singer shatters a wine glass by matching the frequency
in her voice with the natural frequency of the glass. A more
dramatic display of resonance occurred in Washington state
some years ago when high winds produced resonance phenomena
that caused the Tacoma Narrows bridge to collapse.
Seymour's theory applies magneto tidal resonance to planetary
tides affecting solar activity beneath the surface of the Sun,
and to planets affecting the Earth's magnetosphere.
Solar cycle
- Cyclical variation in solar activity
measured by the number of sunspots, with a period of roughly
eleven years. A new solar or sunspot cycle begins when new
spots first appear 30 to 40 degrees north and south of the
solar equator. The Sun's equatorial regions are relatively
"spot-free" during this phase. As the solar cycle progresses,
sunspots increase in size and number, gradually appearing
closer and closer to the Sun's equator. In other words, newly
emerging sunspots "flee" the Sun's poles, clustering around
the solar equator. This migration of sunspots from higher to
lower latitudes as the solar cycle progresses creates the
butterfly diagram (see Fig. 10). As the cycle nears its end,
old-cycle spots at higher latitudes begin to vanish.
It should be noted that sunspots are associated with strong
magnetic fields. The magnetic fields of sunspots and their
migratory movements appear interrelated with other aspects of
solar activity. For instance, astronomers have discovered
that at the beginning of each new sunspot cycle, the Sun's
north and south magnetic poles switch polarity. This reversal
of the Sun's magnetic field is called the Sun's magnetic
cycle, which is approximately 22 years long, twice the
duration of the eleven-year solar/sunspot cycle.
Eddy currents
- Convective currents that
circulate and transfer heat/energy in the form of hot gases.
Heated gases from the Sun's interior expand and rise. As they
rise to the Sun's surface regions, the gases cool and fall.
The Sun's magnetic field is generated by the complex churning
motions of these gases. As the gases move, the lines of
magnetic force follow, thus producing what Seymour calls the
"braiding of the field."
Subplanetary point
- Draw a line from the center of
a planet to the center of the Sun. Where that line intersects
the surface of the Sun is the subplanetary point of that
planet. As the Sun rotates, the subplanetary point moves
across the surface of the Sun, which corresponds with a
gravitational pull of that planet on the Sun.
Alfven speed
- The speed at which the free wave
naturally propagates along a canal. A wave motion occurring in
a magnetized plasma.
Spectral line
- A graphic representation of a
well-defined frequency, denoted by a peak or vertical "spike."
Atoms broadcast a number of light waves of various
frequencies. These narrowly defined frequencies correspond to
specific lines in the spectrum.
Zeeman effect
- A measurement used to
determine the strength of magnetic fields in the Sun and other
stars. All atoms give off a set of colors characteristic of
their chemical elements. The Dutchman Zeeman showed how atoms
placed in a magnetic field change the colors they emit.
Astronomer George Hale first used the Zeeman effect to measure
the strength of the magnetic fields in sunspots. Percy
Seymour, Astrology: The Evidence of Science, p.132.
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