Management of Measurement Constructs
Mundane Considerations

When I first confronted an astrologer, before my learning began -probably in the Spring of 1966 (tr Saturn-Pluto opposition, squared by Uranus, conjoining my Saturn!)- I said what we all think or say when we don’t know astrology: “Do you mean to tell me that, when a plane goes down, everybody’s horoscope on that plane is messed up?” –The astrologer back then attempted no answer, but he did invite me to start learning about astrology.

That same question is still with us: how do we explain; better, how do we anticipate collective suffering. How do we get a grip on the occurrence of accidents, for one person [I’ll never forget a client long ago who lived through a parachute jump in which his chute did not open –I could find nothing astrological even remotely involved with such a picture!] or for many -just look at what faces astrology in the midst of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. (And I’ve addressed much more than my share of horoscopes for prisoners of war; Jews losing years of their life in German concentration camps, for example; and then the children of refugees.) –How is the individual tied in to or victimized by the state of the collective? How does this alter the level and direction of life itself? Is this occurrence part of what we should see ahead of time?

On the Forum on this website, fine astrological minds are bringing all techniques into the discussion, into the quest, to capture definitively, after the fact, the terrorist attack(s) on the world Trade Center. We are pained that there are no easily delineated answers; after all, as our critics will say, “Shouldn’t astrology have been able to see THAT coming?”

This discussion leads quickly to considering what wecan expect from astrology. Should we be able to see that there is extraordinary tension focused on a certain place on earth at a certain time? I answer, “Yes,”, and it has been proved many, many times that we can. The reason is that our astrology depicts the coordinates of space and time on this earth, and we humans are part of that picture as well. We can see disruptions or challenges to the flow of time in a particular location.

We measure the flow of time in relation to its beginning in a particular moment at a particular place. Much as we can watch over a train leaving a station at a particular time and place, we can see developments in time emerge from the future.

“Well then, if you see the focus of tension, debris on the track (to continue the analogy), MUST there be a problem, MUST the train be derailed”? –The answer is that we CAN deduce the probable problem and we CAN remove the debris ahead of time. We CAN save the day.

Example: Last week I was contacted by an investigative arm of our government. A sophisticated astrologer was an intermediary in the discussion. I was asked to review measurements that appeared drastic in their relation to a particular city on a particular date. The measurements were definitely drastic and clearly explosive. I had to concur with the dire portents, without hesitation.

But I did put forward that the explosion could well be a car fire outside a bakery or a bank or a playground, not necessarily next to or within a major national building, or a suicide bomber tourist within an American shrine. So, we have the confounding dimension of “level,” the guise of occurrence in reality.

The time has past for this alert. Nothing happened. -Was it that extra surveillance was deployed? Extra security? Was the explosive debris not allowed to get into the path of the time-train because of extra precautions? Did astrology save that day by anticipating it?

Immediately after the opening of the Olympics in Atlanta, 20 July 1996, I projected the highest potential of a bombing several days later. The projection was accurate to one hour! But the prediction went nowhere. I recorded it with some of my colleagues, but I pushed it nowhere because I knew no one would be listening. -Or I sensed I would be thought a cook-hysteric.

My published predictions -some 18 months ahead of time-about the impeachment of President Clinton, the fall of Russia, the Peace signing between Israel and the PLO- were nice academic achievements for astrology, but no one outside of astrology was listening. -And within astrology, it is extremely difficult to earn a living with Mundane Astrology; therefore its practice falls behind in development and in the grooming of expert analysts.

We astrologers are so young with regard to capturing aberrance in the flow of time, the debris on the track of the collective. Just think of what we do not know about Fixed Stars! There are only two, maybe three experts in that field in astrology in the world; there is only one responsible, modern book on the subject. The subject does not seem important to the publishers and software innovators in astrology, those who drive our learning curve and directions. And let’s face it, until now, we Americans have had an extraordinarily low interest in world events simply because we are not involved with them, so insulating is our superpower status, so great the distance from international action spots of the world, etc. -Now, with the terrorist attacks within the United States, we are no longer untouchables. Maybe we will rush to study. Maybe the next generation of astrologers in the world will have expertise in Mundane Astrology, expertise that will command government attention.

So we are left with the wisdom of knowing what we do not know and the strengths of what we do know:

1. Values On the issue of why do bad things happen to good people and “how can God allow this?”, we know that the free will of our life and the opportunity to exercise it are the gifts and purpose from (anyone’s) our God. What follows then in the course of time is the exercise of this free, which can cause problems for other people and the world around us.

We must remember that the astrological view of the martyred terrorists, the view held by any enemy of ours, is the astrology of success, of divinely inspired accomplishment.

It was chilling to see the family of a suicide bomber interviewed on television: the young son, age 6, already asserting he wants to become a martyr like his father. Imagine how THAT concept changes his entire life development. Is his train suddenly on another track than it should be on? -This is why the astrologer must ascertain the reality of the client in order to qualify the symbology of the horoscope.

We can not veil our measurement perspectives with value judgements. We do not see well if we feel first. We can’t allow ourselves to see what we want to see, only what is there in real terms.

2. Experience We know that it is experience that defines the flow of time, that disturbs it, even corrupts it. Aberrance -warp-can occur at one level or another. We call the aberrant occurrence “accident.” There is a happening that confounds empirically seasoned anticipation.

We can see that a surprise attack -while a purposeful strategy for the perpetrators-is an unanticipated disturbance, an aberrance, an accident for the victims. We have two values that are diametrically opposed but are focused on an experience in space … at the same moment in time.

Objective experience -seeing the experience ahead of time– excites subjective evaluation, and our capacities for that evaluation -giving events meaning– must be continuously refined.

3. Technique The astrological techniques that we do know must be better organized and polished. We must see the nagging lack (often) of inconclusivity in Mundane studies as a suggestion that there is more technique to be added to our art. In my opinion, it is with the area of fixed Stars. We desperately need computer facility with Fixed Star measurements, bringing these ancient symbols down to earth in a practical way. Such a software program and guidance information could spark a tidal wave of interest in Mundane Astrology.

**Please note: very, very, very few astrologers at present have the acumen for and/or interest in Mundane Astrology. It is a subject that is not taught. At conventions, Mundane Astrology lectures are the least attended; so now very few are presented. Mundane Astrology books do not sell; no books are being written about the subject. Llewellyn Publications abandoned its ‘secret’ projections for a Mundane Research magazine (I was to lead the project as editor) because market study showed it was just not feasible.

-At the present time, while we are all excited by the terrorist attacks, only a handful of people has come to the foreground with well-developed skills in assessing the situations astrologically. The excitement has bred curiosity but not conclusive, enduring results astrologically. Yet, perhaps such events as these now >I>are the stimulus for further learning, a worldwide wave of interest.

4. Communications I suggest that one of astrology’s international organizations establish a Mundane Intelligence Exchange (MIX) to collect Mundane forecasts from astrologers throughout the world, these forecasts prepared in strict observance of carefully designed guidelines to discourage the uninformed, irresponsible, and subjectively exploiting elements in our field. A monthly consensus report could be prepared and distributed to Media outlets internationally. Through MIX, a grid of observations could be established throughout the world, skilled Mundane practitioners would be discovered, and -indeed-warnings about aberrance expected in the flow of time at specific locations (e.g. capital cities) would be produced and distributed ahead of time.

In the process, Mundane Astrology could grow beyond infancy.