The Chaotic World of Astrology

I titled my book as The Chaotic World of Astrology. The "chaotic" trend accelerated in early 1980s with the emergence of comprehensive astrology software. They became a turning point for astrology in practice in that the cumbersome calculations to erecting astrology charts that took hours by hand, along with all sorts of tables and other tools, were now all taken over by software. Millions of casual astrologers in 1980s were now able, within minutes, to erect charts for any occasion, outlining the natal potentials of family and friends, predicting relationships and outcome of events. They became aware of the business potential of these software. Bored housewives and enterprising individuals purchased the software and began advertising in local papers, for $25 each, for natal, relationships, and predictive transit charts for anyone. The activity spread like a wildfire and enveloped the world. Astrology organizations such as the (oldest) American Federation of Astrologers (AFA) experienced an explosive growth in membership and certification fees. Everything connected to astrology became so lucrative that other organizations and book publishers specializing only in astrology and metaphysical topics emerged. Magazines such as Dell Horoscope, American Astrology and others flourished. Ads from book publishers, mineral collectors and everyone with metaphysical claims filled their pages. People selling minerals with various mental and physical cure claims joined the stampede. Astrology conventions filled the convention centers in Washington, D. C. and other big cities periodically, so people could get to know one another and market themselves and their wares. Unlike religions to which people adhered by faith alone, astrology offered something more concrete and more powerful: neatly tabulated data and colorful graphical charts together with the accompanying delineations of what this all meant. People could supposedly verify the predictions in their own lives. They believed they had on hand a blueprint from heavens, the key to unravel the mysteries of life. In contrast to general predictions in newspapers and magazines, that applied to all persons in the same sun sign, here the charts are done for YOU only. This was such a powerful stuff that people lost their common sense and started to believe and perpetuate all astrological claims as if they were receiving this insight directly from heavens. Astrologers felt themselves at the forefront of science. Of course, the majority of people were still nonbelievers, among them pragmatic people who dismissed astrology outright, and open-minded people who allowed some truth about astrology and accepted it as an entertaining social pastime without getting involved in the intricacies. These in the latter group were the potential customers whom the astrologers believed they could convert, so as to sell more charts, books and software. As far as pragmatic skeptics, their dismissal of astrology did not quite qualify them as "sensible," for many of these same people accepted and actively sought salvation from religion, arguably a much more consequential, and to some, a form of superstition. Be as it may, from 1986 to 1993, I was the only "astrologer" who knew the nitty-gritty of astrology and incessantly warned about its use, yes, while also making money from it to finance my time and effort. I present the material in this book in 5 parts: 1) a summary of controversial issues; 2) critical papers and studies, including a comprehensive review of dubious astrology tools, I performed and mailed-no email yet in those days-to astrologers worldwide, many of which I reduced to one-page monthly "warning" ads in "American Astrology" magazine; 3) applied (credible) astrology, 4) sample output of traditional astrological analyses, and my comments on them, by my own software AsterPro, and 5) suggested research reinforced by output from AsterPro.