[Freeing the Mind][Self Development Contents]

Ken Ward's Astrology Pages

Astrology and Science 3: The Astrology of Science.

Like all academic subjects, science is based on the element "air". It contains definitions and statements - qualities of air. Science is special in that it is pragmatic, that is concerns the earth element. In science, there are two elements that are despised. They are water and fire. The scientist wants to appear logical (air) and practical (earth). Scientists do not want to appear to be "inspired" (fire) or "emotional" (water).

Most discoveries in science are, however, based on the despised elements. Many discoveries are "sudden intuitions" or result from dreams (water). Scientific reports are meant to be rational and pragmatic, so the way a scientist dreams up a theory (which uses water or fire) is often left out of the reports and the books.

For example, the "discovery" or rather the reframing of the benzene structure, which was the essential understanding to enable the study of living things in chemistry, was made by Till Kekule, who tells how he made the discovery in a dream:

"...I turned my chair toward the fireplace and sank into a doze. Again the atoms were flitting before my eyes. Smaller groups now kept modestly in the background. My mind's eye sharpened by repeated visions of a similar sort, now distinguished larger structures of varying forms. Long rows frequently rose together, all in movement, winding and turning like serpents; and see! what was that? One of the serpents seized its own tail and the form whirled mockingly before my eyes. I came awake like a flash of lightning. This time also I spent the remainder of the night working out the consequences of the hypothesis."

As the water of his mind began to clear, he saw, in ancient symbols (the Worm Oroubos) teach him how to understand the structure of benzene.

The astronomer, Kepler, was attracted to Copernicus's theory of the sun being the centre of the solar system, not so much because of reason and facts (the decision is a paradigm shift, and not a scientific disproof) but because Kepler believed the sun was the "Father", space was the "Holy Ghost" and the planets were the "Sons of God". This belief inspired (fire) him to develop the theory.

The mathematician Poincare made one of his discovery in mathematics instantly as a fully blown cognition (fire). He says:

"At the moment I put my foot on the steps the idea came to me, without anything in my former thought seeming to have paved the way for it, that the transformation I had used to define the Fuchsian functions were identical with those of non-Euclidian geometry."

Archimedes discovery of the principle of displacement is well known. He made the discovery instantly (fire), in the public baths and, according to legend, ran naked through the streets to his house, shouting "Eureka!" (I have discovered it.)

While science is concerned with intellectual understanding (air) and pragmatic proof (earth), the actual discoveries tend to occur in the areas of dreams (water) and instant intuition (fire). Of course without thinking (air) about the subject, the scientists could not have had or understood their insights. Or without long hard years of study and research (Saturn, earth), they would not have understood their insight (fire, water).