Reading the stars

Reliability vs superstition

In his book, the author writes, among the 12 star signs popular today is cancer, or the crab, but people wonder why it is called such. When a surgeon in ancient Greece first noticed cancerous tumors in a patient, he thought the distorted blood veins appeared like the legs of a crab, and he named the tumor "cancer", old Greek for crab.

But the one question that many people ask: Is astrology reliable? Or, is it pure superstition?

"As far as I can see, modern astrology has grown into a belief system; it has a hold on people's minds, and defies any attempts to prove or disprove it," he says. "During the Renaissance, many popes and cardinals regularly consulted astrologers. And neither the Enlightenment nor the development of modern astronomy could seriously threaten its existence. Why? Because a fascination with the starry sky has become part of human consciousness."

"For many Chinese, modern astrology has a particular pertinence since it enables them to discuss their private feelings in a way traditional Chinese culture does not encourage," Wang says.

Back in 1930, Naylor forecasted that "a British aircraft will be in danger". And when an airship duly met its unhappy end a few weeks later, Naylor and astrology became the talk of the town. "However, if you take into account the frequency of such incidents in the days of early aviation, Naylor might have been admired for his statistical insights rather than prophetic powers," he adds.