I am going to London in March for a week and a friend, who was awarded a Certificate from the Faculty of Astrological Studies in London last year, sent me the link to the Faculty’s Annual Open Day in case I might like to purchase a ticket and attend.

While scrolling down the program page, I noticed at the very bottom that yet another Faculty Diploma holder has been stripped of her D.F.Astrol.S. This would make Debbie Frank the second astrologer to late Princess Diana to be stripped of her Faculty Diploma–the first being Penny Thornton in 1995–for violating several clauses in the Faculty’s code of ethics(pdf), the most serious, of course, being the violation of client confidentiality by speaking and writing publicly about their work as astrologers to the princess.

The second issue may be the “kind” of work done. Recent testimony given at an inquest into Diana’s death in London revealed that the princess had been given many predictions, not only of her own death, but that of other members of the Royal Family–and indeed, if you read accounts given by both women, much time was spent looking for the possibility for “bad” things to happen to her and/or other members of the Royal Family.

At a recent NORWAC conference, the well-known astrologer, Steven Forrest, spoke about the issue of confidentiality very eloquently (youtube link–go to the 35th minute). Of course, if a client wishes to step forward and speak about her work with an astrologer, that is her prerogative, but when an astrologer does so, she not only betrays the trust given to her by her client, she also potentially damages the work being done by many, many ethical astrologers.

It is not often that astrology organizations are willing to take on a prominant member who has violated this code (in fact, I have not heard of a single case in which an American astrology org has taken this step), so kudos are in order for the Faculty of Astrological Studies for stepping up to the plate in this instance and doing the right thing.

Though one does wonder why it took them so long, as I have been aware of an astrologer called Debbie Frank who claimed to have been the astrologer to the late princess for a few years, but until I read the announcement on the Faculty’s web site, I had no idea that Ms. Frank held a Faculty diploma.

As a whole (except when privately kvetching between themselves behind another’s back), astrologers are quite allergic to criticism; whether providing it thoughtfully or accepting it. It is just not done, constructively or otherwise.

My personal theory is that since the word “astrology” is synonymous with pariah, most astrologers find themselves operating as a kind of functional outlaw, living somewhere on a continuum between a healthy capacity to question authority and a pathological disdain for accountability of any kind.

While various astrological organizations around the world have tried to address this by attempting to boost the “image” of astrology by establishing various qualifying criteria, in practice, there are very few meaningful standards in astrology (particularly in the US), either educationally or ethically. In fact, the US, both ISAR’s and the NCGR’s list of qualified or “certified” astrologers are largely populated with people who either never completed a recognized course of study or took a single astrological exam — that is most of these “certified astrologers” were granted a kind of honorary certifications (generally the criteria was that they were a “known” astrologer, which in practice meant that they were known to ISAR or NCGR board members). The situation with the AFA certification is somewhat different as they have never given a Professional Certificate to anyone who has not completed all exams; the main criticism leveled at the AFA is that it is that the exams lack rigour — a criticism which has also been directed toward ISAR and NCGR).

Fact is, since astrology is not a culturally recognized profession, anyone can hang out a shingle and set up an astrology practice. It is entirely up to potential consumers to figure out whether a particular astrologer has any real astrological education or ability (the two are not one and the same, though the former must by necessity, preceed the former). Many of the most innovative, imaginative and responsible astrologers are self-taught, though there are many so-called “self-taught astrologers, as well as those who boast of being “certified” who should be avoided.

Speaking of self-taught astrologers:

About a week ago, as I listened NPR’s Robert Siegal, host of All things Considered interview Rob Hand about the banishment of Pluto from the conscious solar system brouhaha, I was pleasantly surprised at the way in which Hand responded to one of those proverbial gotcha’ moments:

NPR: You know one of our listeners heard our correspondent David Kestenbaum’s piece yesterday about this controversy and sent us an email saying that he had had his chart done some years ago and the position of Pluto led the astrologer to conclude that he would never marry. Therefore he wonders whether indeed that forecast might be rescinded based on the new status of Pluto, should it change.

Hand: Not necessary to rescind that forecast. It should never have been made. No planet is capable of indicating absolutely that a person can’t get married. All a planet can do is indicate what a person has to do in order to get married.

NPR: Ah ha!

Hand: And sometimes that requires so much work on the part of a person that they are not likely to do it. But it isn’t actually the planet that is preventing it, it’s the person’s own inclinations.

I consider a forecast like that to be malpractice [long 4 second pause; was Seigal stumped?] And I have a lot of company.

NPR: Well Mr. Hand, thank you very much for talking with us.

Hand: You’re welcome. (listen to the full interview here)

Yes it is true that Hand has a lot of company in this respect, but it is also true that there are many practitioners (as well as many people who consult astrologers) who do believe that the placement of Pluto, or Saturn for that matter in–say the 7th house of a natal chart– is indicative of the situation described by Seigal. And that it is the astrologer’s job to so inform the client.

The other day I wrote about an astrologer who was busted and sentenced for some extremely nasty conduct within the context of his astrological practice in Aspen Colorado. A similar case has come to light in India, where astrology has long been a respected and integral part of Hindu culture, evoking enough outrage in the fortune-teller community that not only has the story has been picked up by the Times of India, but has also inspired a demand of a formal code of conduct.

Arun Dwivedi, an astrologer in Gwalior, was arrested on June 7 for allegedly making sexual advances towards a woman in his house on the pretext of reading her horoscope, police said.

[ . . . ]

The incident has shaken the astrologer community in Madhya Pradesh. Many agree that a model code of conduct should be enacted and those in the profession be registered with the government.

“We have been held in high esteem for ages. But if such elements are allowed to survive in this profession, people will lose faith in us. Already money minting by some astrologers has lowered our dignity,” said a city-based astrologer.

“There are only a handful of competent astrologers who are not greedy for money. The majority, particularly among the new generation, not only fool people in the name of conducting pujas to change their fate but also charge heavily,” Suresh Prasad Shukla, an eminent astrologer said.

“The job of an astrologer is only to guide the person about the bad or good times ahead. No power on earth, be it a puja or a gemstone, can change anyone’s fate. Unfortunately many astrologers misguide people to go in for gemstones or pujas for the sake of earning money,” Shukla said.

“Astrology is a sacred science and it should not be misused for the sake of money. There should be a model code of conduct for astrologers too and it should be followed in letter and spirit,” said Hem Purohit, a renowned woman astrologer who offers her services only to women.

By contrast, the issue of unethical conduct is rarely broached among western astrologers, and if it is, the consensus seems to be to sweep it under the proverbial carpet. In fact, the simple mention of ethics seems to be surrounded by a great deal of fear, and indeed, the only time I have ever seen it spoken of publicly was in the 2002 June/July issue of the Mountain Astrologer in an article entitled Shining Light on a Dark Issue. Not irrelevant is the fact that the writer, “Morning Star,” choose to publish it under a pseudonym.

Astrologer and market trader Arch Crawford (who once advised burying a stockpile of canned goods and an M-16 in the back yard) is once again warning of financial trauma. Not only is the current market in a “corrective” phase, he believes that it will crash a la 1987 somewhere near or on the fall equinox eclipse of 22 September 2006 and that we will be entering a “historic period” of “German-style” hyper-inflation which will last throughout 2007.

Arch Crawford’s Dim View Of Stocks
John Dobosz, 05.30.06, 12:15 PM ET

New York – It’s not a far-fetched notion that recurring patterns can be found in just about every earthly and human process. No doubt the oceans’ tides and the change of seasons move in predictable cycles. Human beings, bipolar or not, also experience mood changes that tend to run in cycles.

As Carl Jung would explain, human beings also seem to exhibit collective mood swings. And certainly, the oscillation between extremes of fear and greed are rather pronounced in the financial markets.

In the 1940s, Donald Bradley, the father of “financial astrologers,” came up with a model of movements in stock market levels that he attempted to correlate to astronomical movements. Over more than a half century since Bradley came up with his model, it has helped spawn a cottage industry in financial astrology.

One of today’s most prominent advocates is Arch Crawford, editor of Crawford Perspectives. Crawford uses the Bradley model to come up with his financial forecasts, which have at times been stunningly accurate. Crawford will tell you that the Bradley model is good at uncovering turning points but is ambiguous on whether the turning point is a high or a low. That’s where he uses his background as a former market technician at Merrill Lynch in the 1960s; he employs technical analysis to confirm what the Bradley model is telling him.

Crawford also applies technical analysis and financial astrology to other markets, including bonds, gold and commodities. According to Timer Digest, Crawford was the top gold timer for the 12-months ending in March of this year.

We recently spoke with Crawford about his outlook for gold and commodities, as well as what his work is telling him about the direction of the stock market. While he thinks it’s a smart move to buy on the dips in the commodities markets, you should be selling the spikes in stocks. Click here for the video with Arch Crawford.

In addition to investing in commodities, Crawford thinks that it might not be a bad idea to stash as much cash as possible. Somewhere.

UPDATE: Forbes writer John Dobosz is on a bit of a astrology (or astronomy, as he calls it) roll. Here is a link to an article and video of an interview with financial astrologer Bill Sarubbi, who managed the financial portfolios of wealthy Arabs in Abu Dhabi for 14 years. He is more widely known, in astrology circles, as Bill Meridian. Like Crawford, he is also saying “commodities.”

UDATE II: Another recent story on an astrologer-trader.

arch-crawford