Expert: Zane B Stein - 4/23/2005

Question
Hi,
1)I'm a leo and many others of my classmates are leo also. And according to astrology, we should aleast have some kind of similarity in character,
but somehow, we don't. I'm introverted and enjoy simpler external live, but others are much more extroverted and playful. So it's kind of strange.

2)Furthermore, sometimes I've seen contradictions between astrology charts too. Many renowned scientist adviced that astrology is not a science, can you disprove it?

3) And finally, the most important question is that how the positions of stars and planets influence our human lives, I mean how? like light waves or any radiations that really influnces us. Thanks.  

Answer
Hi, Kenji,

There are only 12 Sun-signs in the zodiac.  But there are many, many more than 12 types of people.  This is because astrology is much more than Sun-signs.

First, everyone has a Moon-sign.  12 Sun signs X 12 Moon signs = 144 possible combinations.  
Second, everyone has a Rising-sign.  144 x 12 = 1728 types of people.
Third, everyone has a Mercury-sign.  Mercury is either in your Sun-sign, the one to the right of it, or the oone to the left of it.  1728 x 3 = 5184 different types of people.
Fourth, everyone has a Venus-sign.  Venus is in one of 5 signs for each sign, so 5184 x 5 = 25,920 types of people.
Each additional planet extends this process.  12 different Mars signs, 25,920 x 12 = 311,040 different types of people.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Chiron expand the different possibilities to 928,760,463,360 possible different charts.
And then, the charts are further modified by aspects.  One Leo may have the Sun very close to Mars, making them aggressive, passionate....another Leo might have the Sun very close to Saturn, making them subdued, quiet, very serious and responsible.

Books that say there is a particular description of Leo people are not true astrology.  There are some things that are true of all Leo's....but even there, the degree varies.
All Leo's are self-centered...but some are so much so that they are egotistical; others are much less so and are able to consider the feelings of others.  All Leo's like attention, but some do so on a grand scale, others are more private and only want it from their immediate friends/family.

So to answer your first question....if I fill the room with 50 Leo's, you will find 50 different people.  There will be some similarities, but many differences.  If one of them also has your Moon Sign, there will be more similarities.

Your second question....
Astrology is a mixture of science, and intrepretation.  Some of astrology has been handed down for thousands of years and has never been tested scientifically.  Other parts have been validated by some scientific studies.  There may be some parts of astrology which will be proven wrong when they are studied seriously, other parts will be validated.  

But there are many 'sciences' that have not been 100% proven and are taught as fact.  Take evolution.  I can show you many holes and inconsistencies in evolutionary theory, but it is still taught as being the truth.  Yet, many parts of the theory are assumptions, and the same is true with astrology....science, theory, and assumptions.

Your last question, I can't answer.  No one knows for sure.
Carl Jung believed, not in a cause/effect scenario...but rather, synchronicity.  The planets don't cause events on earth, they are a celestial clock describing them.  

Let's say you live where the trains are always on time.  If you look at the clock at the station, and see that it says 9:57, and your schedule says that the train is due to arrive at 10:03, you know that it will be there in 6 minutes...but the clock itself did not cause the train to be there.  

Thus, it is possible that the planets are only a celestial timepiece, describing events, not causing them.

On the other hand, it has been proven by a scientist at RCA that planetary positions influence sunspots, and sunspots predict radio interference on earth...so there may be either a gravitational, or radiating energy, cause by the Sun and planets to events on earth.

One day, perhaps, the answer will be proven one way or another.

Best wishes,
Zane