The Norwegian Ministry on Astrology

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I pass on the following correspondance with Norwegian officials and Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs regarding astrology's scholarly belonging and place and role in our modern society:

In her letter of Jan 30. 1995 the Norwegian Minister of Culture, Aase Kleveland stated:
"Thank you for your letter of Dec.2.1994. Those problems of approach that you make clear in your letter are very interesting. I find your critisism of societies regard of scientific astrology and the lack of appreciation for the work being done, to be thought-provoking. There does obviously lie a lot of culture in the astrological tradition.... Your activity does first and foremost seem to be related to research and educational persuits." www.astronor.com/kleveland.htm

Then on Jan 2. 2007 the Norwegain Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs writes:
"It is more natural that you approach the relevant educational- and research instituions regarding Astrology's role in the History of Science and as a part of our Immaterial Cultural Inheritance. However the Ministry of Culture- and Church has noted your point of view." http://www.astronor.com/kulturdep07.htm

On Sep 11. 2007 I readdressed the Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs with the following letter: http://www.astronor.com/kkd0907.htm

I refer to my letter to the Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs on 03.12.2006 where I requested your assistance to define astrology's scholarly belonging and place and role in our society. This request was replied to by your Offices on 02.01.2007, ref. 2006/07994 KU/KU3 SVV:akv where you refer to astrology's role in the History of Science and as a part of our Immaterial Cultural Inheritance. Upon your reply I have redirected the issue to the Ministry of Education and Research but without response. On 23.07.2007 I readdressed the Ministry of Culture and Church for new support. As I understand the issue, astrology as a scholarly subject and cultural inheritance will be under the protection of the administration of the Ministry of Culture until the Ministry of Education and Research has accepted the responsibility. And I do see the need for a thorough clarification of this matter.

For me personally it is important to receive a recognition of my scholarly distinction and specialization within the field, both in regard to my work as an intermediary of knowledge and cultural values within the Norwegian borders but also in the case of representation abroad. It is important that Norway recognizes these traditions in regard to its contact with foreign cultures. In example the highly respected Dalai Lama has his personal astrologer without us making a ridicule of that, and we have entered an epoche where Norway more actively wishes to seek commercial agreements with Eastern cultures.

I therefore ask that you meet my request and assist in lifting this issue to the next stages.

Sincerely.

Andrew Bevan, QHP, DMS Astrol.
http://www.astronor.com

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Hi Andrew!

This is interesting, but without wishing to play 'Devil's advocate' I'd appreciate a few clarifications of what you are asking the various ministries to do so as to better understand it myself.

On what basis of precedent do you believe that 'As I understand the issue, astrology as a scholarly subject and cultural inheritance will be under the protection of the administration of the Ministry of Culture until the Ministry of Education and Research has accepted the responsibility'?

Surely not just because the Ministry of Education and Research failed to acknowledge your letter? When you are seeking recognition of astrology as a scholarly subject, my own first inclination would be to think it fairly and squarely belongs with the Ministry of Education, not the Ministry of Culture, in a country that has both, since education covers university learning and scholarship whereas culture refers in my understanding first and foremost to the habitual adoption of certain traditions and other practices by the common people in their ordinary non-scholarly lives.

Since there are two separate departments and you wish to have astrology's place in present-day culture recognised in addition to its role as a scholarly subject, personally I think you'll be more likely to make progress if you distinguish clearly between the twin aims of recognition you are seeking and address each department solely in relation to the one that its remit should cover. Otherwise it will be easy for them to pass you on to the other every time. It seems to me that so far the Culture and Church Affairs Ministry has merely been the more polite and considerate in responding, but that does not indicate that the Education Ministry should not be responsible.

Also, when you request having your issue moved forward to the next stage, I suspect that unless you have presented detailed proposals describing exactly what you believe should and can be done towards the ends of enhanced recognition that you are seeking, the departments themselves are more likely than not to be a bit nonplussed and unclear as to what to do. Since the civil servants and ministers within are themselves most unlikely to have any clear and well-defined sense of the importance of astrology as a scholarly subject or in popular culture, the onus falls on you to build policy proposals well-supported by strongly cited evidence using your own expertise to carry your points through with authority and conviction. Perhaps you have done this already and the quotations you gave represent only a brief extract of your total communications. I am just concerned that otherwise you may come across to them as making vague demands for recognition that they in their ignorance of the field have little idea of how best to resolve.

So if I were you I would want to draft separate sets of policy proposals: a first set that would serve to further the recognition of astrology as a valid subject of scholarly (whether historical, scientific, sociological and cultural, or all of these) study, which you would put these to the Education Department; and then a second set aimed at furthering the official and popular recognition of astrology's place in culture and religious and spiritual life (irrespective of academia), which you would put to the Culture and Church Affairs ministry.

My concerns above notwithstanding, I'm all in favour of what you're trying to achieve, and wish you every success!

Philip

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Thank you for your response, Philip! A collection of thoughts surface in my mind and I try to put these together and offer them in repsonse:

Science ridicules astrology - and certainly over here astrology is offered no or little credit what so ever from academic quarters. A research institution funded by official resources thought they made a good case in attacking astrology through a causerie including dragons, hobits and problems that related to the actual location of Midgaard. But the flaw of their attack was twofold because on the one hand astrology was not treated in a scientific manner and on the other hand works like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and DaVinci Code happen to represent some of the most highly embraced productions of our modern time.

In the Norwegian version of Wikipedia there was an article presenting an astrologers achievements through a life-long practice. An academic clan found this too much to digest and rewrote the entry to read 'the astrologers failures' instead. On these terms this the entry in the Norwegian Wikipedia was not deleted. As if a scientist is to be remembered for all those times his experiments went wrong and lead to nothing, or whether we should remember our cherished popartists for all the rubbish they have produced instead the narrow collection of unforgettable hits.

To move on, Telenor, Norways leading provider of telephone services introduced their astrology payphone services by sending a dozen of girl on a one week intensive course before appointing them as 'professional astrologers' and got away it by defining astrology as entertainment. In 1995 I met and confronted Telenor in a minor civil court regarding their definitions and practice and received coverage in one of Norways national newspapers.

Now if astrology were merely entertainment and an unpretentious art or compound of folklore and creative imagination, then it is under the protection of the Ministry of Culture and can receive stature in society on those grounds alongside entertainers, musicians and other artists. You might be elligible for a grant. With some luck you might be able to practice, perform or teach your art and trade with a certain grade of dignity. If the Ministry of Culture says astrology lies beyond their field and is a matter for the Ministry of Education, then the Ministry of Education should be looking into how the topic of astrology has been integrated into their enterprizes of education and research.

My dialogue with the officials has been ongoing since the 80's. In 1987 I achieved getting astrology admitted to the Yellow pages - only after a series of denials and strong objections from the authorities involved. In the 80's I held a dialogue with the Minstry of Cultural affairs regarding the consequences of the New Age Wave that was flowing across the nation, put in combination with strong commercial interests that saw their pick to make an easy profit on the inner seekings of an ignorant and vulnerable public. I met with officials of the Ministry of Culture on two occasions.
Although the occurance may be unrelated, in 1998 the Norwegain Government did appoint a Value Commision to attend to questions of this and of a similar kind. The commision was not much of a success but I choose to believe that my pushing contributed to officials recognizing that such issues were of importance and that they needed to take a look at what was going on in society and which values were conveyed.

Now it is my opinion that much is out of balance when it comes to the societies regard of astrology and this has smitten on to an official level where is still is regarded undecent and unpropper to consult with astrologers, as they represents of the 'dark side' and a gypsy-like approach to reality. No offence meant. It is in no way easy to lease up everything that has gone on in Norway the last 25 years in a single letter, but it is my experience that the general public has been conned for sure, law has been managed according to dognatic convitions - and astrology or serious-minded astrologers have been made the fools and victims. My experience with letters to official offices is 'keep it simple', find an approach that is easy to accept and something easy to understand. From small beginnings doors may open and it is possible to take things to a higher level on the second time round.

It is easy to accept that astrology has played an important part in the development of modern sciences and although methodology has made great advances since then it is not right to give the contribution of astrology the boot for that reason. You only have to take a look around and see what sort of work we live in; Is the law and lawyers a guarantee for that justice is practiced; Do politicians keep their promises; Does science guarantee progress; Do we agree and believe that the press is doing a good job; Why do meteorlogist get the weather wrong; Can seismologists predict earthquakes; Does statestics reflect the truth; Why don't meteor swarms always appear when astronomers have predicted them; Does medicine guarantee that the pasient gets well without side effects? And when you get down to it, the science of medicine is reduced to the art of medicine when the practice comes down to the docors diagnosis and treatment of individual differences. This is the world we live in - and in a few weeks time our culture will start to go bananas in the name of the celebration of a child that is supposed to be laid in a crib after birth some 2000 years ago - and according to tradition the first people who got there were astrologers! We know all this, but some people don't want to know and the waking-up process has to be taken gradually.

In the secondary school I find there is a great demand for the knowledge and resouces of an astrologer. Astrology is quite a popular self-chosen topic of research amoung students at this level but as far as the litterature and resources available in Norway is concerned - the influence of astrology and astrologers is close to absent - in the history of science, in religion, in the Antiquity and so on. But you won't teach in a Norwegian school on basis of your merit and qualitifications within astrology. If you are a teacher of trade - your students can do project work on astrology - a subject that you may know nothing about and according to your training you are almost obliged make objections against.

OK - so you are an astrologer and you want to get a job in Norway on those grounds? Forget it! Any admittment into the dwelving with astrology is yet considered as a public embarressment and I may not reveal the names of any of my business clients. Although it is obvious that on an international level, astrology has become integrated into technical analysis which studies the cyclical movements on financial stock markets.

As astrologers we are looking for a pedestal for our astrological traditions. (The remnants of the presence and influence of astrological traditions are everywhere in society - but people still manage to repress the fact!) How to work astrology back into the midstream of our culture and society? Well, this has to be done step by step and there has to be a dialogue with the deciding authorities. The easiest way forward is by collecting simple admittances and gradually putting it all together. But Money talks! It is a fact that our Western society is looking towards the global growth in the East and the business opportunities that we hope this will be providing in the future. It is an equal fact that the asians could give a detailed recollection of our Western music, culture and the political systems - but how many of us could give an update on the Indian elections or provide the name of one of the most famous people in the world, a Chinese basketball player?

The Dalai Lama has on several occassions been accepted as an honoured guest in Norway and we know that his highness has his personal astrologer. But we don't believe in those things here - we think it is silly and make fun of it!! There is a contradiction! Now it is a great leap to make society realize that many of its problems, also regarding astrology, arize from the strong underlying commercial forces that we have chosen to embrace and give value in our current cultural system. But it is easy to point out that if we intend to do business with the East in the future it would be beneficial if we could show appreciation of cultural differences - and in that case some knowlegde and respect for the traditions of astrology is a part of that picture.
Last edited by Andrew Bevan on Thu Sep 13, 2007 7:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
http://www.astronor.com

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I would suggest that it is specific scientists, not science that ridicules Astrology. For all science pretty much is founded from Astrology,

And how like the adolescent to denounce his parents when attempting to establish himself as an important seperate entity. Yes? not very mature, but very predictable,

Granny

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I am informed that my letter to the Ministry of Education is in the system and has been registered. Bureaucratic prosesses take time and a reminder has been sent. I am informed that the ombudsman may be contacted if a letter of response continues to be delayed. The most recent letter addressed to the Ministry of Education was sent on Sep 11. with reference to previous correspondance with the Ministry and with the Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs. This is how the system works.

The Norwegians have proclaimed the year 2008 as a national year of Culture. It is appropriate that authorities evaluate the scholarly and cultural part of astrology in the run up to the arrangements of the coming year.
http://www.astronor.com

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On April 11. sent the Norwegian Ministry of Education an email providing them with information regarding the Postgraduate Conference to be held in Bath July 12.-13. and pointed to the astrological studies that now may be contended at the University of Wales. My accompanying arguement being that Norway was hanging sadly behind in this field.

I received a reply from the Ministry today, which is interesting because it basically states that any Norwegian university or highschool may research or teach in any topic of its choice, also astrology. The Ministry of Education sent a copy of their letter to the Ministry of Culture and Church.
http://www.astronor.com