Sports Astrology

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I recently received, but have not completed John Frawley's newest book Sports Astrology. For those who are interested in working with techniques designed to pick the winners, this is a good place to start.

He writes the book humorously as always. His role is as Master Astrologer (no more apprentice) living on a mountain with his raven and cow or yak or something, fasting and meditating when a youth seeking enlightenment climbs the mountain to learn the secrets of accurate sports prognostication. Lots of fun, more than a few belly laughs, good information with many example charts. Treat yourself.

Details at www.johnfrawley.com

Tom

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Agreed, Tom, a very enjoyable book.

It is divided into four major sections: horary ("who will win?"), event charts (favourite vs underdog), horse racing (Addey's system) and the question of profit (also horary). John does a very good job of explaining the various methods, which are always presented as part of the story, full of the usual humour.

The only section I was somewhat disappointed with was the one covering horse racing. There is a very sketchy overview of other people's methods, and then John Addey's system of moving the 5th cusp to the next planet is presented as the 'most reliable' of them all. Personally I think it's flaky, first of all due to the difficulty of finding names analogous to the planets, secondly because there is no limit to the number of harmonics that can be employed (i.e. we're not just talking about traditional aspects), and thirdly because of the huge number of bodies that can play a role in this system. It's a good system for explaining why a certain horse won but not for picking it ahead of time.

To me the section about event charts is the most valuable. I was familiar with John's method from his Apprentice articles, but here every aspect of it is collected and explained in one place. The examples further clarify the rules he employs.

He includes test charts you can analyze yourself (answers at the back), sporting history interludes, and a guide to calculating antiscia and Arabian parts.

Overall an excellent book, worth every pound.
Peter

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Hi Peter,
To me the section about event charts is the most valuable
I agree. Have you tried out John's method at all? It's certainly very different from the real time method you were using last year.

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pipedreamer wrote:Your observation about the horseracing section leads to ask whether you have found anything that works for you in this regard?
I've done a bit of research, yes, and Addey's system wouldn't be one of my top choices. I'm slowly unraveling what works and what doesn't, but this is not my main occupation, and so it may take another couple of decades before I have something definite. :)
Peter

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Hi Ficina,

I have recently looked at the World Series (that ball-and-bat game in Gridiron) using John's method. The first three games were a breeze (favourites won as indicated), but the last one was supposed to be taken by the underdog and it wasn't. I am re-visiting this chart in detail to see why. Here is the data if you want to take a look:

Boston at Colorado
28 Oct 2007
6:30 pm MDT +6
Denver CO, USA
39N44, 104W59
Asc 16Tau27
Moon 15Gem12

The issue at hand is why the testimonies as per the event chart method pointed to the underdog. What I'm doing is listing all the factors that are not specifically ruled out in the book to see if that helps. I am also referring to the Apprentice articles since the rules in there are somewhat different.

I think the real-time method we were examining last year has a lot of potential. It is very time-consuming to operate, however, and right now I couldn't do justice to it. Good of you to remember that! :)

Cheers,
Peter

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Ah yes, the game that's like English rounders :D On first looking at the chart I saw Moon square Venus (L1), where's the problem? John's penchant for antiscia of course, as I then spotted Moon conj antiscion Mars (L7), not to mention Pluto conj PoF. With hindsight it's easy to say that these are minor testimonies compared to the Moon/Venus, but I'm not sure what I'd have thought beforehand.

I've said elsewhere that I've found antiscia to be red herrings. I know John has found them to work but....

Another point we've discussed on the footie threads is that favourites are expected to win, especially if they're odds-on, and they usually do win, however much we're rooting for the underdogs . So you almost have to approach a chart presuming the favourites will win, and then find some strong testimonies for the underdog to overthrow them. Next problem, what is a strong testimony? Weighing up the different testimonies is really difficult.

On the role of the Moon in Frawley's method

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I have been studying Frawleys methods carefully since receiving his book a week or two ago, particularly the chapter on event charts (i.e., the chart for the game), which I think is the most useful part of the book.

I went throough the chapter line by line and extracted all the various rules he gives and made up several pages of instructions. It's really the only way to go, IMO, because there are so many things to look at. Or maybe my memory isn't what it used to be!

Would it be possible for someone to clarify his use of the Moon for me? I refer specifically to his instructions on page 85. I assume those reading this have his book, so I won't repeat what he says there. Several days ago I sent him an email asking for clarification. That email and his response are given below.

John:

I have your Sports Astrology book and am studying your 2nd chapter, on game charts.
I don't quite understand how you apply your orbs for the Moon, especially regarding American football. On page 100 you seem to be aware that the games can be rather long, but then you refer to 4 fifteen minute periods as indicating a short species of football. I believe our game is longer than one of your games .
There are 4 such periods, but that is only when the game clock is running. In the real world the total game runs about 3 hours, more if there is overtime. Baseball is about the same, basketball perhaps 2.5 hours.
Also, I don't understand the 12 degree orb for all-day cricket. Surely that would be about 6-7 degrees for the Moon?

Any clarification would be appreciated.

Bob

Hi Craig,

The point is the theory of the thing: soccer by its laws takes 90 minutes; US football 60 minutes - even though those 60 minutes are spread out over a greater length of time. We're not talking about the Moon's real movement through that time: 13 degrees is what works for one-day cricket

Best regards,

John

I would like to be able to report that all is now clear to me, but I'm afraid I'm as confused as before. I can't decide if he is using the Moon in real time, or a symbolic one degree per hour, or what. It's a fairly important point, as the Moon plays a crucial role in his system, and it is critical to know how far to let it move.

Any insights would be appreciated.

Bob