Do you
believe that the outcome of a sporting match is already
determined before it starts? Your response to this question
could affect the way you would go about using astrology to
predict sports. If the result isn’t predetermined, what’s
the point of trying to predict? And if it is, what’s the point
of playing the matches? The solution to the age-old quandary
between predestination and free will probably lies somewhere
between the two extremes. That middle path might also be the
most helpful in predicting sports.
Predestination
in Sports?
There
are plenty of matches where there seems to be little doubt as to
the outcome. Matches are so skillfully handicapped by the
oddsmakers, with standings and statistics so widely available,
that there is usually a clear favorite and an underdog in any
contest. Things tend to go as expected and the favorite usually
wins, especially if they are playing at home. However, sometimes
the unthinkable happens and an upset occurs. So is the favorite
fated to win? Or can an upset be predestined?
After
years of prediction and observation, I would have to say that
while astrology has a powerful influence on the outcome, it is
always possible for an individual’s efforts to make a
difference. I have seen people win games that, by all rights,
they should have lost. Sometimes one person just wants it more.
I would prefer to believe in the power of individual free will,
even without the benefit of evidence, but in all honesty, I
would have a much easier time making the case for
predestination!
Real-Time
Astrology
As I
mentioned in Part
One, I don’t use horary charts at all and I
rarely use team charts, at least not when predicting games. I
derived my own methods based upon my observations. For years, I
watched all kinds of sporting matches while using astrology to
track every development. In doing so, I developed some fairly
accurate models for describing how planetary probabilities
unfold. I call these techniques “real-time astrology”
because they actually track the development of the game, and the
athletes playing it, in real-time, as the match progresses. This
is a big step from using a single symbolic chart to predict. For
one thing, in real-time, I’m much more concerned about the
chart for the end of the game than for the beginning. I already
know the score at the beginning of the game!
The game
chart can change a lot from the opening play to the final score.
Matches can go on for minutes, hours or days, depending upon the
sport. In the course of a match, different signs will rise and
set on the Ascendant/Descendant (Eastern and Western horizon of
a chart, respectively) and culminate on the Midheaven (highest
point of a chart),
changing the mood and atmosphere as they pass. Meanwhile, the
various planetary bodies will circulate through the sky, all
exerting their distinct influences.
In natal
astrology, if a birth planet is found near one of the chart
angles (the Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven and Imum Coeli, or
IC), it is considered to have greater influence because of
its angular position. The same is true in real-time. Transiting
planets seem to express their potential more fully as they
approach the current angles. For instance, let’s suppose that
transiting Jupiter is culminating, i.e., getting closer to the
Midheaven, the highest point in the sky. Jupiter’s influence
grows as it becomes more angular, generating an increased sense
of optimism or largesse appropriate to the business at hand.
If
there is a match going on, an angular Jupiter is often a
positive influence, instilling a jovial mood in the immediate
area, all other things being equal. However, if you have the
birth data for the players involved, you will usually find that
those who have the best aspects from their natal charts to that
angular transiting Jupiter tend to fare best under its
influence.
What
About Natal Data?
I do use
a lot of natal birth data, both for coaches and athletes, and I
use it within the framework of the real-time game charts. Not
only do the transiting planets circulate through the sky during
a match, but the natal planets of key personnel do the same. A
player or coach can be very angular too, as their natal planets
approach the current, real-time angles during a game. This is
generally a time of increased personal influence, depending, of
course, on the aspects and the relative condition of the
competition.
I use
all of the above and more in prediction, weighing the relative
astrological merits of coaches and key players by comparing
their real-time positions and transiting aspects. I also use
heliocentric astrology and secondary progressions. It can get
complicated, and there are days when I wish I had learned a
one-chart horary method instead! But you would be hard-pressed
to find a better model for how astrology really works, in sports
as in all things, than the real-time framework. I’m not
convinced that the symbolic shortcuts really give better
results, but much depends upon the astrologer using them.
In
sports, results are everything, and if you expect to make any
money with it, you will need to be right. Find a system that
works for you and then improve it continuously. And in answering
my own question, I do believe that it is possible to predict
sports with astrology. In fact, I use my free will to do it
often!