Cartography Maps and World Events
=================================

"Cartography maps," as a technique of astrologic prediction, emerged on the
scene in mid-1980s, after computers became a popular item in many households.
Many of the computers came with color monitors which could display on screen
output from software.  The ability of these monitors to display detailed
pictures, in addition to text and numbers, became a point of attraction.
People felt they were getting their "money's worth" if their equipment
enabled them to see wonderful diagrams and maps.  Some astrologers saw in
this general "awe" for computers an opportunity for making money.  They
designed more and more elaborate graphical output.  As expected, the quality
of the output on screen created an illusion of "if a package can produce such
a wonderful output, it must be credible," regardless of the fact that an
output is designed by a programmer and has nothing to do with astrology, nor
credibility.

Cartography maps are world maps with "funny" curved lines on them. The lines
represent the positions of transiting planets, as they are seen from
different parts of the world at a particular time.  The lines usually run in
a general "top to bottom" direction.  For example, the Mars-line may pass
through central USSR, down over Iraq and Madagascar, and end somewhere in
Antarctica.  The developers of these maps promote the idea that events at a
particular spot on earth happen because the planets are aligned in a special
way over that region.  It is a view that holds the planets alone responsible
for wars and calamities.

The most "famous" of these world maps appeared on the eve of the "Desert
Storm."  Almost all astrology magazines had a "map of the Desert Storm"
showing the Mars line passing over Iraq.  This map became such a profound
planetary image of the war that, on the occasion of the astrologic conference
in Washington, DC in July 1992, NCGR and AFA officially recognized the
developer of this technique, Jim Lewis, as one of the greatest astrologers of
our time.  Let us see now why cartography maps are an astrologic hoax.

A brief review of cartography maps by this author appeared on Page 5 of the
October 1991 issue of the American Astrology.   A more detailed article was
sent to the Washington, DC area chapter of the NCGR.  The following is a
synthesis of the review and article.


Review: Cartography Maps and World Events

"Cartography maps", as a technique for predicting world events, is actually
the "world" version of "Local Space" which I had reviewed on another
occasion.  Conceptually they are the same: "blame it on the planets."

Let me suggest instead an alternative view that is also more sensible and
more in line with astrology.  Historical events - not natural events - do
occur around the world because decision makers and leaders are affected by
transiting cycles, as everyone else.  The only (big) difference is in that an
entire country (and its people) are affected by the decisions of a few
leaders.  If a country is ruled by one absolute leader (rather than by a body
of independent decision makers, such as the US Congress), obviously there is
a much greater risk for a "planetary bias" to become a part of an historical
event.  This is exactly the case in Iraq.  Mr. Hussein is the sole decision
maker and it was he alone - not Mars, not the planets - who ordered the
invasion.  Mars - and transiting patterns - affected Mr. Huseyin's judgement.
He misjudged the consequences of his action.

This view is in stark contrast to the view promoted by cartography. The "Iraq
war" map postulates that since the Mars line was over Iraq at the time when
the war started, it was Mars -  alone or in conjunction with other planets -
that brought about the war.  This suggestion is absurd for the following
additional reasons:

o Planet earth is in the habit of rotating around its axis.  Thus, the Mars
  line - or any other line - does not remain static over any one region or
  country.  It traverses continuously over the next region, and the next...
  If Mars is the guilty party, this would mean wars in every part of the
  world within a 24-hour period.

o But even if it is assumed that Mars line was static over Iraq for a crucial
  moment, "Mars line" by definition is not a point directed on Iraq alone, it
  is a line that also passes over many other regions and countries.
  Therefore, it should have also caused a sea war in the Indian ocean, a
  revolution in Madagascar... at the time of the Iraq war.

o It was not Mars that ordered the US forces to attack on January 15-16,
  1991.  It was President Bush.

o One of the most important axioms of traditional astrology states that
  "planets do not compel, they impel".  Cartography's view of astrology not
  only contradicts this axiom, indeed it reduces people to mere puppets who
  fight wars not for their own interests (or as a result of their mistakes),
  but to entertain God(s). So we are asked to believe that 25 nations became
  involved in a war not to drive Mr. Hussein out of Kuwait, but to entertain
  the planet of war: Mars.  This is not astrology, it is Greek mythology.
  Mythology is interesting, but it is not a branch of astrology.

o And there is still one other dimension by which Cartography fails: the
  "zones" which are essential in CartoGraphy.


Cartography & Zones

Advertisements by Astro*Carto*Graphy, which appear regularly on the rear
cover of American Astrology, makes the following claim: "...so far 810 people
have happily reported meeting love mates in their Venus zones."  This claim
is meaningless.

1) What percent is 810 of all people who reported one way or another?

2) How many people with unfavorable Venus zones also reported meeting love
   mates?

3) How many people with favorable Venus zones did not meet love mates?

4) How did authors conclude that it was the Venus zones and not a favorable
   transit that brought about this happy turn of events?

The point is that unless the claim also provides answers to questions 1
through 4, the "810," by itself is an utterly meaningless statement.  There
are additional considerations.

a) On any college campus there are many "emerging-ending-reemerging"
   relationships, regardless of the location of individual Venus zones.  In
   contrast, if "mating" is attributed to Venus zones, it would appear that
   no one has a Venus zone in Saudi Arabia.  The only sensible conclusion one
   can draw is: it is the environment and circumstances which bring people
   together.

b) If a person is bestowed with the looks of a Warren Beatty or Kim Basinger,
   or has the personality of a Madonna, and is living in an environment
   (e.g., Hollywood) that facilitates mating, then the probability of meeting
   a love mate should be very high.  Compare this to the prospects -
   regardless of the Venus zone - of a person      who suffers from severe
   acne and is living in an Amish village. Conclusion: genetic "luck" and
   environment bring people together.

The issues raised in points (a) and (b), combined with questions 1 to 4, show
clearly that real-life romance has really nothing to do with "invented"
zones.


American Astrology, 1991 Digest (pages 6-13)

Last but not least, read the predictions for 1991 by Jim Lewis, the
originator of cartography, in the 1991 Digest.  There is not a word about
Iraq-Kuwait-USA.  Indeed, there is nothing about anything that really
happened in 1991 - after he made his predictions.  The topics he does include
in his 7-page article are superficial extrapolations of world events borrowed
from news headlines.  So where is the profound potential of cartography maps
as predictive tools?


Conclusions

The arguments presented in this review lead to the conclusion reached at the
start: local space and cartography maps are a hoax. So why was Jim Lewis
praised as the outstanding astrologer of our times, by two of the largest
bodies in astrology, AFA and NCGR? (End of review.)

You should now proceed to the next article (7) next, and see how the Iraq War
can be analyzed legitimately by traditional astrology.