Harmonics and Hindu Astrology
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"Harmonics" has its origins in Hindu astrology.  So a brief overview of the
societies of the East is offered as a general background to the criticism of
Harmonics later.

Large subsets of people in the West are enthralled with ideas, movements,
philosophies...  that originate in the East.  They suspect that some persons
in these ancient societies have figured out unique formulae, such as hanging
upside down for hours, which enable them to see through life's mysteries.
Exotic references like Reverend Moon, Hare Krishna, yoga, I Ching... promote
this image in the West.

I traveled to the East on several occasions.  While I was employed in Riyadh,
many of my co-workers were natives from India, Pakistan, China, Korea, and
other countries.  In those years (1975-1980), entertainment outlets were
almost non-existent in Saudi Arabia.  Frequently we passed the time by
indulging in extended conversations about every conceivable topic, including
cultural differences in view points and outlook on life.

What is seen in the West as "the mystique of the East" is a symptom of a
common problem: lack of (or insufficient) knowledge about these societies.
The confusion is easily resolved by the following fact: the peoples of the
East are also human beings.  The implication of this fact is that except for
differences in views about and outlook on life, people in the East are as
wise and as confused about life as people elsewhere.  Moreover, the real
difference in "outlook" is only one: the industrialized and more dynamic West
emphasizes the view "man makes his destiny," while the traditional and less
dynamic East attributes a greater role to karma.  This does not say that
people in the East understand karma better than people in the West.

Many of the "life-styles" promoted in the East are useless in the West,
unless a Westerner is willing and able to disregard almost entirely his or
her culture, environment, and upbringing.  Some of the institutionalized
customs are unimaginable in the West.  (Or try to imagine prayer sessions
five times every day, during which shops and offices close and all normal
activity freezes.  Imagine "unwilling" young people playing a serious game of
hide-and-seek with religious enforcers...)  It is also interesting to point
out that some of the "wisdom" imported, for example, from India is "weird"
even by Hindu standards.  The idea is transformed into a profound wisdom and
movement only after it arrives in the West.  (The Hindus are probably
appreciative of the export, especially if the promoter accompanies his
product.)  Some of the largest cults in India are nurtured entirely by people
from the West - e.g., the one in Poona, about 50 miles from Bombay.

The more substantive beliefs of the East are only "prescribed goals," just
like the Christian, Muslim, Jewish "way of life" pursued elsewhere.  The
average person is encouraged to strive for these goals, but he or she is not
expected to achieve them in real life.  (How many Ghandis, Martin Luther
Kings, Mother Theresas are there?)  Albeit, when it comes to life's
mysteries, there are as many "theories of confusion" as there are theories of
understanding, in the East or West.

Harmonics, as a theory of astrology, is described (by several software that
promote it) as "an ancient Hindu teaching", which supposedly "magnifies the
potential of the natal chart in marriage situations."  Charts are "arc-
transformed" through a technique called "Navamsha Chart."  It is suggested
that this transformation will bring pairs of planets into magnification, "as
if (note this!) they are in a conjunction."  This transformation is
encouraged for all possible combinations of planets...

In other words, as if two natal charts do not generate enough "real"
patterns, planets in both charts are "juggled around" (sorry, "arc-
transformed"), until all of the "as if" (i.e., non-existing) patterns are
also taken into account.  This exercise is supposed to improve (sorry,
"magnify") the potentials of a marriage.

The beholder of this exercise has not considered the fact that by arc-
transforming the planets of John and Jane, he has changed their natal charts.
He is left with two unidentified and arbitrary charts.  His next move is to
magnify the chances of this unidentified couple...  One feels sorry for John
and Jane.

Harmonics is actually a component of a larger problem emerging in astrology.
This problem is discussed next.


Computers and Astrology Scams

Since there is almost no real progress in astrology, people who are in
astrology for profit must devise new techniques which promise deeper insight
and fuel false hopes.  Computers serve this objective very well.  The
instructions which "make the technique work" are buried in the software, in
codes which only the programmer who programmed them can decipher.  The user
of the software only sees the output.  The question, "how did the software
manipulate the input data to produce this output?", can be answered only by
the programmer.  The computations are generally too complicated to duplicate
by hand.  So all users are forced to accept the technique by faith.  Indeed,
most of the computations are so cumbersome that it would be impossible to
introduce these indefensible tools to astrology without computers.

Since the mid-1980s, as computers became more and more popular, the number of
indefensible techiques multiplied.  In addition to the profit motive of
suppliers of books and software, there is also a popular demand for
astrologic tools which improve one's chances in life.  For example, many a
person who relies on astrology, including novice astrologers, feel they have
ominous patterns on their charts.  They spend hours after hours examining
these patterns to find something redeeming about them.  They feel their chart
dooms them for life.  Reliance on self-will and personal effort are not
viable options to them.

These people are a ready and willing target for scams.  The objective is
easily defined: a technique that modifies the natal chart.  This is
essentialy the idea behind "Local Space" discussed earlier.  It approaches
its real objective by "skewed" promises, something like: "if you feel that
opportunities are passing you by, you may be handicapped by your location.
Let us suggest a better location for you...  You will see how your life
changes overnight..."

The promise is skewed, because it does not openly state "I will achive this
result by changing your natal chart."  This would be too obvious.  Voices may
be raised against this open prostitution of astrology.  But in effect this is
exactly what happens.  Furthermore, while the term "location" is used
inconspiquously in a general way, the way Local Space works, it can draft a
new natal chart for a person in different rooms of the same house.  It even
proposes astrologically favorable views and directions for doors, windows,
shops, school...  The idea behind Harmonics is similar: improve the
potentials of a relationship by changing - adding non-existing patterns to -
the combined chart of the couple.