This is a study about 460 criminal
perpetrators1, the dignities of their house rulers and about planets in angular and cadent houses. One goal was to compare the sidereal Lahiri zodiac with the tropical zodiac. What I’ve measured here is effect
sizes2 in percents which means the proportional difference between the observed statistical result and the expected result calculated from a corresponding but a ten times bigger control group consisting of random data. The effect size is calculated by deducting the expected result from the observed result and dividing the sum by the difference between the size of the whole test group and the expected result. The formula is (observed result – expected result) / (sample size – expected result).
The effect sizes got in this study are typically very small, around 2 – 4 %, which is about the same level that the Gauquelins got with their studies. The Gauquelins had clearly bigger samples (several thousands) than what I’ve used here (several hundreds). These effect sizes would not be meaningful alone, but if there appear some consistent or symmetrical results which maybe complement each other, then that might point to something meaningful.
First I studied the rulers of sidereal Alcabitius cusps and their dignities. The result is
here:
The exact numbers pertaining to
this diagram (tables #1-2)
The numbers on the left are effect sizes in percents. The biggest peak is with the 8th house cusp with the effect size of 4.786 %. In practice that means that 84 perpetrators out of 460 had their sidereal 8th house rulers in their own signs, when the random data group gave 65.1. That alone doesn’t mean much, but what’s remarkable is how the result is mirrored by the amount of the 8th house rulers in detriment. When more than average perpetrators had their 8th house rulers in their own sings, less than average had them in their detriments. The effect size is -5.0715 %, which in practice means only 56 8th house rulers in detriment, when the expected value would have been 75.53.
But what’s even more interesting is how the result is mirrored by the opposite house, the 2nd. With the 2nd house rulers we have a similar mirror effect, but now it’s the other way around: perpetrators have their 2nd house rulers in the detriments more than averagely and in their own signs less than averagely. The effect sizes are 1.88 % and
-3.4217 % respectively, which means 79 versus 71.1 and 58 versus 71.3 respectively.
Astrologically this result is quite revealing because we are dealing with a group of murderers, rapists, torturers and sadists. The 8th house is the house of death, and it would seem that a strong 8th house ruler indicates a strong role of death in one’s life. Is the opposite house,
the 2nd, then the house of life? Both of these houses were considered the gates of Hades by ancient Greeks – the 8th house being the gate to death (planets falling onto the Descendant) and the 2nd house the gate back to life (planets rising onto the Ascendant). It’s perfectly logical that the gate to death is emphasized in murderer’s charts and the gate back to life is equally weaker.
Could we get even more revealing results with the whole sign houses that are in general use in Indian astrology? Here’s the
diagram:
The exact numbers pertaining to
this diagram (tables
#3-4)
The 8th house mirroring effect replays, but the effect size is not quite as big as with the Alcabitius cusps. The 2nd house mirroring disappears when the ruler of the 2nd house cusp is almost as often in its own sign than what could have been randomly expected. This diagram is not as symmetrical as the previous one.
But these results were sidereal – what happens on the tropical zodiac? Here’s the
diagram:
The exact numbers pertaining to
this diagram (tables
#5-6)
Some kind of mirroring effect concerning the 2nd and 8th houses can be recognized, but it’s not nearly as clear as with the sidereal Alcabitius cusps. The peaks are rounded and the effect sizes are smaller. The figure looks a bit confused when compared to the first diagram.
I tried once more with the tropical whole sign houses (equal house cusps):
The exact numbers pertaining to
this diagram (tables
#7-8)
Now the picture is completely confused. There are peaks but they don’t mirror each other. There might be some logic with the Ascendant and the 10th house rulers in their detriment more often than averagely, but there’s nothing special concerning the 2nd or 8th house, at least not in the same way than with the first diagram.
Next I made a little study about the domicile and detriment positions of the planets. Here’s the sidereal
diagram:
The exact numbers pertaining to
this diagram (tables
#9-10)
Again we have the mirroring effect. The effect sizes are so small that they would not have independent statistical significance with a group of this
size3, but what is interesting that both Mars and Venus are in their own signs more
often than could be expected, and analogously those same planets are in their detriment less frequently than what could be expected.
Here’s the tropical diagram:
The exact numbers pertaining to
this diagram (tables
#11-12)
The mirror effect has disappeared. Jupiter and the Sun are in their own signs slightly more often than averagely but
that is replicated by their detriment positions. So we are confused: is it a good or bad thing to have the Sun or Jupiter in their own domiciles? What about their detriments? Tropically it seems to be cursed in both ways. Only Mercury has some mirroring with its domicile and detriment
positions.
Finally I studied the angular and cadent positions of the planets. Here is the result the Alcabitius houses gave. Note that the effect size scale on the left is different when compared to the previous diagrams:
The exact numbers pertaining to
this diagram (tables
#13-14)
We can see that there’s a clear peak with angular Mars correlated with a dent with cadent Mars – the result is in perfect alignment with astrological tradition where angular planets show strength and cadency shows weakness and where Mars is the planet of aggression and violence. The effect size with angular Mars is 4.5634 % correlating with 165 Mars out of 460 in angular houses compared to the expected value of 152.7, and the effect size of cadent Mars is -10.7084 % correlating with 124 Mars in cadent houses compared to the expected value of 156.5. Also angular Sun has some correlation with perpetrators’ charts, so both of the two fiery, choleric planets are involved.
I took 85 sex criminals and rapists out of this group and made a separate study about their angular and cadent planets.
I'm sorry to have chosen such a morbid subject for study, but the reason
is that this study gave very clear results. Now the Mars peak is strongly visible:
The exact numbers pertaining to
this diagram (tables
#15-16)
The effects sizes on the left column are of a completely different scale than in previous diagrams, but that is partly because we are dealing with a smaller sample when it
is easier to get bigger effects. That does not prevent the Mars peak still being significant with the effect size of 25.9529 % correlating with 43 angular Mars out of 85 compared to the expected value of 28.3. Another peak comes from Mercury telling maybe about the cold and calculating nature of the sex offenders. Angular benefics Jupiter and Venus appear more seldom in these charts when compared to average results, cadent (weak) benefics appear correspondingly more often. The figure is symmetrical in general: a peak with an angular planet is corresponded by a dent with a cadent planet and vice versa.
What kind of results do other house systems give? First I tried Placidus houses. What we are seeking is a strong effect and symmetry of the
results:
The exact numbers pertaining to
this diagram (tables
#17-18)
The figure is almost perfectly symmetrical. The impressive effect sizes are still there, and the figure as a whole is even more harmonious than the previous one. This diagram tells clearly about the different roles of the planets in offenders’ charts.
Then I tried Koch:
The exact numbers pertaining to
this diagram (tables
#19-20)
This figure is not as symmetrical or harmonious as the two previous ones. The angular Mars peak is bigger than ever but it’s not evenly mirrored by the cadent Mars dent. The Mercury peak visible in the previous figures has almost disappeared.
The next house system is Regiomontanus, a popular house system from the 16th century favored by William Lilly among others:
The exact numbers pertaining to
this diagram (tables
#21-22)
The effect sizes are smaller and there’s not as fine a balance as with
Alcabitius or especially with Placidus.
Then I tried a few equal house systems. The first is Equal houses favored especially by the Faculty of Astrological Studies school in London:
The exact numbers pertaining to
this diagram (tables
#23-24)
The Mars peak is still there, but otherwise the harmony is beginning to break. Note how with the equal houses the angular Moon figure almost as often as angular Mars! So far we have had clearly less angular Moons than cadent Moons, which would be more in line with astrological tradition about the Moon signifying nurture and empathy. One might think that there would not be much empathy in rapists’ horoscopes, and quadrant house systems would seem to confirm that
better than equal houses.
The second equal house system I tried was Meridian houses, where the equal houses are counted from the
MC:
The exact numbers pertaining to
this diagram (tables
#25-26)
There is nice symmetry that is placed equally around the zero axis. But effect sizes are not as big as with the quadrant systems. Angular Venus features more often than cadent Venus, that is the kind of result we would not like to
see here.
The third equal house system was sidereal whole signs, the system that is almost unanimously in use in Indian astrology:
The exact numbers pertaining to
this diagram (tables
#27-28)
This figure is weaker than any of the previous ones, both with effect sizes and with symmetry. Note that the Moon is the planet that features most often in angular houses, even more than Mars! This figure does not make an impression after what we have seen so far.
Finally I gave a chance to the tropical whole sign houses:
The exact numbers pertaining to
this diagram (tables
#29-30)
Here only remnants of the figure we have seen is left. The Moon is again the planet that is most often located in the angular houses. Probably with whole sign houses all the Moons that would be cadent with quadrant systems become angular. That does not make a lot of sense when we are talking about sex offenders; we would rather see the planet of compassion and care in cadency in these charts.
The studies here would seem to give evidence for the sidereal zodiac and quadrant house systems, especially Alcabitius and Placidus.
Out of curiosity I tested also three outer planets and the four main
asteroids. The result is here:
The exact numbers pertaining to
this diagram (tables
#31-32)
Contrary to what one might think, Pluto
is not frequently in angular houses in these charts but rather cadent
more often than averagely. Astrologers often associate Greek Hades with
Pluto, the god who captured Persephone and took her to the Underworld,
and therefore Pluto has got some connotations with sexual violence. But
this idea does not seem to work on real charts at all. The planets or
asteroids that appear more frequently in angular houses in the charts of
rapists are Neptune and Pallas, and Uranus, Pluto and Ceres appear less
than averagely. The effects sizes are considerably smaller than with
Mars, though there is beautiful symmetry in the diagram. But overall we
could safely conclude that Mars signifies sexual violence more clearly
than any of the outer planets.
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Notes:
1) The birth times are from AstroDatabank 3, the filters in use are:
- Data Type = Public Figure Or Private Person Or Anonymous.
- Rodden Rating = B Or Above.
- Category = Criminal Perpetrator: Homicide many at once Or
- Criminal Perpetrator: Homicide serial Or
- Criminal Perpetrator: Homicide single Or
- Criminal Perpetrator: Rapist/ Sex crime Or
- Criminal Perpetrator: Torturer/ Sadist.
I let the program calculate a ten times bigger control group which it generated by shuffling the data of the test group, that is where I got the expected values.
Back to text.
2) Geoffrey Dean writes about the use of effect sizes in astrology in his article about the work of Gauquelin here
http://www.rudolfhsmit.nl/g-hist2.htm and here
http://www.rudolfhsmit.nl/g-arti2.htm
. The effect size used here is Cohen’s Kappa, a simple and quite robust way to calculate effect sizes.
Back to text.
3) The formula with which to calculate the proper sample for an effect size is
10/r2, where r = effect size. The best effect size in this diagram about the planetary dignities is -3,8062 % = -0,038062, which means that the sample size should be 10/0,0380622 = around 6705 for the result of this level to be statistically meaningful alone, which is about 15 times more than what we have here.
Back to text.
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