The Unpredictable Future

“In China, a butterfly flapping its wings could cause a hurricane in Texas.” This idea, known as the butterfly effect, was proposed by meteorologist Prof. Edward N. Lorenz and is a fundamental concept in chaos theory. In ancient Greek cosmogony, the universe emerged from chaos. There is a journey from chaos to cosmos: order exists within disorder. Look at your heartbeat, ensuring your life through a consistent rhythm but exhibiting variability within itself. Or observe the waves of the sea; while the waves that crash onto the shore erode the sands in a continuous pattern, the intensity of the waves’ movement remains uncertain. In reality, events occurring within order are chaotic.

Lorenz realized something as he organized a report on weather predictions: a tiny deviation in his input data had led to a significant change in the outcome. Therefore, making long-term weather predictions is virtually impossible, and this contributes to the inaccuracy of weather forecasts. The primary obstacle to prediction is chaos. The great triumph of determinism lies in predicting the date and time of the upcoming solar eclipse, as well as its duration, but in chaotic systems, this is hardly feasible. Who could have predicted the impact of the Arab Spring, which began with a jobless university student in Tunisia setting himself on fire? When the human factor comes into play, many psychological and sociological events become unpredictable.

In essence, chaos theory asserts that even a slight change in initial conditions can result in a vastly different outcome. Let’s adapt this to astrology. In that case, the significance of even a split-second difference in birth time needs to be considered by astrologers. This not only illustrates the importance of what we perceive as minor differences but also highlights the difficulty and near-impossibility of making long-term predictions. The human factor comes into play, and the individual’s varying responses to events can disrupt the entire equation.

Another concept of chaos theory is attractors. To understand this, consider a pendulum: it oscillates towards the center. Alternatively, envision propellers flying through the air. Within a specific area, they create circular motions, forming an unpredictable path around the center. Similarly, while the positions in birth charts correspond to certain tendencies, the behaviors within them are unpredictable. Therefore, even if we think of someone with the Sun in Sagittarius as having a central tendency to be travel-minded or open to experiences, predicting the uncertain path they take while charting that course is impossible.

Applying a predictable model to a birth chart, similar to Newtonian physics’ cause-and-effect relationship, is erroneous. Nature does not consist of perfect circles. Yet, calculations are based on that ideal world. Interestingly, nature manifests itself through these imperfections. What’s truly perfect is its manner of self-creation. Evaluating astrology through chaos theory might not have been possible for an ancient Sumerian, but for us, who have the opportunity to view things from a broader perspective, it’s definitely worth considering.,

Gülden Bulut, 2023