... a tight 19 arc. It was a notable heavenly conjunction. All manner of natural catastrophes were predicted but failed to materialize. It has been this way down recorded history. Universal deluges were anticipated during similar conjunctions on September 14, 1186, and February 19, 1524, but the weather refused to cooperate with the planets. Humanity survived nicely. This does not mean that historical upheavals are never correlated with planetary conjunctions. If a society believes strongly enough in the power of the stars and planets to shape human destiny, events may be correlated with the heavens. Such was the case in ancient China. In China, the "Mandate of Heaven" concept has been used since ancient times as both a framework for history and a guide to future actions. The basic idea is that Heaven ... Dynasty (May 28. L059 B.C .) . So, astrology can influence human destiny, if humans believe in it strongly enough. Astrology almost changed the course of history in modern times. Rudolph Hess, fervent believer in astrology, took the conjunction of May 10, 1941, as a signal that he should steal a plane, fly to England, and try to engineer a peace between Britain and Nazi Germany. He failed. Surely, his astrologers could have told him that he would! (Schaefer, Bradley E.; "Conjunctions that Changed the World," Sky & Telescope, 99:28, May 2000.) The recent conjunction (that wasn't so catastrophic after all) plus two earlier ones, as they appeared against the backdrop of the ...