The Astrological Journal Sept/Oct 2015 | Page 40

Can astrology help build winning football teams? Can astrology help build winning football teams? of persons in concerted action. In order for a team to ‘overperform’ it must play as a single entity – as a cohesive unit. Cohesion: In a successful team all the players ‘pull’ in the same direction. In astrological terms the degree of cohesion in a team is shown by the presence or absence of Sun/Mars/ Moon inter-connections, for instance: players with the same Sun-sign generally have a good understanding. They tend to see situations and approach them in similar ways and therefore find it easier to anticipate what the other will do in a match. This helps speed-up the action, improves the accuracy of passing and increases overall effectiveness. Players with Sun/ Mars aspects usually have a telepathic connection. Sun/Moon combinations wax and wane, but in full flow they are magical. Integration: Cohesion is vital to success. However, teams that display high performance over extended periods (long tournaments, seasons and years) have been shown to possess cohesion plus balance - integration. Such teams have a harmonious balance of the elements (the resolve of the earth signs, the fluidity of water, the invention of air signs, and the flare of fire) which makes them versatile, responsive to changing circumstances and difficult to beat. David Beckham local space map Astrocartography Know your place: You think you know where you are now. You know the name of the town or district, the geography and a bit of its history, but it is someone else’s story. You may know your place intellectually but how does it feel? Every place has its own energy field that resonates positively, indifferently, or negatively. Winning Teams in Practice Cohesion: Manchester United Manchester United was founded in 1878 but not until Matt Busby built a cohesive nucleus in the mid-1950s did they begin to establish their reputation as one of the elite clubs in world football. All players have certain grounds where they play well, some call them their lucky grounds but it isn’t good luck. All players have grounds where they never seem to do their best, some call them their unlucky grounds but it isn’t bad luck. Astrocartography can help a player understand the ‘where’ of good and bad performance. For instance, David Beckham’s (born 2 May 1975, 6.17am, London: see astro-map) local space Mars line runs north-west from his London birthplace across North Wales (fairly close to Manchester), across North America (skirting LA), and returns to England through Milan and via Paris. It connects him physically with all the key places where he progressed his career in football. On the other hand, his Saturn line ploughs a lonely furrow through Madrid. He struggled to make any impact at Real Madrid: he was dropped and emotionally isolated from the first-team squad for quite a long time. However, he did make some serious money there. Form: Astrocartography considers the ‘where’ of good, bad and indifferent performance, whereas the ‘when’ and the ‘what’ are revealed by planetary transits. Key transits affecting form and fitness are from Saturn, Jupiter, and Chiron to the Sun and/or Mars. Adverse aspects from Saturn correspond with loss of confidence, slower reaction times and/or lack of vitality. Transits from Jupiter correspond with optimum form 40 Sep/Oct 2015 The Astrological Journal Rinus Michels, a successful manager of Ajax and Barcelona, put it like this: “It is an art in itself to compose a starting team, finding the balance between creative players and those with destructive powers and between defence, construction and attack...” United nucleus 1957: COLMAN (Mars Virgo) BYRNE (Virgo) BLANCHFLOWER (Mars Virgo) CHARLTON (Libra) EDWARDS (Libra, Mars Virgo) SCANLON (Libra) PEGG (Virgo) VIOLLET (Virgo) title a record-breaking thirteen times. Before departing, he recommended that the Board appoint his friend and fellow Scot David Moyes as his replacement. They did. Unfortunately for Moyes he had inherited a Scorpionic nucleus - and transiting Saturn was getting to grips with Scorpio. On 20 April 2014, fielding an off-form nucleus with Sun-sign Scorpio David de Gea in goal and Sun-sign Scorpio Wayne Rooney in attack, he was about to set an unwanted record. Premier League, 20.04.2014: Everton 2-0 Manchester United. United nucleus: De GEA (Scorpio) EVANS (Mars Scorpio) SMALLING (Mars Scorpio) NANI (Scorpio) FLETCHER (Mars Scorpio) ROONEY (Scorpio) The defeat meant that for the first time in nineteen years Manchester United wouldn’t qualify for the Champions League: “We let in some dreadful goals”, said Moyes. Two days later he was sacked. Louis van Gaal, the former Holland manager, took over and fielded the same off-form nucleus in his first Premier League match against underdogs Swansea – a club that had never won at Old Trafford in eleven previous attempts. United was humbled. Another lacklustre performance on the 2 November completed the worst start to a league season since Ron Atkinson was sacked in November 1986. At the press conference, Van Gaal calmly took the criticism whilst quiet