Friday July 19th 2002 - edited by Bernard Fitzwalter This week in Astro News: ~ The dog days... ~ ~ AstroDiary ~ ~ Astrology & Fertility - Can you help with some research? ~ The dog days... Today is the beginning of what used to be called the 'dog days', which run until August 27, and more or less coincide with both the hottest days of the summer and the school holidays. Almanacs from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries delight in reminding readers that dogs run mad in the heat of these days - an idea which comes apparently from the Roman writer Pliny, who died in 79AD while watching the eruption of Vesuvius which buried Pompeii. They also say that these days are dangerous times to undergo surgery, or to take new medicines - and that it would probably be a good idea for men to abstain from women, too, because too much heat and passion is bad for you. Brits on holiday in sunny climes, take note! Yet amid all this tongue-in-cheek advice about mad dogs and Englishmen, the ancient commentators also give the true explanation of dog days, which is that the Sun and the star Sirius rise together around now. Sirius is the 'Dog Star', the main star in the constellation of the Dog, and actually the brightest star in the sky. But what made it really significant centuries ago was that the river Nile in Egypt began its annual flood at this time, and that was of prime importance for the Ancient Egyptians growing their food. Predicting the flood was vital to them, and several of their temples were aligned so that they face the point on the horizon where the Sun and Sirius rise on this special day. Not surprisingly, July 19 is the start of the Ancien t Egyptian year, and this way of counting the days is part of what is known as the Sothic calendar, after Sothis, which is the Egyptian name for Sirius. It may be hot in Egypt, but an English summer is a different thing, as we all know, and so far this year we have been in little danger of our dogs flaking out. Nonetheless, this weekend sees the Sun and Jupiter together, which usually denotes a sustained period of high barometric pressure, and therefore a warm spell. So if we are going to get a proper summer at all this year, it should be now. Get your barbecue going... AstroDiary Tonight (July 19):York Astrology Group. Many Happy Solar Returns + Cancer Celebrity Charts, 7.30pm, Friends Meeting House, Friargate, York. www.communigate.co.uk/york/yorkastrologygroup Booking now: Company of Astrologers, London Summer School. Aug 5-9. 10.30am - 4.30pm, School of Acupuncture, 13 Mandela St, Camden, London NW1. £32 daily (£28 Friends); £120 (Friends only). Monday Aug 5: Reading Tarot; Tues (6), Surviving Outer Planet Transits; Wed (7), Interpreting Progressions; Thurs (8), Look at Relationships Astrologically; Fri (9), Interpret a Horary Chart. Info: 01227 362427. Email: admin@coa.org.uk. Please double-check with the organisation before attending any events listed here - we cannot accept any responsibility for events changed/cancelled. Are you holding an astrological event - especially one outside London!! - that you would like others to know about? Write to jon@cainer.com with subject heading: Astro Events with website links. Please note - we cannot promise to include ALL submissions but will do our best. Research into Astrology and Infertility by Pat Harris, MSc., D.F.Astrol.S. I would like to thank everyone who has responded to my earlier notices on Jonathan's website and who volunteered to take part in the research that I am conducting as part of my PhD in astrology and health psychology at Southampton University, UK. I now have quite a number of people taking part which will help me in conducting my study into factors that may or may not correlate with fertility treatment outcome. I should have a progress report out soon. However, I am still looking for women who are currently pregnant - not necessarily as a result of fertility treatment - and who would like to contact me about details of my research to see if they would like to take part. My email address is: pharris@interalpha.co.uk New Service is Top for the Charts The Astrological Association of Great Britain is proud to announce that you can now speak LIVE to an expert astrologer. For an instant in-depth telephone consultation about your full horoscope call 0845 120 1416 or +44 207 436 9101 (a confidential 30-minute reading costs £29.50, payable by credit card. Or cheque/postal order from UK.) Lines are open 9am-9pm GMT, Monday to Friday. A few weeks ago, the Astrological Association of Great Britain launched this new, live fixed-fee, telephone chart reading service. It has since proved big hit with callers from all over the world. AA President Roy Gillett told Astro News: "I am delighted with the warm response that we have had. Once, if you wanted a reading of your full birth chart, you would have to struggle to find a genuine, reputable astrologer. Then, you would have had to make an appointment and travel miles. Now, at last, there's a quick and easy way to get your questions answered by a real expert - from the comfort of your own home." Mirror reader Julie Roberts from Rochester was equally enthusiastic. "I rang last Tuesday and spoke to an astrologer called Maria. Within moments, she was telling me details about my childhood that she could not possibly have known... then she said some fascinating things about my future. If you missed any of Friday's Astronews articles, click on the Archive Thought for the Day link in the left hand frame.