E. (Edward) Lorenz, Father of the Butterfly Effect

Edward Lorenz was the Mathematician/Meteorologist known as the Father of the Chaos theory and the Discoverer of the Butterfly effect theory. He recently passed away on April 16, 2008 at the age of 90.

He is of particular interest to me as he worked with the ideas of Prediction. He said that the Weather can't be predicted more than about 3 weeks in advance. Having no scientific leanings I can't pretend to understand his theories. But, I think I now understand why people become so much more famous after their deaths. It's because only Obituary Writers can finally reduce a person's life's work down into a readable, understandable summary so the more humbly endowed can try to understand.

From the San Jose Mercury News' obituary: "Edward N. Lorenz, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology meteorologist whose efforts to use computers to increase the precision of weather forecasts inadvertently led to the discovery of chaos theory and demonstrated that precise long-range forecasts are impossible, died of cancer Wednesday at his home in Cambridge, Mass."

Lorenz's chart is very similar to the Cyclone which just hit Burma, at least the Uranus & Neptune parts of it so I suppose those planets might really have a strong influence on Weather. Obviously they are strong rulers for chaos, prediction techniques and progressive, abstract thinking.

Edward N. Lorenz
b. May 23, 1917 West Harford, Connecticut

Sun 2 Gemini; Moon Gemini or Cancer; NN 12 Capricorn

Although he didn't have stelliums in Aquarius or Pisces like I expected to find (Uranus in Aquarius, Chiron in Pisces), Lorenz' chart brings the Uranus-Neptune influence straight into focus. His chart is a bowl shape bounded by those two planets, Uranus very strong in its own sign of Aquarius is the boundary planet on one side and Neptune in Leo is on the other. They aren't in opposition to each other. Neptune is conjunct Saturn as well over the Cancer-Leo cusp so there is a strong outer planet boundary on this Bowl Shape.

Most of Lorenz's planets are clumped between Mars in Taurus and Neptune in Leo with Uranus hanging outside of the configuration sort of acting as a funnel for the energy. Makes sense for a pioneer in the maths and sciences and innovation.

According to Rex Bills, Atmospheric conditions are ruled by (H3). Interesting that Lorenz' Sun is in the sign that rules the 3d house. Gemini is an Air Sign. Lorenz made a "mathematical model of the way air moves around in the atmosphere." Also interesting, Lorenz was born with Gemini's ruler, Mercury in Rx at 22 Taurus. Mercury is conjunct Jupiter to the degree and is squaring Uranus. Mercury stationed direct out of Retrograde when Lorenz would have been around 5 or 6 years old. This held it in the conjunction with Jupiter and Mars throughout his Childhood which must have had some sort of really strong effect on the development of his thinking processes. Mars and Jupiter and Uranus (which held with the square) are all planets which I associate with speed and performance, tools necessary for becoming a forecastor. Taurus is sometimes considered to slow the communications processes down but it also may have been responsible for his early interest in the Natural world.

In 1960 when Lorenz figured out his Butterfly effect, p. Mercury had moved into conjunction with p.Sun and Pluto in Cancer. These ideas became what is known as the Butterfly effect where even small actions such as the flap of a Seagull's wing can have an effect on someting completely different on the other side of the earth. He eventually presented a paper in 1972 called "Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?" (Bills give rulership of Butterflies to Mercury, Gemini (Neptune)) There are different stories about who actually came up with the naming of the Butterfly effect.

During this time, the progressed Sun was passing over Lorenz's natal South Node-Pluto conjunction (which also maybe includes Moon in Cancer). Certainly he was meeting with his destiny at a very deep, profound level of existence. Emotionally, I wonder what state he was in though.

Also interesting, Lorenz's progressed Venus was exactly conjunct his natal Neptune in Leo and was about to pass out into the empty half of his chart. I think this is a great astrological metaphor for understanding the nature of chaos and unpredicability that would later be known as "the Butterfly effect." Both Neptune and Venus understand the importance of each small thing and the interrelatedness of all things.

Lorenz found that predications can't be made through linear thinking (like astrology). He initially created a model with 12 variables (like astrology, just a coincidence, I'm going overboard here) and eventually reduced them down to 3 variables.

Lorenz first developed a simple nonlinear model of the atmosphere that considered only 12 variables and tuned it to display nonperiodic behaviour. He then showed that the linear method did not yield perfect predictions of this behaviour and since perfect predictions could be made by forecasting with the exact equations, he had demonstrated that the linear method could be beaten. (from www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries...)

According to one obituary, Lorenz's office was a chaotic mess.
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1895916/Professor-Edward-Lorenz.html