Prime Time Replay:
Peter Murphy
Astrology and the Law
MsgId: *high_strangeness(15)
Date: Tue Jul 29 21:58:45 EDT 1997
From: Moderator At: 168.100.204.161
Welcome to High Strangeness on Prime Time Live! My name is Patrick Huyghe and I will be the moderator this evening. Our guest is law professor Peter Murphy. The subject? A rather unusual juxtaposition of subjects: "Astrology and the Law." First, let's establish credentials.Peter Murphy was born in Boston, England on Feb. 10, 1946 at 4:32 pm GMT. He attended the University of Cambridge, Downing College, where he received an M.A. Honors degree in law, and a masters in international and comparative law. Murphy is a member of the England, California, and Texas bars. Since 1984, he has been a professor of law at South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas. His specialties are the law of evidence and trial advocacy. He is a leading authority on the English law of evidence. His main work is "Murphy on Evidence," now in its 5th edition. And he is the editor-in-chief of "Blackstone's Criminal Practice," a leading reference work.
For the past several years Peter Murphy has been studying how astrological techniques can be applied to the legal profession. He believes that the movements of the planets at the time of a trial can aid in client counseling, negotiation and settlement, the timing of legal actions, and the reconstruction of events. Using astrology, Murphy also claims to have successfully predicted the outcomes of a number of legal matters for his clients.
Now first question: What first led you to investigate astrology and use it in the courtroom?
MsgId: *high_strangeness(18)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:03:22 EDT 1997
From: Peter At: 207.80.52.197
My interet in the work of William Lilly, 17th cent english astrologer
MsgId: *high_strangeness(19)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:04:10 EDT 1997
From: Moderator At: 168.100.204.161
What did he do?
MsgId: *high_strangeness(20)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:07:58 EDT 1997
From: Peter At: 207.80.52.197
He wrote several passages on the forecasting of legal actions which are very applicable today. Trial then was very similar to trial now.
MsgId: *high_strangeness(21)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:10:23 EDT 1997
From: Moderator At: 168.100.204.161
Have you applied his suggestions in your own courtroom work?
MsgId: *high_strangeness(22)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:12:08 EDT 1997
From: Peter At: 207.80.52.197
Yes. In several cases I have been able to forecast results succesfully using Lilly's mthods, though making less money and reputation than he did!
MsgId: *high_strangeness(23)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:13:20 EDT 1997
From: Moderator At: 168.100.204.161
Give us a specific example of how you have used astrology to yield clues to the outcome of a lawsuit?
MsgId: *high_strangeness(24)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:15:09 EDT 1997
From: Peter At: 207.80.52.197
In a case I tried over a year ago, I was able to predict the outcome, the attitude of judge and jury and opposing counsel. It would take a long time to explain technique, but it enabled me to go in prepared. Also saw that no sesttlement would be posisble.
MsgId: *high_strangeness(27)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:17:35 EDT 1997
From: Moderator At: 168.100.204.161
DO you have an example of how you have used astrology to achieve the right timing of a legal action?
MsgId: *high_strangeness(28)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:20:15 EDT 1997
From: Peter At: 207.80.52.197
Not as yet. Unfortunately, the courts often inpose timing. Howqever, picking good time is a very well proven technique. This is known as electional astrology. Where possible, it would certainly be useful, e.g. transactional law, which is not my field.
MsgId: *high_strangeness(30)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:22:05 EDT 1997
From: Moderator At: 168.100.204.161
Do you use astrology in each and every one of your cases?
MsgId: *high_strangeness(31)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:24:09 EDT 1997
From: Peter At: 207.80.52.197
No, as a full time professor I don't practise much. Biut I am consulted by lawyers and people involved in cases, and I use it quite frequently for them, with good results.
MsgId: *high_strangeness(32)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:24:40 EDT 1997
From: Moderator At: 168.100.204.161
Have you had any spectacular astrological failures?
MsgId: *high_strangeness(33)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:26:30 EDT 1997
From: Peter At: 207.80.52.197
I don't think so, not in the legal area anyway. Like anything else, astrology is an art, so we all make mistakes from time to time. Usually, this is appararent, however, when it happens, and can be corrected with input from the client.
MsgId: *high_strangeness(34)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:27:23 EDT 1997
From: Moderator At: 168.100.204.161
What information do you need to do astrology on a case? Is this information easy to get?
MsgId: *high_strangeness(35)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:29:33 EDT 1997
From: Peter At: 207.80.52.197
Not really. Lilly is hard to obtain. His methods are not easy even for a modern astrologer, it tends to be specialised. I reccommend consulting somone with experience in this area. Like other studies, astrology has specialities, and the traditional methods are not usualy taught today. Psychological astrology is more popular.
MsgId: *high_strangeness(37)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:31:44 EDT 1997
From: Moderator At: 168.100.204.161
Yes, but aside from method, don't you also need natal information and such of the opposing attorneys and principals in the case?
MsgId: *high_strangeness(38)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:35:44 EDT 1997
From: Peter At: 207.80.52.197
Thank you. Misunderstood question. You work with a chart for the time of trial, or the event which led to the litigation, or the time of being consulted. This means the date, time and place of the event. This is the same information as is needed for a normal natal chart. Usually it is quite easy to get from the client.
MsgId: *high_strangeness(39)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:37:51 EDT 1997
From: Moderator At: 168.100.204.161
Without asking you to reveal trade secrets, what is so special or unusual about Lilly's method?
MsgId: *high_strangeness(40)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:40:49 EDT 1997
From: Peter At: 207.80.52.197
Actually, theres nothing secret about it. Any astrologer with the time and energy could learn it. But it involves different methods from modern natal astrology. Lilly himself derived much of his techgnique from earlier Greek and Arab siources, as well as medieval Europoean. In addition to legal matter, this kind of astrology can be used for such pruposes as relatinships, children, finding lost animals and forecasstingfsuccess in career or marriage.
MsgId: *high_strangeness(41)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:41:39 EDT 1997
From: Moderator At: 168.100.204.161
Do you ever tell your client you are using astrology?
MsgId: *high_strangeness(42)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:46:04 EDT 1997
From: Peter At: 207.80.52.197
I haven't told one who didn't consult me for the purpose. I have consulted with lawyers who I know didn't tell their clients!
MsgId: *high_strangeness(43)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:46:24 EDT 1997
From: Moderator At: 168.100.204.161
What reaction have you gotten from lawyers for your work in astrology?
MsgId: *high_strangeness(44)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:48:05 EDT 1997
From: Peter At: 207.80.52.197
A mix of scepticism and interest. The ones who consult me have been convinced. Many lawyers like to be or pretend to be sceptics, but I sense a growing acceptance in the public at large, incluiding lawyers.
MsgId: *high_strangeness(45)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:49:31 EDT 1997
From: Moderator At: 168.100.204.161
What reaction have you gotten from astrologers for your work in the law?
MsgId: *high_strangeness(46)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:53:20 EDT 1997
From: Peter At: 207.80.52.197
After a talk I gave at Touro Law School in Long Island, I had several letters from astrologers expressing intersst. Many astrologers work with people in crisis, including legal situations. I hope to give some talks on the subject during the coming year.
MsgId: *high_strangeness(47)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:54:14 EDT 1997
From: Moderator At: 168.100.204.161
Do you think attorneys are more open to the subject of astrology than scientists?
MsgId: *high_strangeness(48)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:55:41 EDT 1997
From: Peter At: 207.80.52.197
Probably, though many scientists are now coming around to the view that the universe is more than what we observe by our sense. They feel dissatisfied by the scientific method, especaily now that the nature of matter is so open to question.
MsgId: *high_strangeness(49)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:56:41 EDT 1997
From: Moderator At: 168.100.204.161
Astrology seems like just another tool in the toolbox, as trial strategy already uses intuition and other non-linear talents, doesn't it?
MsgId: *high_strangeness(50)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:59:07 EDT 1997
From: Peter At: 207.80.52.197
I agree. Astrology doesn't take away the need to try the case, it's information. Trial work is certainly intuitive, as well as requriing thorough preparation.. I think astrology helps with both.
MsgId: *high_strangeness(51)
Date: Tue Jul 29 22:59:46 EDT 1997
From: Moderator At: 168.100.204.161
I'm afraid that we've run out of time. Thank you very much, Peter Murphy, for an enlightening interview. For High Strangeness, this is Patrick Huyghe. Goodnight!
MsgId: *high_strangeness(52)
Date: Tue Jul 29 23:02:00 EDT 1997
From: Peter At: 207.80.52.197
Thank you goodnight. Anyone interested, my phone/fax is 409-865-8803
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