My first sight of the comet was a superb amateur photograph taken by a young boy with a gibbet (a gallows) in the foreground. I felt this to be significant and not some conscious set-up. So will the appearance of the Comet have links with significant changes in the death penalty around the world? Comets and shooting stars have long been associated with death. Halley's Comet in 1066 was interpreted by the Normans led by William the Conqueror as a sign of an impending victory. Meanwhile in England, King Harold saw it as an omen of his demise. Maybe omens are in the eye of the beholder. The question asked prior to the UK election was.. Would British Labour politician Tony Blair be hailed or bopped on the May 1st election? Well, we now know he was hailed in a 'major' way.

Though comets are not large (Hale-Bopp is larger than most with a nucleus of no more than 25 miles in diameter), the proximity to Earth and the fact that they are part of the Solar System mean that astrologers must consider them.

The best way to work out the significance is to work out what happened last time it appeared. Trouble is estimating the period (the cycle of the heavenly body) are not exact. If Hale-Bopp was last here in 2213 B.C. as some reports claim, then the Great Pyramids in Egypt are thought to have been built some 400 years before and Stonehenge in England. However without any certainty about the dates of the previous apparition and the historical events at the time, we are scrambling in the dark.

My feeling is that the Comet will bring something new from the far reaches of the Solar System into our consciousness. Maybe it will remind us of something known or observed by our ancestors 150 generations back. Perhaps it will unlock information from the depths of our primordial instinctive knowledge. It's a part of long cycle that humankind has seen many times before.

It is only when the cosmic dust starts to settle that we can appreciate the significance Comet Hale-Bopp had for us. Certainly it had a decisive and tragic impact on the Heaven's Gate sect in Southern California.

Comets and Power Shifts Here in the UK, it tied in with a very significant switch. After 18 years of Conservative rule, the Labour Party were swept to power with an unprecedented victory lead by a new charismatic and young leader, Tony Blair. Since the Norman conquest (1066), comets have been associated with major shifts of power. The question on every astrologer's mind was would Tony Blair be Hailed or Bopped come election day. We now know he was hailed with a landslide vote.

My feeling is that the Comet brought something new from the far reaches of the Solar System into our consciousness. Maybe it reminded us of something known or observed by our ancestors 150 generations back. Perhaps it will unlock information from the depths of our primordial instinctive knowledge. It's a part of long cycle that humankind has seen many times before.

Perhaps there's a strange connection with the Comet and the current focus on cloning. Why? Well the dual discovery resulting in the wonderfully Geminian names of Hale-Bopp, has a kind of Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee or Castor and Pollux ring about it. And don't Hale and Bopp look identical; rotund with a nice lunar-like pate.

Since the discovery, cloning and the dangers of interfering with the gene pool have featured much in the news. Maybe our tribal ancestors faced the same decisions and as they went forth to multiply all those generations ago.

Anyone who has seen the Boys from Brazil [1975] with Gregory Peck, will know the nightmare scenarios that might result from human cloning. Young Adolfs wandering around the globe waiting to 'light the fire'.

Human cloning is apparently more than just a possibility, a report from Belgium suggests that it has already taken place (by accident). For all of us the subject provokes deep philosophical, psychological and moral questions. For astrologers and those who believe the power of free-will, it begs a much more profound question. If two identical individuals can be born at completely different times in different locations, will they live the same lives and make the same choices? If so, how can astrologers account for their similarities given their different Horoscopes? Where does Astrology fit into the scheme of things?

Obviously there will be environmental differences that will affect their lives. However studies of twins separated at birth have suggested that environment is not as decisive an influence as genetics and astrology, when it comes to personality. This is not necessarily true in terms of material or emotional 'success' in the outside world.

Cloning has even been suggested by parent's of deceased children as a way of recreating their lost child. But the fact is that the cloned child will never be the same child. Essentially each of us is different by having a unique soul.

However if the soul is strictly defined by the Horoscope, then we are fated, because how can we make decisions.

I believe that though the clones will have identical physical attributes at birth, there will be differences in their lives. Their inner personalities and experiences will be as much a reflection of a pattern mapped out in their Horoscope as their genetic fate.

Astrologers who favour a more symbolic approach to astrology might argue that the moment of birth of a clone, was a key moment in the life of the original individual and therefore should have corresponding links with the Natal Chart. My own experience of being around at birth suggests that even in a scientifically controlled environment, the moment of birth still has a deep significance that is reflected in the chart. Even the old, "she was induced on Friday, because the Doctor had a game of golf on Saturday" seems to be part of a greater scheme of life.

Of course if clones life parallel lives and have identical personalities, then we are fated from birth and have no control over our lives. Might as well breed a generation of robots...!