Lawrence Edwards, is a retired mathematics teacher who has been researching into the forms of living nature, using geometric analysis. In 1982 he daily began taking photographs of tree buds on a selection of trees, and found that the buds expanded and contracted to an approximate fortnightly rhythm. These periods varied between 13.6 and 14.7 days but each species of bud kept the same period in their rhythm. Edwards came to realise that these were astronomical rhythms and each period correlated to the Moon's alignment with a planet and the Earth. When the Earth, Moon and planet were in a straight line the buds of the tree where in a more rounded, expanded shape. On the other hand, when the Moon and planet where 900 apart (as seen from the Earth), the buds took on a more oval, contracted shape, sharp at one end and blunt at the other. Even in the middle of Winter buds are doing a rhythmic dance whose tune is called by the planetary movements.
Which planet in particular affected a tree was determined by the tree's planetary "rulership". Oak trees for example are "ruled" by Mars (meaning that some of its rhythms are determined by Mars rhythms), Elm trees by Mercury, Cherry by Moon, Ash by Sun and Beech by Saturn. It takes the Moon 13.67 days to go from conjunction with Saturn to opposition with Saturn. The opposition and conjunction aspects are when the Earth, Moon and Saturn are in a straight line; this is also when the buds of Beech trees or conifers attain their most rounded shape.
| TREE | ASPECTS BETWEEN | PERIOD |
| Ash | Moon / Sun | 14.77 days |
| Elm | Moon / Mercury | 14.77 |
| Birch | Moon / Venus | 14.77 |
| Oak | Moon / Mars | 14.23 |
| Maple, Sycamore | Moon / Jupiter | 13.75 |
| Beech, Hornbeam, Conifers | Moon / Saturn | 13.67 |
As the years of taking painstakingly precise measurements went by, he noticed that the fortnightly rhythms continued but a phase shift was steadily creeping in. The period between the Moon/planet alignments was not exactly the same as the period between a buds rounded states. The peak expansion and contraction points of the buds were no longer synchronous with the ruling planet / Moon aspects. At this stage he thought there was another rhythm overlaid upon the original one he had revealed. The bud movements were slowly moving out of phase with the planetary alignments and so he conjectured that it might be the lunar nodal cycle of 18.6 years. Time would tell!
In 1989 the bud movements again came into synchronisation with the planetary movements, revealing a 7 year rhythm overlaying the fortnightly one. It was not a lunar nodal rhythm. There was a faster fortnightly rhythm occurring in tree buds and this was being overlaid by a much slower 7 year rhythm. He found the phase shift to be 0 in January 1983 (soon after starting these measurements which was extraordinarily fortunate!!!) and again in January 1990.
There is no known physical astronomical rhythm pertaining to the number seven although it is a well known spiritual rhythm, with the days of the week, colours of the rainbow, seven periods of archangel rulerships and seven day length of a fever coming readily to mind.
So, making adjustments for the phase shift the following periods are arrived at:-
| TREE | ASPECTS BETWEEN | PERIOD | + PHASE |
| Ash | Moon / Sun | 14.77 days | 14.68 |
| Elm | Moon / Mercury | 14.77 | 14.68 |
| Birch | Moon / Venus | 14.77 | 14.68 |
| Oak | Moon / Mars | 14.23 | 14.15 |
| Maple, Sycamore | Moon / Jupiter | 13.75 | 13.67 |
| Beech, Hornbeam, Conifers | Moon / Saturn | 13.67 | 13.61 |
This now fitted the bud measurements more precisely and is an excellent guide to investigating a plant's planetary rulership.
Lawrence Edwards has also measured flower buds (sea shells, hearts and many other life forms) and consequently determined their planetary relationships. Primroses were conducted by the Sun, Geraniums - Oak, Buttercups and Knapweed - Jupiter and Stitchwort by Saturn.
Lawrence Edwards found that trees found growing under power lines continued to do all the "normal" things (germinating, budding, blossoming) but were out of time with the cosmos. He also found that Mars has a strongly inhibiting effect on Saturn when in alignment (5-60 orb) and vice versa. Extending this to the other planets he posited the rule:
"Rhythmic variation is strongly inhibited when the ruling planet of a species is encumbered by alignments with other planetary bodies"
The following 3 books and the article authored by Edwards are well worth reading and studying:
| TITLE | ISBN |
| The Vortex of Life | 0863151485 |
| Supplement & Sequel | |
| Projective Geometry | 0961530405 |
So is the article in "Universe as Organism in Time and Space" - The Golden Blade 46 "Chaos Rhythm & Flow in Nature" published by Floris Books.