Mae Fah Luang University's Human Research Ethics Committee has approved a qualitative study of Maha Taksa, the Thai astrology system, under Helsinki standards.

CHIANG RAI, TH / ACCESS Newswire / May 4, 2026 / A Thai university has approved a formal study of a traditional astrology system under the international research-ethics standards that govern human-subject research worldwide - from clinical trials to qualitative social-science studies. No comparable approval appears in publicly available academic records.

Mae Fah Luang University's Human Research Ethics Committee cleared the qualitative study of the Maha Taksa Canon on September 22, 2025. The approval was signed by the committee chairperson and registered as COA 182/2025 (Protocol No. EC 25159-18); it falls under the Declaration of Helsinki, the Belmont Report, CIOMS Guidelines, and ICH-GCP. The committee can be reached for verification at rec.human@mfu.ac.th. The decision was held from public announcement until the qualitative interview phase began this spring.

In its decision, the committee approved the research to treat the Maha Taksa Canon as a knowledge system that can be taught, and transmitted and studied as such, separate from any question about whether its predictions hold up. This research examines the discipline's core components, learning methods, and practical applications.

Public engagement with astrology is broad and on the rise. Three in ten American adults consulted astrology, tarot, or fortune tellers in the past year, mostly casually, according to a Pew Research survey published in May 2025. Worldwide, the astrology industry is worth more than $15 billion. The digital app segment alone is on track to triple to $9 billion by 2030, according to MarkNtel Advisors.

"Taksa is a highly detailed system. It covers physical health, mental health, behavior, personality traits, even purchasing behavior." - Tagumporn "Gut" Thansiphop, Thai astrology expert and co-founder of the Astrology and Feng Shui school, Destiny.ac

The Study

Dr. Kowit Nambunmee, an associate professor at Mae Fah Luang University's School of Health Science, leads the research with co-researcher Tharinya Kaviya. The team is interviewing 20 of the tradition's senior teachers and the students they have trained, drawing on methods from knowledge management and oral-tradition research.

Nambunmee describes the question driving the work as a teaching question: when an oral tradition enters a formal academic frame, what can actually be learned, recorded, and passed on?

The interview phase is underway. The team plans to publish a synthesis of the Maha Taksa Canon, with first outputs expected late this year.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Kowit Nambunmee
Co-Researcher: Tharinya Kaviya
COA: 182/2025
Protocol Code: EC 25159-18
Approval Date: September 22, 2025
Ethics Committee Chairperson: Dr. Jullapong Achalapong, M.D.

Background: the Maha Taksa Tradition

Maha Taksa runs back through Indian astrology to Hellenistic astronomy and ancient Mesopotamia. Its seven-day-week structure shares an origin with the Western calendar - both come from the seven celestial bodies named in classical astronomy: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. Romance languages still carry that legacy: Tuesday remains Marsday (French mardi, Spanish martes).

The system maps each weekday's ruling planet to one of four classical elements (earth, water, fire, wind) and to specific physical and behavioral traits. Where Western zodiac uses birth month and Chinese astrology uses birth year, Taksa works from birth weekday.

Comparative Context

Several traditional knowledge systems have moved into formal academic research over the past few decades. Traditional Chinese medicine has been studied in ethics-approved clinical trials. Ayurveda has appeared in Indian medical journals. Astrology, across cultures, has stayed outside that framework. The Mae Fah Luang approval establishes a documented precedent for traditional astrology systems entering qualitative research review.

Funding Disclosure

Xian Chiang Co., Ltd., parent company of Destiny.ac, funds the research. Volunteers were recruited through the company's offline and online channels, including its Line community, in line with the ethics-approved protocol. Mae Fah Luang University retains independent direction over design, conduct, analysis, and publication.

About Destiny.ac

Destiny.ac is a Thai metaphysical knowledge platform co-founded by Tagumporn "Gut" Thansiphop and Tanasurn "Non" Thansiphop. It partners with academic institutions on traditional Thai knowledge research.

About Mae Fah Luang University

Mae Fah Luang University is a public autonomous university in Chiang Rai, Thailand, established under Royal Charter in 1998. Its School of Health Science offers programs in medicine, nursing, public health, and the cognitive sciences. The university's Human Research Ethics Committee is accredited by SIDCER-FERCAP, an international body that vets research ethics committees across Asia and the Western Pacific.

Media Contact

Mickey Umythy
Co-Founder, Destiny.ac
Email: mickey@destiny.ac
Phone: +66 63 267 7597 (Thailand)
Web: www.destiny.ac

Available for Interview:

• Tagumporn "Gut" Thansiphop, Taksa expert and Destiny.ac co-founder

• Dr. Kowit Nambunmee, Principal Investigator, Mae Fah Luang University

• Non, Thai Feng Shui expert (cultural-context angle)

Verification:

• Mae Fah Luang Ethics Committee: rec.human@mfu.ac.th

• COA: 182/2025

• Protocol Code: EC 25159-18

• University: en.mfu.ac.th

SOURCE: Mae Fah Luang University