1. hobbies and interests
2. astrology

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memberletter
National Council for Geocosmic Research, Inc.
Eclipse Season:
Culminations and Beginnings
by Scott Wolfram
F
ROM MARCH 20 TO APRIL 4, 2015, we
will experience both a Solar Eclipse
and a Lunar Eclipse. This is an
excellent time to take action and to be
aware of our evolving journey in life.
Let’s start by looking at the Solar Eclipse.
On March 20, 2015, at 29° Pisces we will
experience a Solar Eclipse just hours prior
to the Spring Equinox at 0° Aries. Since
Solar Eclipses contain strong astrological
power, now is a great time to start taking
action in preparation.
Solar Eclipse Impact
Each of us has an individual purpose, a
dharma, to achieve in life. Our birth chart
contains the astrological themes that
illuminate our individual purpose or
dharma so that we unlock and embrace
this important aspect of self and integrate
it into our daily life and our journey
overall. A Solar Eclipse injects energy into
our birth chart at the eclipse point
impacting the trajectory of our path
related to the themes associated with our
individual purpose.
The trajectory of our path is impacted by a
Solar Eclipse in two ways. First, if we are
“on track” with what our birth chart is
asking from us, related to our individual
purpose and potential, then the Solar
Eclipse acts as a powerful catalyst to
speed our progress toward our goals. I
refer to this as being on the “yellow brick”
road of our life’s journey. In consultations
with clients, I liken this to riding a bike at a
nice clip along our pathway in life. Then,
a giant hand via the Solar Eclipse miraculously appears to give us an extra boost
and pushes on the bike and we speed
ahead with great joy and confidence!
Second, if by chance we are not ‘on track’
with our individual purpose and potential
or we are not taking action in life, then we
may experience a crisis during a Solar
Eclipse. The purpose of this crisis is to
shake us up, deliver a message and to get
us back on track. I refer to this as ‘being
lost or wandering in the poppy field of
life’. In consultations with clients, I liken
this to riding a bike with very little speed
or, perhaps, we have stopped all together.
Then, the giant hand of the Solar Eclipse
miraculously appears to give us an extra
boost and pushes on the bike and,
because we are not prepared for it, our
bike simply topples over (in the form of a
crisis)!
The power and influence of any Solar
Eclipse can be felt for roughly a month
prior to the event and can last for about
six months after. Now is a great time to
make sure we are each “on track” and
taking action to pick up speed in advance
of the Solar Eclipse on March 20, 2015 and
to be very focused on our individual
purpose and potential. If we have
something big we want to execute this
March-April 2015
In this Issue
• Eclipse Season: Culminations
and Beginnings
by Scott Wolfram
• NCGR Board Listings
• Chair Message
by John Marchesella
• Saturn in Scorpio: A Fond
Farewell. Learning from
Those Who Live it
by John Marchesella
• Vedic Electional Astrology in
8th Century Baghdad
by Lynn Bootes
• Astrological Consulting
by Joan Negus
• Saturn MP3s for Sale
• Astrology in the Real World:
Planets and Angles Changing
Terms by Nina Gryphon
• NCGR and PAA News
• Celestial Events
March-May
• Book Reviews
• Benefits of NCGR
Membership
p.25
• A Tribute to Jeff Jawer
by Rick Levine
• Travel Well Alice Howell
by Mary Plumb
• Chapter Contacts
• NCGR Information
p. 1
p. 6
p. 6
p. 7
p.10
p.14
p.15
p.17
p.19
p.23
p.23
p.26
p.27
p.28
p.30
year, we need to take stock and make a
plan that we can begin to execute in the
next weeks leading up to the Solar Eclipse
so that the eclipse can provide a great
boost to our efforts.
Building Community Through Research and Education
page 2
• Charts with birth dates
(regardless of the year) from
roughly September 18-26
(opposing your natal Sun)
Having said that, life is
complicated and, if for some
reason, an event in life has put
us on the sidelines for a bit, it
is important to remain as
connected as possible to our
dreams, visions, and aspirations associated with our
individual purpose so that we
are mentally pedaling our bike
even if we are unable to be
taking a lot of action for
whatever reason.
When the Solar Eclipse makes
an important aspect to other
planets or angles in our birth
chart, we feel the most power
and influence.
For those who have not had a
transit forecast lately, this is an
great time to contact your
astrologer for a reading so that
this Solar Eclipse can serve to
speed you along your path and
give you great momentum on
your journey as you travel
through Spring (and beyond)!
The Impacts of a Solar
Eclipse on Birth Charts
This Solar Eclipse will energize
the eclipse point of 29° Pisces
in our birth chart and, for each
of us, will occur in a particular
house, which will energize the
astrological themes associated
with the house. By house,
here is a list of the themes that
might be impacted by the
eclipse:
• First House. Physical
Body, Instinctual Desires, Freedom,
Beginnings, Action, Power
• Second House. Resources (financial or
otherwise), Values, Self-Esteem, Money,
Beauty, Comfort
• Third House. Learning, Communication (writing, speaking), Siblings, Fun
• Fourth House. Home, Mother, Emotional Security, Family
• Fifth House. Creative Self-Expression,
Children, Life Purpose
• Sixth House. Health, Service, Work
Environment, Self-Improvement
• Seventh House. Relationships of all
types
• Eighth House. Transformation,
Deepest Emotions, Wounds, Joint
Resources, Power, Sexual Desires
• Ninth House. Nature, Wisdom, Your
Personal Philosophy or Vision, Law/Truth,
Travel, Foreign Cultures and People
• Tenth House. Career, Social Status,
Authoritative Parents, Societal Expectations
• Eleventh House. Uniqueness, Rebellion From Expectations, Like-Minded
Others
Sabian Symbols
• Twelfth House. Impulse for the Divine
and Spirituality, Hidden Fears, Isolation,
Karmic Self-Undoing
The impact of the Solar Eclipse can be
empowering and supportive of the themes
of the house the eclipse is occurring in or
this can be a toppling or a testing of these
themes as described above.
For others, this Solar Eclipse will also
impact planets and angles in our birth
chart potentially magnifying the power
and intensity of the eclipse and our
experiences. In this case, one will experience the house impact and the magnified
impact based on the additional aspects.
Here is a list of who will be most powerfully impacted by this eclipse:
• Charts with planets or angles between
25°-29° Pisces or Virgo
• Charts with planets or angles between
0°-4° Aries or Libra
• Charts with birth dates (regardless of
the year) from roughly March 16-24
(conjunct your natal Sun)
Now, for a bit of fun and
inspiration associated with
Sabian Symbols. You might
have observed that March 20 is
also the Aries Ingress or Spring
Equinox. Within 13 hours on
March 20, 2015, the Solar Eclipse energizes the final degree of the zodiac (29°
Pisces), followed by the Spring Equinox
announcing a new beginning at the first
degree of the zodiac (0° Aries).
In these two astrological events, critical
degrees are impacted. First, 0° represents
a new energy where we enter a time of
learning and discovery associated a sign
that we are just beginning to master.
Second, the final 29th degree of each sign
is a critical indicator of culminating energy
marking the point where the 30 degrees of
the sign have been journeyed and we
have grown and learned from that process.
Hence, the 29° is a critical degree where
we culminate what we have learned about
the sign and bring it all together so to
speak. This culminating energy requires
that we exhibit this knowledge and
mastery we have gained.
When I see critical degrees represented in
a chart, I enjoy looking to the Sabian
Symbols for further insight because these
are important markers and illumination
points for our journey.
page 3
Sabian Symbol for the Spring
Equinox
Each year, the Spring Equinox occurs at
the same degree of the zodiac, which is 0°
Aries and the initiating degree of the
natural zodiac. So, each year, the Spring
Equinox has the same Sabian Symbol that
Dane Rudhyar titled as follows:
A woman just risen from the sea.
A seal is embracing her.1
This symbol refers to the initiating energy
associated with emerging. In an obvious
sense, new potentials arise every spring.
New buds emerge on trees that in turn
produce flowers and then leaves. I enjoy
searching for the first signs of the crocus
which seem to magically sprout up from
Mother Earth.
As individuals, we have potentials which
are waiting to arise. Unlike the crocus that
instinctually knows when spring has
arrived and they spring forth, our inspirations and visions for our becoming need
us to recognize and honor them and to
take action so that they can spring forth.
Identifying, focusing, embracing and
taking action are, for our inspirations, like
the sunlight, the rain, and the nutrients in
the earth that nurture that which seeks to
rise up and grow.
The key themes of this symbol were called
“the impulse to be” by Dane Rudhyar and
“realization” by Dr. Marc Edmund Jones.
In their combined wisdom, we must both
embrace our individual “impulse” and
bring it into “realization.” This symbol for
the first degree of Aries, reminds us that
new possibilities are waiting to emerge
and that we are meant take action, like
Aries to bring them into reality.
Sabian Symbol for the Solar Eclipse
The Solar Eclipse that will precede the
Aries Ingress this year takes place at the
culminating degree of the natural zodiac.
Dane Rudhyar titled the Sabian Symbol
for the last degree of Pisces as follows:
A Majestic Rock Formation Resembling A
Face Is Idealized
By A Boy Who Takes It As His Ideal Of
Greatness,
And As He Grows Up, Begins To Look
Like It2
By “Ideal of Greatness” in the quote
above, we mean recognizing who we want
to become, the vision we hold of ourselves and trusting that what we are
drawn to become is right. This image or
ideal is the focus of the young person’s
thoughts and actions and, through the
ongoing process of personal evolution, he
comes to embody this image. This symbol
reminds us that while we all have shortcomings or foibles, we are not meant to
focus on them. In the process of our
personal evolution, we are meant to focus
our thoughts on the image of what we
might become.
In the yoga philosophy, this is called
Sankalpa Shakti. Shakti is the life force.
Sankalpa is the focusing of our intentions via willpower. When we focus our
thoughts and efforts to accomplishing our
intentions, we are honoring the heart of
this Sabian Symbol. In this, the last degree
of Pisces reminds us that the thoughts
and images we hold of ourselves provide
the key that unlocks what we ultimately
become.
How Best To Explore During This
Time
Since we are talking about transits, these
events greet where we stand today, at this
point on our evolving journey and in this
chapter of life.
As beckoned by the Sabian Symbol for
the Spring Equinox, we can look at our
journey with the fresh eyes of Spring to
identify what is emerging right now. Is life
asking us to uncover and integrate something new about ourselves or simply
allowing for a deeper understanding of
our emerging self?
The Sabian Symbol associated with the
Solar Eclipse reminds us that, like the wheel,
life is an ongoing journey of evolution and
that we need to remain focused with
willpower on our vision for what we want to
become. But, as we gain new perspectives
and as new potentials emerge, we need to
allow our image and vision to evolve.
March 20, 2015 is a great time to explore
and contemplate these themes by asking
some questions and doing something fun
with the answers. For individuals in the
United States, the eclipse will occur very
early in the morning on March 20, 2015
(9:36 AM GMT, which is 5:36 AM Eastern). For early birds, that should be no
problem. Others might simply wait until
time on Friday evening (due to busy
schedules, etc.).
Be sure to set aside a space that is free of
judgment filled only with love of self!
Here are some sample questions to ask:
• Do I have an image of what I might
become and a personal image of what
greatness looks like?
• If not, why don’t I have this image and
what obstacles and blockages exist?
• Do I draw my image of greatness
simply by repeating the words I have
heard about me all my life?
• Was my self-image given to me by my
parents or society or media?
• If so, can I become comfortable rising
out of these limiting images?
• Can I begin to trust my own image of
greatness and my image of myself?
• Can I identify my stages of becoming—the acts of my stage play or the
chapters of my life?
• Am on the yellow brick road of my
personal journey?
• If not, can I use this Solar Eclipse to
get find my way out of the poppy field
and back onto the yellow brick road?
• How can I have more fun on the path
to becoming?
Types of ceremonies to perform or
guidance to seek:
• Spend a few quiet moments focusing
on your image and ask for guidance and
support of your efforts to bring that image
into reality.
• For those who enjoy creating vision
boards, this might be a great topic and an
excellent time to create.
• Song writers or artists may want to
compose music, lyrics or art to bring forth
the content.
• More logical and analytic types might
simply take stock, take inventory, plan
next steps.
• Keeping a journal is always good!
• If you identify aspects of your image
for your YOU that no longer serve you,
write them on a piece of paper and
ceremonially offer them to the fire.
page 4
• Or, if the blockages and
Libra has been called “Circular
Paths.”3 The notion of circular
paths has multiple implications.
Mark Edmund Jones notes that
we experience interminable or
endless repetitions that take
place in the circumstances of
life. In the sky above, the
ongoing movements of the
planets are essentially circular
paths that each planet endlessly follows. However, each
time a planet completes its
journey around our individual
birth chart, there is a progression from one cycle to the next.
past wounding that you
identify go too deep,
consider seeking support from
a guide to help eliminate these
blockages and heal these
wounds over the weeks ahead.
• A bit of all of the above
possibly!
May this Solar Eclipse speed
you along your path and give
you great momentum on your
journey as you travel through
Spring (and beyond)!
Lunar Eclipse
Following the Solar Eclipse, on
April 4, 2015, we will experience
a Lunar Eclipse, which will
contain a t-Square with the
Moon in Libra opposing the
Sun and Uranus in Aries while
also squaring Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto and Uranus in a
square? If that sounds familiar,
it should. This will be a
particularly powerful Lunar
Eclipse as it occurs near the endpoint of
the square between transiting Uranus and
Pluto who have been dancing in this
square for the past five years.
On March 17, 2015, transiting Uranus will
make an exact square to Pluto for the final
time. Many of you intensely impacted by
the transit might be doing a happy dance
upon hearing this!
Since the summer of 2010, I have explored
the square between these two powerhouses and their demand for structural
reform in both society and for those
whose charts were hit hard by this transit
(as my Sun and Mercury were). Ultimately,
over the years of writing on this topic, I
settled on the image of Chewbacca or the
“Wookie” from Star Wars as the best
representation of Uranus square Pluto.
On a personal level, it is difficult to clearly
understand what this transit is asking
from us even though we feel the tremendous demands it is making and that is
what makes it so uncomfortable. Like the
“Wookie”, this transit has been howling at
us and threatening to pull our arms off if
we do not let it win. The demand is that
we examine our lives and let go of what is
In this progression, we experience our life unfolding in new
ways.
no longer serving us. Like the process of
metamorphosis, this can be a painful
process, but one that leads to beautiful
results, like the emergence of the butterfly.
This Lunar Eclipse is particularly important in that it energizes the final square of
transiting Uranus and Pluto. Lunar
Eclipses are essentially super charged Full
Moons. As Full Moons provide awareness via the opposition to the Sun, a
Lunar Eclipse magnifies this providing a
burst of powerful awareness into our
individual birth charts. As with a Solar
Eclipse, this can be powerfully felt in
either a supportive or challenging way.
The Lunar Eclipse, since it deals with
awareness, provides a great time to review
the transformation we have embraced
since the first time Uranus squared Pluto
back in 2010 and this review is at the heart
of the Sabian Symbols for this eclipse,
which we will review here in keeping with
the themes established with our Solar
Eclipse exploration.
Sabian Symbol For The Moon
The Sabian Symbol for the Moon at 15°
While walking on a circular
path seems to imply simply
covering the same territory over
and over, with each progressive
cycle, we have greater awareness of the path and if we make use of
that awareness, we can have greater
success and fulfillment. The Moon’s
Sabian Symbol bids that we examine the
“circular paths” in our lives and recognize
the progress that we have made on our
soul’s journey.
Sabian Symbol for the Sun
The Sabian Symbol for the Sun at 15°
Aries contains the image of “an Indian
weaving a ceremonial blanket”.4 Weaving
implies connecting threads of various
colors to create a pattern or image. A
ceremonial blanket is more than a simple
blanket. A ceremonial blanket plays a part
in life that represents the unfolding of
one’s journey in life. We could see this
blanket as a representation of who we are
becoming. It is important to note, that the
ceremonial blanket is not yet complete.
The weaver is still weaving. Who we are
becoming is the result of the choices we
make as the “weaver.”
The Sun’s Sabian Symbol reminds us that
we are the “weaver” and that we can
choose the patterns woven in the future.
page 5
When we examine the “circular paths” in our life, what
patterns do we see in the “ceremonial blanket” of our life?
As we move from one cycle of life to the next, do we see
any patterns emerging? How would we choose to weave
the next chapter of life and what should we add or take
out?
Returning to the connection of Uranus square Pluto, over
the past five years, the “Wookie” has been asking us to
recognize what aspects of our lives are no longer serving
us and to let them go via transformation. This final pass of
Uranus square Pluto, energized by the Lunar Eclipse, is
about recognizing how letting go of the past will allow us
to weave a more vibrant and meaningful “ceremonial
blanket.”
This is a powerful conclusion to a powerful transit and the
emotional awareness of this Lunar Eclipse will likely be
equally as powerful. Be prepared for the emotional shake
out that might occur and heed the final howl of “the
Wookie” by letting go of what no longer works. Wrap
yourself in your “ceremonial blanket” woven with love and
inspiration. Conduct your own sacred ceremony!
Embrace this Lunar Eclipse as a time of awareness to
embrace the next cycle of life and embody who you are
truly meant to become!
Taken together, this Solar and Lunar Eclipse will be a
powerful time of focusing our vision, allowing our vision to
adjust as needed, releasing any old baggage and beginning
to weave our future! Enjoy the journey!
References
1. Dane Rudhyar, An Astrological Mandala: The Cycle of
Transformations and Its 360 Symbolic Phases, by Dane
Rudhyar, New York: Vintage Books, 1974, p. 288.
2. Ibid, p. 49
3. Ibid, p. 61
4. Ibid, p. 181
.
SCOTT WOLFRAM has a passion for sharing astrological
insights to help guide clients with ease and grace through
the chapters of their unfolding journey. Scott interprets
astrological symbols using spiritual and mythic language
to deepen a client's understanding of their soul's expression and purpose. Through astrological readings Scott
explores the what, where, and when of a client's birth
chart so that they can be the architect and build their
own life and move in harmony with the sun, moon and
stars! Scott also specializes in Astrology of Location.
Scott can be reached at 805-409-4605,
scott@travelerswell.com, www.travelerswell.com.
page 6
Message from the Chair
NCGR Board of Directors
Elected Officers
John Marchesella, Chair,
chair@geocosmic.org
Joyce Levine, Clerk, 2353 Massachusetts
Ave., #91, Cambridge MA 02140, 617-3547075, clerk@geocosmic.org
Linda Wilk, Treasurer,
treasurer@geocosmic.org
Elected Directors
Nina Gryphon, Membership Director,
membership@geocosmic.org
Judy Johnson, Director of Volunteers, 7807
Eleanor Place, Willowbrook IL 60527,
electeddir@geocosmic.org
Jackie Slevin, Education Director,
eduadmin@geocosmic.org
Leigh Westin, Chapter Affairs Director and
SIGs Coordinator, P.O. Box 207, Waskom TX
75692, chapters@geocosmic.org
Appointed Directors
Trish Buckley, Publications Director,
publications@geocosmic.org
Jagdish Maheshri, Research Director,
researchdirector@geocosmic.org
Christeen Skinner, Advisory Board Chair,
advisory@geocosmic.org
Kyle Ukes, Media and Communications
Director, media@geocosmic.org
Staff
Liane Thomas Wade, Secretary, NCGR
Headquarters, 531 Main St., #1612, New
York NY 10044, Ph-Fax, 212-838-NCGR
(6247), execsec@geocosmic.org
Ronnie Gale Dreyer, memberletter Editor,
memberletter@geocosmic.org
Ken Irving, Webmaster,
webmaster@geocosmic.org
Arlene Nimark, Advertising Manager, 1242
East 8th Street, Brooklyn NY 11230, 718-3770482, arlenima@aol.com
Advisory Board
Bernadette Brady Ph.D. (UK), Nicholas
Campion Ph.D. (UK), Gary Christen, Bradley
V. Clark C.P.A., David Cochrane, Priscilla
Costello M.A. (Canada), Adrian Duncan
(Denmark), Michael Erlewine, Mónica
Escalante-Ochoa (Mexico), Madela Ezcurra,
Dear Members,
W
ORD IS OUT ON THE STREET, BUT NOW IT’S TIME TO SPREAD THE NEWS
far and
wide about our national conference in Baltimore, MD, on February 1620, 2017. This will be the first of many times you’ll hear this from me: BE
THERE OR BE SQUARE!
The Many Faces of Astrology is our theme and we hope the double meaning is not
lost on anyone.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of our conference is the chance to socialize with
“our people.” We all speak this golden language of symbols, so it’s great to catch up
with old friends and connect with new friends to share stories about transits and
progressions, and exchange ideas about the astrology of world events. How easy it
is to relax and say, “Ugh, Saturn is on my Sun!” Or, “Hey, what about that eclipse on
Hilary’s Moon!” And we all know what we mean.
The Many Faces of Astrology also pertains to the many schools of thought in astrology,
or to follow our analogy, the many dialects of our astrological language—traditional Western, Uranian, economic, predictive, psychological, astrocartography, relationship astrology, and on and on.
We intend to present many of these topics by some of the most renowned astrologers
from around our community as well as from around the world, some new voices too,
and well, fresh faces. And Baltimore is sure to please. Those of you who have fond
memories of our conference there in 2007 will not be disappointed because, this
time, we’re closer to the harbor in the Hyatt Regency, which is even closer to the
Cheesecake Factory!
The Hyatt Regency is just steps away from restaurant row, a galleria of stores, Little
Italy and many historical sites. And bring your ice skates! Just across the street is
Baltimore’s new skating rink.
For those who are flying in, BWI is just a short shuttle ride away from the hotel, and
the Amtrak station is a hop, skip and a jump. And with two great NCGR chapters
nearby, one right in Baltimore and one in Annapolis, we hope to see many locals too.
The hotel has offered us a very generous contract, and we certainly intend to pass its
benefits along to our members and attendees. And hey, it’s not any accident that the
glass-enclosed rooftop room, which we are going to use for our morning yoga sessions, is named the Pisces Room! I say, it was meant to be!
So, come learn a lot of astrology and let’s have fun, and like I said, BE THERE OR BE
SQUARE! In weeks to come, we’ll have a call for speakers as well as a call for
volunteers. So, watch our email blasts and Facebook page and Twitter messages.
Linda Fei, Steven Forrest, Irene E. Goodale,
Robert Hand Ph.D., Charles Hannan, Madalyn
Hillis-Dineen, Baris Ilhan (Turkey), Warren
Kinsman (Costa Rica), Babs Kirby M.A. (UK),
Arlene A. Kramer, Alphee Lavoie, Michael
Lutin, Vivian B. Martin Ph.D., Michael
Munkasey, Arlene Nimark, Ingrid Petroff
(Austria), Bill Sarubbi (Austria), Maria Kay
In the meantime, Meira Epstein, our fabulous on-line teacher, is sizing up a new
round of classes for the fall, and Jackie Slevin is in the process of organizing a new
series of webinars for Saturday, June 16, 2015, so hold those dates. And please visit
our website, www.geocosmic.org, for purchase of MP3 recordings from our forefathers (and mothers) in honor of Saturn’s recent station (see p. 15).
Now, in case I didn’t say it about February 2017 in Baltimore, be there or be square!
Simms, Gloria Star, Rod Suskin (South Africa),
Richard Tarnas Ph.D., Donna Van Toen
(Canada).
John Marchesella
NCGR Chair
page 7
Saturn in Scorpio:
A Fond Farewell and
Learning from those
Who Live it
Hugh Hefner
Natal Chart
Apr 9 1926, Fri
4:20 pm CST +6:00
Chicago, Illinois
41°N51' 087°W39'
Geocentric
Tropical
Placidus
True Node
25° ‚ 10'
ƒ
41'
É
Ý
12°
Ï
10
„ 11'
08'
Œ
21°
9
Ü
11
8
18'
EFORE SATURN SAILS ON (OR LUGS)
from Scorpio (at least for about
another 30 years), homage should
be paid to sex, death, and taxes, the
proverbial expression for Scorpio that
Saturn emphasizes there.
25°
12
7
52'
1
6
One figure in modern times who embodies
this theme is High Hefner, founder of the
Playboy empire. True, he’s a lightning rod
of controversy, but whether he is seen as
a saint or a sinner, it cannot be denied that
he played an iconic role in the much
needed sexual revolution, even to the
point of changing the American lexicon
with the term “playboy.”
As we would expect, his effect is clearly
seen in his horoscope. His Saturn in
Scorpio sits in the 3rd house, having
something to do with the magazine business, but more obviously, it has all to do
with the importance of the freedom of
speech.
The emphasis of Scorpio may begin with
the freedom of speech about sex, but with
Saturn’s position in a t-square with Jupiter
in Aquarius and Neptune in the 11th house,
plus its trine with Uranus in Pisces, Hefner
also spoke out loudly for civil rights and
human rights. Indeed, in the 60s, he played a
very active role in those fights.
Of course we cannot ignore the significance of Aries, another very “bad boy”
sign, especially for men. The Sun in Aries
Ü
36' ‹
21'
†
Œ
06'
‡
20'
5
3
‡
03°
40'
Š
48'
20°
Š
½
¼
Œ
16'
‰
25°
21°
4
‹
12°
º 25°
¿ ‹
52'
13°
2
20'
19° ¸
03°
Œ15' Ü
46' ‹26°
…
21°
Hugh Hefner
29'
ƒ
ƒ
37'
16'
Œ
„ À 20°„
22°
29°
21°
Á
21°
by John Marchesella
B
04'
29°
¶
»
41'
Š
29°
21°
¾
Ê
29'
‰
04'
29°
25° ˆ 10'
at the end of the 7th house near the 8th
house cusp, is another indication of his
connection with sex, but even more important is Mercury, the ruler of the chart and
the MC, in Aries. And if anyone thinks
Mercury in retrograde is a weak placement, think again! The Aries factor
describes Hefner as a pioneer too.
women, as well as what his critics see as
his degradation and enslavement of
women. Those planets also account for
the glamour of his lifestyle, and his Virgo
Ascendant makes for his infamous perfectionism and attention to detail. Perhaps
the Pisces in the 6th house also describes
pajamas as his preferred way of dress!
Pluto is the highest elevated planet in the
angular 10th house, and it is in square
aspect to the Sun, yet further indications
of the role of sex in his life. This Pluto
makes him even more iconic in stature as the
founder of an enterprise, truly a Plutocrat!
Followers of Chiron are sure to note its
influence in Aries in the 8th house.
Mars and Jupiter in Aquarius explain his
feisty controversiality, which is mild by
today’s standards, but when Playboy started in the 1950s, it was highly sensational.
And with those planets in the 5th house of
fun, well, there you have it—the playboy!
The Moon and Venus in the contradictory
sign, Pisces, give him an idyllic view of
Interesting, though, with Capricorn on the
5th house cusp, ruled by Saturn in
Scorpio in the 3rd, Hefner takes his fun
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page 8
very seriously—and sexually—and turned
it into a career and a fortune. So, there’s
the natal potential for what was about to
unfold.
Not only did Hefner not set out to start
something classic, he was so uncertain
there would be a second issue of Playboy
that he did not even date the first one. It
was December 1, 1953.
The secondary progressions of the time
included the progressed Ascendant in
opposition to the natal Sun and the
progressed MC just leaving the orb of the
conjunction with the natal North Node.
Both of these indicate a major new focus
in his life that will have far-reaching and
popular effects. Together they represent a
call to be the shining star, the center of the
universe, the golden boy! What more
could an Aries man of his generation ask
for?
Even more significant, though, is the all
important Mercury, again, ruler of the
chart and ruler of the MC, progressed
right to the cusp of the natal 8th house,
his “readiness” for sex, power, and
transformation.
The transits include Uranus conjoined
with his natal North Node, forming a
Grand Trine with natal Uranus and Saturn.
Neptune, transiting his 2nd house, formed
a trine with his MC. Hence, the ease and
speed with which his early success came.
And transiting Pluto was in a square
aspect to natal Saturn, here, emphasizing
more of the fight as well as the
transformation of his career and
uncovering his rise to power.
All of the eclipses just before the
publication date and just after were
powerfully placed, but most effective was
the Solar Eclipse at 18° Cancer in his 10th
house, between the Node and Pluto.
Most important for Hefner as well as for
the zeitgeist, transiting Saturn had just
entered Scorpio in late 1953, and the world
was ready to face sexuality in popular
culture, or perhaps more accurately said,
the world was ready to face its repression
about sexuality in popular culture.
Of course, Hefner was in the right place at
the right time because this was the early
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
Natal Chart
Jul 8 1926, Thu
10:45 pm CET -1:00
Zurich, Switzerland
47°N23' 008°E32'
Geocentric
Tropical
Placidus
True Node
21° ˆ
45'
‰
00° ˆ
36'
10°
¾
Ê
35'
02°
‡
19°
‰
24'
S
03°
9
10
07'
‡
36'
Œ
16°
Š
56'
†
8
11
½ 26°Š
22'Œ
7
12
11°
11°
‹
…
27'
27'
30'
23°‹
26'Œ
29°‹
Ï
¿
6
1
23°
13'
53'
Ü
Ü
¼
5
15°
2
4
3
46'
‚
02°
Ý
06' „
S
24'
56' ƒ
18' ƒ 16°
53'
ƒ 15°
ƒ
14°
03°
11°
07'
¶
»
00° ‚
56'
stage of his first Saturn Return. He
discovered his calling and the rest is
history.
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
On quite a different note (or is it?), is the
life of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, who singlehandedly brought the hospice movement
to the United States and revolutionized
how we care for the dying.
What pops off the page is her Saturn in Scorpio in the 8th house as the singleton of her
bucket chart! Need anything else be said to
explain her understanding of death and dying? (No, but we will.) That Saturn is in a
Grand Trine with Sun and Pluto in Cancer
and her Ascendant in Pisces, and the
water element is most associated with
death and transformation. It is also in the
same t-square as Hefner’s with Jupiter and
Neptune, although with quite a different
interpretation. Hardly the glamorous and
indulgent life she led, but instead, she manifested the more spiritual and metaphysical
sides of those planets. However, she was
„
21° ‚
36'
12°
É
¸
Á
10°
ƒ
À
º
35'
„
03°
45'
just as much a lightning rod of controversy
as he was.
Ironically, her life even began with death.
As the weakest of triplets in a difficult
birth, it was assumed she would not
survive much past the birth. Another
significant feature of her connection with
death is her Solar Eclipse birth, often
associated with the expression, “The King
is dead! Long live the King!” It also
suggests a life that has a strong calling or
fate to perform heroic feats.
Also, like Hefner, she did not set out to
start a movement. She was simply asked
by a medical colleague to give a lecture to
his class on how to speak to the dying
about dying. Having no experience with
the topic, and indeed there being no
substantial research on the subject
heretofore, she decided to interview a
young woman with a fatal disease for the
class. Evidently, it was spellbinding, and
it led to a series of such anecdotes, and
that eventually led to the publication of
page 9
On Death and Dying in November 1969.
(This is a very good example of how
things “just happen” to those born on a
Solar Eclipse.)
This natal potential became manifest with
the progressed Ascendant moving into
Gemini, which is the natal 3rd house cusp.
This particularly emphasizes the anecdotal
style of the book. The progressed MC
conjoined the natal 12th house cusp,
which signaled the beginning of the end
of her career in traditional psychiatry and
her surrender to the need of the collective
for something more innovative.
During the writing of the book, transiting
Uranus was in square aspect to her natal
Moon, perhaps giving just enough
restlessness to be willing to express some
controversial thoughts. Transiting
Neptune was in the 8th house square to
its natal position in the 6th, indicating a
restlessness with the structure of her work
and a need to transcend to something
bigger as well as a necessary blindness to
how big her work would become.
Just after the publication of the book,
transiting Pluto opposed natal Uranus,
and while these are generational planets,
the transit does indicate how she tapped
into the collective mind, especially since
such personal houses were involved,
namely, the 1st and 7th. The Lunar Eclipse
just prior to the publication was at 3°
Pisces, sitting just between her Ascendant
and Jupiter, the ruler of her MC, and the
planet most associated with publishing.
More important, though, was transiting
Saturn coming to the opposition of its
natal position. (Note that it was exactly
opposite to transiting Saturn on the
publication of Playboy fifteen years
earlier). This transiting phase is the
height of the midlife crisis, so to speak,
when one reflects on the call to the first
Saturn Return, evaluates one’s
performance, and makes changes
accordingly to continue the work of
Saturn more effectively, in other words,
the work of one’s life.
Interesting, too, is the transit in the 2nd
house, a time when an individual often
begins a new career, which the publication
was for Kubler-Ross in essence.
These two figures
made strange
bedfellows in the
1980s when Saturn
was passing
through Scorpio
again, and each of
them was having
their second returns
of Saturn.
Due to the wildfire
spread of AIDS
when Saturn and
Pluto were in
Scorpio back then,
obviously, not only
the need for hospice
became more
widespread, but
also the need to
understand and to
offer more
compassion for the
dying. During that
time, Kubler-Ross’s
work focused
exclusively on AIDS
hospices, and more
specifically with
babies with AIDS.
Back in the 80s, this
was indeed controversial
and unwanted by the
neighbors of these hospices, often to the
point of being pushed out of them, once
even by assumed arson to her home!
Hefner, on the other hand, was affected by
the AIDS crisis of the 80s in a totally
different way. Publicly, he, like many
celebrities with risqué reputations, had to
clean it up, pull it in, and tone it down.
Sex was no longer so recreational as it had
been in the 60s and 70s, which was the
time of Playboy’s rise. In actuality,
however, also due to AIDS as well as
video technology, the porn business
exploded under the covers, so to speak,
and gave Playboy, now seen as mildmannered, a run for its money, and
gradually through those years, Hefner’s
empire dwindled, relatively speaking. His
empire never quite recovered to what it
once had been.
As for something to say about taxes,
unfortunately, we could not find anything
distinctive to say about Saturn in Scorpio
and the development of the IRS. So,
suffice it to say, Bill Gates and Mark
Zuckerberg have natal Saturn in Scorpio,
and let’s hope they’re paying their fair
share in taxes. We can add Andrew
Carnegie to the long list of Saturn in
Scorpio millionaire Plutocrats too.
So, why is Scorpio associated with sex,
death and taxes? One my early teachers
told me it’s because that’s what we can’t
avoid in life. But I didn’t buy it. I knew
too many virgins and plenty of long time
tax evaders.
I later learned by life that Scorpio is the
fulfillment of the potential of partnerships,
be they in love, hate, work, deep friendship
or professional. For instance, Libra is the
love; Scorpio is the baby. Libra is the hate;
Scorpio is the war. Libra is the working
together; Scorpio is the profit or loss. Libra
is the friendship; Scorpio is the BFF. Libra is
the surgeon; Scorpio is the surgery.
page 10
In order to fulfill the potential in our
partnerships, we must take an accounting
of the “other” and ourselves. We all bring
some assets to the relationship, and we all
have some dirty laundry. That accounting
is the tax, so to speak.
If you want to make an omelet, you’ve got
to break the eggs. If we’re going to merge
in love, war, or whatever, we have to be
willing to transform, to die, and be reborn.
Vedic Electional Astrology in 8th
Century Baghdad
by Lynn Bootes
H
ISTORIANS HAVE LEFT US ASTROLO-
And the sex of our astrological
expression, of course, represents the start
of new life. However, it also pertains to
the resolution that comes with merger and
the release of energy, akin to orgasm.
Perhaps we can see these themes more
personally through our houses, 7th and
8th, no matter what signs are involved.
And it is assured to all readers, that each
of you went through a powerful version of
sex, death and taxes whenever Saturn
transited through your personal 8th
house. If you can remember what that
was like, you’ll have a deeper
understanding of people with Saturn in
Scorpio in the natal chart. What we
experienced then, they live with all the
time!
We all have “issues” with relationships as
represented by sex, death and taxes.
However, for those with natal Saturn in
Scorpio, their issues about sex, death and
taxes are just a little more “interesting,” so
to speak. There’s just a little more heat,
charge, fierceness and passion to those
tales, as we see in our examples here.
But for now, perhaps with Saturn winding
down in Scorpio, it’s time to let those
stories die down, and let’s gear up for the
long road ahead with Saturn in Sagittarius.
Birth Data
Hugh Hefner, April 9, 1926, 4:20 PM
CST, Chicago, IL,41N51, 87W39. Source.
Birth Certificate.
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, July 8, 1926,
10:45 PM CET, Zurich, Switzerland, 47N23,
8E32. Source. From memory.
John Marchesella is a familiar
contributor to NCGR’s “Memberletter”
and will be a speaker at NCGR’s
conference, “The Many Faces of
Astrology” in Baltimore in February
2017. Please visit his website,
www.astrojohn.com.
GERS a unique treasure: in 762 CE,
the second Abbasid Caliph, a
Persian named Al-Mansur, employed
Nawbaht, the best astrologer of his court,
to elect the most auspicious time to found
his new capital city, Baghdad. The new
city sat near ancient Babylon, at the
crossroads where the east-west highway
connecting Syria with Persia crossed the
great rivers of Mesopotamia, and it was
inaugurated with due ceremony on 23
Tammuz (July 31) at about 3:00 pm. We
know about it because the great Islamic
historian Al-Biruni chose to include it in
his 11th century book, The Chronology of
Nations—this is the same Al-Biruni who
travelled to India and attempted to
translate and interpret the sub-continent
for Arabic speakers.
In this article I want to stress how this
chart can be read as a Vedic electional
(muhurta) chart. When an important
event such as a wedding, the founding of
a temple, or inauguration of a ruler is
planned, it has been customary for an
astrologer to select the very best day and
time, and indeed in the case of Baghdad
they were extraordinarily successful, as
the city still stands today.
I think that it is quite possible that AlMansur’s astrologers were using Vedic
astrology methods for several reasons.
First, the Abbasids came from a province
in the far east of Persia called Kushan,
around the city of Merv in Afghanistan, a
region within cultural and commercial
contact with India. Second, the astrologer
came from the Barmakid family, which prior
to conversion had served as priests at the
great Buddhist shrine of Bhamian in
Kushan. We know from other sources that
Buddhists had brought Vedic astrology
here from India centuries earlier. We also
know that Vedic astrology was a fullydeveloped system centuries before
medieval times, and many of the texts of
Jyotish include Tadzhik or Persian
astrology techniques.
I do not think Al-Mansur’s astrologers
used “Hellenistic” astrology, the astrology of the Greco-Roman world, for several
reasons. First, the major books were not
translated from Greek into Arabic until a
generation later when the House of
Wisdom was established in Baghdad for
the purposes of translation. Second, the
Abbasids had just finished conquering the
Ummayyad dynasty based in Damascus. It
is unlikely they would have trusted such a
vital mission to an astrologer outside their
inner circle; we are aware right now of the
deep divides in Islam between the Sunnis
and the Shiites, and the divisions were even
more raw in the 8th century: Damascus was
Sunni and the Persians were Shiite.
With this in mind, I decided to see how
this chart works as a Vedic muhurta chart,
particularly in regards to some of the more
specifically Indian features of the
panchanga (almanac) including the
Nakshatras (lunar mansions)and Tithis
(lunar days). The results are astonishing.
If you are a casual reader or beginning
astrologer, please be assured that I will be
following the policy of the sages in
putting the most basic and important
material at the beginning. If you find later
in the article you are into deeper or more
complex waters, enjoy the experience and
know that you have already grasped some
of the key elements.
page 11
Jupiter in the Lagna (Ascendant)
in Sagittarius in Mula Nakshatra.
(To the right, the birth chart of Baghdad
drawn for July 31, 762 CE, 15:00 LMT,
33N21, 44E25, is a reproduction of a
diagram from Al-Biruni. Below that are
the North and South Indian Charts
courtesy of Parasara’s Light 8.0, drawn
for the same time and date, which placed
all the planets in the signs indicated by
al-Biruni, though the degree of longitude
differed.-Ed.)
In the birth chart of Baghdad as in the
chart of an individual we will start with the
Lagna (the Ascendant). Jupiter is close to
the Eastern horizon in the sign of Sagittarius, and like the sages we can consider
that “Jupiter in the Lagna overcomes all
evils.” This is especially true as it is in its
own sign of Sagittarius and in a
particularly auspicious Moolatrikona
degree, and retrograde in motion, which
increases its power. (The Moolatrikona is
a portion of the sign in which a planet is
especially strong. Jupiter’s Moolatrikona
is 1°-10° Sagittarius-Ed.) The character of
this chart is one of confidence, optimism,
belief in rule of law and religion (dharma),
a love of learning, and leadership; the
image of Sagittarius, the archer astride a
horse, evokes an image of a military elite
with superior weaponry.
Jupiter alone in Moolatrikona in an angle
of the chart (1st, 4th, 7th, or 10th) meets
the criteria for Hamsa Yoga, one of the
Pancha Mahapurusa or “great person”
combinations: according to Phaladipika
by Mantresvara, the Hamsa Yoga person
will be like a king extolled by the good,
and of righteous disposition. The power
of the Yoga is increased by the fact that
Venus, a benefic planet, is opposite in the
7th house; in the chart of a man, it would
seem to promise a beautiful, cultured wife.
For a city, it indicates culture, prosperity,
and beauty, all of which Baghdad acquired
in due time. It is also interesting to me that
the Nakshatra for both Jupiter and the
Lagna is Mula, a powerful nakshatra
related to occult power.
This chart comes from Al-Biruni, The Chronology of Ancient Nations, tr. C. Edward
Schau, London, 1879, republished Frankfurt/Main: Minerva Verlag, GMBH, 1984,
p. 263. Note that Jupiter does not have degrees, and Saturn is missing.
North Indian Chart
South Indian chart.
These two charts are drawn for founding of Baghdad, July 31, 762 CE, 15:00 LMT,
Baghdad Iraq, 33N20, 44E24. They are calculated by Parasara’s Light 8.0 Software.
page 12
Moon in Libra and Swati
Nakshatra in the 11th House.
This 11th house Moon indicates gains
from commerce, alliances, friendships and
culture. Libra is a cultured sign, ruled by
Venus, which is in the 7th house in Gemini.
I think the astrologers were hoping for
prosperity through this placement! One
less than wonderful thing is the fact that
Saturn is opposite the Moon in the 5th
house in Aries. Moon-Saturn combinations bring a serious nature and sometimes depression or emotional loss. I think
they had to compromise and accept
Saturn opposite Moon in order to get
other things they wanted in the chart. To
avoid the opposition they would have had
to go with a Moon either in Virgo, in
which case Mars would have still been in
Taurus in the 6th house of enemies; or if
they went a day or two later with Moon in
Scorpio, the Moon would have been in
the harmful 12th house. So I think they
compromised.
Now if we use the Moon as the Lagna, a
common practice in Vedic astrology,
Saturn's location in the 7th from the Moon
would indicate stable, loyal allies. From
the Chandra or Moon Lagna, Mars and
Venus are in the auspicious 9th house of
dharma, where they would promote
culture and prosperity, and the Sun is in
the 11th house of gains. I will discuss the
Moon’s Nakshatra in more detail below.
Sun in Leo and Magha Nakshatra
in the 9th House.
The Sun is in its own sign of Leo in an
auspicious Moolatrikona degree and in
the auspicious 9th house of dharma,
culture, and rule of law. The Sun is in the
Nakshatra of Magha, associated with the
bright star Regulus, a traditional symbol
of royalty. The Sun in a city chart indicates the head of state, in this case the
Caliph, so of course he wanted a strong
Sun in the chart! Many inauguration
charts are set for noon with the Sun in the
10th house, so why did the astrologers go
for a 9th house Sun? I think it was a
conscious choice because it also allowed
for Jupiter to be in the Lagna. I can
imagine the astrologers conferring about
how fortunate it was to have both Jupiter
and Sun in their own signs, and I can
imagine they built the chart around these
two planets. In any case, we know that the
Abbasid dynasty
became powerful
patrons of 9th house
matters of religion, art,
science and commerce
in Baghdad.
Venus in Gemini
in the 7th House.
The power of Jupiter
in the Lagna is
increased by the fact
that Venus, a benefic
planet, is opposite in
the 7th house; in the chart of a man, it
would seem to promise a beautiful,
cultured wife. For a city, it indicates
culture, prosperity and beauty, all of
which Baghdad acquired in due time.
Mars in Gemini in the 7th House.
Mars, a malefic planet, is in the 7th house
opposite Jupiter, diminishing somewhat
the power of Jupiter as a Hamsa Yoga.
Why would the astrologers have chosen
this? If you look at the chart, you will see
that Mars has just entered the sign of
Gemini. In fact, when I fooled around with
the dates on my Parasara’s Light astrology software, I found it had entered Gemini that very day, so they seem to have
had a good reason for this. For one thing,
Mars is the ruler of Aries, the benefic 5th
house of offspring, and it is a planetary
“friend” of Jupiter. Traditionally a strong
relationship between Mars and Jupiter in a
birth chart is fortunate for the mother, or in
the case of a city, for the health of its citizens. Mars and Jupiter in aspect to each
other would bolster the military defenses
of the new city; the city was begun in the
heat of summer when brick walls could be
rapidly built before the rainy season. AlMansur had just secured a victory but he
had every reason to fear a counter-attack by
the Arabs to the west; in fact he survived an
Arab coup just two months later.
I think the astrologers preferred Mars at a
weak spot of Sandhi (within a degree of
the cusp of two signs) but in aspect to the
benefic Jupiter and conjoined with kind
Venus. Their other choice was a Mars in
the 6th house of enemies where it would
make a 1:4 aspect to the Sun in Leo and a
1:8 aspect to Jupiter but would receive no
good aspects. We have to have malefics
somewhere and I think this is the choice
they made.
In Jyotish, the presence of a lot of planets
in angles and trines (the Kendra and Kona
houses) strengthens the chart. What do
we have here: Jupiter is in the lagna,
Saturn is in the 5th (a trine), Mars and
Venus in the 7th (a kendra or angle), Sun
is in the 9th (a trine). Note that since
Jupiter is the 4th house ruler and Mars is
the 5th house ruler, their prominent
association is a Raja Yoga; so is the
combination of Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn all
in fire signs in the 1st, 5th and 9th houses.
Mercury and Ketu in Cancer in
the 8th House.
Mercury is an important planet as the ruler
of the 7th house Gemini and the 10th
house Virgo. It is unfortunately in the
malefic 8th house but there are mitigating
factors. Mercury is retrograde which
strengthens it, and it is in Cancer, ruled by
the Moon. Also, from the point of view of
the Chandra Lagna (the Moon), Mercury
is in the 10th house of power. Mercury
and Ketu conjoined in the 8th might result
in occult and technical breakthroughs,
which in fact did happen through the
House of Wisdom.
Saturn in Aries in the 5th House.
Saturn is in its debilitation sign of Aries,
where it can be rigid and domineering. The
5th house of pleasures would be damped
down somewhat, though this is mitigated
by an aspect from benefic Jupiter and
opposition to the cultured Libra Moon.
Al-Mansur was a tall, thin man of spartan
habits who preferred to wear black and
personally led Friday prayers—I think he
would not have felt out of place among
the ayatollahs of Khomeini’s Iran. However much we romanticize medieval
Baghdad, the fact remains that rigid
control descended from the Caliph and
page 13
that the rewriting of history and culture
would be ultimately in the service of
Abbasid interests.
Moon’s Nakshatra in Swati or
Vishakha. In the original document the
Moon was at 19° Libra 10’, which would
have placed it in the Nakshatra Swati, but
it is impossible to exactly duplicate this old
chart on the software. I am choosing to
interpret the Moon based on Al-Biruni's
text and treat it as a Swati Moon. Now
remember that the Nakshatras predated the
12-sign Zodiac in India and the division of
the Nakshatras into equal units of 13° 20’
of longitude was a part of astrology
practice at the time. I think it is revealing
that the chart in Al-Biruni's book includes
the degrees and minutes of longitude for
Sun, Moon, Mars, Venus and Mercury—it
makes me think they were paying attention
to Nakshatras or else to the Islamic
equivalent, the Mansions of the Moon.
Selecting Baghdad Date and Time.
The Panchanga refers to the traditional
almanac in which a number of different
factors listed there add up to selecting an
appropriate day for certain activities. How
does this chart come out using the five
aspects of the Panchanga? First we look at
the nakshatra. Let us accept the record of
Al-Biruni that the Moon was in Swati,
good for auspicious activities and construction of religious buildings, and
associated with the bright star Arcturus. In
the Arabic lunar mansions this star is AlDimak, lucky for digging. The 2nd element
is the tithi or lunar day of the lunar month,
which would have been Shukla Shasthi,
the 6th lunar waxing day, lucky for
construction and land rites.
The dina or day of the week is tricky. According to the software, July 31, 762 CE
was a Saturday; I suspect that calendar
calculations for lunar months being
difficult to translate, that the event
probably took place on a Friday, which
would have allowed time for noon prayers
and a sermon prior to the commencement
of building. The actual work could have
begun on Saturday, the first day of the
work week. Karana (half lunar day) is
trickier but I think it may have been Taitila,
(donkey) associated with an even disposition and strong constitution. The nitya
yoga (particular sun-moon angle), again
more speculative, might have been Shukla,
and favorable time associated with
Rohini, the exalted Moon. Overall this
would be a great muhurta, or moment, to
pick to begin construction.
Nakshatras and Dashas. The
Moon’s Nakshatra for a birth chart is
used to calculate the dashas which are
used for timing. In the most commonly
used system, the Vimshottari Dashas,
each Nakshatra is associated with one of
the nine planets (counting Rahu and
Ketu) and each is assigned a certain
number of years adding up to 120. There
are a number of different dashas and
ways to calculate them, but I will just refer
to this one system. At the commencement
of Baghdad we are told the Moon was at
19° Libra 10’, which is near the end of
Swati Nakshatra. The ruling planet is
Rahu; in this chart I found that six weeks
later the period of Rahu would have
ended and the city came under the
domain of Jupiter for the next 16 years.
Since Jupiter is in the best possible
condition in the chart, the astrologers
would hope for good fortune in those
years. In the historical record, we know
that Al-Mansur survived an attempted
coup on September 23, 762, just as the
city entered the domain of Jupiter as
dasha lord, but after the crisis the city
grew and prospered.
Baghdad in 2015. A look at other
events in Baghdad over the centuries is
beyond the scope of this essay, but like
all of us I remain concerned for the
welfare of the millions affected by the
current turmoil in the Middle East. The
city of Baghdad is currently in the
Mahadasha of Mercury, a 17-year cycle
which began in 1998 based on my
calculations using Lahiri Ayanamsa.
Baghdad is now at the very end of
Mercury, and the 7-year Ketu Mahadasha
begins in September of 2015. Both
Mercury and Ketu are in the 8th house of
the birth chart of the city, an apt metaphor
for the agonies of the past decade and a
half. Ketu is often associated with loss
and dissolution, but it is important to
remember that the cycle repeats every 120
years and Baghdad has survived this
phase at least 10 times in the past.
The transiting Uranus-Pluto square has
been active in this chart because Pluto
has been transiting through the Lagna of
Baghdad’s chart for years, and Uranus is
currently in Pisces in the 4th house.The
upcoming Solar eclipse on March 20 will
be in the 4th house of this chart, along
with Venus and Mars who recently made
an exact conjunction. Lots of drama!
Transiting Jupiter has been in Cancer in
the 8th house of the chart, but will enter
the favorable 9th house of Leo in June
2015, offering some protection. Saturn is
currently in Scorpio in the 12th house of
the chart, having just finished passing
through Libra where the Moon is located:
this is the Sadi-Sati, when the Moon
transits the sign before, of, and after the
Moon, and which causes a seven year
cycle of loss. From the point of view of
Baghdad, Sadi-Sati will end in another two
years.
Let us all give heartfelt prayers for those
affected in Baghdad and surrounding
regions, and remember a time many
centuries ago when people of many
religions and cultures came together there
in peace, where scholars preserved and
translated ancient knowledge upon which
the rebirth of Western Civilization depended, and where astrology held a place
of honor.
(This article is a condensed version of an
essay produced as part of the MA in
Cultural Cosmology at Kepler College of
Lynnwood, Washington. A complete copy
is available from the author upon
request.)
Bibliography
Al-Biruni, The Chronology of Ancient
Nations, tr. C. Edward Schau, London,
1879, republished Frankfurt/Main: Minerva Verlag, GMBH, 1984, pp 258-263. An
illustration of the chart appears on p 263.
Bhat, M. Ramakrishna, tr., Varahamihira's Brhat Samhita, Delhi: Motilal
Banarsidass, 1981, 2 vols. In his introduction, Bhat states without reference that “it
is also held that Varaha visited the Yavana
country, and according to Persian tradition translated the Panchatantra into the
Pahlavi language at the instance (sic) of
the then king of Persia (532-576 AD).”
Kennedy, Hugh, When Baghdad ruled
the Muslim World, DeCapo, 2005, USA;
first published as The Court of the
Caliphs, Weidenfield & Nicholson, UK,
2004.
Pearl, Jonathan, “The City of Baghdad: A
page 14
Curious Astrological Election,”
Geocosmic Journal, Autumn, 2006, pp.
64-66. Pearl cited the text of Abu ali AlKhayat, “The Judgments of Nativities.”
Al-Khayyat was a student of Masha'allah,
but the text does not address horary or
electional astrology.
Pingree, David, “Astronomy and
Astrology in India and Iran,” Isis, Vol. 54,
No. 2, (June 1963), pp. 229-246.
Pingree, David, “The Fragments of the
Works of Al-Fazari,” Journal of Near
Eastern Studies, Vol. 29, No. 2 (Apr. 1970),
pp. 103-123. Pingree cites Al Ya'qubi,
“Kitab al-buldan,” p. 238 regarding the
names of the astrologers and their origins:
all were from Persia, including
Masha'allah from Basra.
Raman, B. V., Muhurtha, New Delhi:
UBSPD, 1993, Chapter 2. His method,
based on the classics, is followed by
many contemporary Vedic astrologers.
Sutton, Komilla, Personal Panchanga
and the Five Sources of Light,
Bournemouth: Wessex Astrologer, 2007.
LYNN BOOTES is a Vedic Astrologer in
Tulsa, Oklahoma. After decades of
interest in Western Astrology, she
attended classes through ACVA (American College of Vedic Astrology) in 20062010, and received its Level II Certification in 2011. She also completed an AA
and an MA degree in the history of
astrology through Kepler College in
2012. Her thesis: “A Cross-cultural
History of the Planetary Astrological
Remedy,” is available from the author.
Lynn can be contacted at
lynn.bootes@att.net.
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Astrological Consulting
by Joan Negus
(To complement the Saturn Retrograde MP3
sale [see p. 15] honoring our astrology mentors, we present this 1989 article by Joan
Negus, which still stands the test of time.)
A
STROLOGY CAN BE A VERY EFFECTIVE
adjunct to psychotherapy, as Carl
Gustav Jung noted when he said
“...there is a definite connection between
the individual psyche and the world. When
I find it difficult for me to classify a patient, I
always send him off to have a horoscope
made. This horoscope always corresponds to
his character, and I interpret it psychologically.” (Miguel Serrano, C.G. Jung and
Hermann Hesse: A Record of Two Friendships. New York: Schocken Books, 1966, p.
88.) But just as the psychological counselor
can operate successfully without astrology,
the consulting astrologer without psychological training can play an important role in
helping people.
quickly see potential problems in the
horoscope and therefore has possibilities
to investigate before the client says anything.
Although the astrologer usually can get to the
root of a problem more quickly than a psychologist or psychiatrist who does not use
astrology, there are a few words of warning.
Astrologers without psychological training
should avoid dealing with individuals who
have severe psychological problems.
The reason for this is twofold. First of all,
you can be so direct, because of indications
in the birthchart, that something said can
trigger violence in the client or in some way
cause psychological damage. And secondly,
if trouble should arise that might require
medical or legal attention, most astrologers
would not have the credentials to influence
the authorities. To give you an example of
what I mean—a few years ago a woman
called me to ask that I do readings for a
friend of hers and the other woman’s son.
She felt that it would be good if these two
Counseling/Consulting Defined
better understood themselves and each
One distinction between the two fields is
immediately suggested in the words “coun- other. She then went on to tell me that this 15
year old boy had just been released from an
seling” and “consulting.” Counseling
institution where he had spent a year
elicits the idea of something that is ongobecause he had tried to kill his mother with a
ing, while a consultant is thought of as
knife. My answer was that I would not do
someone who comes in once (or once in a
while), makes an evaluation and leaves. It is the readings, and I suggested that she find
them a psychiatrist. Then, if such difficulties
virtually impossible for a psychological
were to arise again, the psychiatrist could
counselor who does not use astrology to
evaluate completely the condition of a patient call the authorities. I doubted that the police
in one meeting. The counselor has to wait for would listen to the boy’s astrologer.
the patient to at least give clues, as to what is
The consulting astrologer should not hesibothering him or her before even a tentative
tate to send a potentially psychotic client to
diagnosis can be made. And often problems
are either buried in the subconscious; or they a psychiatrist. It is not difficult to recognize
someone who is mentally ill, but you might
are so emotionally charged that they are
talk to a psychiatrist or read a book on the
difficult to discuss.
subject, that could help you to identify
symptoms if you feel insecure about it. You
Whichever the case, the patient does not
usually walk into the therapist’s office and can even refer clients who are not psychotic.
Just because you can identify a problem
say “This is my problem and what are we
does not mean that you can successfully
going to do about it?” Therefore, a great
deal of talking may have to be done before treat it; and you are not a failure if you refer
this person to someone who can.
relevant issues come to the surface.
Know When to Make a Referral
The Consultant’s Role
The consulting astrologer, on the other
hand, as implied in Jung’s quote, can
Yet an astrologer can play a definite and
constructive role in the lives of others. I
page 15
believe that the main function of a
consulting astrologer is to help individuals understand and accept themselves,
and make the most of their life conditions.
The astrologer need not see the client on
a weekly basis. Personally, I suggest to
my clients that they come every six
months. In times of crisis it might be more
frequent. However, two visits a year are
usually enough to help them stay on
course; yet not enough to make them
overly dependent on me. The idea is to
help them handle their own lives.
described in the horoscope. If you try to
do this it could lead to frustration and
possibly serious problems.
Saturn Retrograde MP3 Sale
In the natal delineation the astrologer
should also cover potential dilemmas and
possible problems (along with ways of
dealing with them). The client must
recognize seemingly contradictory
tendencies in the chart and understand
that they all must be accommodated.
Otherwise the individual can become
fragmented and feel unfulfilled.
Whether you consider Saturn a friend, a
mentor, or the planet you're most likely
to hide from when it shows up, it goes
retrograde on March 15. In honor of Saturn changing its status, we've dug back
in our time vault to come up with some
enlightening lecture mp3s from some
of the people whose astrological knowledge, wisdom, and experience have
helped to make NCGR the leading organization that it is today.
Some astrologers ask for case histories
before they see a client, and this is one
way to determine if you can help the
individual. But personally, I prefer to know
nothing until I meet with the client.
Although we are dealing with general
principles and without input from the
client you cannot be sure how that person
has specifically manifested the various
factors in the horoscope, knowing too
much can prejudice your findings. It can
even send you in the wrong direction
because sometimes the client can be
intentionally or unintentionally misleading
and/or downright dishonest. Besides, I
want to reveal some little fact to the
individual about how he or she operates
before I am told anything. In that way I
begin to build confidence. In other words,
if I make a valid statement at the start of
the session, the client is likely to place
more stock in what I subsequently say.
Also, the less you know about the person
in advance, the more questions you can
ask during the session. This gets the
client involved in the reading. And the
greater the active participation, the more
likely the information given will be used.
For example, the native might have the
freedom-responsibility dilemma—needing
to have obligations but also needing a
degree of independence. This might
manifest first in doing only your duty and
feeling trapped. So then you might rid
yourself of all responsibilities and be free,
but feel guilty. You must accept each as
part of your life and make use of both
tendencies. You could, for instance, take
on responsibilities in one segment of your
life and be independent in another; or
determine your obligations and fulfill them
as quickly as possible so that you have
time to do your own thing.
In interpreting a natal chart the astrologer
will undoubtedly tell the client facts that
the person already knows. This is to be
expected if the horoscope is a valid tool.
But you can also reinforce facts that the
client thought might be true, and perhaps
add one or two potential assets that have
not been tapped as yet.
The astrologer should start with an
overview of the individual. What is most
crucial is to know how the native perceives the world and basically operates
within it. This is essential if you are going
to help the client, because you cannot
turn a person into someone who is not
As for potential problems in the horoscope which are frequently seen through
aspects and major configurations, it
should be remembered that we are dealing
with general principles—not specifics—
and that there are always positive ways of
utilizing potentially difficult combinations.
It is best to present both positive and
negative alternatives. If you were to
present only the positive side, the client
could be confused and overwhelmed
should the negative emerge. And if you
were only to present the negative side the
client could become discouraged and not
even try to improve situations. For example, someone with Saturn square Venus
could feel frustrated in love, or might find
security with an older and/or responsible
partner. So if you have been locked in an
unhappy romance, isn’t it nice to know
that it is possible to change the situation?
• Charles Emerson.
Magic Squares
• Marion March. Transits
• Nancy Hastings. Progressions
• Joan Negus.
Solar and Lunar Returns
• Sophia Mason.
Angular Planets
• Robert Hand.
Qualities and Elements
• Mary Downing. Event Astrology
Classic lectures from great astrologers
past and present that remind us of
Saturn's role as founder, teacher, and
mentor are on sale in the NCGR store.
Saturn will be retrograde for a good long
while, slow-mover that it is, so don't dally!
Click here to get yours now, as this sale
ends at midnight on April 15, 2015!
judgmental ideas to yourself.
2. Give alternatives wherever possible
and allow clients to make their own
decisions.
3. Never tell clients that their situation is
hopeless, because there is always
something that can be done.
4. Try to involve the client in the reading
instead of just delivering a monolog.
5. Attempt to give the client at least one
piece of information for better selfunderstanding and/or some new way to
develop a facet of the personality to
improve the quality of life.
Rules for Chart Delineation
Whatever route you take in delineating a
chart, there should be a few rules that you
keep in mind. The ones that I teach my
students and try to follow myself are:
1. Work within the framework of the
horoscope in question, and keep your
How to Help Clients to Make the
Most of their Transits
But the astrologer can do more than just
describe character. Although there are
many choices that can be made, your free
will is not limitless. You must operate
page 16
within the parameters of your natal chart.
The world is stopped at the moment of
birth and your character is described
through the picture that is formed in the
sky at that time. The horoscope is static.
But life is dynamic and as new circumstances come to you, you may be called
upon to develop some segment of your
horoscope in a new way. In astrology we
have a number of techniques that can assist
you in this process. I use several of these in
my practice, but the one I find most valuable
is transits. If you think of transiting planets
as energies available to you at particular
times, and the planets and points being
aspected by the transiting planets, as what
you should be working on in your life, it is
fairly easy to work up a game plan.
Unfortunately, human beings frequently
resist change. We seem to prefer to stay
with even unpleasant conditions because
we are accustomed to coping with them;
rather than reaching for the unknown
because we aren’t sure of what this will
bring. And all too often astrologers feed
on this fear in people. Clients are told
such things as “You’d better stay away
from emotional situations for the next
month because transiting Saturn is
opposing your Moon.” That is a non-use
or avoidance of transits.
Now, I do not believe you should tell a
client that assuredly the emotional life will
be harmonious and fulfilling during that
time, but you could say that it would be a
good time to clarify and crystallize
feelings. If you try to avoid emotional
situations, they will probably find you and
then possibly you will feel frustrated and
depressed because the circumstances are
not of your choosing. And this, of course,
is also a possible manifestation of
transiting Saturn opposition natal Moon.
What better time is there in which to
examine your feelings than a Saturn to
Moon aspect? You certainly would not
see matters as clearly with fluctuating
Uranus, nor does the “Great Benefic”
Jupiter guarantee crystallization. Just as
you cannot change basic character, you
also cannot alter the qualities associated
with the planets. By knowing both
positive and negative principles of the
planets you can deal with situations more
rationally as they arise. Even when
extremely difficult circumstances appear,
you could find yourself calmly thinking,
“Oh, that’s what that Neptune conjunct my
MC is all about.” And then you can, just as
calmly, set about trying to use that Neptune
more constructively. So it is better to prepare
a client for various alternatives rather than
advise him or her to crawl into a hole.
Because we all tend to resist change,
however, clients sometimes welcome the
advice to avoid action. It gives them an
excuse not to do anything. But this rarely
solves problems. Ignoring difficulties
does not usually make them go away. But
there is a middle road between drastic
action and doing nothing. And that is to
take some small action which can lead to
gradual, meaningful movement. You can
initially express qualities associated with the
planets in a non-threatening way. I call these
“alchemical rituals” because you are
redirecting energies ascribed to the planets
without “rocking the boat.” You can, for
instance, counterbalance the potential
depression of Saturn by making lists of
tasks that must be accomplished. Then you
can cross them off as you complete them.
As ridiculous as this may sound it frequently works. If nothing else, it gives you something to do instead of just sitting around
wallowing. But it really does more than this.
Psychologically you are realizing that you
are not totally helpless and the more favorable the results you see the more you can
accomplish. Most of my ideas on alchemical
rituals have come from clients and students
who have made them work. There are a number of different possibilities on each planet
which can be found in my book AstroAlchemy: Making the Most of your Transits.
Astrologers are Not Miracle
Workers!
Even with all these tools, however, no
astrologer that I know of can boast of
100% success. Because no matter how
good you are at practicing your craft, the
most important ingredient in the process
is that the client must be ready to hear and
make use of what you say. And this is not
always the case. In fact, because our techniques offer shortcuts to the more conventional psychological diagnosis, we also
have a decided disadvantage over psychiatrists and psychologists. This disadvantage is that we are often expected to perform
miracles. The attitude is that since astrologers can see the problems quickly, they are
supposed to wave a magic wand and make
them go away.
Responsibility: The Astrologer’s
and the Client’s
What is frequently not understood by
some astrologers as well as many clients,
is that the purpose of astrology is to help
the individual be in charge of his or her
own life. Even when people profess to be
at the end of their rope and will do anything to change their situation, emotionally they may not be ready. They must be
prepared to take responsibility for the results of their actions no matter what the
results may be. I remember one client who
came to me and asked, “What will happen if I
give my boyfriend an ultimatum to marry me or
leave?” My answer was, “I could take a guess,
and I even have a 50-50 chance of being right
(with astrology I might even have a 75-25
chance of being right); but if I am wrong you
have to live with it, I don’t.” She didn’t ask
again, and I never saw her after that session.
What I try to do with clients is discuss as
many alternatives as possible and let them
consider what road they can best live
with. Sometimes no matter what you say,
people are not ready to act. When I first
began consulting I was very sad when
clients left and I knew, that despite all the
wonderful information I had given them,
they were not going to try to improve their
lives. But I now take some consolation in
knowing that at least the seeds have been
planted, and someday they may be
utilized. In the meantime I will keep
looking for that way to wave the magic
wand to motivate people to take
advantage of their assets before serious
trauma enters their lives. If we are mindful
of our alternatives and consciously work
toward our potential, this may be possible.
(This article first appeared in the Summer
1989 issue of the NCGR Journal.)
JOAN NEGUS (1930-1997) was a
professional teacher, lecturer, and
consultant in astrology. She was the author
of Basic Astrology: A Guide for Teachers
and Students; Basic Astrology: A
Workbook for Students; Cosmic Combinations; and Astro-Alchemy: Making the
Most of Your Transits. As NCGR Education
Director, Joan led the development of the
four-level curriculum, testing, and
certification program. She and her
husband, Ken Negus, co-founded the
Astrological Society of Princeton, which is
still going strong.
page 17
Astrology in the
Real World
by Nina Gryphon
A column devoted to showing applications of astrology to various current
events and matters of general interest.
Planets and Angles Changing
Terms
W
HEN PLANETS OR ANGLES CHANGE
terms by primary direction or
secondary progressions, the
related areas of our lives change, often
quite dramatically. The terms provide a
handy way to subdivide our lives into
shorter “chapters” or episodes, which is
often the way we think about our life
histories. This article will teach you how
to use this ancient concept to predict the
changes in your own life.
Egyptian Dignities
A Short Introduction to the Terms
The terms (or bounds, as they are sometimes called) are subdivisions of each
zodiac sign ruled by a planet. For example,
the first six degrees of Aries are ruled by
Jupiter, the next six by Venus, and so
forth. There are several systems of
terms and most astrologers today use
either the Ptolemaic or Egyptian terms. I use
the Egyptian terms in my practice. The table
of Egyptian dignities (see above) can be
found in “Understanding Planetary Dignity
and Debility” by Deborah Houlding
(www.skyscript.co.uk/dig3.html).
As we watch planets and angles move
through the zodiac by primary motion or
secondary progressions, they will slowly
traverse the signs. However, it takes planets
a long time to change signs, so if we want to
divide the life into shorter intervals than a
change of sign once or twice in a lifetime,
the terms become very useful.
The terms are interesting in that they are
unequal divisions of a sign. For example,
Ptolemaic Dignities
the first 12 degrees of Sagittarius are ruled
by Jupiter, followed by Venus ruling the
next five degrees, then Mercury ruling the
next four degrees. The one consistent
pattern across the terms is that the last
term in each sign is always ruled by Mars
or Saturn, known as the malefic planets.
This is one reason why in traditional
astrology, planets in the last few degrees
of a sign are inauspicious.
The Ptolemaic terms are first given by
Ptolemy in his Tetrabiblos, and according
to him, come from an ancient book he
encountered while researching his
astrological tome. They were used by
many well-known later astrologers, such
as Guido Bonatti and William Lilly.
Ptolemy also provides the Egyptian terms,
which appear to have been more commonly
used in ancient times. The table of Ptolemaic
dignities (see above) can be found on
another page of Deborah Houlding’s article
cited above, and the terms are in the fifth
column labeled “Terms”
( www.skyscript.co.uk/dig2.html).
Most astrologers who use terms have
their favorite system, and each side has its
adherents. To find the system that most
resonates with you, I suggest you
examine the significance of the terms in
the natal and progressed horoscopes for
you and people you know.
The Terms in Practice
For client consultations, we can watch the
changes that the planets undergo to get a
page 18
quick understanding of the client’s current
state of affairs and the likely change.
An example of a planet changing terms is
when the progressed Sun moves from the
term of Jupiter into the term of Saturn. All
Sun-related matters lose their Jovial tinge
and become rather more Saturnine. If the
natal Sun rules the 10th house, the tenor
of one’s career changes; if the 5th house,
there are changes to the children’s lives.
The Sun also rules one’s vitality and
status, so these areas of the life would
also be transformed for better or worse.
If a client is unhappy with his or her
turbulent love life, and we see that the
secondary progressed ruler of the 7th
house of partnerships is currently in the
term of Mars, we can confirm the client’s
feelings and reassure them it is temporary.
In a few years’ time, the progressed
significator will have moved out of the
term of Mars and the relationship drama
will subside.
To get started with watching the planets
and angles change terms, choose your
preferred system. Review your secondary
progressed horoscope or primary directions and check each planet’s and angle’s
current term ruler. Then note when each
planet or angle moved into its current
term, as well as the past term ruler, and the
date when each point is due to move into
the next term.
When planets are in terms of Mars or
Saturn, they portend a difficult time, while
the terms of Venus or Jupiter promise
greater ease. Keep a journal of when a
planet entered and exited a given term,
and you are guaranteed to find fascinating
correspondences in your life history! In
my experience, it can take up to a year
after the progressed term change to see a
big difference in that area of one’s life.
Periods when many planets and angles are
changing terms (or even signs, since a
change in sign also means a change in
terms) indicate personal epochs of
intense transformation.
William Lilly’s Book III of Christian
Astrology, published 1647 in London,
delineates the meaning of key planets and
angles as they are directed by primary
motion into various terms. These
delineations also work for the secondary
progressed points. For the Moon in the
terms of Saturn, Lilly writes:
“It fills the native’s fancy with fear,
horror, dread, sorrowful cogitations,
and afflicts his Body with one grievous
melancholy Disease or other, according
to the nature of the Sign this Term falls
in; the temperature varies from its
former condition, and the Body
becomes more dry, the Native more
careful and pensive,” (p. 693) while the
Moon in the terms of Jupiter brings
“alacrity of mind, and health of Body,
shows the Complexion [NG: the health]
of the Native good, and his Estate [NG:
wealth or income] to come in with little
labour; willing to serve great Ladies in
all their commands.” (p. 694)
I first became aware of the importance of
term changes a few years ago when my
secondary progressed Ascendant entered
a new sign (an important life marker all by
itself). Until the change of sign, the
progressed Ascendant spent many years
plodding through the terms of the
traditional malefic planets. With the sign
change, the Ascendant progressed into
the term of Jupiter, the Great Benefic. My
life and perspective improved quite a bit
around that time. The atmosphere became
more open, free-wheeling, and full of
adventure.
Term changes are also very powerful in
mundane horoscopes. The United
States’ secondary progressed Sun in
Sagittarius entered the term of Mars six
weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbor, and
drew the country into a long Martial
involvement in World War II. In 1945, the
progressed Sun left the term of warlike Mars
and entered the comparatively peaceful term
of Mercury. The god of war had ceded the
stage to the god of business.
As of this writing, the U.S. progressed
Sun is in the terms of Venus, which it had
entered in 2004. It will leave the term of
Venus and enter the term of Jupiter in
October 2016, just in time for the Presidential election and undoubtedly a new era.
NINA GRYPHON is a practicing
astrologer and corporate lawyer living
in Kennewick, Washington, with her
husband, Robert. Her predictions have
appeared in major publications, and she
has been interviewed on radio and CNNHLN. Nina received her JD, and MA/BA
from Stanford University, completed John
Frawley’s Horary Apprenticeship, and
studied with Deborah Houlding, a leading
traditional astrologer. She practices
traditional astrology, specializing in
personal, financial, and political
forecasting. Nina has given lectures and
workshops on practical uses of traditional
astrology, including electing favorable
times, financial analysis, and dream
interpretation. She has been seeing clients
for the last decade, writing articles for
astrological publications and the Gryphon
Astrology Blog, and teaching. Nina is the
NCGR Membership Director, and can be
reached through gryphonastrology.com.
Mental Agility
An active brain is key to maintaining
an agile mind. Lucky for us that
NCGR encourages astrologers to
become adept at calculating charts:
natal charts, secondary progressions, solar arc directions, solar
returns, charts for anytime and
anywhere. Once you learn to set
them up, they’ll serve as great
exercises for your grey matter. Then
when your hair has gone grey you
can sit for 20 minutes a day setting
up a chart to make sure your brain
functioning stays fresh. This is one
more ben efit you’ll get from certification.
Mark Wolz
page 19
NCGR News
Around the Board
Report on the Minutes of the
NCGR National Board of Directors
Meeting and Board Reports
February 15, 2015
T
he meeting was called to order by
John Marchesella. Present: Patricia Buckley, Judy Johnson
(morning), Joyce Levine, Jagdish
Maheshri, John Marchesella, Christeen
Skinner (morning), Jackie Slevin, Kyle
Ukes, Leigh Westin, Linda Wilk. Staff
present: Ronnie Dreyer, Kenneth Irving,
Liane Thomas Wade.
Approval of minutes. The Board votes to
approve the minutes of the last board
meeting.
Chair's Report. John Marchesella.
The Hyatt Regency in Baltimore was
chosen for NCGR’s next conference,
which is to be held President’s Day
weekend, Friday February 16 to Monday,
February 20, 2017. It’s just across the
street from the waterfront with all the
restaurants that many of us might remember from the last conference in that city, as
well as the Aquarium and now they have a
skating rink too. The entire hotel is being
renovated in 2015, so it should be brand
new for us in 2017. All the lecture rooms
are on one floor along with a large open
space for registration. Wifi is free through
the hotel for guests as well as vendors.
The room rate is $129. And they are very
willing to work with our needs. We’re just
10 miles from BWI and a short cab ride (or
Light Rail) from the train station. Rita
Chabot from South Carolina is taking over
E-news Commentary. In early March there
will be a special sale of MP3s. In honor of
the Saturn station we will do a sale
honoring our forefathers: Mary Downing,
Joan Negus, Joanna Shannon, etc.
Clerk's Report. Joyce Levine. Linda
Fei was the Nominating Chair for elections. She sent out and counted, along
with Heather Roan Robbins, the mailed in
ballots. David Perloff sent out the
Monkey Survey ballots. Joyce Levine
and Judy Johnson were re-elected. The
results are as follows: 218 ballots were
received by email, 10 by mail. Votes for
Clerk: Joyce Levine 226, Write In Candidates: Bruce Scofield. Votes for Director:
Judy Johnson, 144, Kate Plumb 76. Write
In Candidate: Michael Lieberman.
The ballot question regarding the Bylaw
change was carried by a vote of 183 to 44.
The following is the Bylaw as now written,
with the change underlined: The Elective
Board of NCGR shall be a Chair (or,
President), Clerk (or Secretary), Treasurer,
and the four popularly elected Directors.
These persons shall be elected by the
membership to serve for three year terms.
The Chair shall serve no more than
two consecutive terms. However, with the
express permission of the elected Board of
Directors, the Chair may serve a third term,
if elected. This Elective Board shall
nominate and approve the appointed
members of the Board for one year terms
to begin at the Annual meeting.
Education Report. Jackie Slevin. Classes
for Levels I and II are up and running.
Instructor Meira Epstein is traveling to the
Thailand chapter in March to teach Levels
1 and II and administer testing to the Thai
chapter, who has a great deal of interest in
our Education program. Study Guides are
in final revisions and should be available
for purchase in March or April. Webinars
are scheduled for February 21, 2015.
Treasurer's Report. Linda Wilk. Bank
balances as of February 4, 2015 were:
Unrestricted bank account $32,044.58,
restricted bank account: Lucy Titunik
Fund: $12,170.32. Money market account:
$38,737.18. It was decided that equipment
purchases of under $3,000 would be
expensed. There is a need to keep track of
inventory, including T-shirts and journals;
i.e., what’s sold, what’s given away, what’s
thrown out. Only the aggregate number is
needed, not individual titles.
Volunteer Director’s Report. Judy
Johnson. 171 responses to the survey on
Volunteering were received as of today
(14% of members contacted). We have
eight Web Designers, with four of these
being professionals (for upcoming
conference website). There are 55 people
who are willing to write articles for our
publications, and 92 volunteers are willing
to work the conference. We also have 41
people who said they would be willing to
promote NCGR on Social Media.
Secretary's Report. Liane Thomas
Wade. Nina Chabot has sent out her first
issue of E-news. Membership getting
renewal forms in mail in a timely fashion
has helped renewals.
Research Report. Jagdish Maheshri.
The Research Journal should be finished
by the first week in March. The winners
of the AFA grant will be announced on
March 2. Winners are Bruce Scofield and
Pyotr Gadek.
Publications Report. Patricia Buckley.
The 2014 Geocosmic Journal is going to
the printer this week. A note will go into
the mailing asking for updated email
addresses.
Memberletter Report. Work is being
done on the March-April issue of
memberletter. Members will be able to
more easily read memberletter on devices
in the following issue. A separate e-blast
will go out with guidelines for all publications.
Webmaster Report. Ken Irving. The
new NCGR website should be up and
running by the first week of March. Some
MP3s and journals will be on the site for
sale. Others will come online after the
store is up long enough to know that it is
working properly.
Chapter and SIG Report. Leigh Westin.
The yearly program of Chapter Volunteer
of the Year Award was initiated, with a
deadline for reporting of May 1.
Membership Director’s Report. Nina
Gryphon. Nina is interviewing Advisory
Board members, including Steve Forrest
and Rob Hand.
Media and Communications Director.
Kyle Ukes. The Forum has 180 members.
A glitch where posts expired after 30 days
was corrected. An announcement of the
Forum will be made in E-News and on
Facebook.
Advisory Board Director's Report.
Christeen Skinner. All Advisory Board
members have been contacted.
Old Business. NCGR Conference. See
Chair's Report.
The next Board meeting will be on
Sunday, May 31, 2015.
Submitted by
Joyce Levine, Clerk
R
esearch Grant Announcement. The
NCGR Research Grant Committee is
pleased to congratulate Bruce Scofield
and Piotr Gadek as the two NCGR
winners for the Catharine and Ernest
Grant Trust Grants for Astrological
Research. I would also like to personally
thank all other applicants demonstrating
the sincere interest with their research
page 20
proposals. Most importantly, our gratitude and thanks go to the Grant Trust,
established by Catherine and Earnest
Grant, founders of AFA.
Jagdish Maheshri
Research Director
E
ducation News. Online classes for
Levels I and II are up and running.
NCGR instruction is an ongoing program,
and classes for Levels I-III will be offered
again in the Fall of 2015. Please take
advantage of this exclusive, comprehensive instruction and spread the word to
others who are interested in undertaking
an in-depth approach to the study of
astrology. For those who prefer in-person
instruction instead of a virtual online
classroom, instructor Meira Epstein is
available for on-site education for the
testing program for NCGR-PAA Levels I,
II, and III. The complete curriculum for
each Level will be provided in a week-long
immersion course, covering every facet of
the NCGR-PAA curriculum, with testing at
the end. This intensive study will provide
serious students with in-depth instruction, covering everything from astronomy
to zeniths, and each topic in between.
Meira will travel to any NCGR chapter for
a five day immersion course, followed by
one day off for review, and optional
testing on the 7th day–all days are
consecutive. Classes are pre-paid at $400
(pending review) per student. Travel
expenses for Meira are to be provided,
along with accommodation, either in a
hotel or in someone's home. These
expenses are shared among the students.
Testing fees are separate, and are paid by
the students to NCGR-PAA. For any
group of serious students who are
earnestly seeking to achieve proficiency
in the celestial language and measurements of astrology, this course is a oncein-a lifetime opportunity to learn from a
Master Teacher. The one-stop-shopping
of an immersion course at a reasonable
price offsets piecemeal classes from
various teachers that require individual
expense combined with long distance
travel, often leaving the student with
loopholes in the curriculum. We all know
that when the student is ready the teacher
appears, and Meira makes her comprehensive services available both online and in
person. This one-of-a-kind instruction is
invaluable.
M
edia and Communications News.
The NCGR Forum offers current
NCGR members an open space to share
astrological ideas, research, hypotheses,
questions, and other astrological related
topics. The forum is also used as a
community space that allows for the
NCGR members to network and meet.
How to Register for the NCGR Forum
Step 1: Go to the forum website: http://
z13.invisionfree.com/NCGR_Forum/
index.php?act=idx
Step 2: Click on “register.”
Step 3: Choose a username (Your first
and last name), password, and valid email.
(Note: Using your full first and
last name is the only way to be accepted
into the Forum.)
Step 4: Agree to the Terms of Service and
Click Submit my Registration
Step 5: Wait for the confirmation page
The NCGR Forum Admin will then make
sure you’re a current NCGR member and
you’ll receive an email-confirmation once
you’ve been approved for the Forum.
Kyle Ukes
Media and Communication Director
Around the Chapters-SIGS
I
nternational Astrology Day officially
begins on the Spring Equinox, which
this year occurs March 20, 5:45 PM GMT.
Although AFAN spearheaded the idea of
an official astrology day, it has now become
a day acknowledged throughout the world.
Throughout the month of March, astrology
groups and organizations will hold events,
lectures, information days, workshops,
seminars, and other activities. Remember to
check on the NCGR e-Calendar of Events
every other week for a complete listing of
chapters that will hold events.
• Thailand Chapter. March 14-15. International Astrology Day will take place
March 14-15 at Room Bianca, Bangkok ChaDa Hotel, Bangok. Three international
speakers will present in the conference:
Michael Feist, Meira B. Epstein and Faith
McInerney. Some highlight talks: Dr. Pinyo
Pongcharoen. Thailand in the Year 2015;
Dr. Prapassorn Jiamboonsri. Miscellaneous Relationships between Nature and
Astrology; Michael Feist. Facts about
Rulesbooks; Meira B. Epstein. The
Astrology of Personal Finance; Faith
McInerney. Chiron and the 4 Major
Asteroids; Dr. Winai Ouypornprasert.
Astrology Studies in Universities; Dr.
Jithinan Sirathienchai. Model IPATH and
Routes to Success in Personal and Organizational Innovations; Aree Sawasdee.
Current Issues about Astronomy and
Astrology. Additional Activities. NCGR
Testing: Saturday March 21, 2015 at 10 AM.
Post-Conference Workshop. Saturday
March 21, 2015. 6:00 PM. Meira B. Epstein.
The 7th House-Friend or Foe; Sunday
March 22, 2015. 10 AM-6 PM. Faith
McInerney. The Five Major Asteroids and
TNPs.
• New York City Chapter. Friday March
20. 6:30-9 pm. Location: Source of Life
Center, 15 West 39th Street, 3rd Floor. $10
members/$20 non-members. Information:
www. astrologynyc.org.. International
Astrology Day with Michael Lutin. The
Solar Eclipse at 29 Pisces:Faith When
There's No Reason to Have Any (Wait!
Don't Kill Yourself Yet!).
• Philadelphia Chapter. Sunday March
22. The NCGR Philadelphia Chapter proudly
presents its first International Astrology
Day, Sunday March 22, 2015 from 12-4 pm at
the International House on Penn Campus,
3701 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia PA 19104.
NCGR members: $15/non-members $30. Info:
Jacqui Menkes, jacqmenks1@verizon.net.
Astro*Carto* Graphy and Beyond with
Madalyn Hillis-Dineen. Learn the principles
of astro*carto*graphy and other locality
techniques using fascinating examples from
the charts of the famous and the infamous.
Planet angularity, parans, and local space
will be examined along with integrating midpoints and hyothetical planets into Jim
Lewis’ traditional methods. Midpoints, planetary pictures, and parans will be viewed on
both maps and dials and explored from both
a natal and dynamic perspective. Madalyn
will guide you to a new understanding of
locality techniques as well as looking at the
charts of workshop participants to find the
best locations for their personal fulfillment.
Madalyn Hillis-Dineen, certified Astro*
Carto*Graphy interpreter and CA NCGR,
began her study of astrology with the Uranian system in 1979 and has taught, lectured
and practiced Uranian techniques for more
than 30 years. She has written for a variety
of publications and websites, and was a
contributor to the anthology Astrology for
Women: Roles and Relationships. In 1994
Madalyn joined Astrolabe Software as their
page 21
Director of Marketing. An active leader in
the astrological community, Madalyn
received the 1995 UAC Regulus Award for
Community Service, and served as NCGR
National Chair of NCGR. She was cocoordinator of UAC 2008 and 2012.
• Southeast Michigan Astrologers'
RoundTable (SMART). Ann Arbor Chapter. Saturday. March 28. 1:30-4:30 pm.
Location: Denny's Restaurant at I-275 and
Canton Road. $18 members/$20 non-members. For more information: Elizabeth Hazel,
419-242-1696, smart2010@ gmail.com.
Astrology Day Luncheon. Join the group
for raffles, divination, and conversation.
Check with your local chapter for more
events.
N
ew York City Chapter. The annual
spring conference will be held Saturday
May 16, 2015, 10:00-5:00 pm. Source of Life,
15 West 39th Street, 3rd Floor. New York
City. What's the Point? Midpoints in the
Horoscope, Plain and Simple for All with
Faith McInerney and Gary Christen. For
information and registration, visit www.
astrologynyc.org.
John Marchesella
Education Director
A
nnapolis Chapter. The Greatest
Astrological Picnic in the Known
Universe. On Sunday, July 12, at 2:00 PM
EDT, the Annapolis NCGR hosts its
annual picnic in downtown Silver Spring,
Maryland. The date and time are always
selected astrologically. In over 30 years of
hosting these picnics, it has never been
canceled due to the weather. I always
prefer the Moon in an Air sign with a
favorable aspect to Venus. According to
Gil Navarro, renowned horary astrologer,
if weather is important to an event, the
Moon in an Air sign will affect the
weather; if there is a favorable aspect to
Venus, it portends great weather. It is not
always easy to find such an aspect
combination but this year the Moon is in
Gemini. Uranus is trine to the JupiterVenus in Leo.
I had some difficulty in selecting a good
date for the picnic. As you can see from
the chart above, the Moon is leaving the
square to Neptune so I had to make the start
time for 2:00 pm, even though most people
arrive before 12:00 pm. I chose not to make
the time later than 2:00 pm because I wanted
the Ascendant to apply a sextile to Venus
(the Ascendant is faster moving and,
therefore, it applies to Venus). What could
happen with the Moon square Neptune in
the 5th house? I am supposing that it could
cause someone to drink too much and cause
problems. This has never happened before
but there is always a possibility. As another
precaution, I will not rely upon others for
set-up support because Neptune can
indicate “necessary” people who do not
show up. Look to my Autumn article on the
picnic to find out what happened!
The huge tulip poplar tree in the center of
the yard provides great shade and the branches circulated the air. The food is fantastic
as I badger people to bring great food that
they would want to eat themselves. Sometimes I wonder if people will be offended by
this command but they never are. The most
popular feature of the picnic is the readers
who offer astrological, tarot card, psychic
and other types of readings and even body
work. The property has some smaller trees
and tall bushes which provide nice little
nooks for the various readers. People come
as early at 10:00 am so that they can sign up
early for their favorite readers. I am able to
attract the best readers because they can
keep all the money they earn.
My father (he will be 95 in November) and
I are the stars of a documentary short
about urban farming. “Corner Plot” was
selected by the Silver Docs 2010 Film
Festival and shown at the American Film
Institute http://cornerplotmovie.com/
This film was shown in Tajikistan in 2013.
In the afternoon, he comes out to answer
gardening questions and this keeps him
very busy. His vegetables and honey are
available for sale.
Lynn Koiner, President
Please turn to pp. 28-29 for information
about IAD events thus far, as well as all
other chapter events, websites and
facebook pages. If you wish to find out
about a chapter in your area, or one where
you are visiting, or if you would like to
speak at a chapter meeting, you can find
out about that as well.
Around the Community
A
strology and Academia.
The University of Chicago Divinity
School will host a conference Characterizing Astrology in the Medieval Islamic
World, May 12-14, 2015. This conference
will use the particular case study of
astrology as a means to study the broader
implications of boundary-work. It will
examine the intersections among science,
the occult, and the religious cultures that
lived in the medieval Islamic world—
including Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and
Zoroastrianism. The conference hopes to
complicate the categories of magic,
science, and religion by looking at how
boundaries between these fields were
page 22
articulated by medieval scholars. Boundary-work, by its very nature, is interdisciplinary; the conference will bring together
scholars of religious studies, history, sociology, art, and science studies to collectively examine the chosen case study of
astrology. By looking at practices of, categorizations of, and debates surrounding
astrology in the medieval Islamic world,
the conference hopes to shed light on the
broader questions of when, where, why,
and how definitions and boundaries are
established between science, magic, and
religion.
For information, program, and list of
speakers go to divinity.uchicago.edu/
characterizing-astrology-medievalislamic-world.
Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture at the University of Wales
Trinity Saint David offers the MA in
Cultural Astronomy and Astrology. For
information about the distance learning
program, conferences, and publications,
contact Nick Campion, n.campion@ lamp.
ac.uk, www.lamp.ac.uk/sophia.edu.
The Sophia Centre will host its 13th
annual conference Astrology as Art:
Representaton and Practice, June 27-28,
2015. Venue: Bath Royal Literary and
Scientific Institution, Bath, England.
Conference theme. Astrology is often
described as an art. However, the implications of this statement are rarely, if ever,
discussed. At the same time the zodiac,
stars and planets have often been a
source of inspiration for artists. Yet the
meaning of what is portrayed, and the
intent of the artist, are rarely considered.
In what sense is astrology an art, and in
what ways does it become the subject of
artistic representation? This academic
conference will consider the relationship
between astrology and art. Keynote
Speakers: Professor Hilary Carey, Dr.
Spike Bucklow. Lower Astrology and
Silent Poetry, Dr. Darrelyn Gunzburg.
Motif and memory within the zodiac
constellations in art: a 'pittura' franca;
Speakers. Reza Assasi, MA., Professor
Robert A. Benfer, Dr. Catherine
Blackledge, Dr. Bernadette Brady, Dr.
Liana De Girolami Cheney, Ruth
Clydesdale, MA, Barbara Dunn, Dr.
Richard Dunn, John Frawley, Dr. Martin
Gansten, Professor Annette LeeNative,
Dr. Thomas Lolis, Dr. Christel Mattheeuws, Dr. Suzanne Nolan, Dr. Micah
Ross, Dr. Claudia Rousseau. For speakers
and abstracts: sophia-project.net/conferences/AstrologyAsArt/speakers. php; For
booking. www.sophia-project.net/conferences/AstrologyAsArt/booking.php.
Institute for the Study of the Ancient
World, part of New York University, is a
graduate program dedicated to the study
of the ancient world (including astrology).
For information about upcoming lectures
and events and to put your name on the
mailing list: www.nyu.edu/isaw.com.
A
strology and the Media. Astrology
News Service (ANS) has a collection
of articles on the history of astrology,
studies that validate astrological factors,
and controversies that keep popping up
around astrology. The mission of ANS is
to educate the public about astro-logy
and demonstrate the value of astrology to
individuals and society. Check it out at
AstrologyNewsService.com.
F
ree Pythagoras Teachings offtered by
Marguerite dar Boggia. Pythagoras
taught that number is the basis of the
universe. In Esoteric Astrology written by
the Tibetan Master D.K. it says that "the
triangle is the basic geometrical form of all
manifestation. It is underlying the entire
fabric of the universe." It is the interplay
of these three energies that results in a
manifestation which is conditioned by
these forces. Even constellations form
triangles that interact with each other.
They focus their energy to constellations
and planets lesser in potency. All is
Energy. Through the studies we learn how
man relates to the Greater Life. As man's
consciousness expands he develops his
subtle vehicles: his etheric, astral, mental
and causal bodies, which must be adequate
to the expanding consciousness. (The
causal body is the vehicle for the soul.) If
you, your friends, family, or students wish to
receive three pages weekly online of these
ancient wisdom teachings, as was known by
Pythagoras, go to
PythagorasTeachings.com. It is FREE.
Please send tidbits about NCGR members,
media reports, news about births, marriages, promotions, passings, recognition,
etc. to: memberletter@geocosmic.org.
CLASSIFIED ADS
Astrology Expert Writers Needed
(Contract)
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astrology-expert, freelance writers.
Assignments entail: updating
content, fact-checking, merging
content and creating new articles.
Payment per approved article.
If interested: www.lovetoknow.com/
Careers/careers.html
SOTA (State of the Art Conference)
2015.
October 22–25, 2015, Millennium
Hotel, Buffalo, NY. 30-plus speakers,
Great hospitality. Banquet, Entertainment, Free parking/airport shuttle.
Pre-conference workshops-Gary
Caton and Eileen McCabe. Online
early bird registration through 3/20.
http://donnavantoen.com.
Around NCGR-PAA
N
CGR-PAAEducation and Certification
News. Congratulations to the following NCGR-PAA test-takers and also NCGR
members who have attained proficiency in
a level of testing:
Level I. New York City Chapter. Kristyn
D. Harrington, Catherine O'Neill.
Level II. AstroMexico Chapter. Beatriz
Eugenia Jara Elias, Agustin Becerril
Garcia, Elizabeth Cristina Ramirez
Gonzales, Claudia Ochoa Marruenda,
Martha Lilia Gisela Ramirez Mondragon.
Level IV: I am very proud to announce
that Maru Dieguez Torrado, member of
the AstroMexico Chapter, has attained
NCGR-PAA certification as a Professional
Consulting Astrologer. Congratulations
to Maru!
I want to thank John Marchesella for
proctoring the above-mentioned Level I tests;
and Monica Escalante Ochoa for proctoring
the above-mentioned Levels II tests.
Please visit astrologersalliance.org for a
complete listing of all NCGR-PAA Certified
Astrologers, forthcoming test venues, test
fees, webinars, and educational programs,
as well as information about our certification program.
.
Shirley Soffer, C.A., NCGR-PAA
Director of Education
page 23
Celestial Events
March-May 2015
Lunations
March 5, 2015. Full Moon. 6:05 pm. 14°
Virgo 50'. Sidereal. 20° Leo 51'.
Purvashadha.
March 20, 2015. New Moon (Solar
Eclipse). 9:36 am. 29° Pisces 27'. Sidereal.
5° Pisces 29'. Uttarabhadra.
April 4, 2015. Full Moon (Lunar
Eclipse). 12:05 pm. 14° Libra 24'. Sidereal.
20°Vi25'. Hasta.
April 18, 2015. New Moon. 6:57 pm. 28°
Aries 25'. Sidereal. 04°Ar26'. Ashwini.
May 4, 2015. Full Moon. 3:41 am. 13°
Scorpio 22'. Sidereal. 19°Li24' Svati.
May 18, 2015. New Moon (Solar
Eclipse). 4:13 am. 26° Taurus 55'. Sidereal.
02° Taurus 57' . Krittika.
Planetary Stations
March 14, 2015. Saturn stations
retrograde. 3:03 pm. 4° Sagittarius 55'.
Sidereal. 10° Scorpio 57'. Anuradha.
April 8, 2015. Jupiter stations direct.
4:57 pm l. 12° Leo 35'. Sidereal. 18° Cancer
37' . Ashlesha.
April 17, 2015. Pluto stations retrograde.3:55 am. 15° Capricorn 32. Sidereal.
21° Sagittarius 34'. Purvashadha.
May 19, 2015. Mercury stations
retrograde. 1:50 am. 13° Gemini 08'.
Sidereal. 19° Taurus 09'. Rohini.
Tropical Ingresses
March 13, 2015. Mercury enters Pisces.
3:49 am.
March 17, 2015. Venus enters Taurus.
10:14 am.
March 20, 2015. Sun enters Aries. 10:45
pm.
March 31, 2015. M ercury enters Aries.
1:41 am.
March 31, 2015. Mars enters Taurus.
4:26 pm.
April 11, 2015. Venus enters Gemini. 3:28
pm.
April 14, 2015. Mercury enters Taurus.
10:51 pm.
April 20, 2015. Sun enters Taurus. 9:41
am.
May 1, 2015. Mercury enters Gemini.
2:08 am. .
May 7, 2015. Venus enters Cancer. 10:52
pm.
May 12, 2015. Mars enters Gemini. 2:40
am.
May 21, 2015. Sun enters Gemini. 8:44 am.
Book Reviews
Introduction to Decumbiture, by Wanda
Sellar, The Wessex Astrologer, www.
wessexastrologer.com, 2014. Paper. 185 pp.
£13.50 Br.
A
DECUMBITURE CHART IS LITERALLY A
chart based on the time the patient
takes to their bed. However, you
don’t have to take to your bed to draw up
a decumbiture chart. It can be made for the
time of your doctor’s appointment or the
time when you realize that yes, you’re
really sick—for example the onset of a
fever or swelling or other symptoms. This
useful book will walk you through the
decumbiture chart and show you how to
figure out whether the treatment is
working or if and when recovery from the
illness (or injury) is likely.
While Sellar is a traditional astrologer, the
material here will no doubt be of interest
to anyone with an interest in medical
astrology. The book is designed as a
textbook (with questions at the end) and
is very thorough. Signs, houses, planets
(and yes, the outer planets are given a
brief mention, as are the Moon’s Nodes),
dignities and debilities, planetary friends
and enemies, and planetary motion are all
covered. In this system, the 6th house of
the decumbiture chart shows the nature of
the illness, while the 10th house shows
the nature of the medicine. There is also a
good chapter on timing and the length of
the disease. And yes, there are plenty of
case studies—some from Sellar’s files, but
also some famous people—Nelson
Mandela, Christopher Reeve, and even
Lincoln’s assassination. There are pet
Sidereal Ingresses
March 8, 2015. Mercury enters
Aquarius.11:17 pm.
March 12, 2015. Venus enters Aries. 10:42
am.
March 14, 2015. Sun enters Pisces. 9:28
pm.
March 23, 2015. Mars enters Aries. 2:10
pm.
March 27, 2015. Mercury enters Pisces.
6:46 pm.
April 6, 2015. Venus enters Taurus. 12:15
pm.
by Donna Van Toen
decumbitures too, which are very
interesting.
You won’t find lengthy lists of diseaseplanet-sign correlations here, though
there are some general guidelines. If
you’re looking for more than that, you
might want to look at Sellar’s first book
(Introduction to Medical Astrology),
which is pretty thorough on that front.
You will, however, find some rulerships of
plants, essential oils, gemstones, and
minerals. Not all of these are traditional, as
they include things like tea tree oil which I
don’t think were used much in Culpeper’s
day, let alone before that. Likewise, many
of the gemstones and minerals are from
fairly modern times.
Sellar does a good job in terms of making
a case for the rulership of various
essential oils. As for the minerals and
gemstones, in ancient times pretty much
anything blue was called a sapphire and
anything red was a ruby or a carbuncle so
I tend to take even some of the traditional
rulerships with a grain of salt. I do,
however, appreciate the amount of
research Sellar has done on this section,
as well as her comments as to why she
has tentatively assigned certain
gemstones to certain planets.
Overall, I think this is a wonderful
textbook and a terrific introduction to
decumbiture. But you know me—I always
have a quibble or two. In this case, I
would have liked to see a more extensive
bibliography. While Sellar’s chief
references are listed at the beginning of
April 12, 2015. Mercury enters Aries. 2:03 am.
A pril 14, 2015. Sun enters Aries. 5:54 am.
April 27, 2015. Mercury enters Taurus.
5:11 am.
May 2, 2015. Venus enters Gemini. 12:58
pm.
May 3, 2015. Mars enters Taurus. 3:08 pm.
May 15, 2015. Sun enters Taurus. 2:42 am.
May 30, 2015. Venus enters Cancer. 1:06
pm.
All times are listed according to GMT
(Greenwich Mean Time). Krishnamurti
ayanamsha is used for sidereal positions.
page 24
the book, I noticed some mention of some
authors whose works were not listed,
notably in the gemstones section—Kunz,
and Geigner for example. Now I know who
these people are and have their books,
but what about others? Really, if this is a
textbook, a bibliography would have been
nice. And maybe an index too.
While this is a slim book, it’s also a
textbook and one in which a lot of ground
is covered. That said, I wouldn’t hesitate
to recommend this book.
Do You Love Me?: The Astrology of
Relationships, by John Green, MISPA
Books, www.psychologicalastrology.com,
2015. Paper. 215 pp. $23.99 US, £14.99 Br.
R
ELATIONSHIPS ARE WHAT MAKES MUCH OF
the world go 'round. And relationship
work is what makes up much of the astrologer's client work. If you're not asking
someone “Do you love me?” then some
client is probably asking you “Does he or
she love me?”
John Green believes that synastry is the
technique that can give you an answer to
that question. And this is a thorough and
likable guide to synastry.
Green begins at the beginning, with a
discussion of relationships in general and
what relationships are all about. And he
thinks they're less about meeting the right
person than about becoming the right
person. Which is not to say that some
relationships don't help you do that; it's
simply to say that there is not necessarily
a one and only or a happily ever after.
From this vantage point, it stands to reason that Green would next look at the natal
chart in depth to see who we are and what
we might be looking for in a partner. All of
the bases are thoroughly covered here, from
the planets, to the Descendant sign to
planets in the seventh house and more.
The following two chapters cover the basics
of synastry—house overlays, cross-aspects, etc. There is a chapter on transits and
progressions in synastry. There is also a
chapter on non-romantic relationships,
including astrologer-client relationships,
familial relationships, friendships, and more.
The book is based on a series of online
seminars, and material is presented in a
transcript-style format. It is definitely not
a cookbook. In fact, there is a whole
chapter on “the problem with cookbooks.”
Using case studies, Green shows the
pitfalls of a cookbook approach and
clearly explains why “what the cookbooks
say” can be very misleading if not outand-out wrong. One of the synastries
used here is Oscar Pistorius and Reeva
Steenkamp; another is Princess Diana and
Dodi Fayed. All charts are tropical
placidus and all data is included.
There is a short bibliography. There is no
index, though there's really no need for
one either.
Nicely-produced, well-edited, well-written,
and highly readable, this is definitely a
book I would recommend to pretty much
anyone interested in synastry. While it
doesn't necessarily break new ground, it
states basic principles very clearly. And in
my opinion, the “throw out the cookbooks” chapter alone is worth the price of
the book.
Excellent and a worthwhile addition to
your bookshelf.
The Astrology Code: Statistical Evidence
of Universal Design, by Michael Bergen,
Seven Lights Press, www.astrologycode.
org, 2014. Paper. 373 pp. $19.95. PDF
Download $9.00.
T
HIS IS A BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED BOOK
that just begs to be read or put on
your shelf as a much-referred-to reference
book. However, as I found out quickly, it's
not a “reading book.” Don't take it with
you on the bus; it'll make you crazy. The
best place for this book is near your
computer, possibly with a pen and paper
nearby. Why? Because if you're anything
like me, you're going to want to test some
of Bergen's theories for yourself.
What Bergen has done is to analyze
12,566 charts in 80 different categories.
Both the charts and the categories are
taken from Lois Rodden's AstroDataBank.
He then tries to show predominant
patterns in each category based on the
natal (first harmonic) chart, the ninth
harmonic chart, aspects, planets close to
angles, navamshas, and midpoints.The
book opens with an overview of the signs,
quadrants, elements and qualities, and
axis pairs. Not much is said about houses,
though Bergen did look at both whole
sign and Placidus houses. He says results
were strong for the sixth and eighth
houses in both systems, but he doesn't
actually define “strong.” This lack of a
definition for “strong” irked me
throughout my reading and study. The
Gauquelin findings are also mentioned
briefly. It does seem that Bergen concurs
with Gauquelin in terms of planets
clustered around the angles, though he
considers the Ascendant somewhat overrated because its distribution would tend
to be skewed in far North and far South
latitudes.
While you might be tempted to skip over
the basic overview section I just
mentioned, I'd advise you to have a look.
Bergen has some rather interesting ideas,
some of which might bear a closer look.
One, however, perplexes me. He claims
that Libra and Aquarius should have their
meanings reversed. He backs up his
opinion by saying in his own work,
Aquarius was “strong” in groups where
attractiveness is an emphasized attribute,
while Libra was weak in these groups and
strong with thinkers.
While this is all very interesting, I would like
to see some evidence to back up that fact.
Bergen alludes to the mythology, but he
simply hasn't made a strong enough case to
sell me on his idea. I can't help but think that
if the interpretations were confused, someone over the course of time would have
questioned the status quo before now. Maybe I'm too used to seeing what I am used to
seeing, but I fear I couldn't relate to this.
Next come the study groups. Bergen
looked at first harmonic and ninth
harmonic charts, aspects between planets
that were multiples of 10 (for example the
semi-sextile and the novile, but not the
semi-square or the quintile) using a 40’ orb,
aspects clustered around the angles (using
a 6° orb), and occupied midpoints (using a
3° orb). He also uses navamshas, which are
similar to dwads but comprise 1/9 of a sign
(in other words, 3 1/3°). I had some problems
with some of this. First of all, while I am an
unabashed “minor” aspect junkie, I would
be hard-pressed to give an 18th harmonic
aspect (20°) for which there is little or no
docu-mented research the same weight as a
square or a conjunction or even a semi-
page 25
sextile. While this system will get you a lot
of “aspects” I'm not sure it really says much
about how those planets might interact if at
all.
Secondly, in terms of midpoints, he
mentions the midpoint pair but makes no
mention of what is occupying the
midpoint. He seems to simply be looking
at active midpoints. And no mention was
made as to what system he was using in
regard to these midpoints. Were they 360degree midpoints? 90-degree midpoints?
45-degree midpoints? All of the
foregoing? I don't know. Nor do I
understand why he was giving the
midpoint pair more weight than the
occupying planet.
After much mulling over of studies and
racking my brain to figure out how Bergen
was defining “strong,” it finally dawned
on me. He was merely quantifying sign
placements, number of aspect and
midpoint involvements and so on.
Certainly, this is an interesting starting
point for further research. Take it as such.
And let's hope he takes the next step.
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page 26
A Tribute to Jeff Jawer
(1946-2015)
I
T IS A SAD AND SACRED HONOR to write
these words of remembrance for Jeff
Jawer. Jeff took his last breath and
slipped from matter into light on February
10, 2015 at 6:02 am PST in Kirkland, WA,
just one month after being diagnosed with
Stage IV lung cancer. He is survived by his
wife Danick and two daughters, Laura and
Lyana. His last days were spent in comfort
and peace with his loving family by his
side.
Most readers of The Mountain Astrologer
will remember Jeff as the author of
“Forecast Calendar,” which have graced
these pages since 1997. Jeff had a way of
translating the technical side of transits
into an approachable style that touched
countless readers over an 18-year tenure.
Jeff was born on May 16, 1946 at 3:35 am
EDT in Astoria, NY. He was a consummate
counseling astrologer, writer, and lecturer
with a B.A. in the History and Science of
Astrology from the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst. He began
practicing as a professional astrologer in
1973 and gained prominence for his clear
communication and incisive ability to cut
to the heart of a birth chart. In 1980, Jeff
opened an astrology center in Atlanta with
David Railey, called The Daily Planets,
which they owned and operated until 1983.
Jeff also worked in software support at
Matrix Software in Big Rapids, MI, as VicePresident of ACS in San Diego, as CEO
and Publisher of StarIQ.com in Redmond,
WA, and Staff Astrologer at Tarot.com.
Jeff taught around the world, including
Europe, South America, Bali, and China. He
was a highly regarded lecturer at UAC,
ISAR, NORWAC and other conferences.
Jeff was an active participant—and
sometimes a reluctant leader— in the
modern astrology community. He was
instrumental in the creation of AFAN
(Association for Astrological Networking)
and UAC (United Astrology Congress). He
will be remembered as someone who was
quick with praise when it was due, but also
quick to play the role of truth-teller when
the emperor had no clothes.
It’s impossible for me to write a tribute to
Jeff as if he was just an extraordinary
human being, or to think of Jeff only as a
great astrologer who lived a life of purpose
with soul. He was all of that, but he was
also my friend and business partner for 16
years. I know what it was like to work
everyday in an office with Jeff, trying to
bring astrology to the public in an
innovative way. Jeff had an amazing talent
to bridge the jargon-filled world of
technical astrology with the non-astrology
world. Jeff’s penchant for pop culture
enabled him to reach a wider audience
through StarIQ, AOL, Tarot.com, and even
CosmoGIRL.
Jeff and I began recording a daily podcast
called “Planet Pulse” in 2000 and recorded
over 5,000 episodes over the next 15 years,
including a video version produced by
Tarot.com. As the Taurus, he was the
anchor of the show and opened every
edition in a consistent manner. I know
what a brilliant mind Jeff had because he
and I wrote eight mass-market Your
Astrology Guide annuals. When asked
why he wrote Sun sign books, Jeff would
laugh and say, “I work for the astrology
union and do what I’m assigned.”
His Taurus Sun shined with all the
consistency one would expect. His word
was as good as gold. As a Full Moon
baby, he lived life full-tilt. Everyone who
knew him well got to see the power of his
emotionally intense Scorpio Moon. Jeff
was passionate about those things most
important to him—his wife and children,
astrology, politics, and sports. With Aries
rising, he was fiercely independent in
action and in thought, and not afraid of
necessary confrontation. When pushed,
Jeff was a formidable opponent as he lived
out his Mars-Pluto conjunction in Leo.
Nevertheless, he was widely known for his
clever wit and deep-cutting humor, as one
might expect with Venus conjunct the
North Node and Uranus in Gemini. Over
the years, his keynote addresses at
NORWAC became legendary for their mix
of intelligent observations, memorable
wisecracks, and poignant reflections.
Jeff Jawer believed in astrology. But he
also believed in astrologers, and that
astrology could help people live fuller
lives, make better choices and gain a
deeper understanding of the mysteries of
the cosmos. It has been a great gift to walk
with Jeff as business partner, co-author,
co-teacher, collaborator and friend all these
years. Although I will miss my astrobrother more than words can express, I will
celebrate his peaceful transition as if it was
a well-earned graduation for a life well
lived.
Rick Levine
.
This tribute and photo of Jeff Jawer
(taken by Tony Howard) first appeared in
the April-May 2015 issue of The
Mountain Astrologer.
Note: A memorial service for Jeff—Jeff
Jawer’s Celebration of Life—will be held
Sunday, March 22 at 2:00 PM PDT at
Daybreak Star Cultural Center in Seattle,
Washington. For more information, visit the
facebook page crated for the event www.
facebook. com/events/433103986844765/.
page 27
Travel well, Alice O. Howell (1922-2014)
A
LICE O. HOWELL WAS BORN November 13, 1922 and passed away on
October 28, 2014, a few weeks
before her 92nd birthday. A pioneer in
linking astrology with psychology, Ms.
Howell was a writer, poet, astrologer, and
Jungian Scholar.
One of her many books, Jungian Symbolism in Astrology (1987), was recently republished by AFA. In the Introduction
she gives details of her biography, some
of which she also recounted to Kate
Sholly in her extensive interview with Ms.
Howell in The Mountain Astrologer
(December 2009).
Alice Howell traveled extensively with her
parents as a child, visiting 37 countries on
four continents by the age of 18. During
those years, the family never stayed more
than three months in one place. She was
an avid reader and student of religion and
philosophy from childhood. She said:
"….from the age of four right up until June
9, 1944, when I was 21, I had been
searching and searching for God." On that
day, her father took her to an astrologer to
read her horoscope.
She said: "On that day, June 9, 1944, my
life totally changed." The next day she
met her spiritual teacher. (And she also
began her serious study of astrology in
1944 with Marc Edmund Jones.) Although
her biography has many memorable
events, this kind of specific statement
about life changing totally in one day—
especially with such a long life to contemplate—is rare.
Ms. Howell noted to Kate in the interview
that on that day transiting Uranus was
square to natal Uranus (she was 21)...Also
on June 9, 1944, transiting Saturn (ruler of
an Aquarius ascendant) was at 28° Gemini
square the nodal axis at 28° Virgo/Pisces,
placing her in the crossroads of her
destiny.
A few of the many highlights in her life
were her marvelously accomplished
professional life, extensive travels (13
more countries with her husband!), and
the births of four children with her first
husband. They divorced after a long
marriage and she wed her "soulmate" in
1980, with whom she had "18 years of
happiness." She was widowed in 1998,
and although she suffered a stroke in
1999, she kept in contact with her many
students.
There is a 28-minute video of TMA's Ray
Grasse interviewing the charming Ms.
Howell in 1991 at the Theosophical
Society (www.youtube.com/
watch?v=gXx1IENBnuc) In this video,
"Alice combines her extensive knowledge
of astrology with the insights of Swiss
psychologist Carl Jung, reclaiming its
importance as a key toward understanding
ourselves and the world."
Alice authored a very wonderful blog,
Credo, starting in 2008, where she wrote
regularly on a variety of subjects—
Understanding, Injustice, Self-worth, etc.
There are at least 150 pearls of her wisdom
on this site (ionadove.blogspot.com/
2008/09/ionadove-blog.html.)
By all accounts, she was a much loved
woman. RIP, Alice O. Howell.
Mary Plumb
(This is adapted from Mary’s tribute that
first appeared on TMA’s blog on November
17, 2014. For complete tribute with charts
and explanations, see mountainastrologer.
com/tma/travel-well-alice-howell.)
Alice Howell’s own assessment of her life
is taken from her page on amazon.com:
“I am now an old lady of 83 and have lived
quite an unusual life. From the age of 5 to 25,
I never lived in a home but grew up in hotels
and boarding schools abroad, never more
than three months in one place. By the time I
was 15, I had been in over 30 countries, so
the adventures of Teak in my The Beejum
Book are mostly autobiographical. By
contrast, when I came back to the U.S. and
married an artist and had four children, we
never went out to dinner in 19 years! I
taught children for 18 years and eventually,
thanks to a lifetime of study, I went on to
teach at Jung Institutes and to lecture
worldwide on the value of seeing astrology as a symbolic language of archetypal
processes and the individual chart as a
unique description of how a person is
likely to process experience and thus a
helpful diagnostic tool as well as a guide
to spiritual growth. Two of my books The
Dove in the Stone and The Web in the Sea
are devoted to the reemergence of
feminine wisdom and are set on the Isle of
Iona in the Scottish Hebrides.The eight
books I offer have all been written since I
was 60 years old which should encourage
other late-bloomers! (She is also the
author of The Heavens Declare: Astrological Ages and the Evolution of
Consciousness-Ed.)
My second and beloved husband Walter
Andersen gave me a computer and the
encouragement! My books are all easy to
read, as my mission in life, is to convey
serious ideas as simply as possible with
humor and delight.I am indebted to the
wonderful teachers of all kinds, too
numerous to mention here.
I am now a widow and live in an old house
in a hamlet of 800 souls in the Berkshires
of New England surrounded by beauty.
Am now the proud grandmother of 10
grandchildren and 2 1/2 great-grands. I
live with a remarkable pussycat Bunky
and am resigned to being eccentric but
not yet cackling!”
Born. November 13, 1922. 12:45 PM EST,
Cambridge MA (Middlesex County)
Died. October 28, 2014
page 28
CHAPTER CONTACTS
www.geocosmic.org/chapters
The following events are for March-May. Many
chapters and SIGS have their own websites
and facebook pages listed below. Longer descriptions can be found in the E-News Calendar. Note the activities for International Astrology Day.
CALIFORNIA.
Los Angeles County Chapter. Jack Taube,
President, 6333 Canoga Ave. #391, Woodland Hills
CA 91367,818-716-1765, arlenekrmr@aol.com,
www.ncgrla.com. Mtgs. 3rd Thurs. Coco's Restaurant: 18355 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana. 6:00-7:30
pm. Eat, Visit, and Talk Astrology, 7:30 pm.
Speaker. Members: $3 Visitors: $5.
Sacramento Area Chapter. Sacramento Area
Chapter. Linda Byrd, President, 2351 Sunset Blvd.,
#170-404, Rocklin CA 95765, 916-721-4838,
Fax:916-722-4223, info@ncgrsacramento.org,
www.ncgrsacramento.org. 4th Sunday, 1:004:00 PM. (See website for updates.) The Reserves at the Galleria Clubhouse, 501 Gibson
Dr., Roseville CA. all or email for gate code.
Schedule subject to change. Contact us to confirm. Pre-reg fee $5 NCGR members/$15 for nonmembers. Door fee. $10 members/$20 non-members. Special events individually priced with advance registration discounts (members only)
up to a week ahead. Chet Zdrowski.
Transpersonal Astrology Special Interest Group
(SIG). Meets every other 2nd Thursday. 2/12, 4/
9. 7:30-9:00 pm. Fair Oaks, near Fair Oaks Park,
Sun. 3/22. Chet Zdrowski. The Neptune/Pluto
System andchart Interpretation; 4/26. Maurice
Fernandez. Lecture: 10 am-12 noon. Saturn in
Sagittarius (2014-2017), Workshop: 1-5 pm.
Saturn and the Karmic Law.
San Francisco Bay Area Chapter. Steve
Pincus, President, P.O. Box 4834, Mountain
View, CA 94040; 408-962-0596, Fax: 408-9620709; stardial@earthlink.net; ncgrsanfrancisco.
org. Meetings TBA Weekday evenings, 7:309:30 PM; Fort Mason Center, Building C. San
Francisco. Advance Reg. $12 NCGR Members/
$15 non-members. Day:$15 Members/$18 nonmembers. Workshops Half Day: Noon-4 PM, Advance Reg: $25 NCGR Members/$30 Non-Members. Day of Event. $30 NCGR Members/$35
Non-Members. Full Day: 10:30 AM-5:30 PM; Advance Reg: $50 NCGR Members/$60 Non-Members. Day of Event:$60 NCGR Members/$70
Non-Members. Sat. 2/28. 1-5 pm. Frank Clifford.
The Rhythms of Your Life: Honing Your Forecasting Skills. Sun. 3/1. 10:30 am-3:30 pm (lunch and
break). Following Your Bliss: The Astrology of
Work, Vocation & Life Purpose; 4:00-5:30. Jupiter: It's Too Much-But Is It Enough? Tues. 4/28.
Maurice Fernandez. Chiron: Mortality of a Master; Sun. 5/17. 1-5 pm. Aleksandar Imsiragic. Hermetic Astrology and the Strings Between Incarnations.
San Diego Chapter. Tina Miles, President,
president@ncgrsandiego.org, 760.271.6773. Kelly
O'Tillery, Publicity Director, publicity@
ncgrsandiego.org, 760.683.5191; www.ncgr
sandiego.org. Mtgs. 3rd Saturday featuring local
and regional astrologers. 11am-1 pm. US Bank
Building, Community Room, 131 North El Camino
Real, Encinitas, CA. 92024. Meetings-$8.Members/
$12 non-members. 3/21. Ralph Macintyre.
Astrocartography map, Geodetic map, and Local Space map. Sat. 4/18. Loda Shaw. The Practical Value of Reading the Solar Return; Sat. 5/
16. Larry Martin. Major Gains from Minor Aspects: The Quintile, Septile and Novile.
COLORADO. Rocky Mountain (Denver) Chapter. Karen Anderson, President, PO Box 328,
Collinsville CO 80474, DistantStarkA@cs.com,
(303)258-7258; Mtgs. Generally 1st Fri. 7:00 PM,
September through June. Nic Nac Nook, 2730 Suite
A on South Wadsworth Blvd, Denver. (303) 9229063. 3/6. Janis Page. Astrology and Health; 4/3.
Bring Celebrity Charts for group discussion; 5/1.
Marguerite Hafeman. Family Charts.
CONNECTICUT. Berkshire-Fairfield Chapter.
Pamela Vitko, pamsstars@aol.com, charter.net,
ctastrologers. org, info@ctastrologers.org. Study
groups 2nd Sun, 2-4:00 PM. $5. Our eight monthly
study-groups will begin in September and run
through May (no December meeting). They will be
held on the 2nd Sunday of each month from 2:004:00 p.m., with the exception of May. The May
meeting will take place on the 3rd Sunday of that
month. Study group locations will be announced
via email prior to each meeting.The next groups
will be held 3/8, 4/12, 5/17.
FLORIDA. Florida Atlantic Chapter. Mimi Alonso,
President, 954-296-1211, mysticmimi@gmail.com;
Visit meetup.com/astrologers or our website at
www.astrologyfla.com. Like us on Facebook.
Time: Usually 3rd Sat. 10:30 am-5:00. Please
get there before 10:15 to sign in. Lunch approx.
12:30-1:45 in Food Court. Location: Nova Southeastern University, Carl DiSantis Bldg. 3301 College Avenue, Ft. Laud.-Davie, FL 33314. NCGR
members. $40/Non-members. $45. 3/21. Penelope
Bertucelli; The Meeting that Changed your Future ; 4/
18. Michele Adler. May 16, 2015; Georgia Stathis.
Progressions by Solar Arc Directions
ILLINOIS. Northern Illinois Chapter. Janet
Berres, President, 847-965-9916, janetberres@
sbcglobal.net, www.chicagolandastrology.com.
Mtgs March-December, 2nd Tuesday 7:30 PM at
the Des Plaines Elks Lodge, 495 Lee St, Des
Plaines, IL 60016. Doors open 7:00 PM. $8 members and $10 non-members. AYA members can
attend at NCGR member rates. 3/10. Christine
Arens gives her annual rundown of this year's
eclipse cycles.
MARYLAND.
Annapolis Chapter. Lynn Koiner, President,
301-589-2074, koiner@starpower.net. For
speaker scheduling, contact Linda Furiate,
LMFuriate@verizon.net; facebook.com/groups/
NCGR Annapolis. Mtgs. 2nd Sat. 10:30 AM-2:30
PM. The Country Inn and Suites, Annapolis. 5$
Members/$10 Non-Members. Workshops $40
Members/$50 Non-Members. The group meets
at the Italian Market, 26 Defense Highway, Annapolis for lunch and a round table discussion.
3/14. Edith Chuhta. Using Charts for Your Ancestors in Relationship with Your Natal Chart
(This is a Western technique).4/11. Eric Myers.
Connecting the Moon to Lunar Nodes: The Emotional Origins of Karma; 5/11. Armand Diaz. 10
am-4 pm. Workshop. The Fractal Nature of Astrology–Natal Aspects and Transits. Early Bird
Special for members/non-members: $45/$55 until
May 1; $55/$60 until May10; $65 at the door
Baltimore Astrological Society. Teri Taylor, President, terilee2306@gmail.com, 443-7949126; Robin Smith, Communications. 301-4522980, share@baltimoreastrology.org, baltimore
astrology.org. meetup.com/Baltimore-AstrologicalSociety. Mtgs. monthly (usually 3rd Friday) 7-9
PM. Community Room at Ruscombe Community
Health Center, 4801 Yellowwood Rd. (Rascombe
Mansion lower level), Baltimore. NOTE: This is a
shoeless facility. Please bring socks. $10 members/$15 non-members. 3/20. Judith Goldberg. The
Progressed Sun through Your Life; 4/17. Eric
Myers. Connecting the Moon to Lunar Nodes: The
Emotional Origins of Karma; Sat. 4/18. Workshop.
10 am-3 pm. Home of Kitty Hatcher. 1113 Bellmore
Road, Baltimore MD 21209. NCGR Members: $50/
Non-Members $60; Eric Myers. The Moon and It's
Nodes: A Deeper Exploration. 5/15. Kari NorenHoshal. Activism in the Chart.
MASSACHUSETTS. Boston Chapter. Joyce
Levine, President, joycel@joycelevine.com, 617354-7075; www. ncgrbostonastrology.org.
Mtgs. One weekend day per month. Registration and Networking. 12-12:30 PM. Lecture.
12:30-4:30 PM. All meetings at Beech Street
Center, Belmont. Sat. 3/21. Mitchell Scott Lewis.
Astrology and the Financial Markets. Sat. 4/
18. John Marchesella. Everything You Always
Wanted to Know about Pluto but were Afraid to
Ask--With Good Reason. Sat. 5/16. Lynn Koiner.
Psychological Patterns of Disease
MICHIGAN. Ann Arbor Chapter. Southeast
Michigan
Astrologers'
RoundTable.
(SMART). Elizabeth Hazel, President, 419-2421696 or Sue Bacon, VP. smart2010@gmail.com,
Sundays. Denny's Restaurant (new location) at I275 and Canton Road. $18 members/$20non-members. 3/28. 1:30-4:30 . Astrology Day Luncheon. Join
the group for raffles, divination, and conversation.
MINNESOTA. STARS Chapter. Heather Roan
Robbins, President. RoanRobbins@aol.com,
612-615-2604, www.mnstars.com. Mtgs. Usually 4th Sunday. $5 members/$8 non-members
at Uptown Lunds' Community Room, 1450 West
Lake Street, Minneapolis MN 55408. 3/28. 9:00 am5:00 pm. Cost. $2.00 for required materials. Freewill donations accepted.Estelle Daniels. Hellenistic Astrology; 4/18. 2:30-5:30. 5/17. 2:30-5:45.
NEVADA. Las Vegas Stargazers Chapter.
Gayle Kirk, President, lasvegasstargazers
@yahoo.com, 702.558.6594, Mark Wargin, 702
812-4866, www.ncgrlasvegas.org, www.
facebook.com/NcgrLasVegasStar-gazers. We
meet on the last Tuesday of the month except
August and December, 6:30-8:30 pm, East Las
Vegas Community Center, Conference Room 1,
250 North Eastern Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89101.
Check out our website and Facebook page for
the most up to date information about our meetings and workshops. If you're interested in
speaking or would like to attend one of our meetings, we'd love to hear from you.
NEW JERSEY. Northern New Jersey Chapter. Joanne Castro, President, PO Box 244, Lebanon, NJ 08833, 908-418-0365, Jocat0413
@aol.com, Jackie Slevin, 973-7445347,
jcslevin@ verizon.net. Mtgs. Friday eves 7:30
PM at various locations. Fees: Members $20,
page 29
Seniors $10, Non-members $20. Contact Joanne
for information regarding NCGR-PAA testing.
NEW MEXICO. New Mexico “Enchantment”
Chapter. Sandy Bryan, President. 505-255-5001;
sstars@thuntek.net, www. swcp.com/~nmncgr.
Mtgs. 1st Wed. at 7 PM. 721 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, NM. 3/4. Lars Panar. Horary Astrology;
4/. Mary O'Gara. Do You Have to Be Psychic to
Be President? 5/6. To be determined.
NEW YORK.
Long Island Chapter. Bonnie Simms, President, 302 Sycamore Ave, Merrick, NY 11566,
bringlite@aol.com, Angelita De Christopher, Secretary, Astro1Angel@aol.com, www.lincgr. com.
Mtgs. 2nd Friday. 7:30-9:30 PM, 302 Sycamore
Ave, Merrick, NY; Members $10, Non-members.
$15. 3/13. Joseph Addeo. Family Ties: The Dynamics of Synastry Within Families. 4/10. Dr.
Jeanne D'Brandt. Composites, Mid-Points and
The Mystery of Relationships; 5/8. Deb McBride.
Astrology and Alchemy.
Hudson Upstate Chapter. Susan Campbell,
President, 48 Elm Street, Saugerties, NY 12477,
campbellsusan077@gmail.com, 845-246-2062,
www.midhudsonupstatencgr.net. Mtgs. Mondays.
Home of Susan Campbell, Saugerties NY.
New York City Chapter. Eileen McCabe, Presi
dent, 212-431-9834, eileenmccabe@msn.com;
John Marchesella (classes and workshops),
astrojohn@ earthlink.net; NCGR Hotline: 212-2553236. astrologynyc.org. Fri. 3/20. 6:30-9 pm. International Astrology day. Source of Life Center, 15 West
39th St., 3rd fl., NYC. $10 members/$20 non-members. Source of Life Center. Michael Lutin. The Solar
Eclipse at 29 Pisces: Faith When There’s No Reason to Have Any (Wait! Don’t Kill Yourself Yet!); Sat.
5/16. Annual Spring Conference 10 am-5 pm. Source
of Life, 15 West 39th St., NYC.Faith McInerney and
Gary Christen. What's the Point? Midpoints in the
Horoscope, Plain and Simple for All.
NORTH CAROLINA.
Queen Charlotte Chapter. Mtgs held 3rd Sunday 2-5 PM at Earth Fare, Pineville, NC. One hour
of basic natal instruction and one hour of current
transit discussion. Fees:$ 5 for members; $10
for non-members. Out to dinner afterwards.
Raleigh-Durham. Network of Triangle Astrologers. Elizabeth Wilson, President, 919-6026507, TWilson851@aol.com, Nancy Dimitrios, VP
& Membership Director, www.ntastrology.org.
Mtgs. 3rd Thurs. Sept.-May, 7 PM. The Dancing
Moon Bookstore, 1840 Wake Forest Road, Ralegh
NC, 919-833-8081. $5 members/$10 non-members. 3/19. Eric Meyers.The Moon and Its Nodes:
A Deeper Exploration. 4/16. Shelly Wu. Karmic
Connections: Chinese Relationship Astrology
Postponed from 2/19. 5/21. Drew Becker. The
Ninth House.
OHIO. Ohio Valley Chapter. Sandie Friedrich,
President, SandieNCGR@gmail.com, www.ncgrohiovalley.org; Mtgs are held on the odd numbered
months at the Madeira Municipal Building (corner
of Euclid and Miami Roads in Madeira) unless otherwise noted. Meetings are free for NCGR mem
bers. The Ohio Valley NCGR chapter allows nonmembers to attend one meeting at no charge. 3/
27. Topic TBA
OREGON. Southern Oregon Chapter
SONCGR). Mary Plumb, President, 141 Crocker St.,
Ashland
OR
97520,
541-488-3048,
mary@maryplumb.com, Doug Kellogg at 541-4828988, www.astrologyinashland.org; Mtgs. 3rd Monday, 7 pm. September-May. Hidden Springs, 1651
Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, $6 General, $5 Seniors 62+,
$4 NCGR Members. To get on email list of announcements sign up on our website. We are now broadcasting some of our lectures free on the web! Visit
www.Ustream.tv and search for the show "Astrology in Ashland.” Now anyone anywhere iin the world
can join us on the web to watch our lectures.
PENNSYLVANIA. Philadelphia Chapter. Jacqui
Menkes, President, jacqmenks1@verizon.net.
Email us to be put on our email list. 267-992-8019.
Mtgs. 3rd Sunday of each month. 4:00-6:30 pm.
2012 Walnut St Philadelphia PA 19103; refreshments served. Rotating speakers with topic TBA .
Meter parking free on Sundays. Sun. 3/22. 12-4
pm at the International House on Penn Campus,
3701 Chestnut Street Philadelphia PA 19104. NCGR
Members $15 non-members/$30.Madalyn HillisDineen. Astro* Carto* Graphy and Beyond.
TEXAS. Gulf Coast Chapter. Jagdish Maheshri,
jmaheshri@astroinsight.com. For information about
meetings please contact Jagdish Maheshri at
above email address.
VIRGINIA. Richmond Chapter. Edna Matthews,
President, PO Box 8412, Richmond VA 23226,
edna.matthews@doe.virginia.gov, or Ruth Barrett,
planetwise@verizon.net, 804-740-1133. Mtgs.
Sat. 2:00 PM. at the Weinstein Jewish Community
Center, 5403 Monument Ave., Richmond.
WISCONSIN. Milwaukee Chapter. Nancy K.
Simpson, President. 8707 N 52nd Street, Brown
Deer, WI 53223, nksimpson@wi.rr.com, 414-3395428. Mtgs. 7:15 pm. Fritz’s Pub, 3086 S. 20th
Street, Milwaukee, WI. Fee: Members $10, Nonmembers $15. Sat. 3/14. 1-4:30 pm. Seminar with
Joe Polise. Solar Arcs; Payment required of $35
for non members and $25 for members in advance.
INTERNATIONAL CHAPTERS
JAPAN. Tokyo Chapter. Terumi Kondo, President.
JANet Inc./JANet School of Astrology, 2-2-6-1101,
Minami-Aoyama, Minato-Ward, Tokyo, 107-062:
ncgr-tokyo@astrology.jp, tel. 81-90-7823-6159.
Fax:03-3406-8608; www.astrology. jp; discussion
group:http://groups.yahoo.co.jp/group/ncgr_tokyo.
blog: blog.goo.ne.jp/ncgrtokyo. 1st Sat. Monthly
Astrology Cluster, 2:00-4:00 PM at Café Tapiros.
Members: \2,000 (JPY) / Non-Members: 2,500
(JPY); Includes Tea/Coffee with Sweets. Participation is open to everyone, so feel free to join us.
Every month meeting includes Uruanna Hohkyu’s
short lecture about above theme.
MEXICO.
AstroMéxico Chapter. Mónica EscalanteOchoa, President, Cerrada de Miguel Noreña #
23 casa 2, Col. San José Insurgentes, CP 03900
México DF, México, Tel. 525 651-6598,
astromonica@yahoo.com; www.astromexico.
com. Sun. 3/1. Linda Sacal. Estudio de la
personalidad y vida de Sor Juana Inés de la
Cruz a través de la astrología (Sor Juana Ines
de la Cruz, study of her personality and life through
Astrology); Sun. 3/22. John Marchesella. Eclipses
y Tránsitos via Gotomeeting.com. Sun. 4/26.
Maru Dieguez. La casa XII (House XII);Sun. 5/
17. Armando Gómez. Poniendo a prueba el mito.
Cómo se manifiesta Quirón en la carta astral.
Estudio de casos reales (Testing the Myth: How
Kiron is manifested in the natal chart. Study of
real cases). Sun. 5/24. Julene Packer. Fases
de Mercurio y Venus con el Sol) (Mercury and
Venus Phases with Sun) (Via Goto meeting.com).
Mexico City Chapter. Cecilia Ortiz Bullé Goyri,
President. San Francisco # 1212, Col. Del Valle
C.P. 03100, (55) 556 6196, ceci.ortiz56@
gmail.com. facebook/astrocmig; Sun. 3/29.
Graciela Salazar. La importancia de los
elementos en la interpretación;
THAILAND. Thailand Chapter. . Winai
Ouypornprasert, President, UACT (Uranian Astrologers Club, Thailand) 28/27 Soi Nakhaniwas
48 Yak 18 Nakhaniwas Road, Ladphrao,
Bangkok 10230 Thailand, Tel./Fax. +662-9354252; buddhaluck2002@yahoo.com. Bimonthly
members meeting, 2:00-4:00 P.M. at UACT. 3/
14-15. International Astrology Day. 3/21. NCGR
testing. 3/21. 6 pm. Meira B. Epstein. The 7th
House-Friend or Foe; 3/22. 10 am-6 pm. Faith
McInerney. The Five Major Asteroids and TNPs.
See p. 22 for more information.
TURKEY. Turkey Chapter. Baris Ilhan,
Av.Sureyya Agaoglu Sok. 12/5 Tesvikiye, Istanbul
80200, barisilhan@superonline.com,www.ncgrturkey.com. 3/22. 11 am-5 pm. Baris Ilhan. Vernal Equinox Seminar–Astrology's Bad Boys:
6.,8. & 12 Houses ; 4/4. 11 am-4 pm. Aysem
Aksoy. Astronomy for the Astrologers; 4/5. 10
am-5pm. Aysem Aksoy. Birth Chart Calculation;
6/6. 11:00 am. NCGR-PAA Testing.
SIGS (Special Interest Groups)
AST SIG (Asteroids). For information, contributions to newsletter (GAIA) and sample copies
for $1.50: Dave Campbell, President. 5735 W Glendale Ave, Glendale, Arizona 85301 623-463-6286
theastrologystore@gmail.com, geocosmic.org/ast
sig. Membership send dues $15; $24 overseas to:
Richard Wright, P.O. Box 1993, Hartford, CT 06144,
phoenyx_u.s5@hotmail. com, 203-982-1653, For
asteroid positions or ephemerides: Dave Campbell,
astrologystore@aol.com, 623-463-6286.
DECL SIG (Declination). Nelda L. Tanner, President, PO Box 153, Chino Valley, AZ 86323.
r_l_graphics@hotmail.com, www.declination.org.
Dedicated to declination application and research,
iIt publishes The Other Dimension, a 16-page
quarterly journal. To subscribe, send check or
money order made out to Declination SIG, $18
U.S.,$20 Canada and Mexico, $25 elsewhere (all
in US$) to Treasurer, Martha Ramsey, 400 Avenue
D, Roswell NM 88203. Send author contributions
to Leigh Westin, Editor, declsig@sbcglobal.net.
URANIAN SOCIETY SIG. (Uranian/Cosmo-biology). For information, back issues and contributions to the Urania Journal, Liane Thomas Wade,
President and Editor, 531Main St., #1612, New
York, NY 10044. 917-855-8824, liane@panix.com,
www.uraniansociety.com. For membership, send
$25 U.S./$35 others to Chiemi Matsumoto, 68 Garden St., #7L, Brooklyn, NY 11206.
To form a study Group, chapter, or SIG, send
proposals to Leigh Westin, chapters@
geocosmic.org. Send chapter events and contact listings for memberletter to: Ronnie Dreyer,
memberletter@geocosmic.org. For electronic
Around the World with NCGR send to Liane Thomas Wade, execsec@geocosmic.org.
page 30
NCGR STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The purpose of NCGR shall be to provide an
environment to foster and publish research of a
geocosmic nature and to pursue educational programs in various interdisciplinary fields related
to geocosmic studies with a view to granting
certification recognizing individual achievement
in such fields. The term "geocosmic" is defined
as "of or pertaining to the study of correspondences and cycles involving earthly phenomena
and cosmic (celestial) events." This purpose is
implemented by
• disseminating information through NCGR
publications, including journals, newsletters,
books, monographs, and website;
• providing financial and technical assistance,
" help to individuals
guidance, or professional
or groups for approved research projects;
• formulating a curriculum and the essentials
of a course of study leading to competency in
geocosmic studies, sponsoring appropriate
educational programs;
• educating students and researchers to various levels of competency, chartering regional,
semi-autonomous chapters of NCGR having
the same goals and purposes;
• promoting and encouraging the highest professional standard and ethical behavior among
its membership.
NCGR memberletter is a bimonthly publication
of the National Council for Geocosmic Research,
Inc., a nonprofit, tax-exempt, education and research organization. Copyright by NCGR, Inc.
All rights reserved. Authors retain copyright
to their own material. All articles reflect the
views of the authors. Publisher assumes no
responsibility for articles or material contained
therein, or for goods and services advertised.
Publication Guidelines: Please query with
outline or article proposal by emailing editor,
memberletter@geocosmic.org. Once accepted,
articles must be sent electronically in MS Word,
or text file according to writer’s guidelines, which
will be provided. No hard copy or CDs. Send
complete references, bibliography, and birth data
(no actual charts) with data source. We reserve
the right to edit all material for sense and space..
NCGR DUES STRUCTURE
• Basic Membership: $55/year; $150/3year
• Couples Membership (one set of
publications): $75/year; $210/3-year
• Canada/Mexico Membership: $60/year;
$165/3-year; Couples: $80/year; $225/3year
• International Membership: (except
Canada and Mexico) $65/year; $180/3year; Couples: $85/year; $240/3-year
NCGR Conference MP3s
Available Now
O
ver 300 lectures from NCGR2013 and past
NCGR conferences (including Planetary
Revolution, Boston 2010,, and Geocosmic Alchemy, Baltimore 2007) are now available as
downloadable MP3 recordings in our website
store. You can order online at
www.geocosmic.org/lectures where you will find
complete catalogue. 212-838-NCGR,
execsec@ geocosmic.org.
PUBLICATIONS AND
ADVERTISING DEADLINES
NCGR PUBLICATIONS
• Research Compendium (from Geocosmic Alchemy Conference). $20.00
• Essentials of Intermediate Astrology. $15.00.
• Back issues of NCGR Journal $7.00
and $10.00
To order: Add $5.00 S&H domestic,
$3.00 for each additional, and $8.00
foreign in U.S. funds. Visa and
Mastercard accepted. Mail to: NCGR
Publications, 531 Main St., #1612, New
York NY 10044, Ph-Fax, 212-838-NCGR,
execsec@geocosmic.org. Order online
at www.geocosmic.org. Checks payable
to NCGR Publications.
Deadlines for article submissions and
advertising copy:
December 1.
February 1.
April 1.
June 1.
August 1.
October 1.
Jan.-February issue
March-April issue
May-June issue
July-August issue
Sept.-October issue
Nov.-December issue
To submit an article, please query before
the deadline to Ronnie Dreyer, Editor, at
memberletter@geocosmic.org. Please see
left for publications guidelines, and topics of interest.
Classified Ads. You can take out a classified ad of 30 words for $55.00.
To place an ad, please contact Arlene
Nimark to inquire about rates and reserve
space by the above deadlines: 718-3770482, arlenima@aol.com.
All charts in this issue, except where otherwise noted, are constructed using Solar
Fire Gold and are used courtesy of Astrolabe, Inc. All charts in this issue, except
where otherwise noted, are constructed
using Solar Fire Gold and are used courtesy of Astrolabe, Inc.
• Lifetime Membership: $900/$1300 couples; Canada/Mexico: $1000/$1400
couples; Rest of world: $1100/$1500
couples.
To join or renew NCGR membership go to
www.geocosmic.org., or send check or
credit card information to Liane Thomas
Wade.
D
o you want to write for NCGR? Our
bimonthly memberletter needs articles with a maximum of about 2500 words
that range from current events to interpreting the horoscope of a famous person to
illustrating a technique. All astrological
systems, techniques, and research results
are welcome, especially good chart profiles.
We invite all NCGR members to contribute
articles, and let us know which topics you
want to see covered in future issues. Please
query first before sending a full-length article. Short pieces, letters to the editor, and
interesting facts are also welcome. If you
are interested contact memberletter@
geocosmic.org. See left for submission
guidelines.
Patricia Buckley, Publications Director,
is always looking for longer contributions
to the Geocosmic Journal that may be
too lengthy for memberletter. Articles can
tackle any astrological or related subject,
including chart analysis, techniques, research, or anything that suits a magazine
format. Contact us for submission guidelines at journal@geocosmic. org. Remember, NCGR publications reach over 2000
astrologers. It’s a great way to get exposure. To advertise in the Geocosmic
Journal, contact Arlene Nimark at 718377-0482, arlenima@aol.com.