The Astrology Podcast

In the 33rd episode of the podcast Leisa Schaim joins the show to talk about the recent History Channel episode on astrology, and discuss the pros and cons of the coverage of astrology in that show. During the course of the podcast we provide a synopsis of the History Channel episode, as well as a commentary of some of the things we thought were done well, as well as some critiques about things that could have been done better. The History Channel episode largely focused on the debate about whether astrology is a science, and in particular some of the common criticisms of astrology, and so we ended up discussing some of these issues extensively in our commentary. The episode was part of the History Channel series The Universe: Ancient Mysteries Solved, and it was episode 9 in season 7, titled “Predicting the Future.” It originally aired on May 16, 2015, although you can buy the episode and watch it online now for $2 on on YouTube or through Amazon instant video. For more information about Leisa’s work visit her website at: LeisaSchaim.com Below you will find the synopsis of the episode that we wrote out and used as part of our show notes, followed by links to play or download this episode of the podcast. Synopsis of the History Channel Episode and Show Notes * The episode opens by asking whether astrology is a science or just superstition. * First 10 minutes or so is a quasi-history of astrology. * Goes into the difference between astronomy and astrology. * Gives various different definitions of astrology early on and throughout the show. * Points out that astronomers were also astrologers early on. * Mistakenly attributes the development of the zodiac to the Greeks in the 4th century. * Talks a little bit about the origins of the zodiac. * Talk about the use of astrology by powerful people in the past. The astronomers write this off as superstition. * They talk about Kepler and his contributions to astronomy, and acknowledge his use of astrology, but write this off as just making pocket money off of superstitious patrons. * Demonstration about how the constellations are stars that have no connection with each other. Only patterns from our vantage point. * Divergence of astronomy and astrology by the 18th century * Talk about the revival of astrology and advent of Sun-sign horoscope columns in the 1930s. * Segment on objections to Sun-sign astrology. * They let the astrologers respond by pointing out the birth chart. * They set up a test of astrology with the two astrologers being given a chart to interpret. * Despite this the astronomers point out that there are no statistical studies validating astrology, and say that it is just guess work. * They talk about the prominent leaders who have used astrology, despite lack of statistical evidence for its validity – Hitler, Churchill, Reagan, * Long segment on astrology and precession. * Mercury retrograde segment. * Transition into section on the astrological mechanism, and whether there is any known force that could account for astrology. * New section on whether there could be an unknown force. * Segment where the scientists try to say that astrologers haven’t kept up with recent astronomical discoveries (which is hilariously absurd). * Segment on scientific tests of astrology. * Closing segment talking about the number of people who still believe that astrology is scientific de...

This episode of the podcast features a new segment where astrologer Kelly Surtees joins me to provide a forecast of some of the major astrological trends for the month of June 2015, as well as highlight some of the most auspicious electional charts during the course of the month. The astrology forecast segment is based on a column that Kelly writes for the website of The Mountain Astrologer magazine where she talks about some of the featured planetary aspects for the month of June. My bi-monthly column appears in the print version of The Mountain Astrologer, and in it I provide a list of some of the most auspicious charts I can find each month using the basic principles of electional astrology. We decided to combine some of the highlights of both of our columns here for a 45-minute podcast discussion about the astrology of June. This is an experiment that we are going to try over the course of the next few months, and if listener feedback is good then it may become a regular feature of the podcast at the beginning of each month. The goal is to expand the listener base of the podcast, while still presenting high-level discussions about astrology that are interesting and useful for intermediate and advanced students and practitioners of the subject. Episode Notes * Introducing the new monthly forecast segment. * Giving some background information on it. * Major aspect for the month is Jupiter trine Uranus. * Triggered by Mars, the Sun, and Venus throughout June. * This is a three part transit. Discussing the months/dates when it was active before. * Mercury retrograde for the first part of the month. Stationing direct around June 11. * Mercury square Neptune most of the month. * Saturn retrograding back into Scorpio June 14. * Venus moving into its shadow and preparing to go retrograde in Virgo/Leo this summer. * Auspicious electional charts for the month: * June 15, 2015 – 4:25 AM – Gemini Rising * June 20 2015 – 4:15 AM – Gemini Rising * June 20 2015 – 1:45 PM – Libra Rising If you have any comments or questions about the episode please either send us an email or post them in the comments section for this episode below. Download or Stream This Episode of the Podcast You can either download this episode of the podcast as an MP3 or you can play it directly from the website by using the buttons below:

In this episode astrologer Kelly Surtees joins the show to talk about some tips for how to learn astrology and eventually become an astrologer. The discussion is partially based on an article I wrote years ago on my blog titled 10 tips for learning astrology. I wanted to return to the topic again in order to delve a little deeper into some of the different tips, as well as add a few new ones. During the course of the show Kelly and I take you from the very first steps that you need to take in order to begin your studies of astrology, assuming you know nothing or next to nothing about it, and then we walk you all the way through the intermediate and advanced phases of learning about the subject. The end result is basically a 3-5 year outline for how to become an astrologer, and by the end of the show we bring the listener right to the point where they should be able to transition into practicing astrology professionally. Below I have an outline of some of the topics covered in the show, although for a full writeup with all of the links please see the original blog post linked to at the top of the page. Studying Astrology: Episode Outline Kelly’s three main overarching tips for learning astrology: Read – books/blogs/websites/journals. Talk – to other people interested in astrology. Meetups/local astrology groups/online groups Study – undertake formal training. Pick someone you can meet with in person, or find a course you like online. Specific tips for learning astrology: * Get a copy of your birth chart from www.astro.com. * Make sure your birth time is correct, if possible. * Learn the symbols for the signs of the zodiac, planets, aspects, etc. * Kelly has a free handout that lists the symbols for the planets and signs of the zodiac. * She also has some other beginner friendly astrology handouts here. * Make use of free resources online. Blogs, websites, podcasts, YouTube, reddit, etc. * The Astrology Dictionary * The Astrology page on Reddit * Get some astrology books. Here are some good beginner books: * The Essential Guide to Practical Astrology by April Elliott Kent * Parker’s Astrology by Derek and Julia Parker * On The Heavenly Spheres by Helena Avelar and Luis Ribeiro * Cosmos and Psyche by Richard Tarnas. * Chart Interpretation Handbook by Stephen Arroyo * Kevin Burk’s latest book titled Principles of Practical Natal Astrology * Subscribe to The Mountain Astrologer magazine. * They also have a great beginner’s series on their website. * Get an ephemeris and learn to read it. * Astrodienst’s free online ephemeris. * Start following your transits with Astro.com’s personal daily horoscope.

Kenneth Johnson joins me in the 30th episode of the show in order to talk about some of the ancient timing techniques that are used in the Hellenistic and Indian astrological traditions. During the course of the show we have a general discussion about time-lord and dasha systems in the east and west, how these techniques were used and conceptualized, and what their implications are for contemporary astrological practice. Kenneth has been a practitioner of Indian astrology for 30 years, and has a strong background in Hellenistic astrology as well, which makes him uniquely qualified for cross-cultural comparisons. Find out more information about Kenneth’s work at KennethJohnsonAstrology.com. Episode Outline Here is an outline of the topics we touched on during the course of the episode: * Ancient astrologers had a collection of timing techniques that worked differently than modern techniques. * While transits are often the first technique in modern, in ancient they were the last. * A transit won’t coincide with a hit unless it is activated in the time-lord systems. * Natal placements lie dormant until awakened. * Modern western techniques tend to be either about real time astronomical events (transits), or directing/progressing planets (secondary progressions, solar arcs). * Ancient timing techniques tend to be more symbolic, and more focused on activating specific planets or signs for longer durations of time, via planetary periods. * Looking at spans of times rather than just specific days when something will be exact. * The end result is dividing a person’s life up until chapters and paragraphs. * In the Hellenistic tradition they called them chronocrator or time-lord systems. * In Indian astrology they refer to them as dasha systems. * Many based on planetary periods. * Periods that are either astronomical, symbolic, or numerological. * Hellenistic time-lord systems: * Basic: Annual Profections * Advanced: Zodiacal Releasing * Indian dasha systems: * Vimshottari dasha * Kalachakra dasha * In the 2012 presidential elections many of the Indian astrologers made similar predictions because they were all using the vimshottari dasha system. * Led to greater consensus because they all had a base technique to start from. * Reintroducing these systems into modern astrology. * Improvements and complications that come with this. * Ethical and philosophical issues, as well as technical. * Time-lord and dasha systems are established or predefined from the moment of birth. * Raises some philosophical questions about how predetermined things are. Download or Stream the Podcast You can either download this episode of the podcast as an MP3 or you can play it directly from the website by using the buttons below:

In the 29th episode of the podcast I talk about the different branches and traditions of astrology. There are four major “branches” of western astrology, which represent different applications of the subject, along with its various subsets. The traditions of astrology represent different eras in which it was practiced, each of which have their own unique technical, philosophical, and cultural traits. Outline of the Show Here is an outline of the topics I touched on during the course of the episode: * News and Announcements * New ways to listen to the show on smartphones: * Podcast Addict * Stitcher * Events * Workshop at NORWAC in May * Lecture and workshop in New York in June * OPA retreat in October * Main topic: defining the branches and traditions of astrology * Growing interest in definitions due to my website The Astrology Dictionary * My concise definition from my article on the definition of astrology: * “Astrology is the study of the correlation between celestial objects and earthly events.” * Branches of astrology * Mundane * Natal * Electional/inceptional * Horary/interrogational * Traditions of astrology * Western astrology versus Chinese, Mesoamerican, Indian, etc. * Traditions of western astrology * Mesopotamian astrology: 2000 BCE – 1st century BCE * Hellenistic astrology: 1st century BCE – 7th century CE * Indian astrology: 2nd century CE – present * Medieval astrology: 8th century CE – 13th century * Renaissance astrology: 14th century – 17th century * Modern astrology: 20th century – early 21st century. * Post-modern astrology (?): late 20th century – present. Download or Stream the Podcast You can either download this episode of the podcast as an MP3 or you can play it directly from the website by using the buttons below:

In the 28th episode of the show I talk with astrologer Michael Ofek about the many different mitigating factors that traditional astrologers take into account when determining a planet’s condition in a chart. Michael is the leading expert on traditional astrology in Israel, and he offers consultations and classes through his website at www.ofek-sky.com. We begin the show with an extended discussion about the nature of the benefic/malefic distinction, and use that as a jumping off point to discuss the ways in which traditional astrologers take into account various considerations in order to draw out the nuances underlying specific placements. The purpose of this discussion is to show that traditional astrologers do not view the benefic/malefic concept as a purely black and white distinction, but that there are many shades of grey in-between, and there are techniques that can be used to find out where a planet falls on that spectrum. Outline of the Show Here are some of the topics that we touched on during the course of the episode: * Not everything is black and white in traditional astrology. * This is one of the biggest misconceptions that modern astrologers have before they study it. * While benefic and malefic is an important distinction, it is not the only one, and not everything is black and white. * So let’s talk about some other mitigating factors in traditional astrology. * First define benefic and malefic better. * Preferable versus unpreferable. * Contrariety of opposites. Contrasting polarities. * Ptolemy definition of benefic and malefic. Temperate vs. extremes. * Obviously the benefics are not always benefic and the malefics are not always malefic. * Modern astrologers often say that this is due to free will, but traditional astrologers point out that there are techniques that you can use to see this. * Many of the concepts are related to the concept of familiarity. * The antidote to radicalization is integration. * The more a planet relates to its surroundings, the more it can act according to its nature. * Sect is one of the first mitigating factors. * Discussion about sect. * Talk about recent issue we discussed regarding when it becomes day or night. * Other mitigating factors: * A planet being in its own domicile or exaltation. * Mutual reception. * Having reception with its domicile lord. * Having a well-placed domicile lord versus a poorly-placed one. * Being well-placed by house. * Being aspected by benefics or malefics. * Overcoming especially. * The bonification and maltreatment conditions. * Worst case scenario. * The naivety of ignoring extremes or distinctions like that. * Astrology is life, and life is not all good. * Difficult or traumatic things do happen, and astrology is capable of identifying these things. * The subjective experience of things as good or bad is relevant and valid. * A debilitated planet does have some evolutionary potential, but it will still often be experienced as a negative event. * General concession that it may be necessary to tone down some of the delineations from the traditional texts, since life has changed, and perhaps things that might have been worse then are not as bad now. Download or Stream the Podcast You can either download this episode of the podcast as an MP3 or you can play it directly from the website by using the buttons below:

In the 27th episode of the show I’m joined by Demetra George in order to talk about the late astrologer James Herschel Holden. Holden was an astrologer, historian, and translator who became the Research Director of the American Federation of Astrologers in 1982, and served in that role until he died on August 13, 2013 at the age of 86. James is notable because he wrote one of the best books on the history of western astrology in 1996 titled A History of Horoscopic Astrology, and in the last decade of his life he also published many translations of ancient works on astrology. During the course of the show Demetra and I talk about who Holden was, what kind of work he did, and the impact it has had or will have on future generations of astrologers. Outline of the Show Here are some of the topics that we touched on during the course of the episode: * Who was Holden? * He was a historian, linguist, and astrologer. * What did he do? * Wrote one of the best books on the history of astrology in 1996. * Published numerous translations of ancient texts later in his life. * Holden’s fluency in many different languages gave him access to the entire tradition. * The importance of having multiple languages still. * Not always ok to rely on translations, even when they are available. * Research as an important topic in astrology that spans many fields. Not just scientific. * What has Holden’s impact on the astrological community been? * What will it be in the future? * Interactions between astrologers and academia, for example in the history of science. * Significance of biography and history in understanding the work of astrologers. * Is studying/learning the history of astrology important for astrologers? * Can learning about the history of astrology make you a better astrologer? * The AFA’s unique contributions to research through sponsoring Holden’s work. * Holden’s status as a retiree who did astrology as a sort of hobby. * The importance of “hobbyists” in our field, and the fact that they make up a large portion of it. * Not everyone who we might consider to be an “astrologer” is someone who supports themselves by reading charts full time. * Brief discussion about the upcoming AFA conference towards the end. * The 2011 conference was in honor of Holden, and he presented a paper there. * It was specifically focused on traditional astrology, which he had a huge impact on. * The upcoming conference also has a traditional bent, although not exclusively. Download or Stream the Podcast You can either download this episode of the podcast as an MP3 or you can play it directly from the website by using the buttons below:

In the 26th episode of the show I talk with astrologer Mark Jones about the differences between modern and traditional views on difficult chart placements, and we discuss the validity of using distinctions such as “benefic” and “malefic” in astrology. Mark’s background is in counseling and psychology, and he specializes in evolutionary astrology. His 2011 book is titled Healing the Soul: Pluto, Uranus and the Lunar Nodes, and his second book titled The Soul Speaks: The Therapeutic Potential of Astrology will be released in May. You can find out more information about Mark’s work at PlutoSchool.com. Mark and I will both be giving workshops at the Northwest Astrological Conference in May. Outline of the Show Here are some of the topics that we touched on during the course of the episode: * The setup for the discussion is our first conversation at the Northwest Astrology Conference (NORWAC) in 2013. * Mark’s question: Aren’t you doing harm to your clients by using distinctions like benefic and malefic, which make things look too black and white? * Chris’ response: Not acknowledging those distinctions does a disservice to the client by not validating the subjective experience of their life. * Broader question: are distinctions like benefic and malefic appropriate? * Is it too black and white, or too extreme? * Can such a distinction be appropriate with astrologers but not with clients? * Is there a difference between how to talk to each other versus clients? * Is it limiting to make it so that discussions about what is appropriate in astrology should always be done within the context of what is appropriate in a consultation? * Are consultations with clients the be all and end all of astrology? * Subjective experience of events versus objective or universal sense of purpose. * Is there a distinction between astrologers who focus on theory versus those who focus on practice? * Interpreting or judging single placements in isolation. * Telling a client about their chart versus having a dialog about their life. * The extent to which astrology is contextual. * Does a person’s level of consciousness have an effect on the the way the chart plays out? Download or Stream the Podcast You can either download this episode of the podcast as an MP3 or you can play it directly from the website by using the buttons below:

In the 25th episode of the show I talk with astrologer Ryhan Butler about the concept of reception, and a specific debate surrounding the technique and the way that it can be used as a mitigating for afflicted planets. Ryhan is the author of the Starlight Knight Astrology blog, and he also recently launched a comprehensive online resource for the theory, techniques, and practice of medieval astrology called the Medieval Astrology Guide. He has lectured on the topic of reception at the recent NCGR and ISAR conferences, and he’s also published a series of articles on reception on the website of the Association for Young Astrologers. The main point of the episode is a debate that has come up over whether reception acts as a mitigating factor when malefic planets are received by other planets, or whether it only acts as a mitigation when other planets are received by malefics. We start the episode by introducing the concept of reception and talking about it a bit before launching into the debate. Episode Outline * We start out by defining reception. * Chris speculates that the original definition was that it occurs when a planet aspects its domicile lord. * In the standard medieval definition the planet must be directly applying to an exact aspect with its ruler. * Abu Ma’shar says that it can be just by sign, but most medieval authors say it is primarily by degree. * Masha’allah only defines reception by domicile and exaltation. * Later expanded to include domicile, exaltation, triplicity, term, or face lord. * Sahl says that you need two of these lesser dignities at the same time to qualify. * Discussion about the terminology: * Latin: receptio: the act of receiving, reception, from recipio: to welcome, receive, admit. * Arabic: qubūl, from qabila – to accept or receive someone, agree, yield, approve, admit, accept. * Greek: ὑποδοχή – reception, hospitality, acceptance, support. * Some examples of reception. * The chart for when we started the podcast, with the Moon being received by Jupiter. * What is the conceptual basis of reception? * Based on the guest/houst relationship between planets in a sign and their domicile lord. * Sahl talks about it as if the planets see each other as family or related and therefore welcome each other, versus not recognize each other as family and therefore refuse or disapprove of each other. * Pushing management: Planets push significations to other planets they apply to, that planet then decides what to do with it. * How does it work out in practice? * Mitigating factor for difficult applications. * Typically ensures success or ease. * Deborah Houlding’s summary of Bonatti’s statements on aspects with or without reception. * Segue into the debate over whether it still acts as a mitigation if malefics are received. * This was originally prompted by a discussion about Nina Gryphon’s article Reception by Malefic Planet...

In this episode of the podcast I talk with astrologer Leisa Schaim about the Saturn return. Leisa and I co-author a blog on Saturn returns together called Saturn Return Stories, and we’ve been meaning to do a show for a while where we talk about some of the interpretive principles we use. During the course of the show we talk about the basics of the Saturn return, what it is about, and how it is interpreted based on how Saturn is situated in the birth chart. Leisa has a particular interest in the concept of sect, and how the difference between day and night charts affects the experience of the Saturn return. She recently released a lecture on this topic titled Saturn Returns, Sect, and the Taboo Against Difficulty for sale on her website at LeisaSchaim.com. A lot of our discussion in this episode is geared towards beginner or intermediate students of astrology who are new to the subject and wanting to learn more about what their Saturn return will be about, although there may be a few points of interest for more advanced astrologers who aren’t familiar with some aspects of the approach that Leisa and I use. Points Discussed in the Episode * Defining our topic: what is the Saturn return? * When does the Saturn return begin and end? * Why is it important, or what is the quality of this time? * The wide spectrum of different experiences during the Saturn return. * To what extent does a person’s experience of the Saturn return depend on personal volition? * Even though it is often characterized as a time where you have to put a lot of work into something and if you do you will eventually triumph, that’s not always true. * In the constructive cases it sometimes feels like the thing that you don’t want to do but you know that you have to do, and if you don’t do it willingly you might be forced to anyway. * In the destructive cases it is something that you are forced to do that isn’t necessarily constructive. * Interpretive principles for the Saturn return: * Sect * Saturn through the houses * The houses Saturn rules * Hard aspects to other planets * Other houses Saturn is angular to * Mitigating factors Transcript A transcript of this episode is available: Episode 24 transcript Download or Stream the Podcast You can either download this episode of the podcast as an MP3 or you can play it directly from the website by using the buttons below:

The 23rd episode is a solo show where I talk about some upcoming conferences and workshops, the latest news in the astrological community, and some topics that I’ve been researching lately. The research topics I discuss include birth data collection, determining when a chart switches from day to night, and an issue related to reception. Below you will find the show notes, followed by links to download or stream the episode: Outline of the Episode and Relevant Links * Upcoming conferences and workshops I’m speaking at: * American Federation of Astrologers conference in Tempe, AZ from April 9-11, 2015. * Northwest Astrology Conference in Seattle, WA from May 21-25, 2015. * Organization for Professional Astrology retreat in Asilomar, CA from Oct. 22-25, 2015. * Jeff Jawer’s cancer fundraiser. * General discussion about the important role of community fundraisers in the astrological community. * Astrotheme and issues with the veracity of celebrity birth data on their website. * My recent article on this: Astrotheme Untrustworthy for Birth Times? * Recent research project I’ve been doing on sect, and the question of when exactly it becomes a day chart or night chart. * The recurring issue I’ve talked about before where a transit or other timing technique will indicate something happening in a person’s life, and an event does happen but the native isn’t aware of it because it wasn’t within their field of vision, and the implications this has for astrological research. * Teaser about an upcoming episode where I will talk with a guest about the topic of reception and specific debate about one facet of the technique that I recently became aware of. Download or Stream the Podcast You can either download this episode of the podcast as an MP3 or you can play it directly from the website by using the buttons below:

In this episode astrologer Austin Coppock joins me to to talk about some of the upcoming astrological trends and themes that will occur in 2015. Austin is the author of the 2015 Astrological Almanac, and so he had a number of great insights to share about what the major planetary alignments are this year, as well as what people should expect from them. Below you will find the show notes, followed by links to download or stream the episode: Topics Covered in the Episode * Lots of fire sign placements this year. * Saturn in Sag, Jupiter in Leo, Uranus in Aries, Venus retro in Leo with Mars and others around the same time in the summer. * In Feb/March Venus and Mars in Aries. * Saturn in Sagittarius (pending squares to Neptune in Pisces) * Murder of cartoonist in France today and the resulting discussions about religion. * Criticism of belief, religion, zealotry. * Similar thing happened with Saturn in Scorpio and early news stories ended up being prescient. Privacy, secrecy, spying, hacking, etc. * Saturn switches houses now for everyone, with whole sign houses. * Saturn moves back into Scorpio June 15 – September 18. * The Saturn return for Saturn in Scorpio people isn’t quite over yet. * Venus retrograde in Leo * Stations retro at 0 Virgo. * July 25 – August 2. * Last one was summer of 2007. * Summer of 1999 prior to that. * Early August has a lot going on * Venus retros back into Leo right about the time Mars ingresses in, Jupiter leaves, and Saturn stations direct in Scorpio. * The final Uranus-Pluto square in March (end of an era) * 2015 is the middle of the decade. * Began the decade with this alignment. * The mutable mess we’re transitioning into (Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune and both nodes mutable. Mars RX in mutable Sag in Spring of 2016) * Jupiter-Saturn Square- ¾ of the way through the 20 year cycle. * Getting ready for the next conjunction in Aquarius in 2020. New triplicity. * Eclipses this year: * March solar at 29 Pisces and April lunar at 14 Libra. * September solar at 20 Virgo and then lunar at 4 Aries. Download or Stream the Podcast You can either download this episode of the podcast as an MP3 or you can play it directly from the website by using the buttons below:

In the 21st episode of the show I talk with professional tarot card reader Brigit Esselmont of BiddyTarot.com about the parallels between the professional practice of astrology and tarot. A few months ago I listened to an interview that Brigit did on another podcast, and I was interested in her story about making the transition into becoming a professional tarot reader, and how her experiences in the field of tarot often paralleled some of my own experiences in the field of astrology. During the course of the show we discuss topics ranging from Brigit’s personal journey into the field of tarot to public perceptions of astrologers and tarot card readers, as well as other things such as how to market yourself effectively in these niche fields. Below you will find the show notes, followed by links to download or stream the episode: Show Notes * Some parallels between astrology and tarot as professions: * Both are usually characterized as forms of divination. * Often similar experiences in terms of transitioning into doing it professionally. * Not very well-regarded by many people in the world, which can sometimes make it difficult to explain to people outside of the field what you do. * The desire to pursue a career doing something you love, and be able to support yourself and your family while helping your clients. * Encounter similar ethical issues in terms of what to tell people or how to frame it. * One of the points here is that even though neither of us knows much about each others’ field we can relate in a number of areas due to the weird space that each approach occupies on the fringes of society. * Discussion about Brigit’s background in tarot, what tarot entails, and how she got into it. * Brigit’s transition into doing tarot full time. * Some of the ways that Brigit has diversified her business in addition to doing consultations involve teaching online courses on tarot, writing ebooks, and offering business coaching. * Pursuing tarot and astrology professionally: * Most of the tarot readers/astrologers are not business people, so they tend to overlook some important things when you are running a business. * Brigit has been working to help other people with this issue through free business training videos for tarot readers, as well as launching a new course that begins in October called Grow Your Tarot Business Online. * Public image: * Personal struggles with what other people think when they found out what you do. * Managing self-image issues, or a better level of comfort. * How to get rid of the stigma surrounding professions like ours. * Getting away from the fortune teller/crystal ball type image. * Using tarot cards as a counseling tool, or as a way of tapping into the subconscious. * A lot of this has parallels with what happened with modern astrology. Download or Stream the Podcast You can either download this episode of the podcast as an MP3 or you can play it directly from the website by using the buttons below:

In this episode I interview astrologer Austin Coppock about his groundbreaking new book, titled 36 Faces: The History, Astrology and Magic of the Decans. The book covers the history, philosophy, and interpretation of each of the 36 decans. The majority of the text focuses on providing delineations for each of the decans based on symbolic interpretations of different illustrations and planetary associations from the past 2000 years. You can order a signed copy of 36 Faces through Austin’s website, or you order the book through his publisher’s website, which is Three Hands Press. Below you will find a general outline of some of the topics we covered in the show, as well as links to download or stream the episode. News and Announcements * I recently added a new lecture on the conditions of bonification and maltreatment to my online course on Hellenistic astrology, and finished expanding it into a 10-part course. * I will be raising the price for the course to $297 on September 1, but if you sign up before then you can get the full course with all of the new material for the current price of $175. Outline of Topics Covered in the Episode * The structure of the book: * History of the decans. * An overview of each decan. * Delineations for each of the 7 traditional planets when placed in each decan. * Discussion of Austin’s process for coming up with the delineations. * The book represents a synthesis of a bunch of earlier traditions, with some modern insights as well. * The history of the decans. * Astrology’s debt to Egypt, and the link with the decans. * Started with the fixed stars, but we don’t know which fixed stars the original decans were associated with at this point. * Different types of decans: * Original ones connected with fixed stars. * Chaldean order set from the Hellenistic tradition. * Indian elemental triplicity variant, which became popular in modern astrology due to Alan Leo. Sometimes known as “decanates.” * Astrology and magic. * The entwined history thereof * Discussion about publishing in the astrological community today. * The state of astrological publishing. * This book used a very specific model. * Would have been a different book if it was self-published or done through a major publisher. Download or Stream the Podcast You can either download this episode of the podcast as an MP3 or you can play it directly from the website by using the buttons below:

This episode features a discussion between Ben Dykes and I on the topic of how the subjective nature of human experience sometimes creates problems when trying to view people’s lives objectively through the lens of astrology. The crux of the issue is that it is sometimes difficult for people to evaluate statements that are made about the nature of their lives by astrologers because humans don’t usually view their lives with the same level of objectivity that the birth chart provides. This becomes the starting point for an 80 minute discussion about this issue as well as some related topics. News and Announcements * I recently recorded a new 8-hour lecture on how to interpret different topics in a person’s life by studying the rulers of the houses in a birth chart. * Ben recently released a new audio workshop on using the Arabic Parts or Lots, which is available on his website.  Episode Notes * You often can’t ask a person how a certain topic or range of topics manifests in their life because they cannot view those areas of their life objectively * They can’t see how those things are unique from what happens to other people. * You can’t tell a person about what the main topics of their life will revolve around for the same reason. * People tend to focus on what they think their life is about, what they would like their life to be about, or what they tell themselves their life is about, rather than what it really is. * Sometimes people will also misinterpret what you say. * These are barriers to astrological research and consultations. * The astrology is trying to talk about what the person’s life is actually about, but often the person can’t see themselves objectively. * Most people also have a hard time seeing the significance of important turning points in their life. * Zoller says that if the client says “no” to a delineation that they are lying. * Underlying issue: astrology is more objective than people are used to. * The idea of the subjective narrative that is always being revised, vs. the “objective” story of the chart and predictive techniques. * Sometimes people block their recognition of true statements because it doesn’t fit with their narrative about what their lives are about. * Modern notion of the chart as your mind means that the client expects statements that are always true. * Lots as a way of describing external events and circumstances not directly in the native’s control: a confirmation of the external world. Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 19 transcript Listen to This Episode You can either download this episode of the podcast as an MP3 or you can play it directly from the website by using the buttons below: