The Astrology Podcast

In episode 108 of the podcast astrologer Nina Gryphon joins the show to talk about her project to create an illustrated commentary on the 146 aphorisms of the 13th century astrologer Guido Bonatti. Nina is an astrologer and corporate lawyer who practices traditional astrology, specializing in personal, financial, and political forecasting. She recently launched a project to produce an illustrated version of Bonatti’s 146 considerations, which is partially being crowdfunded through her page on Patreon: Patreon.com/Ninagryphon For more information about Nina’s work visit her website at: NinaGryphon.com Below you will find the show notes, followed by links to download or stream the recording of this episode of the podcast. Sponsors and Giveaways for May At the top of this episode I briefly talk about our sponsors and giveaway prizes for May, which are: * A copy of the popular desktop astrology software program Solar Fire 9. * A copy of the mobile astrology app called Astro Gold, which is available for both iPhones and Android devices. Listeners of the podcast can get a 15% discount on Solar Fire when they use the promo code AP15 when purchasing the program through the Astrolabe website. For more information about the giveaway and how to enter see the May description page. Episode Outline Here are some of the points that we touched on during the course of the episode: * Who is Guido Bonatti? * When and where did he live? * What did he write? * Why is his work significant? * What are the 146 considerations? * Discussion about the genre of aphorisms * Translations of Bonatti’s aphorisms. * William Lilly & Henry Coley translation of the aphorisms * Anima Astrologie, or A Guide for Astrologers, 1676 * More of a paraphrase, which omits some passages. * Ben Dykes’ newer translation of the aphorisms recommended. * Available originally as Treatise 5 in his 2007 publication. * Ben later published the 146 considerations on its own. * Amazon: Bonatti’s 146 Considerations, trans. Dykes * Preference for one translation or the other? * What makes the aphorisms useful or worthwhile? * Which ones are the most striking or compelling? * Are there any where you feel like he missed the mark, or his meaning was unclear? * Talking about Nina’s project to illustrate and explicate the considerations. * An archive of the considerations that have been illustrated so far. * Possible print book in the future? Listen to This Episode You can either play this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your computer by using the buttons below:

In episode 107 of the podcast astrologer Benjamin Dykes joins the show to talk about his new translation of the work of the 1st century astrologer Dorotheus of Sidon. Dorotheus was a highly influential astrologer who lived in the Mediterranean region during the time of the Roman Empire, and he wrote one of the earliest surviving works on natal astrology and electional astrology. Although Dorotheus’ text was originally written in Greek, the majority of it only survives in an Arabic translation that was produced in the 8th century, of which only two manuscripts survive. Ben recently translated this text from the Arabic, and has published it along with some useful commentary and fragments of Dorotheus’ work. The book is now officially available for purchase from Ben’s website: Dorotheus of Sidon, Carmen Astrologicum Below you will find the show notes, followed by links to download or stream the recording of this episode of the podcast. Sponsors and Giveaways for May At the top of this episode I briefly talk about the giveaway prizes for May, which are: * A copy of the popular desktop astrology software program Solar Fire 9. * A copy of the mobile astrology app called Astro Gold. Right now listeners of the podcast can get a 15% discount on Solar Fire when they use the promo code AP15 when purchasing the program through the Astrolabe website. For more information about the giveaway and how to enter see the May description page. Episode Outline Here are some of the topics we touched on during the course of the episode: * Who was Dorotheus of Sidon? * Why is his work significant? * Why the need for a new translation? * English translation of an Arabic translation of a Persian translation of the original Greek. * This is the Umar al-Tabari translation, which is an Arabic version from the late 8th century. * The structure of the work: books 1-4 on natal astrology, book 5 on electional. * The dating of Dorotheus based on the charts. * The fifth book, and whether it deals with inceptions or questions. * Dorotheus’ use of triplicity lords. * Dorotheus’ use of Lots or Arabic Parts. * Different timing techniques used in Dorotheus. * Other projects and translations that Ben is working on, including Theophilus of Edessa. Listen to This Episode You can either play this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your computer by using the buttons below:

In episode 106 astrologers Kelly Surtees and Austin Coppock join the show to talk about the astrological forecast for May of 2017. We open the show by talking about some recent news in the community, including a discussion about the episode of Bill Nye’s new show that covered astrology, and some related issues surrounding the relationship between astrology and science. Later in the episode I also highlight one auspicious electional chart for the month of May, using the principles of electional astrology. The artwork for this episode comes from the 2017 Planet Watcher astrology calendar. Below you will find the show notes, followed by links to download or stream the recording of this episode of the podcast. Sponsors and Giveaway for This Month At the top of this episode I briefly talk about our sponsors and the prizes that we are giving away for patrons of the show this month: * A pass to the upcoming Northwest Astrological Conference, which is taking place May 25–29, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. * A copy of Ben Dykes’ new translation of Dorotheus, which will be released in early May. For more information about the giveaway and the prizes see the April description page. Major Astrological Alignments for May Here are some of the major highlights that we talk about for the month of May: * Mercury stations direct May 3 * North Node into Leo May 9? * Full Moon in Scorpio May 10 * Mercury ingresses into Taurus May 16 * Saturn trine Uranus May 19 * Sun into Gemini May 20 * New Moon in Gemini May 25 Auspicious Election for May Here is the most auspicious electional chart that we could find for the month of May: * May 7, 2017 at 4:21 PM with Libra rising To hear about other auspicious electional charts that we found for May you can sign up to become a patron of the show on the $5 tier, and then you will have access to a 45-minute discussion where we talk about the pros and cons of this chart, as well as three other charts. This month we are recording both an audio and a video version of the electional episode for patrons. Timestamps * 00:00 – 6:30: news and announcements * 11:25 – 32:52: discussion about Bill Nye episode and related issues of astrology and science. * 32:52 – 1:41:23: forecast discussion for the astrology of May. Listen to This Episode You can either play this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your computer by using the buttons below:

In episode 105 Israeli astrologer Michael Ofek joins the show to talk about the important but often overlooked role that the concept of light plays as a foundational principle in many different areas of astrology. The discussion is based on Michael’s research into the role that light plays in astrology over the past decade, and a series of talks that he has given on the subject in the past few years. For more information about Michael’s work see his website: www.ofek-sky.com. Below you will find the show notes, followed by links to download or stream the recording of this episode of the podcast. Sponsors and Giveaways for April At the top of this episode I briefly talk about the giveaway prizes for April: * A pass to the upcoming Northwest Astrological Conference, which is taking place May 25–29, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. * A copy of Ben Dykes’ new translation of Dorotheus of Sidon, which will be released later this month. For more information about the giveaway and how to enter see the April description page. Episode Outline Some of the points that we touch on in the episode: * Light as a foundational concept in almost every area of astrology. * Planets and their phase relationship with the Sun, especially heliacal rising and setting. * Planets reflecting the light of the Sun, just like the Moon does. * The concept of sect, and the distinction between day and night charts. * The tropical zodiac as being predicated on the relationship between the earth and the Sun, and different amounts of light. * The houses that are above or below the horizon and the connection with light and darkness. * The concept of aspects being tied in with ancient views of visual rays of light. * Lot calculations as projected light relationships, and the rationale underlying the Part of Fortune as being based on the idea of going from light to darkness. * The ways in which light was conceptualized as being fundamental in most ancient traditions, especially the Hellenistic, Indian, and Medieval traditions. Listen to This Episode You can either play this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your computer by using the buttons below:

In episode 104 of the podcast astrologer Lynn Bell joins the show to talk about the astrology of family dynamics, as seen through the natal chart and synastry. Most of our discussion focuses on subjects that are dealt with in her book on the topic, titled Planetary Threads: Patterns of Relating Among Family and Friends. You can find out more information about Lynn on her website www.lynnbellastrology.com. Below you will find the show notes, followed by links to download or stream the recording of this episode of the podcast. Sponsors and Giveaways for April At the top of this episode I announce the giveaway prizes for April: * A pass to the upcoming Northwest Astrological Conference, which is taking place May 25–29, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. Discounted registration rates for NORWAC end on April 22, so sign up now for a lower price. * A copy of Ben Dykes’ new translation of Dorotheus of Sidon, which will be released later this month. For more information about the giveaway and how to enter see the April description page. Timestamps and Some Topics Covered * 00:00 – 02:18: show introduction and giveaway announcements for April. * 02:18 – Interview with Lynn begins * A little bit of background info on Lynn, where she came from, training, etc. * Planetary Threads: Patterns of Relating Among Family and Friends * 2013, Ibis Press. Revised and expanded version of 1999 publication. * Mainly an edited transcript of seminars presented at the Center for Psychological Astrology in 1997/8. * Primarily focuses on family dynamics, but also other areas like friendship. * How the birth charts of individuals interact with each other and describe dynamics that develop between those individuals. * Parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, etc. * Sometimes similar chart placements or signatures repeat across different generations. * How the family contributes to our experience of ourselves. * Two people might be born with the same birth chart, but in a different family. * How might different families emphasize different chart placements. * Different planetary signatures and how they can manifest in different family dynamics. * Lynn’s work on the planetary joys scheme and its relevance in interpreting the houses. Listen to This Episode You can either play this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your computer by using the buttons below:

In episode 103 astrologer Kelly Surtees joins the show in order to help answer questions from listeners and patrons of the podcast on a variety of astrological topics. We received so many questions for our last Q&A episode, which was episode 100, that we decided to do a followup show with just Kelly and Chris in order to get to the rest. In the end it took us about 2 hours, but we got through them all! Below you will find the show notes, followed by links to download or stream the recording of this episode of the podcast. Announcing Giveaway for April At the top of this episode I announce the giveaway prizes for April: * A pass to the upcoming Northwest Astrological Conference, which is taking place May 25–29, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. Discounted registration rates for NORWAC end on April 22, so sign up now for a lower price. * A copy of Ben Dykes’ new translation of Dorotheus of Sidon, which will be released later this month. For more information about the giveaway and how to enter see the April description page. Episode Outline Here are shortened versions of some of the question topics that we talked about during the course of the episode: * What are the different branches and traditions of astrology? See also episode 29. * How do you reconcile different schools and approaches that disagree with each other? * How do you deal with the myriad of new astronomical findings? * Where do you see astrology headed professionally and publicly in the future? * Do you look at secondary progressions or transits when picking an election? * How do New Moons and the concept of under the beams relate to elections and starting new projects? * Did ancient and traditional astrologers use relocated charts? * How are planetary speed and stations used as interpretive principles? * Kelly has an article on planetary speeds and astrology on her website, as well as a lecture where she discussed the topic a bit in relation to other inquiries. * What are some of your reasons for believing in the validity of astrology? * What are the strongest arguments against the validity of astrology? Thanks to all of our patrons who sent in questions! Listen to This Episode You can either play this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your computer by using the buttons below:

In episode 102 astrologers Kelly Surtees and Austin Coppock join the show to talk about the astrological forecast for April of 2017. We open the show with a long discussion about astrology sometimes giving you information about odd things that you don’t really need to know. Later in the episode I also highlight one auspicious electional chart for the month of April, using the principles of electional astrology. The artwork for this episode comes from the 2017 Planet Watcher astrology calendar. Below you will find the show notes, followed by links to download or stream the recording of this episode of the podcast. Winners of March Giveaway Prizes Since this is the last episode of the month we announced the winners of this month’s giveaway prizes, which were: * A free pass to the upcoming Organization for Professional Astrology retreat, which will take place October 19-22, 2017 at the beautiful Zion National Park, in Utah. * A signed copy of Chris’ new book, Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune. The winner of the pass to the OPA retreat was listener Alec Senese, while the winners of a signed copy of Hellenistic Astrology were listeners Bonnie Heatherington Robson, Mari Minegishi, and Dave Fassett. Thanks for OPA for sponsoring the show this month, and congrats to all of the winners! For more information about how to enter the drawing for next month see the giveaway description page for March. Major Astrological Alignments in April * Venus ingresses into Pisces April 2 * Saturn stations retrograde April 6 * Venus squares Saturn April 8 * Mercury stations retrograde April 9 * Full Moon in Libra April 11 * Venus stations direct April 15 * Sun ingresses into Taurus April 19 * Pluto stations retrograde April 20 * Mercury ingresses into Aries April 20 * Mars ingresses into Gemini April 21 * New Moon in Taurus April 26 * Venus ingresses into Aries April 28 Auspicious Electional Chart for April * April 27, 2017 at about 10:35 AM with 17 Cancer rising To hear about other auspicious electional charts in April you can sign up to become a patron of the show on the $5 tier and then you will have access to a 45-minute discussion where we talk about the pros and cons of this chart as well as three others. Timestamps * 00:00 – 6:30 we catch up and talk about stuff going on in our personal lives. * From 6:45 – 29:00 we have a discussion about astrology telling you odd things that you don’t really need to know. * 29:00 – 38:00 we announce the giveaway winners for March. * 38:00 onward we talk about the astrological forecast for April. Other Relevant Links * Kelly’s website * Austin’s website * Chris’ April 1 webinar for Kepler: What is Hellenistic Astrology? * Chris’ new lecture recording: The History of Western Astrology in 90 Minutes Listen to This Episode

In episode 101 Kenneth Miller joins me to talk about the concept of the Age of Aquarius, where it came from, what it means, and what some of the issues are surrounding it. This is an episode that Kenneth and I have been wanting to do for a while now, and it ties in nicely with our previous discussion on the tropical and sidereal zodiacs. Below you will find the show notes, followed by links to download or stream the recording of this episode of the podcast. Giveaway Prizes for March At the top of the show we briefly talk about the two giveaway prizes for March: * A free pass to the upcoming Organization for Professional Astrology retreat, which will take place October 19-22, 2017 at the beautiful Zion National Park, in Utah. * A signed copy of my new book, Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune. For more information about the giveaway and how to enter see the March description page. Episode Outline * We start with news and announcements at the top of the show, which is over by 4:50. * The theory of Astrological Ages. * Roughly 2000 year periods ruled by each of the zodiacal signs * The general idea is that we have been in Pisces for about 2000 years, and Aquarius is starting. * The idea became popular in the late 19th century * Became synonymous with New Age and New Age Movement. * The idea of astrological Ages wasn’t really used prior to the 19th century, even though precession has been known about since the time of Hipparchus. * It was appropriated and promoted by the Theosophical Society for religious purposes. * Said to be evidence of the dawn of a new age * Partially used to justify idealized future that they envisioned. * Problem is that the conceptualization of Aquarius changed in the process. * Positive ideas projected onto it that didn’t exist before. * Alan Leo, Marc Edmund Jones, and Dane Rudhyar were all Theosophists. * Based on the phenomenon known as precession. * Earth’s wobble causes equinoxes and solstices to move slowly against stars * Tropical and sidereal zodiacs slowly move out of alignment * 1 degree every 72 years or so. * Astrological Ages is based on vernal point moving through sidereal signs * Effectively means that sidereal signs are being ascribed western significations, even though most of the astrologers who use the technique are tropicalists. * There are problems with defining when one age ends and another begins. * Connected to the issue of where to start the sidereal zodiac. * The ayanamsha you use can vary by a few degrees. 1 degree = 72 years * With a normal sidereal zodiac it would start at a relatively certain time. * In the 1970s Hand suggested using the constellations and fixed stars. * Originally proposed by Jung * In this approach Pisces and Aquarius overlap a bit. * Further reading: * Nicholas Campion, Astrology, History, and Apocalypse * Nicholas Campion, Astrology and Popular Religion in the Modern West * Robert Hand, Essays on Astrology Listen to This Episode You can either play this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your computer by using the buttons below:

The podcast has reached a major milestone, and this is the 100th episode of the show! To celebrate the 100th episode we had a question and answer session with astrologers Chris Brennan, Patrick Watson, Leisa Schaim, and Nick Dagan Best. The day before we recorded the episode we put out a call for questions from listeners and patrons of the show, and we ended up with a lot of questions! There were so many questions in fact that we only got through maybe half of them or less in this episode, so we will probably do a followup Q&A episode in April in order to answer the rest. We ran into some technical issues in recording this episode, and were not sure if it was going to be salvageable, but our sound engineer was able to save the day and piece together a full episode from what we gave him. The initial part of the discussion is just between Chris, Patrick, and Leisa, and then about 54 minutes in Nick joined the show. Giveaway Prizes for March At the top of the show we briefly talk about the two giveaway prizes for March: * A free pass to the upcoming Organization for Professional Astrology retreat, which will take place October 19-22, 2017 at the beautiful Zion National Park, in Utah. * A signed copy of my new book, Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune. For more information about the giveaway and how to enter see the March description page. Episode Outline, Topics Covered, and Questions Answered * We open the show talking about how it is the 100th episode. * Discuss the giveaway prizes for patrons this month, and then the main Q&A discussion gets started at 6:30. * Nick joins the show at 54:45. * What is the podcast’s theme song? * Are electional charts the reverse/mirror image of a horary chart? * Which timing techniques do you favor / prioritize? * The Tyranny of the Rising Signs: where do you draw the line in applying electional astrology, or astrology in general to your life? * Do you use declinations in your practice? * What is something about your natal chart that you resonate with personally? (Some of the answers to this question were lost due to audio issues) * How has practicing astrology influenced who you are as a person and your worldview? * How would you interpret / reconcile those cases when the MC is in a different sign than the 10th whole sign house? * How smoothly did your conceptual transition to using whole sign houses go? * How do you approach interpreting the conjunction between a malefic and a benefic? * What is the interpretive distinction between inferior and superior conjunctions in terms of synodic cycles? Listen to This Episode You can either play this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your computer by using the buttons below:

In episode 99 of the podcast astrologer Adam Elenbaas joins the show to talk about using astrology to make predictions, some of the different attitudes that astrologers have towards the subject, and the pros and cons of the practice in general. For more information about Adam’s work see: NightlightAstrology.com. Below you will find the show notes, followed by links to download or stream the recording of this episode of the podcast. Announcing the Giveaway for March Right at the top of the show I announce the two new patron giveaway prizes for March: * A free pass to the upcoming Organization for Professional Astrology retreat, which will take place October 19-22, 2017 at the beautiful Zion National Park, in Utah. * A signed copy of my new book, Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune. For more information about the giveaway and how to enter see the March description page. Listen to This Episode You can either play this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your computer by using the buttons below:

In episode 98 of the podcast Kelly Surtees and Austin Coppock join the show to talk about the major astrological alignments coming up in March of 2017, which includes a Jupiter-Uranus opposition, Venus stationing retrograde in Aries, Jupiter square Pluto, and more. At the top of the episode we also announce the giveaway prizes for this month, and talk about the recent release of Chris’ new book on ancient astrology. The artwork for this episode is partially taken from the 2017 Planet Watcher astrology calendar, which is finally out and available for purchase. Below you will find the show notes, followed by links to download or stream the recording of this episode of the podcast. Winners of February Giveaway Prizes Our sponsors this month were the Northwest Astrological Conference and The Mountain Astrologer magazine, and at the top of the show we announce the winners of the two giveaway prizes that they provided us with this month: * The first prize is a pass to the upcoming Northwest Astrological Conference, which is taking place May 25–29, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. * The second prize is a copy of a new 2 CD package from The Mountain Astrologer magazine which contains copies of every issue they published from 2007–2010. The winner of the pass to NORWAC was patron Josh Nelson, while the winner of the TMA back issues CDs was patron Andra Sampson. Chris’ Book is Out! Chris’ book on Hellenistic astrology was finally published on February 10, 2017! The book provides a comprehensive survey of the history, philosophy, and techniques of ancient astrology. You can order it through his website now: Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune Major Astrological Alignments for March * Jupiter opposite Uranus March 1 * Venus stations retrograde March 4 * Mars ingresses into Taurus March 9 * Full Moon in Virgo March 12 * Mercury ingresses into Aries March 13 * Sun ingresses into Aries March 20 * New Moon in Aries March 27 * Jupiter square Pluto March 30 * Mercury ingresses into Taurus March 31 Most Auspicious Electional Chart for March * March 14, 2017 at 3:43 PM For other auspicious elections in March you can sign up to become a patron of the show on the $5 tier and then you will have access to a 45-minute discussion where we talk about the pros and cons of this chart as well as three others. Listen to This Episode You can either play this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your computer by using the buttons below:

In episode 97 of the podcast I talk about the recent release of my new book on ancient astrology, titled Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune. The book provides one of the first comprehensive surveys in modern times of the type of astrology that was practiced during the time of the Roman Empire, roughly from the first century BCE through the seventh century CE. The purpose of the episode is to provide an overview of the book and talk about some of the topics that I cover in it, but also to talk about the process of writing the book and what went into it, especially over the course of the past year. Where You Can Get the Book You can order the book and get a preview of the introduction and table of contents here: http://www.hellenisticastrology.com/book/ I am also currently offering a package deal with my online course on Hellenistic astrology, where when you sign up for the course you get a free copy of the book: http://www.hellenisticastrology.com/courses/hellenistic-astrology-course/ The book is also available through other online retailers, although I have a slight preference for orders placed directly through my website, which I linked to above. Pivotal Contributors to the Book I want to thank and give credit to a few people who were instrumental in helping me to bring the book to completion this year: Aaron Cheak edited the book and helped to shape its structure. Paula Belluomini designed the cover as well as many of the diagrams. Shannon Garcia did the layout and typesetting for the book, as well as the index. Listen to This Episode You can either play this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your computer by using the buttons below:

In episode 96 of the podcast Austin Coppock joins the show to talk about the major upcoming astrological alignments in February of 2017. February features a lunar eclipse in Leo, a solar eclipse in Pisces, and an exact Jupiter-Uranus opposition with Mars conjunct Uranus at the same time. Kelly is away on vacation and decided to take this month off, so it was just me and Austin talking for about two and a half hours. The first hour or so is just catching up on news since our last episode was recorded in mid-December, which largely had to do with stuff in the world of politics. If you are sick of political stuff and just want to skip straight to the forecast then jump to about an hour and eight minutes into the recording. Below you will find an outline of some of the different topics that we touched on during the course of the show, followed by links to download or stream the recording. Current Giveaway Prizes At the top of the show I note that we have two sponsors this month, and on episode 98 we will be giving away a couple of prizes to two lucky patrons of the show. * The first prize is a pass to the upcoming Northwest Astrological Conference, which is taking place May 25–29, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. * The second prize is a copy of a new 2 CD package from The Mountain Astrologer magazine which contains copies of every issue they published from 2007–2010. For more information about the giveaway and how to enter for a chance to win see the giveaway description page. Astrological Transits for February * Venus ingresses into Aries on February 3. * Jupiter stations retrograde at 23 Libra February 6 * Mercury ingresses into Aquarius February 7 * Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse in Leo February 10 * Sun into Pisces February 18 * Mercury into Pisces February 25 * New Moon/Solar eclipse in Pisces February 26 * Jupiter opposite Uranus/Mars February 27 Auspicious Electional Chart for February The auspicious election that we are highlighting for this month takes place: * February 10, 2017 at 4:30 PM with 11 Leo rising The other three elections for February will be presented in  our 45-minute auspicious elections episode, which is available to Patrons of the show who sign up for the $5 or $10 tier. If you would like to get access to that then you can sign up on our page on Patreon. Listen to This Episode You can either play this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your computer by using the buttons below:

In episode 95 of the podcast astrologers Austin Coppock and Kelly Surtees join the show to talk about some of the major astrological alignments coming up in 2017. We start out by doing a bit of a review of some of the major themes that came up over the past year, and talking about them in light of the forecast episode we put out last December. Later we launched into a full discussion of the astrology of 2017, which includes a lot of activity in late fire signs, a major solar eclipse in Leo that will cross the entire continental United States in August, and series of Jupiter-Uranus oppositions in Aries/Libra before Jupiter moves into Scorpio in October. Below you will find an outline of some of the different topics that we touched on during the course of the show, followed by links to download or stream the recording. Giveaway Prizes for January/February Announced At the top of the show I announce our two sponsors for the next couple of months, as well as the giveaway that we are doing in cooperation with them for patrons of the show. For this month’s raffle we will be giving away a pass to the upcoming Northwest Astrological Conference, which is taking place this May in Seattle, as well as a copy of a new 2 CD package from The Mountain Astrologer magazine which contains copies of every issue they published from 2007–2010. For more information about the giveaway and how to enter for a chance to win see the description page for the January/February giveaway. Auspicious Elections Announcement The other announcement I make in this episode is that from now on we are going to move the auspicious elections segment of the monthly forecast episodes, and turn it into a separate 45 minute discussion that will be available to patrons of the show. Since I’m not longer writing the electional column for TMA I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep doing the elections segment on the monthly forecast episodes, mainly because it is a lot of work to find four elections each month. This seems to be the best solution though that will allow me to keep offering them while making it so that I can justify the time spent on it each month. The plan is that Leisa Schaim and I will record a separate 45 minute podcast each month with the auspicious elections for the next month, which will be released around or not long after the monthly forecast episode each month. The auspicious elections episodes will only be available to patrons of the show who sign up on the $5 tier or higher. If you want to get access then all you have to do is sign up to become a patron on our page on Patreon. I will continue to highlight one auspicious election each month on the monthly forecast episodes with Austin and Kelly. The best election for this coming month is: * January 6 at 5:20 PM with 23 Cancer rising * Moon exalted in Taurus in 11th, in a night chart, applying to sextile with Venus at 3 Pisces, mutual reception. * Emphasizes 11th and 9th house themes. * Jupiter angular in Libra in 4th. * Mercury retro but stationing direct. The full electional episode for January will be sent out to patrons in the next few days, so sign up now if you would like to receive it! Main Signatures for 2017 * Leo eclipse in August, and that axis shifting from Virgo-Pisces to Leo-Aquarius in general. * Venus retrograde in Aries/Pisces, echoing back to 8 years ago. * Jupiter-Uranus opposition off and on most of the year. * Final phases of Saturn in Sagittarius, followed by start of Saturn in Capricorn.

In episode 94 of the podcast Kelly Surtees and Austin Coppock join the show in order to talk about the astrology of December, as well as reflect on the results of the recent US presidential election. Some of the highlights of the forecast portion of the episode include an extended discussion of the first Jupiter-Uranus opposition, the Mercury retrograde that begins on December 19, and the two lunations that occur in Gemini and Capricorn. As always, the cover art for this episode is from the 2016 PlanetWatcher Astrology Calendar. Below you will find the show notes, followed by links to download or stream the recording of our discussion. Winners of the October/November Giveaway Announced Right at the top of the show we announce the winners of this month’s patreon giveaway prizes. The winner of the free copy of the astrology software program Delphic Oracle was listener Ricardo Carmona. The winner of the pass to the NCGR astrology conference in Baltimore in February was Barbara Willis. Thanks to our sponsors for supporting this month’s giveaway! If you would like a chance to win a prize in our next giveaway then just sign up to become a patron through our page on Patreon on the 5 or 10 dollar tier. Astrological Alignments for December * Mercury ingresses into Capricorn December 2 * Venus ingresses into Aquarius December 7 * Full Moon in Gemini December 13 * Mercury stations retrograde in December 19 * Mars ingresses into Pisces December 19 * Sun ingresses into Capricorn December 21 * Jupiter opposes Uranus December 25 * New Moon in Capricorn December 29 * Uranus stations direct December 29 Listen to This Episode You can either play this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your computer by using the buttons below: