The Astrology Podcast

Episode 63 features a discussion with Kelly Surtees and Austin Coppock about some of the major astrological alignments and auspicious electional charts in the upcoming month of February 2016. During the course of the show we cover topics such as the impending Mars retrograde in Sagittarius and Scorpio, an upcoming emphasis on mutable signs, and a recap of some of the highlights of the recent Mercury retrograde in Aquarius and Capricorn. I also introduce some auspicious electional charts for different dates throughout the month, and talk about the rationale for the charts I selected. Below you will find the show notes, followed by links to download or stream the recording of this episode. 2016 Astrology Calendars Now Available Astrologer Kirk Kahn just released the PlanetWatcher Astrology Calendar for 2016. This is the source of the cover art that we use for our forecast episodes, and it is a great way to look at the major planetary alignments and ingresses for the entire year at a glance. Astrological Alignments for February * February is the new January! Mercury direct in Capricorn + Venus in Capricorn, helps with straightening out any post Mercury Rx bloops or confusion. * Some dignity with Venus in Cap/Mars in Scorpio. * Month of sextiles (friendliness, support, connection, ease, even if a reality check or reminder). * Biggest aspect Mars in Scorpio sextile Jupiter in Virgo, February 13–14. * Sun sextile Saturn, February 3. * Sun sextile Uranus, February 6. * Venus sextile Mars Feb 6/7, Mercury sextile Saturn Feb 25/Uranus Feb 27. * Mars into shadow from February 18, 23 Scorpio (Mars in late February connects to late May, June, July, early August). * Mars in superior square to Sun, especially around the Aquarius New Moon February 8. Highlights the Mars themes, something about the ghosts of Christmas present/future?. * Annual Sun conjunct Neptune aspect end of the month. Auspicious Electional Charts for February These elections are set for Denver, but you should be able to use the same times listed approximately after you have set them for your location, since they are set for local time. Just make sure that when you relocate the chart that it has the same rising sign and degree in your location as what is shown in the chart below. * February 5 at 8:40 AM with 21 Pisces rising * February 6  at 8:35 AM with 21 Pisces rising * February 10 at 8:05 AM with 15 Pisces rising * February 10 at 12:50 AM with 19 Scorpio rising * February 23 at 12:55 PM with 7 Cancer rising * February 25 at 1:00 PM with 9 Cancer rising 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 62 of the podcast I provide an extensive overview of the lives and works of some of the major astrologers of the Hellenistic astrological tradition, ranging from the 3rd century BCE to the 7th century CE. During the course of the episode I give an overview of the rise and fall of astrology in the Greco-Roman world, and discuss some of the surviving sources that we have to study from that time period. This episode is based on research I’ve been doing over the past month for a book I’m writing on Hellenistic astrology. I recently completed a chapter on the major astrologers of that tradition, so I thought it would be good to talk a bit about what I’ve been researching and writing. In the episode I talk about each of the astrologers, and discuss things like what their approximate time frame was, what techniques were introduced or discussed in their works, what the philosophical foundations of their work was, how they influenced later astrologers, interesting anecdotes that help to humanize them, and more. Obviously I had quite a bit to cover in this episode and I expected it to be kind of a long one, but it actually turned into a three and a half hour lecture on the topic, making this the longest episode of the podcast so far. Below you will find a timeline of the astrologers mentioned in the episode, followed by some diagrams and links to resources for further research, and then finally links to stream or download the audio recording of this episode of the podcast. Timeline of Hellenistic Astrologers Here is a rough timeline of the astrologers discussed in this episode, which was based on my timeline of ancient astrologers on the Hellenistic Astrology Website. Oldest known Mesopotamian birth charts date to 410 BCE. Alexander the Great launches war against the Persian Empire in 334 BC. City of Alexandria is founded in Egypt by Alexander sometime shortly after 332 BCE. The Ptolemaic dynasty is founded in Egypt. Library of Alexandria. Berossus sets up a school for astrology on Kos in the early 3rd century BCE. Antikythera Mechanism thought to have been constructed around 150 BCE ±. The last Cuneiform and the first Greek birth charts appear around mid-1st century BCE. Early texts written circa 100 BCE. Hermes Trismegistus Asclepius Nechepso and Petosiris Rome annexes Egypt, Ptolemaic dynasty ends with the death of Cleopatra in 30 BCE. Thrasyllus (died in 36 CE). Serves Emperor Tiberius. Writes The Tablet. Manilius writes Astronomica around 14 CE ±. Balbillus. Mid-1st century. Thrasyllus’ son. Takes over his father’s position in the Roman imperial court. Served the emperors Claudius, Nero and Vespasian. Antiochus of Athens wrote an Introduction to astrology in 1st century CE. Dorotheus of Sidon wrote five book poem in late 1st century. Earliest surviving text on electional astrology. Manetho wrote his Apotelesmatika in the early 2nd century. He was born in May 80 CE. The Greek original of the Yavanajataka was written in Egypt in the early 2nd century. Claudius Ptolemy wrote the Tetrabiblos sometime around the mid-2nd century. Vettius Valens writes the Anthology in mid 2nd century. He was born February 8, 120 CE. Porphyry wrote Introduction to Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos during the late 3rd century. Antigonus of Nicea – 2nd century. Wrote a book on famous nativities. The Emperor Constantine legalizes Christianity in the Roman Empire in 313. Firmicus Maternus wrote the Mathesis towards the middle of the 4th century. Paulus Alexandrinus wrote his Introduction and dedicated it to his son in the year 378. Anonymous of 379 wrote a work on the fixed stars in the year 3...

Episode 61 features a discussion with astrologer and specialist in Babylonian astrology Maria Mateus about the origins of Hellenistic astrology. We primarily focus on a recent debate that has developed in the astrological and academic communities over the past couple decades over whether Hellenistic astrology came about as a result of a sudden invention, or whether the techniques and doctrines associated with it developed gradually over several centuries. For more information about Maria check out her website at LincosAstrology.com. Below you will find an outline of some of the topics we touched on during the course of the show, followed by links to stream or download the recording of this episode: Show Notes * Origins of Hellenistic astrology are a bit obscure. * Lack of surviving evidence in the last few centuries BCE. * Last surviving Cuneiform chart dates to 69 BCE. * First Greek literary chart 72 BCE then 43 BCE (Balbillius). * Demotic chart 38 BCE. * Rest are last decade of 1st cent BCE forward. * Earliest datable texts: Thrasyllus and Manilius. Early 1st century CE. * What techniques and concepts were inherited from the Mesopotamian or Egyptian traditions and passed on, versus which concepts were developed in the Hellenistic trad? * What was inherited from the Mesopotamian tradition? * Mundane, natal and electional astrology. * 12 sign zodiac * Triplicities (with no elemental qualities or later rulership scheme) * Dwadashamshas/micro zodiac/telfth-parts * Benefic/malefic distinction * Exaltations * Decans (Egyptian tradition) * Egyptians focused on rising and culminating decans = houses. * Mesopotamians focused on zodiac. * The question is when were the two merged, or when did houses start being used * What was introduced during the Hellenistic tradition? * Four-fold system of planets, signs, houses, aspects. * Lots of other stuff. * Pingree’s definition of astrology as an issue. * Astrology of signs versus astrology of causes. * Continuation of sign-based astrology in Hellenistic tradition. * Sudden invention hypothesis proponents: * Schmidt * Holden * Pingree * (Other academics, like Cumont or Hubner) * Gradual Development Proponents * Hand * Campion * Greenbaum and Ross – The Role of Egypt in the Development of the Horoscope, 2010. * Both sides tend to go too far in their arguments. * Berossus as a possible example of individual transmissions and schools. * Transmission to Egypt. * The Hermes-Asclepius-Nechepso-Petosiris lineage. 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 60 of the podcast astrologers Kenneth Miller and Nick Dagan Best join the show in order to help me tackle the zodiac debate, and discuss the differences between the tropical and sidereal zodiacs. Below are notes on some of the topics that we discussed in the episode, followed by the link to listen to the recording of this episode of the podcast. Outline of the Episode Here is an outline of some of the main points that we focused on during the course of this episode, based on the show notes that were prepared before we talked: * There are three zodiacs: constellational, sidereal, and tropical. * For more info on this see: The Tropical, Sidereal and Constellational Zodiacs. * Started with the constellations along the ecliptic. * Ecliptic is the path the planets take across the sky. Only goes through certain constellations * By the 5th century BCE the zodiacal signs were standardized in Mesopotamia. * Sidereal zodiac with 12 signs of 30 degrees each. * The constellations themselves are uneven, but the “signs” are not. * Later by the 2nd century we see Ptolemy firmly adopt the tropical zodiac. * Based on the solstices and the equinoxes. * More connected with the seasons. * In this period the zodiacs were roughly aligned, so there was no issue. * Due to precession they move about 1 degree every 72 years. * Minor change in a lifetime, but adds up over centuries. * 25,772 years for a complete cycle * Today the tropical and sidereal zodiacs differ by about 24 degrees. * Subtract about 24 degrees from a tropical position to get sidereal position. * A planet at 14 Aries in tropical is around 20 Pisces in sidereal. * Who uses tropical now? * Tropical is primarily used by western astrologers since the middle ages. * All Sun-sign columns use the tropical zodiac. * Who uses sidereal? * Sidereal mainly used by Indian astrologers. * In the 20th century some western astrologers started using sidereal. General called “western sidereal astrology” now. * Brings us today where there is a debate between astrologers about which is best to use. * This is a genuine technical debate that has decent pros and cons on both sides. * It is complicated by the long traditions behind each, and the tendency for astrologers to identify with their chart placements. * Separate issue is the use of precession as an attack vector by skeptics. * Astrologers have to settle this as a technical, conceptual, and practical issue. * Some questions to ask: * Do tropical and sidereal astrologers use the zodiac in the same way? * Do they attribute the same qualities to the signs? * Is it the case that one approach is valid and the other is not valid? * Or is it possible that both are valid in some way? * Attempts to answer the question from a historical perspective: * One potential way of answering this is figuring out what zodiac the ancients originally intended to use. * The problem in the Hellenistic tradition is that they seem to have drawn on both tropical and sidereal considerations. * Ultimately what we have to do is go back to the fundamentals and figure out where we are getting each concept from: rulership, modalities, gender, etc. * There are important problems that supporters of both approaches still have to resolve: * Tropical issues: * If the zodiac is based on the seasons, then you run into an issue since the seasons are flipped in t...

In episode 59 astrologer Leisa Schaim joins me to talk about common misconceptions about ancient astrology, which is one of a series of podcasts I’ll be doing related to topics I’m thinking about as I go through the process of writing my forthcoming book on Hellenistic astrology. During the course of the show we talk about both of our experiences in transitioning from solely modern astrology to a more traditional approach, some of the common misconceptions that people hold about traditional astrology before they begin to learn about it, and some of our resulting astrological perspectives today after having gone through that process. For more information about Leisa please check out her website at LeisaSchaim.com. Below are notes on some of the topics that we discussed in the episode, followed by the link to listen to the recording of this podcast. News and Announcements The price of Chris’ online course on Hellenistic astrology is being raised from $297 to $397 on January 1, so sign up now if you want to get in at the lower price. — Topics Covered in the Episode * Technique-driven changes in perspective * It is often necessary to try out techniques firsthand, which can lead afterwards to broader changes in astrological views Some Misconceptions Discussed: * Both astrology and humanity have evolved over time, and therefore the astrology of the past has been superseded by more modern approaches * Traditional astrology is more fate-oriented and predictive, and both are inherently bad. * Potential positive and negative views of fate. * Traditional astrology doesn’t use the outer planets or newer astronomical discoveries and is therefore incomplete. * Some techniques seeming too simple to work, such as whole sign houses. * The feeling that if one’s approach already works, then don’t need to learn another approach, or that the other has to be wrong. Positive Surprises from Learning Hellenistic Astrology: * The power that lies in simplicity and systematization * The gain of greater technical distinctions that allow one to see a person’s concrete life circumstances in different areas more clearly * Greater capability of prediction, which among other things can put the relationships between personal effort and luck into greater perspective * Some techniques working so well it prompts the need to reevaluate philosophical issues about how astrology and the universe work * The possibility of learning Hellenistic astrology but still integrating previous astrological learning and tools 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 58 astrologer Kenneth Miller joins me to talk about the astrology surrounding the Star of Bethlehem and the birth chart of Jesus. During the course of the show we talk about the history surrounding this topic, some of the different theories about what the Star of Bethlehem was, and try to explain some of the ways that astrologers and historians have approached the subject in the past. The music featured in this episode is We Three Kings by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. Below you will find the show notes and and extended synopsis of some of the topics that we covered during the course of the show, followed by links to listen to the recording of this episode of the podcast. Outline of the Episode The church only established December 25 as Jesus’ birthday in the 4th century. We have no evidence for what part of the year Jesus was born in, and only a very rough idea of the range of years that he would have been born in. The story about the Star of Bethlehem and magi only only appears in the gospel of Matthew, out of the four canonical gospels of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). This is a bit odd since the other synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) share many of the same stories, with similar wording and sequence, but not here. This raises the possibility that some historians consider where the story of the magi could have been a sort of political tool used in order to promote the Christian belief that Jesus was the messiah. For others who take the story in Matthew as representing, at least in part, some elements of an actual historical event, the identifying the Star of Bethlehem becomes a sort of access point for finding the birth chart of Jesus. There is a long historical tradition of different astrologers speculating about the Star of Bethlehem and nativity of Jesus. Some astrologers were either killed or imprisoned for this by the Inquisition. Speculation about the Star of Bethlehem among astrologers, astronomers, and historians continues to this day. Analysis of the Story in Matthew * Occurs in chapter 2 of Matthew. Extremely short. 2-3 paragraphs. * It calls them “magi” in the Greek. It doesn’t specify how many there were. Later tradition came to hold that there were three because they offered three gifts. * The say that they have come because they observed his star at its rising. Rising here = anatolē (ἀνατολή). This is often translated as “east”, but anatolē is a technical term in Hellenistic astrology that means either 1) rising over the eastern horizon / Ascendant / rising sign, or 2) making a heliacal rising when it emerges from under the beams of the Sun. This is where we get the morning star / evening star distinction from. * The magi originally show up in Jerusalem asking where Jesus is because they saw this astrological indication saying that someone important had been born. Herod tries to use the astrologers to locate Jesus, and the story initially sets it up so that the magi were going to be unwitting accomplices in Herod’s murder of Jesus, but at the end of the story they were warned about Herod in a dream, so they go back home through an alternative route. * Later Christian tradition had an issue with this story because it appears to legitimize astrology, putting a group of astrologers front and center at the birth of Jesus. Later writers tried to deal with this by interpreting the story so that the magi going a different route to return home meant that they gave up their previous interest in astrology. However, I don’t think that this interpretation is necessary for the narrative structure of the story. Instead the magi going home a different way just ties up the loose end from the beginning of the story where they almost unwittingly led Herod to Jesus.

In episode 57 astrologers Kelly Surtees, Austin Coppock, and Chris Brennan look at some of the major transits and alignments for the year ahead, and give an overview of the astrology of 2016. This episode takes the place of our usual monthly forecast, although we still touch upon some of the major themes for January. Since this episode covers the entire year I decided not to include any auspicious electional dates for the month ahead, but if you are looking for dates for January you should read my electional column in this month’s issue of The Mountain Astrologer magazine. This episode was recorded live in front of an audience of our Patreon supporters through our monthly webinar format, and both an audio as well as a video recording of the episode are available below. 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. News and Announcements * Austin recently launched a Patreon campaign in order to fund a new weekly column that he will be publishing on his website. Patrons of the column will receive some great benefits and perks, and it is a good opportunity to support some high-quality astrology, so please check it out. * Kelly is visiting Australia for several weeks over the course of the winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere, and she will be leading a workshop on movement in the chart in Sydney January 15-16, followed by presenting at the 2016 FAA International Astrology Conference in Sydney January 21-25. She also recently published a full written forecast on the astrology of next year in the 2016 WellBeing Astrology Guide. * Chris recently released a new 18-hour lecture on the advanced timing technique called Zodiacal Releasing. It is available either as part of his online course on Hellenistic astrology, or as a standalone workshop on Zodiacal Releasing. The price of the Hellenistic course is being raised from $297 to $397 on January 1, so sign up now if you want to get in at the lower price. Topics Covered in the 2016 Forecast Here are a few of the topics we covered during the course of the episode: * Mercury stations retrograde square Mars right at the beginning of January. * Mercury is mainly retrograde in earth signs this year. * Saturn-Neptune square. Exact aspect dates: June 18 @ 12 Sagittarius/Pisces. September 11 @ 10 Sagittarius/Pisces. * Mars retrograde in Sagittarius and Scorpio. Rx station @ 8 Sagittarius. Direct station @ 23 Scorpio. * Jupiter moves from Virgo into Libra in September. * Saturn trine Uranus, especially later in the year. Video Version of the 2016 Forecast Episode You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube: 2016 Astrological Forecast Video Audio Version of the 2016 Astrology Forecast You can either play the audio version of this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your computer by using the ...

Episode 56 is a lecture by Chris Brennan titled Tips for Becoming a Better Astrologer. This is a recording of a live talk that I presented at a meeting of the local astrology group that I organize called the Denver Astrology Group. It was recorded on November 14, 2015 at the Mercury Cafe. In the talk I present some general tips for how to study astrology effectively, what to study, and how to become a better or more well-rounded astrologer in several different areas. The lecture was originally titled Tips for Learning Astrology and Becoming a Better Astrologer, because I was trying to present something that would be appealing to both beginner and advanced astrologers, but in reality only the first bit of the talk is really geared towards completely new students of astrology, while the majority of the rest of it is more applicable to those who are already a bit more advanced in their studies. That is why at this point I’m just giving the talk the title Tips for Becoming a Better Astrologer. This episode was actually recorded prior to the last four episodes that I released in late November, which may be worth noting given some of my statements about house division towards the end. Below you will find an announcement, followed by links to stream or download the recording of this episode of the podcast. Announcement: Price Increase on the Hellenistic Astrology Course I’ve just about finished recording a new series of lectures on ancient predictive timing techniques for my online course on Hellenistic astrology, and I will be raising the price of the course from $297 to $397 on January 1. The course will have over 80 hours of lectures and other material once I’m finished with the expansion at the end of the month, and so far the feedback on the new lectures has been really positive. Anyone who signs up for the course before the end of December will be grandfathered in to the program, so that they will get access to all of the new lectures, but at a cheaper price than what people will be paying for it after January 1. So, if you’ve been thinking about signing up for the course for a while, now might be a good time to do so, that way you can get access at the lower price. Check out the following links to get more information or sign up: Hellenistic astrology course description page Online astrology courses page for package discounts with my electional & horary courses. If you have any questions send me an email at astrologue@gmail.com. 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 55 Austin Coppock and Kelly Surtees join the show to discuss the astrology forecast for the upcoming month of December 2015. During the course of the show we cover topics such as the Saturn-Neptune square, the reactivation of the Uranus-Pluto square, a great deal of mutable placements, and more. We also start the show by talking about some early examples of people having Saturn returns in Sagittarius, first with Shia LeBeouf, and then with Ronda Rousey. I also introduce some auspicious electional charts for different dates during the month of December, largely focusing on the first half of the month, where the good elections seem to be more plentiful. This episode was recorded live in front of an audience of our Patreon supporters through our monthly webinar format, and both and audio as well as a video recording of the episode is available below. The cover art for this episode is taken from the PlanetWatcher 2015 Astrological Calendar, which is produced by New York City-based astrologer Kirk Kahn. 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. News and Announcements * Kelly will be visiting Australia and doing a 2-day intensive on planetary movement in the chart Sydney in January. You can find out more information about the intensive on her website. * Austin is releasing the recordings of some live classes that he has been teaching all year, and they are on sale through the end of November on his website AustinCoppock.com. * Chris just released a new 9-hour lecture on the Hellenistic time-lord technique called Annual Profections, and it is available for sale on his website individually or as part of his full course on Hellenistic astrology. Episode Synopsis / Topics Covered Early Saturn Return in Sagittarius Examples * Shia LaBeouf essentially does a live televised Saturn return, watching all of his movies in reverse chronological order. * Shia LaBeouf’s natal chart * New York Times: Shia LaBeouf Offers View of Himself Viewing His Movies * The Verge: Why Shia LaBeouf’s #AllMyMovies was so successful * Entertainment Weekly: Shia LaBeouf talks #ALLMYMOVIES: ‘I walked out loving myself’ * Ronda Rousey just was defeated in a surprise upset MMA fight. * Ronda Rousey’s natal chart

Episode 54 of the podcast is a follow-up to episode 52 where I gave a lecture on whole sign houses, which I presented as an advocacy piece that was structured around 12 arguments for why I personally think that it is the best approach to house division. There was a bit of controversy on Facebook after I released the episode last Sunday, partially due to how I framed the lecture as whole sign houses being the “best” system of house division, but also because some astrologers felt that I did not give an accurate or nuanced enough depiction of the history of the development of the house division issue in the Hellenistic tradition, and specifically the role that quadrant houses played in the early part of the tradition. There were also some additional points raised about other arguments I made in favor of whole sign houses during the lecture. The most vocal critic of the lecture was Deborah Houlding, who said that most if not all of my arguments were either false or misleading, and expressed that she was concerned that I was misleading the public with my presentation. In response I invited her to join me for an episode of the podcast so that we could talk about and debate some of the specific points that she raised, and so that she could offer an alternative point of view to my arguments. She accepted the invitation and asked what the earliest date was that we could have the discussion, and then we scheduled the episode for two days later. In the first half of the episode we mainly focus on some of the debates surrounding the development of different forms of house division in the Hellenistic astrological tradition, which occupies the first several hundred years of what is essentially the practice of traditional western astrology, and then in the second half of the episode we shift our focus towards some of the other arguments that I made elsewhere in my lecture on whole sign houses. I believe that this is the longest episode of the podcast I’ve ever done, and during the course of it we covered a lot of ground. I include links to a number of different papers that deal with different aspects of the issues that we discussed in the episode below, so please be sure to check those out if you would like to research some of the topics that we talked about more deeply. Links to Relevant Articles Here are links to some articles that were mentioned in the podcast, as well as other material that addresses the issue of ancient house division: Technical Basis & The Inherent Difficulties of House Division – Chapters 8 and 9 of Deborah Houlding’s book on the houses, available on her website. Ancient House Division – James Holden’s 1982 paper on house division in the early tradition of horoscopic astrology. House Division, Planetary Strength, and Cusps in Hellenistic Astrology – Robert Schmidt’s 1996 article where he provides an overview of the issue of house division in the Hellenistic tradition and proposes a theory about the distinction between whole sign and quadrant houses. House Division in Hellenistic Astrology – A podcast recorded in 2011 by Chris Brennan on the issues surrounding house division in the Hellenistic tradition. 2011 Skyscript Forum Discussion on the Hellenistic House Division Issue – E...

Episode 53 of the podcast features an interview with astrologer Geoffrey Cornelius about his book The Moment of Astrology: Origins in Divination. The book was originally published in 1994, and over the past 21 years has become one of the most influential books on the philosophy of astrology in modern times. Rob Hand has called it “one of the most important astrological books of our time.” In the introduction Cornelius states from the outset that the book is “a review and critique of the conceptual foundations of Western astrology.” He then introduces his central argument, which is that astrology is a form of divination: “…the primary theme [of the book] is that the main body of astrology’s practice, and especially the interpretation of horoscopes, is properly to be understood as a form of divination.  It is divination despite all appearances of objectivity and natural law.  It is divination despite the fact that aspects of symbolism can be approached through scientific method, and despite the possibility that a few factors in horoscopy can arguably be validated by the appeal to science.” Topics Covered in the Episode During the course of this nearly 2-hour interview Geoffrey and I talk about the book, and go over some of the main arguments that he introduces in order to make his case for astrology as divination. This ended up being such a sweeping interview that covered so many topics that I’m not even going to attempt to write out a full outline of everything we covered in the show, as I usually do, although here is a partial list of some of the issues we touched upon: Reconceptualizing astrology as divination. Reintroducting the distinction between natural and judicial astrology. Horary astrology as the access point for astrology as divination. The problems with attempting to validate astrology scientifically. The participatory nature of astrology. Acknowledging the subjective, participatory element, and how this effects our view of the efficacy of different technical approaches. The metaphor of astrology as a language. Understanding symbolic thinking. Exploring different themes like katarche, same-timeness, and the doctrine of origin. Issues related to fate, free-will, and problems with deterministic thinking. And many other topics. Links to Books and Websites Mentioned Here are links to some of the books and websites mentioned in the episode: * The Moment of Astrology on Amazon * Derek Appleby’s book Horary Astrology, the Art of Astrological Divination on Amazon * Geoffrey Cornelius’ website, astrodivination.com Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available here: Episode 53 transcript 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:

This episode of the podcast is a recording of a lecture I presented recently titled 12 Reasons Why Whole Sign Houses is the Best House System. This talk was presented on Wednesday, November 18, 2015 as an evening webinar for the Nightlight Astrology group organized by Adam Elenbaas. When Adam invited me to give a lecture for his group on whole sign houses I realized that I had never given a talk solely dedicated to just that topic before. So, I decided to frame my argument as more of a polemical set of arguments for why someone might adopt whole sign houses as their preferred method of house division. Basically, my goal with the talk was to discuss some of the most appealing historical, conceptual, and practical arguments in favor of that specific approach to house division. Usually I tend to favor more nuanced discussions that incorporate different perspectives on things, but since it was just going to be a relatively short lecture I thought it would be better just to focus on some specific points in favor of the approach. It seems like a lot of people have been switching to whole sign houses recently, I wanted to show what it is that people are finding appealing about this approach. Towards the end of the talk I did make some conciliatory remarks about the possibility of using whole sign houses together with quadrant houses, which is an approach that I do feel is worth exploring, even if I think that whole sign houses should still be the primary approach. Below you will find the PowerPoint slides for the talk, a synopsis of the 12 arguments I made in favor of whole sign houses, and then links to download or stream the recording of the lecture. PowerPoint Slides You can download the PowerPoint slides that contain the diagrams and lecture notes for the talk below: 12 Reasons Why Whole Sign Houses Is The Best House System This is a PDF file, so you will need to have Adobe Reader in order to open it. 12 Reasons for Why Whole Sign Houses Is The Best House System A synopsis of the 12 arguments I gave in favor of whole sign houses in the talk: Whole sign houses was both the original form of house division as well as the dominant form of house division for the first thousand years of the practice of western astrology. Many of the core significations of the houses were first developed within the context of whole sign houses, and only make sense still today conceptually within the context of that framework. The shift to quadrant houses happened suddenly and may not necessarily have been very well-considered. It solves a long-standing dispute that astrologers have had for the past 1000 years now since the switch to quadrant houses occurred. Whole sign houses provides a stark contrast to other approaches, and is more readily testable than other systems. Transits through the houses are more clear, both in terms of when they start and end, as well as in terms of the circumstances associated with them becoming more evident immediately. WSH creates a better distinction between the 1st and 12th houses, so that planets that rise over the horizon do not immediately move into the 12th house, thus resolving a conceptual issue with the significations usually associated with that house. Provides a solution to the Gauquelin “plus zone” issue. Rectification becomes more straightforward. It has been the primary form of house division in India for almost 2000 years. It was used in the earliest texts on horary and electional astrology. It has recently been adopted by a number of leading contemporary astrologers, which is notable because it involves switching to a system that is different than the one the...

In episode 51 Kelly Surtees and Austin Coppock join the show to discuss the astrology forecast for the upcoming month of November 2015. During the course of the show we cover topics such as the first Saturn-Neptune square, the beginnings of the mutable T-square, a couple of mutual receptions, and various ingresses by different planets over the course of the month. We also point out several different dates that contain auspicious planetary alignments for starting different types of ventures and undertakings, using the principles of electional astrology. This episode was recorded live in front of an audience of our Patreon supporters through our monthly webinar format, and both and audio as well as a video recording of the episode is available. The cover art for this episode is taken from the PlanetWatcher 2015 Astrological Calendar, which is produced by New York City-based astrologer Kirk Kahn. 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. News and Announcements * Chris is recently back from giving a three-day intensive on zodiacal releasing at the OPA retreat in California, and will be incorporating some of the material presented there into a new set of lectures on time-lord techniques for his online course on Hellenistic astrology. * Austin is getting ready to present the final unit in fundamentals of astrology series, which will be on chart synthesis. This online class will take place November 21 through December 12. For more information visit his website at AustinCoppock.com. * Kelly is presenting a lecture on secondary progressions as part of the online conference called Rubicon: The Frontiers of Astrology this Sunday, November 1. Astrology Forecast / General Show Notes Major Alignments and Themes * Saturn square Neptune, at 7 Sagittarius/ 7 Pisces. Exact by degree November 26 – December 5. * Next squares in June and September 2016. * This will affect planets in all four mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) at 7 degrees. * Superior conjunction of Sun and Mercury November 17. * Venus in Libra November 8 – December 5. Will sextile Saturn at 5 Sagittarius around November 13 – 14, square Pluto November 21, opposite Uranus November 23 * Venus back in dignity for the first time since rx. * Mars back in Libra, site of his last rx (check in with Ukraine situation, which began on last rx station?). Mars also sextile Saturn at 6 Sagittarius, November 24. * Mercury conjunct Saturn at 6 Sagittarius, November 25. So a few triggers to Saturn in Sag * November 22nd: T-Square- Moon+Uranus Sq Pluto Sq Venus – feels! * Nov 25th: Full Moon, big T-square- Sun-Sat-Merc Sq Neptune Sq Moon – messy mess. * Discussions about the mutual receptions between Mercury and Mars in early November, and then Mercury and Jupiter later in November, as well as an extended digression about the concepts of mutual reception, dignity, and affinity. * First Sun-Saturn conjunction in Sagittarius, and first time the Sun has been in Scorpio without Saturn in three years. Ingresses * Merc -> Scorpio 2nd

In episode 50 Patrick Watson joins the show to talk about his list of 10 unique problems that only astrologers have. Some of the problems represent real issues regarding the perception of astrology in modern society, while others that are just humorous annoyances that astrology enthusiasts have to deal with from time to time. The list is based on a recent article on Patrick’s blog titled Top 10 Problems Astrologers Have That Are Just the Worst. Below you will find a synopsis of some of the points that we covered during the course of the episode, followed by links to download or listen to this episode of the podcast. Show Notes The top 10 annoying problems that astrologers have to deal with are: * The misuse and abuse of astrological terminology * Lame critiques of astrology * The general public uses the wrong search terms to find out more about astrology * Highly religious people think that astrology is evil * You get lumped in with occult and new age stuff * Astrological predictions are held to a higher standard sometimes than other fields * People can have unrealistic expectations about what astrologers are capable of * The burden of foreknowledge * Uncertainty surrounding the amount of free will we possess * Collecting birth times can be maddeningly difficult We talk about these and related themes during the course of the show. 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 this episode astrologer Samuel Reynolds joins the show again in order to talk about some common religious criticisms of astrology, and what sort of responses astrologers have when dealing with these objections. During the course of the show we discuss questions such as whether astrology itself qualifies as a religion, whether it favors a polytheistic or monotheistic viewpoint, and whether it goes against different scriptures. The end result was kind of a broad discussion about astrology and religion in general, which focused on the Abrahamic religions in particular. For more information about Sam please check out his website at UnlockAstrology.com Below you will find a synopsis of some of the points that we covered during the course of the episode, followed by links to listen to the recording. Show Notes * Astrology is in a unique and weird position where it is often the subject of criticisms from both the scientific as well as the religious communities. * So we thought we would address some criticisms from both. * This is a followup discussion to the episode that we did in September on responses to scientific criticisms of astrology. *  A little bit more about Sam’s personal story and interest in this issue. * Does astrology have any implications for religion and/or spirituality? * Do the polytheistic origins of astrology cause problems with monotheistic religions? * Is astrology a religion? * Is it simply something people take as a matter of faith? * Does it fill the role of religion for many people in terms of finding meaning & purpose? * Other criticisms to address from religion: * Is it against what the scriptures say? * Does it lead more to fear than to faith? * Does it lead to worshiping the planets? * Issues related to free will. 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: