Astrology Institute Newsletter: January 2011
By Joseph Crane
January 17, 2011
Book Review on Skyscript.com -- Two Zodiacs, Ophiuchus, and All That –
January Eclipse and the Tragedy in Tucson – Profile: Tom Brady
Before I launching into some very interesting material, please note that I continue to see people for astrological sessions and updates: for more information, go to http://www.astrologyinstitute.com/Astrology_sessions.html
People have also asked me about classes in the New England area. This winter I am bogged down with manuscript revisions and other teaching commitments; however this spring I plan on a day program on the history of houses and this summer a full course on the nature and applications (and history) of the astrological aspects. More information forthcoming as we proceed into 2011.
By the way, both Dorian Greenbaum and I have been selected as speakers for the next United Astrology Conference that will be in New Orleans May 24-29. 2012.
Book Review on Skyscript
By the time you receive this newsletter you can read a review I wrote of the NCGR Research Journal Vol. 1 #1. Summer, 2010. Many of the articles in NCGR journal were from presentations at an NCGR conference that was held in Cambridge, MA in February of last year. Together they explore many areas in astrology’s past and present. They also expose many of the controversies within today’s astrological world: hence I titled this review “Power Lines and Fault Lines.”
This may also be an opportunity to explore one of astrology’s best websites, which consists of current astrological information, book reviews, articles exploring many areas of astrology’s legacy, and access to a variety of discussion groups. You can find all this and more at http://www.skyscript.co.uk/
Two Zodiacs, Ophiuchus, and All That
This has been an interesting week to be an astrologer for we usually do not get this much national publicity. The latest developments in the media may even have a positive outcome, for anybody who has followed the story – including statements by professional astrologers – has learned some fundamentals about the astrology that we practice.
It all began with an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune early in January by an astronomy professor named Parke Kunkle who claimed that the zodiacal signs that astrologers use did not reflect the constellations’ real positions, and our “sign” may be earlier than we think. Of course nobody has ever noticed this before! Soon Fox News picked up the story and the man became famous overnight.
Here’s a follow-up segment from the same Minnesota publication that contains a video interview with this astronomer:
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/style/113100139.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU
From this video, Kunkle appears to be a bright and articulate man; judging from the astronomical paraphernalia in the background, he has been cast as an “expert” in his field. Interestingly he said he didn’t know what his own “astrological sign” was. Although this seems an opportunity for him to ridicule astrology, it is clear that he just doesn’t know anything about it. This is commonly the case in circles of astronomers and many others, for whom astrology is a “pseudo-science” not worthy of serious investigation. But, if your knowledge of astrology is from the daily sun sign predictions that are erroneously called “horoscopes”, you may be no different.
Happily, many astrologers have stepped forward in the conventional media and on the internet and have straightened the matter out for people. I have seen and read many interviews with astrologers: for a group that is mainly unschooled in the art of handling the media, I think we have done very well. Here are two examples, the first is respectful and the second one not:
http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/mornings/zodiac-changes-explained-astrologer-lynn-koiner-011711
http://www.comcast.net/video/astrology-shakeup-whats-your-new-sign/1743737230/
People sympathetic to astrology have approached me, asking about the new reality of their “astrological sign” – whether their Sun sign is as they knew it or if it is something “new”. I found this pretty depressing. It is, however, a so-called “teachable moment” and will review the matter in some detail so that if you wish you can understand the matter much more completely – in case anybody asks you.
Let’s first take a look at the facts. We’ll do it pictorially. I will give you some explanation but you might look hard at this picture and the one below for that will give you all the information you need.
Here are the planetary and constellation positions for me when I was born – near the Winter Solstice of 1954. And below that is a blow-up of the same picture for greater detail. Both diagrams are from the Starlight software program.
The curved blue line is the “celestial equator” – it projects our terrestrial equator to the sky. You will notice that the maximum distance between celestial equator and the purple line is near where my natal Sun and Mercury are.
The straight purple line is the “ecliptic” and it is the path upon which the Sun moves from day to day as we go through the seasons of the year. (The entire ecliptic also goes around the sky, reflecting the Earth rotating on its axis.) In this picture the ecliptic is south of the celestial equator; when the ecliptic is furthest away from the celestial equator in the south, that is the place of the winter solstice when the Sun is there.
Somebody born at the winter solstice has Sun at 0° Capricorn, regardless of the constellations in the background.
(Along the purple line of the ecliptic you will see, from right to left, constellations that have the familiar names of our signs of the zodiac, from Virgo through Aquarius. Between the constellations Scorpius and Sagittarius, you will see a line downward and a small star just below the line of the ecliptic. This small star signifies the foot of Ophiucus the “Serpent Holder.” This is the so-called “Thirteenth Sign”.)
A “zodiac” is a band upon which the Sun, Moon, and other planets move in the sky seasonally and yearly. When there are several planets in the night sky, if you imagine their being a band that connects them all, that band is the zodiac. The zodiac that uses not the the solstices and equinoxes rather than the constellations is called the tropical zodiac. This is the zodiac that the vast majority of modern western astrologers use.
Here is the same picture but with more detail and “fine print.”
On the ecliptic line is a number 240° and that is the beginning of the tropical sign Sagittarius. You might notice that this place is not in the constellation Sagittarius but between the constellations Libra and Scorpius! Further to the left is 270° but is eclipsed by my natal Sun and Mercury: this is the beginning of the tropical sign Capricorn – to the left of this is of Ophiuchus, although it is well within the constellation of Sagittarius.
Indeed there has been a divergence between the tropical zodiac and the constellations and this is been known since at least the time of Hipparchus (2nd century BCE). The tropical zodiac has been in use since at least the second century CE, both far earlier that the modern revelations of Parke Kunkle!
The widening difference between tropical sign and background constellation is due to a phenomenon called the “precession of the equinoxes”: each year the Sun’s place at the vernal equinox slips back very slightly, about 1 degree every 72 years. Now the slippage is somewhere around 24° previous to the beginning of the constellation Aries. Well into the constellation Pisces, eventually the vernal point will slip backwards into the constellation Aquarius, as in “The Age of …”
Today we know this process to be the result of a slight wobble in the earth’s rotation. In medieval times it was considered an independent heavenly cycle and was even theologized as being closest to God himself. (The young poet Dante referred to this precessional cycle to indicate when he first met Beatrice in his childhood.)
An alternative to the topical zodiac is called the sidereal zodiac. It is used widely by students of Indian Astrology and some modern western astrologers.
Positions in a sidereal zodiac are closer to the background constellations themselves yet there is a problem – viewing the picture to the left, it is clear that the constellations are not exactly 30° each but are quite uneven and not exactly balanced on the line of the ecliptic. Yet this zodiac is divided into twelve equal sections. Interestingly, to derive sidereal positions one must calculate from the vernal point! The sidereal zodiac was probably developed by the Mesopotamians and was inherited by the Hellenistic era – at a time when the vernal point was early in the constellation Aries. Later in the Hellenistic era there was a shift to a tropical zodiac and its gorgeous symmetries that is a subject for a later discussion.
Regardless of what the media has been suggesting lately, astrologers, professional or “hobbyist”, know all about this. Indeed professional astrologers are far more sophisticated than conventional astronomers would imagine. This is why I love meeting these people at parties.
It is time to leave Kunkel, Fox News, CNN, et cetera to all my astrology friends to continue to rebut the general ignorance about the work we do. We now head to even bleaker pastures.
January Eclipse and the Tragedy in Tucson
I think we all know this story by now – on a Saturday morning January 8, at the beginning of a meet-your-congresswoman gathering in front of a Safeway in Tucson, Arizona, a disturbed young man named Jared Laughner attempted to assassinate Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. He also fired on the crowd and killed nine people. The congresswoman was shot through the head; at this time she appears to be making progress toward recovery. This tragic event has occasioned much back and forth on the issue of civility in politics and culture, an increased call for some form of gun (or ammo device) control, and subsequent presentations by Sarah Palin and President Obama to differing results.
This is a tragedy for those 
personally involved and a wake-up moment for the country as a whole. There is even the possibility that some good can come of this.
Four days before this event there was a solar eclipse, the sole eclipse of the month (this corrects my misstatement of a few weeks ago.) The eclipse itself is interesting, especially when comparing it to the USA chart (by Sibley). Here is the chart.
On the inside is the chart for the USA – the familiar 7/4/1776 and here at 5:10 PM. On the outside are the planetary positions of the eclipse four days beforehand.
One first notices the eclipse point itself – the Sun and Moon are together at 13° of Capricorn exactly across the USA Sun position. This signifies this eclipse as important in itself to consider. We could psychologize the matter and note that oppositions denote duality, contrast, and polarity.
During the first few days after the event there was strong disagreement about a larger responsibility for the matter – was Laughner set off by incendiary political rhetoric especially from the right? It appears not so much.
Did the political divisiveness of the nation and the state of Arizona contribute to a negative atmosphere that could help play tricks on this disturbed man? This is a more complex matter. Important is that there is a great division about how to interpret this event – this lines up nicely with the eclipse point opposing the USA Sun.
Also notice placements on the outer eclipse chart that indicate transits that have been operating. Prominent is the effect of Saturn. On the outer wheel you will see Saturn at 16° Libra, in square to the Sun/Moon of the eclipse chart and also in square with the Sun of the USA in the inner chart. Note that the Saturn of the eclipse and the Saturn of the USA are both in Libra, exactly two degrees from each other! It looks like this: Sun in USA square Saturn in USA and eclipse Saturn, square eclipse Sun and Moon.
We can make much of this. We can talk of a country coming to terms with what has diminished us as a nation. The Sun has to do with radiance and also with the self’s energy – there has been a reduction of national confidence, even identity, at home and abroad.
We must also note that Saturn is exalted in Libra and there’s a positive and creative side of Saturn that can be accessed. Note that both political sides are talking of restraint and humility and even trying to overdo their connections to the theologian and philosopher Reinhold Neibuhr who argued that we should base much of our thinking on dialogue, not automatically assuming that one is right.
More temporary is that the Mercury of the solar eclipse is in exact opposition to the USA Mars! It does point to the ill words between the two sides of the political divide since the tragedy in Tucson. After much ill will and ill-considered words, now the two parties want to sit next to each other for the State of the Union address scheduled for next week. This is cosmetic not cosmic.
There is another current position that makes for a difficult transit – on the outer wheel, notice that Neptune’s position is just shy of that of the USA Moon. This indicates an important longer-term transit similar to transiting Saturn cited above. Neptune connected with the Moon in direct motion last March, retrograde motion last August, and was exact last week. Put differently, Neptune has been transiting the USA Moon for almost a year and only now is on its way out as it moves toward Pisces. The Moon does govern the USA Sun in Cancer but weakly because they are not in signs that aspect. However, in mundane astrology Moon is associated with “the people” and Neptune’s tendency toward illusion and loss may point to the economic difficulties experienced by many who are not already privileged or prosperous.
Are there possibilities of a positive outcome from this tragedy in Tucson? I wouldn’t have thought so except for looking at the event chart of the shooting itself.
What do we see? The Saturn square Sun was also in effect on that Saturday.
At the very moment that Laughner opened fire, the Moon was rising in Pisces. The Moon and Ascendant are governed by Jupiter dignified, also in Pisces and in the First House. This is a configuration filled with sympathy and warmth, even faith (Jupiter) that somehow (Uranus) things can be good again.
Jupiter has broad reach in this chart, for it also governs Venus and Mercury in Sagittarius in the important Tenth House from the Ascendant. Under these circumstances it is no surprise that Obama’s generous speech seemed to “hit the mark” and Palin’s defensive presentation “missed the mark” so completely. Congresswoman Giffords making (so far) a surprising recovery; the nine-year old victim Christina Taylor Green who was born on 9/11 becomes, in part through Obama’s speech, a positive and even redemptive national symbol. As most readers know, I am nobody to sentimentalize about Pisces but here this seems appropriate and correct.
Now we go from the wrenching world of true tragedy to the entertainment world of pseudo-tragedy – the recent fate of the beloved (by some) New England Patriots and its star quarterback in Foxboro, MA.
Profile: The Vicissitudes of being Tom Brady
Ah, the vicissitudes of being a spoiled sports fan – writing this the day after the New England Patriots were upended by the mouthy perpetually-upstart New York Jets.The news sits hard. Preliminary to this I had noticed that the local press had become rather triumphalist about the Patriots and especially about their quarterback Tom Brady, the highest-paid player in the game, a shoe-in for league Most Valuable Player, and with one of the most illustrious careers and years of any football player. Yet today I would hesitate to inhabit this man’s mind.
Now we can look at his astrological chart – and his “sign” hasn’t changed from Leo! – and a wonderful chart it is for a successful athlete.
There are many things to notice about this chart. We could start with his Sun, dignified in Leo and advantageous in the Eleventh, yet moving toward a conjunction with Saturn. It is not a perfect Sun but must also handle a rather intrusive Saturn.
The relationship between Moon in Aries, Mars in Gemini, and Sun in Leo also stands out. In particular, what planet (or planets) does Moon apply to? – Moon applies to Mars and Sun at the same time, a trine to the Sun and a sextile to Mars.
Sun and Mars are therefore in sextile. Mars itself is oriental to the Sun and one degree away from the Lot of Fortune: yes he makes his wealth as an athlete. With Jupiter nearby it’s a good amount of money he has – and general fortune as well. The Lot of Fortune’s lord, Mercury, has the misfortune of being in the Twelfth House but the better fortune of being in its own sign and being the Fourth from the Lot itself.
We must also at his outer planets. Pluto is in the First and is only 6° from his Ascendant – this is not your “typical Libra” but potentially much tougher. This would depend on the situation of the other planets, and the strong Sun-Moon-Mars configuration clearly gives his Pluto some support. Neptune’s prominence is with its opposition to Mars. This can be read in two ways – one is a weakness or lack of fortitude, and the other more toward the side of athletic (or sexual) glamour. The second possibility surely pertains; the first one may also be operational during times of difficulty. Uranus is also prominent in its square to the Sun – this may be a very good combination for a professional quarterback with its indication of suddenness, desire to take risks and even face physical danger, and a sense of being an unusual and special person.
Brady has Libra rising conjunct the Dragon’s Head that gives greater visibility and possibly arrogance. Ruler of the Ascendant is, of course, Venus. Venus is in its own triplicity, is oriental to the Sun, and is in the Tenth House of career. He already has the handsome features; add to that a certain Hollywood charm or perhaps veneer.
Much hinges on Brady’s positive use of Saturn. We noticed earlier that the gray planet is with Sun that brings Leo further down to earth. You might also notice that the Lot of Spirit – the funny circle with the funny waves at the bottom in Aquarius is governed by Saturn.
This Lot represents more one’s mind or attitude toward external circumstances and how one works with the conditions of life. The stakes become higher, however: not seen in the chart is his Lots of Victory and Eros – both are also governed by Saturn. This is a man who can attain great success through hard work and humility and should never believe his own glowing press.
The need to be creatively Saturnine in increased further by another lot, the dreaded Lot of Nemesis that involves Saturn and the Lot of Fortune. Where does it fall? It falls at the same degree as his Sun, 11° Leo. Not only is humility a virtue but its opposite is a downfall. This is not a chart of one who can bear being a hero and also being successful. Together with Moon in Aries in the Seventh House, Brady can also provoke envy and resentment from his athletic peers.
(Brady’s chart contains other potent lots – actually all that are called the “Hermetic Lots” within the Hellenistic astrological tradition. His Ascendant and Node are conjunct the “Lot of Courage”; the Lot of Necessity is right next to his Jupiter and his Lot of Exaltation. All this and more must be the subject of another analysis.)
Ten years ago Tom Brady was involved in one of the great stories of professional sports. In his second year playing for the Patriots had recently been promoted to second-string quarterback. During the second game of the season, Brady was called to replace Drew Bledsoe, one of the league’s premier quarterbacks who had been injured during the game. Brady took over and within a few games had found his rhythm and the team began to win and Bledsoe never got his job back. The Patriots went 11-3 with Brady, won their last six games in a row, and even won the Super Bowl that year.
Even a cursory look at Brady’s astrological indicators for that time is striking. We begin with progressions: the year before progressed Mars was conjunct progressed Jupiter that brought him from the distant bench to a more prominent member of his team. In early 2001 progressed Jupiter was conjunct progressed Venus that is in the natal Tenth, a clear indication of a larger range of activity – like suddenly becoming prominent in his sport. You might be wondering about transiting Jupiter – it was in his Tenth house during the 2001 season. Transiting Jupiter was in square to Pluto when Brady suddenly became the team quarterback the Patriots won the Super Bowl, and returned in December of that year. By the time of the Super Bowl, transiting Jupiter had gone retrograde to square Brady’s Moon in Aries – the ruler of his Tenth.
There is another transit during the 2001 season that is worthy of attention: at this time Saturn was in Gemini and was in conjunction to Mars and opposition to Neptune; during the same season Pluto was in Sagittarius in conjunction to his Mars (this was the same transiting Pluto-Saturn opposition that straddled the horizon of the US chart in the season of 9/11). During this time Brady had an enormous amount of pressure on him and he responded in a way that was both decisive and hardnosed, making best use of the two transiting planets and minimizing the difficulties his natal Mars-Neptune opposition could bring.
Here’s a look at the graphic ephemeris for Brady in his magical season.
Alas now we go to the present time and we’ll focus on his current transits and progressions.
As a curious football fan who’s an astrologer, I looked at Brady’s transits and progressions a few weeks ago and became confused – how could somebody on such a roll have such difficult astrological indicators? Here is a chart with current planetary positions – indicating Brady’s transits – on the outside wheel, his current progressions on the middle wheel, and his natal chart on the inside.
Look from the outer wheel to the innermost wheel and we first notice that transiting Saturn has been at station, to go retrograde, at 17° Libra, the degree of his Ascendant. Sometimes this is an occasion for self-discipline and focus; otherwise it’s an occasion for one’s limitations to become visible to all. In the playoff game Brady was more hesitant and rattled than we were expecting – especially as the media and fans had already consigned Brady to Gridiron Heaven. Brady’s canonization was a bit premature this time. Considering the nature of the Ascendant is also the physical body and Saturn is a limiting factor, his lingering foot injury may have also contributed to his difficulties.
Looking at the middle wheel that are Brady’s progressions, we note his progressed Sun is 13 Virgo, in very close square to his progressed Neptune – and even his natal Neptune. When was the square exact? Last week. A Neptune-Sun contact can be glamorous but may also indicate a weakening or diminishment of what is symbolized by the Sun – personal power, radiance, autonomy.
Neither configuration would bode well for the nationally-televised apotheosis that was expected: now he stays at home and watches the remainder of the football season on television.
So ends this month’s focus on Tom Brady. I must note that two people previously profiled have been in the news this week:
1) Apple’s Steve Jobs has gone on another leave of absence for medical reasons; and
2) Italy’s PM Silvio Berlusconi is in further legal hot water since the courts have ruled that he could stand trial and there’s evidence of “hush money” offered to one of his young women.
We may have much more to say about these two men next month. I do hope to present Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein when the opportunity arises. And we will also look at Henry VIII and that will be coming soon, too. So long for now!