Kepler College --- What is an Astrologer? – Connecticut Workshop --- Venus and Moon – Pilot Hero Chesley Sullenberger
From time to time we’ve discussed Kepler College in this newsletter. Over the last few years there have been some positive developments in its structure and curriculum.
It has become possible to do many of Kepler College’s courses exclusively in small groups over the Internet.
As an example of their new technology, Kepler College’s website features a “webinar” (not my favorite word) which features several astrologers (including me) discussing the astrology of the latest presidential election, the inauguration, and Obama’s now term as president. This format also allows all participants access to the same computer desktop so that everybody can look at the same information together. This will be a regular feature of many of Kepler’s classes.
In addition to the regular BA and MA programs, Kepler College also offers a Cultural Cosmologies Certificate that allows for a greater amount of independent study and continuing education based upon your needs and interests.
Courses this spring – beginning in early April -- include “Magic, Enchantment, and Astrology in the Modern World”, “Introduction to Astronomy”, several courses on Mythography, “Introduction to Western Philosophy”, and “Development of Cosmological Methods in the Hellenistic World.” (I’m teaching the last two.)
For more information or to contact them, see their website: http://www.kepler.edu/main/
What follows is a section I was going to include in the manuscript I am working on that is about Dante and astrology. But then I realized that most of my readers would be astrologers anyway and I have many other things to write. I decided to include this section here instead for people who get this newsletter who are just now becoming familiar with astrology.
I also wrote this thinking of my clients students in Rhode Island. There seems to be much less experience with astrology and astrologers in the Ocean State than I have seen elsewhere in New England.
This short essay begins to show the wide range of activities astrologers do. Although my work includes writing and teaching, most of my time as an astrologer is working on or with clients.
I welcome any comments or questions about the depiction below.
For readers who are not familiar with modern astrology: who are astrologers and what do they actually do?
An astrologer uses the phenomena of the visible sky to give information about human activities and concerns. Many astrologers use the figure of the skies around an individual’s birthplace at the time of birth for information about that individual and the vicissitudes of his or her life.
An astrologer may use the figure of the heavens around an event that has happened or for the moment of asking a question. These are used to portray particular moments for insight into that moment and to predict outcomes.
There are many templates for astrological information. Specific maps with planetary lines show the influence of the planets within the world or a specific area; diagrams of planetary contacts can show patterns of the weather or the stock market or in an individual’s life. All astrologers from sun sign columnists to financial analysts to astrological psychotherapists blend technique, observation, and intuition: such is the nature of any interpretative system.
Although sometimes astrology is classified as “entertainment”, most people see astrologers when
- Their lives aren’t working,
- They’re beset with a situation they do not understand
- When they’re facing a decision (relationship, work, relocation) with an uncertain outcome.
An astrologer’s consulting work is intense in its direct work and time-consuming in its preparation. An astrologer’s clients want essential information and advice about their lives -- to be delivered within a sixty or ninety minute session. People do not employ astrologers for their psychological insights or spiritual wisdom (although some may have them) but because of the larger -- the cosmic -- perspective that an astrologer can bring
For most astrologers this is their way to be useful to others and, although it’s hard work and, although rarely really profitable, it’s a source of joy
Astrologers are also in the business of divination and prediction; based upon planetary symbolism, an astrologer can help somebody find missing car keys and cats, help determine which side will win a political campaign, business competition, sporting event, law suit, or war. An astrologer sheds light on why a famous musician commits suicide, why a Hollywood star’s career goes up in flames, how an unknown state Senator who is black or the family’s “black sheep” and an unsuccessful businessman can become President of the United States.
Many professional astrologers do a fair amount of teaching.
Any client session is a teaching opportunity, and many people go from being a client to developing astrology as an interest or sometimes as a vocation.
Some astrologers teach individual students in person or at a distance, some conduct regular or occasional classes, a few conduct training programs, and some lecture to large or small groups of astrologers. This serves as a professional opportunity but also helps train the next generation of astrologers. This is important because the training of a good astrologer is long and occasionally mountainous.
In sum, an astrologer has a primary appreciation of the beauty and orderliness of the visible sky that is full of personal and spiritual significance. And it is inspiring to share this tradition with others
Connecticut Workshop: Lots of Fortune and Spirit
On Sunday March 8 for the Berkshire/Fairfield chapter of NCGR. I am giving a daylong program on the Lots of Fortune and Spirit. We’ll look at it through both Hellenistic and Medieval eyes and have many charts to work with.
If you may be interested in attending or would like more information, their website is http://www.ctastrologers.org/
Venus and Moon
The best way to learn chess is to just look at endgame positions when there are only a few pieces left on the board. Here’s a little bit of Astrology 101 in the same spirit. If we look at a few planets and their movements and interactions with each other, it can smooth out the learning curve a little. And happily the best information is from observing the sky itself.
Lately just after sunset there’s been a very bright and large planet high in the sky It seems so high in the sky that it seemed unlikely that it would be Venus – but what would it be instead? This happens when Venus is at maximum elongation from the Sun. It is high in the sky after sunet and it is also its brightest, like a Venus version of a full Moon.
A couple of weeks ago there was a dazzling conjunction of Venus and Moon in the sky, and this is what it looked like on an astrological chart.
If they were conjunct in the zodiac, does that mean that they would be on top of each other? That would be called an occultation and it is relatively rare.
The Moon and Venus would be next to each other along the ecliptic but also north or south from the ecliptic. Think of the ecliptic as a line and the zodiac as a band along that line.
How would we know the latitude of Venus and the Moon? Well, you can always look it up and that is especially useful for Venus. However, the Moons Nodes give us information about the Moon’s latitude position. I included the Nodes in the chart above. When the Moon was at 09° Aquarius, it was conjunct the North Node. Then as it moved in the Zodiac it also moved north latitude from the ecliptic until it squares the nodes at which point it is maximum latitude, about 6°.
Venus’ latitude is 01N20; Moon’s is 03N31. Venus latitude will move much more slowly than would the Moon: about 10’ for Venus, 40’ for Moon – at this time.
Here’s the chart for the same time two days later: Groundhog Day.
Here the Moon is now square the Nodes and close to its maximum north latitude. You also see that the Moon is close to the Midheaven and close to an exact square to the Sun – thus you have what looks like a half Moon and what we call the “Quarter Moon.” Two days before the Moon was a thick crescent next to Venus; now it is much larger and significantly further away from Venus that is still moving quickly.
Now we move further by two more days. Venus is still about 46° from the Sun but you notice that now the Sun is just setting. This is the time of year when -- in the Northern Hemisphere – the rate of increase of daylight becomes greater. These are indicated by the Sun being in the middle of Aquarius and at the midpoint between the Sun’s position at the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. Also at 5:00 on each succeeding evening the Sun will move further above the horizon until it reaches its maximum altitude at the Summer Solstice.
The Moon in the chart above is close to the “gibbous Moon” and on each succeeding day it moves closer to the east at Sunset and becomes larger until at the Full Moon it rises when the Sun sets. The Moon is also still northern latitude but it is going in a southerly direction until it reaches the ecliptic again – when it is conjunct the South Node. And then it will be Southern latitude.
It is eleven days later. What’s does the sky look like now? It was clear to me this morning when I woke up about sunrise and found that the Moon was high in the sky and now a third quarter Moon. This is a waning Moon moving closer in the zodiac to the Sun and now it is in Scorpio, about 90° toward the Sun in Aquarius. Since it already passed the South Node, the Moon is at southern latitude; since it’s in square to the Nodes, the Moon is now close to its maximum southern latitude.
Venus is still high in the sky but a look at the tables tells me that Venus is slowing down. As Venus appears to be moving more slowly, the distance from the Sun will decrease, and when the distance is about 30°, Venus will go retrograde. That will happen on March 6.
Now to our monthly profile – and not a politician this time:
Pilot Hero Chesley Sullenberger
I write this in the days after a commuter plane crash resulted in fifty people losing their life. It had been many years since the last airplane fatalities and perhaps we had forgotten this dire possibility of modern life.
Many of you know about the miracle save about a month ago, when a pilot averted disaster by landing his plane on the Hudson River. The result was many shivering people but nobody died.
This landing was the result of accurate split-second decision-making and a great deal of finesse. Landing the plane on the Hudson became the only alternative to bring the plane down. It’s one thing to land a plane in the Hudson, another thing to land a plane safely on the Hudson.
The pilot Chesley Sullenberger became a national hero. He has made a few public appearances but seems not to have a burning desire to be a celebrity. His passion and message is about airline safety, especially in light of recent financial difficulties and cutbacks in the industry. (He’s not to be confused with “Joe the Plumber”.)
Thanks to Canadian astrologer Pamela Young, who simply contacted the town of Denison and they gave her the information from his birth certificate over the phone. Thanks also to Shelley Jordan who presented the chart in an article in both the NCRG and ISAR e-mail newsletters. (Partly because I use a different house system you may find different that my analysis is Sullenberger will differ somewhat from Ms Jordan.)
Because of their timely work we can all learn something from his interesting chart.
Here is the chart, whole sign version. Before scrolling down to read my take – what strikes you about this chart?
When we think of sound last-second judgment together with good reflexes, the astrological symbol that comes up is Mercury. Let’s look at it in his natal chart.
It’s in the second house – which is not very interesting – but is oriental to the Sun and so is enhanced in strength. As the lord of his tenth sign from the Ascendant (not the Midheaven degree) and the lord of his Lots of Fortune and Spirit, this planet certainly draws attention to itself.
Mercury is Capricorn is in itself not a big deal. He would have this in common with one-twelfth of the population and chances are he would be a better mechanic or accountant than I would. It gets more interesting when you notice the square from Saturn in Libra in the eleventh.
Both planets are out of sect in Sullenberger’s noctural chart and Saturn could be a difficult factor. This is helped by Saturn being in Libra, its exaltation. The relationship with Mercury, although a square, is made far better by exchanges of dignity. Mercury is in Saturn’s sign and Saturn ‘s triplicity lord is Mercury. We also see Saturn positively inclined to Sun and Venus: to the former there’s an exact trine and to the latter there’s an exchange of rulership or “mutual reception.”
Hellenistic astrologers would add another factor: Saturn is in the tenth sign from Mercury, a “predominating” square. Saturn’s influence on Mercury is strong and, at least from the point of view of landing an airplane is a river, quite positive.
For what’s Sullenberger’s passion? Airline safety. Anticipating all the things that could go wrong and actively intervening to minimize risk seems the result of a very dynamic and favorable Saturn-Mercury relationship.
I looked at the paranatella with Mercury from Bernadette Brady’s Starlight program and discovered that on Sullenberger’s birthday Mercury was setting while the bring stars Rigel and Betelgeuse were rising. Together these two stars in the constellation Orion contribute strength and creativity to his Mercury.
Of course there’s more: the modern planet Uranus opposes Mercury and squares Saturn. This adds all things Uranian to the mix – quickness, stubborn obstinacy, unconventionality, and probably more than a touch of eccentricity. It gives Sullenberger the ability to “think on his feet” – or 15,000 above the ground – innovatively and well. If Saturn was not as strong and well configured as it is, the Uranus-Mercury combination could make him prone to impulsiveness or weird ideas. Here Saturn provides a moderating influence – at least compared with Uranus.
There’s much more to say about Sullengberger’s natal but I will leave much of that up to the reader. I am interested in Jupiter, dignified and ruler of the Ascendant, accompanied by Mars. Maybe he should run for Congress!
For you traditional modernists: the midpoint of Uranus/Ascendant is the Aries Point and Jupiter/Neptune is the Cancer/Capricorn axis. That elevates both planetary pairs to great importance in his chart. The latter gives individuality and eccentricity and the latter gives vision. I wonder if we will learn this about him?
I looked at his relocation map and was slightly disappointed: his Local Space Jupiter is a little too far north and west of NYC and this LC Mars and Jupiter a bit too far to the south and west. But then Pam Young e-mailed me that there’s a latitude crossing involving Mercury on the Ascendant and Uranus on the Descendent over NYC. I think I’ll start paying more attention to latitude crossings!
You may ask: that was happening to his chart around January 15 200?
Being the traditionalist I am, I could begin simply by looking at his natal chart for profections. He is not quite at his next birthday – everything advances ten signs and his monthly profection would also return to that sign anticipating the yearly and monthly profection going into the following sign.
We see Mercury advancing to Saturn and we see the ascendant advancing to Virgo and therefore Mercury is in charge but Saturn has been transiting this year. So far we see much Mercury and Saturn. Being catapulted to fame may be indicated by Mars/Jupiter advancing to his Sagittarius Ascendant and once again governed by Jupiter.
A look at his decennials – my Hellenistic predictive technique of choice – had him in a Mars/Saturn period from April 2008. This could be difficult except for the good condition of both malefics in his chart. Accompanying as the particular lord, however, was – you guessed it – Mercury! Once we see Saturn and Mercury working together. That began in mid-November.
Here’s the bi-wheel with his chart on the inside and the Hudson landing on the outside.
Here’s the obvious stuff – transiting Jupiter was exactly at his Sun degree and advancing to an opposition to his Leo Moon. The Ascendant of the moment of landing had just passed the Mercury/Uranus opposition, in case you’ve forgotten about that aspect in his chart.
There’s an intriguing combination of a transit highlighted by the transiting Midheaven of the moment. Uranus was at 19° Pisces very close to Sullenberger’s North Node, joined by the Midheaven at 17° Pisces.
What are transits to the Nodes about? In these cases I tend to not use the humanistic or spiritualist formulation about growth and limitation and use the more modern take on the Nodes as significant relationships or interactions.
Looking up Uranus/Node from Ebertin’s Combination of Stellar Influences, the principle is “experiences in life shared together with others.” Perhaps I should add the word “sudden”. Actually that comes farther down the page. (AFA publication, p. 200)
Mr. Sullenberger had a communal experience that will make a select – and involuntary – group of people grateful to him for life. However, transiting Saturn, going retrograde, will transit his South Node position, emphasizing an increase in isolation and maybe alienation. It foretells some difficult with his company, perhaps.
Okay, enough for now.
I was going to work with Abraham Lincoln’s chart, in commemoration of his 200th birthday, but he will still be 200 years old next month and I plan on working with his chart in the March newsletter – unless some other personality, and verified natal chart, bursts onto the national scene and imagination.
See you again on the Ides of March.