Hello All:
Newsletter 03-2007
Well, it doesn't feel like spring here in sunny New England. From where I am it was about 15 F last night -- and that's southern New England.
In this newsletter we will not examine any famous people -- although I would like to see Alberto Gonzales' chart right about now -- but I will present a new astrology course, a look at time and place and this equinox, and a message from Kepler College.
Astrology and Myth
Well, the flier is a lovely dark blue color, the color of the primordial sky. Link to flier Astrology and Myth
This material has come from a course I have been teaching for Kepler College. It has been many years since I have taught about ancient mythology and its relationship to astrology and there is quite a lot to say. We begin at the beginning with the creation myths and the first beings, go through the gods and immortals, end with heroes --all with an eye on the symbol systems of astrology. For there are many similarities and many differences between these fields of knowledge and much that can illuminate both. As the flier below says, both beginners and advanced astrology students can profit from this undertaking, which is being held in Arlington, Ma. Reply here if you are interested in this course.
You are welcome to take this course by recording and some follow-up lessons, if you would like. Contact me if this alternative might work for you.
Equinoxes -- Same Time and Different Places
On Tuesday evening you might have noticed the Moon and Venus following Sun after sunset. If you were in the Eastern US, this would have been shortly before the equinox was exact.
I will take this opportunity to present three astrological charts for the same celestial event -- the spring equinox -- but from three different locations.
This configuration -- Sun at 0 Aries or conjunct the "Aries Point" is one configuration that, in the minds of many modern astrologers, represents the stage of the entire world: this is an event that appears in any chart from anywhere on earth and does not include any points -- horizon or meridian -- that refer to the local sky. The chart of the spring equinox of any year would be the "Revolution of the World," a solar return for the entire planet. Indeed we can look at the same event from different locations. Remember that at any given time, the entire sky surrounds the entire world.
One could say that the equinox occurred on March 21 shortly after midnight -- universal time, which is located near London. For us in the Western Hemisphere, this moment was not March 21 but the previous day.
The fact that this was at midnight in London is evident from the opposition of the Sun to the Midheaven degree. (Don't be fooled by the Whole Sign format of these charts.) Note that the Midheaven degree is 29 Virgo. This London gives us a means to look at the same cosmic event from different places. Boston has a longitude that is 71 degrees to the West of London. In Boston the equinox happened "earlier," as the Sun had set not too long before, being only fourteen degrees below the horizon (again, don't be fooled by the Whole Sign format.) The Midheaven degree at this time in Boston has moved back in the Zodiac to 17 Cancer. Notice that the Midheaven in Boston is 72 degrees behind the Midheaven in London, reflecting the difference in longitude between the two cities. The correspondence of the degrees of longitude and those of the Midheaven will not be exact, because degrees of the Midheaven connect with the degrees of the zodiac which are tilted to the earth. The degrees of right ascension in the sky exactly correspond to degrees of longitude on earth.
If you were in San Francisco, the spring equinox will occur before the descent of the crescent Moon and Venus following the Sun, as the Sun was still high in the sky at this time, about thirty degrees above the Western horizon. We all know from our flights from East to West that when we cross time zones the day gets significantly longer for us, as they are "earlier" in the West than in the East, and we are flying from late to early, as time also continues to move. This never ceases to impress me.
You can see that San Francisco is 122 degrees west of London. This also means that the Midheavens will be about the same distance apart. And they are: here our Midheaven is 29 Taurus, 120 degrees -- a trine -- from London 's Midheaven. In other words, San Francisco is one-third across the world from London, and this reflects nicely in the equinox charts from these two locations.
Kepler College Fundraising Appeal
As mentioned above, I have had the privilege of teaching at Kepler College for the past few months. It has been an opportunity to meet expert faculty and dedicated students, all involved with the interface of astrology and world history and culture.
We also know that institutions of higher education cannot rely on student tuition to keep afloat, and there is always a need to raise additional funds -- this is true for every private college and university in the country.
I ask you to consider making a donation to Kepler College, as it is one of the means that astrology will continue to flourish in the modern world, and to help fulfill the aspirations of some brilliant
present and future students.
This is a Link to the PDF file for the Fundraising presentation by Kepler College, which I hope you will open and watch attentively. It describes Kepler College's mission and also its realities. Thank you very much for considering this.