Dear Readers, Newsletter 05-2006
Hello All!
The matters at hand this month are -- consultations in person -- summer course survey -- the stars and planets this month -- attached article on Wolfgang Mozart.
CONSULTATIONS IN PERSON
I continue to see people -- clients and tutorial students in Harvard Sq. My day has changed from Wednesdays to Tuesdays, at least through the spring. Feel free to contact me here if you're interested in
setting up a meeting with me. And, of course, if I'm too far away and the scheduling won't work out, we can always meet in sunny Rhode Island or have a taped conversation over the phone.
SUMMER COURSE SURVEY
Yes there will be a summer course and we have a space in which to
have it.
The times are Wednesday nights, 7:30-9:30, to start and end
promptly. There is some classroom space in Arlington Center.
Parking and early dinner opportunities are plentiful.
We will do a six-week course -- with some breaks -- and the cost is
$150
Here's what I need from you -- just tell me what would you like to
work with and learn about!
I give you two possibilities:
1. Progressions and Directions. These constitute the two oldest major predictive technique in astrology that are continually used to this day. Progressions move an entire chart according to some
equivalence of time: in secondary progressions, one day of planetary movement from birth is the same as one year in the life of the person. In directions, all positions are moved according to the
movement of one factor. In solar arc directions, all positions move at the same rate as the progressed Sun. We begin with the well-known techniques of secondary progressions and solar arc directions, working with example charts and demystifying the technicalities. We will then consider alternative forms of progressions (tertiary) and directions (Ascendant arc). Toward the end of the course we will discuss the daddy of all these techniques, "circumambulations" from the ancient tradition, and
evaluate its usefulness for us. And of course we will work with how these techniques work for your life.
2. Plotinus, Ficino, and the Beginnings of Modern Astrology. Here we explore some of the philosophical and historical origins of modern astrology. Plotinus lived during a time in which astrology
flourished, and he addressed astrology in very specific ways. His teachings on fate, free will, astrological causation, and astrological "bad faith" were relevant in the Second Century and continue to be relevant now. We will see how Marsilio Ficino, one of the guiding lights of the Humanistic Renaissance, worked with Plotinus' ideas in a specifically astrological context. Ficino's rendering of astrology in terms of sympathetic magic presages the archetypal presentation of modern astrology; his use of timing and ritual gives us many possibilities for adding to our modern astrological practice.
Tell me if you are interested in one or either of these in and are willing to commit to a course.
In this way I not only do I conduct the more popular program but have a preliminary head count.
If you are out of the area and cannot attend a summer program but are interested in CD's from these sessions, tell me which course you would prefer.
Thanks a lot for your help!
THE SKY IN MAY
Today is the New Moon in Taurus. Below is the chart. Notice that Jupiter from Scorpio is opposing the New Moon. This means also that Jupiter, as close to the opposition, will be by far the brightest object in the night sky. At this time you will see Jupiter rise in the east slightly after the Sun goes down in the west. After the exact opposition -- on Thursday, May 4, Jupiter will be gradually seen higher in the sky after the Sun goes down.
For those of us who do electional astrology, it's helpful to know when planets go in and out of signs of dignity and debility over the month. That way, when you set up a chart for an undertaking of some
kind, you have the planets prominent when they are dignified and gently tucked away -- to what extent is possible -- then they are debilitated.
On Wednesday, May 3, Venus leaves Pisces where it is exalted for Aries which is its detriment. If you do a chart for a first date or proposal or some such event, you need to find ways to counteract Venus's debilitated position in Aries. (Fortunately it won't be there forever. Happier places in Taurus beckon -- at the end of May, on the 29th. If possible, one could wait until then.
Mercury is going very quickly these days, first approaching and then shooting past Sun. Mercury enters Taurus on Friday, May 5, but moves quickly into Gemini on May 18. This favors all kinds of Mercury-
oriented elections -- purchases, agreements, writing, talking -- as long as Mercury is prominently and relevantly placed in a chart. (In the meantime, Saturn continues to be debilitated in Leo. Don't hold your breath on that one!
For all those with major positions at 19 Aquarius -- or 19 Taurus, Leo, or Scorpio -- you are in the middle of a major Neptune transit. This can be a very dreamlike, confusing, or illusory time. Neptune stations at 19 Aquarius, going retrograde, on May 23. In other words, you might not expect great clarity or certainty to arrive anytime soon. But, as we all know, transits are transitory.
ARTICLE: "MOZART WITHOUT THE OUTERS"
What follows are two versions of an article I originally wrote for the Memberletter of the Boston NCGR chapter. In this article I fully indulge in a great astrological past time -- Hellenistic astrology --
and take up the challenge to write about somebody with strong involvement of the outer planets but not using the outer planets. Whether this is convincing I leave to you.
LINK TO ARTICLE: "MOZART WITHOUT THE OUTERS" PDF file 254kb
 Next month I will write about Queen Elizabeth of England, who
just celebrated her eightieth birthday.
