The first book available in English by Andre Barbault, the great French master astrologer; The Value of Astrology offers incisive, captivating insights into the origins, classical tradition and modern uses of astrology. These include: Rigorous understanding of mundane astrology. An incisive outline of its historical and philosophical importance. Beautiful insight into its relationship with psychology and painting, Clear summaries of attempts to assess astrology statistically.
When you think of astrology, your mind might head directly to what the OG sun signs (Aries, Capricorn, Leo, Taurus, you know the drill) or maybe even your moon and rising sign. That’s all a great place to start — but your personal astrological signs are only one branch of an enormous astrological system.Horoscope.com says that there are over 80 branches of astrology, a number that encompasses various “schools” of practice, as well as subsets of techniques within those schools.Refinery29 asked Leslie Hale, psychic astrologer at Keen.com and Stephanie Powell, head of content for Astrology.com and Horoscope.com to explain the differences between a handful of the most common types of astrology being used today.ADVERTISEMENT
Natal Astrology
Natal astrology is what you’re probably most familiar with. It’s based off of your natal chart, which shows the placements of major celestial bodies at the time and place of your birth. (You can find and calculate your own birth chart on plenty of websites. I like ChaniNicholas.com).”When you are looking at natal astrology, you’re looking at the chart that everyone has, that’s a blue print of their life,” explains Hale. “We look at it and say, ‘What is the promise of the natal chart? What is the promise of your life?’ We can see what are your greatest strengths, greatest weaknesses, things like that.”Powell calls natal astrology “a deep dive into the soul” and a great tool for self-awareness. It’s all about who a person is, what their personality and traits are, and what their promise is for the future. You’ll most commonly look for your sun sign in natal astrology, but there are a ton of other aspects in your birth chart that can tell you about your personality and life path.While you can review your chart for info on your own, the best way to get an inside look how your natal chart is working in your life is to book a session with an astrologer.
Horary Astrology
“Horary astrology goes back to the beginnings of astrology,” Hale says. Meaning, way back when — we’re talking 10,000 to 30,000 B.C. Powell also says that horary astrology is a divination tool.ADVERTISEMENTHorary astrology is the type to use if you’re seeking an answer to a specific question. The astrologer will create a chart for the exact moment (down to the minute) and location that the question was asked. The astrologer will read the chart, and give you a yes or no question based on what they see. Powell says this form of astrology reminds her of tarot cart readings.Most of the time, you’ll get an answer based on your question — but it is possibly to get a “block” in your chart, according to Hale. “If there are blocks in the chart, sometimes it’s hard to answer the question or maybe you’re not even supposed to know the answer. Most of the time, you’re going to get an answer based on what your question is,” she says.It’s a specialized type of astrology, one that Hale says is very accurate. But few astrologers currently practice it, and it’s not something you can easily pick up on your own.”A lot of people are self-taught with astrology, so I’m sure if you got horary books and read about it, you could practice,” Powell says. “There’s just something really valuable and meaningful about studying with a teacher, because it’s been passed down from generations to generations.” Powell explains that there’s a lot that can be missed when you just read a book, so if you’re interested in learning more about it try and take a class.
Electional Astrology
Electional astrology has to do with picking the absolute best time for an event (it’s sometimes called “event astrology”). “The astrologer decides the most appropriate time for whatever the event is based on whatever’s going on in the sky,” Hale says.ADVERTISEMENThttps://8007607827f45d979d73d70aa334e726.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.htmlIt’s mainly used to narrow down fortuitous dates for happenings like weddings or proposals. “But it can be anything,” Hale says. “What’s the best time to go on a job interview? I’ve met somebody on Match.com, what’s the best time to meet that person? It can be anything you want.”An electional astrologers may suggest avoiding getting married during Venus retrograde, for instance. They might look at the moon, which rules emotions, and other important orbs to find a better time to walk down the aisle.As with the other types of astrology, it’s helpful to work with an astrologer that specializes in electional astrology. “There’s just so much to know,” Powell says.
Mundane Astrology
Mundane astrology is a super-interesting one, especially now. It predicts world events and affairs. “This goes back hundreds, thousands of years, because in the very beginning astrologers weren’t so much geared towards looking at individual charts they were geared towards looking at the astrology of nations and kings and queens,” Hale says.”For mundane astrology, you have to also kind of be a historian,” Powell explains, “because it’s all about looking at cycles. You’re looking back at patterns. For example, the last time Saturn and Pluto met, did we see other pandemics? Yes. It predicts world affairs.”While nation’s have their own birth charts (yes, even the U.S.) Powell emphasizes that it’s mainly about cycles and patterns.You can also look at the chart of an event that happened at a specific time and place — for instance, the death of George Floyd. “Astrologers would look at the exact time it happened and talk about where the planets were at that exact moment that led to his death,” Hale says.ADVERTISEMENThttps://8007607827f45d979d73d70aa334e726.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Medical Astrology
This is an ancient branch of astrology that associates various body parts and diseases with the planets and zodiac sign. Each zodiac sign rules a body part, and certain planet affect different organs.”When you look at someone’s birth chart, you can see different types of medical issues that they might have,” Powell explains. For example, Leo rules the heart, Mercury shows where the “action” is in the body, and Mars is related to energy levels. In Powell’s birth chart, Mercury and Mars are next to each other in Leo; and she has tachycardia (or a really fast heart rate.)While medical astrology is definitely an interesting branch, it’s still important to check in with your healthcare provider — not the stars — when you’re seeking medical advice.
Relationship Astrology
Relationship astrology is a form of natal astrology, and specifically looks at the compatibility between people. It doesn’t have to be romantic, but that’s definitely the most common use of it.One form of relationship astrology is synastry. “It’s when you lay one person’s birth chart on top of another person’s birth chart and see where the planets show up,” Powell says. You’ll see challenges, strengths, how they might support one another or not, and more telling info about the relationship. It’s an analysis of your day-to-day life together.Another form is composite chart. It’s a midpoint between planets. So you take two people and for each of their planets and their rising sign, you find the midpoint in-between, and all of those midpoints become their own birth chart — like your own relationship’s birth chart. “This shows how your relationship is viewed by the world, how you’re seen as a couple, and can shine some light on the destiny of your relationship,” Powell says.You’ll be able to find websites that can draw up compatibility charts for free, but for a more in-depth look at your relationship heading to an astrologer would be best (and hey, it’s a great idea for a date.)
• This cycle is based on empirical data meaning enough data was observed and recorded to make it possible to suggest attitudes and reactions. Keep in mind that we all have free will and thus results will vary from one individual to another.
• The graph shows the energy high at the beginning of the cycle (not unlike any other astrological aspect) followed by a slow down before it gets strong and again this reflects years of tracking and noting feedback from our many students.
• If you are making a decision during this time you might want to let it set for a day or two then check your decision again to see if it still makes sense. However, you can feel into the ebb and flow and find good times to work on self emotionally in both the low and high points. Impatience, emotion and acts without thinking are common.
• With practice you can feel when the energy is there to help bring completion to tasks, goals and projects you may be working on.
Meena Thiruvengadam Tue, February 8, 2022 (Yahoo.com)
A newborn Humboldt penguin chick at Rosamond Gifford Zoo
Courtesy of Rosamond Gifford Zoo
Zoos around the world are helping preserve endangered penguins, and they’re doing it with help from some very important foster parents.
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, N.Y., is the latest zoo to lean on a pair of same-sex foster parent penguins to incubate eggs. The zoo recently welcomed its first chick hatched by power parents Elmer and Lima, who are both males.
The baby chick made its appearance on Jan. 1, weighing in at eight ounces during a primary health check at five days old, zoo officials said.
“It continues to be brooded and cared for by both Elmer and Lima, who are doing a great job,” Rosamond Gifford Zoo director, Ted Fox said in a statement shared with Travel + Leisure.
The statement also noted that penguins fostering other penguins’ eggs is not uncommon as some breeding penguins have a tendency to accidentally break their own eggs.
Elmer and Lima, Rosamond’s first same-sex foster couple, had to prove their parenting abilities on a “dummy egg” before getting their shot as foster parents.
“Some pairs, when given a dummy egg, will sit on the nest but leave the egg to the side and not incubate it correctly, or they’ll fight for who is going to sit on it when,” Fox explained.
Elmer and Lima, “were exemplary in every aspect of egg care,” he added. The two paired up in the fall, built a nest, and defended their territory, signaling to the zoo they might be ready for penguin parenthood.
The pair are among 28 Humboldt penguins who call the zoo home. Elmer hatched at Rosamond zoo in 2016, while Lima followed in 2019. And while they are Rosamond’s first same-sex foster couple, several other zoos have found equal success with same-sex penguin foster parents.
In Valencia, Spain, an aquarium saw Electra and Viola, a pair of female penguins, became foster parents last year. “The formation of same-sex pairs is common in more than 450 species of animals and occurs both in zoos and in nature,” the aquarium said at the time.
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo is open every day except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. The zoo requires masks worn inside regardless of a visitor’s vaccination status.
The Lord of Completion marks a point where a circle has been completed. It can apply to work projects, personal situations – even phases of life. In some respects it’s like a lesser reflection of the Universe, the final Major Arcana card.
Another aspect of the Four of Wands associate it with the Major Arcanum of Adjustment, or Justice. This is because this Wand indicates the manifestation of balanced forces, resulting in the fulfilment of earlier hopes, ideas and dreams. The balance aspect, combined with the overall morality of Wands, brings us to think about injustice being resolved, inequity acknowledged and set right.
This is a good card, promising not only the sense of natural satisfaction which arises when we follow our ideas through to their logical conclusion, but also the opportunity to start new things off.
If we stop when we have achieved a goal along the way, we begin to stagnate. We need to take the sense of contentment and channel it into the stage on our journey – that way we continually grow.
“To the discerning human being all instincts are holy.”
–Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15, 1844 – August 25, 1900) was a German philosopher, cultural critic and philologist whose work has exerted a profound influence on modern intellectual history. He began his career as a classical philologist before turning to philosophy. Wikipedia
“What it comes to matters of the heart, always follow your dick.”
–C.S. Lee as Vince Masuka on Dexter, Season 6
Charles Seung-hee Lee, known professionally as C. S. Lee (born December 30, 1971), is an American actor and comedian. He is perhaps best known for playing sex-obsessed forensics analyst Vince Masuka on the Showtime drama series Dexter. Wikipedia
February 2022 is not only one of the most intense months of the year. February 2022 is your opportunity to make peace with shadow – once and for all.
In February, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Pluto are all in Capricorn. Asteroid Vesta is conjunct the Capricorn stellium, and the Moon joins in on February 26th-27th, 2022.
On February 27th, 2022 we have an incredible lineup: Venus, Vesta, Mars, the Moon and Pluto are all between 24 and 27 degrees of Capricorn!
This is a super conjunction that will draw all our attention to a particular part of our chart. This is the first – and last time when we have the unique opportunity to face our shadow. Venus, Mars and Pluto won’t meet in a conjunction anytime soon, at least not in the next 250 years.
You may already feel how this energy is slowly building up. As we speak, Mercury is conjunct Pluto, while Venus, Mars and Vesta are getting closer and closer to the King of the Underworld. As we advance through February, the intensity will increase, to peak in the last weekend of the month.
Something is in the making. Most of us already feel that something momentous is about to happen.
Venus, Vesta, Mars, Moon, Pluto Stellium In Capricorn
Pluto is the planet of truth and surrender – Pluto requires total honesty. Things we refused to take an honest look at, or brush under the carpet are now asking to be acknowledged.
When Venus, Mars, Pluto, Vesta and the Moon come together in a ritual of soul purification – that part of us that is true, our essence – will shine through. Our deepest longings and desires will come to the surface, impossible to ignore.
Vesta’s role is to remind us that our needs and wants matter, that they are alive, boundless and eternal. And that we must keep that sacred fire burning.
The revelations can take some of us by surprise. Even if unsettling, breakthroughs, decisions and changes are inevitable.
What we want – and what we don’t want – will become crystal clear.
Some people can end careers, relationships or life situations that are no longer supportive of what their soul truly wants. Others may say yes to something they always wanted, but they didn’t know they wanted, or they didn’t have the courage to say yes to.
But the process won’t be easy.
Pluto work is anything but easy. Pluto will strip down our ego, asking us to take a very honest look at our shadow. Some very hard truths may need to be confronted.
Awareness is key. The more we listen to what the planets in Capricorn are trying to tell us, the easier the integration process is. The more we’ll try to resist it, the more brutal the Plutonic awakening will be.
To work with these intense energies, we will run two special events in our Age Of Aquarius Community 1) The “Tune Into Your Sacred Desire” Zoom call and 2) the “Shadow Work” 2-day intensive workshop. As an Age Of Aquarius member, you can join the events live, or watch the recordings.
February 20th, 2022 – Zoom Call “Tune Into Your Sacred Desire”
In this Zoom call we will explore how to work with Venus/Mars as planetary deities in the context of our desires, and how claiming our sacred desire can be an integral part of self-discovery.
The call is run by our Berlin-based experimental artist and filmmaker, Pina. Her Scorpio and stellium (that includes Venus and Pluto) helped her discover deep healing through expressing the dark and the erotic.
In the call, we will follow Venus and Mars’ footprints in the underworld to awaken our power. When we listen to our sacred desire, we are unstoppable.
February 26th-27th, 2022 – “Shadow Work” Workshop
The workshop happens exactly when we have the Venus-Vesta-Mars-Moon-Pluto alignment, and it’s your unique opportunity to work with this once-in-a-lifetime transit.
“Shadow Work” is a weekend intensive of shadow exploration, inspired by Carl Jung’s work on Shadow, and led by our Shadow Work expert member, Rebeca. We will alternate the time slots on Saturday and Sunday so that everyone, irrespective of the time zone, has the opportunity to join.
When we start to examine our relationship patterns, we soon notice that the same kind of person keeps showing up – challenging us and triggering our Shadow. They might be in our life as our partner, our boss, our siblings or maybe even a coworker or a friend.
We can choose to resolve the issues we encounter by leaving one relationship and finding another. We can continue to blame others for our negative relationship experiences — OR we can muster up the courage to take a long, hard look at our own Shadow.
“It takes great courage to face our demons. The beautiful thing is, if we are daring enough, the demons are revealed to be the illusions they always were and the love that was always there becomes apparent. That’s the miracle and healing that comes from doing Shadow work.”
Join The Age Of Aquarius Community
The “Tune Into Your Sacred Desire” Zoom call and the 2-day “Shadow Work” workshop intensive are just a few of the many amazing resources you will find in the Community.
Inside Age Of Aquarius, you get access to astrology forecasts, New Moon ceremonies, astrology training, customized Tarot readings, and a highly interactive community forum where discussions are always interesting and all your questions get answered.
Join the Age Of Aquarius Community to get access to a) the “Tune Into Your Sacred Desire” b) the “Shadow Work” workshop, c) other hundreds of astrology resources, and d) our members’ favorite private community forum where discussions are interesting and deep, and where you get all the support you need.
Centre Place What is spirituality and how does it differ from religion and philosophy? John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will attempt to unpack our many different uses of the word “spirituality.” The focus will be on: (1) concern with the interior life of individuals, (2) belief in the otherworldly, (3) mysticism and ecstatic connection with the divine, (4) Western elite esotericism and occultism, (5) Anti-clericalism, (6) Western folk magic, (7) 19th Century spiritualists, (8) Western appropriation of alien traditions, (9) New Age eclecticism, and (10) Neo-paganism.
. . . . greater detail on the very special astrology of the coming months . . . I review the remarkable sequence of inner planet activators of the incoming Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Pisces. I cover the most potent dates to mark on your calendar, and I share my thoughts on these very special alignments.
Everything climaxes in April when Venus joins Jupiter and Neptune, and when, on the 26th and 27th, she is joined by the Moon in a once-in-a-century alignment that is sure to bring much needed healing for us all.
4/14 Venus-Mars conjunction (easily visible in the morning sky) 3/17 Venus-Mars-Pluto conjunction 2/21 Mercury-Pluto conjunction 3/15 Venus-Mars-Pluto triple conjunction
