Carole McMechan, Canada

Chandrashekhar Sharma, India

Dr.K.S.G.Saravanan, USA
DiNorah Nasturas, Canada
Lorin Cerina, Croatia
Rahul Vedi, Australia
Rushikesh Deshpande, U.K
Shahina Begum, U.K
Shanmukha, India
Shubhangi Naik, India
Sri Ganesh, India
Special Thanks Veneet Kumar, India
(In Alphabetical Order) Venkat Ramana, India
Anand Patil
A.V.Sundaram
Virendra Battu, India
Anuj Bahl Yenbeeyes, India
Bal Krishna Patel
Bhaskar Rao Grace & Inspiration
Chandra Shetty (In Alphabetical Order)
Dr. Vaish (Banaras) Alan Leo
Dr. Sanghavi Al-Biruni
Jamnadas Ji (Banaras) Bepin Behari
Narhari C. G. Rajan
Prabhakar Shukla C. J. Krishnaswamy
Prof Chandrama Pandey (Banaras Hindu University) C. S. Patel
Prof. Ramchandra Pandey (Banaras Hindu University, ex-Jyotish C.E.O Carter
Head) Chitnis
Prof.Chandramouli Upadhayay (Banaras Hindu University) Dane Rudhyar
Late Prof P. K. Dongre H.R.Shankar
Rahul Mishra (Banaras) Helena Blavatsky
Raja Rao J. N. Bhasin
Rajesh Khambekar Kepler
Ravindra Kumar Gupta (Banaras) Lois Rodden
Upendra Singh Bhadoriya M. Khareghat
B.D.Vaghela Meena
Vinay Patwardhan N. Sundara Rajan
Lorin Cerina (Croatia) Narendra Desai
Nafisa Shaikh Navathe
Ptolemy
Saptarishis Volunteer Team P.S. Iyer
P.S. Sastri
(In Alphabetical Order)
Reinhold Ebertine
Babaji R. Lakshmanan
Bhushan. K R.Santhanam
Babban Kumar Singh Richard Houck
DiNorah Kitchener S. Kannan
Rushikesh Deshpande Sepharial
R. Ramanathan Seshadiri Iyer
Juliana Swanson Srikant Mehta
Shubhangi Naik St. Germaine
Shastry V. Subramanium Shastry
Y. K. Pradhan

Designers Translations & Proofing (In Alphabetical Order)

(In Alphabetical Order)
Anuj Bahl, India
Ajit Saini
Sai Krishna, India
Anand Koth
Boiko Natali, Russia
Anis Ansari
Jagannadha Rao Eluri, India
N.Suryanarayan, India
Copy Editors (In Alphabetical Order) Sriram Medapalli, India
Andree Leclerc, Canada Tushar Mestry, India
A. K. Singh, India
Anup Das, India
 nd
2 Anniversary

Saptarishis Astrology
 Saptarishis Astrology Vol 8-June 2010

2nd Anniversary Issue

CONTENT

No Article Author Page Pages

1 Vol 8 Publitorial Saptarishis Astrology 8 39
Western Astrology
Starry, Starry, Night - An Astrological Portrait of Vincent
2 van Gogh Andrew McDonald, England 47 10
3 BP Oil Spill In Gulf Constantine Semenov, Crimea 57 4
4 Fixed Stars: Interview with Diana K. Rosenberg Edith Hathaway, USA 61 61
Diana K. Rosenberg
5 Medusa's Head Diana K. Rosenberg, USA 122 15
6 An Ancient Horoscope Diana K. Rosenberg, USA 137 11
7 Tyson's Zodiac: Are There Really Fourteen Signs? Diana K. Rosenberg, USA 148 7
8 Union Carbide & “The Mills Of God” Diana K. Rosenberg, USA 155 16
Robert Gover
9 Hyperinflation: Astrological Outlook 2010 Robert Gover, USA 171 11
10 Corporate Persons, Money and the Planets Robert Gover, USA 182 12
Luciano Drusetta
11 Extraterrestrial Astrology Luciano Drusetta, Italy 194 32
12 Orbital Astrology Luciano Drusetta, Italy 226 12
13 For the Application of Epistemology to Astrology Luciano Drusetta, Italy 238 5
14 Chronicle of a Debate Luciano Drusetta, Italy 243 8

15 Prediction, Providence & Power of ‘Self’ in Horary Deborah Houlding, U.K 251 22
16 Local Space Charts Christine Kaspers, Netherlands 273 7
17 Jupiter of SR in the Houses of the Solar Return Ciro Discepolo, Italy 280 7
Payam Nabarz
18 The Seven Planets Rite & How To Use it - Part I Payam Nabarz, England 287 10
19 The Seven Planets Rite & How To Use it - Part 2 Payam Nabarz, England 297 12

20 The Recreation of the Global Tree of Life Carl Johan Calleman, Sweden 309 3
in the Conscious Convergence
21 Astrology, Consciousness & Soul Tapan Das, Canada 312 7
Spiral Of Time And Comets In The Era Of Great Celestial Sergey Smelyakov &
22 Conjunction Jan Wicherink, Ukraine. 319 22
23 Plates Of Nephi Found T.Stokes, U.K 341 9

Indian Astrology
24 Vol 8 Publitorial Saptarishis Astrology 350 39
25 Saptarishis Astrology’s 2nd Annual FreeYagya Shastry, India 389 2
26 Fixed Stars: Interview with Diana K. Rosenberg Edith Hathaway, USA 391 60
27 Jupiter In Dual Signs Ashok Upadhaya, India 451 11
28 Vikriti Year 2010 - 2011 Chakrapani Ullal, USA 462 14
The Basis of the Vimshottari Dasha System found in Rig Drs. Frans Langenkamp,
29 Veda Netherlands 476 9
30 Astrology – The Guide Of Vastu Sunil Keshav Ghaisas, India 485 10
31 The Vedic Yearly Chart - New Moon In Pisces Steven Stuckey, USA 495 4
32 Clues From Ramayana & Timing Of Widowhood Shankar G. Hedge, India 499 8
33 Memoirs Of Shri Swamiji B.L. Parmar, India 507 4
34 Plates Of Nephi Found T.Stokes, U.K 511 2
35 Late Pravin Jagad’s Theory of Longevity Basilioli Sandro, Italy 513 18
Yenbeeyes
36 Saptarishis Nadi - Gemini Asc - Chart 5 Yenbeeyes, India 531 20
37 Saptarishis Nadi - Gemini Asc - Chart 6 Yenbeeyes, India 551 26
38 Krushna’s Ashtakavarga System Yenbeeyes, India 577 36
Abhishekha
39 The Logic Of Bhrighu Saral Paddhati-An Attempt Abhishekha, USA 613 8
40 A Comparative Study Of BSP Vs BCP Abhishekha, USA 621 8
41 The Mystery Of Planetary Deaths - 1 Abhishekha, USA 629 15
Saptarishis Astrology
42 Thy Notes - 3 Saptarishis Astrology 644 6
43 Bhrighu Chakra Paddathi -3 BCP & Vimshottari Dasa Saptarishis Astrology 650 13
44 Bhrighu Saral Paddati – 16 - Mars Reveals Saptarishis Astrology 663 13
Bhrighu Saral Paddathi - 17 - Rahus 9th aspect
45 Implementation Age Surasa & Friends, USA 676 13
Thy Experiments Towards Truth
46 The Sex Scandal Experiment Saptarishis Astrology 689 14
47 The Blue Lotus Technique Saptarishis Astrology 703 20
48 The How Of Death – A Clue. Saptarishis Astrology 723 22
49 Navamsa & Clue to Death – More Charts Saptarishis Astrology 745 7
50 Lomesha Degree Methodology Experiment Saptarishis Astrology 752 31
51 Preface to Secrets Of Shastiamsa Saptarishis Astrology 783 3
52 Secrets of Shastiamsa – I Saptarishis Astrology 786 11
53 Secrets of Shastiamsa – II, Bhrighu Chakra Paddathi (BCP) Saptarishis Astrology 797 5
54 Secrets of Shastiamsa – III, BCP cum BSP Saptarishis Astrology 802 7
55 The Exalted Jupiter’s Punch Saptarishis Astrology 809 13
Chandrashekhar Sharma
56 Late HaNamantasa Nemasa Katwe - 1 Chandrashekhar Sharma, India 822 5
57 Jyotish Phala Ratnamala Of Krishnamishra - 2 Chandrashekhar Sharma, India 827 33
58 Jyotish Phala Ratnamala Of Krishnamishra - 3 Chandrashekhar Sharma, India 860 26
Muhammad Imran
59 A New Look Into Dasanatha Muhammad Imran, Pakistan 886 16
60 When You Fall In Love Muhammad Imran, Pakistan 902 12
To Dr Raman With Love
 Preface Saptarishis Astrology 914 2
61 On The System Of Bhrighu Pt. Ashutosh Ghosh, India 916 16
62 Nadi-Aroodam V. Venkataramana Rao, India 932 5
63 History & Origin Of Palmistry N. L. Desai, India 937 4
64 Esoterics Of The Pleiades - 1 T. S. Ramanujam, India 941 5
65 The Wonders of Nadi Astrology K. V. Venkataramanan, India 946 10
Andree Leclerc
66 The 6th House: Unfolding The Maze Andree Leclerc, Canada 956 9
67 The 8th House: Probing the Under-World Andree Leclerc, Canada 965 12

68 Padanadhamsa Dasa Iranganti Rangacharya, India 977 4

Iranganti Kalyan Raghavan,
69 Dwara & Bahya in Jaimini Dasas India 981 5
70 New Method Of Horoscope Matching - Jaimini Style Jagdish Raj Ratra, India 986 22
Vijay ShriKrishna Jatakdar,
71 Muhurta A concept to be amended as per Modern Times India 1008 7
72 Combinations of Power - Rahu & Ketu Joni Patry, USA 1015 35
73 The Fascinating Dashamamsha -2 K S Charak, India 1050 17
74 The Significance Of Birth Number In Horoscopes Acharya V. Kumar, India 1067 12
Veneet Kumar
75 The Original Lomasha Samhita - 1 Veneet Kumar, India 1079 47
Jaimini Sutras - 1 The Commentary of Venkatesha &
76 Balakrishnananda Saraswati Veneet Kumar, India 1126 30
Gayatri Devi Vasudev
77 Slimming Tips from Astrology Gayatri Devi Vasudev, India 1156 9
78 Definition of a Graha Gayatri Devi Vasudev, India 1165 7

Madhura Krishnamurthi Sastri,

79 The Enigma Called Arudhas – Part 2 India 1172 30
Nunzia Coppola (Meskalila),
80 The Cosmic Harmony of Time & Space Italy 1202 17
81 Neecha Bhanga Rajayoga - A New Look O.P. Paliwal, India. 1219 6
82 Longevity & Life Span - Part 1 P.M. Gopalachary, India 1225 14
83 Using Kakshyas Effectively R.G.Krishnan, USA 1239 7
84 The Magic of Ashvagandha Rushikesh Deshpande, India 1246 4
Saptarishis Gurukul
Intro for Jataka Tatva 1
85 Sage Gautama’s Vidyashram Guru A.V. Sundaram 1251 8
86 Sage Bharadwaja’s Vidyashram Guru Ernst Wilhem 1259 4
87 Sage Kashyap's Vidyashram Guru Chandrashekhar Sharma 1263 7
88 Sage AngirasVidyashram Guru Daya Shanker 1270 7
89 Sage Jamadagni’s Vidyashram Guru Deepak Bisaria 1277 6
90 Sage Vashishtha's Vidyashram Guru Dr. K.S.Charak 1283 6
91 Sage Atris Vidyashram Guru Steven Stuckey 1289 7
Guru Dr. Suresh Chandra
92 Sage Bhrighus Vidyashram Mishra 1296 4
93 Moon, Mind & Kemadruma Yoga Rajendra Rasiklal Shah, India 1300 9
94 Best Of AIAC Times AIAC, USA 1309 27
95 Shukra Nadi - 1 Vinodh Rajan, India 1336 6
96 Perils of a Wrong Muhurta - A Case Study Shanmukha, India 1342 10
97 Gulika – A Compilation A.G.Suresh Babu Shenoy, India 1352 21
98 Numerology in Astrology Ajitkumaar, Germany 1373 8
99 Characteristics of Different Ascendants Amitabh Tripathi, India 1381 8
100 The Punch of Hora & Sub Hora Venkat Ramana, India 1389 11
101 Observations of the Moon’s Nodes on the Personality Chiria, USA 1400 4
Babubhai N. Yodh &
102 Jupiter Hampered by North Node B.D. Vaghela, India 1404 8
103 The Zodiac, Godhead & You Vic Di Cara, Japan 1412 4
104 Dnyaneshwari - Chapter 6 V.V.Shirvaikar, USA 1416 11
105 Nature & Characteristics of Signs Va. Da. Bhatt, India 1427 28
U.K.Jha
106 Arudha & Its Evaluation U.K.Jha, India 1455 10
What is the Correct Procedure for Computing Jaimini's
107 Chara Dasa ? U.K.Jha, India 1465 16
The Question of Calculating Dasa Period of Signs in Jaimini
108 Chara Dasa U.K.Jha, India 1481 6
 || Gururbrahmaa Gururvishnu Gururdevo Maheshvarah ||
|| GururSakshaat Parambrahma, Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah||

Vol 8 Publitorial – 2nd Anniversary Issue

Preface

O
ne can only wash with love the feet of each writer, volunteer, the ones who do not allow their
names to come out & even one’s enemies who have obstructed the growth of Saptarishis
Astrology. Each one is bowed down to in humbleness for their efforts, major or minor, in
creating this unseen revolution, especially in Vedic Astrology which was not seen or heard of
– and is now in 104 countries, a record in itself. We, here at Saptarishis Astrology, are grateful to each
and every individual not via lip service but truly from our hearts. Some of you have given us strength
when most needed and for those unspoken heroes, there exists a special love. It has been 2 years or
rather 2.5 years (Feb 2008 launch) when this magazine was started & 365 days per year, we have been
working to bring out hidden knowledge that has not been witnessed in the history of astrology. In some
manner, we have been successful but yet, we grieve at the considerable amount of knowledge that still
remains hidden and could have been brought out in these 2 odd years. On this 2nd Anniversary of
Saptarishis Astrology, may we dedicate this issue to each writer and volunteer of this revolution who
followed the leadership of the magazine – especially with no known names attached in the team? This
has more significance since in a field like ours, egos rule the roost – and when genuine appreciation
comes from stalwarts & legends it makes your day. Of all the appreciation received, this one must be
mentioned as it comes from an individual whose forefathers created the first English astrological
magazine in India somewhere around 1895. We received a call from the current Editor, Smt. Gayatri
Devi Vasudev, ‘SA, I have heard a lot about Saptarishis Astrology and its high quality content. Do not accept
sub-standard articles and always maintain this quality….’ Coming from her who has been one of the most
successful mundane astrology predictors in recent decades, some of which includes the US 9/11 attack –
it truly shows her genuine concern for astrology even though we may be regarded as a competitor. But
as much as this shows her humility, her love for astrology is also seen in those statements. We wish
every astrologer was as humble as Gayatri Devi Vasudev. In this issue we have been able to unearth &
translate the oldest astrology document called ‘Lomash Samhita’ which for the first time gives a hint of
the lineage of astrology. It would also be noticed therein that the 18 Sages themselves were tested with
horoscopes of twins. Probably for the first time, one finds a clear mention of twin’s horoscopes in any
ancient Vedic manuscript available so far.
Thus it will only be befitting to dedicate that manuscript translation to a genuine world class
predictor and most important humble astrologer, Gayatri Devi Vasudev, whose forefathers have freed
astrology from the clutches of slavery that existed in the name of Tradition (Parampara) for thousands
of years in India & presented it to the common man who could then start learning astrology without the
need to be born in a family of astrologers.

Contents of Publitorial
1.0 The Seven Arch Angels
1.1 The Number Seven In A Horoscope
2.0 Cancer & Adventures With Edgar Cayce Remedy
2.1 Did Cayce Come Near To The Secret Of Astrology

8
3.0 Fixed Stars & The Story Behind The Story - that Indians Miss
3.1 Assassination & Our Adventures in Fixed Stars
3.2 Saptarishis Astrology Life Time Achievement Award To Diana K. Rosenberg
4.0 Ancient Astrologer Bhrighu & Obama
5.0 Predicting Year of Event – Universal Astrology
6.0 The Dilemma of Energy & Astrology
6.1 Abuse Of Energy & Its Karma – Pirated Books/Softwares & Forums
6.2 Old Vs. New Energy
6.3 Harsh Reality Of Energy & The Parable by the Nameless Master
6.4 Abuse Of Energy & Accusation towards Saptarishis Astrology Magazine

Publitorial
1.0 The Seven Arch Angels

T his might sound repetitious to the early readers of the magazine, but mails received in last 2
years warrant repeating the meaning of Saptarishis Astrology: Sapta means Seven and Rishis
means Sages; so in effect, Saptarishis means 7 Sages. In Christianity also there exists similar 7
Sages via the 7 Arch Angels with different names; same in Judaism with different names, same in
Islam, and same in Zoroastrianism. For details on each religion, readers can access
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archangel. These 7 Higher Authorities have been attributed to guarding
or creating the human race and establishing the laws. Thus…
Astrology is nothing but the way of functioning of the mechanics of the Universe (God).
Astrology is a Science (Shastra) of Humans & not machines; when the non human side of professionalism
(corporate greed & stone faced professionalism) spoils the pure blood of astrology,
it no longer remains a Divine Science.
Hence, we here at Saptarishis Astrology, have maintained in the editorials and presentation a non-cold
face or what one would call humane side which goes far beyond techniques. We do aim at presenting
diverse views and warn against the dangers of following certain paths in astrology which, even if they
proved non productive for centuries, have yet been blindly followed. This might hurt some and this
might sound amateurish/non professional to some yet, one must always follow one’s heart (dharma)
rather than what is pleasing to society. The publishers of this magazine are not obsessed about receiving
invitations for conferences in India or abroad, or awards, or Gurudom for name and fame. The only goal
is to bring out hidden workable knowledge, to correct the energy centers (chakras) of today’s astrologers
– because to merely grasp this hidden knowledge as informations (reading articles) is useless unless
one’s chakras are cleared of ego and stubbornness, thus allowing one to learn something new more freely
– and to work towards creating a breed of honest astrologers in India as it is most lacking in spite of so
many Gurus who have come and gone.
1.1. The Number Seven In A Horoscope

T
ransgressing, let’s see what is the significance of this number 7… Many have written about it
but there is one use which has not been delved upon so far. Suppose you create a project and
that project is signified by House X in the horoscope; the result of this project and its governance
& completion are controlled by the 7th House from it. This has been missed; the remedy for
achieving the results of the House X is there in the 7th House from it. Vedic Astrologers who are into
remedial astrology via rituals have missed this point. This was revealed to our Mentor by a very old
great astrologer & this was taught back to us. We have seen it working to the T.

9
 We will concentrate on the words result, governance, completion and remedy now. One sees 2H for
wealth & family then the 7th from it is the result which is the Inheritance that one gets. The governance
of this wealth is the family and, if there are problems in the family, then one does not get the resultant
Inheritance due to family members. One sees Efforts & Actions in 3H – for these to succeed, one need’s
the blessings of the Gods which is the 9H, i.e. 7th from the 3H and one needs luck which is again the 9H.
Thus the result of the 3H is dependent on the 9H. The 4H is the love within one’s soul and general
education; when one has this as a sound basis, we will find that the resultant action in society (karma –
10H), one’s career (10H) would be of high quality since one with true love in his heart can only perform
good karma (10H) – thus the 10H becomes the result of the 4H. One sees affections, love relationship &
children from the 5H; its resultant house is the 11H of gains, since achieving love in your life and having
good children are the highest gains of one’s life (11H). The 6H is the house of health, diseases, enemies
and contains ‘The Block Of Your Life’ & also shows your Pending Task for which obstacles are created.
The result of it will be the 7th from it which is the 12H of pleasures & hospitals; if you do not have
health, you will not be able to enjoy the pleasures of life; if you do not have health, you would go to the
hospital… The 12H is also the Exit of life, so if you have a lot of diseases or enemies, your exit from life
will be early or, if not early, then painful.
We mentioned the 7th from any house is that house’s remedy. Now take this 6H and you would
see that the 12H of charity gives you good wishes of people and blessings and thus, it will reduce your
diseases and open up the blocks of your life thereby giving you the opportunity to move to the next level
in the evolution of your soul.
One sees the self in the 1H; this self gets completed in the 7H from it which is the house of
relationship or spouse – that is the reason most religions insist on marriage since that is the source of
creation and governance of this Universe. Man is 1H determining who he is & his abilities and he gets
completed in the 7H when his abilities bring him in the public limelight of the 7H.
Everything that you start on a ‘normal long term level’ will produce results after 7 years is the
broad rule, one year per house/sign you must take to correlate the above to get the 7 years. Suppose you
have a malefic in the 1H/7H, then some severe issue will come out in the 7th year of your marriage.
There is no 99 % in what has been written. This 7 is the cycle of life and it is again sub-divided in many
parts, one of which is the half of 7 or 3.5 years. So you must also observe from any project the 3.5 years
and then the 7th year and see it in the cycles.
Speaking of marriage issues, one must digress from number seven to the universal 12 year cycle;
during the 12th year of one’s marriage, one normally faces huge problems in marriage if the 6H/6L is
afflicted. Why this happens can be explained by taking the 7H of marriage as the Asc and rotating it for
1 year per house – thus one gets to the 6H of divorce and fights and courts in the 12th year. One can break
it up further and say if the 7H or its lord is afflicted, then separation happens in the 1st year – this way,
the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 8th and 12th years are, broadly speaking, very important and can easily be understood by
taking the 7H as Asc and working it out yourselves.
2.0 Cancer & Adventures With Edgar Cayce Remedy

H
e is one of our finest western astrology writers for Saptarishis Astrology and a great man of
few words. You just had to give him a topic and he would do research on many charts and
come up with an article right on the date he said he would send it to you. The date would
never shift and this is what is called Publisher’s Darling. His articles received a lot of fan
mail and you, as a sharp publisher, could make out it is coming from real fans – not the same author
created fake fan mail (!) a practice rampant in astrological magazines since decades and now common on
internet forums. When he said he no longer would write for us as he has developed cancer in multiple
organs, our world fell apart. One, for the selfish reason of losing such a super fine researcher – and
another for losing such a great human being with whom we had quietly become close even though he
was rarely personal with us in his communications. He was detected with cancer on 14th Nov 2009 and
given 6 months, he is still alive today. The writer is Ron Bippus from Canada who was introduced to us
by Norah our team member. Ron is a famous horary (prashna) astrologer of the William Lily tradition
and quite good at his work. Ron was not into the Hindu Yagyas and hence, we could not help him in

10
any other way… But the desire to help kept on eating us. How could one watch someone die without
giving it your best shot?
He had tried Chinese remedies and he wrote ……
I have tried some Chinese herbal remedies, but unfortunately they had serious effects like extreme weight loss. I am
content with my fate and aim to end my days with dignity. I have never believed in God or in miracles, and my
1
plan is to quietly go with dignity.
Knowing that he was not keen for herbal remedies or alternative treatment, we were scared to
suggest anything and kept to ourselves but somehow, we passed on some excerpts from a book by Edgar
Cayce on Remedies to Ron. He asked for the time we sent it via email, so we wrote back saying
Wednesday, February 10, 2010 15.06 pm, Mumbai.
He wrote back:
The only reason I want to know the time and place is so that I can tell whether a course of treatment is good for me.
I don't know beforehand either, I just let the universe tell me. I got so much well-meaning but bad medical advice
that I needed a logical way to make a decision. Astrology does that for me.
The chart for Feb 10 @ 15:06 Mumbai gives me 5 Cancer rising (Tropical Zodiac), Pisces on the 10th, Jupiter ruler
10th is in dignity in the 9th trine the ascendant. I read this as high wisdom coming from a very good source. Moon
ruler 1st is in Cap in the 7th. I should listen to the doctor. Saturn ruler 7th is in the 4th trining Mercury in the 7th.
I really should listen to this advice.
Alright then! I shall read the book if I can. My problem is the chemo brain with its negative effect on short term
memory. I can manage about a page at a time before I lose track. I will attempt to extract the medical information
and use it.

1
Ron has kindly given permission to use any of his private emails/data which are reproduced below so that someone else can
benefit out of it. Mark of a true human.

11
After some days he wrote
I have purchased a bottle of castor oil and tried it with a heat pad. I will see in a month if it works or not. If I am
still here at Christmas then I owe you thanks.
What was sent to Ron was a book on Castor Oil titled presumably ‘The Oil That Heals’ based on Edgar
Cayce’s remedies and it seems Cayce had recommended Castor Oil Packs for many ailments. One can
find a reference in that book on Page 13

Then on 11th April 2010 Ron wrote:

SA,
I am in the middle of my second cycle of chemo, and things are going well beyond my wildest expectations. The
trend of 50% reduction in tumour size established by the first cycle of treatment appears to be staying on track. I
will be going for a CAT scan next week which I expect to confirm what I am feeling. I have regained all my weight
and am back at 200 lb, no anorexia this time around. At this rate the cancer will become a mere chronic health issue
by the end of the year rather than being a constant deadly threat.
According to the doctor I am in the top 1% of people who respond like that, a great rarity but not quite a miracle.
My born again sisters and cousins are crediting their prayers and the direct intervention of Jesus! If they want to
claim a divine miracle, this is as close as we get. I have no problem with that, I love them and I know they love
me. While the chemo is burning through my body killing the cancer it also makes Swiss cheese of mental functions,
especially memory. The upside is the memories and mind return quickly within days of the chemo being purged from
the body. Nothing in life is free, and considering my original diagnosis, I have pretty much accomplished the
impossible.

12
Cayce obviously got the information from one of his spirit guides. Considering that archeology documents that the
use of castor oil was practiced in ancient Egypt, it would only seem fair to me to mention their role. To me the most
2
likely scenario is some ancient spirit guide from Egypt telling him about the use of castor oil.
The castor oil I don't think works as cancer cure. Where it really shines is in counteracting the nasty side effects of
the chemo therapy treatment. Instead of feeling like an addict on a continuous drug binge where I can barely
remember my name or what month this is, I have at least the morning free. All my computer and astrology work is
done in the morning and my mind is usually clear until noon, when the night's rest just plain runs out. I went one
weekend without it and felt so depressed I just wanted to die. So the castor oil very definitely works, and I am
actually sitting at my computer now with an oil soaked cloth and heating pad on my chest. The chemo I take is in a
pouch around my neck and pumped directly to my heart 24/7. The only way I can counteract that massive a drug
effect is with anti-nausea drugs and the oil. Out of all the thousands of outright toxic suggestions I was given, this
one stands out as the only exception
I am no longer a dead man walking but very much alive!!!
Ron

We were thrilled at this miracle that has happened in Ron’s life via Edgar Cayce’s Castor Oil treatment,
but on 7th May 2010 came a mail from Ron, excerpts of it is below..
I am weak as a kitten, and now live on soups and other soft foods. The idea of the chemo is to drive the body as
close to death as possible without actually killing me. This kills the maximum number of cancer cells, but also does
terrible physical damage to the body. Cracked fingernails, skin and lost hair are only the beginning. I am slowly
rebuilding my physical strength.
I still use the castor oil two or three times every day. This second time around the after-effects of the chemo are
hanging in there much longer. It is cumulative effect, like radiation poisoning. I tried different combinations castor
oil treatment, but the most effective one is a hand towel soaked in the oil, more oil brushed on the body, and then a
heating pad over the whole thing. The heating pad is necessary to drive the oil through the skin. I tried the
treatment at room temperature, but that works very poorly. In India with your hot temperatures, heat is no problem
but in Canada, it is the very basis of successful treatment.
The chart for your original email regarding the castor oil is the closest I have ever come to getting a direct message
from God.

Ron does issue a warning with his experience that castor oil works fine as long as it had the
chemo drugs to work on, the two treatments neutralize each other and when chemo ends you should not
3
continue with the castor oil treatment otherwise Ricin poisoning can happen as castor oil contains ricin
which is a very toxic substance.
Broadly speaking, when Saturn (oil) is with Rahu (poisoning) or Gulika (poisoning – Gulika is a
mathematical point used in Vedic Astrology) in the 5H of ‘Excesses’ or 6H of health, one must be careful of
oils that one uses. Ron is still alive and a dear friend to whom we wish complete recovery. The reason
such a long mail trail was produced here is for the following various reasons:

2
Diana K. Rosenberg wrote upon reading the editorial ‘I am a keen "devotee" of Edgar Cayce - in the 1960's when I had a severe
nervous breakdown, I found that I could not read most books, they stressed my nerves too much, but reading about Cayce and excerpts
from the readings was a very soothing, healing influence, so I began to gather every book I could about him. So I am very well versed in
the Cayce material. And I and my daughter have had very good results with the castor oil packs. Cayce pointed out that the large leaves
of the castor oil plant were called the "palma Christi" ("hands of Christ") because of the healing qualities of the plant.’
3
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/ricin/facts.asp Castor beans are processed throughout the world to make castor oil. Ricin is
part of the waste “mash” produced when castor oil is made. Ricin has been used experimentally in medicine to kill cancer
cells.

13
 a) Astrologers deal with death as an issue in the cases of clients or themselves, and they must be as
brave as Ron to embrace disease in their own lives
b) Remedial Astrology is a crucial part of astrology and West and East both must study Edgar
Cayce, the most successful predictor and remedialist ever. He was guided by authorities far
superior than any of us ever might encounter so why not take the clues he left for us.
c) Indian Astrology, of late, has become too addicted to mantras for all their remedies without
understanding the meaning of the word Karma. Herbs found both in East and West are
wonderful tools for astrologers and one needs to dig deeper and find out remedies via herbs as
was done in the ancient days in India. Herbs & certain foods balance that element in your chakra
system which would be created by say a retro Saturn in the 8th or Rahu in the 6th – these herbs
balance the bad planetary combinations in your chart. Learn it from an expert if there are any or
experiment with it carefully. Moon is the ruler of herbs & it should not be afflicted badly for
effective usage of herbs. It has been observed that side effects can once in a while happen for
natives whose moon is afflicted, though for Moon & Jupiter related afflictions in horoscopes,
herbs have been recommended in ancient texts.4 Readers may read the article on the herb
Ashwagandha by Rushikesh Deshpande where we had recommended that herb; more miracles
took place in the life of the native which have not been documented in that article as it was
hurriedly written. Please note herbs only act if you have specific planetary combinations in your
chart, classics give clues to it.
d) Embracing Death is no doubt difficult but it becomes a great spiritual tool when known
beforehand and, for this reason, we reveal a technique in this issue that has been hidden for a
long time – on how to find out the cause of death. Vedic astrology has spent a lot of time in
finding mathematical formulas in calculating the age when one will die but not on the cause of
death. This new technique is published in the Vedic Astrology section under the title ‘Thy
Experiments Towards Truth – The Clue of Death’.
e) Herbs tradition has been there in the West & in the East; it’s not just an Indian thing and readers
can search on the net. Here is one ready reckoner from American scholar Dr. David Frawley
which appeared in Vol 6 of Saptarishis Astrology. He writes …

This is from my own private research. Of course some herbs may have a relationship with more than one planet in
their effects.
Sun—Black pepper, cayenne pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, calamus root, sassafras, cloves, bay leaves, sage,
thyme, juniper berries, eucalyptus, basil, bayberry, turmeric

Moon—Milk, comfrey root, slippery elm, marshmallow, wild mallow, licorice, solomon's seal, kelp, Irish moss,
chickweed, sandalwood, oyster shell (sea shells), psyllium, flaxseed

Mars—Onions, garlic, mustard, coffee, alcohol, tobacco, asafoetida, horseradish, nutmeg, marijuana, jimson weed,
poppy, nightshade, damiana

Mercury—Gotu kola, skullcap, basil, mint, camomile, valerian, wintergreen, betony, tea, alfalfa, lady's slipper,
yarrow, coriander, plantain, nettles, self-heal, red root, hops, chia seeds, horehound, mullein, haritaki, castor oil

4
Those who are into Vedic astrology are recommended to read ancient classical texts in Vedic Astrology for herbs & must
refer to Sushruth & Charak Samhita in Ayurveda.

14
Jupiter—Clarified butter, almonds, walnuts, wheat, oats, barley, licorice, fennel, fenugreek, ginseng, siberian
ginseng, astragalus, fo-ti, ashwagandha, wild yam, kudzu (pueraria), vidari, bala

Venus—Rose, aloe, myrrh, saffron, safflower, hibiscus, raspberry leaves, asparagus root, shatavari, amalaki, dang
gui, rehmannia, sarsaparilla, jasmine, pennyroyal, false unicorn, parsley, wild carrot

Saturn—Gentian, golden seal, barberry, uva ursi, pau d'arco, white poplar, blue flag, chapparal, witch hazel, oak
bark, cleavers, frankincense, rhubarb, senna, mandrake, cascara sagrada, echinacea, horsetail, katuka, neem,
chiretta, phyllanthus

Coming back quickly to Ron’s natal chart, he has Aq rising in both tropical & sidereal zodiac
with Asc Lord (body, health) being Saturn. The Asc lord denotes one’s health and he is in the 5H of

15
upper stomach with Rahu in the Sidereal zodiac in Gemini while in tropical zodiac, the Asc lord Saturn
in the 6H of lower stomach area with Rahu in the sign of Cancer. His cancer started in the stomach and
grew from that area5. If you see the list above of Dr. Frawley, he attributes Castor oil to Mercury who
rules Gemini and that is where Ron’s Asc lord Saturn is placed in the sidereal zodiac; Mercury being the
8L of death is in the 12H of exit (placement of Mercury is the same in both zodiacs), healing this Mercury
via Castor Oil has probably delayed and remedied the situation.

2.1 Did Cayce Come Near To The Secret Of Astrology

Earlier we had mentioned about Edgar Cayce, the American Psychic & Prophet and the finest
predictor in the last 100 years who was a hardcore Christian but who, yet, spoke things which were
contradictory to accepted norms. In this column, we would visit few points of interest so as to entice the
modern day Indian astrologers and scholars to, once again, visit all of Edgar Cayce’s material to
understand more of astrology, especially some points which are of grave interest to understand the
hidden secrets of astrology. Also, for those who want to understand planets beyond what is written in
books, Edgar Cayce just can’t be ignored. Here we draw huge references from Kirk Nelson’s masterpiece
book titled ‘Edgar Cayce’s Secrets Of Astrology’, ARE Press.
Ψ Reincarnation - Cayce had established in his writings that reincarnation is a fact, something
which forms the basis of Vedic Astrology. This everyone knows and his readings are not being quoted
here for lack of space.
Ψ Which Zodiac - Kirk Nelson writes & later quotes Cayce on Page 48
The Edgar Cayce’s readings indicate, however, that the sidereal system (Indian) is the one
astrologers should be using:
He quotes Cayce below….
For the Egyptian and the Persian6 records are quite varied. If the entity would study astrology, do not put the
signs in the Egyptian Calendar but in the Persian, for the Persian interpretations are more proficient than the
Egyptian. This is not belittling the efforts of the entity nor of the Egyptians in those periods, but the variations
in time have been corrected by the Persians and not by the Egyptians. The Egyptian calculations are thirty
degrees off. 2011-3
For most astrologers are nearly thirty degrees off in their reckoning in the present. 3376-2
Ψ On The Planets - Kirk Nelson writes on Page 51 that ‘Edgar Cayce gave the following reading
that identifies the influences of the individual planets.
He quotes Cayce below….
As in Mercury pertaining of Mind
In Mars of Madness
In Earth as of Flesh

5
On 12th Jan 2010 he wrote ‘Right now, what is known for sure is that the tumour started in the stomach, basically filling it. It then
broke through the wall of the stomach and infected the liver and pancreas. Any one of these tumors would be enough to kill me on its own.
Having three major organs so affected means my natal chart is right on when it comes to life span.’ On 6th July he wrote that ‘The
tumour broke through the wall of the stomach and infected the liver and the lymph nodes. The tumour is gone from the stomach, and the
spot in the liver has shrunk by 90%. 18 lymph nodes were infected with cancer, now down to three.’
Only one zodiac is correct some say but, sometimes, rare masters use 12H as Asc to see the whole chart, to get clue of the most
important aspect of life. Now if you see this chart in both tropical and sidereal zodiac, a clue on which zodiac to use will
come to you ‘movie starts in one and ends in another.’ – SA, Editor/Publisher
6
Diana K. Rosenberg says ‘Although Cayce seemed to say that the sidereal system was the right one (his terminology was not quite
clear, and he extolled the Persian system (?) - I don't know whether this has survived), but when the birth data of an individual was given
and a reading to go with it, he seemed to be reading a tropical chart. I don't know why - perhaps his source was taking into consideration
the fact that most of his readers at that time would have been using tropical.’

16
In Venus as Love
In Jupiter as Strength
In Saturn as the beginning of earthly woes, that to which all insufficient matter is cast for the beginning.
In that of Uranus as of the Psychic
In that of Neptune as of Mystic
In Septimus as of Consciousness
In Arcturus as of the developing. 900-10

Ψ Understanding Planets7 – In Cayce’s readings, you find rare and interesting information on
planets that you would not find in classics; if you miss reading his work, you would miss subtle yet
most significant hints on the working of planets and thus your predictive capability will suffer. For e.g
Cayce says:
The Moon indicates change ….. 5746-1
In Venus we find love. Do not confuse affection with love. Do not confuse passion with love. Love is of God, it is
creative, it is all giving. 3545-1
Kirk writes that Cayce’s view of Saturn differs slightly from traditional astrology. Cayce says
that Saturn represents change:
We find in Saturn the changes, the experiences that have brought divisions, disturbances; breaking into the hopes,
the aspirations, the desires. 2401-1
In his readings, Cayce described Saturn as “that planet to whom all insufficient matter is cast from the
earth plane.” (5717-1)
The Uranian influence we find makes for a high occult or psychic force; or soul force, rather than the ordinary term
of psychic. 938-1
Also in Uranus we find the abilities in directions pertaining to the study of astrological influences or associations,
but especially as related to the analyzing of emotions. 1595-1
Cayce also gave warnings to people who had sojourns in Neptune to stay away from large bodies
of water. Neptune is the ruler of the sea and liquids – people with bad Neptune aspects will be alcoholic
or drug users – western astrologers see this in a second in a chart but modern Indian astrologers cannot
do that so easily. One is reminded the chart of John F. Kennedy Jr. who, both in his Tropical and
Sidereal Zodiac, has Neptune in the 3H of short travels & 3H of death. He flew over sea and he died in a
plane crash in the sea. Cayce further says:
Neptune brings the greater spiritual life, greater desire for the spiritual emotions than the purely material.
1986-1
The greatest Indian Guru to visit the west was Paramhamsa Yogananda having Neptune in the
10H of career and Karma. His whole life & karma was a spiritual experience only and not of material
gains.
Ψ Planetary Sojourns – Where You Are From
This is the most important part of Edgar Cayce’s material on Astrology in understanding your
chart. Where did you come from and what is the role, it gives broad hints to it.
Cayce says that the planet closest to the Ascendant or the Midheaven is the planet that has the
greatest influence on the incoming soul.
Although the above statement looks like basic astrology, it nevertheless has far more deeper
meaning into the individuals’ life mission. This writer, in his limited experience, has found it true.

7
These points might seem new to Indian astrologers but can be found in nadi literature (ancient literature of sages) too.

17
 Say a native dies, then he goes to a planet to master some attributes of that planet – this is what
Cayce called Planetary Sojourns. Then, when he reincarnates back to earth, he brings with him some
lessons from those planets that he has mastered. E.g with Jupiter exalted or in own sign right on the Asc
degree or MC degree, we would describe as powerful and giving good knowledge/wisdom to the native.
Here the metaphysical meaning, as per Cayce, is the native has mastered these lessons and brings them
here on earth to utilise that knowledge.
On Planets, Cayce had mentioned Arcturus and he says that once a soul has achieved perfection
in the earth plane, it goes to the star of Arcturus and from there on to other systems. He says that
Arcturus is the opposite of Saturn. Perfected souls go to Arcturus, while souls that need reforming go to
Saturn.
The beauty of Edgar Cayce’s work is what is not found anywhere in the world. The journey of
an individual soul has been detailed out and one truly gets somewhat detailed glimpse on how we, as
souls, are moving around in various lifetimes. Edgar Cayce, in his previous lifetimes, had reached
heights in spiritual development as Ra Ta, a spiritual leader in ancient Egypt around 10,500 B.C – to
John Brainbridge, a gambling womanizing wanderer – to Edgar Cayce – and true to his teachings of
Planetary Sojourns, his Uranus is found to the exact degree of his Asc, as he stated earlier about Uranus…
The Uranian influence we find makes for a high occult or psychic force; or soul force, rather than the ordinary term
of psychic. 938-1
He surely was no ordinary psychic.
Ψ Outer Planets
Sometimes when we use Outer planets and the above statement on Asc degree of Cayce, we get
to easy conclusions not found in traditional astrology. For this let’s use the chart of Hitler.
Asc is Libra, so Cayce’s statement cannot be verbatim applied – hence we see the Asc ruler which
represents the Asc and it is Venus which shows love (or the lack of it). Now Kirk Nelson’s book says
Pluto shows Mass Destiny and Dictatorship; Pluto is sitting in the 8H of death & transformation. The
Asc lord Venus disposits the planet Pluto carrying with it the energy of death and transformation in the
incoming soul if we understand Cayce well. Hitler brought in this life the true meaning of the word
Dictator & death and came to the public platform as Venus is in the 7H of Public Platform. Edgar
Cayce also says that Mars is firearms, gunpowder – note that this Venus is conjoined with Mars and
Hitler used it to gain his dictatorship and become the King of the World (it is with Sun). Without using
Pluto’s significations & Edgar Cayce’s statements, would it be easy to come to the conclusion of
dictatorship so fast? Probably not.

Pluto

Pluto

18
 Let’s take a modern day dictator – in 2002, there were racism related riots in India. At that time,
the media was against him for his dictatorial ways. Indians who know whom we are referring to would
like to check his chart (not produced here) and would be surprised to see that he has Pluto in the 10H of
karma/actions. Thus his ways were dictatorial as Pluto represents it.
Astrologers are of two kinds: the first wants to only predict via astrology and the second wants
to ‘Understand’ astrology. Edgar Cayce’s work is on the latter & higher side of astrology.
Those who have not tasted honey cannot comment on its sweetness.
There are more westerners who practice Yoga than Indians – that’s a known fact, since the
westerners use anything that works in practice. In the same way, many westerners who are now in
Vedic Astrology use Outer Planets for stunning predictions that many Indian astrologers miss out on –
this is our observation since decades; the loss is that of the Indian astrologer who has only his pride to
defend… the pride which is created out of reading only 10-20 books of Sages and has not even bothered to
find out what the Sages wrote in their other thousands of works that are gathering dust in libraries. Any
Indian who wants to learn what the Sages said about Outer Planets should venture into finding out
what the Late Narendra Desai found in ancient texts (Nadis) in southern India, and what the sages told
8
him . He was and still is regarded in America as the greatest astrologer to walk into the US soil from
India.
3.0 Fixed Stars & The Story Behind The Story that Indians Miss

8
He had reached a very high spiritual stage of life. His voice would change and he would speak ancient type of Sanskrit, it
was said the sages would speak via him. Our debate with a famous Internet Traditional (Parampara) Jaimini Indian
astrologer ended when we quoted the authority of Narendra Desai; after that, he never spoke against the Outer Planets in his
forums.

19
 Some of you who are probably in their 70s or 80s will experience this – some will experience this
feeling when you really try to understand astrology and start avoiding humans… and start to avoid
reading their charts. Then, what will fascinate you is not predictions on a chart, but to know that ‘One’
event which transformed a native’s life or, ‘The Hidden Story Of Life’ in a chart – and if this can be
predicted using the current knowledge of astrology.
We were told two things about this chart by his friend: that this Indian man was an obsessive
womanizer and would only sleep with a woman once. When confronted by friends over his
womanizing, he would say that makes him feel guilty and thus it makes him love his wife more. But
this did not interest us – what was of interest was his downfall in life and then his comeback.
Hollywood and humans both love comebacks they say. He was a millionaire who was reduced to rags
and then again rose to be a millionaire to open two offices in the US with a fleet of 100 tankers. As we
sat and saw his chart, the 9H was sprouting from the chart and we said to ourselves ‘It can’t be true’,
since we were biased with what we had heard about his sexual extravaganzas.
The friend who was sitting along with us was his close friend and we finally blurted it out upon
seeing his chart for 45 seconds ‘See whatever lifestyle you lead as of now – but eventually you have
pending karma towards religion and spirituality and you would go into religious and spiritual ways’. He
smiled and said you see you talked about religious ways ‘I have built two temples and in one of them
donated 40,000 USD (Rs 20 lakhs) when I was in debt in business – even my wife and parents do not
know of this including all my best friends’ he said with a glint of a newfound friend in us. Although our
prediction had failed in timing this religious generosity event, yet a smile passed on our face as sitting
before us was a man who has learnt about donation that most do not know of, and about which we had
written about in the first editorial ‘True Charity is done only when the donator does not even allow his shadow
to know he has donated’. Such men are the rarest of rare and we felt elevated sitting in his presence,
wanted to physically bow to him but somehow felt if we are extra nice, he might think that we need
funding from him for Saptarishis Astrology. The fact on this is that till date, we have avoided receiving
any kind of major funding or donation to keep away from having to follow a donor’s agenda despite our
best judgement.

20
 He was a true mix of what most men/women are: Good, Bad & Ugly… the only difference is
that we do not accept it but he does. Finally some predictions happened and we said how did you rise back
in life? We said tell us the real event, the real story, the story behind the story for which we have waited for a year
to meet you and told him that we do not have the ability to predict that since astrology has not reached
that level inspite of many doing or claiming to do researches in it.
He said with a glint in his eyes, ‘My life turned around due to bet of a sandwich with a close friend’.
Shocked without looking at his chart we mentally saw his Lord of 2nd lord Mars is in the 7H of business,
8th lord of sudden change in the 11H of contacts & 4L of best friend in the 9th house of Rise of Fortune in
the natal chart.9 He said he was in debt in business – his relatives had cheated him, he had to sell his
house and was living in a rented flat. Once, his very close friend came and said let’s eat. He did not have
money and, trying to create fun, he took him outside to a shop on the road which sells sandwiches, and
said to him ‘I will not pay for this sandwich and someone unknown will pay for it’. At the sandwich stall, he
had seen an old college senior with whom he had never interacted and vaguely felt that this man would
be from his college. He went there and introduced him and acted very friendly accusing his senior of
having forgotten him and, as a senior of his college (SIES, Mumbai) he is supposed to treat for
sandwich. Senior said he does not remember him at all but does not mind paying for the sandwich even
if he is trying to fake a friendship. Later Senior asked him what does he do and he proudly said ‘I am in
the transport business’. His senior said he is also into logistics and works for a big company. Said senior
asked him how much does he charge for supplying a truck from Mumbai to Pune… our friend said
Rs 2200 and, as the actual market rate was Rs 2000 he was scared that he over quoted. Senior said ‘You
do not know the business son, every day I, as the senior executive of my company, am in charge of
hiring 50-60 trucks and they charge me Rs 3500 – if you charge us Rs 2800 per truck, per trip, I will give
you all the business and our new projects too’.
Within a year, the native repaid all his debts and had made a profit of Rs 3.4 crores (a bit less
than a million USD) and today, he has opened 2 offices in the US. Fortune changed when 3 elements
combined – best friend, sandwich and a senior contact. He wanted to hear this story from us we felt.
This is the real story of his life which we, astrologers, cannot predict with our current level of
knowledge – and this is what the client needs to hear when he is down to the last penny in life ‘A dark
looking best friend (Saturn) will come and ask you for a sandwich (Mars) and you would meet a senior contact

9
Modern Indians do not use the 60th division of a chart since they are always suspicious that the time of birth is wrong and,
at the same time, the new breed uses the 60th divisional chart thinking that it is to be used to determine who one was in the
past life. As per old astrologers, this is all non productive wishful thinking of a bunch of new kids, as the verses of an ancient
book which Vedic astrologers regard as the Bible of astrology has been ignored by these new entrants and their followers. For
Vedic astrologers see his D-60 (60th divisional) chart, see the 7H of Business has 4L of best friend, 2nd lord of business & 10L
of career Moon (Moon means motion, he is in the logistics business).

21
(Sun) – do not refuse your friend that sandwich even if you do not have a penny in your pocket, your life will
change’.
The real story behind one’s life is the crux of astrology – it shows the theme of one’s life and this
is possible only via a symbolism driven approach of ancient astrology of the stars. The stars or asterisms
are more minute than the current level of knowledge of stars (nakshatras in Vedic) of Indian Astrology.
If one reads the history of astrology of various cultures like Arabic, English and Chinese astrology, they
are going into the exact position of a star to the degree rather than the broad span of 13.20 degree
(nakshatra) that is used now in India; and incidentally, our knowledge of these stars (nakshatras) is far
less than what was known to our very ancients. This study that has developed in the west to a
phenomenal level is now called as Fixed Stars Astrology. The predictive capability of it is mind blowing
and, more than the predictive part, what is of importance to the real astrologer is ‘Fixed Stars’ as a tool
can be astoundingly accurate in giving direct clues to the hidden theme of life.
For example, can our current level of knowledge look at the Asc degree and say that you and
your brothers are the immortal twins of the zodiac and one of the major reasons he is born is to support
your work, to give immortality to your work, for you to become the most famous painter ever and be
known by the name of Van Gogh as your Ascendant degree is right near the star Pollux which is at 23
Cancer (tropical)?
Scheat is a Fixed star – 29 Pisces (Tropical) & 5 Pisces approx (Sidereal) & this star is one of the
most notorious stars in the heavens, reputed to cause "extreme misfortune, murder, suicide and
drowning". Vincent Van Gogh had his Mars, who is 6L (sidereal zodiac) of accidents, right on the Fixed
star Scheat conjunct with Sun 3L of hands/actions – and he committed suicide by shooting (with Mars,
bullet) by his own hands. For an excellent article on fixed stars and Vincent Van Gogh, kindly read
Andrew McDonald’s lucid article on him in this issue.
There are many ways to use Fixed stars. Let’s take Scheat & take a concept called Progression
which has been ignored in the East. Percy Bysshe Shelley was a British writer known as one of the
greatest lyric poets of the English Romantic age, a writer of delicate beauty10. Shelley died during his
Saturn return whilst progressed Venus drew to an opposition of the North Node / Scheat conjunction.
Canopus at 14Cn58 (Tropical), denoting significant events at sea, is appropriately placed on Shelley's
4th house of 'grave' as per noted U.K astrologer Deborah Houlding11. On 08 July 1822, he and a friend,
Edward Williams, were out boating when a sudden squall came up. They were run down by a larger
vessel which overturned their yacht during the violent storm and Shelley died at c. 1:00 PM, Viareggio,
Italy.
Let us take a more dramatic case of an Indian and see the star Sirius, which we encountered
recently, as it explained the mystery of a horoscope that has not been solved by many top astrologers of
India. Sirius is known as Alpha Canis Majoris, or the Dog Star (14:05 Cancer – tropical; 20:14 Gemini
sidereal Lahiri). In China, it was regarded as the Jackal or Wolf Star, associated with thievery and looting.
The native’s Asc is 13 Cn (tropical) and 19 Ge (sidereal) having the planet Dragon’s Tail near it.
Dragon’s Tail signifies detachment and also Seven Sages – the native is a volunteer of the Saptarishis (7
Sages) Astrology magazine who, throughout life, spent his time in learning astrology secretly like a
thief as his family would not allow him to learn; see Sirius star attributes. He would read the books at
the terrace, at the park, in restaurants covering the front of the book so that others do not know he is
reading astrology and at home too he would keep it under covers. His library grew and he would hide
many of his books in his car, in his office displaying the attribute of the Jackal. He removed hidden
manuscripts from astrologers in India by begging, paying money that he took on loan and then gave it
to Saptarishis Astrology magazine so that they could donate it. The worst is, even if he paid money to
an individual for the manuscripts, he would see to it that on the website of Saptarishis Astrology, the

10
Shelley, Percy Bysshe Date: 04 Aug 1792 Time: 22:00 LMT (+0:01) City: Horsham, England.
11
We recommend Deborah’s super fine site for western astrology and free books http://www.skyscript.co.uk/shelley.html

22
name of that individual (whom he paid) is shown as donator. For a long time, his horoscope was a
mystery via techniques of Indian Astrology until we read about the star Sirius.
Another astrologer we know has Saturn, the 8L of occult & mystic, in the star Rigel (16Ge50
Tropical) which somewhere we read means bringing knowledge to others: he is involved in bringing out
very old manuscripts. Saturn signifies ‘old’ – his special affinity has been with elderly people which are
signified by Saturn.
A very important point that cannot be ignored is mentioned by Saptarishis Astrology’s writer
Andrew McDonald ‘It is worth noting that Progressions of major points onto fixed stars, however nasty
the fixed star, will not show death on their own – there always has to be major supporting planetary
testimonies – both in the Progressions and the Solar and Lunar Returns and, of course, in the Nativity
itself. Though fixed stars can be spectacularly descriptive, there is a great danger in reading them in
isolation. Any fixed star must be read in context with everything else in the nativity.’
3.1 Assassination & Our Adventures in Fixed Stars

T ake the chart of Abraham Lincoln and Diana K. Rosenberg’s report. Not knowing much about
Fixed Stars, we just spotted these two statements from her fixed star report – what follows
below is a correspondence with her.
22nd July 2010
Hi Diana
In your report of Fixed Stars on Lincoln, on page 28, I get

Then on Page 29 at the bottom of Satabishaj (I think it is for Satabishaj only) I find

In the above, in the 2nd last line, what caught our eye were murder and assassination, wars and
battles.
Query:
1. Does Satabishaj mean assassination and murder, the words in italics is your research ? (if so can I quote it)
or an accepted definition of Fixed Stars.
2. Is this star Satabishaj called by some other name in Western Astrology since over here Satabisha is around
13.20 degrees whereas in the Lincoln report it showed a span of 4 degrees.

Diana: The sidereal span of nakshatra Satabishaj is 6Aquar40 to 20Aquar00; the fixed star Satabishajwas,
in 2000, Lahiri sidereal 17 Aquarius 44 (within that nakshatra span). Tropically. it was 11 Pisces 35.
In the Fixed Star Report Writer, each starset was given the name of the most prominent star in that set of degrees
- in this case, it was Lambda Aquarii, which has been called Satabishaj (after the nakshatra, I suppose), as well as
Çatabishaj (same name, different spelling), Hydor, or Ekchusis

23
It is confusing, I know!!
You mention the span of 4 degrees - that is the full span of the stars that I grouped together in that starset. Each
star would have a span of only one degree (called a "moiety") on either side of its exact position.

Saptarishis Astrology: It immediately caught our eye to check out his chart (though Rodden gives a B rating) and
what was being thought of turned out to be true: his Mer is the 8L of death (sidereal zodiac) sitting in the 1H of
body – this Mer is in the sign of Aq (Saturn ruled) its co-lord Rahu is with Mars (bullet) and he died of bullet if
one remembers well and this, in the period of Saturn Main period and Mer sub period (this is too much of a
coincidence) from a Vedic point of view – it is amazing that the periods (dasas) are matching so easily.

24
Diana: That so interesting - though I don't understand all of it.
See what I wrote about his birth time in the attached file. Tropically Venus rules his 8th house of death: he was
born with Venus aligned with Mu Cephei, "The Garnet Star" - a red star in the head of Cepheus the King! This is
what I have from that starset in my book:
Jupiter was here in 1429 when France's Dauphin was crowned Charles VII by Joan of Arc (Mu Cephei is in the
Crown of Cepheus) - but the Crown does not protect its wearers: this was Abraham Lincoln’s Venus and Czar
Alexander II’s MC; Lincoln freed the slaves, Alexander freed the serfs (Andromeda, the Chained Woman !); both
were assassinated for their pains. This was the Moon of assassinated Czar Nicholas II, Moon and SNode of
assassinated Israeli PM Yitzak Rabin, Pluto of assassinated US Pres James Garfield, Saturn of murdered
revolutionary Leon Trotsky (axed in the head), SNode of singer-songwriter John Lennon (murdered-shot in the
head) and Press Sec’y James Brady, shot in the head in the Reagan assassination attempt with a Sun-Mars cnj
here; Neptune at Lincoln’s assassination (Venus had been here at his Solar Return 2 months earlier, where it ruled
the 1st and 8th houses), Jupiter at the assassination of John F Kennedy; the MC when Yitzak Rabin was killed at a
peace rally (most of these were shot in the head: Mu Cephei is a red star in the King’s head!). Venus was here at
the Aries Ingress of 1914, 2 months before the Sarajevo assassination of Austria's Archduke Ferdinand, the event
that triggered WWI.
Isn't that all amazing???
Love, Diana

3.2 Saptarishis Astrology Life Time Achievement Award To A Western Astrologer

I t was a December evening, cold breeze was flowing and almost romantic… Instead of watching a
good movie, suddenly one name popped in our head. The repetition of the name became such a
bother that we knew we had to contact this lady whom we just did not know and who went by the
name of Diana K. Rosenberg.
Some months back, we had read somewhere that she was dying of Cancer but each astrologer has
to go one day; but now this name became of vital importance and we instantly wrote to our writer
friend Robert Gover, an expert stock market astrologer in the U.S, and asked him if he knew Diana
Rosenberg’s phone number. He said he did not know her number and, within few minutes, we found
out her number from another source, checked it was 9 am in New York and called her. She was sleeping
and her response was please call me after few hours. We were not to call her back that day. Then the
same vening at 11.30 pm in Mumbai, as we were driving home, again the name kept popping in our mind
and it would not stop – it was like she has something that others don’t have, her work must come out. Then we
parked on the side and called her and had a great chat for 40 minutes. It changed a lot in us – this is
when we found that a great astrologer is willing not to take any treatment of chemotherapy for her
cancer so that no side effects would come in as she needs her mind to remain stable in order for her to
finish publishing her research of 30 years. Wow what dedication, how many Indian Astrologers could
let go of their lives and not save it from the jaws of death so that their secrets be properly published in
time... Indian Astrologers, on the contrary, spend their lifetimes trying to hide secrets and their
researches but will always broadcast that they have done the maximum researches. We knew in Diana
we had found ‘One who knew the meaning of Energy’. She agreed to do an interview with us and promised
that it would be a lengthy interview revealing many of her secrets. But what was the greatest thing
about her was the tone and pitch of her voice – she was a child telling us she wants to reveal so many
secrets and we remembered what the old master had told us ‘Only The Kid Wins’.

G oing back in Time, in the very 1st editorial, it was mentioned that the true names of those who
are involved in the magazine will not be revealed in the credits’ column since Saptarishis
Astrology would be construed as a Charity Work by readers – considering that those who are
into real charity do not even think it is charity, they ‘Just Do It’, their shadows also do not come to know
what they have donated. --- 1

25
 In 2009, we had released a book called ‘Saptarishis Astrology: The Predictive Series’ a collection
of some of the best articles of previous issues, in which all the authors had relinquished the copyright of
their articles so that Saptarishis Astrology makes the profit. The publisher was Sagar Publications, New
Delhi, who said to us in the 1st week of March that from Nov 2009 to March 31st 2010, the total sales were
around 353 copies of the book and royalty was around Rs 15,000 ($ 313). It was written in the Preface that
the first years’ earnings would be donated to old and economically not well off astrologers and readers
were asked in to send mails if they found one. ---- 2
Due to the above points 1 & 2, we must state what we mention now since it was put in writing in
the preface and also, since we are accountable to both the authors and readers. Although the thought of
donating these earnings was to be done to an Indian, God decided otherwise and we have donated this
money to Diana K. Rosenberg for her printing expenses. It is a very small sum but our writers who
contributed articles would agree with us. Many sleepless nights have gone in rethinking if we should
mention this donation or not – since mentioning would break our own rule of “the shadow not even
coming to know of one’s donation” – yet, as per our own policy, we are accountable to the authors and
the community at large so the deed was mentioned. Those of you who have spare money and every
astrologer cum astrology publisher or anyone who does business with astrology12 are requested to donate
to Diana K. Rosenberg for the $ 10,000 that she requires for printing her monumental research. We
would especially request the students of some Gurus, who have amassed millions of dollars selling
talismans, to request their Gurus to donate money to Diana or, at least, to the real cause of bringing
knowledge out. If you can’t write to your Guru regarding this, then it’s better to leave the astrology of
the Sages and never call Astrology a Divine Science (Western readers may note that the reason behind this
statement is that Indians have an obsessive fascination of constantly and fanatically calling Astrology a Divine
Science even though they and their Gurus may indulge in the biggest ‘subtle’ frauds one can imagine.) Readers
may note that Diana K. Rosenberg has not requested for this donation and she might even refuse it but,
nonetheless send it – and May Lord Saturn bless you if you donate but after doing so, don’t talk about it
or expect your name to come in print – if you can do that, then only donate. Her Paypal account is her
email id only fixed.stars@verizon.net. If you can’t donate, no problem – send her loving energy, write a
mail to her from your heart, be kind and sensitive and don’t rake up the death issue. Imagine if you are
an astrologer and if you are on the biggest quest to get your book published as your last duty on earth
and you receive the love from 100 countries… would you not love it!
Diana has given the major part of her life to astrology and researched the most ancient part of
astrology which is still an enigma after thousands of years of study. Her work speaks volumes if one has
the patience to study and understand it. Diana K. Rosenberg has been awarded the 2nd Life Time
Achievement Award of Saptarishis Astrology for her accomplishments in the most ancient form of
astrology, which is the real astrology of the stars since it deals with the stars ‘Directly’ and their
predictive cum understanding the human soul’s purpose can be more fulfilling than the Vedic System of
Nakshatras (asterisms) – still too little about nakshatras (asterisms) is known to the modern Indian
astrologers inspite of so many works coming out in the name of nakshatras from India.
One cannot but thank Edith Hathaway (USA) for her outstanding work and support in the whole
project & also Shastry (India), Souvik Dutta (USA), Pam Rosevear (USA) & Claudia Bader (USA) for the
grand help in organizing this event in New York City where Diana K. Rosenberg would be awarded the
“Saptarishis Astrology’s Life Time Achievement Award” in ‘Ancient Astrology’ held in New York
City. Diana has been presented the award by the Head of Uranian Society & Executive Secretary of
NCGR, Liane Thomas-Wade, on the 25th of July 2010, in the company of esteemed stalwart astrologers
of New York City.
4.0 Ancient Astrologer Bhrighu & Obama

12
Ideally, anyone who earns anything out of astrology will be in a more profitable position in life if he donates 10 % of his
earnings from astrology back to the astrological community.

26
27
 13
U.S. House approves sweeping healthcare overhaul
Mon, Mar 22, 09:40 AM
The U.S. House of Representatives gave final approval to a sweeping healthcare overhaul on
Sunday, expanding insurance coverage to nearly all Americans and handing President Barack
Obama a landmark victory.
It extends health coverage to 32 million uninsured, covering 95 percent of all Americans, gives
subsidies to help lower-income workers pay for coverage and creates state-based exchanges where the
uninsured can compare and shop for plans.
In order to understand the landmark event of 21st March 2010 in the life of Obama, three of our
previous articles on Sage Bhrighu’s Easy Methodology should be revisited. Excerpts from it are:-

Bhrighu’s Easy Methodology (BEM) – 15

Venus says ‘The house where I am given shelter or the lord I conjoin with or the lord of the house I
represent will show where I can, I repeat I can contribute to the…
a) Medical expenses or Diseases
b) Dramatic Troubles
Bhrighu’s Easy Methodology (BEM) - 2
‘Wherever Jupiter sits he creates Ups & Down in the 6th from it, in minimum of any one significations of
that house’
™ This becomes his Karmic House called as ‘Jupiter’s Previous Lives’ House’
™ He will first create Up & Down in the significations of the house which means fluctuations.
™ He will destroy at least one thing of that house.

Bhrighu’s Easy Methodology (BEM) - 3 & 4

BSP 3: Wherever Saturn sits, he becomes Judge Dredd or Emperor (Shahenshah) and he
shouts ‘I Am The Law’.
It is that house where
a) Karma is unfinished & you ‘Need’ to finish it.
b) You will or can make mistakes concerning significations of that house
c) You will be Judged for your mistakes – there is no 99% in this.

1. Now observe Venus in Obama’s Chart is sitting in the 6H of health and diseases. The BEM rule
15 (for Indians it is called BSP) for Venus, who is sitting in the 6H of diseases and health, is
clearly working via Obama’s chart: where Venus sits, he makes you spend on diseases. The
landmark is as in the event of March 21st 2010 where US Govt approves an unprecedented
spending for health (6H where Venus is placed) – Obama spent on diseases as per the promise of
the Venus BEM rule. There will be, no doubt, some opposition due to Obama’s chart and it will
take some years to come into real effect.

13
http://in.news.yahoo.com/137/20100322/756/twl-u-s-house-approves-sweeping-healthca_1.html

28
 2. Also use BEM-2 which says that Jupiter will implement itself in the 6th from it & destroy at least
one signification of the 6th from where he is placed and it becomes his ‘Previous Life’s House’ –
this needs to be symbolically interpreted as pending work (karma) as 6H shows pending Karma.
Obama’s Jupiter is placed in the 1H and 6th from it is the house of disease and health. So his
Jupiter has destroyed the disease that was afflicting the American Health Care System and
promises to bring good health to Americans ‘if the nation allows it’ (so to speak).
3. In the Global Chart, Saturn is transiting Virgo which is the natural 6H of health and diseases.
Now use the BEM-3 & 4 which says that Karma is unfinished and one Needs to complete it there
– this is what Obama is trying to do. Same happened in India where the All India Medical
Associations passed a landmark order stating that no gifts (indirect bribes) were to be accepted
by Doctors from Pharmaceutical Companies. 6H also represents accidents & diseases and you
will notice that some new diseases came in (pending karma) and few major earthquakes
happened (pending karma). Astrologers will say that every time Saturn was in Virgo the same
results did not happen. Obviously, it will not and that is the reason the great astrologers would
always observe ‘What Kind of Karma is happening during One Cycle of Saturn’s journey
through the zodiac’. They would observe this and then predict, observe the Quantum & Quality
of results. Astrology is an interactive science and not fixed – the planets deliver as per the Karma
created by people and this Karma will change the day to day occurrences of people in each cycle
& not as per fixed results of Saturn in Virgo in each cycle.

5.0 Predicting Year of Event Instantly – Universal Astrology

Planets & Their Implementation Age in Various Houses

T
his piece is being written so that we do not ignore the teachings of our ancients. Western
astrologers who use the Tropical Zodiac can also successfully implement it in charts where
the Asc is not being changed if you switch to Sidereal Zodiac (Indian). You can also quickly
change the settings to Sidereal Zodiac and Lahiri, use this technique, note the results on a
piece of paper and come back to your own zodiac to double check with transits and progressions.
Below is a method of the Legend of Legends, Late Shri C. G. Rajan, who had the highest amount
of manuscripts. What is presented below does not work 100 % in real practice and hence, it has been
rejected by many astrologers who were jealous of C. G. Rajan14. Still, the way to use this method which
points to the nearby age when the planet will give result is to take that ‘Clue’ of the result obtained and
further use other methods like transit etc. Please refer to the ‘basic’ table below. For example, if you want
to see the age when Mars will give result in the 12th house, then go to the table and the number you
would see is 25 which means the 25th year (active year/ not completed year). But would this Mars act
only in the 25th year? No, it will give results every time a 12 year cycle is rotated; thus Mars in the 12H
will give results in the 13, 25, 37, 49, 61, 73rd years. At the end of this piece a full detailed table would be
allotted. If Sun is in the 11H, which years it would give result is not mentioned in this table of Late C.
G. Rajan, but our study shows 22nd year or 25th year if we remember well. It needs to be further tested.
Next, one should remember the readings given by Sages and village astrologers of India – they have a
style in which they predict the year of the event. They would say for e.g. ‘Your marriage will happen
around 27/28th year of your life’. They say it like 27 or 28; 90 % of the times you would find this style of
predictions and we often wonder why they are not being very accurate to the exact year. Natal Planets
need to be activated via transits, eclipses and other systems and only then they give their results, finding
out this activation is not so easy hence, for some years in tables like these, planets give results and some
years they don’t.

14
Late C G Rajan wrote a book which is out of print now, titled ‘Dogmas of Nadi Astrology’ which has been the most sought
after book, if someone has it kindly write to us we will remain indebted.

29
 1H 2H 3H 4H 5H 6H 7H 8H 9H 10H 11H 12H
Sun 15 7 20 14 9 23 34 27 10 19 38
Moon 27 27 5 22 6 57 15 6 20 43 20 3
Mars 5 12 13 8 5 24 27 28 14 27 45 25
Mercury 10 26 12 22 26 21 17 14 19 19 45 45
Jupiter 5 39 27 20 12 7 40 27 31 15 15 25
Venus 17 6 6 6 4 41 14 10 15 15 15 5
Saturn 5 12 13 8 5 24 27 28 14 27 45 25
Rahu (Dragon’s Head) 5 12 13 8 5 24 27 28 14 27 45 25
Ketu (Dragon’s Tail) 5 12 13 8 5 24 27 28 14 27 45 25

Let us take some examples to see if we get atleast near around results.

Tiger Woods

Jupiter is in the 7H of relationships and marriage and, as per the above table, Jupiter should
implement itself in the 40th year in the 7H. Now take multiples of 12 and you get ages 4, 16, 28, 40, 52, 64
and in these years, Jupiter in the 7H will implement itself.
In November 2003, Woods became engaged to Elin Nordegren, a Swedish former model and
daughter of former minister of migration Barbro Holmberg and radio journalist Thomas Nordegren.
From Dec 2002 to Dec 2003 he would be in his 28th year and, as per the above system, you can see that
28th year is activated by the presence of Jupiter in the 7H.

30
 6H shows one’s mistresses – its co-lord is Dragon’s Head (Rahu) sitting in the 2H of family and one’s
name. Dragon’s Head, by its very nature, denotes cheating and scandals. So Rahu in the 2nd house, in its
respective years, can once implement itself and show a sex scandal (Dragon’s Head aspects the 8H of
sex). Last year, Tiger Woods was in his 35th year from Dec 2009 to Dec 2010. In fact, just 1 month15 before
his 35th year started, the news of his affairs broke out. Dragon’s Head in the 2H will implement itself in
the 36th year whereas Tiger Woods was in his 35th year when this happened, this is to show that the table
cannot be taken verbatim and it only shows a pointer towards the nearby year.

Detailed Table

1H 2H 3H 4H 5H 6H 7H 8H 9H 10H 11H 12H

Sun 03 07 08 02 09 11 10 03 10, 7, 02
15 19 20 14 21 23 22 15 22, 19, 14,
27 31 32 26 33 35 34 27 34, 31, 26
39 43 44 38 45 47 46 39 46 43, 38,
51 55 56 50 57 59 58, 51 58, 55, 50,
63 67 68 62 69 71 70 63 70 67 62

15
On November 25, 2009, supermarket tabloid The National Enquirer published a story claiming that Woods had an
extramarital affair with nightclub manager Rachel Uchitel, a claim she denied.

31
 1H 2H 3H 4H 5H 6H 7H 8H 9H 10H 11H 12H
Moon 3, 3, 5, 10, 6, 9, 3, 6, 8, 7, 8, 3,
15, 15, 17, 22, 18, 21, 15, 18, 20, 19, 20, 15,
27, 27, 29, 34, 30 33, 27, 30 32 31, 32 27,
39, 39, 41, 46, 42, 45, 39, 42, 44 43, 44, 39,
51, 51, 53, 58, 54, 57, 51, 54, 56, 55, 56, 51,
63 63 65 70 66 69 63 66 68 67 68 63
Mars 5, 12, 13, 8, 5, 12, 3, 4, 2, 3, 9, 13,
17, 24, 25 20, 17, 24, 15, 16, 14, 15, 21, 25,
29, 36 37 32 29, 36 27, 28, 26 27, 33, 37
41, 48 49 44, 41, 48, 39, 40 38, 39, 45, 49,
53, 60, 61 56, 53, 60, 51, 52, 50, 51, 57, 61,
65 72 73 68 65 72 63 64 62 63 69 73
Mercury 10, 2, 12, 10, 2, 9, 5, 2, 7, 7, 9, 9,
22, 14, 24 22, 14, 21, 17, 14, 19, 19, 21, 21,
34, 26 36 34, 26 33, 29, 26 31, 31, 33, 33,
46, 38, 48 46, 38, 45, 41, 38, 43, 43, 45, 45,
58, 50, 60 58, 50, 57, 53, 50, 55, 55, 57, 57,
70 62 72 70 62 69 65 62 67 67 69 69
Jupiter 5, 3, 3, 8, 12, 7, 4, 3, 7, 3, 3, 13,
17, 15, 15, 20, 24, 19, 16, 15, 19, 15, 15, 25,
29, 27, 27 32 36 31, 28, 27, 31, 27, 27, 37
41, 39, 39 44, 48, 43, 40, 39, 43, 39, 39, 49,
53, 51, 51, 56, 60, 55, 52, 51, 55, 51, 51, 61,
65 63 63 68 72 67 64 63 67 63 63 73
Venus 5, 6, 6, 6, 4 5, 2, 10, 3, 3, 3, 5,
17, 18, 18 18, 16 17, 14, 22, 15, 15, 15, 17,
29, 30, 30 30 28 29, 26 34, 27, 27, 27, 29,
41, 42, 42 42, 40, 41, 38, 46 39, 39, 39, 41,
53, 54, 54 54, 52, 53, 50, 58, 51, 51, 51, 53,
65 66 66 66 64 65 62 70 63 63 63 65
Saturn 5, 12, 1, 8, 5, 12, 3, 4, 2, 3, 9, 13,
17, 24, 13, 20, 17, 24, 15, 16, 14, 15, 21, 25,
29, 36, 25 32 29, 36 27, 28, 26 27, 33, 37
41, 48, 37 44, 41, 48, 39, 40 48 39, 45, 49,
53, 60, 49 56, 53, 60, 51, 52, 60 51, 57, 61,
65 72 61 68 65 72 63 64 72 63 69 73
Rahu 5, 12, 13, 8, 5, 12, 3, 4, 2, 3, 9, 13,
(Dragon’s 17, 24, 25 20, 17, 24, 15, 16, 14, 15, 21, 25,
Head) 29, 36 37 32 29, 36 27, 28, 26 27, 33, 37
41, 48, 49 44, 41, 48, 39, 40 48 39, 45, 49,
53, 60, 61 56, 53, 60, 51, 52, 60 51, 57, 61,
65 72 73 68 65 72 63 64 72 63 69 73

1H 2H 3H 4H 5H 6H 7H 8H 9H 10H 11H 12H

Ketu 5, 12, 13, 8, 5, 12, 3, 4, 2, 3, 9, 13,
(Dragon’s 17, 24, 25 20, 17, 24, 15, 16, 14, 15, 21, 25,
Tail) 29, 36 37 32 29, 36 27, 28, 26 27, 33, 37
41, 48, 49 44, 41, 48, 39, 40 48 39, 45, 49,
53, 60 61 56, 53, 60, 51, 52, 60 51, 57, 61,
65 72 73 68 65 72 63 64 72 63 69 73

32
 Bruce Lee

Mercury can be a hardcore malefic for Scorpio Asc by virtue of being the 8th lord of chronic
problems and death – and is here in the 12H of exit. As per the given table, Mer implements itself in the

33
12H in the 33rd year. During his 33rd year which was from Nov 1972 to Nov 1973, on 20th July 73, he passed
away exactly matching with the implementation age of Mer in the 12H.

Marilyn Monroe

Dragon’s Head (Rahu) sits in the 12H of Exit of Life and 12H of bedroom. Astrologers know that
the nature of Rahu is scandal, mysterious and not to be found – till date, the reason for her death is not
found satisfactory. But why is this 12H of Dragon’s head so important? Readers of Saptarishis Astrology
will remember one of the earlier editorials/publitorials where the ‘Super Effect House’ of each house has

34
been shown; taking this chart, the 8L of death, Saturn, is sitting in the 4H of ones own home; as it is 9
places from its own house (8H), we count 9 houses from this Saturn and this brings us to the 12H
making the 12H become the Super Effect House of the 8H of death and longevity. Thus Rahu sitting
here in the 12H becomes more potent and doubly important. Now let us see Mr. Rajan’s table: he gives
13, 25, 37, 49, 61, 73 years for this Dragon’s Head in the 12H. On 5th Aug 1962, the day she died, she was in
her 37th year, the year given by the Table. Her death was in her own house (Saturn in 4H) in her
bedroom (Rahu in 12H), with some drugs or overdose of sleeping pills (Rahu again) and, till date, the
mystery surrounding her death has not been solved.

John F. Kennedy

When you speak of Marilyn, you got to speak of JFK. His Sun is the 12th lord of Exit sitting with
2 planets i.e. Venus and Jupiter who, for Virgo Asc, is capable of giving death. Let us see the Sun’s age

35
of implementation in the 9H, it is 46th year. 6 months after his 46th year, he was shot death – note 4L of
assasination Jupiter is sitting with this Sun. The technique no doubt is off by 6 months but it is one of
the very first techniques which gives us the age when each planet will implement in each house in a
snap shot.

Vincent Van Gogh

His life has everything that a film maker would want: his poverty was most touching though
today his paintings sell for millions. Let us repeat here: to truly understand his Karma and the role his
brother played in his Karma, Indian Astrologers would have to read a fantastic piece on him by Andrew

36
MacDonald in this very issue titled Starry, Starry Night – especially the last part where Andrew uses
Fixed stars and shows what Indian astrologers will always fail to see if they do not use Fixed stars
astrology. He died on the 29th July 1890, in his 38th year, which would be from Mar 1890 to Mar 1891. If
you see the table 39th year is activated by Mars in the 10th house. Mars for a Gemini Asc is the most
malefic being the 6th lord of accidents and diseases and 11th lord of super effect of 6H. He shot himself in
the chest in his 38th year which is one year before the 39th year, when Mars is supposed to implement.
This shows that one surely gets the nearby year with this method. Planets always conjoin together to
give results. Venus is his 12th lord of exit from the world and 5L of mentality: he was suffering from
mental problems and was just discharged from a mental asylum. Venus is placed in the 10H and is
giving the age of 39 (again) from the table you may observe. Dragon’s Tail (Ketu) which is placed in the
7H has been given the age 39 Ketu – shows Liberation (moksha) – guess that is what he achieved as he
was not happy in this life as per his own statements. Thus 3 planets were showing grave problems at the
age of 39 whereas he expired at the age of 38 which is still near; this technique is bringing you near the
age giving result.

ore Team Member of Saptarishis Astrology

37
 After a new technique is written, we always send it to some of the team members for their
reaction. The above chart is one of the team members – this native’s father was a great astrologer from
south of India. This same chart is discussed in the Prediction by Degrees technique in this volume.
Anyways, we saw the chart in the new light of this technique starting from the age of Jupiter, moving to
the 2H, 3H and then 4H – then it struck us that Venus is in the 4H and the age given as per the table is
18th year. Now see the significance of Venus – though it is in his own house, from the 9H of father,
Venus is the 8th lord of death & 3L of death. One fine day, his father did his evening prayers and then
came to the living room and said good bye to his children and wife who felt strange: why was he saying
good bye? He recited a hymn for liberation (moksha) and died. These kinds of deaths are possible only
to the greatest of astrologers who come to know beforehand the exact day of their death16.
Astrologers are requested to test this further and not take it at face value as the examples above,
though selected with care so that they do not match to the T with the Table, could yet induce astro
students to become easily and hastily impressed. Young entrants will always think non productively
when, per example, they would see a Sc Asc chart and Mer placed in the 12H and the native lived
beyond 33 years – they could say the chart’s owner did not die at the age of 33 – that’s when one is not
taught astrology at the feet of a Guru but in forums or conferences or books. One who learns it at the
feet of the ‘True & Unbiased’ Guru or one who learns keeping his heart chakra open uses techniques
such as that of C. G. Rajan’s and takes it to his advantage to come nearer a year, will then use other
techniques before he shoots his predictions.
6.0 The Dilemma of Energy & Astrology

H oroscope is nothing but a capsule containing the energy of one’s life exhibited by the planets in
their grand coding. Our job as astrologers is to decode this and find out how the energies are
playing out in one’s life. This coding is not as simple as 2 + 2 as, at a later stage, it goes beyond
mathematics and statistics. One can test astrological techniques on 500 charts yet, that technique will
fail on the 501th chart. The client whose chart will be the 501th will only curse us for wrong guidance –
hence an experienced astrologer knows when he is reading a chart, it is his intuition or some divine
voice which guides us not to predict with a technique which we have successfully tested on 500 charts.
This difference, only a real professional astrologer knows very well who eats his bread earned out of
astrology and not a theoretician or free practitioner. All of us are in the business of interpretation of
these techniques (energy) as to ‘what will happen if today I do an action, when and how will be its result’.
Some of us use horary astrology to determine this along with some traditional natal chart methods.
How is energy transformed from one house to another? Let us see below.
6.1 Abuse Of Energy & Its Karma – Pirated Books/Softwares & Forums
For long this question remained unanswered as to what happens to those who…
a) Download movies/books/music/astrology software via pirated means
b) Who fight a lot on internet forums
The answer finally came that the karma of the above bad actions is to be seen via the position and
dispositor of Dragon’s Tail (Ketu). Let us see this chart & few others in a brief manner.

16
Recent history speaks of the Late M. S. Sitaramiah from Delhi who predicted 2 days before his death that he would not
come back from his visit to the hospital and, in spite of his operation being a success, died unknowingly and doctors were
amazed. In the chart discussed above death happened on a Friday, July 19, 1996, the time was almost near to 9.10 pm, here
everything was Venus, it was a Friday, the hour was of Venus (hora) and the periods was also of Venus. Vedic astrologers
can check something more in periods (dasa) in his chart on the time of his death.

38
 You name the management book and he had it downloaded in soft copy format that he openly
distributed to his friends and was thus described as the Piracy King. He would print it out free of charge
quietly from his office printer (note nothing is free in life & for paper abuse see Earthy signs getting
destroyed). He had been warned by an astrologer not to do this but he would continue doing it for many
years. An astute astrologer would observe his life for few years and would wait for two things to happen
a) 3H to be activated b) Saturn to be activated; it is only when these two will be activated that the
promise of Dragon’s Tail will be fulfilled. Now see the story: this Indian went for a 3 month project to
the U.K to work for a famous financial services company. 3 months would be a short trip which is seen
from the 3H, thus 3H was activated. An old American astrologer (Saturn) travelled with his wife
(Venus) to the U.K to be in an astrological conference where this native would help him with computer

39
(Dragon’s Tail - Ketu) related PowerPoint presentation. Thus, Saturn and Ketu were activated. During
these 5 days, the native was also downloading something on the net in his office in that UK based
Finance Company. He was caught, an inquiry committee was put in place and he was deported back to
India with disgrace (result would be 7th from it - Dragon’s Head – Rahu – scandal). Thus you can see all
the circumstances present in the horoscope had to be satisfied, short travel (3H), old man (Saturn) with
his wife (Venus), both travelled to UK (3H) and bang on (!) the promised event materialized with
Transit Saturn in Virgo aspecting via the 10th aspect to his 3H of hands.
Dragon’s Tail (Ketu) has been described in Vedic Mythology as the thief who got caught
& was given punishment by the Gods.
The result of a planet like Dragon’s Tail (Ketu) has to be seen in many ways – few can be
enumerated here: a) Where he is placed b) his 3 aspects which would be 5th, 7th and 9th from where he is
placed & c) where the dispositor of Ketu is placed. In the above chart, the dispositor is Mercury who is
placed in the 7H of Limelight (Disgrace here) in career being 10th from 10th and a secondary house for
career.
This way of seeing Karma results of stealing something related to knowledge, piracy products,
pirated softwares etc. has been observed in many charts. Dragon’s Tail is the significator of math,
computers and I.T and you can see it is in the 7H of Limelight which is where India has shined so far in
recent decades. Dragon’s Tail is also the significator of fights and when one fights a lot on internet
forums, then one becomes like Ketu: a headless creature with only a tail – that is the reason one often
finds that the fights in forums are just so out of the mind (without using one’s head). In one chart where
Sun Ketu in the 3H has its dispositor, Venus, in the 8H of darkness and Venus is the 10th lord of career,
we observed that this native with Sun Ketu in the 3H would fight a lot on forums and after 7 years, his
career came to a standstill for 4 years inspite of being in top positions in the corporate world. In another
chart where Dragon’s Tail is in the 7H, the native spent a lot of time arguing and insulting people in
astrological forums – his Ketu’s dispositor occupies the 10H of career – in spite of very high degrees, his
career has not taken off at all since 5 years. Another native with Dragon’s Tail in the 10H spent years
downloading movies in torrent, made his friends do this and gathered pirated books: his career is at a
standstill since 4 years and, in spite of doing all the remedial measures of Indian astrology – including
sitting daily for 3 hours chanting mantra, he has not been able to get a job. Another native with Dragons
Tail & Venus in the 11H did not get a job for 2.5 years, he was asked if he downloads movies, he said yes,
he was asked to stop it and within few months he got job in a newspaper daily.
Bottom line, over a period of 6 years we have observed the atrocities committed in the name of
astrology in Indian Forums and the charts and lives of :-
a) Those addicted to forums.
b) Those who fight in forums in the name of knowledge whereas not even 2-3 % of astrological knowledge is
known to Indian astrologers as that knowledge have never come out17.
c) Those who use fake email ids18 to display their predictive abilities by posing quizzes and then replying to
them via their original ids.

17
One of our writers from America described Indian Internet Forums as the ‘Blind leading the Blind’.
18
Many moderators & prominent writers in forums have confessed –privately– to using fake email ids… and some of them
who are very close to Shri K.N. Rao have been publicly caught in recent times, in forums, without thinking that their
teacher’s name would get spoiled – such is the lust for daily 15 minutes of fame in astrology. Alas, the ‘Last Book Of
Astrology’ is crystal clear that ‘Only the Astrologer who has lost interest in lust driven emotion of creating name for himself in
astrology can truly understand what the planets are doing in a chart. When you become a recluse (8H) you get into that darkness (8H is
the house of darkness) of the cave of astrology that each Sage passed through, then one day the result (10th from it is always the
result) will be the real light (Sun as it is the 5H of natural zodiac & 10th from 8H) of this science & the cause of creation (5H - Sun
is the cause of creation as per ancient text BPHS). That hard work (6th house is the hard work) will result in Supreme
Astrological Knowledge and elevation of Soul to understanding God’s creation (6th from 8H will be the 1H of Aries where Sun gets
exalted; Sun is also the significator of the Soul. Also, the 1H of self would be the 5H of creation from 9H of Gods – we

40
 Our observation was in these charts where Dragon’s Tail (Ketu) is sitting – that house and the 5, 7, 9
houses it aspects or the house of Ketu’s dispositor – either of these is spoilt and destroyed. Most writers
on Indian forums are a result of the Bollywood syndrome of wanting gossip or spice (massala) in their
lives or name & fame or to gather naïve clients, without realizing that after 2-3 years in astrology, every
student realizes that anyone who is posting so much in forums belongs to the breed of ‘Time Pass
Hobbyists Posing as Professionals’ who have the following points in common:-
a) The astrologer does not have any clients as he is having enough time to post in forums
b) Discussing the same topic endlessly or engaging in ‘you scratch my back I scratch yours’ are done by only
those astrologers who are not interested in studying real astrology or immersing themselves in classics or
contributing something significant to astrology – but more interested in being seen as alive or lustful or
perverted about fame.
c) Most Indian forums are by moderators who are not spreading astrology but spreading their names or
wanting to occupy position of seats (moderators are under illusions and create illusions of power around
them).
One must understand energy with the help of foreigners to whom every minute is utilized in
making life productive. Out of the 10,000 westerners who are in Vedic astrology, only 30 of them can be
regularly found in Vedic astrology Indian forums – the rest do not waste time in forums but take classes
and dig deeper into books, they are more responsible towards their clients unless they are students.
6.2 Old Vs New Energy

T his deserves a lot of space to be explained but let’s touch it briefly. Planets which determine our
nature, fate and the events of our life are as detailed ‘as details can be’ and they also give us some
free will to play around which is seen in the natal chart itself. The biggest challenge faced by
today’s students is to read ancient texts, note down the combinations given by sages or ancient masters
and then feel despondent that the combinations given are not working. Some of us like double dichotomy
a lot and we are often found to say in different breaths ‘ohh what the sages/ancient masters have said do not
go wrong’ and in another breath that same astrologer will say ‘ohh even the formulas, combinations given by
sages do not work in real practice’. A student who grows up hearing this first feels frustrated by this double
dichotomous statement but, as he has not found the answer to this, by the time he has becomes old, he
himself repeats this strangely. Thus, generations after generations make use of these thoughts and pass
them on. What must be understood clearly is how to see the Energy of the Planets: these planets are
NOT STATIONARY.
Imagine if you are doing an exercise to increase the biceps of your arms… After 10,000 years of
moving your arms (rotation or revolution), you would ‘Change’ eventually. Thus if a planet is giving
you a simple vehicle in 500 A.D, it would give a more detailed vehicle now as it has had movement for
the past several hundred years. Take it this way: Planets also get bored hence, they must keep on
creating something new ‘Within their abilities & Parameters’. The Energy shift can be understood in a
more direct manner: Sun is the King of the Planetary Cabinet and was, in olden days, referred to as
significator for the ‘Actual King’ of a Kingdom. But now, in the 1900s, the Energies have had a major
major change and Acceleration – it is no longer Sun which makes you the King but the planet Saturn
which governs the masses (votes) & makes you the King. Another way to understand energy is since
the time humans have lived on earth, the King was rarely questioned but now, in the New Energy, such
Kings are questioned and toppled. It is difficult to understand the rules of our ancient texts if one is not
in ‘Tune With The Planets’. As one gets tuned, one may not have heard or read about the 11:11 spiritual
event or the Harmonic Convergence (Aug 1987) that deals with the shifting of the energies and
preparing the earth for the new energy – work which would be completed by 2012 in the first step and

humans are the creation of God). Here the word recluse needs to be interpreted in the context of avoiding too much
communication which becomes addictive and that’s the reason the Yogi has said (quoted in previous writings) that ‘to really
learn astrology: avoid astrologers’. Some have tested this statement and tasted some phenomenal success much more than some
of the famous names of the past.

41
next in 2025. Reading about such metaphysical topics or new age spirituality is not necessary to modern
astrologers; what is important however is to be in tune with the Energies. What is important to
understand is that for centuries, this knowledge was strictly limited to only one sect in India while now
it is available to everyone thanks to one man who lead a revolution in 1936. How could the Gods allow
this to happen and, more importantly, to continue? Has the energy not shifted now, when this was just
not possible for the last 3-5000 years in India? Today the internet is the biggest answer to anyone who
thought energy (knowledge) could be hidden. The internet brought in the era where there was an
explosion of energy and melting of the barriers of energy exchange.
6.3 Harsh Reality Of Energy & The Parable by the Nameless Master

W hat follows below is a parable, one of many to come, by the Nameless Master whom we
have found to be the finest of humans – who has the spirit of Astrology rightly ingrained in
him. Here goes his parable:
Once upon a time not so long ago, there was a brilliant astrologer who taught this science to a student
named X. It so happens that X’s teacher did not easily share secrets and, most of the times, played the game of the
tradition ‘serve me more like a slave and I will share more’. X went on to become very frustrated as a student
although he was a very noble soul and often wept in his car that his intentions were noble so, why would his teacher
act like this and never give the ‘master key’ of a topic? X was taught that topic but not the ‘master key’ which
would be taught to foreigners instantly (!) Being of a simple mind, X could not grasp this and would remain hurt.
Later on, X became a very competent doctor and a surgeon and, just as fate would have it, the teacher’s son went on
to do a medical college education. Once in a while, X would lecture on his specialty pertaining to the intricacies of
heart surgery in the college where the teacher’s son would study. After 18 years, X was called in for a special case
of emergency at 2 a.m by the Home Minister’s secretary, case that he had to operate on as this case was dear to the
home minister. X had by now become a prominent figure internationally on his research in medicines related to his
specialization apart from being a reputed surgeon, and had the luxury to refuse any case since at any moment in
time, he always had 3-4 hospitals abroad wanting him to join them. He refused as it was an odd hour and his
mother was sick; but when the secretary mentioned the name of the patient, he agreed instantly much to the
astonishment of the secretary. The operation went on well & after a few days, he heard once while passing by the
hospital room someone saying ‘the surgeon was very arrogant and refused flatly to operate upon but due to the
Home Minister’s pressure, the chief surgeon operated and that too free of cost – this is the power and greatness of
my astrology knowledge’. X entered the room where the patient was sitting who happened to be none other than his
old astrology teacher. He asked everyone to vacate the room and told his teacher: I am your old student to whom
you refused to teach the real knowledge – but you should note that I did not refuse to operate upon you due to my
arrogance, but since it was very late and my mother was sick. Even when the pressure from the Home Minister
came, I refused and only agreed to do so since your name was mentioned. I bow to you but you mentioned the power
of your knowledge compelled me to do the operation, which is wrong. You all, in the astrological community, always
feel as if your knowledge is the most superior and the most divine knowledge and sharing of it can lead to some
great misuse. You all cant event change your luck or the destiny of your children. Unfortunately, it is one blind man
leading the others for the last few centuries. It is the knowledge of medicine which has saved your life and not of
your astrology. It has happened since someone, somewhere, decided to share their knowledge of medicine and
medical equipments which lead to your life being saved – note the word sharing. Yes, this sharing comes at a price
but is nobler than the sharing of knowledge that you all do. Can you imagine if someone who shared this medical
knowledge decided to share only 80% what would happen to you and millions of others on the operating table? Yet
most of the great ones among you claim privately after writing a book/article that you kept the master key to
yourself. That is to only soothe your ego whereas ego never finds an iota of space with God’s love, only forgiveness
and unconditional love. Today the biggest abuse of energy has happened because of you all inspite of you all reciting
mantras daily for hours you all have not understood Gods new energy release. If your mantras were truly effective
then every astrologer would become a servant of society (God). The maximum corruption happens when half baked
hidden energy is with someone. Energy is thus created which blocks the real energy to come out. Thus millions of
you all in the last few centuries have created this negative energy which blocks the pure love of God to come out in
the open. Fighting this energy is tough for even the noble of astrologers and they succumb to the negative side of the
dark energy created by you all since centuries. Yes I do agree that the knowledge of mantras should not be revealed
to everyone yet I find that the most corrupt of you all have the highest knowledge of mantras attained through

42
pleasing someone. In our profession, you might find crooks but the numbers of noble ones are 10,000 times more than
the numbers of noble souls in astrology and yes, there are bad elements as is the case in any profession. But then, we
who save lives are never in any illusion that we are Gods unlike astrologers, our egos are far lesser than you
astrologers. I could save your life since I decided to share my own fundamental research in bi-pass surgery on you
and thus saved your life – whereas all your life, you were more concerned how not to share your knowledge under
the name of tradition and quoting verses of sages of how not to share the knowledge. How do we know that the
verses of the sages were not altered by humans like you in the past? The sage of yesteryears would never teach
astrology to even 1 % of today’s astrologers whose ego is greater than even the Gods. When a medicine or a surgical
procedure is patented by only one person/company, the world suffers as it is at the risk of abuse; but when it is
shared worldwide and openly, then someone, somewhere, can be benefited without the creator of that
technique/medicine being credited. We here, in the medical fraternity, know this and some of us do not even
remember who created the medicine to eradicate Polio but it has helped millions whereas your techniques have not
helped even 1 % of the population. It is for these reasons that God has made allopathy that I practice more
widespread than any other ancient system of healing – since he probably got tired with the egos/superiority complex
of the ancients of any ancient system of healing. My knowledge has no distinction, Sir, I treat all castes and people
from different economic backgrounds the same way. Whereas your eyes used to glint when politicians and rich
people would consult you, my knife moves in the same manner whosoever is on the table? Yes, you would ask me, I
do charge money for my services but so do you – but your fees change when you see a rich client whereas my fees is
the same whether it is a rich or a poor man. It seems I have understood energy and its use or abuse much more than
you have in spite of your spending years on it in the footsteps of your own family lineage that has spent thousands
of years on it. Please go back to your house in good health, knowing that I do not have any resentment towards you.
What you did not teach, I learnt it on my own without any malice towards you; but you, astrologers of India, must
know that you all think you could change the fortunes of your clients, saving their lives by your advice or remedies
but I do that every 3 hours. You are trying to decode God’s plan in a horoscope but your egos only show that you all
are farthest from God – may this be remembered.
When intricate knowledge is made open to public then not just one, but many, have access to it
and the originator of that technique can no longer hold others to ransom. Knowledge is abused by the
greedy minded personality knowing that only he has that knowledge and thus, he can take advantage of
it. But when that formula is known to many, very few will be able to take advantage as everyone has
that knowledge and this is a Universal Formula – this was not present in olden days of limited
communication but now the Energy has changed since an article (technique) created in a small village of
India can reach all over the globe via the internet, the new energy platform of God. Vedic astrologers
who focus so much on hiding techniques can notice that a ancient text which is their Bible of Astrology
today, by the name of BPHS was not easily available before 100 years, today its easily available so has
not the energy changed ?
6.4 Abuse Of Energy & Accusation towards Saptarishis Astrology Magazine

M ore so in the last 100 years of common man astrologers, two distinct astrologers groups were
created: a) who charge money for their consultation and b) who do not charge money. As this
science was controlled by only one sect of people, within themselves they did not want
someone to learn of their secrets as it would deprive them of their superiority and money. When
Saptarishis Astrology was launched, it was launched as a astro business venture. Unfortunately, that
part has failed to start even though the first editorial mentioned it as a free magazine. Energy is never
appreciated when it comes free hence, the master who gave Reiki Healing in its modern form to the
world insisted, after he learnt the lesson, that energy exchange must happen. This has not happened
with Saptarishis Astrology and many have given us advice out of good heart, and some out of jealousy,
to stop the magazine as a free edition so that popularity is decreased. Some have said it out of
compassion and made us understand the intricate nature of energy and that giving out rare never before
seen content without energy exchange from the community is amounting to abuse of energy and
increasing the thankless attitude of the reader who belongs to what is generally termed for astrologers in
this continent as a ‘Bunch of Thankless People’. Incidentally, the energy exchange is present by 0.1 % of
the astrological fraternity coming forward to engage as editors, volunteers and translators for the
magazine. We were also taught via mail of some readers that when one has a skill, he can decide to give

43
it out free as he is not spending any money – example given was that if one is a computer programmer,
he can decide to give 10 % of his time every month to creating a free astrological software which is an
extremely noble act but still does not require him to spend some precious money out of his pocket for
astrology’s growth even though he is earning in dollars, this the Indigo Children will ask in the future,
make no mistake of it. But a magazine requires huge amounts of funds for administrative works, for
buying and removing out manuscripts, for travelling to remote places to seek out hidden masters,
making national-international calls, etc. Let’s take an example: in order to travel to meet one master by
the name of Madura Krishnamurthy Sastry in South India (Andhra Pradesh), one had to shell out
roughly $ 850 (Rs 40,000) – to get masters out from Banaras, some $1270 (Rs 60,000) as travelling
expenses & yet no results. Thus knowledge is not removed out and austerity drive on flight tickets
expenses.
Some readers in the past have taken these contacts of ours and spoilt relations with them – as a
result of this, masters do not write articles for the magazine and the loss is to the astrological
community only since we here at Saptarishis Astrology are not interested in practising astrology
privately or professionally. Hence, we request you not to ask us for phone numbers or addresses of
authors as we just do not have the time to reply to each request on a daily basis even though we may
have done so in the past. Removing their knowledge for the world is more important than one
individual who goes and meets a master for his own personal benefit and not for the astrological
communities benefit. Most authors are available on the net; you can do a Google search for their ids.
Westerners must understand that Laws are reversed in India as compared to the west – anyone who is a
good astrologer is known ‘openly’ in the west whereas in India, the real good astrologers do not
advertise or write books or attend conferences – hence finding them is a process that takes years as they
try their level best to hide in their own reclusive state of life. After years of hard work and energy spent,
if young kids come and display bad manners to them, they get upset; the loss to the astrological world is
irreparable as these masters will never come out. Energy exchange can probably be implemented this
way: for anyone who wants contacts with some master, he or she should first bring out 3 masters from
his city or village – only when that is done can he/she get the contacts of other masters through us.

S
ome of the senior most astrologers have accused Saptarishis Astrology of few things:
a) Sharing rare and unknown secrets of astrology (Indians do not like to share knowledge
whereas westerns love to share it – at a price though – but still sharing happens at least by
westerners which helps the common man at large)
b) The magazine length is too huge
c) Some “I, Me, Myself” minds have accused few articles of being less researched
This can be answered in one way. Saturn, the planet of patience is an attribute every professional
astrologer loves since Saturn teaches us the patience in working hard over a horoscope, digging deep into
ancient literature (Saturn loves old things); plus, a non afflicted Saturn is not greedy though he ask for
energy exchange in a pure sense. When you create a huge volume of magazine which is not a magazine
but a movement, then you ensure that the ones who do not have patience in life, who can only see
themselves in the mirror and not others, who only think they have done research in astrology and who
do not have the patience to listen to other’s views will never get past the few pages of the magazine –
thus rare knowledge which is not in their fate will not reach them. Thus knowledge to the greedy and
selfish will never reach them as they do not have the patience to go through the huge volume. When we
started the 1st issue of the magazine with 96 pages we felt in control but we asked the Universe to take
control of the magazine and the result was nearly 1000 pages, guess the Universe has its own way of
dealing with energy being used by the right hands. Yet the words of some seniors on controlling the
length of the magazine must be taken into account, one can only digest the food what one can and not
digest 10 times of one’s capacity. Hence we would seriously consider shortening the length of the
magazine and also do some deep thinking on energy exchange, the issue of which remains unresolved
for centuries in India and no fixed authority to guide us.
I, Me, Myself astrologers must first test the words of the sages or ancients and see how many of
these techniques given by the sages are working 100 %. As it does not work 100 % ever do they dare

44
abuse the sages? Then, they must question as to how many fully researched articles they themselves
have produced… They remain unaware that any technique can be proven wrong on exception charts
since they are living in their own world, surrounded by those who worship them for some position in
their organization. Indigo Children of the future will challenge us openly to take 5 names of the topmost
astrologers of the past and to instantly remember their 5 famous techniques which are 100 % fool proof.
At that time, all of us will not be able to answer these superior beings of Indigo Children. This publisher
has tried this exercise on many astrologers of India and asked them to rattle the top 5 names of past
astrologers and then asked them to quote 5 of their famous techniques which have been true
contributions to astrology – unfortunately, not a single one has been able to name even 2 of the
techniques of the past astrologers… Such is the thankless community who is poorly read and has the
poorest of memories to even contribute garlands of praise to our ancients & elders.
Astrology is a science that benefits the common man and it is to be learnt not for oneself but to
help the common man. If this is understood, then you become a surgeon with a scientific mind who will
not enter the operation theatre unless he has read and practiced his science, as much as possible,
knowing that he can never operate upon himself. If journals in the past have created a story telling book
or a coffee table book out of the science of astrology, it is their mission and we do not have comments on
it. Our own mission is not to create a coffee table book of 50-100 pages since this journal is for the
serious reader who is ‘Hungry’ for knowledge, who is ready to let go of eating food for the sake of
knowledge, who is ready to burn the midnight oil since he has an important goal in mind and the only
goal: to help the common man. If his goal is to create money, get to important positions in astrological
organizations to create fame for oneself, to create throne for oneself and, please, do not bother to read
Saptarishis Astrology or comment upon it, asking for reduction of size. Recently, one of the oldest
manuscripts written by a Sage containing 60,000 verses was unearthed. In a discussion where it was
brought about, someone complained ‘ohhh my! who is going to read such a huge work’! The other old man in
the room asked that boy to commit suicide and not touch astrology in any life time. True Indians
worship this science since centuries and regard it as holy as holy can be. The organisations in India &
abroad have failed in one respect: after you get the certificate of passing their courses, they consider you
can now practice the science professionally. These courses are of 6 months to 5 years. The worst part is
that every member sitting in the top position of that organization knows that 25-30 years of reading and
experience is required before one ventures into professional consultation services – yet all of these
organisations have failed in even preaching this aspect, let alone enforcing it. Organisations of Vedic
Astrology must ensure that blind chart readings on at least 20,000 horoscopes & compulsory reading
cum tests on minimum 100 classics should be made mandatory before they give certificate of completion
of studies – this was the original schooling in our ancient days, how have the organisations not realised
this truth.
Another important point in the length of the magazine issue is, no one is putting a gun on any
readers head and asking him to read it in one go. Some even say to slow down due to health reasons.
Sometimes the energy is in the hands of the makers and sometimes it is not – even if the magazine
closes down due to weakening finances, it does not matter since what has been created is a creation of
love & most important, that of un-withholding energy that Indian astrologers fail to understand. What
we have has been given out without conditional love. It is not important to survive in the publishing
industry for 20 or 60 years… It is significant to note that filmmakers understand creation more than us
in the astrological fraternity. Let’s take an example that even common man understands and assume you
are a film maker growing up. You are taught from day one & understand that you have to create only
‘One’ Casablanca or just One ‘Bridges of Madison County’ or just One ‘A World Without Thieves’ or just
One ‘3 Idiots’ or One ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai (principles based on Gandhiji) or write that One ‘Harry
Porter’ or maybe your final destination is that Italian film ‘Life Is Beautiful’ that changes human
emotions forever.
Energy in Astrology is controlled largely by the planet Dragons Head (Rahu), a point often
missed by astrologers, especially the Energy of Research and Stunning Predictions. Our topic is this
research and the illusion created by Dragons Head (Rahu) for those who are into research astrology. A
magazine is known for its researches and its rare content. It is fashionable to say that ‘I have done the

45
maximum researches’ or ‘our school or magazine has brought out the maximum researches’. This
illusion is created by Rahu who gives the illusion of sitting on the Throne of Astrology. Lets visit
probably the oldest city in the world which is Banaras, where astrology is far superior and hidden and in
olden days anyone who had to learn astrology had to learn it from Banaras, here the astrologers know
that their knowledge in astrology is far beyond and they say ‘Research is only done when you do not know
astrology; the ones who know astrology never bother to do research’. Such is their blatant dislike for the
outside world; at the same time true honest scientific thinking is needed is what they say. They say that
no dictum of astrology can ever work on 100 % of the charts ever; in the cities some say every major
dictum works on 60% of the charts – that would comprise, say a lot of 200 charts – which means the
dictum is working on 120 charts properly. Now, if you take only or only have in hand the lot of the
working 120 charts, then if you test your own dictum on all of them, you would feel as if the dictum is
working on 100 % of the charts. If you take the remaining 80 charts where the dictum did not work and
test the principle again you find that the dictum is failing 100 %. This is the illusion and double
dichotomy of Research in Astrology. In astrology statistical parameters more often than not have been
found to be grossly misleading, this any sincere, scientific and level headed astrologer will tell you. But
generations of modern astrologers in India have got lost to this illusion, often the most brilliant of
minds. The principles of astrology or medicine have to be true for ‘all’ humans and there can be no 99%
in any technique if one looks at the science honestly & with purity. Example if acid is poured on your
body, it will burn your body; it will burn 100% of the times it is poured and on all humans, no 60 or 70 %
of the times, this is True & Honest Observation (Research). Thus no technique can be working in 60-70
% of horoscopes and passed of as research. If it is passed off as research then one is only fooling oneself
apart from fooling (cheating) others. Take any article (even written by us) or book you would find 25 to
200 case studies, now take that same technique and see if it is working on 200 charts you might get that
it is working on 70% of the charts or say 100 % of the charts but take that same technique and predict on
200 charts and you would fail in 70-90 % of the charts. This reality is the harshest truth and remains an
illusion due to the nature of one’s mind. Hence a wise old man has said few things on modern attitude:-
1) Statistical Astrology has done the biggest & crudest rape of astrology in last 100 years
2) Scientific minds in the last 100 years have been truly unscientific and created the biggest mess in
astrology instead of bringing true scientific attitude in the subject.
3) Modern minds have failed to minutely read the available works of the sages where the sages or
higher authorities themselves contradict the works of previous sages, without mocking the other
authorities an attribute not found in the modern teachers of today.

O n an ending note for this 2nd Anniversary, readers are requested to dig deeper into the most
unfortunate star called Algol or Medusa’s Head, understand how its negative destructive
energy can be converted into positive in our charts, and then think of what the most holy book
of India, the Gita, teaches in return. Someone very senior in astrology and a spiritual being told us ‘To
understand Astrology & Gita, Algol’s deeper understanding is a must which Indian astrologers have missed’… Our
next few months would be spent trying to understand how the astrologer’s words contain truth and if
some bigger truth is hidden in those statements.

46

Andrew McDonald studied Traditional
Astrology extensively with John Frawley
and is recognised as a Horary Craftsman
and Craftsman Astrologer. He specializes in
Natal, Electional and Horary Astrology. For
Astrological consultations contact Andrew
at andrew.mac@virgin.net .
Andrew is also an artist:
http://www.andymcdonaldartist.com
47
Starry, Starry, Night
An Astrological Portrait of
Vincent van Gogh
By
Andrew McDonald, England
T
he Dutch painter Van Gogh,
practically unknown to the art
world of his time, continues to
capture the imagination of contemporary
art lovers. An exhibition of his work is
guaranteed to sell out with lines of people
winding around the block desperate for a
glimpse of paintings familiar to them.
This familiarity is due to the existence of a
virtual empire of merchandise of van Gogh
prints, books, tea towels, cups, plates,
calendars and t-shirts. Critics remain
divided over his work but somehow he
seems to resonate with the modern mind.
Whether this is more to do with the myth
of the tortured soul who would sacrifice all
for his art, or more to do with an
appreciation of his undeniably powerful
paintings, it is interesting to cast an
astrological eye over the creator of these
multitudes of images who signed his work
humbly, and quite simply, ‘Vincent’.
Though forever connected with swirling
visions of the French countryside, Vincent
van Gogh, as mentioned above, was born
in the Netherlands, in Groot-Zundert at 11
am on the 30 March 1853.
Temperament

T
o build our astrological picture we traditionally start with the temperament. ‘The
cloth from which we are cut’, this is the foundation of all else that will follow. It is
most important that we do this.

The temperament is similar to the support of a painting – is this on a heavy weave canvas or
the finest linen? A heavy weave canvas will rule certain things in and certain things out. It
is not that the finest strokes are not possible on a heavy weave - they are - it is just that no
matter how finely and delicately painted the image, the heavy weave will always be there,
making its presence felt, the background and material context on which all else is painted.

To find the temperament we look to the condition and placement of the Ascendant and Lord
Ascendant, the season of the year determined by the sign the Sun falls into and the phase of
the Moon. Also we have to take into account the Lord of the Geniture, the planet which has
the most accidental and essential dignities in the nativity. (For an explanation of essential
and accidental dignities please refer to my earlier article The Divine Michelangelo).

We have a choice of 4 temperaments: Sanguine which is hot and moist, Choleric which is
hot and dry, Melancholic which is cold and dry and Phlegmatic which is cold and moist.

48
Vincent’s temperament though reasonably balanced is Cold and Moist: Phlegmatic. He will
approach and experience life through his emotions and will be driven by his desires. If we
bring in his Lord of the Geniture here then there is also a competing Sanguine streak which
will probably become more apparent as his life develops. The Sanguine temperament will
approach life through their mind. Nevertheless, Vincent is first and foremost, Phlegmatic.

Manner

N
ext we look at his manner; this is the way he is in the world, or the way that he
will express himself through the medium of his temperament. All planets have a
hand in this but especially prominent angular planets will make themselves felt.

This is where we begin to sketch in the main lines of our picture. This is ‘une esquisse’, a
basic sketch, but without it, we will find ourselves straying. This will lead into ‘un croquis’
a more developed sketch leading to the full picture. If we do this right then the development
of our astrological portrait will appear seamless. There will be no need for fancy tricks.

Vincent’s predominant significator of manner is Venus in conjunction with Mars. They are
also in mutual reception. We have an artistic, passionate, sensitive and intense manner with
impetuous Mars, traditionally the ruler of the turbulent water element, driving and
intensifying this passionate Venus. That this happens inside the Midheaven tells us his
manner will be clear for all to see. As Vincent was an artist, this is also visually manifested
in his swirling tempestuous paintings, with Venus being his Lord 5, his creations.

The Moon is Lord Ascendant and is ruled by Jupiter and this dignified Jupiter also has a
large role in his manner. It rules the Venus Mars conjunction and squares it from
Sagittarius, it is also trine his Mercury: His passions are worn on his sleeve with an
expansive and deeply sincere religious manner. Generous, caring and altruistic, as can be
seen in many episodes in his life, such as the time he tried to rescue, out of pity, a street
woman called Sien who was pregnant, struggling and downtrodden by life. She modelled
for him and he tried to give her the understanding and kindness she desperately wanted but
others had not shown her. He tried to put her on the straight path. It was not to be. His
Moon, natural ruler of maternal things, caring, philosophic and religious in a Jupiter sign, is
sailing towards the South Node thus signifying loss.

Phlegmatic with such a strong Venus Mars Conjunction close to the Midheaven shows he is
ruled by a powerful aesthetic sense with Mars adding intensity and recklessness. He could
also be pugnacious and unruly, the Mars spilling out as it were, in an expansive Jupiterian
fashion.

49
In light of all this, Vincent’s Moon heading for the deep dark hole that is known as the
South Node, is depressing and does not look good at all – his emotions are dangerous, as the
Moon is also Lord Ascendant, the danger is to himself. There is a tragic-ness to this position
in context with everything else.

Quality of Mind

W
e next look at his quality of mind. For this we have to investigate the condition
of his Mercury and Moon and the planets that are influencing them.

His Mercury is above the Horizon inclining him more towards oratory,
putting his intellect to work out in the world. With Mercury in trine to Jupiter and exalting
the Sun this would be a religious kind of oratory and we know that he certainly preached in
church many times in his life and worked as a lay preacher in England and a missionary to
the mining population of Borinage in Belgium.

His Mercury is ‘Under the Beams’ – within 17 and a half degrees of the Sun - though not
super close it is close enough and this ‘incites the wit to meddle in impertinent matters’ as
1
Lilly says. Mercury is ruled by Mars who in turn is conjunct Venus on the Midheaven - he
is passionate and impetuous in his communications. With his Moon trine Mercury he is
ingenious and as this Mercury is influenced by being ‘Under the Beams’ exalting the Sun,
and with the Moon also in the triplicity of the Sun, he is most definitely ambitious.

But his Mercury is isolated. With no planets in Air signs, no planets in any Mercury
dignities and 4 planets in the Detriment or Fall of Mercury this oratory would only ever
leave him isolated, lonely, frustrated and unfulfilled and it was after he had given up his
theological studies in Amsterdam and left the miners at Borinage that he would turn to his
Lord of the Geniture Venus - who is in mutual negative reception with his Mercury, and so
doesn’t want any truck with it - and decide to become an artist, thus attempting to reconcile
things through the medium of paint.

Yet still this lack of Air and isolated Mercury is problematic. Problematic in itself, but
within context of what we have seen so far, this spells real trouble – His fierce Cardinal
Mercury, and a underlying Sanguine strand in his temperament could turn out to be quite a
problem. Indeed it was – when later in life Van Gogh began to experience health problems
it was in experiencing and approaching life through his mind, Mercury, to attain knowledge,
the Sanguine path, and attempting to reconcile this with his emotional nature that would
become so very difficult for him to bear. Both the Phlegmatic and the Sanguine
Temperaments are Moist – it was as if he was simply flooded and carried off by this excess

1
Christian Astrology (1647) by William Lilly reprinted by Ascella
4

50
moisture with only his Melancholic Moon in the Cold Dry third quarter of the Moon’s cycle
that gave him anything solid to cling on to. That, and of course, his Saturn, peregrine and so
wandering, in a fixed Cold Dry sign; wandering over the same things again and again.
Clinging to such a Saturn is, though stable, utterly sorrowful, exalting the emotional
philosophic Moon, which of course is Vincent himself, loving Venus, his creations and
paintings, while in the Detriment of, and so hating, the most influential planet in Vincent’s
chart the Mars – the engine room that drives him.

While he was a missionary among the mining people in Borinage in Belgium Vincent
interpreted the Gospel literally and gave all his possessions away and lived in poverty – Lord
Ascendant Moon heading towards the poverty of the South Node, while the generous
Jupiter moves away from the South Node, giving his things away. He had a deep
understanding of the poor and downtrodden which he attempted to portray in his paintings
in the most truthful way he could – this again being shown by Moon, Lord Ascendant and
natural significator of the common people, near the South Node, he understands them
emotionally, also helped by a reception between his Lord Ascendant and Saturn as Lord 7
other people. Though perhaps this reception is more of a problem than it first seems as Lord
7, in the Detriment of Mars, can’t stand his intensity and passion, while expecting far too
much of him, Lord 7 is in Exaltation of Lord Ascendant. The Miners of Borinage did not
appreciate Vincent’s display of sincerity.

Mercury is in trine with Jupiter which also rules the Moon. This dignified Jupiter can help
his two sides, his Mercury and Moon, to work together but at the expense of Mercury –
Jupiter is in the detriment of Mercury, and the Moon, as we know, is heading for the South
Node; Poor Vincent.

Venus is the natural ruler of art and Van Gogh’s Lord of the Geniture. It is very dignified
inside the Midheaven and being Venus its great virtue is to reconcile or bring reconciliation
to things. This is also ruler of Vincent’s Lord 5 his creations, his offspring, his paintings and
as such could show a possible path through which this reconciliation that he is driven
towards can be made manifest – Mars is the most influential planet in the chart, with more
planets in Mars dignities than any other, conjunct his Venus inside the Midheaven and
passionately driving and influencing him.

But, though the aesthetic freedom promised by this Jupiterian/Venusian Mars is in fact his
heart’s desire, as Mars is ruler of Fortuna, it was again not to be – As it and Venus, Lord 5,
his paintings, his attempt to reconcile his internal and external conflicts, oppose Fortuna by
2
antiscia. By doing this they are at war with his deep desire. Yet we must also remember

2
See my article The Divine Michelangelo for an explanation of the traditional technique of antiscia.
5

51
that this is an artist that we are looking at here; this underlying tension, in the right hands
can produce great and powerful work.

There is a theme of forever coming together and falling apart underlying his quest for
freedom thus mirroring this antiscial opposition with Fortuna.

Vincent’s Starry Night

V
incent’s night time paintings contain skies that are full of vibrant, swirling
intensely painted stars. As anyone who has ever looked up to a sky full of stars
will quickly realize these twinkling lights cannot only be the 7 visible planets.
They are known as the Fixed Stars, they are of extreme importance and are very powerful in
colouring a natal chart and crucial in the building
of our astrological portrait.

Traditionally Fixed stars can be approached either

through the myths associated with them or by
3
their planetary nature or, indeed, both . This can
be a subtle act. It is not a case of somehow
‘decoding the myth’. It is, instead, simply a case of
seeing what is there.

The approach via the planetary nature of stars is

always related to the stars within the natal chart in
question. If it is a Venus and Saturn star that we are looking at in Vincent’s chart then it is
coloured by the nature of his Venus and Saturn not someone else’s Venus and Saturn or
indeed an abstract Venus and Saturn. Having said that the stars still have their own
individual personalities and qualities and one must remember that these methods are only a
4
workable approach towards an understanding of what these natures are.

Looking at Vincent’s fixed stars we can see how keenly he must have felt them, and how
they still resonate for him, even down to our time...

Vincent’s Venus Mars’s conjunction falls on the fixed star Scheat. This is on the left leg of
Pegasus and is an irregular, variable, deep yellow star. This is a nasty star indeed, according
to Robson it points toward ‘extreme misfortune’, and among other things ‘suicide’. This is just
the star in general, if Venus is conjunct Scheat, which it is here then we have the potential
for such things as, ‘evil environment, suffering through one’s own acts danger of imprisonment and
restraint.’ Vincent was restrained several times and was a voluntary patient at the Asylum
3
Vivian Robsons’ book The Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology (1923) reprinted by Ascella, is the
authoritative compendium of traditional information on the Fixed Stars.
4
I refer the reader to my article The Divine Michelangelo, where I also discuss, in detail, certain fixed
stars. This article has been printed in earlier issues of Saptarishis Astrology Vol 6
6

52
at Saint-Remy-en-Provence. He certainly suffered through his own acts, and whether by
accident or deliberately, he very sadly died due to self inflicted gunshot wounds.

Vincent’s Lord Ascendant is the Moon. It is near the star Rasalhague, a sapphire star on the
head of Ophicius, the head of the serpent charmer. This is a star of Saturn and Venus nature
bringing among other things misfortune through women. Even more so here, as it is on the
Moon, natural ruler of women and as it is also Vincent Lord Ascendant signifying Vincent
himself. Theo, Vincent’s brother, always felt that if Vincent could have found a woman to
love and to care for him, then he would not have suffered in the way that he did. This is
probably very true but again this was not to be.

The Moon is natural ruler of the poor and downtrodden which as subjects Vincent felt
desperate to paint. But this was not from a so called ‘objective’ position, no, he wanted to
paint their spirit and their dignity, he was painting from a position of empathy as his Moon
heading towards the south node and on a Saturn and Venus star would show: He knew all
about difficulties and struggles himself. With 4 out of 7 planets in fixed signs and within
context of what we have seen points towards an artist who is relentlessly dedicated to
exploring all that he can or is possible for him to explore about the subjects before him.
5
Ramon Lull in his Treatise on Astronomy, points out that the Moon is the planet through
which the ‘impressions of colours are made below more strongly than through another
planet’. He points out how water, which is ruled by the Moon, takes on the colour of
whatever is poured into it i.e. ink or wine. As Mercury articulates things from above ‘so the
Moon is the planet through which water is converted into many colours’. Vincent felt the
colours of this world very keenly and did his best to translate these through the liquid
medium of paint. Containing them in images would be helped by his Moon being on a star
of the nature of Saturn and Venus. Situated on the head of the serpent charmer Rasalhague
can also bring mental problems, even more so here as the Moon, Vincent’s Lord Ascendant,
is the planet that falls on it.

He can bring his Mercury into play only through his Moon, which is in trine to it and is
united in its search for Truth with a capital T, or what is known as ‘Objective Truth’. This
is shown by both Mercury and Moon in Sun dignities, natural ruler of truth, and the Moon
ruled by the expansive and religious Jupiter. That the Sun, visible symbol of Truth, is also
in its Exaltation shows just how high he is trying to reach. But Mercury is also close to the
fixed star Vertex on ‘the great nebula to the north of Andromeda’s head’. This star is of the
nature of Mars and the Moon and is unpleasant. It can bring ‘blindness, injuries to the eyes,
sickness and a violent death’. (Robson).
5
Treatise of Astronomy (c1290-1308) by Ramon Lull, reprinted by Project Hindsight, translation Kris
Shapar
7

53
Regulus is a royal star, meaning among other things, that it leads to the throne. It is a triple
star, flushed white and ultramarine on the body of the Lion. It is also called, Cor Leonis: the
Lions Heart. It is very powerful, of the nature of Mars and Jupiter, and Vincent’s third
house cusp falls very close to it.

So the road to fame and recognition could somehow be through the third house. The third
house is associated with bringing the visions of the 9th house down to earth. Here we see
Vincent’s searching for a technique to articulate his images, eventually settling on a
Jupiterian expansive and Martian assured swift yet deliberate calligraphic brush work. This
was very unusual at the time, and is forever associated with him, coming from him cutting a
reed pen and using this to draw with directly, inspired by the approach of the Japanese print
artists that he admired so much and then translating that into brushwork when painting.
His third house is ruled by the Sun in its exaltation, by antiscia it falls on the Fourth house –
the very bottom of the chart – The exalted Sun come to rest by antiscia on the very earth
itself. This brings to mind Vincent’s famous and much loved paintings of Sunflowers
which seem to be a perennial favourite of the public, and so, of course, modern
merchandisers. Also as Vincent was born in the day, the Sun is his Light of Time. Painters
work with light, and Vincent looked for the most powerful way he could to make this light
visible on canvas and it was eventually first and foremost his physical technique of applying
paint that captured and also repelled the public.

The third house also signifies the native’s letters, Vincent was prolific and eloquent in his
letter writing, and his letters have become almost as famous as his paintings.

Copula is the spiral or Whirlpool Nebula under the tail of the Great Bear; it is on Vincent’s
fourth house, the place of home. It is of the nature of the Moon and Venus. It brings:
‘Blindness, defective eyesight, strong passions hindrances and disappointment’ (Robson).

This would affect greatly Vincent’s very deep and enduring desire to found a community of
artists. Also with the ruler of the fourth house being his isolated Mercury in a Cardinal sign,
his desire to found a home for artists did not bode well.

When Vincent was living in Arles in the South of France he moved into ‘the Yellow House’
where he felt that he might actually be able to realize his dream of founding the artist
community he so desperately wanted.

The French painter Gauguin had agreed to join Vincent in Arles, and Vincent was very
excited, he saw this as a beginning. But after a couple of months they quarrelled and fell out
and Vincent had a mental breakdown; he cut off part of his own ear and was hospitalized the
next day. Vincent’s Brother Theo visited him in hospital but the day after that Theo
returned to Paris. Sadly for Vincent, Gauguin returned to Paris also. Copula can be very
cruel with the disappointment that it can bring.

54
Vincent was always restless, as shown by his influential Jupiter and Mars and could be
unruly and reckless but he was still very ardent and practical in his work, he had taught
himself to draw and then when he could draw he had taught himself to paint. He was
outspoken and critical of himself and others, again the Jupiterian Mars, and yet he still
remained magnanimous, which is an example of using this Mars and Jupiter to their very
best. And this combination of Jupiter, Mars and Venus in context of everything else meant
that Vincent’s passionate, religious manner was prevalent in all things.

Jupiter is on fixed star Aculeus – the sting of the scorpion – which often points towards where
life will hurt us the most. Here it is on his Jupiter. Yes, this is his Lord 10 and so this would
be indicative of hurt in his career, after all he certainly was not lucky there in many ways,
but also this is Jupiter qua Jupiter and so Aculeus is afflicting the deep sense of optimism
that is part of his nature and that is struggling out from the influence of the South Node,
and it is this, his optimism, which later in life would suffer too.

The Fixed star Markeb is on The Midheaven, Vincent’s work or career. This is the white
star on the wing of Pegasus signifying great aspiration. It is a Mars and Mercury star and it
can indeed bring honour and fortune but it can also bring ‘cuts and blows stabs, fire and a
violent death’. If it is culminating on the Midheaven as it is here in Vincent’s chart, it can
bring, as Robson says, ‘disgrace and ruin and often a violent death’. Poignantly Vincent
remarked very near the end of his life in a last letter to his brother; ‘Ah well, I risk my life
for my work and my reason has half foundered in it – very well’

The Twins

O
n Vincent’s ascendant is the star Pollux, this too is a royal star, one of the ‘six
kingly stars of signification’ as Lilly calls them. These royal stars, as I mentioned
previously, will within the context of the native’s life and potentials, lead to
‘elevation to the throne’. That this elevation did not happen within Vincent’s lifetime can
also be seen as part of the tragedy.

According to Greek mythology Pollux is one of the Dioscuri, the ‘sons of Zeus’, one half of
the twin brothers Castor and Pollux. When Castor is fatally slain in battle, Pollux is
wounded, but is borne up to heaven by Zeus. Due to his love for his brother, Pollux is
unwilling to accept the immortality that is conferred upon him while his brother is left to
remain in the underworld and so Zeus allows Pollux to share his immortality with his
brother, and so they both spend half their time in the underworld and half with the Gods on
Mount Olympus. This theme flowed throughout Vincent’s life. His brother Theo was
hugely influential in all areas. It was under Theo’s encouragement that Vincent decided to
9

55
become an artist. Theo supported him emotionally and financially throughout his life. Theo
also supplied him with paints and canvas, whatever Vincent asked for that was within
Theo’s power to provide he did. And the letters back and forth between them are a testament
to an incredibly tender relationship of brotherly love and support. And as can be seen by the
recent, hugely successful, Van Gogh exhibition at the Royal Academy in London, this theme
of lending immortality to the other continues as Vincent’s letters to Theo were displayed
side by side with his paintings.

Vincent and Theo died within a few months of each other and are buried side by side in the
little graveyard in Avers-sur-Oise.

10

56

Constantine Semenov lives in Crimea
& has been a long time student of mysticism,
and a full time practicing astrologer
specializing in business & political astrology.
He holds an impressive track record of
world-wide predictions and makes full use of
amulets in his practice. You can read about
his past predictions on September 11th,
Tsunami in Indian Ocean, Columbia Shuttle
Disaster on his website
http://www.tigrovo.com.
For free video lessons for stock market
predictions
http://www.vetkasakury.org.ua/movie/Stockmarket
1.wmv
http://www.vetkasakury.org.ua/movie/Stockmarket
2.wmv
57
BP Oil Spill In
Gulf
By
Constantine Semenov, Crimea
Edited & Translated by A. Javoronkov,
Canada.
I
n this article I would like to
describe an interesting factor,
force majeure situation or an
ecological catastrophe. On April 20,
2010, the British Petroleum oil rig
Deepwater Horizon experienced an
explosion and sank two days later.
Shortly thereafter, oil began leaking
into the Gulf of Mexico from the
ruptured pipes deep down on the
ocean floor.
There aren’t too many similar
situations in the human history that
can be called a national disaster. This
spill is expected to take the title of
the worst US oil disaster in history
from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
To build the right natal chart, an
astrologer has to spend a lot of time
proving that this horoscope is
actually correct. You should take into
account not only the historical ups
and downs of the company’s stock
price, but also the events like the
aforementioned oil spill or other similar situations.
British Petroleum is the third largest global energy company and the 4th
largest company in the world. In 2009 their revenue was US $246 billion and
net income around US $17 billion.
We won’t be looking at the entire horoscope of the company at this stage. I
just want to point out at the current planets transit events in this horoscope.
Currently the company has lost huge amount of money and nobody can
predict the future losses the company will suffer to clean up the US offshore,
etc.
If you look deep into the astrological picture of this event, you will find some
very interesting moments.

The company horoscope is built on 14 April 1909, when the Anglo-Persian Oil
Company (APOC) was incorporated to exploit oil resources in the Persia. In
this horoscope natal Saturn is located in Aries near the border with Pisces.
Natal Mars located at the beginning of Aquarius. These 2 malefic planets are

58
usually responsible for such force majeure situations. And now we combine
this natal chart with this transit on 20 April 2010. At this time transit Mars
was in Leo in opposition to natal Mars. This fact is very important.
Transit Saturn was very close to opposition to natal Saturn. I consider the
opposition not only as an aspect with 8-10 degrees border, but as the location
of our planets in opposite signs. From my experience, this factor always work.
In this horoscope Mars is the natal Saturn ruler, and Mars is located in
Aquarius. This means that Uranus is the Mars ruler. Uranus was in
opposition to transit Saturn. As you see, there was a chain reaction between
rulers leading to this catastrophe.

In addition to that, we need to point out at the following fact: In March 2006,
a leak in one of BP's pipelines on the North Slope in Alaska caused a spill of
oil into the tundra, leading BP to commit to replace over 16 miles of federally
regulated Oil Transit Lines. At that time transit Saturn was located in the
spot of current Mars location in Leo. It was again in opposition to natal Mars.
As you see, Mars is a very powerful planet in the company horoscope, as he is
the natal Saturn ruler.
This is the answer to the question of what was the cause of this tragedy.
Now let's take a look at the following horoscope. British Petroleum merged
with Amoco (formerly Standard Oil of Indiana) on 31st December 1998,
becoming BP Amoco plc. This new horoscope that was created as a result of
this merge has some destructive factors.

59
Firstly, there was transit Saturn finishing his cycle in Aries in this natal chart.
Secondly, natal Mars located in Libra in opposition to natal Saturn. I’m sorry
but I feel that smart people would not establish the company at this hard time.

Oil Spill

Transit Saturn was on natal Mars more than half a year in 2010 in the
horoscope 1998. In addition to that it was in opposition to natal Saturn of both
horoscopes 1909 and 1998. This factor should be considered carefully in astrological
analysis.

60
 Fixed Stars
Interview with Diana K. Rosenberg
By
Edith Hathaway, USA

R ob Hand calls Diana K. Rosenberg “the leading authority on Fixed Stars.” She has
spent the past 30 years researching the subject of Fixed Stars. Her primary interest
has always been research and teaching, rather than the consulting side of astrology.
Her preferred astrological techniques outside of the realm of Fixed Stars include Uranian
Astrology (90 Degree Dial, Planetary Pictures, etc.), Derived Houses, Planetary Nodes, and
Solstice Points.

Diana has been a resident of New York

City her entire life, while my residence in
NYC spanned only 7 years, and I moved
westwards in the USA in Feb. 1983. Our
paths first crossed in 1982 when I was a
student in Diana’s Uranian Astrology
classes in Manhattan, NY. From 1988 to
the early 1990s I made a gradual shift from
Uranian (tropical) to Vedic (sidereal)
astrology, a subject Diana always intended
to study, but Fixed Stars came to take up
all of her time. She has always been
fascinated with very ancient things, and
the study of antiquity.

A different portion of this interview,

mainly on Fixed Stars, is being published
simultaneously by ISAR Journal (Journal
of the International Society for Astrological Research), both print and On-line versions. See
http://www.isarastrology.com. This larger interview at Saptarishis covers only a few pages
of the same material, but also much more from Diana on stars. It segues at times into a
dialogue between us about Fixed stars, mundane astrology, the Vedic nakshatras, and the two
zodiacs – tropical and sidereal (items #12 through 14), also about her life and birth chart,
including my commentary on her Vedic chart, at her request (item #16). We have been in
touch over the years, mainly at national and international astrology conferences. One full
Saturn cycle later, after being her student in NYC, I am very honored to interview Diana
here on Fixed Stars and on her upcoming book: Secrets of the Ancient Skies: Fixed Stars and
Constellations in Natal and Mundane Astrology. Her website: http://ye-stars.com.

e 1 of 60 Pa

61
Phone conversations and e-mail exchanges for this interview took place January through
June 2010, with much of the content delivered by late Feb. 2010. During this time, Diana was
and is gravely ill with pancreatic cancer. Still very spirited and alert mentally, she chose to
avoid more radical treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation because they would have
weakened her further, making it more difficult for her to finish work on her book. I know the
astrological community shares my gratitude for the innate intelligence, diligence and
exuberance Diana has for the subject she loves so much, and for her dedication in sharing her
knowledge and insights with all of us.

EH: Interview questions for Diana K. Rosenberg:

P. 4 1) EH: How did you get started in astrology? Or what made you decide to study it
more seriously?
P. 4 2) EH: How did you get from there to your deep study of the Fixed Stars?
EH: Your book on Fixed Stars has been long awaited – even by you!! As you were
researching and writing, did your point of view change about the use of stars in
astrology?
P. 8 3) EH: What are Fixed Stars and how are they different from planets? Are Fixed
Stars really fixed? (The ancients distinguished between these two, the planets
being the “wandering stars.”)
EH: Let’s include here a quick review of the naming of the stars.
P. 8 4) EH: There is a general lack of knowledge about what Fixed Stars are and how they
work. Sometimes they get a reputation for being mostly very difficult, or
malevolent. Is this justified?
EH: How can we determine if a Fixed star will give results in terms of all that has
been attributed to a given star?
EH: Are some stars more important than others due to their magnitude? Or
actual size?
EH: On a technical level, what is the orb of influence you use with the Fixed
Stars?
P. 10 5) EH: What is your process or your research method in working with the stars?
P. 12 6) EH: Let’s look at some of the other books on Fixed Stars and get your view on
them. You used to have a list of recommended books on the subject at your
website. At the top of your list was Reinhold Ebertin and Georg Hoffman’s Fixed
Stars & Their Interpretation (1971), followed by Vivian Robson’s The Fixed Stars and
Constellations in Astrology (1923). You even provided reprints of these before they
became available on the web.
EH: So this goaded you into doing your life’s work! Was it the paucity of material
on the Fixed Stars? I personally am not familiar with all the material available on

Page 2

62
 this subject.
P. 13 7) EH: I see you decided to start your Fixed Star research in 1980 with Algol. Tell us
what you found about Algol.
P. 16 8) EH: Are there other stars for which you have a special affinity - ones that you find
remarkable and worthy of special attention?
P. 19 9) EH: William Lilly established around 50 Fixed Stars in his horary work, and I
know some have tallied as many as 290 of them. How many Fixed Stars are there?
P. 19 10) EH: Let’s discuss Fixed Stars in natal astrology and in mundane astrology. You
have researched Dwight D. Eisenhower at some length, and also some mundane
events such as the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, India Dec. 3, 1984.
EH: Eisenhower is such a great historical example, but I have avoided using him
due to his DD (Dirty Data). What convinced you to go ahead and use 3:40 AM?
Or is exact birth data less important in the use of Fixed Stars?
P. 20 11) EH: Are there some other historical figures whose charts clearly show the
workings of some of the important Fixed Stars?

#12 through 14: The Zodiac Dialogues: Fixed Stars, Mundane Astrology & The Two Zodiacs.

P. 22 12) EH: Let’s discuss how Fixed Stars work in a national chart. I know you especially
like the chart of the Republic of India. Let’s give that data: Jan. 26, 1950, 10:15 AM,
Delhi, India. Tropical Ascendant is 4:49 Aries. Sidereal Ascendant is 11:39 Pisces.
P. 26 13) EH: Let’s introduce some of the issues that come up around your use of the two
zodiacs, and how you view Vedic nakshatras. We can continue with the India
Republic chart.
P. 32 14) EH: The Fixed Stars by their very nature bring up the zodiac issue. Let’s go into
this a little more. We can call it The Zodiac Dialogues!
P. 37 15) EH: After researching and writing on this subject for over 30 years, what do you
think is your contribution to what is already known on this subject? And what for
you is the highlight of your book?
P. 38 16) Diana K. Rosenberg: biography & commentary on her Vedic chart by Edith
Hathaway.
P. 57 Addenda: Five items (1) Novas & Royalty; 2) Diana’s Astrological Education &
Certification, 3) Diana’s Formal Education; 4) Diana’s Work & Career; 5) Diana’s
Marriage, Family, and Relationships

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 3

63
 1) EH: How did you get started in astrology? Or what made you decide to study it more
seriously?

DKR: Astrology saved my son’s life! That convinced me to study it seriously. I was "trying
out" astrology in New York City with Betty Lundsted. Betty taught the basics, and her
friend Pat Morimando, upstairs in the same building, taught chart construction. This was
back in 1975, before everyone had computers. Pat was teaching me the calculations using my
son’s birth data, and towards the end of the session she looked a little more at his chart and
asked about his health. I said he had mononucleosis, and was struggling to finish his senior
year of high school. I left feeling nervous and uncertain, and decided to knock on Betty’s
door on the way downstairs, because I was worried about my son. Betty quickly looked at
his chart. He has Leo Rising, and Sun in Aquarius in the 6th house with Capricorn on the
(tropical) 6th cusp. She did think some danger was approaching, and told me to watch him
closely. I asked what I should look for and she said: "Leo: Heart, spine, upper back.
Capricorn: Bones, teeth, skin.” I walked away with those six items etched in my brain.

Because mononucleosis tends to weaken the immune system, Peter had been checked by a
doctor every week. He went alone, and he told me that each time he would strip to the waist
and the doctor would check his heart and lungs. I was constantly thinking of the list of six
items Betty had given me, and one afternoon I noticed Peter rubbing a large birthmark mole
on his upper back – the kind that doctors tell you to have removed because sometimes they
turn cancerous. I remembered Betty Lundsted: “Heart, spine, upper back – Bones, teeth,
skin.” I thought: “Upper back, skin!” And I insisted that he have it removed immediately! I
gave him money for a taxi, called a dermatologist, who was also a family friend, and urged
him to examine Pete that same day. At first the doctor said he’d have to make an
appointment, but I kept insisting, not saying why. The dermatologist sent him straight to a
surgeon, after he saw the mole should be removed immediately. Pete returned home with a
wound three inches long, and 8 or 9 stitches. A few days later, my husband and I got an
ominous call from the surgeon’s office. They had done the biopsy and wanted us in his office
immediately. It was a melanoma, a very fast-growing, extremely deadly form of cancer.
They rushed him into the hospital and operated right away – a major surgery. Pete was in the
hospital two weeks, and the surgery saved his life. (Later the surgeon told me it was caught
in the nick of time. The melanoma was probably about to metastasize).

After the crisis was over, I realized that the doctor who had been examining him every week
had not noticed the melanoma, and that astrologers who had never even met him were the
ones who saved his life! Right then and there I decided to study astrology seriously. I am
from a family of doctors: my stepfather, uncle, grandfather, and maternal great-grandfather
were all physicians. My uncle, a prominent surgeon, had been very critical of me for
studying astrology, but that event silenced him. I told him and everyone else that without
astrology, my son would not have lived beyond 18. My uncle remained skeptical about
astrology, but the facts were irrefutable.

2) EH: That’s a compelling beginning. How did you get from there to your deep study of the
Fixed Stars? (Our readers should be reminded that you have spent the past 30 years
researching this subject, and that your primary interest has always been research and
teaching, rather than the consulting side of astrology.)
Page 4

64
DKR: I continued to study with Betty Lundsted, then went on to Joanna Shannon, Julian
Armistead and, for Uranian and the 90 Degree Dial, Charles Emerson. I had only wanted to
know the basics of Uranian but it turned out to be such a useful system that I got into it
more deeply and became a Uranian astrologer! But through all of this, I noticed that every
1
time a Fixed Star was mentioned, it seemed to “hit the mark” – especially Algol. So I had
begun to read the two or three books available on Fixed Stars, but they weren’t very
satisfying. For instance, with all the stars in the sky, Ebertin listed only 73, and Robson 110.
What about all the others? I kept asking: “Does anyone know where I can find a teacher of
Fixed Stars?”

In the meantime, I made up a workbook for myself that listed all the stars in Robson and
Ebertin, with room for observations and comments. Then I found that people were coming
to me as if I were an expert, and wanted copies of my workbook. After about the 7th or 8th
time I photocopied it for someone, I suddenly realized that I could put it in a simple binder
and sell it! Then one day at a seminar for advanced and professional astrologers given by
Gary Christen, a leading Uranian, he put up a standard “12 pieces of pie” chart of an event
and, to start, asked us to see if we could discover anything about the event. I saw some
familiar star placements, but I thought I had to stick with Uranian aspects; so I said nothing,
and no one spoke up. Gary was about to switch to the 90 Degree Dial to demonstrate its
usefulness when Julian Armistead said: “Mercury is in the 8th at Algol. Algol sometimes
indicates suffocation.” When Gary nodded, I said: “Oh, are we allowed to use Fixed Stars?”
He said, “Of course!” So I said, “Well, Saturn is in the 10th at the Beehive Cluster (That’s
M44 in the Crab), and that often turns up at fires, and one might suffocate in a fire!” Gary
nodded again. Well, to make a long story short, Julian and I were the only ones in the room
who discovered the theme of the chart, and we did it by using Fixed Stars. “That’s it,” I
thought. “I may have found my specialty!”

But there was a very big problem: How could I get the positions of more stars? The lack of
star lists was the reason no further research had been done. Astronomers use right ascension
and declination, which are based on the celestial equator, whereas astrologers use celestial
longitude and latitude, based on the ecliptic. To convert from the first to the second of these
requires some elaborate math, and this was before home computers. Then fate came through
for me in the person of Michael Munkasey, an astrologer, engineer and mathematician. At a
conference he handed me two large boxes of star lists that he had input from the Yale Bright
Star Catalogue and converted to ecliptic coordinates. He said, “Diana, I have so many projects
that I’ll never get around to the stars. So I want you to have these!” Of course, I was
delighted, and tremendously grateful. I put them into a huge red notebook, with room
between each for notes. That was the beginning of my research, around 1980. I lugged that
heavy notebook to every conference and kept adding to it every chance I got. I began to see
patterns, and went looking for more.

EH: Your book on Fixed Stars has been long awaited – even by you!! As you were
researching and writing, did your point of view change about the use of stars in astrology?

1
See the article on my website on Algol, called “Medusa’s Head.” (DKR)
Page 5

65
DKR: When I began my research, I thought I’d write a normal-sized book. (Okay, maybe a
fat book!) It would simply have more stars than the other books out there, with more up-to-
date research and new interpretations based on my research. I presumed that what the other
books said was probably true, but I was also sure that I could add to their interpretations, and
I wanted to check everything out for myself). I was also terribly frustrated by the small
number of degrees covered by the stars they used. Tropical Aries, for instance, had only four
2
degrees covered in Reinhold Ebertin, and six in Vivan Robson. What about all the rest of
the sign? I have a stellium in tropical Aries, and none of the stars mentioned linked to my
placements! But once I had Mike Munkasey’s list of stars, I discovered that the major links
to my tropical Aries degrees were stars of the figure of Andromeda, the Chained Woman.
And there I sat, trapped in a dismal marriage – and with not enough education to earn my
own living. Chained indeed! That was one of the early indications I had that the
constellations themselves deserved more scrutiny. I also wanted to use more mundane
material. That’s a particular interest of mine, in addition to what I call “Body Parts.”

Body Parts: I collected data on people who were blind or had severe eye problems, because
some ancient texts mentioned certain stars in connection with blindness. But I did not want
to take anything for granted. I wanted to do all my own research. I have about 100 blindness
charts now, but when I had collected about 70 of them, I corrected each one for precession
(for the then-current 1980 fiducial point), and then entered them in the big red book. For the
most part, the ancients were correct, and I found a few additional places that produced a high
number of eye problems. Looking at my new Blindness list, I suddenly realized that the
afflicted people had planets at the eye of the Bull, the eye of the Crow, the eyes of the Crab,
the eye of the Dragon, the eye of the Archer, and so forth. That was a huge breakthrough for
me! It was my first realization that the constellations were not just random connected dots,
but were placed the way they were for very specific reasons.

At a conference on ancient astrology in Princeton, NJ I gave a lecture on Fixed Stars and

mentioned the idea that constellation figures may have been placed deliberately to pinpoint
specific parts of the body. Soon after my talk, a New Jersey astrologer came up to me and
asked me to check her chart, as her right arm had recently been amputated at the shoulder
due to a cancerous growth in the armpit. She wanted to see if there were any constellation
positions that would link to that. We sat in a quiet corner with my big red notebook, and
went from position to position on her chart, starting at her Ascendant, which was 32 Virginis,
a star in the Virgin’s right arm. Then came Jupiter in the 1st house aligned with Sigma Bootis,
in the right arm of the Herdsman; the Moon (in the 2nd house), was Gamma Herculis, in the
right arm of Hercules. Asteroid Juno in the 3rd house was aligned with Cheleb, Beta Ophiuchi
in the right shoulder of the Serpent-Bearer. (By this time, both of us were gasping.) Then in
the 5th house, after Venus and the Sun (no hits) came a Mercury-Mars conjunction at
Sadalmelik, Alpha Aquarii, the right shoulder of Aquarius. In the 7th house her Uranus was
aligned with 7 Cephei, the right shoulder of Cepheus, and 22 Andromedae, the right hand of
the Chained Woman. In the 8th house, Chiron aligned with Gamma Persei, the right armpit
of Perseus; the Midheaven was Beta Columbae, the Dove’s right wing; and Pluto in the 10th
house was 82 Geminorum, Pollux’s right shoulder. Both of us were speechless.

2
Diana is referring to Reinhold Ebertin and Georg Hoffman’s Fixed Stars & Their Interpretation (1971),
and Vivian Robson’s The Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology (1923). (EH)
Page 6

66
This was another tremendous breakthrough, and one of the major discoveries I made in
researching the stars; the vital importance of the constellations in detail, and not only the
ones on the ecliptic (i.e. the zodiac) but those of the Sphaera Barbarica – the figures above and
below the ecliptic – even those very far from it, near the poles.

Another remarkable example is that of the actress Natasha Richardson, who died tragically
3
of a head injury after she fell while skiing. Her tropical Ascendant is Libra, with natal Sun
and Mercury in the 8th house in Taurus at Gyrus and 32 Persei, which are in Medusa’s head.
Her Midheaven is at Theta Canis Majoris in the Greater Dog’s head. Her North Node is in
the 10th house at Pollux, Beta Geminorum in the head of the “Immortal Twin,” and Muscida,
Omicron Ursae Majoris in the Greater Bear’s head. (About Pollux, the ancient Liber Hermetis
says: “Many will be harmed in the head.”) Her Mars was Algenubi, Epsilon Leonis in the
Lion’s head; her Pluto was aligned with Black Hole M106 in the Hunting Dog’s head; her
Neptune was at a set of colliding galaxies called Arp 220 in the head of Serpens, the Serpent.
Her Moon was Rasalhague, Alpha Ophiuchi in the Serpent-Tamer’s head. Her Saturn, in the
5th house of vacations, was at Kitalpha, Alpha Equulei in the Colt’s head, and Chiron, also in
4
the 5th house, was aligned with Ankaa, Alpha Phoenicis in the head of the Phoenix. Jupiter in
the 6th house was aligned with accident-prone 13 Cephei, in the crown of Cepheus, the King.
Venus, ruler of her Ascendant and 8th house, was in the 7th house at 18 Cephei in the King’s
5
face.

DKR: Later I discovered that Belgrade astrologer Alexander Imsiragic made the same
discovery about anatomy and the constellations. We compared notes at the last UAC
(United Astrology Conference), May 2008 in Denver, Colorado. He calls it “anatomy” and I
call it “body parts.”

EH: So you have a whole section in your book on Body Parts?

DKR: No, that’s the sad thing. I have not had time to write that. I will have to put it in an
Appendix, or mention it in the Introduction.

3
Natasha Richardson was born May 11, 1963, 17:00 BST, London, UK. She suffered a blow to the head
during a skiing accident near Montreal, Canada on March 16, 2009. Refusing treatment, she succumbed
to headaches an hour later and an epidural hematoma (bleeding under the skull, which could have been
treated if caught immediately). The situation quickly worsened. She was hospitalized seven hours after
the accident, and flown from a Canadian hospital to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, where she
died on March 18, 2009. (EH)
4
I have also found that Chiron often pinpoints an area of weakness or health problems on the chart.
(DKR)
5
Known for her acting talent and her beauty, Natasha Richardson had planetary placements in the
King’s crown and King’s face. She belonged to a prominent and famous family of British actors, the
Redgraves: her mother – Vanessa Redgrave, her father – director Tony Richardson, and her husband –
actor Liam Neeson. (EH)
Page 7

67
3) EH: What are Fixed Stars and how are they different from planets? Are Fixed Stars really
fixed? (The ancients distinguished between these two, the planets being the “wandering
stars.”)

DKR: Fixed Stars are just regular stars. They were called “fixed” because they seemed to
stay in the same relative positions over the centuries, while planets (and comets, meteors,
etc) moved. In some cultures – China, for instance – the star figures were considered
flawless, while the planets were the “troublemakers” who came through and upset things –
rather like a motorcycle gang riding through town! Other cultures thought of the planets as
messengers and interpreters. By traveling through, or stopping at a constellation, they were
sending a message in code to earthlings. Stars do have their own movement, each one
different. It’s called “proper motion” – but it is so infinitesimally slow that it takes hundreds
of years in most cases to be noticeable, and is usually ignored by astrologers.

EH: Let’s quickly review the naming of the stars.

DKR: Most of the names of the Fixed Stars come from the Arabs, and have an additional
Greek letter/Latin constellation name designation. The roots of constellations are said to
come from the Euphrates Valley (Babylon), which is present-day Iraq. With the star’s
name, you will find the Greek letters Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta. etc combined
with the Latin form of the constellation’s name. That tells you what constellation it’s in. (For
instance, Ceti is the genitive or possessive case for Cetus). Zeta is the 6th letter of the Greek
alphabet, so Zeta Ceti means the 6th star of Cetus. When it is Alpha (the first letter of the
Greek alphabet), it is sometimes at the beginning of the constellation, but usually it’s the
brightest star. But sometimes they go in the order of progression of the stars, rather than
which is brightest. That happens with the Big Dipper and the 7 Sages. In the Big Dipper, the
Alpha star is Dubhe, from the Arabian al-dubb, “the Bear” – which also happens to be the
brightest star.

4) EH: There is a general lack of knowledge about what Fixed Stars are and how they work.
They sometimes get a reputation for being mostly very difficult, or malevolent. Is this
justified?

DKR: Stars are intense foci of energies that both test an individual and enlighten him. (Sorry
about the “him” – the English language does not supply a neutral noun for both sexes, so
assume when I say “him” I mean “him or her.”) What you get with the stars are not
good/bad, right/wrong, benevolent/malevolent, but issues. For instance, there might be an
issue of tolerance versus intolerance, or addiction versus abstinence, arrogance versus
humility, greed versus generosity, aggression versus working for peaceful solutions, and so
forth. The chart will be set up so that the individual will constantly have these issues come
up in his life, and he will have to decide how he wants to deal with them. Very often both
ends of these polarities will manifest in one lifetime, pulling and pushing the individual to
make choices over and over again. A typical scenario might be that one is born into wealth
and comfort, then loses everything and goes through a period of poverty, then works his way
back to wealth and might have to decide whether to “play it safe” and stash his money in fear
of another “crash,” or to take the lessons of poverty to heart and use his money to help others
who are in need.
Page 8

68
EH: How can we determine if a Fixed Star will give results in terms of all that has been
attributed to a given star?

DKR: The short answer is, you can’t! There are too many variables (the rest of the chart, for
instance), and how a person lives his life, and what choices he is making. I think a good
example here is former Senator and Vice President Albert Gore. (Mar 31, 1948, 12:53 PM EST,
Washington, DC). His Midheaven (tropical 21:52 Aries) is aligned with a famous shipwreck
star, Baten Kaitos, Zeta Ceti in Cetus, the Sea-Monster or Whale, (tropical 22 Aries, sidereal
28 Pisces). Baten Kaitos is a stormy star, known for shipwrecks, possibly with rescue, and
drowning. (Right opposite it is another shipwreck star, Foramen, Eta Carinae.) Baten Kaitos
was at the North lunar node at the Titanic disaster, and shows up in many shipwreck charts.

At the peak of his career, when Al Gore ran for U.S. President in 2000, even though he won
the popular vote by more than half a million, he lost the election on technicalities and so was
“shipwrecked” – left high and dry without even a job or any kind of public position. This is
an example of how this star might work in an individual’s chart. With Baten Kaitos, there
will be at least one instance in the life where the person will have to deal with a shocking,
staggering displacement and have to somehow find a way to restart his or her life. Gore, of
course, has become a spokesman for the international environmental movement, and even
received a Nobel Prize for his efforts. Here is a quote from my book:

“Baten Kaitos is one of the most frequently found stars involved in shipwrecks, and these
people may at some time find themselves left ‘high and dry,’ broken on the rocks of life; yet
this is an area of great breakthroughs and transformations and after they pull through, they
Page 9

69
have much to offer from the depths of their experiences, often ending up with a strong sense
of personal destiny…. Baten Kaitos is approaching a World Axis aspect of 22.5° to 0° Aries:
the world's oceans are rising, ‘drowning’ shorelines.”

EH: Are some stars more important than others due to their magnitude? Or actual size?

DKR: Among the most interesting and unexpected things I found was that size, magnitude
(i.e. brightness), and nearness to the ecliptic had apparently no connection with a star’s
importance. Some very dim stars, far from the ecliptic, pack quite a wallop! A good example
is 4th- to-5th magnitude Al Kurah, Xi Cephei (also called Kurdah) in the chest of Cepheus, the
King (24 Aries tropical, 0 Aries sidereal Lahiri), which is 66 degrees North of the ecliptic (the
Pole being 90 degrees North). This little, dim, exiled star turns up on the charts of an
extraordinary number of great artists, poets, playwrights, composers, actors and dancers!

EH: On a technical level, what is the orb of influence you use with the Fixed Stars?

DKR: Generally I use one degree on either side, called a “moiety.” There are a few
exceptions: If the star is on the ecliptic, is a 1st magnitude star, and also contacts the Sun,
Moon, the angles, or the Moon’s node, then there is a wider orb of influence – a two to three
degree orb. (Only Spica and Regulus are 1st magnitude stars that are right on the ecliptic.) I
look at both the True node and Mean node. I find there is a kind of a halo effect around the
nodes, allowing a slightly wider orb. The Lunar nodes can be very malefic if they link up
6
with the angles of the chart in mundane astrology.

5) EH: What is your process or your research method in working with the stars?

DKR: First, using an astronomy catalogue of stars, each one I want to use is converted from
right ascension and declination to celestial longitude and latitude (using a module in the
CCRS Horoscope Program that does this conversion) and projected perpendicularly onto the
ecliptic, in degrees measured from 0 Aries, the Vernal Equinox point. For each chart, I
calculate the number of years between the birth or event and January 1, 2000 (the current
fiducial point), then I multiply that number by 50.23” (the rate of precession per solar year)
and add the resulting degrees-and-minutes to each chart’s planets and angles. Next I enter
the new positions, each in its appropriate star set. Over the years, as I worked and more stars
and DSOs (Deep Space Objects) were added, my original span of 2 degrees per star set
necessarily increased to an average of 3 degrees. And there were places where the dividing
breaks between sets were difficult to decide upon. A few of them are awkward, necessitated
by my reluctance to allow any set to span more than an absolute maximum of 4 or 5 degrees.

6
In Vedic astrology, for a full malefic effect we would also include the other Vedic classical malefic
planets (Sun, Mars, and Saturn) together with the lunar nodes (Rahu or Ketu) at the angles. For
instance, Mars was closely contacting Ketu at 8 degrees Sagittarius at the time the first plane hit the
World Trade Center Tower in Manhattan, NY on Sept. 11, 2001. Mercury in Virgo was exactly rising,
with Moon, Jupiter and Rahu in Gemini (all sidereal positions). Mars-Jupiter can bring the religious
zealot influence, especially in opposition, and even more so on the Sagittarius-Gemini axis. Jupiter is
regarded as a “temporal malefic” for Virgo Ascendant. (EH)
Page 10

70
The center of the Cancer Crab, for instance (now tropical Leo) runs from about 6° to 13° Leo.
It includes Open Cluster M44 (Praesepe, "the Beehive"), North and South Asellus, and,
sharing the same longitudes, stars of Puppis (the Stern of Argo Navis), early stars of Hydra's
head and elements of Draco, the Dragon. This intense area of seething energies, anchored by
Praesepe and the Aselli, could very well have spanned a full 7°. I split it at about 10° of Leo
in order to keep it manageable, but the split could just as well have been placed earlier or
later. Because I wanted to check out all stars, not just the most famous, or brightest, or those
nearest the ecliptic, I began with a long list and frequently added to it as I worked, ending up
with nearly 2,000 stars and DSOs. The stars in my book were culled from this Master list.
Each degree of the zodiac contains not only stars of the zodiacal constellation, but also stars
of constellations above and below the ecliptic, which add their energies to each degree and
sign of the zodiac.

Precession corrections, especially for ancient charts, may appear to cause a chart’s position(s)
to change signs. Michelangelo, for instance, was born with the Sun at 24:01 Pisces (March 6,
1475). But because of precession, the stars aligned with his natal Sun, then in tropical Pisces,
are now at the beginning of tropical Aries. The closest is 26 Piscium in the tail of the West
Fish, which in 2000 was at 1:43 Aries. His Sun, precession-corrected to 2000, is 1:20 Aries.
Thus, because of precession, a person born under one tropical sign might now appear to be
placed in another. Even for some born in the 20th century with a planet in a late degree,
precession correction may take the planet into the next sign. The important thing to
remember in this regard is that for tropicalists – the original tropical signs and rulerships
7
hold sway on each chart. Precession corrections simply serve to indicate with which stars
the original placements were aligned. For charts I wanted to include that had no birth time, I
used noon, and left out the Moon and angles.

Precession calculations are easy if you have a hand calculator that has a degree-minute-
second option. They are usually called “scientific calculators” and are quite inexpensive. The
button often says “deg” or looks like this: °9 99. Take the difference between the year of
birth and 2000, then multiply that by 0 degrees, 0 minutes, 50.23 seconds; the result comes up
in decimal form, and the calculator has a conversion button to turn it into degrees-minutes-
seconds. It is important to remember to use the full 0 degrees, 0 minutes first before the 50.23
seconds. If you just feed in the seconds, it won’t come out right. Then you add the result to
each element of the chart. (Precession increases the planet’s longitude as time progresses.)
Then when you have corrected each chart position, you can check them against the stars’
2000 positions in my book. I list star positions for both the tropical and the sidereal zodiac.

7
Vedic or Western sidereal astrologers would disagree with Diana on this point, though she
acknowledges that “sign rulerships in the tropical and sidereal zodiacs are often in direct conflict. For
instance, if Venus is in tropical Libra, she is in sidereal Virgo: the 1st is a dignity, the 2nd is a detriment!”
Diana intended to do research on tropical vs. sidereal sign rulerships herself, and calls it “a huge area for
deep research” and one she is “happy to bequeath to any siderealists or tropicalists willing to take it on!”
For myself, I have had consistent results doing client relocation work and Astrocartography, confirming
a reference point of sign rulers in the sidereal zodiac - using the Vedic sidereal birth chart as base line.
Example: A client might be advised to go live on his or her Venus rising line. But if Venus is rising in
sidereal Pisces, even if exalted, and that person has a Pisces Ascendant in their Vedic birth chart, Venus
is a planetary enemy of the chart and its Ascendant lord, Jupiter. Venus also rules the 8th house in that
case, and should not be emphasized through angularity. (EH, also quoting DKR)
Page 11

71
When I do research, I take a chart of a person or an event and precess-correct it. Then I put
the corrected positions around the chart; and next I go to the star sets, and put the placements
of each person or each event in where they belong. (I decided to be inclusive, which was a
very good decision, as it turned out. That’s how I made discoveries with unexpected things.)
I keep feeding in people and events that fit that category, and feed in the data of their charts
in order to confirm a pattern. Sometimes I fail to find a pattern, so I go both ways to try to
find what patterns I can, and see if they relate to energies in a given area. It’s my Data
Monster!

I may think: “Oh, I have several serial killers here,” or “I have several apparitions of the
Virgin Mary.” So I put all the major positions out to Pluto on the chart, and I include the
Lunar Nodes. Occasionally I’ll mention an asteroid, but generally I stick with the major
planets and the angles of the chart. The Moon and the angles have to be omitted if no birth
time is available. That’s why I tell the reader that if something doesn’t quite fit, try the
adjacent star sets. All this is in the Introduction to my book.

6) EH: Let’s look at some of the other books on Fixed Stars and get your view on them. You
used to have a list of recommended books on the subject at your website. At the top of your
list was Reinhold Ebertin and Georg Hoffman’s Fixed Stars & Their Interpretation (1971),
followed by Vivian Robson’s The Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology (1923). You even
provided reprints of these before they became available on the web.

DKR: They are better than nothing, but are very limited, both in interpretations and number
of stars offered. And the star positions are very outdated. Robson was using epoch 1920, so
the positions are off by 1°07’ (if you are using 2000 as a fiducial point, the current standard),
or 1°15’ for 2010 (precession added as time progresses). Ebertin’s positions are for 1950: for
2000, add 0°42’; for 2010, add 0°50’ to each position given.

As to number of stars, Robson listed only 110 stars and Ebertin only 73. But look at the sky!
There are so many more than that! And Robson covers only 5 to 6 degrees of Aries. I felt
personally very miffed. Where are my stars?!

EH: So this goaded you into doing your life’s work! Was it the paucity of material on the
Fixed Stars? I personally am not familiar with all the material available on this subject.

DKR: It was the limitations of the material. When I began my research in 1980, Vivian
Robson’s book was considered the best book on the subject. In his book and others, the
examples were often too general, and applied to everyone, or nearly everyone – such as:
“This person will recover quickly from adversity.” Well, you either recover quickly, or you
don’t. It’s not too helpful.

Bernadette Brady’s work on Fixed Stars came later. Brady’s Book of Fixed Stars was published
in 1998. Bernadette Brady works with parans: everything to her is visibility. She turns the
chart to where a planet is angular and looks to see if a Fixed Star is angular simultaneously.
To me, this seems like an awkward way of working. And she only deals with stars that
could be visible at the time of birth. I disagree with that, and I say so in the Introduction to
my book. This is what I wrote:
Page 12

72
“It has become apparent to me that the universe is imprinted upon and within us; I strongly
take issue with the idea that if a star cannot rise (and therefore will never be visible) at a
particular location or birthplace it should not be used in the birth chart. The great 1st-
magnitude star Canopus, Alpha Argo Navis (53 South Declination) for instance, is never seen
from Shelter Island, New York (latitude 41N00), yet its degree of celestial longitude exactly
culminates, with the Sun, on a client's chart who was born there; her parents went to great
trouble to arrange for her to be born on their boat, and traveling on water has been a major
part of her life. Another client, born Jewish in Chicago (41N52) has Venus and Neptune (the
latter co-ruler of his 9th house of religion) aligned in celestial longitude with stars of the
Southern Cross (56 to 64.5 south declination, 0 - 13.5 Scorpio) in the far southern skies, and
although Crux is never visible above 34° north geographic latitude, and thus not visible in the
place of his birth, he became a convert to Christianity. After years of research, it has become
apparent to me that all of the sky belongs to all of humanity, without strictures or
curtailments relating to birth latitudes, longitudes or visual passages. The universe is not ‘out
there’ - it is within and a part of all of us, our co-creation with God; each of us resides at the
focal center of our personal universe, and the entire cosmos is both within and without each
of us. Every member of the human race, whatever his or her latitude of birth, is heir to, and
part of, the entirety of the cosmos.”

As you can see, I really don’t agree with that idea that if the star is not visible at the place of
birth it doesn’t count. Brady also switches things around. She gets a planet on an angle and
then says: Okay, what star was rising when Saturn anti-culminated? Or that star was setting
when such and such was happening. And it’s not that it’s not valid. It just seems a stretch to
me to do what she’s doing exclusively, but she insists that her way is the only proper way.
I’d rather be more direct. I use the planets according to their ecliptic degree, and that works
best for me. Brady claims that her method is the only method the ancients used, but I really
do question that as well.

There are also historical matters on which I disagree with Brady. She has a section in her
book on Abraham Lincoln. She says: “Abraham Lincoln was born the day Sirius culminated
as his Venus set. Although the Venus content is not clear, Lincoln is a typical Sirius
figure….” I disagree. Sirius is known, for instance, for a tendency to have a fierce temper and
uncontrolled rage! She also wrote, on Lincoln: “He strove to achieve the dream of the
freedom of all people.” Actually, his dream was to keep the Union together. He was
reluctant at first to free the slaves, because that would threaten the Union.

I’m just not comfortable with the idea of working only with parans. However, I want to add
that Bernadette Brady has made an enormous contribution to the field of Fixed Stars, and her
Starlight program is absolutely first-rate. I recommend it very highly.

7) EH: I see you decided to start your Fixed Star research in 1980 with Algol. Tell us what
you found about Algol.

Page 13

73
DKR: Okay. Algol – the famous monster that has frightened so many Fixed Star beginners!
Since there is a long, detailed article on my website (www.ye-stars.com), I’ll just touch on a
few important points. I chose Algol first because Manley Palmer Hall’s Astrological Keywords
said (and this is an exact quote), that it was "The most evil, violent, and dangerous star in the
heavens." Among its effects were said to be "violence, beheading, hanging, choking,
asphyxiation, electrocution, murder, mob violence." And just in case you missed the
message, Algol is further described as "unfortunate." No kidding! To the point, the horror
did prove out, and I have dozens of examples in the website article. But there is more to this
star than that; for instance, it has a strong artistic side as well.

People often ask me how to handle it – especially if it is on their own chart or a client’s chart.
What I have found is that having Algol represented on a chart does not necessarily mean
that you will inflict, or be the victim of, horror and mayhem, but that you will be aware of
the depths of suffering that can occur, whether through human depravity or acts of God. You
will not be able to ignore suffering and horror, or brush it aside. Your life path will require
that you come to terms with that level of experience. A soldier might go through horrible
experiences in war. For example, PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – is common
under Algol. A journalist might be assigned to cover tragedies; a clergyman might be called
upon to comfort the victims and their families. A black child might hear of the horrors of
slavery; and a Jewish child might grow up with the awareness that his grandparents perished
in the Holocaust. A police officer might assist victims of a disaster, or a medical student be
assigned to work in a trauma center. The Algol placement insists upon a confrontation and
assimilation of these harsh aspects of human experience in this lifetime. The polarities of
Page 14

74
bigotry or tolerance, violence or kindness, cruelty or compassion, war or peace are issues that
are unavoidable and must be dealt with under Medusa’s head. (A good example is a young
couple that asked for an electional time for their wedding and was not fazed when I told
them they had chosen a day with a Sun-Hades conjunction on Algol. When I described the
star’s reputation, they told me it fit very well: They were devoting all their spare time to the
Nuclear Freeze movement!)

Astronomer Carl Sagan, another Nuclear Freeze activist, had Algol rising. Poet Maraquita
Platov (Mercury at Algol) was so moved during her childhood by the horrors of World War
I that virtually all her poems were devoted to anti-war themes. What these people did was to
act positively against violence and horror, and by thus manifesting the energy in a positive
way, diverted its dangers from themselves. (By the way, I have Chiron at Algol, and besides
writing about it, I’ve donated to charities that alleviate suffering, both of humans and
animals). And I want to mention that since I wrote the article about it 18 years ago, I
discovered that Algol is also a fire star. In a study I did of Fixed Stars and fires, it turned up
with a rather high score. Algol was also an element leading up to 9/11. At the Full Moon
preceding the attack (Sep 2, 2001, 9:44 PM GMT, New York City), Algol was at the 4th house
cusp. The 4th house of a chart describes the final outcome of the matter, and/or the grave or
final resting place. In ancient China, Algol was Ta-Ling, the Great Trench, which was a
trench full of dismembered corpses. The people lost in the collapse of the World Trade
Center towers were never found; their bodies had not only been dismembered, they were
pulverized. Another Algol manifestation from that event was that the people who worked
devotedly for months to clear the site are now suffering from respiratory problems because of
the dust they inhaled, some having died from this, affirming the Algol connection to
asphyxiation.

Also, that Full Moon Sept. 2, 2001 at 10:29 tropical Pisces (16:38 sidereal Aquarius), was in the
Chinese Lunar mansion called “Danger: Rooftop” – a very direct message. In the Vedic
mansions the Full Moon was at 16:25 Aquarius, in Shatabisha nakshatra, the 100 physicians.
(One ancient authority has “possessing or requiring 100 physicians.”) Transiting Mars (27:07
tropical Sagittarius, 3:15 sidereal Sagittarius) and South Node (Ketu) (4:06 tropical Capricorn,
10:15 sidereal Sagittarius) were both in Mula nakshatra, ruled by Nritti, the Goddess of
8
Destruction. The Ascendant was the ancient Orphic and Platonic Gate of Return of Souls
to the Cosmos; and Neptune, rising, was at the Arabic mansion Sa’d Al Dhabih, the Lucky
Assassin. Venus, setting, was at China’s mansion Kuei, the Ghosts (spirits leaving their
bodies), while Saturn was aligned with the stars of Perseus, the Hero or Rescuer. About 400
rescuers, 343 of them firemen, lost their lives on 9-11. I have given all these details to show
how all these ancient traditions have wonderful information to offer. When you put them all
together, they are an amazing treasure trove of information! This is why I have them all in
my book. This is wonderful, previously lost knowledge that needs to be rediscovered and
used. Each culture provides a valuable piece of the “Great Puzzle.”

8
Diana uses True Lunar Node above, while Edith uses Mean Lunar node. With Mean Lunar Node, Full
Moon chart (Sept. 2, 2001) for NYC has Full Moon at sidereal 16:35 Aquarius. Ascendant is 9:50
Capricorn. Ketu is within one degree of the exact 12th house cusp and within 5 ½ degrees to 4th house
ruler Mars. The 4th lord in the 12th house can bring losses to real estate, explosive losses with Mars-Ketu,
and/or violent foreign or social misfit elements plotting secretly (12th house) to destroy the house. (EH)
Page 15

75
Some of the Fixed Stars are harsh, yes – but to a purpose. Each defines an area that will be
tapped for good or ill. Its tests are intense and unavoidable. Algol, like the other stars,
confers tasks upon us which, if comprehended and accepted, offer great rewards of power and
creativity. The more we understand and use these stellar changes in a positive manner, the
less they are to be feared.

8) EH: Are there other stars for which you have a special affinity - ones that you find
remarkable and worthy of special attention?

DKR: Yes, Antares and Sirius. I have written about both of them extensively in my book.
Antares is known as Alpha Scorpii (9:46 Sagittarius – tropical; 15:55 Scorpio – sidereal Lahiri).
It’s the Scorpion’s heart. Chinese astrologers considered this asterism the symbol of the Son
of Heaven, because man was the heart of heaven and earth; therefore the Son of Heaven was
Master of Man. In China Antares was the heart of the Great Celestial Dragon. At the
Winter Solstice of 2006, as Mars and Jupiter came together with Antares between them, an
ambitious London project was set in motion. By June 1 2007 a Full Moon joined Vesta at
Antares as workers set up "The Heart," an exhibition planned as a diverse collection of heart-
centric science, art and thought, exploring the "extraordinary medical, spiritual and cultural
significance of the heart." They brought together exhibits of all ages and cultures, including
the Egyptian Book of the Dead showing a heart being weighed against the feather of truth,
Aztec sacrificial knives, Christian sacred heart imagery, a telecast of heart valve surgery, a
heart-lung perfusion machine, anatomical drawings by da Vinci, etc. The exhibit opened
June 21, 2007, the day of the Summer Solstice. On the Solstice chart set for London, Jupiter
rose with Antares, the Scorpion's Heart. Antares is prominent in individuals and events
marking the great issues of humankind, especially intolerance, racism and human rights.

Page 16

76
Sirius is known as Alpha Canis Majoris, or the Dog Star (14:05 Cancer – tropical; 20:14 Gemini
sidereal Lahiri). In apparent magnitude, Sirius is the brightest star in the sky, one of the
closest stars to Earth, and has a white dwarf companion star. It is visible from virtually every
portion of the globe. In China, it was regarded as the Jackal or Wolf Star, associated with
thievery and looting. This correlated with at least two Indian tribes of North America (the
Pawnee and Osage tribes) that called Sirius “Wolf Star” or “Coyote Star.”

Sirius is the calendar star! All major calendar changes throughout history have been tied to
the Dog Star: The current Kali Yuga of the Hindu Calendar is said to have begun with the
death of Krishna, on Feb 18, 3102 BCE OS at 0 hour. If so, at that exact moment Sirius was
setting on the western horizon. The Sothic Calendar of ancient Egypt, ca 2773 BCE, was based
on the annual heliacal rising of Sirius, which marked the annual flooding of the Nile. In 46
BCE, the year the Julian Calendar was established in Rome, a Solar Eclipse aligned with
Sirius. Because the Julian Calendar had slipped severely from its original seasonal markers,
Pope Gregory XIII sponsored a calendar correction. In 1582 CE, as the Gregorian Calendar was
adopted by Catholic nations, a Solar Eclipse aligned with Sirius, with the Sun eclipsed as it
was rising at Rome. In 1917, Russia, Turkey, Bulgaria and the Balkans also changed to the
Gregorian Calendar, with the Sun of a Lunar Eclipse at Sirius.

I also like the constellation of Auriga, the Charioteer (span: 13:00 Gemini to 19:30 Cancer
tropical, 19:00 Taurus to 24:30 Gemini sidereal Lahiri). And I couldn’t figure it out. What
was I going to find? Bus drivers? Cab drivers? And for a long time I couldn’t see a pattern.
Then I read the Greek myth about Auriga (also called Erichthonius) that said he invented
the chariot because he could not walk. Suddenly a possible pattern occurred to me, and I
thought: “I’ve got to test this.” Sure enough, those stars turned up on charts of people
confined to wheelchairs! The charioteer’s chariot is a wheelchair. Isn’t that something? And
the illustration I made is of a war veteran in a wheelchair. I came to this partly through
studying the Chinese, who saw the same pattern of stars of Auriga – a pentagon – as Five
War Chariots. And each star had its own job. One administered the Oath of Allegiance;
another one took care of the horses, and so on. The Chinese are wonderfully detailed about
these things. In ancient China, the stars of Auriga represented a military encampment.
Even the author of the book I was using (an astronomer) said: “I wonder if there is any
connection to the Pentagon in all this.” So I had a look at the day the cornerstone for the
Pentagon was laid. Jupiter was exactly aligned with one of the brightest stars of Auriga! And
I put wheelchairs and warfare together and thought of wounded veterans!

Page 17

77
EH: Did you work with charts of veterans?

DKR: Well, it’s very hard to get charts of veterans in wheelchairs. In fact, another astrologer
was looking for them for another reason, and mentioned how hard they were to find. But I
did get the birth date of Ron Kovic, who was the veteran that was featured in the movie Born
on the Fourth of July. I didn’t get a time for him, but he had two or three things aligned with
Auriga. And I did get the son of a famous General called Chesty Puller. His son, Lewis
Burwell Puller, Jr. was terribly wounded in the Viet Nam war, and was in a wheelchair. He
was on heavy drugs for pain, and finally in the end he committed suicide. I tried so hard to
get his birth data and almost gave up until I found a website devoted to him, with a photo of
9
his gravestone with a birth date on it! He too had several things aligned with Auriga.
Wheelchair-bound President Franklin D Roosevelt had his MC aligned with the head of the
Bull, and under it Orion, and a whole row of brilliant constellations there. When you project
stars on to the ecliptic, you get three or four major constellations. His Midheaven was in that
area, and one of the constellations was Auriga, the Charioteer.

Other people who were in wheelchairs because of being wounded were Larry Flynt and
Alabama Governor George Wallace. Larry Flynt was the pornography publisher who was
shot. He had Auriga rising. Gov. Wallace was shot in an assassination attempt in May 1972,

9
Lewis Burwell Puller, Jr. was son of the most decorated Marine in the history of the U.S. Marine
Corps, General Chesty Puller. He was born Aug. 18, 1945, and died May 11, 1994. Birthplace may have
been Hampton, VA. Lewis Puller, Jr. became an attorney and a Pulitzer prize-winning author, after he
was wounded as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. (EH)

Page 18

78
while he was campaigning as U.S. presidential candidate, and he was confined to a
wheelchair. He had Pluto aligned with Auriga.

9) EH: William Lilly established around 50 Fixed Stars in his horary work, and I know some
have tallied as many as 290 of them. How many Fixed Stars are there?

DKR: A gazillion! Look at the sky! As I was researching (for 30 years!) I came to realize
that constellations were of primary importance, and that everything in the sky, not only
stars, was meaningful. So I kept adding stars and DSOs (Deep Space Objects, i.e. black holes,
neutron stars, galaxies etc) and kept a Master list of all of the ones for which I had calculated
positions. The stars and DSOs in my book are culled from this Master list of more than
2,000. My book has more than 750 stars detailed, and another 1,168 with just zodiacal
longitude and its place in a constellation. (For comparison, Robson has 110, Ebertin-
Hoffmann 73. Brady lists 176 but only has interpretations for 64.) I designed my book to be a
tool for astrologers, so that they could use it for their own research, and take the information
into new directions, if they wished.

EH: So William Lilly was not that critical to your work?

DKR: No, he wasn’t. And he was probably using Ptolemy, and expanding on it a bit. Lilly’s
work was useful for me, but not that pivotal.

10) EH: Let’s discuss Fixed Stars in natal astrology and in mundane astrology. You have
researched Dwight D. Eisenhower at some length, and also some mundane events such as the
Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, India Dec. 3, 1984.

DKR: The Bhopal disaster still haunts me. The article I wrote on it was recently honored as
one of the best articles ever written for an NCGR Journal. It is now on my website, under the
title “The Mills of God” so I’m going to suggest that readers check it out there. I became
10
interested in Eisenhower after reading his biography. His parents were River Brethren, a
pacifist sect that preached that military conflict was a great evil. Yet he loved books about
war, so it is likely that at a very early age he knew that he had been born on the anniversary
of one of the great turning points of history: the Battle of Hastings (Oct. 14, 1066 OS, 50N55,
0E29, 9:30 AM LMT): William of Normandy’s invasion and conquest of England. But Ike's
birth was not only the anniversary of Hastings; his Saturn-Ascendant conjunction was the
Saturn of Hastings. (That is, his birth coincided with the 28th Saturn return of the Battle of
Hastings and squared Mars in the battle chart.) His Moon-Uranus conjunction was the Sun
of Hastings. The Battle of Hastings was an invasion of England from Normandy, and
Eisenhower would lead an invasion of Normandy from England. It seems to me that he was
born to this task. His boyhood hero was Abraham Lincoln, and like Lincoln, he was born in
poverty and rose to become President of the United States. And like Lincoln, he had a royal
star culminating at his birth!

10
Dwight D. Eisenhower was born Oct. 14, 1890, Denison, TX. Birth time is questionable (Rodden
rating DD).
Page 19

79
One of the things that set him apart from other leaders was his early upbringing that
reverenced peace. He had the Sun, Moon and Uranus in the constellation of the Virgin, who
was known in the Greek myths for her longing for – and devotion to – peace. One of the
reasons Eisenhower was given the position of Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces was
that he was known as a peacemaker, and there were potentially serious conflicts among the
allied generals. Hitler was convinced that those conflicts would break apart the alliance.
Only Ike had the diplomatic skills that could hold it together. He also kept the U.S. out of
hot wars during his presidency, 1953-1961. (The Korean War Armistice was signed July 27,
1953.)

EH: Eisenhower is such a great historical example, but I have avoided using him due to his
DD (Dirty Data). What convinced you to go ahead and use 3:40 AM? Or is exact birth data
less important in the use of Fixed Stars?

DKR: Astrodatabank has several possible birth times given for Eisenhower: 3 AM, 3:40 AM;
5 AM; 5:11 PM, 5:19 PM 5:54 PM, 6 PM and just “night.” Since the “night” came from a
roomer in their house who ran for a doctor, it seemed to me that we could eliminate the 5:11
to 6 PM times, as these would be closer to late afternoon; also if his mother remembered
“about 3 AM” that would seem to be closer to the likely time. I think I chose the 3:40 AM
time (actually now I think 3:30 AM might be a bit better) because it put Orion at the MC and
in ancient China Orion was a great military figure called “The Supreme Commander.” Ike
became “Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Forces.” He had Pluto at Aldebaran, a
royal-and-war-star, and 3:30 AM puts Pluto conjunct the MC. Ike’s life epitomizes the classic
royal star pattern of poverty-to-prominence. This is an example of using stars in
rectification, but of course I have no way of knowing whether I am right about the time. I
want to repeat that I now think 3:30 AM is the better time. The precession correction on that
chart, from 1890 to 2000, is +1 deg 31 minutes.

11) Are there some other historical figures whose charts clearly show the workings of some of
the important Fixed Stars?

DKR: People often ask me about the four “royal stars:” 1) Aldebaran, Alpha Tauri, the 1st-
magnitude eye of the Bull, it's 9:47 tropical Gemini, 15:56 sidereal Taurus 2) Regulus, Alpha
Leonis, 29:50 tropical Leo, 5:59 sidereal Leo; 3) Antares, Alpha Scorpii (opposite Aldebaran),
9:46 tropical Sagittarius, 15:55 sidereal Scorpio; and 4) Fomalhaut, Alpha Piscis Australis, 3:52
tropical Pisces, 10:01 sidereal Aquarius. (All positions are for 2000, Lahiri sidereal used.)
Royal stars do not necessarily indicate those who are high born or prominent, although this
may be so. Rather they seem to offer a greater-than-average ambition and opportunities to
rise high in the world and to associate with those at the top of their field in any profession.
For instance, an office-worker might suddenly be given an administrative post, a student be
given an opportunity to work with a famous professor, or a new, inexperienced actor be
chosen for a major leading role. Even in a small, obscure community, an “ordinary” person
with a royal star placement might become influential or associate with those who are. The
danger, of course, is that one may rise too high too fast, lack experience or misuse influence,
and suffer a harsh come-down as a result. Or there may also be another kind of “royal
connection” in their lives.

Page 20

80
For instance, biographers might choose royal figures as subjects, actors might play royal
parts, etc. Lord Louis Mountbatten, last Viceroy of India, great-grandson of Queen Victoria,
had a Mars-Moon-South Node cluster surrounding Aldebaran, opposite a Jupiter-Uranus-
North Node conjunction centered at Antares. Immensely proud of his genealogy, his
favorite pastime was musing over a chart of his royal forebears. Unfortunately, he also came
to illustrate one of the darker sides of the royal stars: the possibility of assassination.

Because 2009 was the 200th anniversary of the births of Abraham Lincoln and Charles
Darwin, both born Feb. 12, 1809, many people are now aware that these two remarkable souls
incarnated on the same day! The Sun on the day of their birth was at the star Kuh, Mu
Capricorni, in the tail of Capricornus, the Sea-Goat, and Globular Cluster M2 in the head of
Aquarius, the Water-Pourer. (These two constellations overlap). For a long time, as I was
researching the stars, this area puzzled me. What was I to make of a goat with a fish’s tail?
And why did early texts call Capricornus – one of the most ancient of the zodiac figures –
“Father of Light”? In the Chaldeo-Babylonian celestial hierarchy, one of three gods who
reigned supreme was Ea, "Lord of the Deep," preeminently wise and beneficent, enlightener
and lawgiver, archetype of Divine Intelligence. The stars of Capricornus belonged to Ea.

One of the most ancient of all the zodiac figures, Capricornus, the sea-faring goat with a fish’s
tail also represents the divine Man-Fish. Author Rupert Gleadow describes Ea:

"Ea is the only one of the Sumerian and Babylonian gods who was never angry, and always
ready to help both gods and men out of difficulties. He is often represented as a man walking
in a great fish-shaped cloak, the fish's head over his head and pointing upwards like a mitre,
the tail at his heels, and the forward leg showing his human form. He is said to have emerged
four times at long intervals from the ocean to teach civilization to men, and during each of
these periods would retire into the water at night. Capricorn, his symbolic creature,
symbolizes this dual life, and has as yet no association with the planet Saturn, which has
never been reputed to help people out of scrapes.”

Page 21

81
The teachings of Ea-Oannes, epitomized by Capricornus, make his stars an area of emergence
and enlightenment, where laws are established, maintained and renewed; where challenges,
struggles and experimentation bring about new systems of social contracts and new legal
pathways for the just implementation of power.

Aquarians seek unity. Abraham Lincoln dedicated his presidency to saving the Union, while
Charles Darwin sought a unified theory that would explain the mysteries of the natural
world. His book On the Origin of Species, published Nov. 24, 1859, caused intense controversy,
unabated to this day. The North Node was then in sidereal Capricorn/tropical Aquarius. In
January 1863 Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves took effect. The New
Moon that month was in Capricorn in both zodiacs. Lincoln liberated the slaves, while
Darwin liberated the minds of millions who had rejected natural laws that did not conform
to carrying on the teachings of Ea-Oannes. Now we can understand why ancient texts called
Capricornus “Father of Light”!

12) EH: Let’s discuss how Fixed Stars work in a national chart. I know you especially like the
chart of the Republic of India. Let’s give that data: Jan. 26, 1950, 10:15 AM, Delhi, India.
Tropical Ascendant is 4:49 Aries. Sidereal Ascendant is 11:39 Pisces.

DKR: The original India Independence chart still works powerfully, but I also like looking
at the Republic of India chart, for two reasons: First, it was more purely Indian, as the date
wasn’t imposed on them by the British; secondly, it was the same day they outlawed the
caste system that designated some people as Untouchables. They did this under pressure
from Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who was born an Untouchable, also known
as Dalit or Mleccha. (Dr. Ambedkar was born April 14, 1891, Mhow, India, and I used 12 noon,
since the time is unknown.) In both zodiacs his natal Sun is exalted in Aries. His North
node-Pluto conjunction is on Aldebaran. And typical of the Royal stars, they lift you up.
(You just have to behave yourself, or you get crashed down again!) In his case, he is much
admired. Somehow he managed to get an education, and went abroad for his advanced
11
degrees. His chart looks better to me in the tropical zodiac, as the Venus becomes exalted
in Pisces and Jupiter in dignity in Pisces, though Sun is exalted in both zodiacs. His natal
Mars is with Algol, and Neptune-North Node-Pluto in Gemini, with North Node-Pluto
conjunct Aldebaran, though Neptune is a bit early for Aldebaran. Noon Moon is in tropical
Cancer. I was intrigued to get the birth date of an Untouchable.

The Independence of India chart (August 15, 1947, 0 hr, Delhi) is certainly a primary chart for
the nation, and it does work event-wise. When India’s astrologers objected strongly to the
date, Viceroy Lord Louis Mountbatten wrote in his diary: “The astrologers are being rather
12
tiresome.” But this was not a date chosen by any native Indian(s) or Indian astrologers.

11
Dr. Ambedkar attended the London School of Economics and Columbia University, earning several
doctorates for his study and research in law, economics and political science. Returning home as a
famous scholar, he practiced law for several years before publishing journals advocating political rights
and social freedom for India's Untouchables. (EH)
12
The date of Aug. 14 was chosen by the British, but the Indian astrologers, having reported that this
was not the most favorable date, tried to find a better time, and under pressure – they chose midnight on
Aug. 14/15, 1947. Although Mohammad Ali Jinnah (leader of the All-India Muslim League and founder
Page 22

82
 India – Independence
Fri. 8/15/1947 0:00:00
New Delhi, India

of Pakistan) was unconcerned about the astrology, Hindu leaders were more concerned. Because of this
difference in their charts, India’s history is regarded as having been more successful than that of
Pakistan, whose chart is Aug. 14, 9:30 AM, Karachi. The Pakistan Independence chart has 5:46 Virgo
Ascendant, with planetary enemy Mars dominant at the 10th house cusp in Gemini, Moon at 24:53
Gemini, and four planets in the royal sign of Cancer (all sidereal Lahiri positions). India’s Independence
chart has 7:43 Taurus Ascendant, with five planets in Cancer: Moon, Mercury, Saturn, Venus, and Sun.
With emphasis in the 3rd house of communications, and Venus dasa Sept. 1989 through Sept. 2009,
followed by 15 years of dasas of 3rd house planets, we could predict ongoing success for India’s vibrant
Information Technology sector. I favor this Independence chart. (EH).
Page 23

83
After reading about how Dr B. R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi successfully pressed the
Constituent Assembly to outlaw the caste system, and that the Constitution came into force
at the same time as the Republic of India was announced, I decided that the 1950 chart was
worthy of consideration as a true chart of the nation, to be studied alongside the
Independence chart. A full reading of these charts is not possible here, but there are some
very notable elements in relation to Fixed Stars, constellations and lunar mansions. For
instance, the great ancient astronomer/astrologer/mathematician/ geographer Claudius
Ptolemy (ca. 85-165 AD) assigned India to Capricornus, the Sea-Goat, a figure now completely
overlaid with tropical Aquarius. The Independence chart has Capricornus Culminating, and
the Republic chart has the Sun, Jupiter and Venus in the Sea-Goat, and the Republic’s Venus
was transiting the Midheaven of the Independence chart.

India – Republic
Thu. 1/26/1950
10:15:00
New Delhi, India

Page 24

84
The India Republic chart has sidereal Pisces Rising. Roman astrologer Manilius, writing
about 10 AD, assigned India (“Asiatic Ethiopia”) to the Fishes. That the Republic’s Sun,
Jupiter and Venus were in tropical Aquarius in the 11th house would be considered mostly
beneficent to Western tropicalists. They occupy Shravana nakshatra, one of four “Mleccha”
mansions, associated with outcasts.

EH: That would contrast with the Vedic view that Venus and Jupiter are not planetary
friends, and their close contact in the same sign would generally be regarded as excessive.
And while it’s true that nakshatras are classified in numerous ways, including by caste
system, we are still waiting for Sanskrit translations of many of the ancient texts on Vedic
astrology. From what is available so far, it appears that the four elements are not mentioned,
while the four castes (people from classical Hindu society) supplant the elements. But as the
symbolism in the Vedic culture is always far broader than it first appears, I would be wary of
extracting information like this. It could so easily create distortions in interpretations.

DKR: Well, at the risk of doing so, I still think this illustrates the very issues roiling the new
republic. Early Western tropicalists named the 11th house as the “joy” of Jupiter, and here the
three planets in air tropically, overlaying earth sidereally, illustrate how the ancient Shudra,
or Servant castes (sidereal earth signs), have now emerged into the tropical air element –
Vaishya (Mercantile caste), with opportunities to become educated and join the bourgeoisie.
I have been insisting for several years now that both zodiacs (tropical and sidereal) work, and
that they are combining, enhancing, illuminating, and giving depth to their counterparts.
Both Capricorn and Aquarius are Saturn-ruled signs, so the stern Lord of Karma is still
enthroned here. But changes have been wrought in this incredibly ancient and vivid culture
13
that will invigorate and carry it forward.

Fixed star Vindemiatrix, Epsilon Virginis, is known as the Star of Widowhood, and plays a
major role in the various charts of India. She is also known as the fruit-gatherer, and she is in
the north wing of the Virgin. (In 1950 Vindemiatrix was at 9:10 Libra, and in 1980 at 9:40
Libra – tropical zodiac.) Why it should be connected to widowhood, I don’t know, but it
14
works consistently. It is remarkable that all three charts of India in Nick Campion’s Book

13
India Republic chart’s Venus and Jupiter are in sidereal Capricorn, where Jupiter is debilitated. Both
planets are combust the Sun. Sign lord Saturn is not in good placement in Leo, and exchanges signs with
its enemy the Sun in Capricorn: struggles with establishing leadership and authority. Classic Vedic
astrology delineates planets, signs, nakshatras, etc. according to the sidereal zodiac, though ayanamshas
may vary slightly. Also, according to classic Vedic rules, it would not be recommended to switch or
superimpose zodiacs in Vedic chart analysis. (EH)
14
DKR, cont’d: This includes astrologer Maria Simms, who was married to Neil Michelsen, and became
a widow when he died of cancer very early in their married life. She knew something about Fixed Stars,
and she came up to me and said: “Did you know that we were married on a day when the Sun was at
Vindemiatrix? We were crazy that day, running around getting various papers for the company, and
talking to lawyers. And one of the things we had to do that day before jumping on a plane was to go get
married!” They were so busy they didn’t even look at the planets! Sadly, Michelsen was diagnosed with
cancer not too long after that. She volunteered the information, and said she would let me use it. I think
Elizabeth Taylor married Mike Todd when Jupiter was at Vindemiatrix, and he was killed in a plane
crash early in their marriage. There are so many examples of the connection to the loss of the partner.
(DKR)
Page 25

85
of World Horoscopes have Vindemiatrix prominent: It was rising on Jan 1, 1877, 0 AM LMT,
Delhi when Queen Victoria – known as the “Widow of Windsor” – became Empress of
India; Neptune was at Vindemiatrix at the Independence chart of 1947. (Neptune had come
to the Ascendant of the Empire chart, dissolving it.) And on the Republic’s chart there is a
conjunction of Mars, Uranian planet Poseidon (enlightenment), and the karmic South Node.
Widowhood has been an issue in India since ancient times. For centuries the tradition of Sati
expected or forced widows to throw themselves on their husbands’ funeral pyres. The
Constitution outlawed the ancient caste system, including the Untouchables, but equivocated
on many feminist issues. For instance, the treatment of wives is still a concern in India.
Despite government efforts, some are murdered so that their husbands, being widowers,
might re-marry to gain a new dowry.

There is a consistent connection between India and Vindemiatrix – also occasionally called
Almuredin. Nor does a star have just one meaning. In addition to being the Star of
Widowhood, she is also known as the Grape-gatherer, or the Vintager, or the Herald of the
vintage. I was able to get the data of a man who started his own winery in California. I
don’t know if he is a widower, but in his chart Vindemiatrix is in the Ascendant –
confirming another aspect of Vindemiatrix: the cultivator of grapes. She is also called
Protrygeter – “the fruit-plucking herald.” When she is rising, she heralds the time of the
vintage when the grapes are gathered.

13) EH: Let’s introduce some of the issues that come up around your use of the two zodiacs,
and how you view Vedic nakshatras. We can continue with the India Republic chart.

DKR: In the India Republic chart Mercury in the 10th house (18:40 tropical Capricorn, 25:31
Sagittarius – Lahiri sidereal), is aligned with the star Epsilon Lyrae in the constellation of

Page 26

86
 15
Lyra, the Lyre. This is one of the stars of the mysterious (and almost never used) Abhijit
nakshatra. All that is known of this Lunar mansion is that it was said to be of the Vaisya
caste, to be ruled by Brahma, and that it was under the influence of this mansion that the
Gods vanquished the demon Asuras. This remarkable area of the sky is pure celestial fire!
Situated here are the natal Suns of physicists Sir Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking (born
299 years apart, both of them Lucasian Professors of Mathematics at Cambridge), the
Midheaven of physicist-inventor Nicola Tesla, called “master of lightning,” who invented
radio, Venus of legendary 10th-century Persian scholar-astronomer Al Sufi, publisher of Kitab
al-Kawatib al-Thabit al-Musawwar ("Book of Fixed Stars"), the Moon of astrologers Lilly,
Ebertin, and Ficino, to name but a few. In any case, Abhijit's constellation of Lyra is
way above the ecliptic, far north of the other nakshatras, so that's another part of the mystery.

EH: I would add here that Abhijit nakshatra has a range from 6:40 to 10:53 sidereal
16
Capricorn. You are correct that Abhijit nakshatra is almost never used. It disappeared from
the literature after ca. 0 A.D., though it was an inherent part of the system before then, and
inserted between Uttara Ashada and Shravana nakshatras. But it is not used now at all in Vedic
chart analysis. Abhijit nakshatra should also not be confused with Abhijit muhurtha, which is
one Ghati (24 minutes) on either side of local noon time. It is an auspicious 48-minute time
period near mid-day each day, and is considered when an appropriate Muhurtha is not
available. Only Abhijit muhurtha is of any significance to modern Vedic astrologers.

15
Stars of Lyra were, in ancient India, a vulture or an eagle; in Phoenicia and Greece they represented a
tortoise-shell that Hermes used to create a lyre. For centuries celestial cartographers have solved the
problem of these different symbols – eagle/vulture and lyre – by depicting a raptor (bird of prey)
carrying a harp in its claws. (DKR)
16
See K.T. Shubhakaran, Nakshatra: Constellation Based Predictions with Remedial Measures, 1991, p. 285.
See also Dr. K.S. Charak, Elements of Vedic Astrology, 1995, Vol. 1, p. 22. (EH)
Page 27

87
DKR: I know Abhijit nakshatra is not normally used in Vedic chart analysis, but I am not
doing Vedic chart analysis! Since I have been granted the gift of its original determinants, I
wanted to experiment with it. (My natal Sun is conjunct Uranus.) Besides, it is so
mysterious and intriguing!

EH: Okay, but I wanted to clarify this point, as I think it is potentially very confusing for
practitioners of Vedic astrology – or other forms of astrology, for that matter. I understand
you want to encourage research and experimentation, and that includes experimenting with
superimposing zodiacs and lunar mansions from various different systems. My concern is
that regardless of there being no Vedic chart analysis involved, the meaning of the Vedic
17
lunar mansion will be there, no matter what. The Sanskrit word Abhijit, for instance,
means “complete victory.” In the Vedic Puranic myths, Shiva pulls Abhijit nakshatra from
the heavens, as it was abused when in the wrong hands. “Complete victory” is perhaps
beyond human comprehension, and belongs only to the great spiritual masters. In the
Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says: “Of the constellations, I am Abhijit.”

My concern is that you are applying a now discarded nakshatra segment to a degree area that
does not coincide with what most Vedic astrologers understand to be Abhijit nakshatra. 18
You say Mercury of the Republic of India chart (18:40 tropical Capricorn, 25:31 sidereal
Sagittarius), is in Abhijit nakshatra. But Vedic astrologers place it between 5 and 11 degrees
sidereal Capricorn at the maximum extent.

DKR: But I do not use the “fixed” spans, but rather the original determinant stars (from
Valerie Roebuck’s Circle of Stars), plus a small allowance at either end. Abhijit’s determinants
are Alpha (Vega), Zeta and Epsilon Lyrae, tropical 15:19 Capricorn, 18:07 Capricorn, 18:38
Capricorn, respectively, and in sidereal Lahiri (2000) are 21:28 Sagittarius, 24:16 Sagittarius,
and 24:47 Sagittarius. This brings up an important point that we should discuss.
Constellations have been given fixed, regular boundaries of 30° lengths, when of course their
actual lengths vary wildly. (Virgo, the Virgin, for instance, is 54° long.) And in Vedic
astrology the same fate has befallen nakshatras. Since my focus is on stars and the sources of
ancient knowledge, I have gone to the trouble of finding the original determinants of each
mansion. The degrees you give for Abhijit, 6:40 to 10:53 sidereal Capricorn, would, on my list,
totally encroach on Shravana’s determinants, stars Gamma, Alpha, Beta Aquilae, 7:06, 7:56 &
8:35 sidereal Capricorn (0:57, 1:47 and 2:26 tropical Aquarius).

Vedic astrologer K.T. Shubhakaran (see previous footnote) specifically relates Abhijit
nakshatra to three stars, the brightest of which is Vega, Alpha Lyrae. The degrees he gives do

17
This point becomes clearer later on when we discuss Diana’s Vedic birth chart (Section #16). She
considers the Vedic chart incorrectly shows her to be financially wealthy, with Sun as 2 nd house ruler of
financial wealth, in Revati nakshatra, meaning “wealthy.” However, using Vedic whole sign houses, Sun
rules the 3rd house – not the 2nd, while Venus (also in Revati) rules Houses 5 and 12. Comparatively,
financial wealth & nourishment have come through learning & children. Revati is also about
nourishment, and sign and nakshatra rulerships must be applied. (EH)
18
As the North Pole star some 15,000 years ago, Vega seems related to Abhijit’s spiritual significance in
Vedic terms. Contrast this with some modern Western attributes to Vega, such as luck in politics,
fleeting fame, wealth, and pretentiousness. (EH)
Page 28

88
not match the Lyra stars. This is a very good example of how difficult it has been for
astrologers working in both zodiacs to deal with the stars. Shubhakaran talks about Vega
and the other two stars, but he doesn't know where they are in terms of degrees. He can
only name them as the stars traditionally connected to Abhijit nakshatra. In her book Circle of
Stars (pp. 100, 109), Sanskrit scholar Valerie J Roebuck gives the same three determinant
stars.

EH: It is good you can clarify these points, as although it is still potentially confusing – at
least we can hone in on why it is so confusing!

DKR: I am using determinant stars even if there is a conflict with the standard Vedic spans,
and I consider this part of my learning process and “mission,” as it were. And I am doing
this not only with nakshatras, but constellations as well. I hope that astrologers will try out
and test these differences – standardized spans versus spans based on the ancient, original
determinant stars – to see which they find more pertinent, useful, insightful and
enlightening.

When I look at a natal chart or a national chart, I see overlays of both zodiacs. With the
chart of the Republic of India, strengthening the remarkable Mercury is a trine from Saturn
in the 6th house, tropically in the earth element where he is comfortable, but sidereally in Leo,
where he is in exile (detriment), a graphic illustration of the variances and conflicts inherent
in the differences between the two zodiacs, and at the same time, of the deep conflicts within
India itself. The star here is 93 Leonis in the upper curve of the Lion’s tail, a determinant of
Uttaraphalguni, “The Latter Reddish One” or “Back of the Culprit” ruled by Aryaman, the
Aditya of hospitality, connected with favor, kindness, and fruition. On Aryaman I have
written:

“The desire to interpret and explain one culture to another makes this an area of translators
and diplomats, concerned with forging and maintaining links between disparate races,
nationalities, and faiths, stressing elements we have in common, rather than differences that
divide us. Idealistic, utopian, perceptive, looking for ways to set the world right, they are
concerned with the question of how to live a spiritual, meaningful life.”

Although stars of the Virgin “officially” start with the next degree, her distinct influence
begins here, where the wild beast (Leo) is first brought under conscious control, a triumph of
intelligence over brutality. The 6th house is the 10th of the 9th, i.e. religious status, and Saturn
here describes the conflicts between religions and the constant struggle of each for
supremacy. As for the sidereal-tropical combination, Leo’s fire makes this a mansion of the
Kshatriya caste of rulers and warriors, but now it is overlaid with the modifying tropical
influence of Shudra’s earth element. No longer can hereditary rulers dominate the servant
classes; now they must curry their favor to get elected!

EH: This does challenge key concepts in classic Vedic astrology, where certain qualities of
royalty are strongly associated with the three fire signs, Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius – the
Kshatriyas being a royal caste. This especially applies to Leo, ruled by the Sun. (The only two
royal planets are the Sun and Moon, so this would also apply to Moon-ruled Cancer.) When
you change the element from fire to earth – it does not make sense on several levels in the
Page 29

89
Vedic scheme of things. Fire is associated both with royalty, and with military and political
leaders, the Kskatriyas. Earth is associated with the Shudras, or servant class, those who do
the real material work in the world. In the classic Vedic sense, the one cannot replace or
even duplicate the other.

DKR: But Edith, consider – during the past century, all over the world, royalty has virtually
disappeared, or completely lost its real power! And I am not changing the elements. I am
saying that they are now combining.

EH: Of course, now we have an overlap of almost one sign and one element to discuss. In
several hundred more years, the overlap will be two signs away!

DKR: I calculate it as another 430 years to go in the current overlap: 2,580 years - 2,150 + the 6
degrees.

EH: Okay – somewhere close to that! But I do agree that when the slower moving outer
planets (especially Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) enter each tropical sign, one can observe
changes in that arena of life. Then later, when that planet enters the same sign sidereally,
there are even more profound or radical stages of development in that area of life. With
Pluto in sidereal Sagittarius, for example, the issue of widespread corruption within the
Roman Catholic Church has finally reached the Pope himself, making him more vulnerable.

DKR: An interesting observation!

EH: Thank you. And what you say about royalty disappearing is true, in terms of the actual
power of royal families per se. Even so, I think what we see now is the real essence of
royalty in terms of the king being the victor (or not) in battle. The Vedic royal caste is the
kshatriya – the military and political leaders, a group that has only become more dominant in
our world. The allocation of resources for military purposes dominates all others, and the
military industry probably drives this whole process to extremes. That point is made very
clear on the Gemini-Sagittarius axis, where the last of the three fire signs, Sagittarius, is
opposite Gemini – considered a mercantile sign (the air element). The power of the
presidency in most nations, but especially the USA, is dependent on its loyalty and
cooperation with the aims of the military and the wealthiest economic sectors, another key to
19
modern royalty. This stratosphere of power is well defined in Vedic terms as to what
20
constitutes “royal status.” In fact, military might is so linked with economic might in our

19
The USA chart is one of the best examples of this. I use an 8:59 Sagittarius Ascendant for the USA
chart (the Kelleher chart: July 4, 1776, 6:30 PM LMT, Philadelphia, PA), with four planets in sidereal
Gemini, out of nine classical planets, including Rahu and Ketu. (Though I do not use Uranus, Neptune
or Pluto in Vedic natal or mundane astrology, I do note their planetary placements by sign, or by degree
if they are at a power point in a chart, especially Pluto in recent years at the Galactic Center.) (EH)
20
“The king is the root of the subject tree. Efforts should be made to enhance the king’s welfare, since
progress and decay of the people are entirely dependent upon the nourishing and injuring respectively of
that king-root.” […Here the Subject tree stands for the entire state and consists of seven parts viz. the
king, ministers, allies, treasury, territory, fortifications, and army.] from Varahamihira (505 A.D.),
Page 30

90
era, that in some countries even Drug lords have a higher status among the common people
than the legitimate king or rulers, especially if they are perceived as doing more for the good
of the people. A battle for “royal” legitimacy is being waged in several countries now –
Mexico, Jamaica, Afghanistan – among others. Drug lords, often called “drug kingpins,” are
the “renegade royalty,” consistent with Pluto in sidereal Sagittarius.

DKR: In any case, what I have been trying to do is to search out, discover, experiment and
perhaps revive the ancient patterns. I’d like astrologers to try both possibilities and decide
for themselves.

EH: Okay. But for Vedic astrologers who are classically trained, it is very difficult to see
how the tropical zodiac can work with the Fixed Stars, especially the Vedic nakshatras – as
their tropical position is changing over time, a degree every 72 years or so.

DKR: Of course tropical positions work with the stars, because whether you label a degree
“tropical” or “sidereal” you are still talking about one specific spot in the sky, whatever its
“degree label”! And each star can be given its proper “degree label” according to the zodiac
you have chosen to work in. For instance, I have the Sun at 19 tropical Aries, 26 sidereal
Pisces (Lahiri), which puts it right at the star Revati, Zeta Piscium. Whichever zodiac you use,
my Sun is at Revati! Because the Vernal Equinox gradually recedes against the background
of the stars, making the distance between it (0° Aries) and the star longer, Revati’s tropical
degree designation has increased (moved forward) 1 deg 04 min since I was born, and so has
my (precession-corrected) Sun. Revati is still in the same place it always was, in the cord of
the West Fish of Pisces. That does not change. But the “degree label” that a tropicalist gives
it advances gradually, and that is why tropicalists must use precession corrections when
working with the stars. This is so important and also difficult for people to understand.

And why did so many ancient astrologers, including Ptolemy, switch to the tropical zodiac?
Because under the old sidereal paradigm, the calendar and the seasons were getting
completely out of whack! It is the tropical points (0° of the cardinal signs) that determine
when Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter occur, and those points are the ones that
gradually precess against the background of the sky. Since all human timekeeping is based on
the sky, the switch had to be made, or all the sacred points of the year would fall at the wrong
time. If the calendars had not been corrected for precession, we would have the first day of
Summer in August, and Christmas in February! Ancient calendar-keepers could simply
decree that adjustments had to be made, but it was not that easy for astrologers, who have
been dealing with this ever-widening split (between the seasons and the sky-figures) ever
since.

EH: But in Ptolemy’s time the zodiacs were nearly in synch, so it was convenient for him to
ignore precession in astrology. Here is Nick Campion on the subject:

“It no doubt seemed a simple matter to Ptolemy to rationalize the situation by defining 0
degrees Aries as the vernal point rather than as the beginning of the constellation of Aries,

Brihat Samhita, Part I, Ch. XLVIII – Royal Ablution, Verse I, translated & with notes by M.
Ramakrishna Bhat, 1981. (EH)
Page 31

91
but the legacy he bequeathed to his successors has not been an easy one. With the shift of the
constellations in relation to the tropical Ptolemaic zodiac in the following centuries, they
gradually became redundant, while the zodiac itself eventually ceased to have any connection
to the awesome symbolism of the fixed stars.” (from his Astrology, History and Apocalypse,
2000, pp. 139-140.)

DKR: I disagree with Nick on this. It definitely did not seem “a simple matter to Ptolemy.”
He finally declared himself a tropicalist, but since the precession correction of his time was
still small, he was still able to use what Nick calls “the awesome symbolism” fully in his
work. His Tetrabiblos is full of star and constellation references and delineations, and I’ve
used them extensively in my book. I had a discussion with Rob Hand about Ptolemy’s
attributions of certain geographical areas to certain signs. Rob said that since Ptolemy had
declared himself a tropicalist, the signs he was using geographically would have to be
considered tropical. But I researched the Tetrabiblos text, and became convinced that
whatever Ptolemy was saying about the signs, he was nonetheless using them sidereally.

In any case, for me this question has been resolved by using precession-correction. But I
initially chose the tropical zodiac for my primary research because back in 1980 – when I
began this project – that was the zodiac most used by astrologers, at least in the West.

EH: Since that time, of course, has come the rise of Vedic, or Indian astrology in the West
and worldwide. And in your Fixed Star book, you list all stars in both tropical and sidereal
zodiacs, the latter using Lahiri ayanamsha. You ended up using both zodiacs. Yes? Though
you lean towards the tropical.

DKR: Yes, I ended up using both zodiacs, as the more I worked with Fixed Stars, the more I
didn’t want to be limited by one zodiac. But I want to say, and emphasize very strongly, that
I prefer the tropical zodiac. As the lens I have been looking through far longer, I find it closer
to the essential message of each chart, just as I know you feel the same using the lens of the
sidereal zodiac. And whatever my preference, I always say the sky doesn’t belong to anyone,
or any one zodiac! I am more interested in what the sky figures are telling us.

14) EH: The Fixed Stars by their very nature bring up the zodiac issue. Let’s go into this a
little more. We can call it THE ZODIAC DIALOGUES!

DKR: Great! You know, astronomers say, "Why should we bother to look at astrology? You
can't even agree on a zodiac!" Siderealists make the point that tropicalists are constantly
changing and adapting their viewpoint because the equinoxes and solstices precess in relation
to the stars, making the tropical zodiac movable, and thus, they believe, changeable and
unreliable. But tropicalists who see the annual cardinal pillars of the seasons as the steadfast
(and sacred) points, could just as well point out that the sidereal constellations are constantly
creeping away from their ancient tropical (Sun/Earth) anchors! The sidereal zodiac is
profoundly linked to the sky-figures, while the tropical zodiac is profoundly linked to the
Earth/Sun’s four-pillared seasons. Both are eternal. Both are sacred.

The nakshatras stand alone just as the constellations do. Indeed, they are part of
constellations, and the planet that is moving through them, as well as the degree span of the
Page 32

92
nakshatra, has been given one degree-label by the tropicalists and another degree-label by the
siderealists. But that planet and that nakshatra ARE IN THE SAME PLACE IN THE SKY
for both zodiacs! Sidereal can’t “own” lunar mansions – they belong to everyone!

EH: They do belong to everyone. I would add that each Fixed Star’s individual movement
(called “proper motion”) is so minute that the heavens appear to us much as they did
21
thousands of years ago. Antares, for instance, would take 170,000 years to move just one
degree, as seen from earth, 90, 000 years for Aldebaran. And you are right that the Vedics
don’t own the nakshatras, but they have developed them in a very specific and sophisticated
way that is uniquely Vedic, including the deities, the qualities, and the many mythologies
surrounding each nakshatra. An alternate orientation should not be superimposed on them,
and I don't think you mean that. But for instance, when anyone goes into a Hindu temple in
India, the only thing the priest wants to know about you before blessing you is where your
"birth star" is. This means the nakshatra where your birth Moon is situated in the sidereal
zodiac. This tells him the most important thing he needs to know about you – how your
mind works. It is a key factor to understanding the mind and personality of an individual. If
a Western tropical astrologer wants to use the Vedic nakshatras in the tropical zodiac, then I
would suggest the correct use would be very general in terms of the themes of the nakshatra
and its ruling deity.

There are great many details about these nakshatras which simply do not translate into the
tropical zodiac, which is going to keep shifting the zodiacal position of these nakshatras.
Vedic astrology regards the importance of both sign lords and nakshatra lords, and then
specific lords and sub-lords of each pada (quarter). Much about each and every
nakshatra derives its significance for all Vedic astrologers due to its specific zodiacal degrees
in the sidereal zodiac.

DKR: I realize that to a Vedic expert like yourself, each nakshatra has a myriad of meanings,
connotations and rules that reveal wonderful and useful information. Even if a tropicalist is
ignorant of these, he/she can still distill meaning from the mansion if they know the stars
that comprise it. This, I believe, can serve as a bridge between the two factions of our
beleaguered trade. We should build on this. Perhaps this conflict between the two zodiacs,
so damaging to the reputation of astrology among scientists, can eventually be reconciled by
the study and use of the real sky!

I think the debate we are having with nakshatras is that you (and I presume other Vedic
astrologers) are thinking of them in terms of their degree-spans and boundaries, while I,
coming from the deep past stuff when the star-groups were primary, am thinking of them in
21
Though the sidereal zodiac is not linked to the seasons (India has six seasons), Vedic astrology does
emphasize the northern path of the Sun (the path of the Gods, Uttarayana), and the southern path of the
Sun (the path of the Ancestors, Dakshinayana). Uttarayana starts from Winter solstice in the Northern
hemisphere (approx. Dec. 21) and ends at the Summer solstice in the Northern hemisphere (approx.
June 21), based on the Sun entering tropical Capricorn and Cancer, respectively. The Full Moon
calendar is important, but is not in total synch with the solar calendar. Lunar months are named by the
nakshatra where the Full Moon occurs. The Spring equinox is important as a measure for ayanamsha.
(Lahiri ayanamsha increases by 83 minutes or 1.4 degrees every 100 years.) The Vedic New Year is the
New Moon prior to Sun entering sidereal Aries. (EH)
Page 33

93
terms of the clusters of stars they inhabit. Don't worry here about determinants. Let's just
say that the determinants are telling us, in general, where the nakshatras originally resided.
And those original determinant stars have very distinct energies, which I believe gave each
nakshatra its identity!

EH: I strongly disagree! And if you had studied Vedic astrology, I think you might see it
differently. The nakshatras do not derive their basic identities from the Fixed Stars, just
because they are the “determinant stars.” The ancient Vedic culture was a lunar culture, the
entire philosophy of their tradition involving worship based on the Moon’s nakshatra
position, not its zodiacal sign. The “sky gazers” in this case were the Rishis, or Sages, who
were Enlightened beings. In their state of Super consciousness, they were able to see the past,
22
present and future. Observing the Moon’s daily passage, the average speed of the Moon
coincides with the exact length of the nakshatra: 13 degrees 20 minutes. The Moon’s sidereal
motion is also 27.3 days, another reason why there are 27 nakshatras and not 28, as in the
Chinese and Arabic lunar mansions. The Moon’s motion is hugely important, but we cannot
absolutely confirm whether the seers were more concerned with nakshatras as equal
segments, or as clusters of stars.

DKR: I don’t think it would have been possible for them to measure exact spans when
people looked at the sky, even if those distinct star groups (usually of prominent stars) would
have given them at least an idea of where a nakshatra began or ended. But because "an idea"
would not have been good enough for chart analysis, the precise spans, keeping pace with the
movement of the Moon, came into use to keep things orderly.

A nakshatra, to me, coming from the point of view of those antique sky-gazers, is a great deal
more than a set of degrees! If you are going to say that it is the exact degree span that is
primary, then you are doing with the nakshatras what tropicalists (and, yes, siderealists too),
have come to do with signs. That is, no matter what is going on in the sky visually, the exact
30 degree measurements from 0 Aries, from whatever sidereal fiducial point is chosen, are
now considered what is important.

That you and other Vedic astrologers use the exact degree spans is fine with me – I just want
everyone – siderealists and tropicalists alike, to know what is going on in the sky in that
degree span, or any degree span!

The stars and constellations are the ground we all stand on, whatever zodiac we espouse
(which is simply a matter of choosing different starting points and labeling planetary
positions accordingly). In that example of the pre-9/11 lunation – a siderealist looking at the
sky and a tropicalist looking at the sky are going to see Mars in the same place! To me, the
nakshatra (or manzil, or hsiu) that it is passing through has a message, and I can't accept that
nakshatras are solely for the use of the Vedic tradition – as long as one is careful to transpose
the degrees correctly, I believe it is quite proper for a tropicalist to say that a planet is in
such-and-such nakshatra, because a nakshatra is not, essentially, just a span of degrees; it is

22
In the Dec. 2000 issue of Discovery magazine, a British scientist explains a mathematical formula for
being able to see the past, present and future in the present moment, also possible in a Black Hole, and
achieved by the ancient Vedic seers, whose cognition of the universe precedes modern Science. (EH)
Page 34

94
also a place in the sky. The Vedic tradition, so detailed and complete in so many ways, has,
for the most part, lost its heavenly foundation. That's why I keep insisting, to both
siderealists and tropicalists, that they become aware of the stars.

EH: The nakshatra has never lost its heavenly foundation, though I will agree that most
23
Vedic astrologers today are not much focused on the Fixed Stars and their positions. Even
so, Vedic astrology has always been based on the observable, or constellational zodiac, which
is much more based on the Fixed Stars than is the tropical zodiac – which is seasonally
oriented. The meaning of the signs breaks down totally in the Southern hemisphere, while in
Vedic (sidereal) astrology the sign of Aries is not necessarily tied to the spring season but is
tied to the idea of qualities. And as the first sign, it is the sign of beginnings and initiations.

In the Vedic literature on nakshatras, the Fixed Stars are mentioned on a regular basis.
Classic Vedic texts like Surya Siddhanta mention their locations. The nakshatras form
constellations of Fixed Stars and certain Fixed Stars mark their prime and junction stars
(yogatara). The Vedanga Jyotish (ca. 1500 B.C.) confirms that ancient Vedic seers gave
planetary and even ascendant longitudinal placements only in terms of nakshatras. Sage
Parashara refers to comets as seen in various nakshatras.

Ancient Vedic literature has always referred to nakshatra placements at the time of the spring
equinox, or summer solstice. In the Vedanga Jyotish, the summer solstice ca. 1500 B.C. was in
Aslesha nakshatra (16:40 to 30:00 sidereal Cancer). In 2500 B.C. the spring equinox was in
Krittika nakshatra (26:40 Aries to 10:00 Taurus – sidereal). In 3100 B.C. the spring equinox
was in Rohini nakshatra (10:00 to 23:20 sidereal Taurus). The Harappan seal shows Krittika,
and the mature period of the Harappan culture of northwestern India is considered to have
24
spanned the period from 2800 to 1800 B.C. The nakshatras did not move into new degree
areas. Those remained the same. What changed was that the equinoxes and solstices were
observed to have changed THEIR starting points to coincide with these particular nakshatras,
25
always measured in the sidereal zodiac.

Vedic scholar David Frawley recently told me this:

“Vedic astrology has its own special method of polar longitude for determining stellar
positions. It connects the stars with a line from the pole position. This changes the
determination zodiacal placement of the Fixed Star, especially for stars located some distance
north or south of the zodiac, sometimes by several degrees. There is as yet no modern
astronomical program set up to calculate this.”

23
Ken Johnson is an exception. In his book Mansions of the Moon: the Lost Zodiac of the Goddess (2002),
he often refers to the Fixed Stars. For instance, he talks about how Arcturus adds to the meaning of
Swati, by being the star furthest from the ecliptic. He describes Swati Moon people as "Arcturus Moon
people" and "Arcturus folk." Thus Arcturus is the main star of Swati, but while the nakshatras are not
identical with their junction or primary stars, there is considerable connection between the two. (EH)
24
Source: In Search of the Cradle of Civilization: New Light on Ancient India, by George Feuerstein,
Subhash Chak, and David Frawley, 1995, p. 63. (EH)
25
As of April 1, 2010, the spring equinox occurs at 6:00 Pisces (Lahiri ayanamsha at 23:59.7) (EH)
Page 35

95
This would apparently mean that by doing a polar longitude calculation, a junction star such
as Antares is still in Jyestha nakshatra and easily within the boundary between the nakshatras.
26
Frawley has also said: “It could be argued that the signs arose from the Nakshatras.”

DKR: No, I don't agree. The nakshatras are indeed very ancient, but they are also quite
different from the signs. The Greek myths are very much connected to the sky figures, and I
have long suspected that many of their myths derived from the figures – or at least the
energies from each particular part of the sky – not the figures from the myths. But there's no
way of truly knowing that.

EH: The Vedic nakshatras apparently precede any use of zodiac signs in that system, at least.
The ancient Vedic texts are purely nakshatras. Greek and Egyptian myths also mirror the
Vedic nakshatras. In fact, Ken Johnson says: “The Greek interpretations of the important
Fixed Stars are exactly the same as the nakshatras, almost word for word…. The West slowly
lost this tradition during the Middle Ages. India never did.” David Frawley discusses the
Harappan seal found in India, and dated to around 2400 BCE, showing symbols clearly
identifying Mrigashirsha nakshatra (late Taurus/early Gemini), or Orion, and also Scorpio,
marking the other end of the zodiac. Frawley notes: “There is much commonality between
the constellations, the signs, and the Nakshatras that is worthy of exploration.” (Ibid.)

On the zodiac issue, another Vedic colleague Andrew Foss told me this recently: "The Fixed
Stars are where they are, as are the planets at any moment in time. The signs and nakshatras
are also fixed. The only thing that changes in the tropical zodiac is the distance from the
Vernal Equinox point. Stars don't change constellations because one uses the tropical zodiac
unless you make the nakshatras mobile, which is completely contrary to their fundamental
definition which is as fixed as the stars and is with reference to certain Fixed Stars within
them (yogataras).

Don't let anyone else's confusion confuse you. We must keep a grip on the fundamental
astronomy. The stars, planets and star groups (rashis and nakshatras) are as we see them in the
sky. How we measure their location is simply a matter of choice. We can measure starting from
the equinox or some fixed point, or whatever we like. That does not change or move anything. It
is just like time zones. Once they used to measure from Ujjain, and later they chose Greenwich.
London or Boston did not move anywhere or change countries because of this."

Andrew makes many good points. And in the end, I think it is about choosing the lens you want
to look through. What is your starting point? From there, what are you looking at? And can
that be superimposed on to a system that was not intended to be observed from that lens?
Beyond the transcendent symbols, each system has its underlying inherent symbolism, and we
cannot make cultural assumptions. Chinese astrology and culture, for instance, is very secretive
and assigns planetary attributes that differ from most other systems. In the past, I have made
many valid astrological observations using the tropical zodiac. Then I changed my lens to the
sidereal/Vedic. As we know, it is not the same as sidereal/Western – without the Vedic
orientation. That is why I say tropical/ Vedic is really stretching it, unless you are being very

26
Quoted in Dennis Harness’s The Nakshatras: The Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology, 1999, p. xvii. (EH)
Page 36

96
general, though apparently there is at least one Vedic astrologer (Ernst Wilhelm) using the
tropical zodiac for natal analysis, sidereal for dasa analysis. But that is extremely rare.

In any case, it will be very interesting to see how research on all this unfolds, with your concept
of original determinant stars versus standardized nakshatra spans. Your dual sign natal
orientation is uniquely equipped to put yourself in multiple lenses at the same time. You do that
brilliantly! The less adaptable and mentally adept astrologer will be more challenged in
maneuvering through the many layers and lenses you do with such enthusiasm!

15) EH: After researching and writing on this subject for over 30 years what do you think is
your contribution to what is already known on this subject? And what for you is the
highlight of your book?

DKR: I have written the book that I wish I could have had when I was first studying
astrology. I’ve tried to dig up the most ancient sources available, from every culture. Lunar
mansions (Hindu, Chinese and Arabic) are extremely ancient, so I have included them and
named their determinant stars. I kept inputting people and events to see if patterns emerged,
then I wrote up interpretations based upon what I found. In most cases, the quotations that
lead off each section are from people who have placements there. I did the illustrations
myself because I wanted to show them against the background grid of right ascension and
declination, with the names of the surrounding figures included to show where each one is in
relation to the others. I also included the major stars and DSOs. Some of my figures are
untraditional, but based on what I discovered – Auriga the Charioteer, for instance, is shown
as a war veteran in a wheelchair, because in the myth he was a person who invented the
chariot because he could not walk. What I found at those stars confirmed the myth, and
China had a military encampment at the same stars. Corona Borealis, usually shown as a
spiky metal crown, I have as a wedding wreath, because that’s what it is in the myth.
Ophiuchus is shown struggling with Serpens, instead of just holding him. There I used
Kepler’s Ophiuchus as a model. The Scales of Libra are shown with ghostly Scorpion’s claws
Page 37

97
behind them, because that’s what they were, earlier. Sagittarius has a wing in the place of the
usual flowing cloak, because the earliest depictions of him are winged. Aquarius was
described as a naked youth, so that’s what I made him. And so forth.

16) Diana K. Rosenberg: biography & commentary on her Vedic chart (by Edith Hathaway)

EH: What would you like people to know about you?

DKR: I’d like them to know my data and my current situation. Usually I tend to be pretty
free about details of my life. It’s a little awkward for me analyzing me, but I don’t mind if
you do it. And I am very interested in what the Vedic chart says, because I always intended
to study Vedic astrology.

EH: If you’d like a Vedic snapshot of your chart, I can do that, but only if you want.

DKR: I’d love it. Please go ahead.

EH: Okay, let’s give your chart details, and put it in the Vedic framework. Your birth data
is: April 9, 1933, 10:13 AM EST, New Rochelle, NY. Using the sidereal zodiac (Lahiri
ayanamsha), your birth Ascendant is 19:20 Gemini with Sun, Venus, and Mercury in Pisces in
the 10th house, and Mars, Ketu, and Jupiter in Leo in the 3rd house. (Ketu is the South lunar
node; Rahu is North lunar node.) Rahu is situated in Aquarius in the 9th house.) Moon is in
Virgo in the 4th house. Saturn is in Capricorn in the 8th house, good for longevity – so has
protected you for some time.

Diana K. Rosenberg
Sun. 4/9/1933 10:13:00
New Rochelle, NY

You have Gemini Ascendant with Pisces planets in both tropical and sidereal zodiacs. I see
that very much in working with you – how your Ascendant lord Mercury in a water sign is
very linked up with Jupiter. It’s in Jupiter’s sign and in Jupiter’s nakshatra. Mercury with
Jupiter, probably in most systems – has a lot to say, and doesn’t want to put limits on the
parameters. In any case, Gemini Ascendant gives a natural mental curiosity and versatility,
with diverse interests in life that are desire-driven. Gemini can be obsessed with making

Page 38

98
knowledge accessible, the cultural level depending on various factors, including the condition
of the classic benefic planets Venus and Jupiter. In your case both of them are very involved
with Mercury, including exalted Venus, which adds refinement. You have made your study
and your book on Fixed Stars in a very broad spectrum. You are dissatisfied with parameters
that seem artificially reduced, and Mercury-Jupiter defines this broad spectrum you have.

At the same time, Mercury-Jupiter also creates the most difficulties for your physical health,
as described by Vedic astrology. For instance, you have had allergy problems with pollen.
This is a watery situation related to lungs and breathing. Aside from Mercury in a water
sign, this is because Mercury and Jupiter are not planetary friends, and Jupiter can cause
problems for the Mercury-ruled Ascendant person. I will footnote the Vedic myth about
Jupiter and Tara, as that is helpful in understanding Mercury’s tension with both Jupiter and
27
the Moon.

This is further emphasized because you are in Mercury dasa (cycle) in the Vedic system, and
Jupiter is so linked with Mercury in your chart, and they are in 6-8 house relationship. That
is, Mercury is in the 8th house from Jupiter in Leo, and Jupiter is in the 6th house from
Mercury in Pisces. (When two planets are in 6th and 8th positions from each other, it is
called Shastashtaka – pronounced shas-TASH-ta-ka.) You are dealing with problems with the
pancreas (pancreatic cancer), and Jupiter is connected with sugar, which is what the pancreas
regulates.

DKR: Yes, and Jupiter can be careless, and too much of a good thing. And I ate too much!

EH: Well, and the fact that Jupiter is lord of both the sign and the nakshatra where
Ascendant lord Mercury resides, that is further emphasizing the Mercury-Jupiter connection.
We call the planet which is nakshatra lord Jiva, or the life force. So Jupiter is providing so
much that describes you! The same way you look at research is the way you regard food. It
would not be so if Mercury were not also your Ascendant lord, describing your physical
body. Who is to say where the boundaries are for that? And then we combine the fact that
you move into Mercury dasa, and your Ascendant lord Mercury comes into Center stage for
this time period. For you, this is from June 2000 for 17 years.

27
“In the Puranic myth, Mercury is born to Jupiter’s wife Tara, but is not his own child – though he is
later forced to accept him as his own. Mercury comes from the union of Tara and Soma – the Moon in
an incarnation as a man in this story. Mercury is finally accepted by Jupiter in large part to quell dissent
among the gods, and also because the child Mercury is so witty and clever; thus, the association of
Mercury with youthfulness, mischief, and sexual desire, sometimes bringing messy relations due to the
inability to settle for one choice and the unease with an abundance of confusing choices. Another
understanding from this teaching myth is Mercury’s relationship with both Jupiter and the Moon
(Soma). Though Mercury is heavily dependent on Jupiter for higher knowledge, and Jupiter’s aspect to
Mercury is considered the blessing of a guru, even so there is an uneasy relationship between them. The
same is true to some extent between Mercury and Moon, in spite of Moon’s acceptance of everyone.
(The Moon has no planetary enemies, whereas for Mercury – Moon is its enemy. Soma is the
interloper in the myth.)…Moon accepts Mercury as his true child, but to Jupiter he is a surrogate child.”
(EH, quoted from my upcoming book on Vedic astrology)

Page 39

99
DKR: May I comment on that? You said that I didn’t want any limits, any boundaries. It
was more that I didn’t want to take for granted what the other books said, even though with
Algol, right away I saw that most of it was true. But I wanted to see for myself.

EH: Right! And Jupiter is the planet of knowledge, after all.

DKR: Yes, and you can always tell them that my earliest two-word sentence – you know,
when babies first start connecting words – was: “BY SELF.” As in, I want to do it by
myself! My mother told me that. I wanted to cross the street without holding her hand.
And many things like that. With research, I wanted to see for myself: How do these stars
work – other than the famous ones? How many of them do work? I wasn’t into the
constellations at all at first. That was one of the things that evolved. But it wasn’t just not
wanting boundaries. I wanted to see what I could see. And I threw all this data in to see
what emerged, whether it was a lot of fires, volcanoes, tsunamis, whatever. In terms of
people, it could be a lot of Low lifes, or Empire builders.

EH: Was your pioneering spirit enticed by the fact that there wasn’t very much about it out
there?

DKR: Yes, yes. For instance, very early on, I realized I could sell my little work book on
Fixed Stars – which I created simply for myself to work in and study. And people kept
asking me for xeroxes of it. All it had was what was in Robson and Ebertin. But nonetheless,
it was all put in one place, and with up-to-date positions. And that was valuable to people.
But I kept asking: Can anyone direct me to a teacher of Fixed Stars? And finally someone
said to me: “Diana, you’re the teacher. You know more than anyone else.” And I realized
that by that time it was true.

EH: That’s wonderful! Now to recap: From your Gemini Ascendant, your natal Sun, Venus
and Mercury are all in Pisces in the 10th house. Your Mars, Ketu, and Jupiter are all in Leo in
the 3rd house from the Ascendant. But those planets are all in the 6th house from the Pisces
planets, while the Pisces planets are in the 8th house from all the Leo planets. The fact that
the Leo planets are all in the 3rd house from the Ascendant – this is the 8th house from the 8th,
which is a kind of setup for obstacles and setbacks. And of course, 8th house is also research.
You did all this research, but it wasn’t easy. It took you much longer than expected doing
the research, and getting the material to publication. The lord of 9th house of publishing is in
the 8th house of loss and setbacks. So we know it wouldn’t be easy for you to go about it.

DKR: Well, on the other hand, I enjoyed it SO MUCH! And now I want to say something
before I forget. For some reason the 8th house has something to do with the universe, the sky,
etc. Maybe that’s why when Uranus came along, some people decided it was exalted in
Scorpio. And I find that a lot of times when I’m looking for something connected to the sky,
I’ll find it in Scorpio, or the 8th house. And I don’t know what the connection is, but there it
is.
Page 40

100
EH: Well, in the Vedic chart Saturn in its own sign in the 8th house is good for longevity. So
that Saturn in your 8th house has protected you for a long time, especially during its 19-year
dasa, from June 19, 1981 through June 19, 2000.

DKR: Yes, and it’s in its own sign tropically too, because it’s in Aquarius. The 8th house is
also a house of financial wealth, and actually financial wealth doesn’t interest me at all. I
don’t even research it very much, though interestingly, I did find that the strongest sign for
wealth tropically was Aries. And would you believe it? My Sun is exactly in Revati
nakshatra? This is supposed to be a nakshatra of wealth, and I can make a strong point about
this: I am not, nor have I ever been – wealthy.

But my father’s father was very wealthy. He was a self-made man, a cigar manufacturer.
And he did leave some money for my sister and me, which was immediately gobbled up by
his greedy relatives. My mother was at a grave disadvantage. She divorced my father when I
was about four years old, in an era when divorce was still rare and a real stigma. She didn’t
have enough money to pay a good lawyer, and decided she was so fed up with that family
anyway – she didn’t want to have anything more to do with them. That’s Saturn in the 8th,
you know. During my childhood, money was a big issue in the family when I was growing
up, with arguments and fights about it swirling over my head. It affected me very much and
it made me move away from wanting to have anything to do with money.

Page 41

101
I didn’t want to consider money any more than I had to. Maybe that was why I have never
had much money or interest in making any, and it drove my husband crazy, because it put a
burden on him! So with wealth, I have Saturn in the 8th, and was denied the inheritance.
But the Sun, ruler of my 2nd house – is 19 degrees Aries tropically. It’s at the star Revati,
which is at the ecliptic.

EH: True. Your Sun at 19 Aries is the tropical equivalent of 26:23 Pisces sidereally, so in
Revati nakshatra, whose span is 16:40 to 30:00 Pisces in the sidereal zodiac. But in your Vedic
chart, Leo is the 3rd house, using whole sign houses. So in Vedic terms, your Sun rules the 3rd
house, not the 2nd house.

DKR: Both the star and the Lunar mansion of Revati are supposed to be wealthy.

EH: Yes, the Sanskrit word Revati means “wealthy.” But this is where I think that freely
interchanging the tropical and sidereal zodiacs may be interesting for research, but in
practical chart analysis it breeds confusion. We have to go to a deeper level of the Vedic
chart, and consider that just because your Venus and Sun are both in Pisces in Revati
nakshatra – that does not guarantee financial wealth, even with Venus near its maximum
exaltation in Pisces.

We have to consider what houses these planets rule – the ones occupying Revati. And that
differs from the Western tropical chart to the Vedic sidereal chart. (The Vedic orientation is
generally whole sign houses, no matter what degree is on the Ascendant. And though we
have other ways of assessing houses, this is the primary one.) Also, the house and the
planets have to be well aspected, and the lords of the sign and the nakshatra should be
unafflicted for best results. Since Mercury, as Revati nakshatra lord, is debilitated, though
Neecha Banga (i.e. corrected over time through Venus), this is one factor changing the results
for wealth, and has implications for physical health as well. Due to its exaltation, Venus
helps to “correct” and elevate this Mercury, and benefits your life both through your zest for
knowledge and through your children. These are both associated with the Venus-ruled 5th
house. In the Navamsa chart, the 5th house lord (Moon) is also exalted, doubling the impact.

The deity Pushan, the nurturer, rules over Revati, so this nakshatra also gives a very
nourishing quality to the person, which you have. Further, Pushan is a finder of lost things
and lost animals. This may apply to your research of the Fixed Stars! Its symbol is the drum,
which being an instrument for keeping time, relates to the whole sense of time and rhythm,
musical or otherwise. Your love for dance is shown here. Your research has also shown more
wealthy people in tropical Aries. Not only would those have been likely to coincide with the
13 degree 20 minute span of Revati nakshatra, but the planetary positions would have to be
28
unafflicted and related to wealth in the Vedic sidereal chart.

28
A stunning example of this is the chart of American financier J. Pierpont Morgan, founder of J.P.
Morgan & Co., born April 17, 1837, 3:00 AM, Hartford, CT. His Vedic chart has Aquarius Ascendant,
with Venus exalted to the maximum degree, at 27:15 Pisces in the 2nd house of income. The 2nd house
lord Jupiter is also exalted in Cancer in the 6th house. This brought huge wealth and huge conflicts
(Jupiter in the 6th house), with Morgan twice rescuing the U.S. govt. from bankruptcy. His Sun and
Saturn are also exalted. (EH)
Page 42

102
Mercury’s sign lord here is Jupiter, which is six houses away – bringing conflict in these
matters. Mercury is at 2:17 Pisces, and debilitated in this sign, whose lord is not a planetary
friend to Mercury, and – as noted earlier – there is a 6-8 house relationship between Mercury
and Jupiter: not at all easy on many levels. Mercury could have been raised up by Jupiter,
but was not. The translation is that there was financial wealth in the family, but it was
mostly destroyed before it could be passed on to you. Even so, you were protected to some
degree by your husband (also Jupiter in a Gemini Ascendant chart, as ruler of Sagittarius, the
7th house), and by your ability to learn and educate yourself (Jupiter, as significator of
knowledge). Jupiter in the 12th house from your Moon shows charitable giving, and despite
relative lack of financial wealth, you have given to charities to alleviate suffering by people
or animals.

You have said your husband was “kindly, but extremely tight-fisted with money.” This is
described astrologically by Saturn in the 8th house (2nd house from the 7th house of partner).
But it helps that Saturn is in its own sign. Some degree of financial protection also comes
from your two children (Venus as 5th lord), who are both successful.

Fortunately, Venus is the best planet for Gemini Ascendant, so it is serving you well in the
birth chart, and brings much closeness to your children and good fortune to them. Venus
exalted in an angle of your chart is a great blessing for you, especially as your best planet. It
is called a Mahapurusha (MAH-ha pu-RUH-sha) yoga, in this case a Malavya (mah LAV-ya)
29
yoga, specific to Venus. This yoga brings beauty, learning, and sensual pleasures, but in
th
the 10 house it is especially associated with learning you can share with the public. Venus
in Pisces brings a devotional aspect to it. You give everything to it, as if on an altar.

However, another major factor for the Vedic astrologer is analyzing each planet in the
Navamsa (9th harmonic) chart. Venus is more fraught in the Navamsa chart, where it is in the
11th house in Capricorn closely contacting Rahu, opposite Saturn-Mercury-Ketu in Cancer,
and aspected by Mars. Navamsa Venus receives aspects from three classical malefic planets,
capable of separating you from whatever that planet offers. Vedically, this shows there could
be money problems or sacrifices incurred in the family during your first major or minor
Venus dasa. From birth to age 7, you were in Moon dasa and in Moon-Venus dasa (i.e.
Venus sub-cycle) from April 19, 1938 to Dec. 19, 1939. This coincided exactly with the time
when your parents split up and your mother was disinherited from any wealth from her
former father-in-law, since she initiated the separation and divorce. (For your own children,
it shows more exotic choices of career and life paths, with Navamsa Venus near Rahu-Ketu.
Your daughter is an actress and your son is in media technology, both relatively “exotic”
professions – even if media technology seems central to our modern life.)

29
Only five planets can have this status: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. They must be in
their own sign or exalted, and in an angle from the Ascendant. They must also possess inherent
strength. (EH)

Page 43

103
 Diana K. Rosenberg
Sun. 4/9/1933
10:13:00
New Rochelle, NY

DKR: I love it when you do the Vedic analysis of the chart.

EH: Thanks. We can go a bit further then. But first, I wanted to bring in how this whole
configuration also fits in with your discovery about your husband, many years after you
married. A long time after you started studying astrology in the 1970s, you looked back at
your marriage chart, and you thought those planetary patterns were more appropriate for a
business contract. When you put all the factors together (astrological and otherwise), you
then suspected your husband may have married you for the money he assumed you would
inherit. When you confronted him about it, he admitted how “ashamed” he was of doing
that. So there was another whole theme of conflict around money that you were unaware of
until the astrology revealed it to you many years later.

DKR: Yes, my husband was good at hiding things, but when I told him that I thought he
had married me for money, he turned instantly as white as a sheet, so I knew it was true.
We were together a long time – just over 35 years from when we married. We lived together
from Nov. 1954 until summer 1976, about 22 years. Then we remained friends, but lived
apart. Even so, we shared many social occasions with our children. We never divorced up
until his death in Jan. 1990.

EH: Let’s give that marriage date and time: Nov 25, 1954, 12:20 PM EST (time approx.), New
York, N.Y. Yes, I see what you mean. The Vedic chart has a New Moon in Scorpio in the
10th house of career, and in your own 6th house. (The exact New Moon at 9:28 Scorpio was at
7:30 AM EST that day, just five hours earlier.) Venus is retrograde, not good for marriage. It
is in Libra tightly contacting Mercury and Saturn, also in Libra. This Mercury loses the
planetary war (Graha Yuddha) with Venus, and so loses power dramatically. You said there
were major communication issues in your marriage, and that he refused to talk when it came

Page 44

104
to discussing problems between you. This would create a lot of tension for a Gemini
Ascendant person, whose symbol Vedically is the intertwined couple. (It seems Gemini is
much more associated with sexual desire in the Vedic system than in the Western system.)

Diana Rosenberg -
marriage
Thu. 11/25/1954
12:20:00
New York, NY

The marriage chart has an Aquarius Ascendant (sidereal zodiac) between 12:11 and 1:23 PM
EST. Mars is in the Ascendant aspecting the 7th house. So I would agree with you that the
planetary signatures here are more about work than marriage. But with Sun and Moon in
the fixed sign of Scorpio, aspected by Jupiter – at least it did endure. And you remained
friends for 14 years after the 22 years you lived together and raised your children. The
sidereal fixed signs were angular, and Sun and Moon were both in Anuradha nakshatra, ruled
by Mitra, the deity of friendship, human solidarity, and respect for laws and treaties. The
Libra planets are in a good house, the 9th house. You were married on a Thursday, Jupiter’s
day, with retrograde Jupiter exalted in Cancer in the 6th house. Its close aspect to the Sun
and Moon in Scorpio was crucial for the longevity of the marriage – though as you say,
coming from the 6th house and aspecting the 10th house speaks more of a business contract
than marriage, especially with Mars on the Ascendant. This is just looking at the marriage
chart, and not at either of your birth charts. The Moon is newly waxing, thus invisible from
the earth. The bride was also perhaps not really seen by the groom, or in the context of the
marriage. You have described yourself as being “chained” in this marriage, and you related
this to having your tropical Aries planets aligned with the figure of Andromeda, the Chained
Woman. Sidereally, those planets would be in Pisces.

In your Vedic birth chart, you have a Full Moon chart across the Virgo-Pisces axis: Sun in
Pisces, Moon in Virgo. You have four planets in dual signs, along with the dual sign
Ascendant. The dual (or mutable) signs give the most versatile person.

Page 45

105
DKR: Well, I do feel I’m very Piscean. It’s very hard for me to tell, because in the tropical I
have Mercury-North Node and Midheaven in Pisces, and my Sun is in Aries. It’s very
difficult for me to tell how much of it is sidereal (Sun, Venus and Mercury in Pisces), and
how much of it is that I have three things there tropically.

EH: Do you get insights in your dreams? Flashes of intuition at random moments?

DKR: No, first of all I almost never remember my dreams. I get insights while I’m working,
and I get some of my best ideas when I'm in the bathtub! (Must be my Neptune conjunct
Jupiter!)

EH: I’d lay it on your three planets in Pisces: Sun, Mercury and Venus in the 10th house.
Two of those planets relate to the physical body: the Sun and Ascendant lord Mercury.
Albert Einstein also has Sun, Mercury, and Venus in Pisces, with Gemini Ascendant, same
as yours, his at 19:28 Gemini, very close to yours at 19:20 Gemini, giving you both the Pisces
Navamsa Ascendant, emphasizing the Pisces qualities.

DKR: (Laughing) Oh, well go ahead and compare!

EH: Einstein also has Saturn in Pisces, very close to Mercury. So in his case he was not
talking until he was eight or nine years old.

DKR: That wasn’t true of me. I was jabbering away from an early age.

Page 46

106
EH: We can compare your early Dasas in the Vimshottari system. For Einstein, he was born
in Mercury dasa, and entered Ketu dasa at age nine, just after completing 20 months of
Mercury-Saturn dasa. His natal Mercury in Pisces was within two degrees of his natal
Saturn, and in the end gave him extraordinary focus and intellectual abilities, but caused
delays in his ability to speak in coherent sentences. This was obviously not due to lack of
intelligence, but to his own innate eccentricities. Your earliest childhood period was Moon
dasa – from birth, and you have a Full Moon in Virgo in Hasta nakshatra, symbolizing the
hand. You wanted “hands-on” experience from an early age, and not to have your hand held
when crossing the street! You are good with your hands, and have enjoyed doing handicrafts,
especially embroidery and mosaics. You also learned crochet, knitting and stained glass
work, and have done the original illustrations for your book on Fixed stars. When Moon is
in the 4th house, as yours is, it is considered Dig Bala, or best possible angular house position.
Your Full Moon also gave you plenty of verve and early speech, as Moon is the lord of your
2nd house of speech. For that matter, Sun is Dig Bala in the 10th house, so that too is a boon.

DKR: Of course Moon is also mother. My mother was quite bitter that she was stuck with
the whole responsibility of raising my sister and me. She worked (very hard) to support us.
My sister was jealous of me but had to look after me while Mom worked. And I did have a
lot of difficulties with my mother. She was a very controlling person. I think she may have
been Sagittarius in both zodiacs. Anyway, I was not an easy child to raise, I’ll say that for
her. But I had a lot of conflicts with her, and I also did a very Piscean thing, which was to try
to disappear myself. Part of that is Pluto rising square my tropical Aries Sun.

EH: So what would you do? How did you hide?

DKR: It’s not that. I disliked myself, because I was constantly criticized. And I daydreamed
a lot. The huge money arguments in the family just made life at home more wretched. I was
fine when I was alone. I read a lot and daydreamed and built my own inner world. But it
wasn’t too many years ago now that I realized my daydreams never contained Diana.
Usually when people daydream, they daydream themselves in a love relationship, or a heroic
deed, or something like that. Diana did not exist in the daydreams. I deleted Diana. I did
not like Diana. And at one point in my life I had a very severe nervous breakdown.

EH: Yes, you mentioned that. You said it was around 1966-67. And the fact that you had
just entered Jupiter dasa is extremely important. (That was June 19, 1965 – for 16 years.)
Jupiter’s rulership over Mercury extends the whole theme of sacrifice that is described by
Pisces. This is emphasized even more so with Venus in Pisces, exalted there to the
maximum degree, and yours is approaching that, within a few degrees. There is often a major
sacrifice in life, often through love matters. And look at how you sacrificed a lot to stay in
that marriage, and to stay close to your children.

DKR: That was instinctive. I didn’t say: “Oh, I am going to sacrifice myself for my
children.”

EH: No, but your children are involved with Venus, being the 5th house lord.

Page 47

107
DKR: It was a natural thing for me to say: “I’m not going to leave the marriage.” First of all
he might have gotten custody. I just followed my instincts. And also, my maternal
grandmother was an influence. She was a Catholic, from a Cuban family. She had a lot to do
with my upbringing, because my mother had to work.

My grandmother had Venus in Cancer on the Midheaven tropically. She was Catholic,
Spanish-speaking, traditional, an archetypal matriarch, loving and warm. She also had the
Leo pride. She had four children, ten grandchildren, and loved children. She had a chance to
go to college (unusual at that time), but turned it down to have the traditional motherhood
role. She was a role model for me, and she was the most nurturing member of the family.
She married a German-Jewish medical student – Irving D. Steinhardt. Her name was Clara
Aurora Luis, and she was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. of aristocratic Cuban parents. She was
patrician, and very regal. Her father was a close friend of José Marti, who was like Cuba’s
Abraham Lincoln. He was a medical clinician and a gun-runner for Cuba in the Spanish
American War, when Cuba was trying to achieve independence from Spain. My
grandmother Clara was torn between pride and embarrassment of her father, who was jailed
as a gun-runner for Cuba. She married a German/Jewish medical student, as I said. He
developed a medical practice in New York City as a pediatric orthopedist. He was also very
active in the Boy Scouts, and ran a troop. He died in the 1940s. These grandparents born in
the 1870s and 1880s were an important early influence for me. They probably contributed to
my streak of conservatism culturally, though I am a liberal politically.

My paternal grandfather was a Hungarian Jew. He left Hungary and came to the U.S.,
settling first in the Midwest (Ohio, I think), then later came to New York. He built up a
cigar manufacturing company, and became very wealthy. He was the source of the family
wealth. But “family wealth” was certainly not part of my experience. Saturn in the 8th house
cut me off from that. He blamed my mother for the divorce, which in those days was a great
disgrace, and cut her off totally. He barely had anything to do with me and my sister.

EH: Back to Mercury and its connection to speech and language ability. Were you good at
languages? You must have had other languages spoken all around you.

DKR: I can mimic an accent, but I’m not good at languages and not good at memorization.
My family didn’t want me to learn Spanish. Clara, my Cuban grandmother had five sisters
who were always gossiping together in Spanish, and they didn’t want me to be able to
understand what they were saying! One of the most repeated stories in the family was this
one: After her marriage to Irving Steinhardt, Clara was at the butcher shop asking for a
specific cut of meat. She overheard the staff saying in Spanish to give her some old piece
from the back room. Since Steinhardt is certainly not a Spanish-sounding name, they
obviously had no idea she understood until she let out a stream of invectives in Spanish that
sent them running for their best possible cut! They never messed with her again.

EH: What a great story! And one way of looking at Mercury in Pisces is as language or
expression that can be used either to hide something, or to choose to reveal it, especially
something which has not been generally known – such as Fixed Stars.

Page 48

108
A debilitated Mercury, or Mercury in a water sign can be very intuitive, as we know. But it is
not ideal for memorization of language or of facts, which can leak out the memory door, so to
speak, as if through a sieve. (This is my own analogy.) I should add that you’re in famous
company. In addition to Mercury in Pisces, Albert Einstein also had natal Moon debilitated
in Scorpio in the 6th house. As his 2nd house lord of speech, this Moon added to his Mercury-
Saturn problem, and gave him that initial disadvantage, to the point where his early teachers
expected him to achieve very little in life. Furthermore, his Moon was in Jyestha nakshatra
ruled in turn by debilitated Mercury. Sign lord Mars was in the 8th house – a difficult house,
though in Capricorn, an exalted sign for Mars. After finishing Mercury-Saturn dasa, his
language problem was resolved. That was at age nine. In your case, your natal Saturn is in
Capricorn and so has a little more distance from Mercury, as it aspects the planet. It helps to
focus the Mercury without stopping it. They are planetary friends, so Saturn can give some
good structure and focus to Mercury, especially when one of them is ruler of the Ascendant,
as is as your Mercury.

When we look at your 30-plus years of dedication to collecting data for study of the Fixed
30
Stars, we can also point to this Mercury in Pisces aspected by Saturn in Capricorn. You
see the vastness of the Universe as symbolized by these billions and billions of Fixed Stars
(very Piscean), and you want to gather them up and study as many of them as you can. You
don’t want to be limited in the scope of your study, but Saturn helps you to focus your
attention on patterns revealed from your ever-increasing collection of birth data, what you
call your “Data Monster.”

You were saying that your mother worked after your parents split up.

DKR: Yes. My parents split when I was about three or four years old. You see that with the
Sun directed to Uranus (in my Western tropical chart). And my father was severely manic-
depressive. I loved him. He was my handsome daddy, and he indulged me. But what did I
know? Years later I understood he was utterly dishonest in money dealings. That was part of
the disease, I think. And my mother was certainly right to divorce him. My father was
terribly unstable, and when he went into a manic phase he was impossible. He wouldn’t
sleep. He would talk non-stop, and drive everyone batty. He would borrow money and
never return it. Later I found out he had never intended to return it. He was typical Pisces,
probably sidereal Aquarius. And because he couldn’t hold a job, he stayed home and read all
day long. So he was extremely well read, knowledgeable, and encyclopedic. And I think that
side of me comes from him.

Later in his life, people who knew him simply as a friend in a church group, or elsewhere,
loved to go to museums with him, because he knew so much, and he was so entertaining as a
raconteur. People said that at his funeral. And my kids adored him. They couldn’t
understand why I suddenly blew up at him one day. They didn’t know and had never seen
him in his worst phases.

30
This is a classical Vedic aspect for Saturn, which aspects houses 1, 3, 7, and 10 from itself, always
forward in the zodiac, in whole sign houses. (EH)
Page 49

109
EH: In Vedic astrology, we look at the father as the Sun, but also as 9th house lord. (That is
South Indian, which I use. North Indian prefers 10th house lord for father.) In your case, 9th
lord Saturn is in the 8th house of loss. So there is the loss of the father in some way.

DKR: By the time I was six I knew how unstable he was. It put a lot of pressure on me,
because he would announce to everybody: “Diana and I have a wonderful relationship. We
adore each other!” And I’m sitting there, hearing this, and thinking “No.” But I couldn’t say
so. The family was enraged with him, and I was the only one speaking to him. I couldn’t do
that to him. The Piscean sympathy and compassion came in there, and I just could not say
to him: “No, Dad. That’s not true.” And so I was caught in the middle.

EH: Oh my – very tough, especially for a young child…. Okay, let’s move on a bit and
discuss another point in your Vedic chart. Have you heard of the term maraka? (pronounced
MAH-ra-ka).

DKR: No, I don’t think so.

EH: Maraka is a Sanskrit word, and is something Western tropical astrologers don’t tend to
like about Vedic astrology because it’s one of those more definitive associations – similar to
the ones around many of the Fixed Stars. Maraka planets are considered “death-producing.”
Length of life is not solely determined by Maraka, but it is a factor. There are different ones
depending on the birth chart Ascendant. With a few exceptions, the 2nd and 7th house lords
from the birth chart Ascendant are usually Maraka planets. Natal Moon is not assigned that
role, and since that is 2nd house lord for Gemini Ascendant, only Jupiter, as 7th house lord, is
Maraka for your Ascendant.

You like derived houses. Think of derived houses here. The reason it is 2nd and 7th house
lords is that the 7th house is the 12th house (of loss) from the 8th house (of longevity). The 3rd
house is also considered a house of longevity, being the 8th house from the 8th. Since the 2nd
house is 12th house from the 3rd, it too becomes Maraka. Albert Einstein died eight months
prior to the start of his 16-year Jupiter dasa, at age 76. He died in his Rahu-Mars dasa, these
two planets being in the 8th house in his birth chart. But even with a better placement of
Jupiter than yours (his was in Aquarius in the 9th house), that Jupiter would not favor
longevity during its sub-Dasa, and especially its Maha (or major) dasa, being the Maraka
planet for Gemini Ascendant.

There are two groups of planetary friends in Vedic astrology: Sun, Moon, Mars and Jupiter
are in one group; Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and Rahu are in another group. Rahu is Saturn-
like, so is often included with the 2nd group. Ascendant lord is always a friend, so Mercury’s
friends are Venus, Saturn and Rahu. To recap, Jupiter is not a friend to Mercury, and they
are in 6-8 house relationship to each other. From this combination, we know there is going to
be some conflict for you in matters symbolized by each of these planets, individually, and in
relation to each other.

Why could this cause problems to your health? Because it is related to your Ascendant lord
Mercury. Mercury is not only in the sign of Pisces, owned by Jupiter, but in a nakshatra
owned by Jupiter, Uttara Bhadra Pada. This spells major problems for Mercury in connection
Page 50

110
with Jupiter, but it also describes some of the basic things about you, and these are assets as
well, being mentally stimulated by so many things in the process of your research. You have
mentioned the nervous breakdown you suffered soon after the start of your 16-year Jupiter
dasa in June 1965: an overload of the nervous system.

You spoke of a tendency to eat too much, and too many sweets. Jupiter is associated with
sweet tastes, and when there is an imbalance, there can be either a lack of sweets or a craving
for sweets, as in your case. That is on the physical level, which has set up a disease centered
in your pancreas, whose job it is to regulate the sugar (glucose) level in the body, and to
produce insulin in just the right amounts to control the constant level of glucose in the body.

With your three planets in Pisces (Mercury, Venus, and Sun), and three planets in Leo
(Mars, Ketu (or South lunar node), and Jupiter), when you are in a major period or sub-
period of planets combining from these two houses, especially with Mercury, as Ascendant
lord, you have the possibility of the Mercury-Jupiter problem coming up. For you, this could
start sometime during the 17-year Mercury dasa (in the Vimsottari Dasa system). This began
for you on June 19, 2000. The Ketu sub-period came earlier (Nov. 15, 2002 through Nov. 13,
2003), and could have brought some health issues. But even more demanding would be the
unbroken sequence of Mars, Rahu and Jupiter sub-periods within the Mercury dasa. These
occur as follows:

Mercury-Mars: Dec. 18, 2008 through Dec. 16, 2009

Mercury-Rahu: Dec. 16, 2009 through July 4, 2012
Mercury-Jupiter: July 4, 2012 through Oct. 10, 2014

Since Mercury and Mars are planetary enemies, the Mars sub-period was due to produce a
greater than usual number of problems. Heightening the Mercury-Mars contact even further
is the fact that natal Mercury and Mars are both very close to their Stationary Direct degrees.
The dasas work regardless of transits, eclipses, or any other factors, although those too can be
corroborating factors. You said your diagnosis of pancreatic cancer came in April 2009, and
31
your surgery on May 21, 2009. All of this was within Mercury-Mars dasa.

During this period you also had some major difficulties which could be summarized as
conflicts experienced in the process of trying to publish your book on Fixed Stars. There was
even some litigation involved, which is not surprising, given that Mars is in the 6th house (of
conflict) from Dasa lord Mercury. Of course, Mars does well in the 6th house. But this
destiny comes into play during Mercury-Mars dasa in particular. Mars aspects Mercury, but
not vice versa. (Vedic astrologers view the Dasa lord as an important Sub-Ascendant, and
that applies during its Maha Dasa – or major period.)

31
I am focusing here on the Vimshottari dasas, but Vedic astrology also considers the Sade sati a pivotal
lifetime period. This is the (on average) 7 1/2 year period when Saturn transits houses 12, 1, and 2 from
natal Moon. Diana’s current Sade Sati began when Saturn entered sidereal Leo July 15, 2007. The second
phase began when tr. Saturn entered Virgo from Sept. 9, 2009, coinciding with the Mercury-Mars dasa.
(EH)
Page 51

111
One’s physical well-being comes into sharp focus during the Dasa of the Ascendant lord of
the birth chart, as do the matters over which Mercury rules. This includes communications,
writing, and publishing. The Mars aspect to Mercury galvanizes it and sharpens the intellect
and the ability to speak concisely and even with wit – which you have, but also with the
possibility of controversy, since Mars adds heat and gives courage to speak out when needed.
32
Mercury is also aspected by Saturn, giving it depth and seriousness, and the tendency to
clarify and edit. Saturn’s aspect to Mercury can also bring delays, as it has done in the
publication of your book, which you had hoped to publish several years ago – not an
uncommon experience for authors!

Jupiter’s connections to Mercury here give difficulties, but also many assets – including the
tendency to have much to say, and to speak or write voluminously. Since Mercury is
debilitated in Pisces, one goes through periods in life of feeling “less than” and at times
victimized. What lifts up this Mercury, and provides corrective action for it is its proximity
to exalted Venus, within four degrees of its maximum exaltation. This creates what in Vedic
astrology is called a Neecha Banga Raja yoga. The planet (in this case Mercury) starts from a
place of disadvantage, and then gets elevated over time. You admired the knowledge your
father had, and tried to emulate it. But in this case, the reason he was able to read so much
and broaden his knowledge was because he couldn’t hold a job. This provided some early
conflict for you around knowledge itself: What is it good for?

Though Mercury is debilitated, Venus gives it some correction, but does not entirely remove
the affliction. However, this yoga can elevate the person to a higher level of understanding
and compassion. A higher status and level of achievement is implied. In your case, Diana,
you have described in your life story how you were unable to get a higher education, but also
in many ways you were resistant to it, and refused to study what you were supposed to
study. Your father’s example taught you that knowledge could be problematic. Nor did you
trust the Master’s degree your mother had attained.

Since Mercury for Gemini Ascendant also rules the 4th house of education, home, and
mother, we know these may be some problematic issues, especially with Mars dasa running
from ages 7 to 14. Tell me about your education, all of it in New York City. Yes?

DKR: Yes, I went to Hunter College Elementary School, then Hunter High. (Latin was a
required subject, and now I wish I had applied myself. I could have used that!) I hated school
and was in full-scale rebellion. I refused to do homework, etc. My mother had gone to school
there and taught there, and everyone remembered her and expected me to be like her. They
were about to expel me, and then the High School of Performing Arts opened (the school
featured in the movie Fame) and I auditioned for the Drama dept. and made it. I had to go
back one year to get in, but I didn't care. I was so relieved to be out of Hunter! I was still not
a good student, but it was much better for me than Hunter, and I managed to get a High
school diploma. I then started at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, but it was the
spring semester and I suffered horribly from spring allergies. (Pollen allergies have always
been a major health problem.) Antihistamines were very new and undeveloped then, so it

32
As with Saturn, which has its own special aspects, Mars aspects houses 1, 4, 7, and 8 from itself,
forward in the sidereal zodiac. (EH)
Page 52

112
was either suffer without them, or take them and fall into a heavy, drugged sleep. Not only
that, but I had some unpleasant experiences at college, and then I had a bad fall down a flight
of stairs and landed in the local hospital. I think I may have – subconsciously – done that to
myself. I had to get out of there.

After about a month of recuperation, my mother gave me an ultimatum: "You either have to
go to college somewhere, or you have to get a job." I got a file clerk's job at NBC (National
Broadcasting Company) for the summer while I took speedwriting, then got a secretarial job
at a small office, and started studying ballet, which at the time was my great love. I was
much too old to start studying seriously, but I looked much younger than my real age, so I
lied and got into the School of American Ballet (the Balanchine NYC Ballet school, which
had a special program for older beginners). I was about 18, but I went in wearing braids and
carrying schoolbooks and told them I was 14. They looked at me hard and said "You're not
14!" "You are not a day over 12!" Whew! Then I met Werner (a Holocaust survivor), got
married at 21, got pregnant at 23, and that was the end of my ballet "career” – though I did get
enough training to be able to teach later on.

EH: At age 18, you would have been in Rahu-Jupiter dasa (March 1, 1950 up through July 25,
1952), and that would bring some excesses in the process of self-discovery and rebellion, but
also some possible change of luck (being a classical benefic). Also, Jupiter is in the 7th house
(of partnership) from Rahu, and aspects the 7th house in the Gemini Ascendant birth chart,
and so can bring a partner or partners around this time. (In classical Vedic astrology, only
Jupiter is allowed to form a trine aspect – 120 degrees.)

You distrusted academia, and you preferred the world of performing arts to that of academia.
You chose the world of dance and ballet in particular, which gets special attention in Pisces,
ruling over the feet, and also in the 3rd house in Vedic astrology. Six out of nine of your natal
planets are in one of these two (whole sign) houses: Pisces or Leo. You pretended to be years
younger to qualify, which is another shifting quality that Pisces (or any of the dual signs
might have), especially a dual water sign – which is more emotional than all the other dual
signs. This was your escape from a more rigid and conventional education, which you
rejected in part because of your experience in that setting and because of your mother.
Though she was a good student, her diligence didn’t impress you.

DKR: Yes, I always assumed her Master’s degree was in Literature. Only later I accidentally
discovered it was in Psychology. (She was cleaning out a closet one day and I saw the framed
diploma.) My shock was so great, I began to giggle and then laugh hysterically. She had
no idea why. My mother, a control freak who couldn't get along with anyone in the family
for more than two minutes and was considered to have a "personality disorder" – she had a
Master’s in Psychology. From that moment on I recognized that academic credentials mean
very little. Yes, they do show that you worked hard to get them, and I do respect that, but
they are NO guarantee of superior knowledge! And in order to get them, you have to toe the
academic line and spout back to the professors what they want or expect to hear. Forget
astrology, psychic research, the psychological roots of disease, karma, etc. I think Uranus
conjunct Sun makes me too independent-minded to settle into an academic routine.

Page 53

113
EH: Apropos the need for freedom from a rigid education, I tend to see it in the context of a
controlling mother (Moon in the 4th house) and education (also Moon in the 4th house, ruled
by Mercury in Pisces, in turn in conflict with Jupiter, ruler of Pisces.) Later on, the job you
had for the longest period of time was as a dance teacher, and later on as a legal proofreader.

DKR: Yes, I worked as a Dance teacher at the YMCA’s Morningside Dance Center in
Manhattan in the West 60’s Lincoln Center district – a thriving area for the performing arts.
I loved it! I was never good enough to dance professionally, but I loved teaching the kids. I
taught ballet there for about 10 years, between 1965 and 1975. I know that I left the Dance
Center when transiting Saturn hit my 2nd house cusp (Western tropical chart), and that was
in 1975. I had seen that coming and saved up some money, luckily!

After that I was a legal proofreader, and later an astrologer. I’ve always been “a night owl.”
In the late 1970s while I was studying astrology I worked as an all-night legal proofreader in
the Wall Street business district.

EH: Back to the topic of physical health, notice how in the 16-year Jupiter dasa, you had
nervous system issues. Jupiter dasa came from June 19, 1965 through June 19, 1981. You said it
was soon after the start of Jupiter dasa in June 1965 that you had a nervous breakdown, and
even had electric shock therapy. This is related to the Mercury-Jupiter contact and to
Mercury debilitated in Pisces, being at times overly empathic, taking in too much. In any
case, Jupiter is pushing your boundaries to the maximum. In the realm of Fixed Stars, you
don’t want to be limited. Nor in any field of study that interests you do you want to be
limited, even if your own sense of it is that you want to find things out for yourself.

DKR: When I had that breakdown, it was when Pluto and Uranus were running together –
remember, in the 1960s. There was a Uranus-Pluto conjunction.

EH: Uranus and Pluto transited within a few degrees of each other all during 1965, close to a
conjunction in late Sept. 1965. Their exact conjunction was June 30, 1966 at 16:06 tropical
Virgo, 22:43 sidereal Leo. Your natal positions in the tropical zodiac are: Mercury at 25:12
Pisces, Midheaven at 21:09 Pisces, and Jupiter at 14:12 Virgo. The Uranus-Pluto conjunction
made a wide opposition to your natal Mercury and MC, but was much closer (2 degree orb)
to your natal Jupiter. Note too that in the Vedic system, Jupiter was your Dasa lord from
June 19, 1965 for 16 years, and is connected to your Ascendant lord Mercury through the
Vedic circuitry I have described. As Dasa lord, Jupiter has center stage, so to speak. In Vedic
terms, Jupiter has a larger than usual influence on the affairs of your life, and we’d have to
say its impact is already over-sized. Then the dasa of this planet comes along, and when that
happens, it is THIS planet whose karmic fruits are delivered at this time. Those karmic
fruits depend on how Jupiter is configured in the chart.

We ask: What is the planet bestowing you? And we would have to say Jupiter is bringing
you some good things, but also the fruits of the difficulties of that expansion. Jupiter is also
with Ketu and Mars. Ketu (the South lunar node) is Mars-like, and being an eclipse planet it
tends to destablilize whatever planets are in close contact to it. So for instance, with the sugar
intake and the sugar (glucose) balance in the body – that’s out of whack.

Page 54

114
DKR: Well, Neptune is on my South lunar node.

EH: Yes, but even without that, or any of the outer planet transits, we’d say that Jupiter dasa
is alerting us to a lot about the physical body – since Jupiter owns the sign and nakshatra
where Mercury is situated. You entered Jupiter dasa June 16, 1965. And even though it’s a 16-
year period, we can identify the period within that dasa when any of the planets in Leo with
Jupiter (Mars and Ketu) are interacting with the three planets in Pisces (Mercury, Venus,
and Sun) – especially Mercury, for your physical and/or mental health. During Jupiter dasa,
it was more about your nervous system and your mental and emotional equilibrium, which is
also connected with Mercury. When you entered Mercury dasa on June 19, 2000, was there
already something a little more delicate about your health – from that time onward?

DKR: I can’t remember anything off-hand.

EH: Okay, but then you don’t really enter a more difficult sub-period within the 17-year
Mercury dasa until you enter either Ketu, Mars or Jupiter sub-period. This is because they are
all in the 6th house from that natal Mercury. So you have sub-periods within Mercury dasa
when all the Jupiter-Mercury questions come up, and those heavily weighted karmic fruits
come due, according to Vedic principles.

Your three planets in sidereal Leo are all within 14 degrees of each other in the same sign.
Mercury-Ketu dasa didn’t show too much yet. It was followed by Venus, which is your best
planet, so its sub-period would be bound to be good. That ran from Nov. 13, 2003 through
Sept. 13, 2006. The next sub-period was Sun, which relates to your physical health. Here
below is the entire sequence of sub-dasas within the 17-year Mercury dasa.

Mercury-Mercury: June 19, 2000

Mercury-Ketu: Nov. 15, 2002
Mercury-Venus: Nov. 13, 2003
Mercury-Sun: Sept. 13, 2006
Mercury-Moon: July 20, 2007
Mercury-Mars: Dec. 18, 2008
Mercury-Rahu: Dec. 16, 2009
Mercury-Jupiter: July 4, 2012
Mercury-Saturn: Oct. 10, 2014
Ketu-Ketu: June 19, 2017

It is when you enter Mercury-Mars dasa that there are bound to be the most number of
problems. This is because Mars is planetary enemy of Mercury, and is in a challenging 6-8
house inter-relationship in any case. Mercury-Mars runs a full year, and covers the time
when you had your medical diagnosis of pancreatic cancer (April 2009), the surgery (May 21,
2009), and conflicts and problems around getting your book to publication.

Currently you are in the Rahu sub-period of Mercury dasa. Since you have said you want to
be up front with your readers about all this, we would have to say the current indications are
Page 55

115
that your disease has moved recently to an even more advanced stage. That was as of your
last birthday – April 9, 2010 – which you spent at the hospital. The doctor noted that the
tumor on your pancreas is growing larger, and given your advanced stage of pancreatic
cancer, we note that the current dasa period is followed by the Mercury-Jupiter dasa (July 4,
2012 to Oct. 10, 2014). Mercury-Jupiter dasa highlights everything we have been saying about
the Mercury-Jupiter issues for you in all areas, including physical health. There are other
important markers, one of them just having occurred: the Saturn Stationary Direct on May
30, 2010 at 3:50 Virgo – just opposite your natal Mercury at 2:17 Pisces. This is a very close
opposition, and puts a lot of extra pressure on your physical vehicle.

But looking back, the Mercury-Mars dasa ushered all this in. We have described why it is
likely to be the first most challenging sub-period within the Mercury dasa, due to the
inherent difficulties Mercury and Mars have with each other, and in the conflict arising
from 6th house matters. As astrologers, we know 6th house matters can mean legal issues or
medical issues, and sometimes both. You experienced both during the Mercury-Mars dasa.
The 6th house concerns the working efficiency of the body and of so many things, while the
8th house can bring suffering. Vedic astrology identifies this period for you as Dec. 18, 2008
through Dec. 16, 2009. This one year sub-period would be described in advance as very
challenging.

DKR: That’s an amazing system.

EH: It is. And this is not dependent on transits, eclipses, or any other astrological factors.
And if you would like me to include this chart analysis in the interview material, I can do
that.

DKR: Yes please. I am fine with it, as long as the editor wants it.

EH: I’m pretty sure that will be fine. And my guess is that he will see it as a privilege for
the rest of us to be able to share your chart and your concerns – especially at this time. As all
of us get older, we can choose – or not choose – to share our feelings and thoughts as we
approach the end of this particular chapter. You have been very generous in sharing yours.

DKR: Well, I’m delighted with the opportunity.

EH: We should close now, but let’s have you share your response to receiving this “Life
Time Achievement Award” from Saptarishis Astrology magazine! This is in recognition for
your all your distinguished work in Fixed Stars.

DKR: I kept saying “Wow!” I feel so very honored by this award. In my whole life, I have
never received an award, and now, to have such a remarkable one conferred upon me goes
beyond my wildest dreams! My love and gratitude goes out to Saptarishis Astrology magazine
for this great honor. I do not feel worthy of it, but the fact that they think I am worthy of it
makes it all the more wonderful!

Page 56

116
Addenda

1) Novas & Royalty

DKR: Here’s an interesting story: In 1936 a Nova appeared. And they called it Nova
Lacertae 1936. But when I saw it on a sky map, I thought: “That’s the crown of Cepheus the
King!” It was right on the border between the two constellations, but slightly more towards
Lacertae. And knowing that Lacertae is modern, I thought: “I’ll bet that’s part of the
original figure of Cepheus.” And sure enough, an old map showed that the Nova was part of
the crown of Cepheus the King. And in 1936 the King of England abdicated, and there was a
new king. (“Nova” also means “new.”) This is the kind of thing that I delight in! Cepheus
the King constellation is in the northern sky, and dates back 23 centuries. It was recognized
by the Chaldeans, and is one of the oldest constellations in the night sky.

EH: Here is more on that story: There were also an unusually high number of novas that
appeared in 1936. Novas can come but not be observed, for whatever reason. Nova Lacertae
was discovered on the night of June 18, 1936, but attained its greatest brilliance on June 19th,
thereafter fading rapidly, then slowly. The King – later the Duke of Windsor – was born
June 23, 1894, while Mrs. Wallis Simpson – later the Duchess of Windsor – was born June 19,
1896! She was the key reason why he abdicated, since as a twice-divorced woman, a
commoner and an American – she was unacceptable as his royal Consort and created a
Constitutional crisis when the King was pushing for this outcome.

2) Diana’s Astrological Education & Certification

EH: Did you get NCGR (National Council of Geocosmic Research) certification, or any
other type of certification in astrology? Or did that not appeal?

DKR: I never did get beyond that NCGR Level One. (There are four levels.) By then I was
using a computer, and I would have had to go back and re-learn calculations, and there were
just too many other things I wanted to do more. So no – no other certification. Reading has
always been the best way of educating myself, I think. I was invited to speak on Fixed Stars
(also Derived Houses) at the 1st UAC in San Diego (1986), and have been invited to every
UAC (United Astrology Conference) since. I was also usually asked to speak at the NCGR
Conferences.

EH: How did you get into Fixed Stars?

DKR: Early on it became my niche, as I discovered I got answers to things by looking at the
Fixed Stars, in addition to the techniques of Uranian astrology. This all happened right
around 1980. But I’ll tell you a little story that was a kind of omen of this trend in my life. I
33
call it “Navigating by the Stars.”

33
Coincidentally, my first book (on Western tropical astrology and astrocartography, with Uranian
influence) was titled Navigating by the Stars: Astrology and the Art of Decision-Making, 1991. (I wrote it in
1988-89, as I was transitioning into Vedic astrology.) When I reminded Diana about this book & title,
she suggested I include it in a footnote. (EH)
Page 57

117
I was at an astrological conference in Cape Cod (Massachusetts) sometime in the early
1980s. A bunch of us had driven to a nearby town to a restaurant. After dinner together, we
were driving back to the town where our conference was being held. There were two
carloads full of astrologers, and we became terribly lost in the back woods on our way back.
I was driving one car, and Carol Jepson was driving the other one. She was in the lead car.
Charles Emerson, the eminent Uranian astrologer, was in my car, and was the senior
member of our party. Finally, he instructed me to slow down and stop, and motioned for
Carol to do the same. He had us all get out of our cars, and he said to Carol: “What’s your
34
sign?” And she said: “Charles, you know perfectly well I’m a Libra.” “Diana,” he said:
“What’s your sign?” And I said: “Charles, you know perfectly well I’m an Aries.” “All
right then, “he said. “Aries leads. You’re Aries, Diana. You go first!” (Charles had the Sun
in tropical Leo, with sidereal Leo rising, and usually got his own way.) We thought that was
sort of silly, but Carol and I looked at each other, shrugged, and went along with it.

So we all got back into our cars and I drove the lead car. I had no idea where I was going,
and I turned this way and that way. (This was in the era before GPS.) Then suddenly I
looked up, and there was a wonderfully clear view of the sky, and I saw the Big Dipper (the
7 Rishis). I said: “There’s the Dipper! The Dipper is always in the North! Now I can tell
which direction to go in!”

Charles nodded sagely and murmured “Aries leads the way.” I said, “Oh Charles, everyone
knows the Dipper is in the North!” He said: “I didn’t know!” Soon after that, I managed to
get us on the right track, and we found our way back.

3) Diana’s Formal Education

Hunter College Elementary School (Manhattan, NY)

Hunter High School (Manhattan, NY)
High School of Performing Arts (High School diploma, Manhattan, NY)
Bard College (one semester, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY)
School of American Ballet (the Balanchine NYC Ballet School, Manhattan, NY)

4) Diana’s Work & Career

Ballet teacher for the YMCA at the Morningside Dance Center in Manhattan, NY: 1965 to
1975.

Legal proofreader (incl. all night legal proofreader) in the Wall Street business district of
NYC, while studying astrology: late 1970s

Astrologer, researcher, lecturer, writer. Astrological studies began in Feb. 1975. Fixed Star
research from around 1980 to the present.

34
Tropical Sun sign Libra for Carol Jepson, tropical Sun sign Aries for Diana Rosenberg. (DKR)
Page 58

118
5) Diana’s Marriage, Family & Relationships

Husband Werner Rosenberg (born Dec. 6, 1923, Berlin, Germany. B.C. says 3:00 AM. DKR
rectified it to 2:47 AM). Werner was a Holocaust survivor. He lost his grandparents and
several other relatives. He also lost the chance for college because of the war. His family
escaped to Shanghai and lived there in poverty until after the war when he managed to get
to the US. In Shanghai he apprenticed to a typewriter repairman, and once in the States, he
set up his own business and handled a variety of business machines until everything turned
electronic. At about the same time, he became very ill with heart disease and cancer, and
died at age 66. His appearance was that of an artist or a writer, not a businessman, though
he was intensely focused on money.

Marriage date and time: Nov. 25, 1954, 12:20 PM EST (time approx.), New York, N.Y. They
lived together from Nov. 1954 until summer 1976, about 22 years. Though they lived
separately, they remained friends, and shared many social occasions with their children.
They never divorced up until his death in Jan. 1990, a span of just over 35 years from when
they married.

Diana on relationships: “Pluto rising dominates my chart. You can pretty much ignore
everything else! I’m a total loner, and only recently have become fully aware that I have a
huge need for freedom. My Venus-Sun-Uranus combination lines up with stars of
Andromeda, the Chained Woman, which is very involved in freedom versus entrapment
issues. To me, relationships mean limitations.”

Son Peter Rosenberg, born Feb. 11, 1957, 17:34, Manhattan, NY. Peter is a computer expert
and works in Media technology for NBC (National Broadcasting Company). He received
an Emmy award for his work at the Beijing Olympics. He is divorced, with one son. Lives
in New York City.

Daughter Wendy Makkena, born Oct. 4, 1958, 20:17, Manhattan, NY. Wendy is a stage,
television and movie actress, whose many credits include her role as Sister Mary Robert in
the movie Sister Act (1992), and Sister Act 2 (1993), with Whoopi Goldberg. On the stage, she
starred on Broadway in Side Man, Off-Broadway in The Shawl, and in NY and LA in The
Water Children for which she received the LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Actress.
She is married, with one daughter. Lives in Los Angeles and New York City. See
www.wendymakkena.net

End Of Addenda

We at Saptarishis Astrology wish to thank Diana K. Rosenberg and Edith Hathaway, who in
spite of her busy schedule due to her active life as a professional astrologer, gave more than
five months to this project that is very dear to our hearts. This interview in its pristine high
quality would not have been possible if not for the patience & selfless dedication of Edith
Hathaway.

Page 59

119
E dith Hathaway is among the
few contemporary astrologers
trained and certified in systems
of both East and West. She began her
astrological studies in 1976, and her
private practice in 1980. Prior to her
transition into Vedic astrology from
1988, she received the Level IV
certification as Consulting Astrologer
from the National Council of
Geocosmic Research (NCGR), Master
Astro*Carto*Grapher certification
from Jim Lewis, and in 1996 the Jyotish
Kovid award from the Indian Council
of Astrological Sciences (ICAS). An
international consultant, writer,
teacher, and lecturer, she was a Board
member of the American College of
Vedic Astrology (2002-2010) and on its
faculty from 1992. The first volume of her book on Vedic astrology is in preparation, and
expected out in the next year. Her website: www.edithhathaway.com

Edith will lecture at the World Conference on Mundane astrology, to be held October 1-4,
2010 at the campus of Andhra University in Vishakapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), India. The
conference features 12 Vedic astrologers from India and the West, and is sponsored by
Sanathana Dharma Charitable Trust, Bheemunpatnam (Andhra Pradesh), India.

Copyright © 2010 By Edith Hathaway. All rights reserved.

Page 60

120
121

Rob Hand has called Diana "the leading
authority on Fixed Stars;" a faculty member of
NCGR and ISAR and a lecturer at every UAC, she
has devoted herself to the research and recovery of
the most ancient roots of sky knowledge, so that
they may be restored to astrologers, their rightful
heirs. Vice President of NCGR's Uranian Society
(Uranian/Cosmobiology SIG) and Copy Editor of
the NCGR Journal, she has written articles for the
NCGR Journal, Geocosmic Journal, The Mountain
Astrologer, Ingress, Heliogram, Astrology
Quarterly, The Traditional Astrologer,
Memberletter, Urania, Dell Horoscope & American
Astrology magazines and is the author of a Fixed
Star Workbook and Encyclopedia of Fixed Stars
and Constellations; Llewellyn's The Astrology of the
Macrocosm includes her chapter on earthquake
prediction, Groundswell Press’s Hindu Astrology
Lessons contains her chapter “Fixed Stars and Lunar
Mansions,” and NCGR’s Essentials of Intermediate
Astrology includes her essay on Fixed Stars. Her
book "Secrets of the Ancient Skies: Fixed Stars and
Constellations in Natal and Mundane Astrology" is
in preparation.
122
Medusa's Head
By
Diana K Rosenberg, USA
(As Appeared in NCGR Journal, Winter 1992-
1993)
Introduction
"The Demon's Head" (Algol, Beta Persei)
at 26 Taurus is the most notorious fixed
star in the traditional lists. In the western
tradition it is the severed head of the
snaky-locked Gorgon Medusa, so
frightening that it turned people to stone.
In China it was Tsi-Chi, the Heaped-up
Corpses, part of a burial trench of
dismembered criminals. It is no
coincidence that these two highly
developed yet separate traditions perceived
this star as distinctly malefic. This article
demonstrates that Algol's evil reputation
is well-deserved.
O ne of astrology's greatest puzzles
is the semantic persistence of
constellations and star legends.
We of the 20th century have been so
rigidly clamped into left-brain scientific
"logic" that the persistence-in-con-
sciousness of the ancient, mytho-logic sky
patterns subtly offends and disturbs our
sense of "rightness", and somehow makes us feel that those odd, ancient constellation
patterns shouldn't have any meaning or power over us whatsoever. Nonetheless research
indicates that they maintain a resonant presence in the universal and individual
consciousness of mankind. A full moon at Cetus brings whales to our TV screens; a
planetary station in the Scales of Libra attends a judicial appointment; a chronically bare-
chested brawn-flaunting movie idol turns out to have Hercules rising (Yo!); the "rainy
Hyades" of the ancient texts can be counted upon to bring downpours and flooding, and
the Pleiades (the "Weeping Sisters") consistently, over centuries,
predict and accompany sorrow, suffering, exile, and possible blindness. The Bull's Eye
and the Scorpion's Heart - Royal Stars both - still bring their possessors into sudden fame
and power as they have since Chaldean priests noted their effect; (they rise and set, with
the lunar nodes, in Vice-President Quayle's nativity) and Scheat in Pegasus still warns of
shipwrecks, sorrows, drowning. Over and over, the stars in their sky-picture dominions
reliably perform as they have for centuries, and no one can fathom why. Did the ancient
priests and shamans (personified in the legend of the aged centaur Chiron, traditional
designer of the constellations), pattern these pictures according to observed events on
Earth? Or is the universe a mind? Are we synapses in the brain of God?

When I began researching the stars in 1980 I wanted to be sure of their usefulness; I was
very doubtful about adding so much more detail to the burdens of learning astrology. I
decided to select just one star; one with a clear and testable traditional "effect". If the star
did what the texts said it did, I would set skepticism aside and love fixed stars to pieces.
But which star should I choose?

"The most evil, violent, and dangerous star in the heavens" - the words in Manly Palmer
Hall's Astrological Keywords caught my eye - I had found my laboratory rat! This was
Algol, Beta Persei, from the Arab Ra's al Ghul "the Demon's Head". To the Hebrews it
was Rosh ha Satan, Satan's Head, and to the Greeks it was the severed head of Medusa,
the serpent-haired Gorgon who was so horrible to look at that one glance would turn an
ogler to stone. Among its gifts are said to be "violence, beheading, hanging, choking,
asphyxiation, electrocution, murder, mob violence" (and just in case you missed the
message, Algol is further described as "unfortunate".)

Where western star charts show the head of Medusa clutched under the left arm of
Perseus ("The Rescuer"), the Chinese, who had possibly the oldest astrological tradition
in the world, saw Beta Persei as Tsi-Chi, The Heaped-Up Corpses, part of an asterism
that stretches from 17 to 29 Taurus (tropical), called Ta-Ling, The Great Burial Trench. It
was visible during that part of the year when criminals and tyrannical chiefs were
disposed of by dismemberment and cast into a great common grave, as it was unthinkable
to bury them in sacred enclosures. It was said that if Tsi-Chi was bright, corpses would
be "as numerous as grains of sand on the seashore". If the star was invisible (Algol is an
eclipsing binary - every 68 hours, 49 minutes the demon "blinks" for about 2 hours) it was
a happy omen and there would be few executions. Ta-Ling was also associated with
sickness and troop movements. It is extraordinary that two highly developed yet separate
astrological traditions should both perceive this star as distinctly and extremely malefic.

123
Some scholars of the history of science suspect that there were mutual influences
between these traditions; one thing I hope to prove is that both the Chinese and the
Babylonian scholars could very well have discovered the malefic qualities of this star
independently. This ghastly image - piled-up corpses - gave me my first tool for research;
I made a list of all the historical events I could think of that had resulted in a mass of
corpses; the Holocaust, the Guyana massacre, the massacre of the Huguenots, the fire-
bombing of Dresden, the devastating 1976 T'ang Shan quake in China (500,000-700,000
dead), Hiroshima, etc. (this was not a formal study; I was simply "scouting" to see if
there was anything to this star's terrible reputation).

The Holocaust - the deliberate and systematic attempt by an advanced culture to kill an
entire ethno-religious group - stands as one of the most appalling episodes in human
history. But how to find a date and time to use for a chart? After some reading, I chose
the Wannsee Conference in Berlin in 1942, when the Nazi leadership decided to
implement their "final solution" - to convert their slave-labor concentration camps into
death camps, and to build new death factories to speed the process. This activity was to
take precedence over all other priorities-even troop movements and military supply! On
the day of the conference, 1/20/42, (11 AM), Uranus, co-ruler of the Third Reich's MC,
was aligned with Algol. Next I tried the Guyana Massacre of 11/18/1978: nothing at
Algol, but the Sun exactly opposite the star, which meant that on a helio chart, the Earth
(which Edgar Cayce said "ruled flesh") was on Algol. Next I looked up the infamous
Massacre of the Huguenots in Paris on the eve of St Bartholomew's day, 1572 (8/23, OS);
nothing on Algol, but Mars exactly opposed it, and a chart set for 9 PM LMT had Algol
rising. The fire-bombing of Dresden in WWII was next (11 PM, -2, 2/13/45): again,
nothing on Algol, but the Sun (and Earth) square it; (These squares and oppositions
became part of a pattern; more on this later). The huge T'ang Shan earthquake was next
- in the number of deaths, one of the 3 or 4 worst in known history: 7/28/1976, 3:42 AM,
zone -8, 39N30, 117E54. Here I hit paydirt - a Jupiter-Hades conjunction on the star. No
planet or angle was on Algol at Hiroshima, but at "Trinity" - the first atomic explosion at
Alamogordo, NM just 21 days earlier, Mars culminated on Algol, trined at Hiroshima by
rising Jupiter. These experiments intrigued me enough to look further into the fixed star
texts, and as a result of this research I have become convinced that one cannot be a good
astrologer without knowledge of the major stars, especially in mundane astrology.
Indeed, it is possible to do an entire reading based only on star (and black hole) positions!
Now: back to Algol....

T he French revolution seemed a promising area for research. Beheadings galore,

and all the mob violence a grim astrologer could possibly wish for! At first I
thought I had drawn a blank; Algol was 23 Taurus 14 then, and none of the outer
planets were in Taurus in the 1790's; but thanks to Von Oppolzer's Canon of Eclipses, I
discovered that on 5/15/1790 there was a solar eclipse at 23 Taurus 29 - right on target! The
"Great Terror" of mass beheadings and mob rule followed as Pluto (in Aquarius) and
then Uranus (in Leo), squared the eclipse. The Reign of Terror finally came to an end
when Saturn came to Algol, (and thus to the degree of the eclipse), bringing Robespierre
himself to the guillotine on the evening of 7/28/1794 (see how nice Saturn can be?) Later,
trying out the heliocentric nodes of the planets on the 90° dial, I noticed that Algol's

124
position is just a little past a semi-square to the heliocentric node of Jupiter, planet of
wealth and privilege; working back by trial and error (precessing Algol at 50.23" per year
and adjusting Jupiter's node at 36.39" per year) to find out when the semi-square was
exact, it turned out to be the early 1790's! That same 1790 Algol eclipse also heralded a
plague in Egypt (80,000 dead), and violent slave revolts in Haiti and Santo Domingo.

The next step was to collect data on every historical instance of beheading, suffocation,
choking, injuries to the neck and/or head, as well as the other traditional goodies of Beta
Persei: (I quote): "Mass tragedies: war, mass murder, fanaticism, ruthlessness, bigotry,
propaganda, horror, violence, mass vandalism, mob violence, being torn to pieces,
extremes of brutality. Death by hanging, strangulation, electrocution, wounds to the
throat and neck." {{Algol has been in Taurus for more than 1800 years, and Taurus rules
the neck and throat...perhaps when it gets to Gemini this will change to wounds to the
arms and shoulders ??}} "Often found in criminal or murder charts. In mundane charts it
may presage great disasters such as mine cave-ins, fires, quakes, riots etc. Extreme
sickness."

* On 7/7/1937, the day of the atrocity-ridden Japanese invasion of China, Finsler's Comet
was at the latitude, longitude and declination of Algol.
* On 7/29/1878 the path of totality of an eclipse ran directly through Memphis,
Tennessee; a chart for the eclipse at Memphis had Pluto on Algol on the 6th cusp; two
weeks later a terrible Yellow Fever epidemic hit the city (remember Bette Davis in
"Jezebel"?-the story was based on that epidemic.)
* The Black Death (bubonic plague) of the 14th century, one of the worst epidemics in
history, hit Europe 2 months after a comet was sighted at the Demon Star; it was sighted
in Italy; the plague entered Europe through Genoa.
* Jupiter was at Algol in 1905 when bubonic plague ravaged India-about 500,000 died; and
with an 11/17/1910 Lunar Eclipse on Algol, 2.5 million Chinese in An Hul Province fell
victim to the same disease.
* Algol was on the MC of the Capricorn ingress in New Delhi in 1984, immediately after
the Bhopal disaster and the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

World War II: A Saturn-Uranus conjunction, helio and geo, goose-stepped back and
forth over Algol's longitude through the first 2 years of the war; here's a run-down:

June-July, 1940 As Uranus came to Algol for the first time since 1856, the Nazis
blitzkrieged their way through northern Europe; France capitulated, leaving England to
fight on alone. Hitler ordered plans drawn up for an invasion of England, and the
airborne Battle of Britain began. So fiercely and successfully did the Britons defend their
celestial turf that Hitler was forced to "postpone" his decision on the invasion.

September 1940 Uranus stationed at Algol on September 1, as London was battered by

massive air raids; (throughout "The Blitz" Uranus stayed with the star).

125
November 14-15, 1940 With a Full Moon-conjunct-Uranus-conjunct-Algol on the vertex
of the city's chart, Coventry was bombed by the Nazis and its 897-year-old Cathedral
deliberately shattered -- the Algol conjunction opposed the Cathedral's Saturn.

December 29, 1940 One month after the devastation of Coventry came what many
consider the worst of the London raids: the incendiary terror-bombing of 12/29/40. Mars,
that terrible night, exactly opposed the Uranus station at Medusa's Head.

May 6 1941 As Jupiter conjoined Uranus at Caput Medusa Stalin became Premier of the
Soviet Union (Algol was his natal Pluto). On the same day the Nazi hierarchy issued a
"Decree Regulating the Treatment of Inhabitants of Enemy Countries". No need for
specifics here; history has documented the horrors they perpetrated.

May 10, 1941 On this night Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Uranus came together at the
terrible star, with a sinister square from Mars in Aquarius; another terrible air attack on
London. This time more than 3,000 were killed, the House of Commons devastated, and
Westminster Hall's roof destroyed. (During this time the British and Australians were
bitterly fighting the Germans in North Africa, and "wolf-packs" of submarines were
taking a terrible toll of merchant ships carrying desperately needed lend-lease supplies to
England. In just this first half of 1941 Great Britain lost 2,900,000 tons of shipping).

June 21, 1941 Exactly on the summer solstice (Hitler had a fondness for paganism) came
the treacherous German "Barbarossa" attack on Russia; Saturn was 23 Taurus and Uranus
was 28; their midpoint was Algol (5 days later an 8.7 quake hit India).

July, 1941 As Saturn itself reached the star, Russian defenders were still reeling from the
Nazi blitzkrieg; one line of defense was only 200 miles from Moscow, and Leningrad had
been surrounded and beseiged. In France, the puppet Vichy regime pledged cooperation
with their Nazi masters, and started sending French Jews to the death camps.

November 1941 Saturn had retrograded from its September station on the Pleiades (29
Taurus) and returned to Algol; the German army mounted a fierce offensive to capture
Moscow, but a desperate and heroic defence held them off. Strong counterattacks and the
severity of Russia's "General Winter" were gradually bringing the Nazi blitzkrieg to a
frigid halt. As Mercury came up to oppose Saturn, the Germans were forced to abandon
the siege. In the west, peace negotiations between the US and Japan had come to an
impass...

December 7, 1941 On this day of Jupiter's perigee at Rigel, the star of the upraised left foot
of giant warrior Orion, came the devastating Japanese sneak attack on the US naval base
at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Here again Saturn was 23 Taurus and Uranus 28, and again their
midpoint was Algol. (Interesting: In August 1945, when Uranus came to the degree
Jupiter had occupied at Pearl Harbor (Rigel), the atomic bomb was dropped on
Hiroshima...)

126
January 1942 The infamous Wannsee "Final Solution" conference took place, with
Uranus at Algol. (Chiron had been on Algol in the spring of 1933 as Hitler came to power
- it was the Chiron/Vesta/Asc conjunction at his swearing in, 11:16 AM 1/30/33, Berlin.)
The first extermination camps were ordered to be built, and concentration camps turned
into factories of death.

Spring, 1942 With Saturn’s arrival at Algol came the surrender of Bataan in the
Philippines, and the notorious forced death march that followed. In May as the
SaturnUranus conjunction became exact (on the Pleiades), there was a New Moon one
degree shy of the Gorgon's Head; this time it marked the tragic surrender of Corregidor,
the beginning of the heroic Russian defense of Sevastopol (the previous great siege of
Sevastopol, in 1855, followed a solar eclipse on Algol), and two of the most famous naval
battles in history - Coral Sea and Midway - immediately followed. In Czechoslovakia,
the Nazis razed the town of Lidice and massacred its inhabitants as a "reprisal" for the
assassination of one sadistic German officer. From there Saturn and Uranus left Taurus
and worked their way towards the Hyades (5 Gemini) and Aldebaran (9 Gemini)-but
that's another article...

Caput Medusa is well represented on WWII generals' charts: it was Rommel's NNode,
Patton's Neptune, Admiral Canaris' Neptune, McArthur's Pluto; Bradley's Sun squared it
from Aquarius, and Jodl's Uranus and Montgomery's SunMercury conjunction in
Scorpio opposed it.

A
nother facet of this ghoulish star is its connection with - how shall I put it? -
"horrible heads". The master of hideous make-up, Lon Chaney, had Saturn rising
on Algol, trine his MC, which it ruled. Horror film star Bela Lugosi had
Neptune on the Gorgon's Head, trine a conjunction of Jupiter (ruler of 1st and 10th) and
the NNode. (The 1887 chart of Hollywood has Neptune on Algol). Two instances of
face-lift surgery I personally witnessed involved transiting planets on Algol ticking off
the natal charts, and in both cases the individuals' heads were quite literally frightening
to look at until they healed. Renegade Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky had Pluto in
the 10th on Caput Medusa; on 8/20/1940 when Uranus came to Algol and the Sun
squared it, he was assassinated on Stalin's orders); a pickax was driven into his head.
(Yecchh. I think I should have prefaced this article with a "viewers discretion" advisory...
"WARNING...this article contains material that may seem offensive to some of our
reading audience")...but hey. To be an astrologer you gotta be tough. Sit back and take a
deep breath. If you're feeling stronger, we'll go on. The same 1790 Algol eclipse of the
French Revolution also accompanied a terrible famine in India, when parents ate their
children; India has had many terrible famines in her history, but this one has gone into
the books as the "Skull Famine". (And dare I tell you that 11 days after an 1836 eclipse on
Algol, the House of Representatives passed the famous "Gag Rule" tabling all abolitionist
petitions? Nah, I'd better leave it out).

"...for if the Significator of Manners

be with Caput Medusa, it begets in the
Native a certain dogged nature & violence,

127
 whereby he either procures sudden death unto
himself, or is the cause of it to others".
-William Lilly (Sun conj Algol)
Christian Astrology

* Mars was on Caput Medusa 7/6/1535 when the "man for all seasons", Sir Thomas More,
was beheaded. * Jupiter was at Caput Medusa when Archbishop of Canterbury William
Laud was beheaded, 1/10/1645 OS. * Actress Jayne Mansfield's progressed Moon and
progressed Mercury were conjunct at Algol on her natal 12th cusp/Chiron conjunction
when an automobile accident decapitated her. * Chiron & helio Venus aligned with Algol
when actor Vic Morrow was decapitated and 2 small children killed in the 1982 "Twilight
Zone" disaster. * Murderers Richard Speck and Harry Tracy had Pluto on Algol and
Charles Whitman Saturn & Uranus; it is "Manson family" murderer Susan Atkins'
Mercury. * Venus was on Algol in both the Lincoln and Garfield assassinations, and it
was the Sun the day of the attempt on Alabama Governor Wallace that left him disabled.

Suffocation, choking, and Algol: * NNode of Bhopal gas disaster; * Jupiter at the Seveso,
Italy dioxin chemical disaster; * Chiron at the Salang Tunnel disaster in Afghanistan; *
It was the IC when the Titanic went down. * Joan of Arc had Saturn on Algol; it co-
ruled her 8th house. * Dancer Isadora Duncan was born with Pluto on Algol; she was
killed in 1927 when her long scarf caught in an automobile wheel and strangled her. (Pluto
co-ruled her 8th). * Neptune (cnj Vertex) was on Algol at the eclipse whose shadow
passed over Vesuvius four years before the 79 AD eruption that buried Pompeii and
Herculaneum; at its huge eruption in 1631 Pluto did the honors. * The Moon was on Algol
at the 1902 eruption of Mt Pelee that killed the entire population of Martinique; * Helio
Mars squared it from Leo at the Great Kwanto Earthquake and fire of 1923 that
obliterated 600,000 homes in Tokyo and Yokohama - 143,000 dead, 200,000 injured, and
half a million homeless. (I've already mentioned the T'ang Shan quake). * It was the
Ascendant of the Cancer ingress preceding a 1201 quake which killed 1,300,000 in
Egypt/Syria. * Jupiter stationed at Algol 1/21/06, 10 days before a 8.9 quake in Ecuador
and 3 months before the great SF quake. * It was Mars at the Great Alexandria Quake of
365 AD. (I use a one degree moiety, that is, an allowance of one degree on either side of
the star's longitude, and all positions have been corrected for precession).

The horrible war increases in the West

The next year comes the pestilence
So very terrible that neither young, nor old,
nor animal shall escape
Blood, fire, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, in France
Nostradamus
Centuries IX:55

On June 9-10, 1917, when WWI had just "increased" with the United States' April entry
into the war, Mercury, Mars and Jupiter were aligned, not only in longitude, but latitude
and declination as well. A virulent outbreak of influenza followed, killing an estimated 25
to 50 million people; it was truly pandemic - virtually every landmass on the planet was

128
affected - 150,000 died in England, 500,000 in the US. The deadly strain of this virus
erupted at Fort Riley, Kansas and was unknowingly carried by the American soldiers
arriving in France; it spread through the battlefield trenches with horrifying speed. This
three-planet alignment predicted by Nostradamus 362 years earlier "just happened" to be
on the Asc of the chart for WWI (Great Britain's entry, August 4 1914 llPM UT,
London): 25 Taurus - Algol.

All the verbiage I have devoted to this heady charmer was originally inspired by Jupiter's
1/20/89 station on the lady. (Algol is now 26 Taurus 03; the station was 26 Taurus 05).
Some of the immediate manifestations of that station were: * February 14: Iran's
Ayatollah Khomeini called for the assassination of Salman Rushdie, an Anglo-Indian
author residing in London, and put a very large price on his head; Rushdie's book,
"Satanic Verses" had deeply offended the Moslem world, and Islamic fundamentalists
claimed that the Koran gave them the right, indeed, instructed them to execute the au-
thor. Jupiter is the planet of religious establishments and its station was on the
Ayatolloh's natal Sun: Algol. It opposed Rushdie's helio Jupiter & squared the Islamic
Republic's helio Mercury (Black Hole Cygnus X-3). * Ted Bundy, "The worst serial
murderer in US history" (born 11/24/46 10:35 PM EST Burlington, VT) was electrocuted
in Florida, and the details of his crimes filled the media; his modus operandi had been to
decapitate his victims so that their corpses could not be identified. Bundy had Juno
opposing Algol on his equal-house IC, and as he had 25 Leo rising, the star was on his
Equal House 10th cusp. (He had a chartful of nasty stars). * A TV special was scheduled
on Jack the Ripper; (at the 1st J-the-R murder Mars opposed Algol, and Jupiter had just
stationed direct at 26 Scorpio 30, widely opposite the star. Algol was then 24 Taurus 36). *
Lisa Steinberg, a beautiful illegally-adopted child, had been killed by blows to her head
the year before; her foster father had just been found guilty of the deed; every night, on
the news, we were shown photographs of her and her foster-mother's battered heads. Lisa
had the Sun just 2 degrees before Algol, with the star on her 12th cusp. The violence
started when she was 2 years old, when her progressed Sun came to the degree of her
Placidian 12th cusp: Algol). * A quake in Russia buried victims in mud, suffocating them.
* A news item in the NY Times stated that 4,000 miners died in China in 1988, the worst
year for mine disasters in China's history. * The public television channel featured
WWII documentaries, replaying the events listed above; * The "Winds of War"
miniseries and "The World at War" documentary, both about WWII, were both revived;
* TV Guide, the week of the Jupiter-at-Algol station, was full of ads for a "Faces of Fear"
(!) horror movie festival - yummy nasty ghouls on every page; one ad featured the head
of Medusa, snaky locks and all!
* "Columbo" was revived; the plot? I quote: "a psychic kills a professional magician with
his own trick guillotine." Speaking of guillotines, it was 1989. Because the Bastille had
gone and gotten itself stormed in 1789, the slightly embarrassed French government felt
obliged to hold bi-centennial celebrations of the bloody French revolution.

'Tis a far far better thing that I do to take a break from this bloody article...

OK. I can handle it. It's the next day.

129
* Ever wonder why Lebanon is such a horribly bloody and battered nation? It was born
during WWII (11/26/41) and has Saturn on Algol. * When the Iran Airbus was shot
down 7/3/88, Jupiter was on Algol, and when the "reprisal" came with the terrorist
destruction of Pan Am 103 over Locherbie, Scotland, helio Mars was at the star. *At the
coronation of Czar Nicholas II, Venus was at the Head of Medusa. During the festivities,
a riot broke out over the food offered for the peasants; hundreds were killed. The Czar's
reign was ineffectual, and little was done to alleviate the suffering of the Russian people.
He was deposed, and he and his family massacred. Was this "fate"? Would things have
been different if he had acted differently? I doubt it. Character is destiny, and the
placement of Venus (which ruled his MC) on Algol at the coronation may have simply
represented what was likely to happen.

N ow to the matter of squares and oppositions: all too often when one expects to
find Algol, at historical beheadings, for instance, or massacres, what turns up
instead is a square or opposition to the star: for instance, when King Charles I of
England was beheaded, the Sun squared Algol from Aquarius. At the St. Bartholomew's
Massacre (of the Huguenots, 1572), Mars in Scorpio opposed it. 1945 Fire-bombing of
Dresden? Sun in Aquarius square Algol. This made me suspect that some other stars
were actually the culprits in those cases, so I rounded up the likeliest suspects: zeta Librae
at 25 Scorpio 17, beta Lupus, 25 Scorpio 18 (the Akkadians called Lupus "The Beast of
Death"), and gamma Librae (Zubenelakrabi), 25 Scorpio 24; in China, this area was "The
War Chariot" and "The Mounted Guard". In Leo, square Algol, is omicron Leonis
(Subra, the Lion's Paw) at 24 Leo 31. Now for the squares from Aquarius: in the
constellations of ancient China the area between 23 Aquarius and 10 Pisces was associated
primarily with mourning and burial; some asterisms here had names like "The
Lamentations", "The Howling Dogs", and "The Tombs". The alpha Equuleus and beta
Aquarius area (about 23-24 Aquarius) is called "The Funeral Mound" - this certainly
would jibe with the traditional Algol effect. This area of Aquarius housed Pluto during
the French Revolution's Reign of Terror, Uranus at the Great Fire of London in 1666,
(research has shown that Algol is one of the preeminent fire stars), and Mars at the
terror-bombing of London on May 10, 1941; the Sun at the firebombing of Dresden
(2/13/45 11 PM); the SaturnJupiter Great Mutation of 1345 (4/1, 12:03 UT) as the Black
Death swept from Asia into Europe; Uranus at the start of the influenza pandemic of
WWI; Jupiter at the Challenger disaster, etc etc. So it is not really possible to know
whether those events are squares to Algol, or effects of stars like lambda & mu
Capricorni, gamma Cygnus, beta Aquarius, iota Aquarius, etc. - or both! Besides, there is
a sort of "via combusta" of heavy star influences that starts around 21 Taurus (and 21
Taurus 26 is Septile 0 Aries), then goes to 23 Taurus (Zanrak-Capulus-Gyrus), then
Algol, then the very powerful Pleiades at 29 Taurus and next the Hyades at 5-6 Gemini,
the Bull's North Eye at 8.2 Gemini and his "Royal" South Eye, Aldebaran, at 9.6 Gemini.
Major news events of all sorts increase when planets tick these off; quakes, storms, wars,
riots (especially race riots), summit meetings, nuclear disasters, plane crashes, floods,
shipwrecks, etc. So it is difficult to isolate just one star; they frequently combine their
influences. Just remember, if you see a square or opposition forming, dexter or sinister,
to 25 or 26 Taurus, duck!

130
 "The Grecian astrologers call him
the Devil's Head; and yet all the
astrologers hold Jupiter and Venus
to have a share in his nature..."
Culpepper; Decumbitures

Do I have any kind words for Medusa? Indeed I do. Algol is much more than a "creature
feature" in the sky; there is, for instance, an interesting pattern in the arts, where
ghastliness and beauty can occur at the same time, and in politics, where highmindedness
mud-wrestles with brutality for possession of the field: * Pablo Picasso (born with Jupiter
on Algol), horrified by the fascist atrocities in the Spanish civil war, created Guernica,
perhaps the most famous anti-war painting in history. * Just after the fall of France,
during the desperate Battle of Britain, on the afternoon of September 12, 1940 two French
schoolboys accidentally discovered the magnificent prehistoric cave paintings of Lascaux.
Uranus was at Algol, forming a grand trine with Mercury on Zavijava (25 Virgo) (Venus
was conjunct Pluto: Venus, art, conjunct Pluto, underground caves, and hidden things
brought to light). * Viciousness, bigotry and beauty combined in the tragic life of Ezra
Pound, (Neptune at Algol) a brilliant poet with an insane hatred of Jews - so extreme
that he spent time in a mental institution. * Poet Maraquita Platov (Mercury at Algol)
was so moved during her childhood by the horrors of World War I that virtually all her
work was devoted to anti-war themes. * Prima Ballerina Margot Fonteyn, one of the 20th
century's two or three greatest dancers, had a Sun-Mars conjunction at Algol; her
husband was shot in the neck, leaving him paralyzed.

Some positive Algol effects: the 1989 station brought to the public's attention the frightful
slaughter of elephants and tigers that threatens them with extinction, and the pervasive
cruelty to animals both inside and outside labs. The founding of the London School of
Veterinary Science in 1791, following the 1790 eclipse, supports my suspicion that there is
an "animal connection" to Algol, and the tragic loss of wildlife from the oil spill in Alaska
carries this point: Algol was setting when the Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef,
Prince William Sound (3/24/89, 0:04 AM 147W20, 60N46), and stationing asteroid Juno-
of-helplessness squared it from Leo. This current awareness and concern for wildlife after
the Jupiter station on Algol is, I think, welcome and long overdue.

Addendum, May, 2010:

At the “Grand Cross” Solar Eclipse of August 11, 1999, 11:09 AM GMT set for New York
City, Algol culminated. On September 11, 2001, New York’s World Trade Center was
attacked and destroyed by Islamic suicide terrorists using highjacked planes; at the
preceding Full Moon of September 2, 2001, 9:44 PM GMT, set for New York City, Algol
was at the IC, the cusp of the 4th house, which rules graves. Algol was a star of ancient
China’s Great Trench of dismembered corpses, describing the final outcome of that
terrible event.

131
Some Interesting People with Algol Placements:

Asc: Christa McAuliffe, teacher (died in Challenger disaster); Carl Sagan, astronomer
(nuclear freeze activist);

MC: Albrecht Durer, artist; Leonard Bernstein, composer/conductor; Jackie Robinson,

baseball star;

Sun: Prince Metternich, Austrian diplomat/statesman; Pierre Curie, scientist; Empress

Maria Theresa of Austria (mother of Marie Antoinette); Paul Zindel, Peter Shaffer,
Arthur Schnitzler, playwrights; William Lilly, astrologer; L Frank Baum (author of Oz
books); Ayatollah Khomeini, Iranian leader; Jasper Johns, artist; Margot Fonteyn,
ballerina (cnj Mars); Henry Fonda, actor; Liberace, pianist;

Moon: Mick Jagger, rock star; John Calvin, religious reformer; Werner Von Braun,
rocket scientist;

Mercury: Albrecht Durer, artist; Cole Porter, songwriter; John Browning, pianist; Oliver
Cromwell, statesman/persecutor of Catholics; Byron "Whizzer" White, football
star/Associate Justice, US Supreme Court; Pancho Gonzales, tennis champion; Zubin
Mehta, conductor;

Venus: David Rose, composer/conductor; Prince William of England; Yogi Berra,

baseball star;

Mars: General Andrew Jackson, US President; Mario Cuomo, Governor of New York;
Charles Addams, cartoonist ("The Addams Family"); Franz Kafka, author; Salvadore
Dali, artist; Martin Bormann, Nazi leader; Margot Fonteyn, ballerina (cnj Sun);

Jupiter: N Lenin, communist dictator; Pablo Picasso, artist; Jean-Paul Sartre,

existentialist philosopher; Samuel Pepys, diarist; P T Barnum, showman; Cecil B
DeMille, filmmaker; Carolus Linnaeus, botanist; (Helio Jupiter: Tamerlane, conqueror);

Saturn: St Joan of Arc, warrior/martyr (Saturn co-ruled her 8th house; she was burned at
the stake); Marcia Mason, Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, actors; Richard Nixon, US
President; Richard Speck, murderer;

Uranus: John Lennon, Bob Dylan, singers/songwriters; Samuel T Coleridge, poet;

George Bernard Shaw, critic/playwright, James S Brady, White House Press Secretary
(shot in head, severely disabled in Reagan assassination attempt);

Neptune: C E O Carter, astrologer; Artur Rubenstein, pianist; Bela Lugosi, actor; General
George Patton; Neils Bohr, physicist; Ezra Pound, poet;

Pluto: Alexander the Great, conqueror; Joseph Stalin, communist dictator; General
Douglas MacArthur; Moses Maimonides, philosopher/physician/linguist/author of

132
Mishneh Torah; Mata Hari, exotic dancer/spy; Albert Einstein, physicist; Isadora
Duncan, dancer; Wanda Landowska, harpsichordist;

NNode: Field Marshall Irwin Rommel; Ramakrishna, mystic/author; Winslow Homer,

artist; Leo Delibes, composer;

SNode: Shah Reza Pahlevi of Iran; Manly Palmer Hall, astrologer; Sam Goldwyn,
producer; Pierre Trudeau, Canadian PM; Natalie Wood, actress;

On the personal charts of ordinary people, Algol can manifest in positive and interesting
ways. A young couple who asked for an electional chart for their wedding were not fazed
when I told them they had chosen a day with a Sun-Hades conjunction on Algol, and
described the star. They told me it fit very well - they were devoting all their spare time
to the nuclear freeze movement! Carl Sagan, another nuclear freeze activist, had Algol
rising. When I was a child I took piano lessons from the sister of Roszika Schwimmer,
who had been the subject of a famous Supreme Court case. Ms. Schwimmer, a militant
Hungarian pacifist who had devoted her life to opposing war and bloodshed, had applied
for US citizenship, but could not bring herself to swear that she would take up arms in
defense of this nation. (It was the principle that mattered - no one was going to ask the
dignified gray-haired matron to take to the trenches!) The case received quite a bit of
attention, and went all the way to the Supreme Court. In a landmark decision (Justice
Oliver Wendell Holmes dissenting), the Justices decided that she could not become a
citizen; but in deference to her age, dignity, and the danger she would be in if she was
forced to return, she was allowed to remain in the US as a resident alien. The day the
decision was handed down, 5/27/29, Jupiter was on Algol.

These examples demonstrate that having Algol represented on a chart does not
necessarily mean that you will inflict, or be the victim of, horror and mayhem...but that
you will be aware of the depths of suffering that can occur, whether through human
depravity or "Acts of God"; and you will not be able to ignore suffering and horror, or
brush it aside; your life path will require that you come to terms with that level of
experience. A journalist might be assigned to cover tragedies, while a clergyman might be
called upon to comfort the victims and their families. A black child might hear of the
horrors of slavery, and a Jewish child might grow up with the awareness that his
grandparents perished in the Holocaust. A police officer might assist victims of a natural
disaster, or a medical student be assigned to work in a trauma center. The Algol
placement insists upon a confrontation and assimilation of these harsh aspects of human
experience in this lifetime. The polarities of bigotry or tolerance, violence or kindness,
cruelty or compassion, war or peace are issues that are unavoidable and must be dealt
with under Medusa.

"As a light shining in the darkness,

a star is a symbol of the spirit. It
stands for the forces of the spirit
struggling against the forces of darkness"
Cirlot, Dictionary of Symbols

133
Some of the fixed stars are harsh, yes. But to a purpose. Each defines an area that will be
tapped for good or ill; the tests are intense and unavoidable. Algol, like the other stars,
confers tasks upon us which, if comprehended and accepted, offer great rewards of power
and creativity. These stellar challenges are not to be feared, but understood and used in a
positive manner.

Bibliography:
Allen, Richard Hinkley. Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc.,
1963.

Campion, Nicholas. The Book of World Horoscopes. Wellingborough, Morthamptonshire, England:

The Aquarian Press, 1988.

Eggenberger, David. An Encyclopedia of Battles. New York, NY. Dover Publications, Inc., 1985.

Gammon, Margaret H. Astrology & the Edgar Cayce Readings. Virginia Beach, VA, A.R.E. Press,
1973.

Ganse, Robert A, & Nelson, John B; Catalog of Significant Earthquakes 2000 BC -1979. World Data
Center A for Solid Earth Geophysics, NOAA, US Dept of Commerce, Boulder, CO, 1981.

Hall, Manly Palmer.Astrological Keywords. Los Angeles, CA: The Philosophical Research Society, Inc.,
1958.

Irving, David. The Destruction of Dresden. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964.

Kull, Irving S & Nell M. An Encyclopedia of American History. New York, NY: Eagle Books, Popular
Library, 1965.

Lilly, William. Christian Astrology. 1647. Reprint. England: Regulus Publishing Co., 1985.

Michelsen, Neil F. The American Ephemeris of the 20th Century 1900-2000. San Diego, CA: ACS
Publications, Inc., 1980.

-----------. Uranian Transneptune Ephemeris 1850-2000. Franksville, WI: Uranian Publications, Inc.,
1978.

-----------. Complete Chronology of World War No. 2. New York, NY: Stevens, Inc., 1945.

Nash, Jay Robert. The Darkest Hours. Chicago, IL: Nelson Hall, 1976

von Oppolzer, T.R. 1887. Reprint. Canon of Eclipses. Trans. by Owen Gingerich. Mineola, NY: Dover
Publications, 1962.

Pottenger, Mark. CCRS Horoscope Program. Orleans, MA: AGS Software, 1988.

Ramus, Carl M.D. Ephemeris of Great Comets 1402-1948. Richmond, VA: Macoy Publishing Co.,
1960.

Robson, Vivian E. The Fixed Stars & Constellations in Astrology. 1923. Reprint. New York, NY:
Samuel Weiser Inc. 1969.

Rodden, Lois M. Profiles of Women. American Federation of Astrologers, Inc., 1979.

134
Staal, Julius D.W. Stars of Jade. Decatur, GA: Writ Press, 1984.

Toland, John. Adolph Hitler. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1976.

Wigglesworth, Harold. The Astrology of Towns & Cities; The Municipal Corporations of England. The
Astrological Association. 1973.

135
11
Rob Hand has called Diana "the leading
authority on Fixed Stars;" a faculty member of
NCGR and ISAR and a lecturer at every UAC, she
has devoted herself to the research and recovery
of the most ancient roots of sky knowledge, so that
they may be restored to astrologers, their rightful
heirs. Vice President of NCGR's Uranian Society
(Uranian/Cosmobiology SIG) and Copy Editor of
the NCGR Journal, she has written articles for the
NCGR Journal, Geocosmic Journal, The Mountain
Astrologer, Ingress, Heliogram, Astrology
Quarterly, The Traditional Astrologer,
Memberletter, Urania, Dell Horoscope &
American Astrology magazines and is the author
of a Fixed Star Workbook and Encyclopedia of
Fixed Stars and Constellations; Llewellyn's The
Astrology of the Macrocosm includes her chapter
on earthquake prediction, Groundswell Press’s
Hindu Astrology Lessons contains her chapter
“Fixed Stars and Lunar Mansions,” and NCGR’s
Essentials of Intermediate Astrology includes her
essay on Fixed Stars. Her book "Secrets of the
Ancient Skies: Fixed Stars and Constellations in
Natal and Mundane Astrology" is in preparation.
136
An Ancient
Horoscope
By
Diana K Rosenberg, USA
Originally appeared in Vol VII, October 1996
edition of Urania, the Journal of the Uranian
Society
This article was written as an experiment in 1996, to
see whether an ancient, crude horoscope could be
analyzed, as well as an attempt to use Uranian
Astrology together with Fixed Stars to enhance a
traditional reading.
O ne of my favorite pastimes on the
Upper West Side of New York is
checking out the sidewalk used-
book vendors; these characters
(straight out of Dickens-scared-by-
Stephen-King, with just a touch of Klingon
grace and refinement) offer tables (or milk
cartons, or blankets) covered with very
used, seriously grimy, utterly irresistible
old books. Spotting me for a sucker, they
murmur insidiously tempting come-ons --
“Paperbacks only one dollar! This pile 3 for
2 dollars! That’s out of print! You’ll never
find it in a store!!”
Last fall my eye fell upon a battered
orphan entitled simply “Archaeology”
with the imprimatur of New York
University’s Library of Science, containing
a series of chapters, each by a different
NYU scholar. Flipping through the pages,
I spotted the word “Stars,” and
immediately dropped the groceries and got
serious. This turned out to be a chapter by
one Jotham Johnson who was, in 1963, (the
date of the book’s publication), head of the
Department of Classics, New York
University; Chairman of the Department
of Classics, Washington Square College,
and President of the Archaeological Institute of America. The chapter
(originally published in the Summer 1951 issue of Archaeology) was titled “Tell Time by the
Stars”, and included a drawing of a crude, partially obliterated 2nd century CE horoscope. I
wheedled the price down a bit and scurried home with my prize. Needing a justification for
the expenditure, I told myself “it’ll make a neat little article!”

Jotham Johnson (“JJ”) was a 23-year-old student when he joined a research team fielded in
Winter 1928/9 by Yale University to excavate the ancient Mesopotamian (later Greco-Arab-
Roman) city of Dura on the Euphrates, in present-day Syria. Scholars had considered Dura
an unimportant backwater town until the accidental 1921 discovery of wall paintings; then
excavators hurried to the site and discovered rich, remarkably preserved Pompeii-like
remains of what had been an amazing fusion of Greek, Semitic and (later) Roman culture,
including temples of Zeus Theos, Zooroaster, Adonis and Atargatis, along with a
Synagogue, and even a Christian church! The wall paintings in the last two buildings
“contain extensive wall paintings...of the highest importance for the study of Jewish and
early Christian art and architecture.”

One day, on a stroll through an area that had been cleared but not yet officially recorded,
Johnson’s eye was caught by a figure on a courtyard wall of a small house near the center of
the city - a crude circle he thought looked like a clock face divided into quarters, with 12 sets
of Greek letters around the outside. He could read the letters, but they seemed to make no
sense. Intrigued, he copied the figure and made a private project out of deciphering the
drawing. His first clue was the number 12: he thought of the 12 labors of Hercules, the 12
gods of the Olympic pantheon, the 12 signs of the Zodiac - aha! But what were the Greek
2

137
names of the signs? He tried to remember their English names, and suddenly knew he was
on track, for he realized that the lambda-epsilon-omega-nu at 4 o’clock spelled Leon, for Leo the
Lion! Pi-alpha-rho-theta at 3 o’clock were the first 4 letters of Parthenos, “Virgin.” At 7 o’clock
were tau-alpha-upsilon: Taurus! With his Greek dictionary in hand he figured that iota-chi-
theta at 9 o’clock stood for Ichth-ies, Fishes. Tau-omicron-xi at the top was tox-otes, the Archer,
2 o’clock’s zyg turned out to be zygos (“yoke”), i.e. Libra. Kark at 5 o’clock stood for kark-inos,
Cancer, and did at 6 meant did-ymoi, twins, or Gemini. The 8 o’clock position was kri: kri-os,
the Ram, at 11 was aig, obviously aig-okeros, Capricornus. Two positions were obliterated - 1
o’clock must have been Scorpius, and 10 o’clock would have been Hydrochous - “Water-
pourer” - the tail of its “rho” was still visible!

Now JJ was well and truly hooked. Realizing that the remaining words must be planets, he
tried to get the words to conform to Hermes, Aphrodite, Ares, Zeus, and Kronos, but had no
luck at all, so he took the phi, alpha, iota, nu at the bottom and ran his finger down the phain-
words in a Greek dictionary, where he found Phain-on, Shiner, the early literary word for
Saturn! At 5 o’clock, next to the kark- of karkinos, were phi, alpha, and part of either epsilon or
omicron; the dictionary supplied Phaeton, Radiant One - Jupiter! At 4 o’clock, with Leon, were
3 planets: phosph- for Phosphoros, Light-Bringer: Venus. Stil- was Stilbon, the Gleamer:
Mercury; and over the initial phi of phosph- were the letters py- for Pyroeis, Fiery One - Mars!
But that was all; the Sun & Moon were missing. After learning that Sun had to be within
one sign of Mercury, and seeing that it was not in Leo or Virgo, he knew it had to be in
Cancer, under the gouged-out segment on the lower right. The missing Moon would have
had to be under one of the 3 gouges, in Aquarius, Scorpio, or Cancer. Realizing he could go
no further without reference books, he packed his notes to await his return home.

Back in New Haven, young JJ screwed up his courage and asked the eminent Prof Ernest W
Brown of Yale’s Dept of Astronomy to help discover the date of the figure, giving him the
time parameters of the occupation of the city, that is, from 300 BCE to 275 CE. Brown
handed the task over to Dirk Brouwer, a research assistant (Brouwer later became Prof of
Astronomy, Chairman of the Dept of Astronomy, and Director of Yale’s Observatory).
Brouwer concluded that the date of the horoscope was July, 176 AD, and given the
possibilities of the missing Moon, it had to be either July 3-5 (if in Scorpio), or July 10-12 if in
Aquarius (the other positions would not work with the Moon in Cancer). Johnson was
delighted, not only to have a date within a 10-day span, but to have an archaeological fix on a
date for the house it was found in!

At this point Johnson took a close look at a photograph he had taken of the wall, which
showed faint letters above and to the left of the diagram; with great difficulty and a
magnifying glass he made out what seemed to be Zeta Pi Upsilon Pi Alpha Nu Theta:
ZPYPANTH? - certainly not a word, even to a Greek, and definitely a puzzlement. After a
long period of mystification, it occurred to the decipherers (by this time the others were
hooked too!) that it might be a date - the Greeks had used letters for numerals! The first
three might be the year, the second three the month name (abbreviated), and the last the
numeral for the day. Using the Greek letter-for-number system, it became zeta: 7, pi: 80,
upsilon: 400, adding up to 487, that is, the 487th year (of whichever one of the calendrical eras
of the many despots of western Asia had been employed). They knew that before the
2

138
33

Romans had annexed Seleucid/Parthian Dura, the calendar in use had been the old
Babylonian Seleucid Era, whose Year One ran from September, 312 to September, 311, BCE.
If it was the Seleucid Calendar, the year 487 would have run from September 175 to
September 176, CE! They were getting very warm.

Still to be deciphered were Pi-Alpha-Nu: “Pan”. They hunted up other texts found at Dura
(nearly all the documents found at Dura were in Greek, which surprised scholars, for they
had thought it an “obscure eddy in the mainstream of Hellenism”) and discovered that the
Macedonian months had been in use; of these, only one began with Pan-; this was Panemos,
July! This was a wonderful confirmation of Brouwer’s work, but there was still a problem.
The day did not fit. Theta stood for 9, and Panemos 9 would not fit either alternative for the
Moon, July 3-5 or July 10-12. They presumed that even in the Seleucid Era, the Julian (solar)
Calendar would have controlled the months, and they were stumped and discouraged. Then
it occurred to them that one possibility remained - perhaps the Romans had not, at least not
at Dura, yet outlawed the former Macedonian lunar calendar. In a lunar calendar, each
month begins with the new moon; Panemos 9 would have been the 9th day from the first
appearance of the lunar crescent.

As Johnson tells it, he was literally shaking with excitement when he consulted Ginzel’s
Handbuch der mathematischen und technischen Chronologie, a 3-volume reference that contained
dates of new moons, as seen from Babylon. The previous new moon had been June 24, at 9:56
AM, but this didn’t work - if June 24th was Panemos 1, then Panemos 9 would be July 2, a
day too early. But Ginzel’s tables gave the astronomical new moon, and JJ realized that a
human observer would not have been able to see the extremely thin new crescent on the
evening of June 24; Panemos, therefore, would not have started until the evening of the 25th,
and Panemos 1 would have run from sunset June 25 to sunset June 26, and eight days later
Panemos 9 would have run from sunset July 3 to sunset July 4. Bingo! Later, they realized
they could fix the time a little more closely still: they had learned that the horoskopos, i.e.
ascendant, indicates the eastern horizon, and the Sun, in Cancer, was well below the western
horizon, between sunset and midnight; therefore they decided that the baby was born about
10 PM, July 3, 176 CE, OS. As an unexpected bonus, the scholars were able to use this single
example to show the exact correspondence between the Seleucid & Julian calendars
(Panemos 9, 487 S.E. = July 3, 176 CE), and to demonstrate that one of the Hellenistic lunar
calendars, the famous Babylonian cycle, had still, surprisingly, been in belated operation as
late as 176 CE!

But what about the horoscope itself? Who was this babe? Was it a boy or a girl? Destined
for an ordinary existence, or prominence? Which of the wild medley of competing religions
(note the square of Apollon & Poseidon) did the family follow? Dura (Doura-Europos on
some maps) was a Babylonian-Seleucid Greek-Parthian caravan city on the trade route from
the Persian Gulf through Palmyra to the Mediterranean, taken over in 165 CE (11 years
before the horoscope was drawn) by the Romans and turned into a frontier fortress. This
Greco-Arab society of Hellenistic/Roman Mesopotamia was a seething stew of co-existing-
while-competing races, nationalities and philosophies, including such oriental religions as
Persian Mithraism, Parthian Zoroastrianism, the cult of Adonis/Atargatis, the Egyptian
worship of Isis, as well as Orphism, Platonism, Stoicism, Sabianism, Judaism, and even
3

139
early Christianity (still considered merely a minor sect of Judaism, and often harshly
suppressed by the Romans).

Curious to see what I could glean from the chart, I fed the data into CCRS, using 10 PM
LAT (Local Apparent Time), and deriving the latitude & longitude from an historical atlas.
On studying the chart in depth, I was forced to think about the possibility that the child was
stillborn, or died right after birth, for Aries/Sun=Admetos is the formula for “corpse,” and
Uranus+Poseidon-Saturn, another death formula, came out at 20Aries53, square chart-ruler
Jupiter, and the Asc is square Saturn. Yet I suspect, if there is a death here, it may have been
the mother. The Moon, ruler of the 5th, the 8th-of-death of the 10th-of-the-mother, is in
Scorpio in the 8th opposed by Uranus and Hades. Other indications of the possible
subsequent loss of the mother: Moon/Admetos=MC, and both Mars/Saturn and
Moon+Mars-Aries=Venus, which is entering 0° of the fixed signs, sometimes called the
“Death Axis.” If we take the MC as the place of the mother, the close conjuction of
Neptune, combined with an nth-degree Venus, tends to confirm her loss, if not at the birth,
shortly thereafter, though there are many other possibilities for these pictures. It did not
seem likely to me that a family would deeply and permanently carve a figure on a wall
commemorating a stillbirth, or a birth that resulted in the death of the mother, esp since the
picture for family celebration, Aries/Asc-Cupido, equalled the Meridian! I decided to
proceed as if this was a live birth, and analyze it from that point of view.

The newborn’s Sun is also on the axis of Aries/Jupiter (ruler of the primary angles), as well
as Aries/Saturn, Mercury/Neptune, Moon/Venus, Venus/Uranus, and Mars/NNode. To
strengthen the babe we have Sun/Jupiter=Asc, a hopeful picture. Was it born to the one of
the Roman garrison families occupying the outpost, or to Greek or Rabbinical scholars
perhaps? Arab tradesmen? Parthian militia? Actors? Artists? Soothsayers?

140
55

Since we know almost nothing about the circumstances here, I started with the one
incontrovertable fact: a courtyard wall near the center of an ancient city was wet-plastered
so that a horoscope could be cut into it, and it was left there, and not plastered over, for the
duration of that family’s occupation of the dwelling. From this we can conclude that
astrology was important to them, possibly even an integral part of their philosophy and way
of life.

There are several planetary pictures for astrology, but since Neptune culminates, the
formula Nep+Kronos-Admetos was the one I started with (this formula also can mean
“heavenly bodies” and so can refer to astronomy, as well). It came out on the MC!
Aries+Uranus-Apollon hit MC, Neptune, and the Apollon-Poseidon cnj as well;
Jupiter/Apollon-Uranus (success in astrology) came out on Mercury, and Uranus/Apollon-
Vulcanus equalled Jupiter & Zeus. No doubt about it. But was the child to become a
professional astrologer? First we have to seek out more information.

Since Mars/Zeus=Sun, Zeus/Vertex=MC, and Zeus was exactly on the Aries axis, this
meant that every midpoint and planetary picture that hit Aries, (including MC/Asc,
MC/Vulcanus, Node/Zeus, Node/Admetus, Moon/Cupido, Asc/Venus, Venus/Pluto,
Neptune/Pluto & Jupiter/Equatorial Asc) also hit Zeus! According to the Encyclopedia
Britannica, after surviving through Babylonian, then Seleucid, then Parthian rule, the trade
caravan city of Dura was annexed to the Roman Empire in 165 CE (just 11 years before this
horoscope was drawn) and used by them for nearly a century as a cantonment and frontier
fortress. With all that Mars and Zeus, this may very well have been the horoscope of a
Roman army brat! But how to check the Roman connection further?

Were they strangers in a strange land? The formulas for aliens are based on Saturn/Hades
combinations, and here Saturn/Hades=MC, and Saturn + Hades - Moon = Mars. Saturn +
Hades - Kronos, “occupying power”, equalled the dynamic (and violent) Uranus-Hades-
Moon combo, as well as Cupido and Aries/Zeus. “Special assignments in a war” - Kronos +
Admetos - Zeus, equalled Mars, Vulcanus, and Pluto. The military patterns I tried all came
up strong: Cupido/Zeus (military organization) = Asc, Pluto, MC, & Neptune (Cupido +
Zeus - Neptune: “parts of army forced into inactivities”). Military camps are Aries + Asc -
Zeus; here it = Asc, Sun/Jupiter, Sun/Admetos, Sun/Saturn, Sun/Kronos, and Mercury,
ruler of the 4th. Saturn/Vulcanus: “vigilance, to be on guard”, = Mars. (This last picture
occurred at the 1982 Libra Equinox, when US troops policed Beirut). Kronos + Admetos -
Saturn is “to be in a difficult position because of separation or seclusion”; it equals Jupiter,
ruler of Asc & MC - certainly suitable if this is a military family sent to protect an outlying
fortress at the edge of the endangered empire! These all could well represent the newborn’s
connection with the Roman occupation.

Marcus Aurelius ruled Rome in 176 CE, and the chart’s Zeus was on his natal Uranus, which
is interesting because we know that the Emperor was, at the time, constantly occupied with
rebellions and “brush wars,” trying desperately to hold the Empire together (Uranus/Zeus =
“sudden outbreak of war” and “the will”). Perhaps significant is that the babe’s NNode was
the Emperor’s Zeus, and his Sun was the degree of the Emperor’s NNode! This not only
connects the little one’s horoscope with Rome, but implies that there may be a military role
5

141
for him (by now I have assumed it is a him) in the military affairs of the Empire; besides,
the formula for soldier, Aries + Moon - Mars, = his Sun/Zeus & Asc! Later I checked the
Rome Foundation chart of 753 BCE, and found that Junior’s Kronos was Rome’s Admetos,
his Admetos Rome’s NNode, his Jupiter is trine Rome’s Mars, and his Mars is Rome’s Zeus!
Not only an army brat, but possibly a potentially important one - also suggested by Cupido
+ Vulcanus - Kronos = Sun: “privileged social standing.”

What did he look like? (Jupiter, his ruler, exalted, on Vulcanus axis - probably large, and
strong); Neptune, his other ruler, is in Jupiter’s sign. Big fella, probably tending to
overweight. Born on the Day of Mars, Hour of the Sun, what would this little Roman grow
up to be? Military prominence is certainly a possibility, especially since Sun/Zeus (“born
leader”) = Asc, and Sun + Zeus - Aries (“military persons of rank,” “belonging to the general
staff”) = Sun!

Yet there are other possibilities - the Sun in the 5th house suggests a pleasure-and-fun loving
nature, possibly drawn to performing, being the center of attention. The MC-Neptune
combination led me to try pictures for acting and music: Venus/Apollon, a midpoint for
music, art, friendship and peace = Mars, and the Meridian (with Neptune) is on the
Aries/Cupido axis, an artistic influence. A formula for actor-- MC + Neptune - Sun, =Aries,
t
Node, Zeus, & Moon/Cupido. For successful actor, Sun + Apollon - Venus, should = Mars;
here it does not, but does = Ma/Ze, and Jupiter + Apollon - Vulcanus! Yet Saturn & Pluto
are conjunct on the chart, and Saturn/Pluto = Mars & Vulcanus, indicating that the child
was probably trained into strong discipline, endurance and survival; if he was to be an artist,
actor, or musician, that sort of upbringing would seem a little less likely. So we are back to
the military probability, with the arts a possible side interest. But there’s a problem:
Sun/Neptune equals both Mars: “weak, sensitive, weak muscles” (FDR, crippled by adult-
onset polio, had this) and Saturn: “inhibitions through illness or physical disability,
emotional of mental illness, emotional affliction.” Yet another possibility presents itself
here: Ebertin mentions that mediums have this planetary picture, and under Sun-Neptune
lists “Abundant experience in the spiritual and psychic realms or spheres, mystical
experiences...sympathetic understanding of other people.” These are not a patterns you would
expect to find on the chart of one who was simply a professional soldier. Yet at the same
time, we have Saturn/Pluto = Mars: brutality, violence, necessity to fight for existence;
maltreatment &/or strict discipline; magicians, adepts (italics mine).

Trying out the spiritual, mystical hints, I wondered what religion might be followed by this
fellow. A bit of research came up with the fact that Mithraism, a major mystery religion of
the era, was popular with many Roman soldiers, bureaucrats and merchants, and though
only a little is known about Mithraic doctrines (adherents were sworn to secrecy), it was
definitely a religion based on the sky! Every known Mithraic monument - from England,
through Europe and into the Middle East, features constellation figures and zodiacal signs
surrounding the central feature: the “tauroctony” - Mithra in the act of slaughtering a
sacrificial bull. The Roman legions carried this (males-only) religion into every area they
occupied, setting up elaborately carved altars, usually undergound, in grottoes or caves. This
would fit both the Roman military theme, and the fact of the casting of the horoscope itself!

142
77

Traditionally, caves & caverns are ruled by Saturn: here the 12th (as 4th from 9th, i.e. place
where religion is practiced) is ruled by Saturn, in the house & sign of neighborhood; its
conjunction with Pluto stresses the underground nature of the site, and Admetos indicates it
is enclosed. HadesUranus is in the 2nd, which is the 6th house of ritual from the 9th of
religion; Mars, ruler 2, is in the 6th of ritual, trine the MC. Scorpio on the 9th cusp affirms a
secretive religion and suggests that the rites could include death. Pisces, the sign of sacrifice,
rises, and Neptune, planet of sacrifice, culminates. This child’s Venus/Poseidon (faith,
religion) = Mars (religious activities, religious zeal) & also = Vulcanus: power, might, force
of a religion. MC + Venus - Poseidon is the formula for strong religious conviction: here
MC/Venus equals Poseidon. (The only other way to read this is that the babe itself was
sacrificed, and I definitely don’t want to get into that!!)

Now the chart began to come into focus: with his need to be the center of attention, his
military Roman upbringing, and his mystical inclinations, might not this child be destined
to become a priest of Mithra? I tried to think of other patterns I could try to test this out,
but for some inexplicable reason, there are no planetary pictures listed for the sacrifice of a
bull (darn!); so I tried the tame “to take part in a funeral service” -- Asc + Mars - Saturn: it
came out at 7 Tau 33, sq Merc, on the Mars/Hades axis, at the mouth of the Celestial Bull!
(The precession correction, from July 176 to January 1996 (1819.5 years) is 25°23’; this brings it
(A+Ma-Sa) to 2 Gem 56 -- Σ495 Tauri, a double star at the Bull’s mouth). The relief
sculptures of the tauroctony showed Mithra gripping the bull by the mouth and pulling his
head back. But to slaughter a bull is a bloody, drastic business - what could I use to check
this? Taking the UranusHades (sudden mean acts, murder) conjunction as a focus, I
subtracted Mars (sudden damage or death by weapons): it came out exactly = MC! This
could relate directly to the horrors of battle, of course, but when I added the precession
correction to the UranusHades, I discovered that the conjunction came to 29 Taurus - the
Pleiades cluster of stars in the shoulder of the Bull. This is the place the Mithraic bull was
stabbed, to bring forth its life-sustaining blood! (In India this cluster marked the 1st
Nakshatra Krittika, The Cutter(s), representing the nurses of the infant God of War).There’s
a potential for plenty of violence here: Mars + Hades - Vulcanus, murderous deeds = the
debilitated Moon (at fanatic, destructive, and sacrificial Alpha Centauri). Moreover, the
Moon was at the stars of the Scorpion’s head which, in the Hindu lunar mansions, formed
Anuradha, the only Nakshatra whose Regent is Mitra!

A man born under) Mitra’s mansion [Anuradha], he will be wise and a wanderer, have steadfast
friends, will live in foreign countries, be unhappy through hunger, enjoy all kinds of jewels, pleasures
and riches, be preeminent by birth, fame and energy, have both dharma and worldly gain, and be one
who makes enemies into friends.
Lunar Mansions in the Charts of Men,
Vrddhayavanajataka of Minaraja,
ca 4th century CE: Sanskrit, trans Valerie J Roebuck
(oldest extant account of the significance of the
Vedic lunar mansions in natal astrology)

There don’t seem to be any worshippers of Mithra around any more to check out, but Franz
Cumont, a famous scholar of Mithraism, had Uranus in the degree of babe’s Sun, (Mithra
7

143
was Sol Invictus, identified with Helios, the Sun God: recall that this baby was born in the
Hour of the Sun), and David Ulansey, author of The Origins of the Mithraic Mysteries, has his
natal Uranus less than 2° earlier (interesting that Ulansey, who has challenged Cumont’s
hypothesis that Orion represented Mithra and is championing Perseus in his place, was born
on Cumont’s Uranus return!)

FIXED STARS:

“I am a star which goes with thee and shines out of the depths”
Mithraic saying

I had decided not to check each placement of the chart against my own Fixed Star
Encyclopedia until I had done most of the traditional & Uranian interpretations, because I
wanted to see if I could read the chart without it, and then see if the conclusions I had come
to were sustained by the stars. Besides the bull’s mouth and the Pleiades, there were 2
surprises: first, stars associated with astrology & astronomy came up more strongly than I
had anticipated - he (I still think it’s a he) may have indeed practiced astrology, whether as a
priest of Mithra or not. (After all, he may have grown up seeing his own horoscope on the
wall, year after year). Second, there were many fixed star placements associated with
injuries; this led me to believe he may have started as a soldier (possibly an officer), and
after injuries kept him out of battle he may have turned to the study of the sky. This could
explain the “weak muscles” & “physical disabilities” patterns, as well as the many death and
funeral pictures prominent, indicating either the loss of many comrades, and/or himself, as a
priest, presiding over such rites). His progressed Sun would have come to natal Mars when
he was about 32, when Saturn, by double arc, came to his Part of Fortune, and UranusHades
to his Saturn, and by double arc, to his Pluto. Mercury, by half-arc, came to his
Mars/Saturn, and by double arc, to Admetos, while Mars + Saturn - MC double-arced to his
Asc. In this year (208 CE) he may have nearly died, or, at the very least, thoughts of death
preoccupied him, perhaps turning him to a religious path. 208 CE was the year Emperor
Septimus Severus triumphed over Parthian invaders in Mesopotamia (was Junior with
him?) and returned in triumph to Rome.

If he lived long enough, i.e. to 42, a fairly advanced age at that time, he would have seen the
Halley’s Comet apparition of 217-218, which was quite bright, reaching 0 Magnitude in the
spring of 218 (Dion Cassius called it “a very fearful star”). Comets are important year-
indicators: at his Solar Return it would have been 27Leo35, in the 4th house of the return, cnj
the return’s chart-ruler Venus, and the late 6th of his natal chart; solar return Mars squared
his natal Asc, with Saturn/Uranus bracketing his Moon, opposite natal Uranus/Hades. At
its perihelion Halley’s was 22Aries57, square his natal nodes. The comet was generally
perceived to have been the agent of death for Emperor Macrinus in that year; it may have
done for our friend as well.

The precession correction for the difference in the fixed star placements between 176 CE and
1996 (1,820 years) is 25° 23’ which is added to each position in the horoscope, to match it with
current star positions. Besides the UranusHades at the Pleiades, already noted, his natal
Pluto was at Omicron Aurigae & 132 Tauri (now 27-28 Gemini). Our figure of Auriga, the
8

144
99

Charioteer, was in ancient China “The Five Chariots” - a military encampment! The Greeks
held that the charioteer was Erichthonius, adopted son of Athena, who invented the chariot
because he could not walk. Three years ago I tried putting these two themes together (military
and disabled) with the idea that crippling & war disabilities might turn up at Auriga’s stars,
and so it proved. (War vet Ron Kovic, for instance, of “Born on the 4th of July”, has Sun,
Uranus, & the NNode aligned with stars of Auriga!). Saturn was at the star 60 Orionis
(now 29° Gemini), below the upraised right arm of the huge hunter/warrior figure the
Chinese called “The Supreme Commander” with, in the same degree, Menkalinan, Beta
Aurigae (also in the Chinese military garrison), and 36 Aurigae, which the Chinese called
“The Headquarters Standard,” ruling class distinctions, rank, and the proper observation of
rites. Admetos was at star 1 Geminorum (now at 0 Cancer) in Castor’s left foot (the
Gemini twins were military heroes), with 30 & 40 Aurigae (also in The HQ Standard,
concerned w/rank, etc), and Chi2 Orionis at the tip of the Orion’s sword, an asterism which
the Chinese called “The Officer in Charge of Omens!” Complementing this is Cupido at
Kashud, Theta Ophiuchi, called “The Magician” in the most ancient cuneiform texts. An
entire (possible) story has emerged. Military service, disability, and a new (or continuing)
profession as a priest/occultist/astrologer/seer.

Note: After all this work, I told Gary Christen about the horoscope, and he shot me down!
According to Gary, the British Museum has many of these horoscopes, all electionals for
Roman Army operations! I was truly crushed until I studied the figure from that point of
view. If this was an elected time for any military campaign, troop movement or re-supply,
the astrologer was a candidate for a malpractice suit! Would you choose to start out with the
Moon, mistress of the flow of events, in detriment in the sign of death, in the 8th house of
death, applying to a square of Mercury and Mars? The Asc is about to square Saturn in the
3rd of travel, and the chart is for 10PM, not a usual time for army movements, unless there
was an emergency. The following sunrise would have been much better, when the Moon
would be at 8 Scorpio, and having escaped the deadly squares, would be flowing instead
towards trines to Sun, Jupiter and NNode. Gary, I rest my case. ((Another possibility has
just occurred to me: could this an electional chart for a Mithraic ritual bull sacrifice?))

After I had completed this article, I searched through books on ancient civilizations hoping
to discover one or two possible illustrations for it. I hoped simply to find pictures of the
general area - my digression into Mithraic possibilities had started as a shot in the dark. No
map of the known Mithraic sites had shown any worship that far east, but to my
astonishment, a picture of a Mithraeum discovered at Dura turned up! Of course, this proves
nothing, but I was excited nonetheless!

This article is certainly an exercise in Aries hubris! To attempt an interpretion of a

horoscope with almost no knowledge of its background or purpose is presumptuous, to say
the least. As for the use of multi-national sources, I have found that the sky is a cross- and
inter- cultural space. Western constellations & their mythic associations work everywhere
in the world, as do the Chinese, Hindu, Arabian and Mayan/Aztec; apparently, the message
is the message is the message, find it where you will! But really, to me, the ability we now
have to interpret a chart with almost no initial information demonstrates the amazing power
9

145
and potential for analysis offered by the Uranian System, butressed and affirmed by the
Fixed Stars.

Oh, by the way. the chart’s Saturn/Admetos: “of long duration,” equals both chart-ruler
Jupiter and Uranus/Apollon, the combination for astrology: a perfect expression of the
resilience and endurance of our discipline, and of the horoscope itself, discovered after a
“duration” of more than 1,800 years!

Bibliography:
Booher, Wayne. I am indebted to Wayne for his ideas on planetary pictures for sacrifice,
caves, grottoes, etc, and for David Ulansey’s article in Scientific American.
Campion, Nicholas. The Book of World Horoscopes: Wellingborough: The Aquarian Press,
1988.
Christen, Gary. personal conversation, June, 1996.
Cirlot, J. E. A Dictionary of Symbols. New York: Philosophical Library, Inc, 1962.
Cumont, Franz. The Mysteries of Mithra: New York: Dover Publications, Inc, 1956.
Cumont, Franz. Astrology & Religion among the Greeks and Romans: New York, Dover
Publications, Inc, 1960.
Ebertin, Reinhold. The Combination of Stellar Influences. Wurttemberg 1972: Ebertin-Verlag.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol 7, p 612, & Vol 15, p 604. Chicago, London, etc: Encyclopaedia
Britannica, Inc, 1965.
Goodenough, Erwin R. Jewish Symbols in the Greco-Roman Period. Princeton: Bollingen Series,
Princeton University Press, 1988 (illustration of Dura Mithraeum).
Houck, Richard. Mr Houck was kind enough to send me Valerie Roebuck’s translation of
the Vrddhayavanajataka of Minaraja.
Johnson, Jotham. “Tell Time by the Stars,” Archaeology, New York: New York University
Press, 1963.
Lehman, J. Lee. The Book of Rulerships. West Chester: Whitford Press, 1992.
Niggemann, Hans. The Key to Uranian Astrology: New York: Hans Niggemann, 1977.
Roebuck, Valerie J. The Circle of Stars, An Introduction to Indian Astrology. Rockport: Element
Inc, 1992
Roebuck, Valerie J., letter to Richard Houck dated July 21, 1995, with translation of the
Vrddhayavanajataka of Minaraja, Lunar Mansions in Natal Astrology, books 60 & 63.
Rosenberg, Diana K. Encyclopaedia//Correspondence Course of Fixed Stars & Constellations.
New York, 1996.
Staal, Julius D. W. Stars of Jade. Decatur, GA: Writ Press, 1984.
Ulansey, David. The Origins of the Mithraic Mysteries: Oxford University Press, NY, 1989.
Ulansey, David. “The Mithraic Mysteries,” Scientific American, December, 1989, pp. 130-135.
Walters, Derek. Chinese Astrology. Wellingborough, England: The Aquarian Press, 1987.
Witte-Lefeldt, Rules for Planetary Pictures, Hamburg, 1977: Ludwig Rudolph (Witte-Verlag).

10

146

Rob Hand has called Diana "the leading
authority on Fixed Stars;" a faculty member of
NCGR and ISAR and a lecturer at every UAC, she
has devoted herself to the research and recovery of
the most ancient roots of sky knowledge, so that
they may be restored to astrologers, their rightful
heirs. Vice President of NCGR's Uranian Society
(Uranian/Cosmobiology SIG) and Copy Editor of
the NCGR Journal, she has written articles for the
NCGR Journal, Geocosmic Journal, The Mountain
Astrologer, Ingress, Heliogram, Astrology
Quarterly, The Traditional Astrologer,
Memberletter, Urania, Dell Horoscope & American
Astrology magazines and is the author of a Fixed
Star Workbook and Encyclopedia of Fixed Stars
and Constellations; Llewellyn's The Astrology of the
Macrocosm includes her chapter on earthquake
prediction, Groundswell Press’s Hindu Astrology
Lessons contains her chapter “Fixed Stars and Lunar
Mansions,” and NCGR’s Essentials of Intermediate
Astrology includes her essay on Fixed Stars. Her
book "Secrets of the Ancient Skies: Fixed Stars and
Constellations in Natal and Mundane Astrology" is
in preparation.
147
Tyson's Zodiac: Are
There Really
Fourteen Signs?
By
Diana K Rosenberg, USA
This article first appeared in ‘The
Mountain Astrologer’ of Dec/Jan 2010
http://mountainastrologer.com/tma
Introduction
Eminent astrophysicist Neil deGrasse
Tyson denigrates astrology and mocks
astrologers at every opportunity and tries
to claim that there are 14 signs; this article
demonstrates his ignorance.
D
r Neil deGrasse Tyson, research
scientist in astrophysics at
Princeton and Curator of
Astronomy at the Hayden Planetarium of
the American Museum of Natural
History, has become a familiar face on
television; he frequently appears on talk
shows, cheerily and with gusto declaiming
that astrologers are ignorant of the "fact"
that there are fourteen zodiacal
constellations, rather than twelve. He has
also authored several books, among them
Universe Down to Earth (Columbia
University Press, 1994).
In this work, on page 210 he has:
"...the zodiac contains fourteen
constellations, not twelve. The Sun,
after leaving the constellation Scorpius,
enters the constellation Ophiuchus. It
then stays in Ophiuchus for a longer
(emphasis Tyson's) period of time than
 Scorpius, the sign that is advertised to precede Sagittarius. The confusing
conclusion is that most Scorpions are actually Ophiuchans, and all Scorpions and
Ophiuchans are currently Librans. The fourteenth constellation in the set is
Cetus. It is a large constellation that dips into Pisces. The Sun passes through
Cetus briefly as it ambles through Pisces, but you are not normally informed of
this in the horoscope pages."

But we are speaking of astrology, and Dr Tyson knows that astrologers use celestial
longitudes; he knows (or should know) that the Sun enters the longitudes of Scorpius and
Ophiuchus at the same time, and remains in them for the same length of time. While it is
true that the ecliptic runs through part of Ophiuchus, thus rightly making him part of the
1
zodiac, the span of the Serpent-Bearer, in celestial longitude, matches that of the Scorpion,
and so he cannot be called a "thirteenth sign"! In actuality, the 8th zodiacal constellation
should be called Scorpius/Ophiuchus - indeed, the two figures actually contact each
other, as the left foot of Ophiuchus treads upon the Scorpion in order (according to
tradition) to crush it. It is this overlap which creates a problem, and makes it seem as though
Ophiuchus' allotment of degrees exceeds the Scorpion's.

Tyson wrote that the ecliptic stays in Ophiuchus for a longer period of time than in
Scorpius, but this holds true only if the artificial demarkation lines imposed by the IAU
2
in 1930 are adhered to; the astronomers who determined those lines could not bring
themselves to accept overlaps or combinations; the lines, they believed, must keep each
figure entirely separate, and the sky figures, like caged animals, must remain within
3
them. A quick glance at the lines dividing the Scorpion and the feet of Ophiuchus show
that absolutely no allowance was made for the Scorpion's upper half! Ophiuchus' left foot,
which is treading upon the Scorpion, is given all; the Scorpion, none. The poor arachnid,
already truncated early on in history by losing his claws to form the Scales of Libra, has
been further mutilated with the loss of his northern legs!

Here's the real zodiacal story, based on celestial longitude:

4
The Scorpion's earliest stars are Xi Scorpii in the North Claw, and Delta Scorpii
(Dschubba or Isidis) in the forehead, at 1Sag18 and 2Sag34, respectively (Lahiri: 7 Scorp
27 and 8 Scorp 43).

Ophiuchus' earliest star is Yed Prior, Delta Ophiuchi, at the left hand grasping Serpens,
the Serpent, at 2Sag18 (Lahiri 8 Scorp 27).

The Scorpion's last stars (actually Clusters - the Scorpion's tail lies in the nebulous
Milky Way) are Acumen, M7 Scorpii, near the sting and Globular Cluster NGC 6496
below the sting, at 28Sag43 and 29Sag48 (Lahiri 4 Sag 52 and 5 Sag 57).

Ophiuchus' last star is Sinistra, Nu Ophiuchi, at his right hand grasping the Serpent:
29Sag45 (Lahiri: 5 Sag 54).

148
Tyson claims that Ophiuchus is longer than Scorpius, but only if you include its
outlying, dim stars; and since we are talking zodiac here, note that the first stars of the
Sagittarius Archer precede the longitudes of those faint, outlying Ophiuchus stars, thus
seizing the zodiacal baton where Scorpius/Ophiuchus hands it off; so the Serpent-Bearer
cannot be considered a longer zodiacal figure than Scorpius. The earliest Sagittarius star is
variable X Sagittarii at 27Sag15 (Lahiri, 3 Sag 21) - showing that the constellation of the
Archer takes its position as the rightful 9th zodiacal figure, precluding any claims of
Ophiuchus.

Figure 1

The span of Serpens Cauda (the tail of the Serpent grasped by Ophiuchus) continues into
tropical Capricorn - it is this continuance of the Serpent's stars that may have deluded Dr
Tyson into thinking that Ophiuchus himself extends so far (in ancient times they were
5
one figure, called "Serpentarius" or "Ophiuchus vel Serpentarius" - a shamanic figure
struggling with the darkly powerful Serpent and at the same time attempting to crush the

149
Scorpion-of-death), but the IAU officially declared them separate constellations,
ignoring centuries of knowledge and tradition, even dividing Serpens itself into two
entirely separate parts!

And as for the statement that "all Scorpions and Ophiuchans are currently Librans,"
that's a howler. Apparently Dr Tyson, in his rush to mix apples and oranges (in this case
the sidereal zodiac and the tropical zodiac), has got his head in a twist. Switching from
the star figures to the tropical zodiac, one must go forward one sign; what he (apparently)
wanted to say was that all Scorpions and Ophiuchans are currently Sagittarians (tropical
6
Sagittarians, that is).

As for Cetus "dipping" into Pisces (a strange description, as Cetus is south of, i.e. below,
the Fishes), or for the Sun transiting Cetus (which would make him part of the zodiac -
Dr Tyson's so-called "fourteenth sign"), one look at a star map shows that it just ain't so.
(See Figure 2) The ecliptic does come close (below the cord of the West Fish of Pisces)
but nonetheless does stay clear of the Sea-Monster's domain (here the IAU astronomers
got it right, taking care to keep the most northerly point of Cetus just below the ecliptic
7
line – See Figure 3 On Next Page). Given this, it is hard to understand Dr Tyson's
claim.

Figure 2

150
 Figure 3

Although his purpose is not to enlighten but to mock, we are indebted to the
astrophysicist on one important point - many astrologers, even those who use
constellations in their work, are unaware of Ophiuchus' "membership" in the sacred
twelve due to the fact that his feet touch the ecliptic. But he is no "thirteenth sign" - he is
part and parcel of the span of the Scorpion, and should be recognized, included and
8
honored as such. The Scorpion was seen as a death-dealing creature , and Ophiuchus as a
healer - thus combined they represent life-or-death issues and choices.

Nonetheless, if Dr Tyson is going to attack astrology (one of his very favorite pastimes),
a discipline studied and employed by Hipparchus, Ptolemy, Galileo and Kepler, to name
a few, it is incumbent upon him, laden with honors and academic credentials as he is, to
get it right!

Notes:
1) Celestial longitude: the distance between the first point of the tropical zodiac (0 Aries)
and any celestial body, measured eastward (to the left on map) along ecliptic. The

151
celestial longitudes of stars are determined by projecting their positions perpendicularly
onto the ecliptic.
2) Constellation boundaries were set by the IAU in 1928, after reports from committees
set up for that purpose.

3) Other distortions forced upon the constellation figures by the IAU include the
diminution of the Great Square of Pegasus - "officially" a square no more - it has lost its
northeast corner to Andromeda (the fact is, of course, that Alpheratz (aka Sirrah) is, and
always has been, both Delta Pegasi, the Navel of Pegasus and Alpha Andromedae, the
Head of Andromeda. Another example if IAU meddling is that of the right foot of
Auriga the Charioteer (Gamma Aurigae) and the north horn-tip of Taurus (El Nath,
Beta Tauri). They are the same star - but "official" sky maps will only own to its being
Beta Tauri.

4) All positions in this article are epoch 2000.0

5) To the Greeks Ophiuchus was Aesculapius, God of Medicine

6) Our tropical zodiac sign of Taurus was originally the sky figure of the Bull; but now,
each year, as the Sun moves through the sign of tropical Taurus it is actually traveling
through a skyscape of the stars of the Ram; and tropicalists who call themselves "Aries"
were actually born when the Sun traversed the original Pisces Fishes. In just this way,
each tropical sign now largely overlays the star figure (or morpheme) that originally
came before it. Just as tropical Taureans have backed up onto the Ram, tropical Aries
dive with the Fishes; tropical Pisceans swim over most of the original figure of the
Water-Pourer; tropical Aquarians now brave the stormy waves with the Sea-Goat (one
arm of the ancient Water-Pourer stretches over him), tropical Capricorns ride the back of
the half-human, half-equine Archer, tropical Sagittarians attempt to tame the menacing
Scorpion, tropical Scorpios nest in the Scales of Justice (which were, even very far back,
both Scales and the great Scorpion's extended claws); tropical Librans now find their
balance in the midst of the magnificent Virgin-goddess, (feeling right at home, for she
was called "Justicia"), tropical Virgoans have taken over the body and tail of the Lion
(but still, at the end of the sign, still possess the upper part of the Virgin’s face and head);
tropical Leos, while still hanging on to the head and forepaws of the original Lion, have
the earlier two-thirds of their sign in the cautious, self-protective Crab; tropical Cancers
now envelop the adventurous Twin brothers, tropical Geminis have bravely taken over
the thundering, sensual Bull of Heaven, and we are back to where the zodiac started: the
Bull, leader of the great cycle of signs from about 4,500 BCE until about 2,300 BCE.

7) See the Uranometria 2000 grid; it shows that the northwest corner of Cetus definitely
lies below the ecliptic.

8) Royal-and-war star Antares, Alpha Scorpii, lies just under Ophiuchus' intruding left
foot; since ancient times it has been known to threaten assassination: it culminates on the
charts of Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln (who also had Neptune at the star), was the
Saturn of Pompey the Great and Cicero, and the Uranus-NNode conjunction of Lord

152
Louis Mountbatten, all of whom were assassinated. The Moon and Asc were aligned with
Antares when Lincoln was shot, Mercury when John F Kennedy was shot, Neptune at
two attempts on Gerald Ford's life in 1975, Uranus when Indira Gandhi was assassinated
in 1984, and Mars when Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in 1995. But, of course, all this is
sheer coincidence, or so Neil deGrasse Tyson would have us believe.

Bibliography
Sky Catalogue 2000.0, 2 vols, Edited by Alan Hirshfeld and Roger W Sinnott, Sky
Publishing Corp, Cambridge, MA, 1982
Uranometria 2000.0, by Wil Tirion, Barry Rappaport, George Lovi, Willmann-Bell, Inc,
Richmond, VA, 1987-88
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Universe Down to Earth (Columbia University Press, 1994
Transactions of IAU (International Astronomers Union), Vol. 4, Cambridge University
Press, 1933
Diana K Rosenberg, Secrets of the Ancient Skies, Fixed Stars and Constellations in Natal
and Mundane Astrology (in preparation). Constellation illustrations are by the author.
Richard Hinckley Allen, Star Names, their Lore and Meaning, Dover Publications, Inc. NY
1963

153

Rob Hand has called Diana "the leading
authority on Fixed Stars;" a faculty member of
NCGR and ISAR and a lecturer at every UAC, she
has devoted herself to the research and recovery of
the most ancient roots of sky knowledge, so that
they may be restored to astrologers, their rightful
heirs. Vice President of NCGR's Uranian Society
(Uranian/Cosmobiology SIG) and Copy Editor of
the NCGR Journal, she has written articles for the
NCGR Journal, Geocosmic Journal, The Mountain
Astrologer, Ingress, Heliogram, Astrology
Quarterly, The Traditional Astrologer,
Memberletter, Urania, Dell Horoscope &
American Astrology magazines and is the author
of a Fixed Star Workbook and Encyclopedia of
Fixed Stars and Constellations; Llewellyn's The
Astrology of the Macrocosm includes her chapter
on earthquake prediction, Groundswell Press’s
Hindu Astrology Lessons contains her chapter
“Fixed Stars and Lunar Mansions,” and NCGR’s
Essentials of Intermediate Astrology includes her
essay on Fixed Stars. Her book "Secrets of the
Ancient Skies: Fixed Stars and Constellations in
Natal and Mundane Astrology" is in preparation.
154
Union Carbide &
“The Mills Of God”
by
Diana K Rosenberg and Arlene
M Nimark
(This article originally appeared in The NCGR
Journal, Winter 85-86, Vol 4 No 2)
“Though the mills of God
grind slowly, they grind
exceeding small”
-F von
Logau, Retribution (trans
Longfellow)
“It was a nightmare...I thought an atomic
bomb had struck.” A survivor, trying to
describe what happened, ran out of
descriptive words -- there were no suitable
analogies, because nothing like it had
happened before. Like insects under an
exterminator’s spray, people staggered
about coughing, retching and defecating
uncontrollably. Unable to run away from
the lethal cloud -- it had blinded them as
well -- thousands of citizens of Bhopal
died, and 20,0001 more were permanently
sickened and crippled, by “the worst
industrial accident in history.”
Deadly gas fumes had spread over the
sleeping 2,000-year-old capital of the
Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, leaving
corpses of people and animals lying about
the streets like discarded rag dolls. Worse
still the doctors, rushed in the next day by
government and emergency services, had
no idea how to treat the disabled survivors
-- there was no medical literature to be
had, anywhere, on methyl isocyanate
(MIC) poisoning.
 CITY OF BHOPAL CHART
June 1, 1949; 0 hr used
(Bhopal, exempted from India’s 1947 independence, remained a separate state until this date)

Standing on a base of old crystalline rock amidst Central India’s Rajputana Upland, Bhopal
is a traditional Indian city with narrow, crowded streets, shops spilling their wares in the
way of traffic, buses, water buffalo, 3-wheeled taxis, goats, carts, scooters and horse-drawn
carriages all pushing and shoving for elbow room. Technology is new and unfamiliar;
running water only part of each day, only one person in a thousand with a phone. The soil
of the region, severely depleted by centuries of over-cultivation and neglect, needs pesticides
and fertilizers to grow sufficient crops.

As part of its 1960’s “Green Revolution,” the Indian government offered Union Carbide
Corporation government land at a rent of $40 a year to build and equip a pesticide plant --
49.1% to be owned by India, 50.9% by the corporation. First, a small pilot plant operated
from 1971-73; at that time methyl isocyanate was imported.

On October 31, 1975, only two months after the Indian government stipulated that
“obnoxious industries” must be relocated at least 15 miles away from residential areas, Union
Carbide was inexplicably granted a license to manufacture MIC at the plant. When a state
commissioner ordered the plant to relocate, he was simply ignored.

An objecting government official was transferred;

Union Carbide donated $2,500 for a park to the city...
-Newsweek, 12 17 84

Leo is a sign that admires size and grandiosity. India has 5 planets in Leo, Union Carbide
has three -- and here their twin Saturns at 14 degrees of Leo come into play. With
expectations of a continuing increase in sales, the original modest facility was turned into an
oversized, imposing showplace. As construction progressed, environmental laws were
bypassed and legal irregularities overlooked. By 1978 the enormous size of the plant caused
so many problems that it had to be temporarily closed for modifications. Meanwhile ties
had developed between local politicians and the company: a local Congress Party official was
the plant’s lawyer; a former police chief had a contract to protect the plant; a former state
education minister had a paid public relations position, and so forth. When Mahendra
Karma, a representative of the state legislature, raised the issue of safety at the plant, the
Labor Minister of Madhya Pradesh stonewalled:

“This plant...is not a small piece of stone that I can shift

from one place to another...there is no danger to the city,
nor do I find any symptom of it!”
-Tara Singh Viyogi (quoted in New York Times 1/31/85)

CHART OF MIC PLANT OPENING

Feb 11, 1980, 6:45 AM IST –5.5, 23N16, 77E24

155
On February 11, 1980, just five days before an eclipse cut a path of darkness across India,
MIC operations began at the huge, newly-reopened plant. At 6:45 AM, the time of the first
shift, the Asc was 17 Aquarius, with the midpoint of the Equatorial Asc/SNode conjunction
at 26 Aquarius 43, the degree of the coming eclipse, and of Neptune’s discovery, conjunct
Saturn, in 1846. It is also Union Carbide’s Chaos Harmonic2 MC and Jupiter. A human
drama involving India, Union Carbide, the United States, and the meaning and message of
Neptune was taking shape.

It was Lord Louis Mountbatten who arbitrarily set the date for India’s independence from
Great Britain:

“The astrologers are being rather tiresome.”

-Mountbatten, Viceroy’s Personal Reports #16, 8 8 473

India’s astrologers were being as “tiresome” as only astrologers can be when they see their
nation’s electional Moon applying to a series of malefics! Through their influence, the time
was moved back to zero hour, mitigating the violent influences of the time of transition.

INDIA INDEPENDENCE CHART

(Aug 15, 1947, 0 hr IST -5.5, Delhi, 28N40, 77E13)

COUNTDOWN

Two careful preliminary studies of the events leading up to the disaster -- the first by Stuart
Diamond of the New York Times, 1 30 85, and the second Union Carbide’s own study
excerpted in the New York Times 3 21 85 -- enable us to reconstruct the tragedy.

Sunday December 2, 1984, 9:40 PM, 77E24, 23N16:

Pluto anti-culminates; the degree of Union Carbide’s natal Neptune rises (7 Leo 05:
*Praesaepe, 44M Cancri); Mars (square Ceres) sets, and opposes India’s and Union
Carbide’s Saturn. The Moon is on the semi-octile axis of the heliocentric nodes of Uranus.

For the Central India Foreland, the weather is unseasonably cold. Most of the people of
Bhopal huddle together for warmth in rickety tin, clay and wood shacks. (100,000 new
settlers, drawn by the hope of employment, have crowded into the city since 1975; housing is
scarce). Inside the huge Union Carbide/India plant, a supervisor orders a worker to wash a
pipe in the area where methylisocyanate -- a gas so deadly most toxicologists refuse to test it
-- is stored.

The supervisor was new and inexperienced; the workers undertrained.

The great plant was losing money -- staff, training and maintenance
had been curtailed. New supervisors and operators held key positions...

10:45 PM:

156
Saturn (21 Scorpio 37: *Unukalhai, Alpha Serpentis - Serpens is associated with poisons) is
exactly on the IC, square the 21 Leo Asc. 21 Leo is the degree of India’s Sun and Union
Carbide’s Mars/Saturn midpoint. 21 Aquarius, the Dsc, is Union Carbide’s 2ndary
progressed Uranus. The plant’s “graveyard” shift takes over, unaware that a deadly
countdown to disaster has already started. Water has contaminated MIC tank 610, and a
violent chemical reaction has set in.

The refrigeration system had been “inoperable” for more than five
months; the MIC tank was 10-20 degrees centigrade over its safety
level, accelerating the disastrous reaction rate (MIC has a very low
boiling point). In addition, the temperature alarm had not been
re-set to warn of any rise above the already much-too-high storage
temperature. Therefore the alarm did not go off...

11:00 PM:
As the angles approach the lunar nodes, the MC conjoins disaster star *Algol, Beta Persei.
In the degree of Neptune’s discovery and India’s 1980 eclipse path, asteroid America sets.
The new shift logs the temperature in MIC tank 610 at 10 lbs per square inch, 5 times what it
had been a half hour earlier. This is not considered cause for alarm - it is assumed that one
of the two readings is faulty.

Pressure gauges and valves were unreliable, and sometimes broken...

-UC/India workers, to reporters

11:30 PM:
The IC has reached India’s Descendant (the 11 23 84 eclipse degree); Hades culminates. In
the process area, workers’ eyes start to tear -- a sure sign of a leak. The supervisor is
informed, and a search started for the source.

“We were human leak detectors...”

-Suman Dey, Senior Operator on Duty (NY Times)

---11:30 PM LEAK DISCOVERY CHART---

Dec 2, 1984, 11:30 PM IST –5.5, BHOPAL, 23N16, 77E24

11:45 PM:
The Nadir approaches the 10 Sag 46 Sun (the midpoint of Mars and Saturn at Neptune’s
discovery); Chiron culminates, Pallas sets in Pisces. The Ascendant semi-octiles the Node of
Neptune. Workers continue to search for the source of the leak. The supervisor is
unconcerned. He tells them he will deal with the leak after the next tea break, which starts
at 12:15.

Monday, December 3, 1984, 0:15 AM:

157
The Nadir (11 Sag 56) passes the Sun and approaches Uranus (13 Sag 37); Mars at 12 Aqu 50 (a
black hole degree) inconjuncts the Asc (12 Vir 04). The natal Saturns of both Union Carbide
and India are now the 12th house cusp.

The field operator again reports an MIC release. The pressure is now 30 lbs per square inch,
and within minutes it shoots to 55 lbs per square inch, the top of the pressure gauge’s scale.

0:22 AM:
The IC reaches Uranus, conjunct its own descending heliocentric node. Suddenly, the
concrete slab above the tanks begins to vibrate and emit “a tremendous sound, a messy
boiling sound.” The MIC in tank 610 has turned from liquid to gas. With a roar, 60 feet of
concrete over 6 inches thick breaks apart, radiating blast-furnace heat. In a panic, the
operator runs to the control room and turns the switch to start the vent gas scrubber, a
device that neutralizes escaping gas with caustic soda. With a loud hiss, gas 500 times more
toxic than cyanide shoots out of the vent scrubber stack and forms a white cloud over the
plant. It starts to drift towards the sleeping town.

The scrubber had been under maintenance; the pressure and temperature
were far in excess of its design capabilities. A meter indicated that there
was no caustic soda flowing into the device...

0:45 AM:
Chronos culminates; Pluto is now semisquare the Asc and sesquiquadrate the MC. Final log
entry: MIC unit operations are suspended because of high concentrations of MIC. Fumes
are choking the workers -- the situation is now out of control. They flee the plant in panic,
ignoring the buses provided for civilian evacuation.

(From this point on, events are confused and accounts differ.)

1:00 AM:
Zeus rises conjunct the US natal Neptune; the MC is India’s Vulcanus. The IC has reached
22 Sag (Rasalhague, Alpha Ophiuchi), the position of Neptune at the 1980 India eclipse and
the MIC unit’s opening. Saturn is on the 3rd house cusp. MIC emissions are officially
verified; the toxic gas alarm is sounded. Firewater monitors (water cannon) are used in an
attempt to wet down the vapor. The water curtain is capable of reaching a height of 100 feet.

The gas was escaping from a tower 120 feet high, and was shooting
another 10 feet over that...

Shakil Qureshi, MIC supervisor on duty, telephones the assistant factory manager. He is
told to turn on the flare tower to burn off the escaping gas. Senior Operator Dey warns
Qureshi that igniting the flare tower with such a volume of gas escaping could cause a huge
explosion.

Their discussion was pointless. A vital piece of pipe was missing

from the flare. It had corroded and was to be replaced...

158
The few remaining workers rush to expedite the only remaining alternative - to channel the
escaping gas into a spare storage tank. One of the three tanks, #619, is supposed to be empty
for this purpose.

#619 was not empty. It contained MIC, as did #611...

1:30 AM (approx.)
As workers grab their oxygen tanks and masks, MIC engulfs the control room and adjoining
offices.

1:35 AM:
The angles engage the cardinal axis. The IC has come to the exact Mercury/Neptune
conjunction in the longitude, latitude and declination of *Spiculum, 8, 20, and 21M Sagittarii,
a nebulous cluster associated with blindness...and selfish greed. Supervisor Qureshi
discovers that someone has stolen his oxygen mask and cylinder (“I thought I was going to
die”). He runs for his life, desperately scales a 6-foot barbed-wire-topped fence, breaking his
leg as he lands. The area is clear of gas, and he survives. Suman Dey dons his gear and tries
to find Qureshi (“I couldn’t see two feet in front of me, the cloud was so thick”). Dey goes
upwind and waits, periodically returning to the control room to check the instruments.
Somewhere between 2 and 2:30 AM, the escaping gas stops...

I:53 AM:
Halley’s Comet culminates, on the degree of Jupiter in the US chart, the Asc of the Bhopal
eclipse chart, and on the Pluto/South Node conjunction of Union Carbide’s natal chart,
sesquiquadrate its Uranus. Pluto is on the 2nd cusp, inconjunct Hades on the 9th. Juno-of-
helplessness rises; the setting Moon is sesquiquadrate asteroid Atropos, on the Uranian axis
of death.

In the city of Bhopal, by the thousands, people are dying. There is nothing to be done.

LINK-UP

It all started so simply. We had a chart for Union Carbide. We had a chart for India, and
data for the tragedy. We would compare them, write it all up, stow it in the file, and go on
to other projects.

But that’s not the way it worked out.

As we studied the charts, unexpected patterns emerged -- unusual and puzzling

“coincidences” that seemed to be telling another story. For one thing, India became
independent from Great Britain precisely on Union Carbide’s Saturn return. We are used to
thinking of nations as more powerful and more important than corporations - even the huge,
multinational corporations; but in actuality, this may not be so. Then there was the natal
Pluto/SNode conjunction on Union Carbide’s chart (conjunct the US Jupiter). Pluto, rx,
had progressed exactly to that Node, and at the disaster Halley’s Comet conjoined them

159
both, highlighting4 hidden past activities. Could there have been something in Union
Carbide’s past that led to their present predicament?

What followed was an interesting bit of synchronicity. A discarded newspaper called “The
Guardian” came to hand, with a feature article on Bhopal. The writer, Jonathan Bennett,
mentioned another terrible Union Carbide disaster 54 years earlier that had received very
little press coverage at the time - at a town called Gauley Bridge.

There is a place in West Virginia where the Kanawha, a tributary of the great Ohio River,
branches in two; Gauley River flows north and the New River southeast, through an area so
rich in silica that sand for glass-making is one of West Virginia’s greatest mineral resources.

In April 1929 Saturn stationed at 0 Cap 31, on the World Axis and the precise degree of the
Bhopal disaster’s Mercury-Neptune conjunction 55.6 years later. The Union Carbide and
Carbon Co. (as it was known then) decided to build a 3 ¾ mile tunnel to divert water from
New River to their New Kanawha Power Co. “Hawk’s Nest” hydroelectric plant at Gauley
Junction. New Kanawha, a subsidiary of Union Carbide and Carbon, was licensed by the
State of West Virginia Power Commission, ostensibly to develop power for public sale; in
reality it was formed to sell all its power to the Electro-Metallurgical Co., another subsidiary
of Union Carbide and Carbon.

Rhinehold and Dennis, Contractors, were hired and it was quickly discovered that the rock
to be drilled through was silica, virtually pure, definitely valuable, and positively dangerous.

Since Hippocrates wrote of it in 400 BC, it has been known that silica dust is
poisonous to humans. Silicosis, probably the oldest known occupational disease,
is incurable. As it is a lethal and debilitating danger to miners, silica-bearing rock
must be worked wet, and masks or respirators must be worn. If no precautions
are taken, nodular scar tissue quickly forms in the lungs, blocking drainage, blood
supply, and air passageways. Once the disease has started, it cannot be stopped,
and the victims, even if they stop work, will gradually strangle to death.

When word went out that jobs were available in West Virginia, workers came from far and
wide to sign up. Pluto had just been discovered in 1930 when the tunneling began. America
was in the depths of the Great Depression, and people were desperate for work. But almost
immediately after work started on the Gauley Bridge tunnel, workers began to sicken and
die.

GAULEY BRIDGE TUNNEL CHART

Apr 1, 1930, 7 AM EST, Gauley Bridge, WV, 38N10, 81W12

Here begins America’s worst industrial scandal. By no stretch of the imagination could the
Gauley Bridge disaster be called “accident.”

Foremen refused to allow the drillers to wet down the rock (drilling was faster dry). Ten-
hour shifts were forcibly stretched to twelve hours, without pay. Air so thick with silica

160
dust that men could barely see each other (“you could not tell who was a black man and who
was white”) was further poisoned by illegal gasoline motors giving off carbon monoxide
fumes.

“The ambulance was going day and night to the Coal Valley Hospital.”
-Hearings5

The workers, mostly unskilled, non-union transients, were never told of any danger or
warned to take precautions, although danger notices were required by law.

“...the men did not and could not have known of the danger they underwent. The
company did know the danger they were sending these men to face. They
deliberately failed to furnish sufficient protection. The results have been devastating
in their deadliness.”
-Hearings, p 21

Up to 36 men were housed in each 10’ by 12’ shack - no water, stoves, or bedding. Out of pay
starting at 50 cents an hour and later reduced to 25 cents came enforced deductions for coal,
rent, electricity (usually none) and virtually nonexistent medical care (for which blacks
were charged more than whites). Pay was in “company scrip” so only the company could
cash the checks; it charged a 10 cents check-cashing fee.

“For every day I worked they paid me $1.00, and held out 80 cents for services.”
-Charles Jones, Hearings

If a man became too ill to work, he was driven off the grounds by force - and the “rouster,”
deputized at the request of the company, carried a gun. Beatings were common.

“They was treated worsen if they was mules”

-Mrs C Jones, Hearings

“The men were handled worse than I have ever seen them
handled before”
-Arthur Peyton, Engineer’s Assistant, Hearings

Inspectors from the West Virginia Department of Mines tried repeatedly to inspect the site,
but the company kept them out, insisting that it was a construction site, not a mine, and
therefore not under the Department’s jurisdiction. (The company later claimed in court that
it did not know that silica was dangerous, although it was revealed that company officials
had attended a lecture on silicosis in 1925, and mining and civil engineers are required to
know about it). In addition, company officials, without exception, wore masks when they
checked the progress of the tunnel, and lookouts were kept posted to watch out for
government inspectors.

To a salesman offering respirators at $2.50 a piece, the purchasing

agent was overheard to say “I wouldn’t give you $2.50 for all the
niggers on the job.”

161
 - Hearings, testimony

When workers left or died, there were plenty more available who were desperate for
employment.

[this was] the story of men in the darkest days of the depression,
with work hard to secure, driven by despair and stark fear of hunger
to work for a mere existence wage under almost intolerable conditions...
-Hearings

The company had calculated that the tunnel would be finished and the men scattered far and
wide when they began to become ill, as silicosis usually takes ten to twenty years to
debilitate and kill its victims, but the purity and density of the poisonous dust acted with
deadly speed.

“I knew they was going to kill these niggers within five years, but
I didn’t know they was going to kill them so quick...”
-Contractors’ Purchasing Agent (quoted in testimony)

Once dead, they were buried with indecent speed - no washing, laying out, clean clothes, or
ceremony. In some cases, relatives arriving one or two hours later were told the victim had
already been buried. (This was to avoid autopsies, which might lead to lawsuits). Some were
thrown into multiple graves.

“They buried them like they were burying hogs, putting two or
three of them in a hole. The men were buried in what they got
killed or died in.”
-Hearings

Company doctors were not allowed to tell the men what was wrong with them. Little black
pills were dispensed for “tunnelitis.” Once weakened by the silica, many contracted
pneumonia or tuberculosis and died of infection (this enabled the company to later claim in
court that their deaths had not been caused by silica). As the death rate accelerated, the
company hired an undertaker at a special wholesale rate to get rid of the corpses more
efficiently.

“He took the work for a smaller price than other undertakers
charged because the company knew and assured him there would
be a large number of deaths...”
-Hearings

No records or death certificates were made, unless there were family members nearby. (The
undertaker later claimed in court that his records had been “destroyed”). 169 of the victims
were later discovered at Summerville, West Virginia in unmarked mass graves.

By 1931, rumors of the great numbers of deaths at Hawk’s Nest Tunnel were reaching official
circles. In the Spring of 1933, with Neptune conjunct the South Lunar Node (7.5 Virgo)

162
sesquiquadrate Uranus in Aries, and Saturn in mid-Aquarius, all on the World Axis and
aspecting newly-discovered Pluto on its own ascending node, the first of approximately 500
lawsuits were brought to trial. 200 of these cases were summarily thrown out of court due to
a hastily-manufactured “Statute of Limitations” pushed through the West Virginia Supreme
Court, which decreed that in order to be eligible for compensation,

*a worker must have been employed for at least two years at the same job
*he must have filed his claim within one year after leaving the job
*he must have given a complete life history to his employer at the start of
employment
*he must never have broken any safety rules

Most had not survived long enough to fulfill even the first requirement...

The trials (“a macabre burlesque”6) were rife with intimidation, threats, and bribery of
jurors and lawyers. The cases that could not be thrown out of court by the hastily-
engineered statute, or hung-juried through bribery5 or settled out of court by threats and
payments to the victims’ lawyers, were settled for pathetic sums: $250, $60, $300, $125 were
typical amounts. In any case, the plaintiffs would not have received anything at all if they
had not agreed to hand over to the company all of their collected evidence, so that it could
not be used by others. The president of Rinehart and Dennis was quoted in the press as
saying that the lawsuits were nothing more than part of a “legal silicosis racket.”

“The most damnable racketeering that I have ever known is the

paying of a fee to the very attorneys who represented these victims.”
-Rep. Vito Marcantonio of New York
House Labor Subcommittee

One woman testified that she had received $185.85 for the death of her husband.

“The disease silicosis was not known to us, nor to the other
contractors of our acquaintance, before we were surprised by
the bringing of damage suits...we know of no case of silicosis
contracted on this job.”
-P H Faulconer, President
Rinehart and Dennis, Contractors

“I don’t know what that 85 cents was for...”

-Mrs Mary Jones

Hundreds of others, surviving the dead or themselves broken in health, were blocked by the
statute of limitations from even filing suit, and received absolutely nothing.

The mainstream American press almost completely ignored the terrible stories coming out
of West Virginia; skeptical editors called them “mountain gossip,” “mere rumor,” and “too
harrowing” to be readily believed. In January 1936, with a Congressional investigation about
to begin (transiting Mercury in Aquarius semi-octile Saturn in Pisces), the Engineering

163
News Record called the charges “fantastic - sheer bunk.” The New York Times was
soothingly complacent:

“...we all inhale a certain amount of rock dust - silica...house dust and
street dust, for one thing”

“The casualty list is too high for a contract on which 4,948 were employed -
2,500 underground - too high to be readily accepted.”
-New York Times, 2/23/36

Only the radical left-wing press kept the story alive, “rattling the bones” and demanding an
investigation.

CHART OF HEARINGS

Thursday, January 16, 1936, 10:40 AM, Washington, DC:

“Whereas...workers were buried in a field at Summersville, West Virginia, with cornstalks

as their only gravestones and with no other means of identification...”

With these words, a House Labor Subcommittee opened hearings into what was becoming
known as “The Gauley Bridge Disaster.” After fourteen days of testimony by doctors, social
workers, lawyers, engineers, foremen and laborers (some of them dying and barely able to
speak) it had become painfully evident that the grim “mountain rumors” paled before a
terrible reality. One man, near death himself, told the committee that he had lost three sons
in the tunnel, the youngest 18. His wife tried to get a local doctor to examine the boy, but he
would not because she didn’t have enough money. She stood in the road and begged for
money until she had the $50 he demanded for an X-ray. He took the case, but three weeks
later the boy died. His two older brothers died the following year.

“...the tunnel was begun, continued, and completed with grave

and inhuman disregard of all consideration for the health, lives,
and future of the employees...”
-Report of the Subcommittee

The summary of the subcommittee provided, at least and at last, an epitaph for the
anonymous dead:

“If by their suffering and death they will have made life safer in
future for the men who go beneath the earth to work, if they will
have been able to establish a new and greater regard for human life
in industry, their suffering may not have been in vain...”

164
“The worst industrial disaster in history.” That’s what Gauley Bridge had been called until
December, 1984, when Bhopal took over that title. These two terrible events have one factor
in common: Union Carbide Corporation.

UNION CARBIDE CHART

Nov 1, 1917, (used Noon, EST), 42N39, 73W45

Union Carbide Corporation was founded during the worst year of the worst war that has
ever been fought. Saturn, Admetos and the Lunar Nodes were on the world cardinal axis.
The Sun (by septile) and Kronos were on the world death axis (0° of the fixed signs) and the
conjunction of Hades, Chiron and Vesta were bringing primitive nationalistic emotions into
full play. It is estimated that about 20,000,000 people died in 1917-18, some from terrible
epidemics, others in the war, and still more in revolutions and pograms. (It is interesting
that the USSR was established just 6 days later, and Indira Gandhi (assassinated 2 months
before the Bhopal disaster) was born 18 days later.

Uranus holds the only dignity by sign, as might be expected for a corporation founded to
exploit technological developments; Mars is at royal star *Regulus, Alpha Leonis, and an
exiled Jupiter (with the Moon) is conjunct *Aldebaran, Alpha Tauri - both royal stars with a
reputation for arrogance and early prominence, followed by severe and sudden falls from
grace. Chart ruler Saturn is in exile in Leo, conjunct corporate Cupido situated on
Neptune’s ascending heliocentric node; it squares both the MC and Ceres, co-ruler of the
8th. With the MC, Sun, Mercury (other 8th ruler), and Ceres in the 8th house sign, this
company will be known for Scorpionic matters, including death. Mercury, ruler of 3 houses,
suffers a bi-septile from Uranus, and an inconjunct from Vulcanus, Jupiter and the Moon,
and forms a devastating square to Neptune, situated on *Praesepe (44M Cancri), a nebulous
cluster frequently associated with tragedies. Since Jupiter and Neptune rule the 2nd of
money and resources, and Mercury the 6th of employees, the 8th of death, and the 5th of
workers’ misfortunes (the 5th is the 12th of the 6th), Union Carbide’s race for profits will
endanger lives -- and engender lawsuits! The south lunar node conjuncts Pluto in Cancer,
describing an obsessively self-protective corporate entity with lessons to be learned in the
area of responsibility and public caretaking (NNode in Capricorn). The NNode has yet to
be manifested; Union Carbide refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing at Gauley Bridge,
and has thus far disclaimed its part in the Bhopal tragedy.

At the moment the Gauley Bridge investigative hearings were

called to order in Washington on January 16, 1936 at 10:40 AM,
the MC/IC axis fell exactly on the natal nodes of Union Carbide.
Asteroid America was at 7 Sco 46, the corporation’s natal
Mercury, square its Neptune, and semisquare the US Neptune.

SEPTILES

Septiles, 7th harmonic aspects, have a strong role to play in mundane astrology. As in natal
charts, they may bring sorrow and bereavement if attention has not been paid to the spiritual
level of existence.

165
If 360° is divided by 7, the result is 51°26’, the length of one septile. But like some of the
other odd-numbered division of the circle (trine, quintile, novile), septiles do not divide
evenly into a half-circle of 180°. If a septile is subtracted from an angle, the remaining
number of degrees (to the opposite angle) is 128°34’, or 2½ septiles. This 2½ septile aspect
occurs frequently in harsh circumstances; for instance, the Moon of the Bhopal disaster is
2½ septiles applying to the twin Saturns of India and Union Carbide. Half-septile aspects
are important as well; Saturn at the event was 4½ septiles from 0 Aries.

1 septile: 51° 26’ ½ septile: 25° 43’

2 septiles: 102° 51’ 1½ septiles: 77° 09’
3 septiles: 154° 17’ 2½ septiles: 128° 34’
4 septiles: 205° 42’ 3½ septiles: 180° 00’
5 septiles: 257° 09’ 4½ septiles: 231° 26’
6 septiles: 308° 34’ 5½ septiles: 282° 51’
6½ septiles: 334° 17’

Union Carbide’s Saturn is tri-septile its Ascendant and bi-septile Kronos of authority and
law, carrying the Saturnian theme of the Capricorn NNode and Ascendant. Jupiter, ruling
the 11th, 12th and 2nd, is tri-septile the MC, and ½ septile behind Pluto. When poison gas
devastated Bhopal, the Mercury-Neptune conjunction was septile Union Carbide’s Sun, and
Pluto formed an applying septile to their natal Venus.

---ECLIPSE CHART (BHOPAL)---

Feb 16, 1980, 2:21 PM IST –5.5, 23N16, 77E24

At the February 16, 1980 eclipse at 26 Aqu 50, the Ascendant in Bhopal was Union Carbide’s
Pluto and SNode, the Moon’s NNode was Carbide’s Mars (and the eclipse Venus was the
disaster’s Moon), but it was Saturn that presaged the worst. Inconjunct the eclipse itself, it
fell on the IC at Bhopal, square India’s Uranus (co-ruler MC), inconjunct their Moon, and
on their Mercury/Saturn midpoint axis. On Union Carbide’s chart, the eclipse’s Saturn
degree, 25 Virgo, on their Poseidon in the 8th, hit their midpoint axes of MC/Neptune,
Mercury/Saturn, Sun/Cupido and Mercury/Cupido, squared Venus, and fell very close to
the corporation’s Aries/Hades. At the same time it opposed the Hades/Chiron/Vesta
conjunction in the 2nd in Pisces. (The Asc. of this eclipse in Washington, DC was 0 Cap
43!) Union Carbide’s 1979 solar return (2 months before MIC operations began in Bhopal)
had Venus in exile on the MC at 26 Sco 26, which was squared by the eclipse; solar return
Mars was 21 Leo, the natal Carbide Mars/Saturn, and India’s Sun.

Any eclipse that squares Uranus and Hades, inconjuncts Saturn, and squares *Algol must be
regarded with some trepidation; this one preceded the attempt on Reagan’s life (it was
sesquiquadrate the US Sun) and heralded the death of three Russian leaders in as many
years (it opposed the USSR Moon) as well as bringing back to power, and then bringing
down, Indira Gandhi - born the same month and year as Union Carbide and the USSR.
Perhaps the most fascinating of all is that besides falling on the Asc of the Bhopal plant
reopening (the start of MIC operations), this eclipse over India fell on Neptune’s discovery
degree, when the planet was aligned with Saturn in longitude, latitude and declination, on
September 23, 1846.

166
 CHART OF NEPTUNE’S DISCOVERY
Sept 23, 1846, 22:30 LMT, Berlin, Germany, 52N30, 13E22

On May 30, 1994, an eclipse path ran through the east central states of the US, the locale of
the original Union Carbide Corporation. At 9 Gem 26, the eclipse was on Union Carbide’s
Jupiter-Moon conjunction, West Virginia’s SNode, (6/20/1863), the US Uranus/Asc, square
the Neptune discovery Venus, and on royal star *Aldebaran, Alpha Tauri. It is two-sevenths
of the zodiac ahead of the one over India in 1980: a biseptile. Halley’s Comet, at 2 Cancer 08,
was on the US Venus and Carbide’s SNode, opposing transiting Neptune. After
retrograding, the comet returned to this position at the disaster. During this period,
warnings of possible disaster were given - and ignored.

The third relevant eclipse, on 11 23 84 (11 22 Greenwich) at 0 Sag 50, exactly, to the minute,
on India’s Descendant, gave the final warning; at Bhopal, Pluto rose and Mars anti-
culminated, an almost certain indication of disaster at that locality. On December 2, when
the MIC leak was first noticed, the eclipse degree held the IC. (It was on the 8th cusp of the
Gauley Bridge chart, square Neptune, and 7 semi-octiles from Moon/Zeus/Chronos.)

Studying the 90° wheel, one is constantly struck by the profound connections between the
chart for Gauley Bridge and the Bhopal disaster. Saturn+Neptune-Jupiter, a formula for gas
poisoning, comes out on the Bhopal chart at 7 Scorpio 06; this is Union Carbide’s natal
Mercury and solar arc Mars. It opposes the Gauley Bridge Moon and Chronos, and squares
its Jupiter.

This degree was the Moon’s at Neptune’s discovery; the Asc and
SNode at Uranus’ discovery, and the Moon and SNode at Pluto’s
discovery. The star *Khambalia (Lambda Virginis) with a reputation
for coldness, rashness and a lack of scruples, is now in this degree.

Mars+Saturn-Neptune, death through gas, at Bhopal equaled the transiting Sun, Halley’s
Comet, Juno, and India’s Jupiter and Hades. It also equals the Gauley Bridge Mars, Jupiter,
Vulcanus, and Mercury’s Node.

Saturn+Saturn-Neptune, a silicosis formula (silica is ruled by Saturn), placed on the Gauley

Bridge chart, comes out at 21Tau 52; this is one septile from 0 Aries and semi-octile the
Gauley Bridge Asc, (which is the SNode of the Neptune discovery chart, in the longitude of
single-minded, merciless *Al Rischa, Alpha Piscium). At Bhopal, Saturn at 21 Sco 34 exactly
opposed this formula; the Moon semi-squared it. On a 90° wheel, 21.5 of the fixed signs is on
the axis of the nodes of Uranus.

And what of incoming Halley’s Comet? Has it more of a part to play than its conjunction
with Union Carbide’s SNode/Pluto? On the Bhopal chart, Sun/Halley’s = Mars/Saturn, the
‘84 9.5 Gemini North American eclipse (on Union Carbide’s Moon-Jupiter), Neptune’s
discovery Venus, ‘80 India eclipse Mars and Gauley Bridge Mars and Venus.

167
Sun/Halley’s = India’s Asc and Ceres, Gauley Bridge’s Moon, Zeus and Chronos.
Moon/Halley’s = Uranus, Saturn, India’s Sun, Union Carbide’s Pluto, and the Nodes of
Uranus.

The midpoint of Halley’s Comet at Bhopal and Union Carbide’s

natal Sun equals Union Carbide’s MC, India’s MC, the US MC,
the Mercury-Neptune conjunction and the World Axis.

The midpoint of Union Carbide’s Moon and India’s Moon =

Halley’s Comet at Bhopal.

* * * *

They (corporations) cannot commit treason, nor be outlawed nor

excommunicated, for they have no souls.
-Sir Edward Coke, jurist, 1552-1634

If the act of incorporation is not to be taken as a license for haphazard destruction that
would not be permitted to any individual, a re-evaluation of corporate law and custome is
long overdue. The incredible power of vast financial resources has enabled many
multinational corporate structures to hold even determined governments at bay. The
Bhopal event is far more than a local tragedy -- or retribution for Gauley Bridge. Mark
Lerner, Editor of Planet Earth (Great Bear Press) in the Capricorn 1984-85 issue, pointed out
that the disaster occurred with the first conjunction of Mercury and Neptune in Capricorn
in 164 years (the conjunction was at *Spiculum, the Trifid Nebula, associated with gas
disasters and poisoning); it squares the Sun on the Neptune discovery chart, and is on the
world axis (0 of the Cardinal signs - the Sun at each solstice and equinox), indicating
universal human involvement. Our air, earth and water - the essential resources for human
life on this planet - are being contaminated, and we are all involved in the struggle to
change, whether we want to be or not. At the recent leak at Carbide’s Institute, West
Virginia plant (August 11, 1985, 9:15 AM EDT, 81W46, 39N05), Saturn had returned from its
March, ‘85 retrograde to its precise position at the Bhopal event; Halley’s Comet opposes
Neptune once more. Mercury squares its own nodes; Sun and Transpluto square the nodes
of Mars. Mars and Jupiter inhabit the nodes of Neptune.

Just as individuals have spiritual responsibilities, so do families, communities, nations, and

corporations. Production, jobs and profits are no longer sufficient goals for any segment of
the human race. With Pluto coming to Union Carbide’s Sun (Septile the world axis), this
corporation has an opportunity to overcome its past and become a world leader in the control
of pollution; by reaching for the responsibility of its Capricorn NNode and providing
leadership instead of self-interested excuses, a Scorpio phoenix could rise from these ashes.

As to manners, then, in which each soul shall conduct self as

respecting...an individual organization, it has oft been given
that this is not under any schism or ism or any individual
tenet other than that which has been of old, “I AM MY
BROTHER’S KEEPER!” That should be the cry that should

168
 be in the heart of every member, every individual. “I AM MY
BROTHER’S KEEPER!”
-Edgar Cayce, Reading 254-91, 1936

Footnotes:
1: After this article was published, Time Magazine (2 27 89, p 53) gave the figures of 3,400 dead, 200,000
blinded and/or crippled. Estimates of total deaths range from 15,000 (Government of India) to up to
25,000 (Amnesty International)
2: Multiples of the Universal Constant related to chaos: 4.669201609
3: Mountbatten: A Biography, by Philip Ziegler, New York, 1985
4: Halley’s Comet: comets are like “spotlights” pointing to an important element in a chart.
5: “An Investigation relating to Health Conditions of Workers Employed in the Construction and
Maintenance of Public Utilities:” Hearings before a Special Subcommittee of the House Committee of
Labor, January and February 1936 (“Hearings”)
6: Joseph A Page & Mary Win O’Brien, Bitter Wages, Grossman, NY, 1973, p 61

Update:

On February 6, 2001, Dow Chemical Company merged with and took over Union Carbide:
http://www.dow.com/dow_news/corporate/2001/20010206a.html
http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/news/details?item_id=670565&campaign_id=3941
Dow refuses to take responsibility and clean up Bhopal, despite the fact that thousands living in vicinity
of the factory continue to be exposed to toxic chemicals through groundwater and soil contamination.

The Dow Chemical Company

18 May 1897
Midland, MI
no time available

169

R obert Gover (born November 2, 1929)
grew up in an endowed orphanage (Girard
College in Philadelphia), attended the
University of Pittsburgh on athletic
scholarship (swimming the butterfly),
received a degree in economics, worked as
a journalist, became a bestselling novelist
by age 30, lived most of his life in
California where he began his study of
astrology, and now resides in Rehoboth
Beach, Delaware. His latest novel is Two
Brothers. He describes it as an “economic
novel.” One brother becomes a
millionaire, the other a skid row bum. A
third character was an economics professor
till he studied astrology—he was
subsequently confined in an insane
asylum. Robert’s first novel, One
Hundred Dollar Misunderstanding, is a
satire on racism and remains a cult classic.
He has published 10 novels and 2 works of
nonfiction, including Time and Money:
the Economy and the Planets. He can be
reached at gocycles@aol.com.
170
Hyperinflation:
Astrological Outlook
2010
By
Robert Gover, USA
T he worst periods of inflation, going
back to the Roman Empire, have
occurred under Saturn-Uranus or
Saturn-Neptune oppositions, and
sometimes hard angles from Pluto have
been involved.
Saturn-Neptune oppositions occur every 36
years on the average; Saturn-Uranus
oppositions occur every 45 years. Planets
are said to be in opposition when, from our
perspective on Earth, they are 180 degrees
apart, putting we earthlings between them.
Not every time a Saturn-Uranus or
Saturn-Neptune opposition has formed has
it coincided with hyperinflation. These
oppositions apparently impact whatever is
ripe to be affected. When what is ripe is a
society’s monetary system, hyperinflation
results.
Here is a brief astrological history of some
notable past hyperinflations:
Year 150 Roman Empire: Saturn in
Cancer opposite Uranus in Capricorn
1350 Black Plague: Saturn conjunct
Pluto in Aries
1501 European gold imports: Saturn
in Taurus opposite Pluto in Scorpio. T
square Uranus in Aquarius
 1720 John Law’s Mississippi Bubble and South Sea Bubble: Saturn in Scorpio opposite
Neptune in Taurus, both square Moon’s Nodes

1782 American Revolution: Saturn 24 Sagittarius opposite Uranus 0 Cancer, both

square Mars in Pisces

1784 French Revolution: Saturn in Taurus opposite Neptune in Scorpio, Uranus in Leo
opposite Pluto in Aquarius

1862 American Civil War: Saturn and Jupiter conjunct in Virgo opposite Neptune in
Pisces

1917-1923 Russian Revolution and German hyperinflation: Saturn conjunct Pluto 1914-
15; Saturn conjunct Neptune 1917; Saturn opposite Uranus 1918-20.

1937 Chinese Revolution: Saturn in Pisces opposite Neptune in Virgo, both square
Chiron in Gemini and Moon’s Nodes

1965 Indian Inflation: Saturn in Pisces opposite Uranus and Pluto conjunct in Virgo

2007-2010 USA: Saturn in Leo opposite Neptune in Aquarius 2007; Saturn in Virgo
opposite Uranus in Pisces 2008. Then Saturn in Libra T sq. Uranus in Aires sq. Pluto in
Capricorn 2010.

What is called the Hyperinflation of the German Weimar Republic 1923—considered the
worst in modern history—began in 1914 under a conjunction of Saturn and Pluto in Cancer.

171
It built up slowly but steadily during 1917 under a Saturn-Neptune conjunction in Leo.

And then rapidly gained momentum 1918 to 1920 under a series of six Saturn-Uranus
oppositions, to climax in 1923.

172
An eyewitness said, “It was horrible. Horrible! Like lightening it struck. No one was
prepared. You cannot imagine the rapidity with which the whole thing happened. The
shelves in grocery stores were empty. You could buy nothing with your paper money.”

From 2006-2007, Saturn opposed Neptune, and from 2008 through 2010 we have a series of
Saturn-Uranus oppositions moving into a T square with Pluto. So economic predictions of
hyperinflation are supported by the astrological history of past hyperinflations.

If you’ve been doing your family’s shopping for at least ten years in the USA, you have
probably noticed that food prices have doubled or even tripled, even as the mass media has
told people inflation is being contained. This slow inflation has been going on since the
creation of the Federal Reserve in December 1913. What you could buy then for a dollar costs
$100 or more today. It has happened so slowly and gradually that most people have come to
view it as normal.

Hyperinflation would mean a 100 dollar bill quickly becomes worth more as toilet paper than
money.

What has me revisiting this depressing subject is an article online by economist John
Williams (www.shadowstats.com). Williams specializes in actual economic statistics,
correcting politicized statistics. Here’s the opening paragraph of his article titled
“Hyperinflation Special Report”:

“The U.S. economy is in an intensifying inflationary recession that eventually will evolve
into a hyperinflationary great depression. Hyperinflation could be experienced as early as
2010, if not before, and likely no more than a decade down the road. The U.S. government
and Federal Reserve already have committed the system to this course through the easy
politics and a bottomless pocketbook, the servicing of big-moneyed special interests, and
gross mismanagement.”

The last of five exact Saturn-Uranus oppositions will occur in July 2010. If the astrological
past is prologue, we can expect hyperinflation to peak around the end of 2012.

December 2012—famous for “end of the world” prophesies—marks the tightening of a

Uranus-Pluto square that will dominate till at least 2018, and which, based on past history,
can be expected to bring revolutionary transformations, as detailed in previous articles by
me.

Economist John Williams’ prediction of hyperinflation is supported by astrology, although

Uranus may be the joker in the deck, as Uranus brings unprecedented surprises, and for
much of 2010 Jupiter expands Uranus’ effects. Around the end of May 2010 the national
mood of public opposition to the ruling oligarchy will begin to change as Uranus (conjunct
Jupiter) moves from easy-going Pisces into Mars-ruled Aries, with both square Pluto and
opposite Saturn.

Note in the chart below how Pluto in Capricorn is conjunct the Sun-Pluto opposition of the
Federal Reserve’s nativity, with both squaring Saturn in late Virgo opposite the conjunction
of Jupiter and Uranus on the cusp of Aries.

173
Economist, Henry C. K. Liu, defined the joker when he said, “What we will have going
forward is not Weimar Republic type price inflation, but a financial profit
inflation…inducing the public to invest what remaining wealth they still hold only to lose
more of it at the next market meltdown which will come when the profit bubble bursts.”
(“Bogged Down at the Fed,” September 11, 2009, Asian Times Online.)

2.

In 2010, we’ll be under the last of a five-series Saturn-Uranus opposition that was preceded
by a Saturn-Neptune opposition in 2006-2007. This series of patterns has a history of
bringing hyperinflation.

Hyperinflation accompanies other social upheavals—when a money system gets out of

whack, everyone’s life is upset.

It’s said by most economists that the US government will have only two choices if/when
hyperinflation hits—default, or issue a new super-inflated currency to repay the national
debt with devalued money.

But either would cheat those who invested in the debt—if you bought a $1,000 government
bond in 2009 you won’t enjoy being paid with money in 2014 that buys only half or less of
what your original $1,000 bought in 2009.

174
There is a third choice: Change the system from money loaned to government by the
bankers of the Fed—to money issued by government debt-free for infrastructure projects,
and also loaned to banks, who then make corporate and personal loans, the way they do now.
Then gradually repay the existing national debt and be done with it.

Changing from a “central” bank (privately owned) to a “national” bank (publically owned)
would not eliminate the gnarly complexities of running a monetary system. But it would
shift from protecting the financial sector to protecting the overall economy. And with
Uranus involved astrologically, changing the money system is a heightened possibility.

Most people already believe government issues money by “running the printing press.”
Actually, the Fed runs the printing press in the form of computer digits—98% of what we
call money is actually credit, a small portion of which is transformed into cash when
workers are paid.

If the USA changes the existing Fed-run, debt-based monetary system in time, a lot of pain
and suffering can be avoided. Proposals are now being pushed by, among others, the
American Monetary Institute and Congressman Dennis Kucinich.

It’s not a new idea. It dates back to the time of Aristotle, who said that money’s highest and
best use is as a means of exchange, and when money is misused to reproduce itself (as our
financial sector now does), it will destroy society.

Some kind of monetary system revolution is indicated by the astrology involved. The Fed’s
natal Sun-Pluto opposition is now, and for the near future, being hit by hard angles from
Saturn, Uranus and Pluto, a recipe for radical change. Astrology cannot tell us what changes
we humans will decide to make, however.

If asked where money comes from, most people say, “The bank.” And the national debt?
“The government just prints money and spends it.” But if the government printed money
(and/or distributed credit) why would it borrow from banks?

Originating money in banks is an old habit dating back two cycles of Pluto in Capricorn ago,
when the precursors of modern bankers were called moneychangers. Back then, most
Europeans didn’t use money—they bartered. The wealthy used paper bills backed by their
stores of precious metals, and most had a cozy relationship with their
moneychangers/bankers.

Now, in our modern urbanized world, money is as necessary to survival as air and water.
Yet bankers conjure money from thin air and issue it as debt to those who use it as the
medium of exchange for trade. The conjuring is done according to an artfully deceptive
theory about “reserves” and “multiplier effects,” couched in esoteric jargon. And bankers
still have a special relationship with the super wealthy. Five hundred years ago, money
belonged to the rich alone. Today, money is more like water and electricity, a public utility
used by everyone.

In ancient Greece, it was decided that the civil authority (government) should create and
issue money. American colonists also used this system. Ben Franklin was its major advocate.

175
For how a money system revolution can come about in our time, Google “debt-based
money” and check out “Web of Debt,” or go to American Monetary Institute and read their
proposed legislation—keeping in mind both the astrology involved and the horrendous
resistance such a change is sure to meet.

3.

“Contrary to popular belief, creeping inflation is not caused by the government irresponsibly
printing dollars. It is caused by the banks expanding the money supply with loans.” (Ellen
Hodgson Brown, “Web of Debt,” page 4.)

In the USA’s Fed-run, debt-based monetary system, money is loaned into our economy as
debt that must be repaid with interest—that’s the present rules of the game. But the bankers
of the Fed loan only the principle. More loans must be made to repay interest. That’s what
creates slow but steady inflation.

If Fed banks loan two companies $100 each at 10%, the money supply increases by $200 but
the total indebtedness increases by $220. Both companies must then find ways to repay a
total of $220. More money is loaned into the system to repay existing debt, expanding future
debt. Multiply by trillions and the cause of world poverty, wars for profit, and other social
ills come into focus.

“So we see that, under our debt-based money system, interest can never truly be paid off,
but can only be shifted from one person to another, or one sector of the economy to another
(public to private, or vice versa). That more than anything else is what creates our dog-eat-
dog, musical chairs economy—an economy in which millions of people work frantically to
capture other people's (money); and in which virtually everyone works (to one extent or
another, and whether they realize it or not) as indentured servants to the banking elite.”
(Todd Altman in an essay titled “Rights vs. Privileges,” quoting Robert De Fremery).

What India and the People’s Republic of China have done is adopt versions of the monetary
system elucidated by Ben Franklin in Colonial America and used by Abe Lincoln to fight the
Civil War without bankrupting the Union: Instead of government borrowing money from
banks, government creates the money it needs.

Yet any modern monetary system is complex and must be managed carefully. With the T
square formed by Saturn, Uranus and Pluto becoming close to exact this summer,
astrologers will have a chance to analyze how beliefs interact with hard aspects to produce
positive or negative outcomes. Both the US Fed and the People’s Bank of China will be
caught in a grand cross pattern, indicating crisis.

The December 1, 1948 PBoC’s Mars-Jupiter conjunction in Capricorn opposite Uranus at 29

Gemini will be caught in the grand cross formed by Saturn, Uranus conjunct Jupiter, and
Pluto conjunct the Moon’s North Node.

176
The US Fed’s December 23, 1913 Sun-Pluto opposition will be caught in the same grand cross.

177
The PBoC’s Sun (conjunct Moon, Mercury and Chiron) squares natal Saturn, which will be
making a favorable trine to natal Mars-Jupiter under transiting Pluto and the North Node.

The US Fed’s natal Jupiter-Uranus conjunction will be trine transiting Saturn.

The question to be answered: Which money system will weather this difficult planetary
pattern the most skillfully? Will China succumb to pressures from Europe and the USA to
scrap their system and adopt the Fed’s debt-based system? Or will the Fed’s debt-based
system be forced by circumstances to change and return to the principles of Ben Franklin
and Abe Lincoln?

Since most people believe the government already controls the nation’s monetary system,
it’s possible that Congress could nationalize the Fed without many people being aware of it.

Under the Saturn-Uranus-Pluto T-square now forming, it’s also possible that the USA and
even the world economy could be hit by hyperinflation around late 2012. Some who are
knowledgeable about monetary history are betting the USA’s Fed will be in for a major
overhaul around this time. But it may turn out that some as-yet unknown alternative will
arise. What the planetary pattern indicates is change. Exactly what will change how is up
to people in power.

4.
Concern about the Fed-controlled money system isn’t new. Even President Woodrow
Wilson regretted signing the legislation creating the Fed, but years too late. Poet Ezra
Pound railed against the Fed and wound up being imprisoned in an insane asylum. Anyone
who proclaimed it a fraud was discredited as a conspiracy nut. Yet in 1934, the Credit
Manager of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Robert H. Hemphill, joined the conspiracy
nuts when he exclaimed:

“We are completely dependent on the commercial Banks. Someone has to borrow every dollar
we have in circulation, cash or credit. If the Banks create ample synthetic money we are
prosperous; if not, we starve. We are absolutely without a permanent money system. When one
gets a complete grasp of the picture, the tragic absurdity of our hopeless position is almost
incredible, but there it is. It is the most important subject intelligent persons can investigate and
reflect upon.”

What’s even more amazing, it seems to me, is that Hemphill apparently didn’t know this
before he became a Fed Credit Manager.

The national debts of all countries with privatized central banks are sliced and diced into
bonds and sold all over the world, and the buyers of those IOU’s use them as media of
exchange, money.

But since the crash of 2008 and the TARP stimulus package, the fear is that many foreigners
may stop buying US government bonds. Ellen Brown, author of “Web of Debt,” suggests
that the US government stop trying to sell bonds abroad and sell them instead to the Fed, so

178
that our central bank can do what other bond-buyers now do, convert these IOU’s to money—to
stimulate the domestic economy.

Such a move would elicit fear of inflation, according to an argument that goes like this: “When
this money hits Main Street as dollars competing for goods and services, the floodgates will
open and hyperinflation will be upon us.”

That is the argument keeping the stimulus money in the banks instead of loaned into the
marketplace.

Brown’s rebuttal: “Price inflation results only when ‘demand’ (money) exceeds ‘supply’ (goods
and services). If the money is used to create goods and services, prices will remain stable. We
have workers out of work and factories sitting idle. They need some demand (money)
stimulating them to create supply, in order to make the economy productive again.” (From an
essay on Ellen Brown’s blog titled “Lessons from the Japanese: Time to Replace Sovereign Debt
with Sovereign Credit”.)

Brown’s proposal reminds us that money can be anything we agree it is. In today’s world,
buyers of US bonds may use those bonds as money. If I’m selling a car for $10,000 and you offer
me US Treasury Bonds worth that much, we make the sale.

But, you may say, the government is already printing money at a mad pace. To which Brown
responds: “Money is being printed; but it is not being printed by the government. The U.S.
government has opted to borrow rather than print, just as the Japanese did. The Federal Reserve
is a privately-owned central bank, which issues Federal Reserve Notes (or dollars) and lends
them to the government and to other banks. Those banks then leverage the money into many
times that sum in interest-bearing loans.”

For the Fed to buy back some of this debt and use it as money to stimulate the domestic
economy could save us from a world of suffering. Eventually, it could even open the door for
Congress to reform the Fed by ending its privatized status and returning our money to public
control, where it works for the whole society.

The bum rap against our existing privatized Fed-run system is that it slowly but surely enriches
the already rich and, over time, downsizes the middle class and poor. A nationalized bank,
controlled by managers responsive to the public, is the alternative. How to get from here to
there? Brown’s suggestion could be the first step.

However, the US Supreme Court’s decision January 21, 2010, a Uranus surprise, declared
corporate money a form of unfettered free speech. This was a glorious victory for the Fed
bankers and the corporate oligarchy, and a major setback for monetary reform. It amplifies the
astrological indication that this period 2008 to 2018 may be viewed later as the most difficult in
history.

Monetary history makes one thing clear: Any money system that creates a misdistribution of
wealth is unsustainable. The recent US Supreme Court decision exacerbates what was already a
nasty misdistribution. It reminds us that the antithesis of democracy is pure, unregulated
capitalism, and the purest form of capitalism is slavery, and slaves have nothing to lose by
rebelling.

179
The dominant astrological pattern this decade is the long, lingering Uranus-Pluto square which
creates a grand cross with the USA’s natal Sun-Saturn square. The Supreme Court decision of
January 21, 2010 made the challenge of the coming decade at once more difficult and more
crucial.

Changing the money system is the key to coming through this decade in better shape, with a
more equitable distribution of medium-of-exchange money, spreading wealth more horizontally
and thus alleviating poverty. Given how integrated the world economy now is, the stakes are
sky high for the whole human race.

The biwheel chart below is for the New Moon in March 2015. Notice that this lunation hits the
points of the chart’s grand cross. Uranus and Pluto are within 1 degree of square, and creating a
grand cross with the USA’s natal Sun-Saturn square. Transiting Saturn is opposite the USA’s
natal Uranus with both forming a grand cross with the lunation. With Mars conjunct Uranus
at this time, some kind of violent upheaval in the USA is strongly indicated. Since the key to a
democratic overthrow of oligarchy is the money system, that upheaval will probably involve the
money system. Because the USA’s money system is so tightly integrated with the world
economy, this means the whole world will be impacted

Based on astrological history, we could get either hyperinflation or deflation. The last great
deflation, the 1930s, unfolded under a previous Uranus-Pluto square, creating a grand cross with
the USA’s natal Sun-Saturn square. We now refer to that decade as “the great depression.”

180
1
R obert Gover (born November 2, 1929)
grew up in an endowed orphanage (Girard
College in Philadelphia), attended the
University of Pittsburgh on athletic
scholarship (swimming the butterfly),
received a degree in economics, worked as
a journalist, became a bestselling novelist
by age 30, lived most of his life in
California where he began his study of
astrology, and now resides in Rehoboth
Beach, Delaware. His latest novel is Two
Brothers. He describes it as an “economic
novel.” One brother becomes a
millionaire, the other a skid row bum. A
third character was an economics professor
till he studied astrology—he was
subsequently confined in an insane
asylum. Robert’s first novel, One
Hundred Dollar Misunderstanding, is a
satire on racism and remains a cult classic.
He has published 10 novels and 2 works of
nonfiction, including Time and Money:
the Economy and the Planets. He can be
reached at gocycles@aol.com.
181
Corporate Persons,
Money and the
Planets
By
Robert Gover, USA
T he stock market crash of 2008-09
focused many on a fact of life they
had not previously given much
thought to: The mysteries of money.
Money is defined as what we use to buy
and sell things and how we measure
wealth. It’s now as necessary to our
survival as air and water. But why does it
seem to accumulate in some places like the
blizzard of 2010 hitting Washington, while
avoiding other places? Why do a few
swim in an ocean of it while billions of
others die from a lack of it?
Major redistributions of wealth have
occurred when Pluto moves through early
Capricorn where it now is. The wealth of
the Incas and Aztecs was transferred to
Spain under this astrological signature.
And now, it seems, the money of the USA
and Europe is rushing pell-mell to Asia.
It takes erratic Pluto an average of 248
years to orbit the Sun. In the late 1490s
and early 1500s, when Pluto inched into
Capricorn, mega-tons of gold and silver
were shipped from the “New World” to
Europe, where this dramatic increase in
money had a revolutionary economic
impact. Meanwhile, uncounted millions of
Native Americans died from diseases
imported from Europe. That must have
been history’s biggest trade imbalance.
2

The next time Pluto arrived in Capricorn, the USA separated from its mother
country and became an independent nation—and soon replaced the British Empire as the
world’s dominant economy. The irony is that the USA rebelled in order to get out from
under the crushing debt imposed by the Bank of England, and now the USA is over its head
in debt.

As Pluto moved into early Capricorn and squared Uranus in the 1750s-60s, the original 13
colonies along the Atlantic Coast grew resentful of the debt-creating money system forced
upon them by England. British taxation to repay the King’s debt to the Bank of England
threatened to create massive poverty in a land of plenty. Revolutionary passions grew
during the French and Indian War, under a Uranus-Pluto square much like the one we will
soon be under again.

In 1767, Benjamin Franklin, in an attempt to prevent war, traveled to England and spoke to
the British Parliament. When Britain’s rulers asked him to account for what they saw as
amazing prosperity in the American colonies, he replied, "That is simple. In the colonies we
issue our own money. It is called Colonial Scrip. We issue it in proper proportion to the
demands of trade and industry to make the products pass easily from the producers to the
consumers. In this manner, creating for ourselves our own paper money, we control its
purchasing power, and we have no interest to pay to anyone."

This outraged the Brits, for they had demanded colonists use only British money—issued by
its central bank at interest—and had dispatched a group called The Lords of Trade and
Plantations to harass the colonists’ multiple money systems case by case. Example: The
Lords of Trade banished Massachusetts’ paper money and ordered that all taxes be paid in
British coinage or commodities, causing an economic crisis. Prices fell and kept falling.
Properties were sold at one-tenth their previous value and trade came to a halt.

Today, the dollar is the world’s reserve currency, meaning other nations must acquire dollars
in order to buy and sell oil and other internationally traded products.

What the British Government was protecting is what we now call a privately owned central
bank which lends money to the government at interest, to be repaid by the people. The King
liked the idea of borrowing from a bank to fight wars, and later taxing his subjects to repay
the bank.

Most American colonists had no idea that they were a party to this deal between the Bank of
England and the King and deeply resented the tax burden heaped upon them Resentment
was not even diluted by the famous Biblical quote from Jesus: “Render unto Caesar what is
Caesar’s.” As Pluto slowly moved through Capricorn, the colonists decided they’d had
enough of Caesars, Kings and other plutocrats.

It was the resentment of colonists about being taxed to repay the British Government’s debt
to the Bank of England that led to the American Revolution and the Declaration of
Independence signed on July 4, 1776, which most astrologers use as the USA’s birth date.

182
3

During the 1800s, big bankers from Europe made repeated attempts to establish a central
bank in the new nation. Bankers and civil authorities engaged in a tug-of-war over who
should control the USA’s money. A lot of bribes changed hands. In 1791, the Bank of the
United States was founded and operated for 20 years till 1811. In 1816 a Second Bank of the
US was founded and operated for another 20 years till 1836.

Then, in 1886, came a remark by a Supreme Court Chief Justice that changed everything.
Chief Justice Morrison P. Waite, as he heard a case, off-handedly said that corporations
were persons, protected by the Fourteenth Amendment, passed by Congress after the Civil
War to protect the rights of newly freed African American slaves.

The case is known as “Santa Clara County v Southern Pacific Railroad.” Chief Justice
Waite’s declaration had no direct relevance to the case. It came like an after-breakfast belch.
It has never been overturned by Congress or any President. Ironically, another Supreme
Court decision 10 years later, Plessey v Ferguson, further sabotage the Fourteenth
Amendment by ruling that each ex-slave was only one-eighth of a person.

Today gigantic global corporate empires are persons in the eyes of the law, just like Suzie
Singlemon and Joe Sixpack, you and me. Astrologically, the USA’s natal money planets,
Venus and Jupiter in the 2nd house, shown on the inner wheel, were afflicted when Waite
made his insane utterance. Transits at the time of the Chief Justice’s remark are shown on
the outer wheel.

183
4

Note the conjunction of Jupiter-Uranus opposite Venus, with this opposition square the
USA’s natal Venus and Jupiter in Cancer 2nd house. At the same time, Neptune and Pluto
were conjunct (a 495-year cycle), with both conjunct the USA’s Ascendant.

(The Gemini Rising chart I use is not the one most American astrologers favor, which is the
Sibley Chart, Sagittarius Rising. I reason that in the community of nations, the USA is not
perceived as Sag. Rising generous and philosophical, but rather as the type of entity best
described by Uranus in Gemini Rising—exceedingly headstrong and temperamental, by
turns hero or outcast.)

“Waite’s belch” opened the door for the blossoming of American corporations, which since
have merged into global corporations. Prior to this, governments tightly regulated
corporations, strictly forbidding them from influencing politics in any way.

To read an in-depth analysis of how corporations became persons and the consequences of
this absurdity, search “The Santa Clara Blues: Corporate Personhood Versus Democracy”
by William Meyers. Here’s a sample:

“Corporate personhood allows the wealthiest citizens to use corporations to control the
government and use it as an intermediary to impose their will upon the people. It is this
basic about-face from democracy that should most concern us. But because of our corrupted
legal system, corporate media, and corrupted elected officials, social activists usually focus
their efforts on the bad, even horrible, results of corporate control of government and
society.”

And Noam Chomsky added, "It's ridiculous to talk about freedom in a society dominated by
huge corporations. What kind of freedom is there inside a corporation? They're totalitarian
institutions—you take orders from above and maybe give them to people below you. There's
about as much freedom as under Stalinism."

Waite’s belch also led to the next major development in American money, the creation of
the Federal Reserve, the USA’s central bank, a private corporation which became the
prototype for other nation’s central banks, and the Bank of International Settlements in
Switzerland, the IMF and World Bank.

It was on Jekyll Island in South Carolina during November 1910 that the idea for an
American central bank was secretly conjured. Jupiter and Mars were opposite Saturn, and a
Jupiter-Mars conjunction formed a grand trine with Pluto and Chiron. The stars were
aligned for what some believe was the biggest heist in history. If the American public of the
time had known what these bankers were up to, there would have been a horrendous outcry.

Pulling it off were the world’s wealthiest bankers at the time: Morgan, Rockefeller,
Rothschild, Warburg and Kuhn-Loeb. What they achieved on Jekyll Island was an end to
competition among themselves. How? By selling Congress what we now call the Federal
Reserve, America’s central bank.

184
5

The first leak that such a meeting had occurred didn’t surface till 1916 when B. C. Forbes,
who would later found Forbes Magazine, was a young reporter for Leslie’s Weekly. In an
interview, Paul Warburg slipped the news to Forbes, who wrote:

“Picture a party of the nation’s greatest bankers stealing out of New York on a private
railroad car under cover of darkness, stealthily hieing hundreds of miles south, embarking on
a mysterious launch, sneaking on to an island deserted by all but a few servants, living there
a full week under such rigid secrecy that the names of not one of them was once mentioned
lest the servants learn the identity and disclose to the world the strongest, most secret
expedition in the history of American finance.

“I am not romancing. I am giving to the world for the first time, the real story of how the
famous Aldrich currency report, the foundation of our new currency system, was written.”

Congressman Vreeland called the Aldrich Bill to create the Fed “an ideal method of fighting
monopoly. It could not possibly itself become a monopoly and it would prevent other banks
combining into monopolies.”

In public relations, big lies often work best. The right to create money is the most powerful
monopoly possible.

The Federal Reserve bill was enacted December 23, 1913, as most Congress persons were in a
hurry to leave Washington and go home for Christmas. Almost simultaneously the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) was created by Constitutional Amendment to collect taxes in order
to repay money loaned by the Fed to the government at ever-compounding interest. This
debt is now called the national debt.

It is argued by some that, although the Fed is a privately-held corporation, it is really a

quasi-government agency. It would seem so but since the elected officials who supposedly
oversee the Fed need money to win reelection, and the Fed controls the nation’s money, the
reality is that the Fed holds the whammy over the heads of politicians. Besides, the Fed is
very secretive, and most politicians don’t know enough about money systems anyhow.

Our democratically elected lawmakers made us taxpayers an unwitting party to this

agreement between the Fed and the Federal Government, by sticking us with the bill for the
national debt. We the people have become habituated to squabbling over the national debt
rather than the system that creates it.

Our total national debt is now said to be $12.1 trillion. And our federal budget deficit has
exploded 350% higher from $454.8 billion in fiscal 2008 to $1.6 trillion in fiscal 2009. That’s a
huge burden per capita and growing, and when we add personal and corporate debt, it’s
overwhelming.

Historically, when governments have been faced with such an overwhelming debt, they
inflated the currency to repay with cheaper money. The greater the debt, the greater the
chances that inflation may get out of hand and become hyperinflation.

185
6

Notice that the USA’s natal Venus-Jupiter conjunction was between a Sun-Pluto opposition
on the day the Fed was born, with Saturn opposite Mercury, waning from a conjunction of
the USA’s natal Uranus in Gemini Ascendant, and applying to a conjunction with the
USA’s Mars-square-Neptune.

Given that the USA’s national debt is now around 70% of GDP, the question is, can the US
Government inflate without triggering hyperinflation? Maybe it can. There are economic
pressures indicating deflation rather than inflation—empty houses pushing down rents and
home prices, high unemployment pushing down wages. On the other hand, food and other
commodities are rising.

Customer: “Wow, the price of milk has doubled in the past couple of months.”

Checkout Lady: “Yeah, it has.”

Customer: “Good thing the media tells us inflation is being held in check.”

Checkout Lady: “Yeah, otherwise we’d think there is inflation.”

The Fed is believed by most people to be part of the government, but in reality it’s an
independent private corporation of bankers, who sell money to the government and other
banks, and supposedly control the monetary system by controlling interest rates. One
problem is that it lends only the principle and not the interest money that is to be repaid. To
repay the ever-ballooning interest, new loans are necessary. Since over 97% of what we call

186
7

money is actually credit, this puts the US Government in the position of a credit card user
who is in over his head

“Suppose you want to spend more money this month than your income. This situation is
called a budget deficit. So you borrow (i.e. use your credit card). The amount you borrowed
(and now owe) is called your debt. You have to pay interest on your debt. If next month you
don't have enough money to cover your spending (another deficit), you must borrow some
more, and you'll still have to pay the interest on the loan. If you have a deficit every month,
you keep borrowing and your debt grows. Soon the interest payment on your loan is bigger
than any other item in your budget. Eventually, all you can do is pay the interest payment,
and you don't have any money left over for anything else.” (www.federalbudget.com/)

Because the Fed loans only the principal, it must loan more and more new money in order to
assure repayment of interest on previous debts. It’s a gigantic Ponzi scheme. This,
combined with what’s called “the fractional reserve system,” has brought slow but steady
inflation to the USA. What cost a dollar back in 1914 when the Fed began operations, now
costs at least a hundred dollars. By some estimates, real estate has gone up more than 1,000
percent. A property that cost $10,000 in 1914 is likely to cost two or three thousand percent
more today. This slow but steady inflation “cooks the frog slowly.” Most people barely
notice.

As Pluto now moves through early Capricorn, square Saturn, the astrology indicates the
Fed’s days may be numbered. For T Pluto is conjunct the Fed’s natal Sun, which is opposite
its natal Pluto. T Pluto is also square Saturn, which will soon move into an opposition with
Uranus, to create a grand cross pattern to the Fed’s natal Sun-Pluto opposition. The
transformative effects of Pluto often happen over an extended period, for the old must be
destroyed before the new can arise.

187
8

The news lately has been rife with stories about the Fed’s role in the recent bailout of
financiers and bankers who were declared “too big to fail,” or what some people are calling
“too big to jail.” From the perspective of bankers, everyone needs money and banks are
where the money is. People have been borrowing from banks, and/or moneychangers, for
millennia. What would we do without them?

Here, we should more clearly define the difference between privately-owned central banks
and publically owned national banks. India and China have national banks, or nationalized
central banks owned by the government, and both of those nations are thriving, even as the
USA—with a central bank owned by a private corporation with legal “personhood”—is
struggling through the worst economic time since the great depression of the 1930s.

Does it really matter who controls a nation’s money? Many bankers and financiers say it
doesn’t. What matters is how a nation’s monetary system is managed. A privately-run
central bank, being independent of government, prevents the whims of politicians from
screwing up the system. On the other hand, privately–owned central bankers burden
taxpayers with horrendous debt, especially when bankers see wars as their greatest source of
profit. The creation of the Fed launched a century of wars. The more money governments
borrow the more profits the banks make, and governments borrow most for wars or the
threat of wars.

Even if central bankers don’t get greedy and drive nations into wars, there is one very
important difference between central and nation banks, defined by independent economist
Henry C. K. Liu this way:

“Central bankers are like librarians who consider a well-run library to be one in which all
the books are safely stacked on the shelves and properly catalogued. To reduce incidents of
late returns or loss, they would propose more strict lending rules, ignoring that the measure
of a good library lies in full circulation. Librarians take pride in the size of their collections
rather than the velocity of their circulation. ”

Central bankers take the same attitude toward money. Central bankers view their job as
preserving the value of money through the restriction of its circulation, rather than
maximizing the beneficial effect of money on the economy through its circulation. Many
central bankers boast about the size of their foreign reserves the way librarians boast about
the size of their collections, while their governments pile up budget deficits. Paul Volcker,
the US central banker widely credited with ending inflation in the early 1980s by
administering wholesale financial blood letting on the US economy, quipped lightheartedly
at a Washington party that ‘central bankers are brought up pulling legs off of ants’.” (Search
“Banking Bunkum, Part 1 Monetary Theology” by Henry C. K. Liu.)

Nikki Alexander sees the international network of private central banks as one huge usury
parasite.

“The usury parasite has infected 170 countries, feeding itself through the central bank
syndicate, a shareholder-owned consortium of private banks, headquartered in Switzerland

188
9

at the Bank for International Settlements. Created in 1930, BIS obscures its transactions with
an astounding array of legal immunities that prohibit any form of oversight or intrusion. It
functioned as a Nazi money laundering operation in World War II. Today it serves as the
cashier’s window for the global casino. Each central bank member has an exclusive
monopoly on its government’s monetary system, with the power to create public debt and
expand or contract the host’s economy at will. Coordinating their monetary policies with
each other through the BIS, the central bankers meet behind closed doors, appoint their own
governors and set their own rules. Their books are not subject to audit by the governments
that host them. The IMF and World Bank are tentacles of this parasite that strangle
governments with insurmountable debt, forcing these nations through ‘structural
adjustment’ policies to rob their taxpayers, slash social programs, transfer public assets to
private owners and sell the nation’s treasures to transnational predators at fire sale prices.
Government treasuries are the parasite’s host. Flushing the global economy of this systemic
disease begins with understanding how a central bank debilitates its host with suffocating
debt.” (From “Restoring our Financial Sovereignty: A New Monetary System” by Nikki
Alexander, March 19, 2009 "Information Clearing House")

By the winter solstice of 2012—famous for “end of the world” forebodings arising from the
end of the Mayan Calendar—the USA’s Venus, Jupiter and Sun in Cancer will be hit by a
grand cross formed by Uranus-Pluto square .

People who have no understanding of the influence of the outermost planets on our
economic activities will probably, by the winter solstice of 2012, be pointing fingers of blame
in every direction. And no doubt there will be plenty of blame to go around from a purely

189
10

rational point of view. Politicians will be forced to stop going along to get along, and ask
where the going along has taken us.

I don’t think we can uproot the seed cause of our overwhelming debt problems till we deal
with Chief Justice Waite’s belch of 1886 and the all-powerful corporate person created in
December 1912, the Fed. Money has been described as the life blood of an economy. When
the world’s economy creates a huge blood clot—the record disparity between the few Haves
and the many Have-nots—major surgery is indicated.

Since global corporate persons now control our mass media, and thus deliver the information
that shapes our opinions—unless we divert to Internet sources—uncovering the tremendous
consequences of Waite’s belch and the secretly-run Fed will be very difficult. Most
Americans have been taught that the government prints whatever money it spends, even as
they are also told the government owes $12 trillion and growing. Without knowledge of how
the central bank system really works, most view it as a kind of Rubik’s Cube puzzle.

This has led recently to such groups as the Tea Party, citizens who loudly protest that the
government must cut spending and cut taxes. For decades, Americans have been told,
explicitly and implicitly, that government “is the problem, not the solution” to whatever
problems the nation has. In reality, government policies also shape whatever prosperity a
nation has. So-called conservative politicians seem bent on proving that government is the
problem by privatizing and outsourcing tasks that historically have been handled by
government—trash collection, prisons, military hardware manufacturing, etc.

Congressman Ron Paul, Republican from Texas, has shown that he understands how the
monetary system really works. But latest word was that Ron Paul’s reelection is in doubt,
for it’s a safe bet that his opponents will have the backing of big corporate persons, especially
banks, with the most to lose should Ron Paul’s message spread. If the privatized Fed could
be transformed into a public institution, we could then pay off the existing national debt and
thereafter be free of it. A government-run Fed would make money by lending to banks,
greatly relieving taxpayers. This threat to those who profit from the present money system
has ramped up a massive public relations campaign, which works nicely to get “Teabaggers”
and other folks voting for politicians and programs that worsen their situation.

But we can hardly change the legal personhood of the Fed without overturning the world-
changing effects of Waite’s belch. As one Congressman quipped, the government is now a
wholly owned subsidiary of the big financial corporations.

Should we surrender to the corporate takeover of government? I don’t think so. Given the
series of astrological hits to the USA’s natal chart upcoming, circumstances will eventually
overwhelm absurdity. Congress will be forced to revisit the personhood of corporations and
kick down the door of Fed secrecy.

With Pluto moving through Capricorn till 2024, and squaring Uranus for much of this
decade, the stage is set for a second American Revolution. It need not be violent. What
needs radically revised are laws, not the overthrow of a king or president. I expect—or

190
11

maybe I should say I hope—the coming revolution will be informational, not

confrontational.

Can Congress get out from under corporate personhood and again prevail over this global-
spanning network of banks, which now constitute that corporate person we call the Fed?
Or, to put the question another way, can Congress persons forego the bribes of corporate
campaign contributions and nationalize the Fed? Can Congress return us to the intentions
of our founders and regain control of corporations and our money system?

To study the possibilities astrologically, we could do a dozen or more charts, using only
transit-to-natal studies. But since the destiny of the USA as a nation is what’s at stake, I
choose to boot up this one:

The March 2015 Full Moon at noon hits the USA’s MC, indicating our reputation in the
world as well as our national foundation will be emotionally impacted—simultaneous with a
grand cross to the USA’s natal Sun-Saturn square formed by Uranus in Aires square Pluto
in Capricorn. This grand cross will be within orb from late 2012 but will be most exact by
2015. Economically, we can expect to be at or around the bottom of another great depression
at this time. (Search “Grand Cross and Great Depressions by Robert Gover.”) The time
will be ripe for tough decisions, based on practical needs.

But which ideological perspective will determine what’s practical and what isn’t? The
USA’s natal Moon will be in a grand trine with natal Mars and the Moon’s North Node,
indicating the public will be well served. The opposition of T Jupiter to natal Moon isn’t a

191
12

negative either, as Jupiter will be trine Venus, which will be conjunct Uranus and Mars and
sextile the USA’s Moon. Bullheadedness will be damped down by an opposition from
Saturn to natal Uranus in Gemini. All in all, my reading is that the outcome of the
upcoming clash between global corporate persons will be won by the momentum of
democracy. To put it another way, politicians, journalists and the public will be forced by
circumstances to grasp how the money system really works.

Down through history government leaders and the wealthy have hobnobbed but until Chief
Justice Waite declared corporations persons, corporations did not dominated governments.
And given the top-down command-and-control nature of corporations, they cannot govern
with the consent of the governed. Democracy has been on the rise around the world since
the American Revolution, the first one. The above biwheel chart indicates that democratic
momentum will prevail, and corporate personhood will become a temporary glitch in the
long history of mankind’s dealings with money.

192

Born in 1962 and I have been an
astrological counsellor to individuals,
couples and businesses for almost thirty
years. After experimenting different schools
of Astrology, ten years ago I resolved to join
Ciro Discepolo's astrological method and
school, named Active Astrology -- based on
the active relocation of the Solar Returns
(Mr. Discepolo calls them: Aimed Solar
Returns or Aimed Birthdays) and the
exorcism of the symbols, as originally
conceived by Swiss psychiatrist Carl
Gustav Jung. I am the founder and current
moderator of the newsgroup of astrological
discussion and information in Italian
language it.discussioni.astrologia.
Website
http://digilander.libero.it/drusetta/
Blog
http://lucianodrusetta.blogspot.com/
193
Extraterrestrial
Astrology
By
Luciano Drusetta, Italy
This article is the translation of a revised
edition of “Ipotesi di AE” published on Ricerca
'90, issues 44 to 47.
SA Reviewer: Andree Leclerc
T he Extraterrestrial Astrology
(hereinafter: EA) is an attempt to
extrapolate the rules of traditional
astrology in order to answer to the
following question: how would an Astral
Map look like – any astral map, I mean: a
natal chart, a transit chart or a return chart
– if drawn for an event that took place
outside the planet Earth – that’s to say,
anywhere in orbit around the Earth, on the
Moon, or on another planet, or on the
satellite moon of another planet, or even
more: in another solar system?
Science fiction, extrapolating the scientific
and technological knowledge of a period,
helps us understand the limits and
possibilities of the scientific and
technological progress of that time. Today,
watching again the naive science-fiction
films of the 50’s, we realize how much
progress has been made, but also how
many results are still to be achieved.
Similarly, the EA extrapolates but doesn’t
twist the traditional rules of our discipline,
making us think over the limits and
potentials of modern Astrology.
In his lecture on the "New Problems and
Evolution of the Astrology" ["Nuovi
problemi ed evoluzione dell'astrologia"]
held at the astrological congress of Milan
in 1975, Massimo Frisari dedicated some
paragraphs to what he called exoterrestrial
astrology. With my series of articles "Hypotheses of Extraterrestrial Astrology" ["Ipotesi di
Astrologia Extraterrestre"] published on Ciro Discepolo’s quarterly bulletin Ricerca '90, I
have developed Mr. Frisari’s original idea, put the basements for further developments on
this subject; given preliminary indications on how to face and solve some of the problems
left undeveloped by Mr. Frisari; even pointed out a possible oversight of his. These pages
summarize that series of articles.

EXTRATERRESTRIAL ASTROLOGY: WHAT IT IS, AND WHAT IT IS NOT.

How could we define the potentials and the aims of this newborn discipline, bound to
become a hinge of the daily astrological practice of the Third Millennium? Because of the
prevailing hypothetical nature of its statements and the virtual impossibility to verify (at
least, up to this day) certain hypotheses, we could call it science-fictional astrology or
astrological science-fiction. Just like science fiction, in facts, also EA outlines scenarios based
upon "scientific" suppositions and it values the feasibility of applying to such scenarios the
consolidated astrological rules - the rules that we usually employ (often automatically and
unwarily) when we cast, draw and interpret a normal, "banal", let me say: "terrestrial"
horoscope.

Yet, EA does not hypothesize scenarios that aren’t justified on the basis of current scientific
and astrological knowledge. As a matter of fact, it doesn’t divide the Zodiac into 15 or 37
signs on the pretext of a hypothetical alien mathematics. It doesn’t figure fabulous
mythologies or symbolisms coming from an extraterrestrial civilization that may have
developed according to criteria foreign to our mentality. In other words, EA is neither a
fantastic astrology nor a fanta-astrology.

It is indeed a kind of extreme astrology. But even the most bored countryside astrologer
finds himself, sometimes, before extreme astrological situations. For example, let us consider
Placidus domification on a chart cast close to the Polar circle and for a date close to the
equinox: we’ll see two Houses extending over almost 180° embracing six signs each; while
the other ten Houses reduce to a section concentrated into little more than 5°. Such a chart
leads us to a choice: to abandon Placidus domification or to stick to our interpretative
techniques – the ones we have employed successfully so far - to their extreme consequences.
I choose the latter way, because before large distortions of the Houses even at home
latitudes, Placidus domification and the traditional interpretative standards have always led
me to satisfactory results.

194
Exobiology searches for and studies possible alien forms of life, i.e. born and developed
outside our planet. Exoastrology should therefore deal with aliens only – while the EA
addresses for us, human beings that already carry out complex activities in outer space. If it’s
true that feline and canine astrology, and even impersonal astrology prove to be working,
there is no reason for not fancying to cast the horoscope even to an alien being from another
world (provided that he/she/it gives us all the required data…). It would certainly be the
first, sensational example of an alien astrology.

Ours is certainly a terrestrial astrology, or better said: a geocentric one – but only because
man is born and acts on Earth. In the Natal chart, the Earth is the dot at the very centre of
the drawing. Somebody disagrees, but also Mr. Frisari says so in his afore mentioned lecture:
"The first baby born on the Moon [...] The chart should be cast drawing – obviously – the
Moon at its centre. In the map we’ll also draw our Earth, which, to all intents and purposes –
becomes a planet like just all the others". Consequently, the Lunar astrology would be a
selenocentric or a lunocentric one, as one prefers; the Martian one would be a marsocentric
astrology, the Venusian one would be venerocentric and so on. What a job for linguistics!
The term universocentric astrology is therefore appropriated if we use it in accordance to the
First Principle of Extraterrestrial Astrology: the horoscope must be cast – always, in any case
– with the birth place (be a planet or a satellite moon) at the centre of the chart.
Nevertheless I would oppose an extension of such a concept to its extreme limits by

195
considering a... "shuttleocentric" astrology if the event takes place inside or by a star ship or
a scientific base orbiting around the Earth.

SOME DEFINITIONS OF ASTRONOMICAL GEOGRAPHY.

CELESTIAL VAULT or SPHERE: it’s a sphere with an indefinite diameter, at whose

centre there is the observer, and on whose internal surface, at the same apparent distance
from its centre, we project all we can see in the sky. Please note that the Earth is at the
centre of this sphere only because it’s the place where the observer is located. If the observer
moves, the centre of the sphere also moves with him: it’s the same concept of shifting the
system of reference that we’ve been taught at school such as with the Cartesian axes.

ECLIPTIC: it’s the orbit described by the Earth in its revolutionary motion around the Sun;
it is called so because eclipses take place only on this line. Also: the geometrical plane on
which the Earth revolves around the Sun. Or: the orbit in which the Sun seems to move on
the Celestial Vault. When we mention a Lunar, Martian, Venusian ecliptic, we’ll mean
either the orbital plane of each of those celestial bodies, or the route of the Sun on the
Celestial Sphere, as seen from each of those planets.

ZODIAC: it’s the belt on the Celestial Sphere in which we observe the motions of the Sun,
Moon and planets. Such a belt extends some degrees (4 to 17 according to different authors)
above and under the Ecliptic, and it is ideally divided into twelve 30-degree sectors (the
twelve signs) starting from the equinoctial point called vernal point or gamma.

A short flash-back to our studies of plane geometry: two oblique planes meet along a straight
line. The two planes we are talking about are the Ecliptic and the Celestial Equator (the
latter being perpendicular to the rotation axis of the Earth); they meet along a line that
meets the Celestial Sphere in two points, called equinoctial points.

VERNAL POINT or spring equinox or spring equinoctial point: one of the two points in
which the circle of the Ecliptic meets the Celestial Equator. On the day of the equinox, the
daylight lasts exactly as much as the night anywhere on Earth. During the spring equinox
the Sun is located at the point called vernal point or gamma, while six months later it is
located at the opposite one called autumnal point or omega. Each year, the Sun passes
through the equinoctial points at a different time and sometimes even on a different day.

The planets and their moons are like spinning tops that turn around their own axes and, at
the same time, they orbit around the Sun or around their father-planet. Among the
numerous movements they perform, in astrology we consider two in particular:

ROTATION: the movement performed by a body that spins around its own axis.
REVOLUTION: the motion of a planet, of a comet or of an asteroid around the Sun, or the
motion of a moon around its planet.

Until the spinning top keeps velocity, its rotation axis remains stable; then it starts
oscillating, it loses speed and eventually – it falls down. Similarly, the axes of the rotation of
celestial bodies keep their obliquity constant, except for light movements such as the

196
nutation and the precession. We don’t wish to define here the nutation because it is not
normally considered in astrology (anybody knows why?)

PRECESSION OF THE EQUINOXES or of the equinoctial points: it’s a slow conical

motion of the axis of a spinning body. The cone is drawn in the opposite direction as the
rotation of the body. The axis of Earth draws a double cone (whose vertex is located at the
centre of the terrestrial sphere) in approximately 26,000 years; as a consequence of this
movement, the Equator plane shifts on the Ecliptic plane, and the equinoctial points slowly
shift backwards through the Zodiac so that the days of equinox occur earlier in each
successive year. This very slow retrograde motion along the Ecliptic involves not only the
vernal point, but also the whole zodiacal belt.

THE ASSUMPTIONS OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL ASTROLOGY.

The EA starts from the assumption (that somebody may oppose) that the chart must always
be drawn – in any case – for the place where the subject is located on a given moment. A top
manager was born in Rome; he spends his birthday in New York, then travel to Lima, where
he remains for the following three months; eventually he flies to France to inaugurate a new
boutique in Paris. Well, we’ll cast his Natal chart for Rome, his Solar Return for New York,
the following transits and at least two Lunar Return charts for Lima, while the Natal chart
of his boutique should be certainly be drawn for Paris. If we accept this kind of astrology,
EA can already be applied in different fields. At least 44 astronauts have certainly
experienced a Solar Return while in orbit, and heaven knows how many Lunar Returns! Neil
Armstrong must have had a transit of the Earth on his Natal chart, while he was frolicking
on the Moon... Space probes are "born" when they leave the Earth at the take-off, but they
have their own Lunar and Solar Returns in outer space and/or on the surface of some other
celestial body.

Often the astrologers are criticized because they "believe that the Earth is at the centre of the
universe, while everybody knows that it is the Sun that is placed at the centre of the solar
system, and the Earth revolves around it". But our astrology is based upon a system of
projections with reference patterns (the Zodiac, the horizon) that, just like the Cartesian
axes, can be shifted with appropriate mathematical formulae. The Natal chart has its origin
on the Earth, and everything else is referred to Earth - but only because we were born here
on the Earth, and not on the Sun, on the Moon or on Mars.

An empirical way to shift from the heliocentric view (the one preferred by the astronomers)
to the geocentric view (the one of the Astral charts) is to trace with a ruler a series of rays
starting from the centre of the Earth to each of the other celestial bodies; these rays should
be prolonged to touch the zodiacal circle, that we are now supposing to be external to our
solar system. This way we project the celestial bodies onto what, for the time being, we
consider being an external, unchangeable Zodiac, valid for the whole solar system.

197
198
199
From the comparison between the heliocentric chart and the geocentric one, we note that the
positions and movements of the planets in the birth sky are simply due to a projective effect.
Conjunctions, oppositions, squares and even retrograde motions are all apparent: caused by
the mere fact that from the Earth we deem them to be projected onto the Celestial Sphere.
From the heliocentric point of view, in fact, the retrograde motion does not exist. At least, in
our solar system it doesn’t: for we cannot exclude the existence of such a planetary system in
which some of the planets revolve around the central star clockwise and some others
counter-clockwise: the former would move through the Zodiac with perennial, or prevailing
retrograde motion.

Some astrological software offers us the chance to put at the centre of the chart any of the
celestial bodies of our solar system. Unluckily such a "shift" option is not enough to cast a
real extraterrestrial chart, because these programs maintain the original domification of the
geocentric map, while an extraterrestrial map should obviously be domificated according to
the geographic coordinates of the place (the Martian one, or the Lunar one...) in which the
birth or any other event considered takes place. Geographic maps of the most important
planets of our solar system have already been drawn; for any event, I am working on an
article to demonstrate how it’s possible to create empirically a valid system of coordinates on
any planet or moon we are on, by simply using rough science. Beside that, these programs

200
use for the shifted chart all the planets that we use here on the Earth, including our Moon;
and they use only those planets that we use here on the Earth. But having assumed that
astrology is essentially a system of projections, depending upon our point of view we should
choose which planets or Luminaries (meaning for Luminary either the Sun or the Moon)
should play a role in the chart - and which ones should be simply ignored.

LUNAR ASTROLOGY

On the Moon the choice is simple: the First Principle of Lunar Astrology affirms that the
Moon becomes the dot at the centre of the Natal chart, and at its place we have the Earth, in
the diametrically opposite zodiacal position than the Moon, linked to the other elements of
the drawing by the supplementary angles of the angles that involved the Moon in the
corresponding geocentric map. In other words, if in a terrestrial Natal chart the Moon is on
the first degrees of Gemini at an angular distance of 150° from the conjunction of Sun and
Saturn in Libra, then at the same time on the Moon, the Earth is on the first degrees of
Sagittarius at an angular distance of 30° from the same conjunction. The Sun remains where
it is, in Libra. The handbook of Lunar Extraterrestrial Astrology would describe this
situation like this: "Earth in Sagittarius, semisextile to the Sun".

I propose to draw the Earth on the lunar charts using the same crossed circle that we are
presently using as the glyph of the Part of Fortune. To draw the Part of Fortune on a lunar

201
map one should find another glyph. But above all I find it appropriate to tie the Earth to the
centre of the chart by drawing a straight, solid, thick line that makes us remember that
particular fixity of the Earth that Mr. Frisari apparently forgot to mention in his lecture of
Milan. Seen from the Earth, the Moon shows always the same face to us because its
revolution around the Earth has the same duration as its spinning motion around its own
axis. I used to think that this was an exceptional fact, but to my best knowledge of today,
apparently all the "moons" of our solar system act exactly the same way. From this point of
view, the planets cannot be correctly considered as the "satellites" of the Sun because they
miss the typical feature of the natural satellites of planets: i.e. they do not show always the
same face to the Sun. Astronomers used to believe that Mercury had such a feature, but
more recently they have found that it is not so. If such a planet existed, it would possess a
period of rotation ("day") equal to that of revolution ("year") and on its surface there
wouldn’t be any alternation of night and day. On such hypothetical, planet the Sun would
move through the signs but would be immobile compared to the local horizon: therefore half
a planet would be constantly touched by the solar light, while the other half would live in a
perennial night.

On the Moon something very similar happens: the Earth is still compared to the local
horizon, but in motion on the Celestial Vault. Second Principle of Lunar Astrology: on the
Moon – but only on the Moon - the Earth moves across the signs but not across the Houses.
This may seem to be a banality, but it’s a fact that carries huge implications, with heavy
consequences for the interpretation of the chart. Let us assume that we land ("moon-land")
on an area of the Moon where the Earth is at the Zenith. Well, all life on we’ll see the Earth:

• cross the twelve signs at the same speed with which we see the Moon move across the
Zodiac, namely with a daily pitch variable from 12° to 15°30' approximately
• show phases, exactly like the Moon shows phases to the observer on the Earth; but its
phases would be opposite to the lunar ones: we’ll have Full Earth on the Moon when there is
New Moon on the Earth, and New Earth when there is Full Moon on the Earth, and so on
• and it would stay always, constantly, forever at the Zenith!

In his already mentioned lecture, Mr. Frisari wondered what would be the effect of an Earth
at the Ascendant of the lunar map. But to have the Earth at the Ascendant, one must simply
be at the extreme edge of the visible surface of the Moon (i.e. visible from here, from the
Earth), in an area that, precisely for this reason, is not likely to become the ideal place where
a stable lunar base would be built and where human births would possibly happen one day.
Such a building would be likely erected in an area that assures the best visibility of the lunar
hemisphere that faces the Earth: precisely that area where we have assumed to moon-land
shortly before. At an astrological level, we should therefore be concerned about the Earth in
the Medium Coeli rather than the Earth in the Ascendant.

Considering the fixity of the Earth in the Houses and the reduced dimension of our satellite,
shifts of a few kilometers on the surface of the Moon would be sufficient to obtain
substantial relocations of the maps, whilst the same result can be achieved here on the Earth
only by means of expensive intercontinental travels. In other words, on the Moon it would
be much easier to relocate one’s own Solar Return. As a counterpart, at least during the first

202
decades of lunar colonization, moving few kilometers on the lunar surface would certainly
mean high costs and complex technological hindrances to overcome.

MARTIAN ASTROLOGY

There are two moons on Mars: Phobos and Deimos. When casting a Martian chart we
should place Mars at the centre of the drawing. We could therefore consider: 1) Sun, 2)
Mercury, 3) Venus, 4) Earth, 5) Moon, 6) Phobos, 7) Deimos, 8) Jupiter, 9) Saturn, 10)
Uranus, 11) Neptune and 12) Pluto = twelve planets? Too good to be true! In fact my humble
opinion is that we must ignore both Mercury and our Moon on Mars. I stated that astrology
is based upon a projective system: if this is true, seen from Mars (and much more if we
observe them from farther planets), the Moon and the Earth form a strict planetary couple
always in conjunction; at most, they detach from time to time, but of a few degrees only if
not less. Mercury, on the other hand, will be always combust by the Sun. Besides, the Moon
is the satellite of the Earth - but in terrestrial Astral maps we don’t use the satellites of other
planets.

For eventually, what does "count" in a Natal chart? Among the many-many objects that turn
around us, either visible or invisible, huge and little, natural and artificial, real or
hypothetical – comets, shuttles, airplanes, asteroids, meteors, UFOs, fix stars, space rubbish
etc. – what makes a celestial body (any celestial body) an eligible element to be placed into a

203
birth chart as a valid and significant element at an astrological level? It’s the Second
Principle of Extraterrestrial Astrology that tells us: in the interpretative practice, it’s not the
distance or the actual observability of a planet that counts (for if it were so, the
transaturnian planets would not count, and Pluto would have got a substantially different
interpretative weight depending upon its position being inside or outside the orbit of
Neptune). Rather, its "individuability" is what counts: in other words, in order to become
part of an extraterrestrial horoscope as a valid and useful element for its interpretation, a
celestial body must be easily individuable; it must possess individual features such as a
cyclicity of its motion that differs from any other celestial body. Particularly, it must have
got (seen from the planet at the centre of the chart) a discreet elongation; i.e. it must be able
to detach from the other celestial bodies as much as needed to deserve an individual
interpretation. For this reason, if per absurdum there would be two planets in mutual and
perennial opposition or trine or square, I think we should consider only one of them.

So we don't use Mercury on Mars, but that doesn't mean that the native Martians would be
idiots without brain and no communication ability! Of course the Martians will possess
cleverness and communication ability; but with a missing Mercury in their Natal charts,
we'll be forced to find their mercurial values elsewhere in the chart. Thanks God, on Mars
we can count on the help of Phobos and Deimos to replace the Moon (amalgamated to the
Earth) and Mercury (combust by the Sun); for them we must find precise interpretative
attributes. As an example, we should understand which one plays the "role" of the Moon and
which one plays the "role" of Mercury.

HOW MANY PLANETS?

Extending our reasoning: on each planet or moon where we act (it seems that some of the
moons of Jupiter and Saturn may actually support forms of life) we’ll have a different set of
celestial bodies to draw in our Astral charts. This means problems of two kinds.

One kind of problems is practical: among all the things that turn around on the birth sky – if
we could potentially use "all" of them – according to what criteria do we use some of them
and do we reject others? Why, in geocentric astrology, do we consider significant the
position of the Moon but not that of the ISS? Why do we use Pluto but not its companion,
Charon? Why do we consider some of the asteroids, but ignore other thousands of them? As
we said before, dealing with EA leads us to a serious reflection over details that we take for
granted in our daily practice as astrologers.

Somebody says that all this doesn’t make any sense, because we must first wait until the
first human being be born on the Moon or on Mars, and only then could we make some
attempts to cast his/her horoscope in order to evaluate its practical effectiveness. Yet, it is
my opinion that knowledge doesn’t step forward this way. What the inductivist galileans
say isn’t true: that a theory comes out from the careful, detached and "objective" observation
of the reality. Neither are right the falsificationist popperians, who claim that if it’s not
possible to prove the certainty of a theory, one could at least prove its possible falseness.
Epistemologists overcame such "naive" positions ages ago, claiming that it's sufficient to
consider the history of science to clearly understand that the scientific knowledge works in a
very different way indeed: namely, there is always a theory that precedes and leads the

204
observation. Hence the importance to create – with the EA – a logical and coherent structure
to precede and lead the first empirical and statistical observations in this field.

The second problem refers to the ideal, or absolute, number of planets to be used in EA. We
have two extreme positions. Lisa Morpurgo’s followers on one hand: they support the "12
planets 12" ideals that lead the perfect universal harmony of the astrological system to its
fulfillment: 12 signs, 12 Houses, 12 planets, 12 domiciles. André l'Éclair's position on the other
hand: he used – based upon astrological considerations and reflection rather than direct
observation – almost twenty celestial bodies. My proposal is an in-between way that
represents a sensible compromise to both positions. I suggest dismissing any dogma and
accepting what we are verifying in the practice. The Second Principle of Extraterrestrial
Astrology helps us remember that only the celestial bodies with an appropriate mutual
elongation can have an appreciable interpretative meaning.

For the above mentioned reasons, I find it counterproductive to fix an ideal number of
planets. Some talk about the harmony and the symbolic perfection of the number 12, and
make comparison with the world of music: but the real world is complex and irregular, and
man often simplifies reality, thus forcing himself to operate little later with a number of
elements other than the ideal ones. Even the musical theory is a bookish simplification
without a perfect correspondence in the complex variety of the world of real sounds. Even
further, there isn’t perfect match between the ingenious periodic table of chemical elements
(best known as Mendeleyev's table) and the reality of facts. The real world shows many
missing elements and the redundancy of some others, that we are forced to compact into a
single "cell" of the periodic table.

HOW MANY ZODIACS?

So far we have assumed the existence of a unique universal external zodiac, valid and usable
in the whole solar system, if not in the whole universe. Is it really so? The vernal point
starts the division of our Zodiac into the twelve signs and it coincides with the first degree
of Aries. Since each planet (except maybe Mercury) has got a rotation axis oblique in respect
to its own orbital plane, there is a different vernal point for each planet. As a consequence, it
is possible (although it may not be useful) to build a different zodiacal circle for each single
planet of the solar system. It is therefore extremely important to know the exact date of the
equinox for each planet, because from their point gamma starts the division of their local
zodiac into the twelve signs.

To locate and study the position of the vernal point of each planet means to know the lag or
phase difference of each individual local zodiac (that of Mercury, that of Mars etc.)
compared to the hypothetical belt of the zodiac constellations that we have already named
universal external zodiac. Hence we should be able to deduce useful information on the
Astrological Age reached by the considered planet, and therefore on the degree of
"evolution" of a possible autochthonous civilization. As a mere hypothesis, let’s say that
Mars’ vernal point be in the first degrees of Sagittarius in the external zodiac belt (universal
zodiac). Mars would consequently be in its Age of Sagittarius, like the Earth many
thousands years ago... or like the Earth in some thousands years from now.

205
Sooner or later it would be convenient (if not necessary) to use a mixed system of three
zodiacs, fully similar to the method we are using here on the Earth to measure time. In fact,
here on the Earth we use:
• a universal time measured on the GMT zone (the time zone of Greenwich meridian),
particularly useful for astronomic or international measures;
• a local mean time of the zone time we are in, widely used to settle innumerable aspects of
the daily life of a nation (transports, communication); and last but not least
• a real local time, whose noon corresponds to the culmination of the Sun on the local
meridian (useful for the domification and questions of local geography).

A businessman takes a flight for an intercontinental travel. He then uses both the local mean
time (time zone) of the place of departure and the local mean time of the place of arrival. He
can adjust his watch as he prefers, choosing the best moment for him (at the departure, at
the arrival or during the flight) to better cope with the lag caused by the phase difference
between the two ways of measuring time. In any case, our top manager should use the time
of the place of arrival to sleep, to eat, to communicate with the other people, to live in
society, to make dates; but to phone home, to send a fax to office or even to think of what his
family is doing home at any moment, he should definitely use the time of the place of
departure. Probably, the astronauts in space communicate with the Earth according to the
time zone of the base they are in touch with at any moment; and in order not to loose the
natural rhythms of sleep and wakefulness, they likely stick (at least this is how I think) to
the time zone of the place they left from, or of the place where they are to land.

Similarly, the EA should use a mixed system of zodiacs that comprises:

1. a terrestrial zodiac to be referred constantly to, especially if we study the birth of a human
being or the launch of a space probe towards others planets.
2. a universal external zodiac corresponding to the "belt of zodiac constellations" described
by von Klöckler; although we cannot determinate it with precision, for we cannot know
exactly when and if the terrestrial zodiac matched the universal external one.
3. a local zodiac (the Martian one, the Venusian one, etc.) based on the position of the vernal
point of the planet that we consider to be at the centre of our chart; certainly this local zodiac
will be "out of phase" as compared to the other two zodiacs.

I would preferably use the terrestrial zodiac during the first generation of star trekking,
interplanetary missions, orbiting bases and lunar or Martian colonies: for except unexpected
developments in the ufological field, their crew would be surely formed by human beings
born on the Earth; terrestrial will be the building and the launch place of rockets and
shuttles; terrestrial will also be the origin of all the components and rough materials.

In a following phase I would introduce the local zodiacs for the human births on other
planets, for possible alien beings we should meet there; but also to study at an astrological
level the degree of success of a single lunar or Martian mission: be it a mere landing of a
probe or – in a much more advanced age of space – be the more or less daily problems that
may take place on a stable space colony. It will also be useful to consider the lag between the
terrestrial zodiac and the local one in order to evaluate, from an astrological point of view,

206
the flux of communication and traffic (commercial, touristy) between the space base and the
Earth, the degree of autonomy achieved by the space base, the degree of nostalgia or
emotional involvement (or au contraire: the detachment, the wish of political autonomy,
etc.) that the human beings born in space would feel towards their ancestors’ planet.

The universal zodiac (still to be defined exactly) will be useful in a further phase of the
space age, to harmonize astrology of the cosmic enterprise considered in its globally; to
"date" and evaluate (like we are doing now with the universal time)
astronomical/astrological events of wide consequences that may involve different planets or
a whole sector of the galaxy. As an example, one could use the universal zodiac for the
astrological study of the diplomatic relationship, of the traffic, of the business, of the
communication, of the migratory flux between a space colony and another; or to consider
the influence of an external event (asteroid, comet, alien menace...) on each celestial body of
the solar system.

ORBITAL PLANETS

Let us consider a hypothetical birth on a natural satellite (moon) of a planet. The orbits of
natural satellites around their planet have an obliquity as compared both to the terrestrial
Ecliptic and to the orbital plane of their own planet. So which zodiac should we consider in
this case? For our Moon we could use either the terrestrial zodiac or a lunar zodiac; the latter
would have its own 0° of Aries in the ascendant lunar node ("vernal or gamma point of the
Moon"). I know that some astrologers have already cast charts in which the ascendant lunar
node plays the role of starting point, taking the place of the cusp of the first House or of the
first degree of Aries. Of course such astral maps have nothing to do with hypothetical birth
outside the Earth.

If we imagine being on the surface of other natural satellites, like Io or Europa (they are two
moons of Jupiter), we should extricate ourselves among three orbital planes with mutual
obliquities:

1. The orbital plane of the satellite around Jupiter

2. The orbital plane of Jupiter around the Sun (Ecliptic of Jupiter)
3. And the plane of the proper Ecliptic (the terrestrial one).

If we considered the ascendant node of a moon as the "vernal point" – i.e. to indicate the
starting point of a local zodiac – this would actually mean that we attribute to its planet the
overwhelming astrological role usually played by the Sun. It is interesting to note that the
giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn) seem to produce such intense radiations that they may be able
to "replace" the solar light itself and support the existence of forms of life on some of their
moons. At an interpretative and symbolic level, such a central role of the father planets
should be very significant. If this hypothesis should prove to be coherent, the role of the
Sun, so much vital in our geocentric astrology, in the EA could be limited to second-plane or
subsidiary roles.

Maybe the Earth could replace the Sun in a lunar chart too, but I find this hypothesis a little

207
bit overstated. It is true that seen from the Moon, our Earth looks like 70 times brighter than
our Full Moon; nevertheless I believe that on a lunar chart, the Earth may rather play the
role of Lesser Luminary. In other worlds, it would take the place of our Moon, rather than
the place of the Sun.

The rotation axis of Mercury is almost exactly perpendicular to the Ecliptic: Ecliptic and
Equator lay virtually on the same plane; over there, on Mercury, it makes no sense to talk
about equinoctial points. Without a starting point for the zodiac, on Mercury it would make
no sense even to talk about a zodiac! Or to be optimistic, a zodiac exists, but we would not be
able to divide it into the twelve signs because we couldn’t know where to begin from. I
therefore plant two hypotheses: on Mercury there is a kind of space-temporal-zodiacal
continuum in which the twelve signs fuse, merge, superpose so that they aren’t identifiable
in any case; or the zodiac of Mercury is made of... one, huge, unique zodiacal sign of 360°!

DOMIFICABILITY OF A PLANET.

It is well known that there are different methods of domification, and that most of them
share the calculations required to determine the ASC and the MC with Placidus
domification (that we can surely define the most common method). The other methods
differ for the way they determine the cusps of the other Houses. For the sake of brevity here,
we’ll discuss Placidus method only.

The equinoctial or equatorial domification system gives twelve 30-degree Houses at any
latitude; this way, we can overcome one of the most serious limits of Placidus domification,
namely its impossibility to domificate beyond the Polar Circles. Here, on the Earth, it is
quite difficult to find inhabited territories beyond the Polar Circles, while on other planets
the polar circles may be found at much lower latitudes: the consequence being that over
there, on wide lands that might be theoretically colonisable and inhabited, it would be
practically impossible to apply Placidus domification.

There is one concrete reason why Placidus domification doesn’t work beyond the Polar
Circles: it is the fact that in his complex trigonometric formula, Placidus considered a fix
angle corresponding to the obliquity between the Equator and the Ecliptic (on Earth this
angle is 23°27' – see the graphic on the next page). In order to determine the Ascendant point
and the following cusps, the latitude of the birth place is added to this fix angle. So if a birth
takes place on the terrestrial Polar Circle, the resulting angle is 23°27' + 66°33' = 90°. Without
considering Placidus formula in details, a vague notion of mathematics is enough to
understand that a 90°-angle represents a limit value for many trigonometric functions. The
aforesaid lets intuitively understand why a 90°-angle is enough to "tease" the complex
system of calculations upon which Placidus domification is built.

208
The extension of the Tropics and Polar Circles is strictly linked to that fix angle of Placidus;
let us remember that this angle is equal to the mutual obliquity of the rotation axis and the
orbital plan of the Earth. This is the reason why on the Earth the Tropics has latitude of
23°27' and the Polar Circles has latitude of 66°33'. On each planet the latitude of the Tropics
corresponds to the degree of obliquity between the Equator and the Ecliptic, while the
latitude of the Polar Circles corresponds to its complementary angle.

209
The rotation axis of Mercury is virtually perpendicular to its orbital plane. Equator and
Ecliptic of Mercury lie on the same plane; therefore, over there, we’ll have twelve regular
30°-degree Houses all year long and at any latitude. On Mercury one could not perceive any
seasonal cycle. The Sun would always be at the zenith on the Equator of Mercury, and it
would always be at the horizon at the Poles of Mercury. Over there it would be extremely
easy to domificate, except if the birth takes place exactly on one of the two Poles of
Mercury.

Venus has got a 3°-degree only obliquity on its Ecliptic, therefore we’ll have a thin tropical
belt on its surface, measuring only 6° - three above and three under the Equator; and two
Polar Circles at the latitude of 87° North and 87° South. In other words, on Venus we’ll have
a very wide domificable area: it would be impossible to use Placidus domification only if a
birth took place beyond the latitude of 87°. To be more precise, actually the obliquity of the
rotation axis of Venus is of 177° approximately: because Venus rotates "upside down", its
North Pole is "down" and its South Pole is "above". In other words, Venus spins around its
own axis in the opposite direction than the Earth. So on Venus the cardinal points are
inverted: over there the Sun rises at West and sets at East.

Mars is the most similar planet to the Earth from the point of view of domification: the
obliquity of its rotation axis is about 25°, so that we have a tropical belt that extends 25°
above and under the Equator and two Polar Circles at the latitude of 65° North and 65°
South.

It is worth to mention also our Moon, which orbits around the Earth on a plane whose
obliquity on the Ecliptic is of 5°15'. The lunar tropical belts are narrow, they extend only 10°
approximately, five above and five under the Lunar Equator; and the Lunar Polar Circles
locate at latitude of 85°. The lunar situation – exclusively from the point of view of Placidus
domification - appears very close to that of Venus.

Extrapolating what we have seen so far, as a general rule I define domificable area of a planet
as being the belt between the Equator and the Polar Circles. Inside this area we can
determine a narrower or wider tropical belt in which the Houses are virtually regular (30°-
Houses all year long) and an intermediate belt (between the Tropics and the Polar Circles)
in which the Houses have got variable extensions depending upon the seasons. At last,
there’s the non-domificable area corresponding to the Polar Caps.

Now we can imagine we are able to change gradually the obliquity of the rotation axis of
Mercury from 0° to 45°. What do you think would happen? As the obliquity increases
gradually from 0° to 45°, the tropical belt increases too: it would actually "lift" towards
higher latitudes. At the same time, the Polar Caps would also widen because the Polar
Circles would "go down" towards lower latitudes. At a mutual obliquity of 45°, Tropics and
Polar Circles would meet, obviously, at the 45th parallel. Exactly half of the surface of such a
planet would be domificable, and the other half would be non-domificable.

What if the orbital obliquity overcomes the 45°? Let us consider as an example Uranus,
whose rotation axis has got an obliquity of almost 98° on its orbital plane. Uranus is
virtually "lying" on its orbital plane, and in certain periods of the year one would say it

210
actually "rolls" around the Sun. Its Equator is oblique to the Ecliptic, yet it is quite hard to
talk about equinoxes and solstices, of an alternation of nights and days on Uranus. If we
pretend we are on Uranus, what would we see?

On Uranus the Sun lights one of the Poles for a good portion of the year, leaving the
opposite Pole in shadow, while it hardly laps the Equator. As a consequence, if we were on
the lit Pole of Uranus on the day of solstice, we would see the Sun at the zenith draw little
circular movements in the sky – similar to the ones of the miracle of the three suns of
Fatima. As day go by, the circles in the sky would become wider and wider and they would
gradually decline towards the horizon. When the day of the equinox comes from the Pole of
Uranus, we would see the Sun roll all around us along the whole horizon, without ever
setting! Then the Sun of Uranus would eventually set and it would repeat its wonderful
show of decreasing circles in the night hemisphere for the following half a year.

But if we were on the Equator of Uranus at the moment of the solstice, we would see the
Sun repeatedly wink at the horizon, almost rising and setting in the proximity of the South
point. As days go by, the Sun would draw wider and wider day and night arcs approaching
the culmination East-West line; then come the equinox and we would see it rise exactly in
the West and set exactly in the East. We would then observe the Sun continue its annual
path reducing gradually the width of its arcs northward. After that, it would come back to
cross the Celestial Vault in the opposite direction, "rising back" from the North, culminating
on the line East-West and "setting back" in the South.

I am planning to illustrate these and other odd behaviors of the stars on the Celestial Vault,
as seen from some of the planets and moons of our solar system, in a future series of articles.
You will then discover how and why, during the long and boring days of Mercury, the Sun
can rise in Aries, culminate in Libra and set in Aries again; whilst on Venus the Sun can rise
in Aries, culminate in Cancer and set in Libra!

But what I wish to remark now is that, due to the inversion of Poles and Equator we get on
Uranus creating the practical swap of "year" and "day" on that planet, it would be extremely
hard not only to use Placidus domification, but even to perceive and determine the ascendant
and descendant points.

ROTATIONS AND REVOLUTIONS.

We are not usually aware of that, but in our geocentric astrology the speed rate between the
rotation and the revolution of a planet plays a fundamental role. Each planet performs, in
fact, two rotational movements, which are extremely important for astrology:

1) a proper rotation (around its own axis), which causes an apparent motion of the Celestial
Vault compared with the visible horizon; therefore this motion concurs to determinate the
Ascendant sign. To make things simple, let's call "day" the time in which a planet makes a
complete "spinning-top-line" turn around its own axis.

211
2) a revolutionary motion (around the Sun), which causes an apparent motion of the Sun
along the Ecliptic. Let’s call "year" the time in which the planet makes a complete turn
around the Sun.

Now let us forget for a while that there are two kinds of signs, of rapid and slow ascension.
For the sake of simplicity, let us assume that all the twelve signs raise regularly one after the
other at the Ascendant horizon, each every 12th fraction of the day (i.e. every two hours,
speaking of the Earth).

Let us also ignore that there are different kinds of "days" and "years" (sidereal, solar, civil
ones). Let us define the day as the time in which a planet makes a complete turn around its
own axis taking the Zodiac as a reference – that’s to say the time needed to watch the same
zodiacal degree rise once again at the Eastern horizon. Let us similarly define the year as the
time in which the planet makes a complete orbit around its central star ("Sun"), equivalent
to the period needed for the Sun, as seen from that planet, comes back to occupy the same
zodiacal degree.

The Earth has got a revolution period corresponding to approximately 365 rotations around
its own axis. Each day we see the Sun shift along the Ecliptic of about one degree, and return
at the same identical zodiacal position every 365 days approximately. In other words, on the
Earth, the ratio between year and day is about 1:365. This implies an alternate occurrence of
not only nights and days, but also of months and seasons that we take for granted. With
other celestial bodies, things may yet be quite different.

On the Moon the rotation (around its own axis) and the revolution (around the Earth) have
exactly the very same duration. Moon and Earth perform together also a common motion:
their revolution around the Sun. This implies that on the Moon:

- you perceive a motion of the Celestial Vault, which makes a complete turn each 28 days
approximately; therefore on the Moon the Ascendant changes every 28:12 = 2 days and 1/3
approximately
- you can also perceive an apparent motion of the Sun on the Ecliptic, which lead it to
perambulate the twelve signs in a period approximately corresponding to our terrestrial year
- the fact that the Moon shows us always the same face implies that on the Moon, the Earth
appears to be still compared to the lunar horizon. Yet the Earth, seen from the Moon, moves
along the signs at the same speed in which, seen from the Earth, the Moon changes sign,
namely every 2 days and 1/3 approximately.

Given such conditions, it is possible to domificate on the Moon. A nice spring morning on
the Moon Base, the Sun rises in Aries, i.e. Aries is the Ascendant sign. At the same moment,
the Earth is Capricorn at the lunar MC (as we have explained earlier, this depends
exclusively on our location on the lunar surface, regardless the time of day). The following
lunar morning, the Sun rises again, but in the meanwhile 28 terrestrial days have past, so the
Sun is now in Taurus. On the Moon Base we’ll have a dawn with Ascendant Taurus, while
the Earth is still over there, at the lunar MC, although it would have moved to Aquarius.
Let’s keep in mind that, seen from the Moon, the Earth moves in the signs but not in the
Houses, because it progresses along the Zodiac with the same speed with which the Celestial

212
Vault turns in the opposite direction.

Let us fancy of a planet linked to the Sun, the way the Moon is linked to the Earth: like a
stone girded to a string that we make rotate with our hand. Let us call this planet Hot,
because the name Romulus is already covered by copyright (or at least I think so) – because
it is a short name, and because on its hemisphere perennially lit by the Sun there would
certainly be sultry weather. Yes, because Hot keeps always the same face towards the Sun.
Seen from Hot, the Sun appears fixed compared to the horizon: Hot has got a rotation that
lasts exactly as long as its own revolution. Up to not so many years ago, scientists used to
believe that Mercury had exactly this characteristic. More recent observations tell us that,
although extremely slow, the rotation of Mercury is out of phase compared with its
revolution. Yet such a planet as Hot might well exist in the reality – no one can exclude it.

On Hot the year lasts one day and the day lasts one year. There is no alternate occurrence of
night and day over there, because the Sun of Hot never rises and never sets. The zodiacal
signs of Hot do. There is an Ascendant: you can domificate on Hot. When a news sign rises
at the ascendant point, the Sun of Hot has moved 30° and is located in the following sign. In
other words, seen from the surface of Hot, the movement of the Sun along the Zodiac
compensates exactly the movement of the Celestial Vault in the opposite direction. So the
Sun moves across the signs but remains still compared to the Houses. Exactly like the Earth,
seen from the Moon.

Dot is another odd planet: it orbits around the Sun but does not turn around its own axis. It
has got a revolution but not a rotation. This doesn’t mean that we cannot determine
geographic coordinates of Dot: an equator, two poles and a local meridian. We can also
develop a system of orienteering with the classical four cardinal points. So we have now
landed on Dot and we see the Sun at the East Horizon, in the sign of Aries. During its
motion around the Sun, Dot doesn’t spin, therefore the Celestial Vault remains still and
we’ll have a rising Aries at the horizon all over the year. Well, under the circumstances, one
cannot really say that there is any ascendant sign at all on Dot. But we could well define it in
some other way ("the sign intersected by the Eastern horizon") and proceed to a
domification in any way.

Nevertheless we should keep in mind that, since the Celestial Vault of Dot is still, the cusps
of the Houses of a Dotian astral map keep still – they change sign only if we move on the
surface of this planet. Light oscillations of the cusps may be possibly perceivable as the
planet approaches the equinoctial points or moves away from them. The cusps of the Houses
are still, the signs too are still compared to the local horizon; but surely the Sun and the
other celestial bodies that we can observe from Dot would move along the Celestial Vault,
either across the signs and across the Houses: therefore a Dotian Astrology can exist.
Also on Dot, from a certain point of view, one "year" corresponds to a "day": for the Sun
takes six months to cross the diurnal arc, then it sets – and six months later it rises again. In
the meanwhile, it also moves of six signs. So, if we suppose that also Dot orbits around the
Sun in anticlockwise direction (just like any other known planet of our solar system), on
Dot we could see the Sun rises in Aries, culminate in Capricorn, and set in Libra. The
constantly "retrograde" motion of the Sun of Dot is due to the fact that it is not compensated
(as it happens here on the Earth) by a rotation motion quicker than the revolution.

213
Spot performs rotations around its own axis, but it does not orbit around the Sun. Therefore
we have got "days" without "years" on Spot. The Spotian Sun rises and sets, but is still on
the Celestial Vault; nevertheless the latter makes a complete turn every 21 Spotian "hours".
Then the Sun of Spot rises, culminates and sets always in the same only sign. Nevertheless
there will be an ascendant sign and it is possible to domificate.

Lot is a still planet that doesn’t spin; neither does it show any revolution around the Sun. It
is not such an absurd hypothesis: in the first months of the year 2001, some "orphan" planets
were discovered, i.e. shattered in the outer space without any central star to orbit around.
Not knowing how those celestial bodies sustain themselves in space, we may well consider
them to be still or at least without those two motions that we are taking about. So on Lot the
Sun doesn’t move, either on the horizon and in the Zodiac; so in my opinion this Sun would
be of no astrological importance at all in a Lotian astrology. In fact, to possess an
interpretative value, a celestial body must show some basic features, among which the
apparent speed (i.e. movement) plays a fundamental role. All the celestial bodies that we
consider in our geocentric Astrology move, both in the Houses and in the signs. A body
stationary in one sign but moving in the Houses may theoretically have an interpretative
weight; a body stationary in one House but moving in the Zodiac may theoretically have an
astrological weight; but an object immobile either in the Zodiac and compared to the
horizon! I would immediately exclude it from any possible astrological research. I ask
whoever disagrees to rise his/her hand and explain me why on Earth (...or on Moon, Mars
and so on) should we give any symbolic and interpretative attribute to such an object.

Let’s finally land on the planet Wot, which spins around its own axis slower than its
revolutionary movement around the Sun. So one day lasts much more that the year on the
planet Wot. Let us assume that the day/year ratio on Wot be 3:1, in such away that Wot
makes three complete revolutions around the Sun during the same exact time in which it
makes a complete turn around its own axis. We can also say that the "day" on Wot lasts 3
"years": the Sun perambulates the Zodiac three times between a dawn and the following one.

The Sun of Wot comes back to the same degree of the sign of Aries three times a year, i.e.
once every third fraction of a day. A third of a day on Wot corresponds to one year. In a 12th
of Wotian day (the time in which a new sign rises from the Eastern horizon), Wot makes a
portion of orbit corresponding to 360°x3:12 = 90°, equal to the shift of its Sun across three
zodiacal signs. So, if the Sun rises in Aries on Wot, when the Ascendant changes to Taurus,
the Sun has moved 90° and is located in Cancer, at the nadir or Imum Coeli. When the
ascendant is Gemini, the Sun is in Libra. With the ascendant in Cancer, the Sun is in Aries
once again, but at the MC. With the ascendant Leo, the Sun is in Cancer; with the ascendant
Virgo, it is in Libra once again; with the ascendant in Libra Sun is still at the IC in
Capricorn; with the ascendant Scorpio, it is in Aries for the third time, and with the
ascendant Aquarius Sun is still in Cancer. When the Ascendant is Pisces the Sun of Wot is
in Capricorn, and when the Ascendant comes back to Aries the Sun is once again rising in
Aries, after having completed the full turn of the Zodiac three times!

This is only a theoretical example of one of the innumerable astrological combinations

connected with the different durations of the rotation compared with the revolution. I am
preparing some articles in which – from "real" astronomic figures – I’ll show you how the
particular combinations of revolution and rotation of some of the planets of our solar system

214
imply quite bizarre and fascinating astrological scenarios – as odd as those of the planets Hot
(also known as: Sultryweather), Dot, Spot, Lot, and Wot.

HYPOTHESES ON THE SIMBOLOGY OF THE EARTH IN LUNAR ASTROLOGY.

We have explained why the Earth, seen from the Moon, appears practically still as compared
to the twelve Houses. What might this mean, at an interpretative level?

A first working hypothesis may be to ignore the position of the Earth in the 12 Houses.
Maybe we might refer to the slogan: "No motion? No meaning". In fact, here on Earth it is
the passage of the Moon over the waters that provoke tides and refluxes; but on the Moon,
even if there were water in its liquid state, the Earth wouldn’t cause any tide, because it
doesn’t "pass": it is simply there, fixed over a given lunar area. On the other hand, it appears
logical to suppose that the gravitational influence of the Earth on the lunar surface depends
in a significant measure upon its own angular position, and that you could feel it if you were
there, on the Moon. I mean, it is likely that the same body having the same mass, would
weight more if it were located on the dark side of the Moon (with the Earth at the Imum
Coeli); would be a little lighter at the visible edge of the lunar globe (with the Earth at the
Ascendant or at the Descendant); and would weight much less with the Earth at the MC.

In a word, the apparent fixity of the Earth must have a huge importance in the
interpretation of a lunar horoscope. Speaking for myself, the notion of having a huge Earth
hanging over my head makes me feel uncomfortable: seen from the Moon, the Earth appears
much larger, up to 70 times brighter than the full Moon on the Earth. The Earth in a lunar
chart might then have something to do with impending facts, such as e.g. a necessary and
predetermined doom, maybe tragic and distressing, against which the subject can do little, if
not move, run away from it; or au contraire act positively, firmly, definitely facing any
limiting situation. From this point of view, the Earth in a lunar chart might indicate the
degree of free will of the hypothetical native Selenite. An indirect confirmation to this
hypothesis seems to arrive from Mr. Frisari and Ms. Morpurgo, who trace interesting
parallels between the astronomical features of the Sun, the Moon and the planets and their
respective symbolic meanings. According to what they write, the rapid motion and the
phases of the Moon imply a symbolism of instability, variation, mobility. If this is how
things are, in analogy to its fixity in the Houses, the Earth might have got a symbology
connected to the immobilism, the stability factors in the ever-changing, and the fixations.

The remarkable apparent dimensions of the Earth seen from the Moon may indicate its
stronger importance in the lunar horoscope. On the other hand, the fixity of our planet in
the lunar Houses might downplay its effective astrological weight. Certainly, an angular
Earth would be very important but, according to this logic, not so much as the importance of
an angular Moon in a terrestrial horoscope. Let me repeat that, in my humble opinion, in our
astrology what counts is the motion of each element of the chart rather then the position
itself. We shouldn’t forget that the astral map is a snap picture of a situation in complex and
perennial motion, and that the good astrologer doesn’t forget to notice if the motion of a
planet is fast or slow, stationary or direct or retrograde. The fixity of our planet over the
lunar horizon might therefore considerably mitigate the importance of the position of the
Earth in the 12 Houses of a selenocentric horoscope. Yet, we should assign a precise

215
astrological meaning to the position of the Earth in the 12 signs, in the 12 Houses and in its
angular aspects with all the other elements of the lunar chart. During the interpretation of a
lunar horoscope, we should nevertheless take care not to give too strong importance to the
position of the Earth in the Houses.

Another hypothesis on the role of the Earth in lunar astrology may be the following. In a
lunar chart, Moon and Earth swap their position? Well, if so, they also probably swap their
interpretative role. If it were so, on the Moon we would have an Earth having domicile in
Cancer, which would be connected to the meanings of the element Water and to the same
female variability feminine that we assign to the Moon in the terrestrial horoscope. Seen
from the Moon - do not forget it – it is the Earth that has got phases: this could be one more
reason to believe that the "lunar" Earth might well support "lunar" astrological meanings.
The terrestrial surface covered by waters is much wider than the emerging continents, so it
shouldn’t be such a bizarre hypothesis to assign Water values to the Earth. Somebody even
proposed to call our planet "Water", and for the same reason our planet is also called the
"Blue Planet".

It is a fact that in a lunar chart Earth and Moon swap their position; but it is another fact
that the Earth occupies the diametrically opposite zodiacal position than the one occupied by
the Moon at the same time in the homologue terrestrial chart. When the Moon is in Gemini
seen from Earth, the Earth is in Sagittarius seen from the Moon. Also the "terrestrial phases"
are opposite compared to the lunar ones. This might mean that the Earth behaves like a kind
of antimoon with antithetic, opposite or complementary values than the lunar ones. It would
then have its domicile in Capricorn and it would carry earthly values.

I find it likely that a celestial body have got a definite, profound influence for those who are
born on it. The Selenites, only for their having been born on the Moon, might have clear
lunar characters such as being easily influenced, or femininity, ciclotimia...) And the
Martians, only for their having been born on the Red Planet, might have evident martian
features like bellicosity, irascibility, aggressiveness... What some people who contacted or
were abducted by aliens from another planet say, seem to validate such a hypothesis. The
inhabitants of Venus who contacted George Adamski show indeed venusian features in his
description of them; the (hypothetical, of course...) inhabitants of Mercury could reveal to be
smart business beings with a shrewd and juvenile aspect. For the supporters of Star Trek:
aren’t mercurial people the Ferengi, born business-aliens who live following their terrible
"Rules of Acquisition"? As the Martians, whoever knows, could they really be as aggressive
as the monsters depicted in "The war of the worlds"? For if it was so, we human beings, only
for our having been born on the Earth, should also possess some typically terrestrial
characters. We are hardly aware of such characters because we haven’t had yet any occasion
to meet living beings born elsewhere. Discovering such earthly characters would help us to
more fully understand the symbolic value of the Earth in the EA.

In which sign could the domicile of the Earth be? What criterion hides behind the sequence
of domiciles traditionally used by the astrologers, that put Mars domiciled in Aries, Venus
in Taurus, Mercury in Gemini, Moon in Cancer, Sun in Lion, again Mercury in Virgo,
Venus in Libra, Mars in Scorpion, Jupiter in Sagittarius, Saturn in Capricorn, again Saturn
in Aquarius and finally Jupiter in Pisces? It is simple:

216
1. the Main Luminary takes place in Leo "by definition"
2. the Lesser Luminary places in the preceding sign (Cancer)
3. we place all the other planets, in order of distance from the Sun, into the preceding and in
the following signs than those of the Luminaries.

This is the reason why Mercury finds "home" both in Gemini and in Virgo; Venus has got a
domicile in Taurus but also in Libra, and so on. With the discovery of the planets beyond
Saturn, the sequence has been completed by simply progressively eliminating the "doublets"
from the signs after Leo: thus Uranus has been inserted into the Aquarius instead of Saturn,
Neptune has been given a domicile in Pisces instead of Jupiter, and Pluto has taken the place
of Mars in Aries. By the way, so far no one could explain why the sequence has been
completed starting from Virgo, rather than the opposite way, starting from Taurus.

For the domicile of the Earth, in the lunar horoscope we have therefore three possibilities:

1. the Sun keeps its domicile in Leo and the Earth takes domicile in Cancer; the rest of the
sequence doesn’t change.
2. the Earth becomes, on the Moon, the Main Luminary (thanks to the analogy planet-star
and satellite-planet; but we have discussed that this analogy is faulty and scarcely coherent);
by definition, the Main Luminary has got domicile in Leo; the Sun, having become a
secondary Luminary, takes domicile in Cancer; the rest of the sequence doesn’t change.
3. if the Earth is an "antimoon" whose domicile is in Capricorn, then the Earth would be a
lesser luminary and it would have domicile in the sign preceding the solar domicile in the
view that we want to stick strictly to the above mentioned criteria; namely, the Sun of the
Lunar Extraterrestrial astrology would have its domicile in Aquarius; this would imply a
very bizarre sequence like: Mercury in Pisces, Venus in Aries, Mars in Taurus and so on.

THE INTERPRETATIVE VALUE OF THE TWO MOONS OF MARS.

From the point of view of a "marsocentric" Extraterrestrial astrology, in the hypothetical

TN cast on the Red Planet there wouldn’t be place either for our Moon and for Mercury
(way too close, the former to our Earth and the latter to the Sun, to possess a significant
astrological meaning); on the other hand we should be able to interpret the horoscopic
position of either Phobos and Deimos, the two natural satellites of Mars. Consequently,
we’ll have three Luminaries on Mars: the Main Luminary, the Sun; and two Lesser
Luminaries, Phobos and Deimos. The sequence of domiciles of the Martian astrology would
be based upon the "pillar" of the Sun in Leo (as we have already pointed out, the Main
Luminary has its domicile in Leo by definition), while in my opinion one between Phobos
and Deimos would take place in the preceding sign (Cancer), and the other one would take
place in the following sign (Virgo).

Although it doesn’t match the criteria of domiciliation seen so far, I find it a reasonable
hypothesis to assign a double domicile to one of the moons of Mars, as in the following
example: Venus domiciled in Taurus, Deimos in Gemini, Phobos in Cancer, the Sun in Leo,
Deimos in Virgo, Venus in Libra and so on.

217
We have no elements at all to tell us which one, between Phobos and Deimos, should have
the double domicile in Gemini and Virgo, and which one would consequently have its
domicile in Cancer. For the time being, it’s a mere working hypothesis. Of course, if it
would be Deimos having its domicile both in Gemini and in Virgo, it would be Deimos who
would possess (in a martian horoscope) the symbolic attributes of mercurial kind, thus fully
substituting the apparent "disappearing" of Mercury from the sky of the Red Planet, as we
have already explained before. In this case, in the Martian EA Phobos would "take the place"
of the Moon and Deimos would "take the place" of Mercury. If we realize that Phobos has a
double domicile, it is logical to understand that Phobos would be the "mercurial" planet
while Deimos would have "lunar" attributes.

This is the reason why I spent so many words to examine different possible sequences of
domiciles: because finding out the correct sequence of domiciles on each celestial body that
occupy the centre of an EA chart would certainly help us deduce the interpretative value to
be assigned to those planets or luminaries not normally used in our terrestrial charts – and
that we would be forced to use currently in the Lunar, Martian, etc., astrology.

As for the interpretative value to assign to the two moons of Mars, I propose four directions
of research.

The first one is to accurately examine their astronomical (physical-chemical) features. Lisa
Morpurgo and Massimo Frisari seem to suggest that it is possible to create associations
between the astronomical features of each planet and Luminary and their respective
astrological meanings. If it is so, it is also possible to operate the opposite way: i.e. to deduce
(at least, partly) the interpretative, symbolic and archetypical value of a celestial body also
based upon its physical-chemical features.

A second way to argue the interpretative weight of a celestial body is to consider its apparent
speed in the signs and in the Houses. Phobos changes sign every 40 minutes, Deimos every
two and a half hours. On the Moon, we had assigned a particular meaning to the fixity of
the Earth over the horizon; on Mars we should keep in mind the exceptional speed of its
moons. On a psychological level, it might imply suddenly changing moods, apparently
unjustified emotional reactions, unexpected and quickly passing intuitions, maybe the
capacity of reacting very quickly ("in real time", with a quite stereotyped expression) to any
external stimulation. The transits of Phobos and Deimos might help us date the Martian
events with a precision of a few minutes, while here on the Earth we can exclude that we’ll
ever be able to reach such a precision with any predictive method at all.

A third research should be to consider the name assigned to a celestial body by the tradition
or by its discoverer. This may be obvious until we consider the traditional celestial bodies –
but it becomes incredible if we consider more recent facts. It appears particularly incredible
in the case of Pluto, whose name, they say (it may be a metropolitan legend, of course)
doesn’t derive from the name of the god Pluto but from the name of Mickey Mouse’s pet!
Allegedly, the idea of this name occurred to one of the discoverers’ daughter, who was very
kin of Disney’s characters. The astronomers Pickering and Lowell accepted the suggestion
because the first two letters of this name were also their respective initials (one of the glyphs
used by the astrologers for Pluto is a kind of fusion between a capital P and a capital L). We
can easily understand this human side of them. Yet, at a rational level, it is quite hard to

218
understand why such a casual and banal choice of a name would reveal itself to be fully
functional and working at an astrological level. The only possible explanation in my
opinion, if we expect the mere choice, is that the name of the thing contains much more
information than just being a mere conventional denomination. It is not by chance that in
the Garden of Eden, God spurs Adam to assign a name to every living being. Very probably,
then, the astrological meaning of Phobos and Deimos is already there: in their names, too.

Last, considering the sequence of the domiciles may well be the fourth direction of research
that, together with the previous three, may help us understand the correct interpretative
meaning of the celestial bodies that we would be forced to consider and use while casting
and interpreting an extraterrestrial chart.

What about statistics? Of course, statistics and the astrological practice would have the last
word in this field. But until we collect a sufficiently wide statistical specimen, we should be
forced to proceed by attempts, trying to make up some empirical interpretation, anticipating
the statistics, trying to be logical, using our common sense, sticking to the astrological
tradition and maybe, to these guidelines of mine.

SLICED ZODIAC, SPHERICAL ZODIAC.

At the present stage of scientific knowledge, we don’t know for sure if certain features of our
Solar system represent an exception, or the rule in the Universe. For example, let us consider
the sequence of the planets in order of orbital distance from the Sun: the closer planets are
smaller, they have a rock mass, and they have an atmosphere, and few moons or no moon at
all. The central belt of our Solar system is the home of the giant planets made of gas, and
with many moons. The more external planets are quite large ones, yet they are smaller than
the central giants, and – as far as we know – they have few moons or no moon at all. Such a
distribution of the planets (little rocks close to the star, giant gas in the middle, medium-
sized on the edge of the system) is it an exceptional fact, something typical of our Solar
system, or is it a common feature of all the planetary systems of the Universe?

Let us consider the orbits of the planets around the star. All the planets that orbit around the
Sun move "virtually" on the same plane, as if they were planet on a disc, or on a... pizza. The
only two planets that detach meaningfully from the "dish" on which all the others seem to
be placed are Mercury (with an obliquity of 7°) and Pluto (about 17°). Pluto, in particular,
sometimes orbits "outside" the zodiacal belt, having defined the latter as the belt that
extends "of some degrees" (4° to 12° depending on the Authors) above and under the Ecliptic.
We don’t know if in other solar systems all the planets orbit on a restricted plane as well, or
if they move around their own sun on differently oblique orbits, like the electrons do in the
typical simplified drawing of an atom. For if it was so, we would have planets that
constantly go out and come back to and from the Zodiac. In the extreme cases, we might
even imagine a polar orbit (of 90°, i.e. perpendicular) compared to the Zodiac.

If such a planet be discovered in our solar system, we should be forced to widen our
definition of Zodiac. If a planet be observed whose orbit is strongly oblique on the Ecliptic,
we should determine on the Celestial vault an extra-zodiacal belt (which extends many
degrees above and under the zodiacal belt that we consider traditionally). Within this

219
extended belt, we should find the way to make a simple projection of any celestial body onto
the Zodiac - whatever is its position on the Celestial Sphere – by applying appropriate
corrective trigonometric formula, similar to those on which the most common domification
methods are based upon.

Let us imagine that a planet exists whose orbit remains for most of the time outside the
traditional Zodiac. We could project on the celestial sphere the same "domificable belts" of
the Earth, namely:

1. in the tropical belt of the Earth (0° to +/- 23°27') Placidus Houses are equal. In the
corresponding extra-zodiacal belt of the Celestial vault (up to 23°27' above and under the
Ecliptic), we could proceed with a simple orthogonal projection of the object that transits on
that area
2. at medium latitudes (23°27' to 66°33' over and under the Equator) Placidus method implies
a gradual deformation of the Houses. In order to project onto the Zodiac an object that orbits
in the corresponding extra-zodiacal belt (between 23°27' and 66°33' over and under the
Ecliptic), we should use gradual corrective formula
3. here on the Earth it is not possible to use Placidus domification beyond the Polar Circles.
So, it would not be possible to project onto the Zodiac any object whose angular distance
from the Ecliptic is more than 66°33'.

The values of 23°27' and 66°33' are obviously referred to a geocentric astrology. On other
planets they would have other values, strictly connected to the mutual inclination between
the rotation axis and the orbiting plane of the planet that we considered as our point of
observation, i.e. the centre of the Celestial sphere.

Such division of the Celestial sphere would have two consequences. The first one, an
effective expansion of the zodiacal belt, which would lead the astrologers to consider in the
astral charts celestial bodies that they usually ignore in their traditional astrological analysis,
simply because they move normally on orbits even more oblique than Pluto. The other
consequence would be the exclusion of celestial bodies too much distant from the Zodiac;
they would still be ignored even if potentially relevant at an astrological level.

There is another possible solution to the problem of the projection of planets onto the
zodiacal belt in the "atom-like" planetary systems: to take in due consideration the
hypothesis of a spherical zodiac. This does not necessarily mean a "sliced" Zodiac. Let me
elaborate, above all, what I mean for a "sliced Zodiac". Here on the Earth, the Equator is
touched by a series of lines perpendicular to the Equator itself and parallel to each other.
They are the meridians, they divide the terrestrial surface into 360 slices (the same can be
said for the 24 time zones, each made of 15 degrees-meridians). Let us imagine now to apply
the same pattern to the Celestial vault, extending the zodiacal belt we normally use by
prolongating perpendicularly up and down the ideal segments that delimit the 12 signs. We’d
have thus divided the celestial sphere into 12 slices (we could call them "zodiacal time
zones") that meet all together at the "zodiacal poles".

Now we ideally incline gradually the orbit of a hypothetical planet from 0° to 90° compared
to the centre of an ideal Ecliptic taken as reference. Like the meridians and the time zones on

220
the Earth meet at the Poles, in the "sliced zodiac" the extension of the 12 signs or "zodiacal
time zones" progressively decrease up to becoming null where the slices meet. This way, a
planet with an extremely oblique orbit crosses signs with different extensions: larger ones in
the intersection area closer to traditional zodiacal belt, and much narrower ones in the area
close to the zodiacal poles.

Seen from the planets whose orbit has an obliquity of 0° (coinciding with the Ecliptic of
reference, taken as the centre of the zodiacal belt), the Sun would cross the 12 signs of the
Zodiac with a very regular motion, except light variations in speed at the perihelion
(minimum distance from the Sun) where the planet accelerates, and at the aphelion
(maximum distance from the Sun) where the planet decelerates. For less oblique orbits (up
to 45°) the difference in the extensions of the zodiacal slices may be negligible. But in the
event of an orbit inclined more than 70° we would have a planet that remains in the very
same sign for half a year; then it would rapidly cross five signs in a few days; and it would
eventually transit in the following sign (the opposite one, referred to the starting sign)
during another half a year, and so on. I say, the planet transits: but of course it would be the
Sun, seen from that planet, that would move along the Zodiac in such a bizarre way.
The limit case is a polar orbit of 90° (perpendicular to the Ecliptic). In this case, the planet
would touch two zodiacal signs only – more precisely, the Sun seen from that planet would
do it: one each half an year, except two very short moments of the year when it would pass
exactly over the "zodiacal pole", the point of conjunction of all the 12 signs-slices.

It is interesting to note that the different extension of the 12 signs has its correspondence in
the deformation of the Houses of a chart, cast with Placidus, at extreme latitudes, such as
the "extreme" birth charts that we mentioned at the beginning of our study. In such charts,
some Houses extend until almost 180°, while the others reduce to this "pieces" of a few
fractions of degree each.

We have figured a Zodiac made up of 12 signs-slices similar to the 24 time zones of our
planet Earth. To cross over a time zone on the Equator, one must go about 1,670 km in a
East-West direction, but to do the same by the Poles one must walk a few meters only. On
the other hand, if we traveled around the world in a North-South direction along the same
meridian, like Monty Python's actor Michael Palin in the BBC series "From Pole to Pole",
we’d never change time zone and we’d never be in the need to adjust our watch. This is due
to the particular "sliced" pattern in which we divide the terrestrial surface.

But I imagine (at least for the "atom-like” solar systems) a spherical zodiac not necessarily
sliced. A zodiac in which all the signs are 30° for all the planets along the whole celestial
sphere. How could this be possible, sincerely I don’t know. I guess it would make necessary
a revision or an extension of the spherical geometry we use now – and this is not so absurd,
if we consider that the spherical geometry represents an extension of the Euclidian plane
geometry.

In plane geometry, in fact, we meet axioms that nobody would ever dare contradict: yet the
very same axioms are not valid in spherical geometry (which is one of the possible non-
Euclidian geometries). As an instance:

221
1) In plane geometry the parallel straight lines never meet; they do meet in the spherical
geometry (it’s the meridians: they are parallel straight lines that meet at the poles).
2) In the Euclidian geometry the sum of the inner angles of a triangle is equal to 180°; in
spherical geometry it may be more or less than 180° (depending upon if we draw the triangle
on a convex or concave surface).

So maybe I commit no heresy if I declare that a spherical zodiac in which all the 12 signs
have a constant extension of 30° each, in whatsoever point of the sphere, is certainly a
bizarre notion, but maybe it is feasible with an adequate mathematical model.

MANY LUMINARIES.

Some solar systems are formed by planets that turn around double or triple stars.
Astrologers might live over there that daily have something to do with astral charts with
two or three Main Luminaries. Should we live on a planet with many moons, we’d have also
an undefined number of Lesser Luminaries. In which sign would they have their own
domicile? According to the Theory of Domiciliations previously detailed, to answer to this
question we should:

1. first of all, determine the principal Main Luminary: this would have "per axioma" its
domicile in the sign of Leo.
2. distribute the domiciles of the other suns (ancillary Main Luminaries) in the signs
immediately following and/or preceding Leo.
3. assign the domiciles, before and after the "solar" signs, to the Lesser Luminaries (i.e. the
moons, the natural satellites).
4. the sequence of domiciles of the planets of that solar system would be completed by
assigning them, in order of distance from their central star – be it a single, double, triple or
multiple star – in the signs that precede and follow the signs already assigned as domicile to
the Luminaries.

At an interpretative level, what about a natal chart with, say, three suns and seven moons?
Well, the answer of course is not easy, but even in this case I would suggest the four criteria
of astrological research already mentioned, namely:

1. consider the physical aspect of the celestial body whose symbolic and astrological meaning
we are investigating. A dwarf yellow sun wouldn’t probably carry the same astrological
weight as a giant red star as the source of life, light and heat; an imposing and splendid moon
like ours wouldn’t have the same astrological weight as a natural satellite with minute
dimensions, scarcely visible from the surface of the planet it orbits around, and so on.
2. consider the apparent speed of the celestial body, both in the signs and in the Houses. Seen
from a hypothetical planet orbiting around it, a little star that orbits around a larger star
would show an oscillating behavior on the local zodiac with frequent period of retrograde
motion (just like Mercury that, seen from the Earth, constantly "oscillates" around the Sun).
Such a little star would therefore carry a different interpretative value compared to a Sun
like ours, perennially in direct motion along our Zodiac. Stick to the Second Principle of

222
Extraterrestrial Astrology, which refers to the elongation of a celestial body compared to any
other. In more complex star systems, if a smaller star doesn’t detach much from its larger
companion, my opinion is that the lesser partner may be simply ignored when interpreting
an astral map, especially if the birth (or any other event that we wish to study from an
astrological point of view) should take place on one of the more external planets of that solar
system. Elongation, in fact, is a phenomenon due to the projection and it decreases if the
astronomical distances increase.
3. consider also the name assigned by man or by the inhabitants of that alien world (the one
at the centre of the astral map, I mean) to the celestial body whose astrological meaning we
would be investigating: be it a star, a moon or a planet.
4. pay particular attention to the sequence of the domiciles. We should be find out if,
following the logic of domiciles, a celestial body "finds home" – e.g. in the sign of Virgo, the
supposition that such a celestial body carries mercurial astrological values appears logical,
and so on.

A UNIVERSAL ASTROLOGY.

Until now I haven’t mentioned possible births in orbit around the Earth. This scenario
(which appears the most likely to become reality in the short terms) actually implies
different problems, that I have studied in my article on "Orbital Astrology”, a study of the
Solar Returns of astronauts in space. If we consider the space shuttle or the International
Space Base ISS as "the celestial body on which the birth takes place", should we cast a
horoscope having the shuttle or the orbiting station itself at the centre of the chart? I didn’t
even consider this hypothesis. I found it exaggerated to hypothesize a... "starbasocentric" or
"shuttlocentric" astrology. The dimensions and the mass of the artificial satellites are so
insignificant at an astronomical level that I find it superfluous and time-consuming to
calculate the "ascendant" or the "Medium Coeli" of such a small body like a space shuttle. Do
you wish to try, yet? Well, you should be able to create a coherent system of "geographical
coordinates" to be applied to the space shuttle, establishing on it a rotation axis, two poles,
and an equator and so on. But if we consider the shuttle or the orbiting station to have a
spinning motion, its crew or inhabitants could see the Sun set and rise even many times a
day. Should we consider then "orbital days" of a few hours? On the other hand, especially on
certain orbits, the space shuttle might remain in shadow or – on the contrary: be continually
lit by the Sun – for days and days, if not even... for ever. Thus it would make no sense at all
to talk about days and night, which are the fundamental elements for our astrology.

Considering that a vertical shift of a few kilometers only is enough to find ourselves in orbit,
seen from a shuttle, the Earth keeps such dimensions to occupy a good portion of the visual
fields. So in a "shuttleocentric” natal birth, should we draw a huge Earth covering four or
five signs? This seems to be another exaggeration. I therefore think that you should rather
ignore the factor altitude and take rather in consideration the so called subsatellital place, i.e.
the place flown over by the satellite at any moment. I guess that the factor altitude is ignored
even in the case of births that take place on high mountains or in airplanes.

I have not hypothesized zodiacs made of more or less than 12 signs. Absolute and
indiscerptible dogma of the EA is that the Zodiac (be it terrestrial or martian, local or

223
universal, internal, external, spherical or in slices) is always divided in 12 signs, starting from
the vernal point. As a consequence, there is no room for the Ophiucus in any of the zodiacs
described so far.

Now let us imagine a planet that orbits around a remote star very far away from our Sun.
What constellations would touch their zodiac? In that case, the signs might touch different
constellations from the ones known down here, and the 12 signs used over there might carry
names and symbols different from ours. Still, my opinion is that the signs would be 12 in any
case, not 15 or 24.

We could imagine of an extraterrestrial civilization that use different mathematical rules

than ours. One would say: "This is impossible! Mathematics is a universal language!" This
postulate is not fully true. I know a teacher of maths who asked the classroom to
demonstrate "why x to zero is equal to one". The following day, after some pupil uselessly
tried to find a logical demonstration of that, the teacher explained that x to 0 = 1 is a "dogma”
of our algebra: therefore it is not demonstrable. She added that nothing prevents us from
creating a different mathematics, in which x elevated to zero be equal x, or in which x to
zero be equal zero, or even more: be equal... three. The brave genius who were able to invent
such a "personal” algebra should be also able to derivate from this initial dogma, without
contradictions, all the patterns of coherent mathematics corollaries and rules. Something
similar happens in the numerations whose base is different from 10. We normally use a
decimal system in which 1 + 1 is equal 2: everybody knows! But in the binary system 1 + 1 is
not equal 2! In the sexagesimal system 55' + 38' is 1°33' (even if the expression 93' is not
wrong). And in the system of computation of time, 23 + 5 hours is not 28 but 4!

Who cultivates the illusion of dialoguing with an alien visitor by tracing "universal”
symbols and figures on the sand forgets that man himself uses different methods of
computation and numeric writing. The most known is the system in which the position of
the figures multiply their decimal value: as an example, 1,434 implies that we mentally
multiply the figures (1x1,000, 4x100 etc.) and then we sum the results (1,000+400+30+4 =
1434). It is not the only possible system. The ancient Romans used a logic of sum and
subtraction. The ancient Roman started from the higher figure (M, in this case) and went on
towards right summing the lower figures (D, C, L, X, V, I), with the following important
exception: when he met, after certain symbol, a letter with a higher value (for instance a
C=100 preceding a D=500, or an I=1 coming before a V=5) instead of summing the two
values, the Roman subtracted them. It is according to this rule, which is neither intuitive nor
"logical" at all, that even today we know that MCDXXXIV is not to be read like MC D
XXXI V (one thousand and a hundred, five hundred, thirty one, and five), but M CD XXX
IV, namely one hundred four hundred and thirty four.

Having stated that mathematics is not that universal language, or at least it is not a language
universal enough as to grant us a sane and civil "chat" with a hypothetical extraterrestrial
civilization, what does remain to us of truly universal? Heaven knows; maybe Astrology...

224

Born in 1962 and I have been an
astrological counsellor to individuals,
couples and businesses for almost thirty
years. After experimenting different schools
of Astrology, ten years ago I resolved to join
Ciro Discepolo's astrological method and
school, named Active Astrology -- based on
the active relocation of the Solar Returns
(Mr. Discepolo calls them: Aimed Solar
Returns or Aimed Birthdays) and the
exorcism of the symbols, as originally
conceived by Swiss psychiatrist Carl
Gustav Jung. I am the founder and current
moderator of the newsgroup of astrological
discussion and information in Italian
language it.discussioni.astrologia.
Website
http://digilander.libero.it/drusetta/
Blog
http://lucianodrusetta.blogspot.com/
225
Orbital Astrology
by
Luciano Drusetta, Italy
Translated And Partially Rewritten into
English by the Author
Reviewed & Proofing by: Pamela Jablonski
U.S.A.
Originally published on Ricerca ‘90, issue
55/2003
S ome of the readers may know my
dissertation on the Extraterrestrial
Astrology, originally published on
the Italian magazine Ricerca ‘90, issues 44
to 47, and also available on Saptarishis
Astrology Website. In brief, the
Extraterrestrial Astrology is an attempt of
‘exporting’ our daily astrology activity into
outer space in order to be able to assess, at
an astrological level, all the events that
may happen anywhere other than on our
planet Earth: such as births (natal charts),
birthdays (Solar Returns) but also Lunar
Returns, transits and any other
astrologically detectable event that
astrologers may deal with. This means
literally anywhere: in orbit around the
Earth, on the Moon, on Mars, or even any
other place in the Universe.
One of the most frequent criticisms to my
Extraterrestrial Astrology is that it may
represent a nice intellectual exercise of
theoretical astrology, while is of virtually
no practical use. Indeed, thinking of a
human birth in space does not appear
realistic. But if such event – I have to
admit it – is not just around the corner,
several people have already spent a
birthday in the space. Hence my
Extraterrestrial Astrology may have
already found its practical application in
the study of Solar Returns. Don’t you
believe me? Let us consider a few facts taken from the German website www.spacefacts.de.
This site, also available in English, gives you the full list of the astronauts, cosmonauts,
trikonauts and space tourists from the very beginning of the space adventure until our days.
Strictly speaking, with the word astronauts we usually refer to the U.S. astronauts, or to
those people of other nationalities who have flown with US space agency NASA. The word
cosmonauts refers to Soviet or Russian astronauts or to astronauts of any other nationality
who have flown with the Soviet space agency – I mean, the agency of formerly Soviet
Union, presently Russian space agency. Trikonauts are the Chinese astronauts, while all the
others are usually referred to as space travellers or space tourists. Here I will use the term
astronaut in the broadest sense of the term, referring to all the people who have ever flown
in the space.
In early 2003, shortly before the tragedy of the space shuttle Columbia, destroyed over Texas
during re-entry, the site Spacefacts listed more than 400 people who had flown in space until
then. The number of effective astronauts is actually much higher, but most of them are still
in waiting list for the first flight, while others used to work as an astronaut but have never
gone to space. To make a long story short, since Yuri Gagarin more than 400 people have
gone to the space as an astronaut or as a tourist. Of each of them, the website Spacefacts
gives: the place and date of their birth (alas, without the time!), the dates of their missions in
space, and some biographical notes. Based on this information, we can get to know how
many of them, and which ones, have ever celebrated a birthday in space.
Some of you may argue that without the time of birth it is impossible to determine the exact
time of a Solar Return. This is true, but it is also true that the SR always takes place within
the three days around the civil birthday: it can only be on the very day of the birthday, or
the day before, or the day after. Following this simple rule, and based on the information
given by the website Spacefacts, anyone can find out how many people have actually had a
SR in space.
The result surprised even me: as for early 2003 44 people had certainly had a Solar Return in
space. It is not a negligible number: it is more than 10% of the total number of astronauts. A
further 11 astronauts may have had, but not certainly had a SR in space. This obviously
depends on their time of birth and on the detailed schedule of their space missions. I mean
that some of those eleven astronauts were just taking off or they were just re-entering from
orbit on the very day of their civil birthday. Therefore these 11 cases require further
investigation.
In any case, this is 44 + 11 = 55 interesting astrological cases; some of
them were dramatic, and
I think that it would be worth to study them in depth. Among these 11
cases perhaps the most outstanding and sad story
is that of Viktor Ivanovich Patsayev [Fig. 1, left],
who died in 1971 during the re-entry of the Soyuz
11 – immediately after his SR in space1. Patsayev
and two fellow cosmonauts had been sent to
spend some time in the orbiting station Salyut,
which would become part of the famous orbiting
station MIR. Probably due to a loss of pressurization in the re-entry
module, the three cosmonauts perished – a dramatic event, although

226
 3
not so striking as the accidents to the two ill-fated shuttles Challenger and Columbia.
Incidentally, none of the members of the crew of the two tragic missions Challenger and
Columbia had spent their SR in space.
A birthday in orbit is not necessarily a fatal experience: this is confirmed by the less
dramatic, yet still significant case of Charles "Pete" Conrad [Fig. 2, lower right on the
previous page], a veteran of space flights since the days of the first Gemini missions2.
Together with two fellow astronauts, Conrad formed the first crew of Skylab which had
been orbiting for a time, empty, waiting for the first men to arrive and occupy it. There were
no technical problems whatsoever, either during the mission or during the re-entry, but the
astrologically interesting fact was that Pete Conrad, after spending his SR in space, left
NASA at the height of his career and moved to Colorado to take over a prestigious
government charge.
The study of these and other specific cases of Orbital Astrology involves certain
verifications that are quite difficult to solve. So for the time being what I can do is simply
introducing to you some technical issues related to the calculation of a SR in space and
proposing you one example to study, even though – unluckily – it can only be a hypothetical
case.
THE QUESTION OF THE HORIZON

A s you may recall, one of the basic principles of the Extraterrestrial – and not only the
Extraterrestrial – Astrology is that the House system of our charts must be cast
considering the place where the subject stands in that moment. This is an obvious
concept, but it must be repeated because it is taken for granted in the case of a natal chart,
while not all the astrologers accept that the chart of a SR be cast considering the place where
the subject is in that moment. In the context we are dealing with now this is a fundamental
concept, so that if one does not stick to this rule, all the reasoning that follows becomes
nonsense.
Now, following the afore mentioned principle some people suggested that when the subject
is in orbit around the Earth, the centre of the astrological chart (normally occupied by our
planet Earth) should be occupied by the spacecraft or by the orbiting base, and that the
House system should be calculated based on a horizon that runs through the orbiting
vehicle. I would immediately discharge this hypothesis, because it would involve a task very
difficult to solve: we should build up and point out, on such a small and manoeuvrable
heavenly body as the space shuttle or the orbiting base, a logical system of actual
geographical coordinates in miniature. We should establish an axis of rotation of the vehicle,
two poles, a horizon, and to make a long story short, if you wish you can try it – but I prefer
to deal with other possibilities.
In fact, when drawing the Houses in our charts, we do not take in consideration the
subjective horizon3. When you were born and we cast your natal chart, we do not care
whether you were delivered upside down with your head down and your belly in the air; and
when you have your Solar Return, we do not care if at that time you are doing yoga or if you
are scuba-diving or somersaulting under water: in any case we draw the line ASC-DSC
horizontally with the MC up and the IC down. For what we consider to be “above”, i.e. the
daytime hemisphere, the top of the chart, is not what is physically above the subject’s head.
The top of an astrological chart is that portion of the sky that is above the horizon line:
namely, the line that in our charts goes from the Ascendant to the Descendant. If the subject

227
 4
lies upside down the parameters of the question do not change. If you have Mars at the MC,
you keep having Mars there even if you bury your head in the sand like an ostrich. By doing
so, your Mars does not end up in the Imum Coeli! Similarly, no matter if the space shuttle
actually flies in orbit upside down and its crew has the Earth above their heads. And it does
not matter if a future orbiting base would be rotating regularly around its axis to create
artificial gravity: from the astrological and astronomical point of view, the horizon that we
use for the House system will be the same – we are going to define it in the following
sections.
I am assuming that in the case of people or objects in orbit around the Earth, the House
system always refers to the geographical coordinates of the place over flown at that time.
Starting from that place you will have to calculate the horizon which is the base to all the
House systems. I will consider two possibilities now: the first is that we take in
consideration the height factor; the second is that the height or altitude can be safely
ignored.
HOW HORIZON CHANGES WITH THE ELEVATION

T he most common definition of Ascendant is: the sign that we can see rising at the
Eastern horizon at a given time. Do you all agree? If you agree with this definition,
you implicitly understand that the calculations of the Houses use the visible horizon
or the geometric horizon. There is a slight difference between the two. The visible horizon is
a little bit wider than the geometrical one: due to atmospheric refraction phenomena we can
actually see up to a little farther distance than what the simple geometric calculations would
allow us to see. However in this article I’ll consider these two types of horizon as perfectly
identical.
So let us define the visible horizon [Fig. 3, below] as the circle that serves as the basis of a
cone whose apex is the observer. The radius R of this circle indicates the maximum distance
that we can actually see (not considering the already mentioned refractive phenomena) and
it grows with the height at which the observer stands, according to the following formula
(an approximate but effective one):

R = 3,570 multiplied for the square root of H

where H is the height in meters.
According to this formula, an average man
(say, six feet tall) under normal conditions,
at sea level can see at a distance of 3,570
meters multiplied by the square root of 180

228
 5
cm, which is equal to 1.34 cm. So he sees up to a distance of 3,570 x 1.34 = 4,783.80 m. At a
height of 4 meters we can see little more than 7 km. At a height of 100 meters [Fig. 4,
previous page, right] we can see within a radius of 35.5 km. In the mountains, at an altitude
of a thousand meters, we can see until a distance of about 113 km. From a plane flying at a
cruise altitude of 10,000 feet we can see things in a radius of about 357 km. Manned orbital
vehicles are positioned normally on low orbits at a distance varying from 100 to 400 km from
the surface. At a distance of 200 km from the surface, the visible horizon covers up to 1,600
km.
But as you know, the matter is complicated
by the fact that the Earth is not flat. As we
move away from its surface, we realize that
we are on a sphere, and as we fly farther off
in to the outer space we can see it become
smaller and smaller. On the ground we have
the impression that we are on a plate that
covers exactly half of the sky: 180° of 360 of
the celestial vault. Starting from a certain
height, we realize that we are actually over a
convex plane covering less than 180°. The
following formula helps us quantify this
progressive deformation of the visible
horizon: [Fig. 5, left]
D = R / sin x
where D is the distance of the watcher from
the centre of the Earth; R is the average
radius of the Earth (let us assume that it is
equal to 6,400 km); and x is half the visual
angle, also equal to half the apparent size of
the Earth as seen from a given distance.
Now, this formula takes the distances from
the surface of the Earth, not from its centre.
But this is not a problem, because we can
simply subtract R from D and we get the
data we are seeking for.4
Now let
us
consider
some
practical

examples of how a horoscopic chart could get deformed

if the Ascendant-Descendant line were to follow the
deformation of the visual horizon at various heights. Let
us begin from a chart normally subdivided in Houses at
any location at ground [Fig. 6, right]: in this situation

229
 6
the horizon covers exactly half of the sky = 180° of the
chart.
At a height of 500 km the horizon appears to be
strongly curved, as to cover only 150°. So in our
hypothetical natal chart subdivided in Houses at such
elevation [Fig. 7, left] the line ASC-DSC will also be
curved and it would split the chart into unequal
halves: the lower one (night) of 150° and the higher
one (daytime) of 210°. As the logical consequence of
the curvature of the line Ascendant-Descendant, the
Descendant point (i.e. the cusp of the Seventh House)
is no longer diametrically opposite the Ascendant
point (i.e. the cusp of the First House). In the specific
case of the chart drawn in Fig. 7, the Ascendant at
approximately 20° Aries corresponds to the Descendant at approximately 20° Virgo.
Please note that the deformation does not affect the line MC-IC, which I neglected to draw
in these charts. I did so for the sake of clarity, but also to draw the reader’s attention on the
line ASC-DSC.
From a distance of 1,000 kilometres from its surface, the Earth appears as a sphere of 120° in
diameter, and it would cover only four signs of the
Zodiac, while the upper half of our chart would extend of
240 long degrees [Fig. 8, right]. The example proposed
here shows an Ascendant falling somewhere in between
Aries and Taurus, while the Descendant falls somewhere
in between Virgo and Leo.
This is a critical distance, because beyond the distance of
1,000 km the line ASC-DSC, which in effect represents
our planet Earth in our astrological charts, no longer
touches the centre of the chart. In other words, it is
beginning from this distance that we can start talking
about real, effective Extraterrestrial Astrology. Unless
you represent our bent horizon by drawing a parabola
instead of a circular arc: only in this way the ASC-DSC line, despite being strongly
deformed, could continue to tap the centre of the chart.

230
 7
Let us boldly go further – and farther. From a distance of
2,600 km [Fig. 9, upper left], the Earth occupies 90 degrees
of the sky and it covers only three zodiacal signs. At a
distance equal to the mean radius of Earth (6,400 km) the
Earth covers 60° [Fig. 10, below], while at a distance of
18,300 kilometres [Fig. 11,
lower left] it appears as a
sphere of 30°. Also the
distance of 18,300
kilometres from Earth’s
surface is a critical
distance, because only
starting from this distance
we can see the Earth
(although for very short
periods) somehow
“included” in one zodiac
sign, thus becoming (at least in my opinion) a celestial
body just like any other in the sky – i.e. yet another
element of our charts, an element which can be read just
like any other, a planet to which the future astrological
tradition would assign an interpretation of its own.
As seen from the Moon, at about 384,000 kilometres from
here, the Earth is reduced to an apparent magnitude of only 2 degrees [Fig. 12, below]. Let me
stress that, as seen from the Earth, the Moon and the Sun both have an apparent size of half
a degree. This would offer the opportunity to argue about the
real accuracy and reliability of the ephemerides telling us the
position of the Luminaries with a precision reaching the
minutes or the seconds of arc – but this would lead us far
from the scope of this research of Orbital Astrology. I’ll
come back to this subject another day instead.
The linear length of the Earth as seen from the Moon is
“only” four times greater than the linear length of the Moon
as seen from the Earth5. Do not let this mislead you.
Remember that we are talking of a circle in the celestial
vault, so the Earth is actually much greater, seen from the
lunar surface: a quick mental calculation led me to reckon that it should appear at least 12 to
16 times larger than the Moon as we can see it from the Earth! In other words, if we were on
the Moon we would probably see a huge Earth actually. At least it would be enormous for us
earthlings, accustomed as we are at our Moon measuring half a degree – and even so,
sometimes, our Moon does appear very big indeed, especially if it’s close to the horizon or if
it appears to us against a reference point such as a building, a tower, or a tree.

231
 8
IGNORING THE HEIGHT FACTOR

A fter having wowed you by the special effects of science fiction, I invite you to
reflect: are you really sure that the line ASC-DSC becomes deformed with the
height? To answer this question we must first revise the definition that we had
given of the Ascendant as the sign that we actually can “see” rising on the Eastern horizon
at a given moment. Is it really so? Do we astrologers, in our House system, really consider
the visible horizon? Here is the answer...
At the height at which manned space missions usually orbit (as we said, it is usually
between 100 and 400 km from Earth surface), the deformation of the visible horizon –
therefore the possible deformation of the 12 Houses – is reduced to a bare minimum, at least
if compared to the striking examples that I have showed you so far, relevant to much farther
distances. Since all the work of the astrologer is balanced between accuracy and precision
(another intriguing topic that someday I would like to… boldly elaborate in my articles), it is
my opinion that in this case we are allowed to approximate, thus ignoring any possible
deformation of the Houses.
There is another reason that makes me lean towards the total irrelevancy of the height factor
while drawing the Houses for a chart in orbit. I’ll tell you right now. First let me remind you
that besides the visible horizon and the geometric horizon (that so far I’ve considered to be
perfectly overlapping here just for convenience), there are two other types of horizon. The
first one is the astronomical horizon, defined as the plane parallel to the geometrical horizon
and tangent to the watcher’s place of station. It is my belief
that when we astrologers cast and draw our Houses in the
chart, we actually consider yet another kind of horizon: the
rational one, defined as the plane parallel to both the
geometric and the astronomical horizon, and passing
through the Earth’s centre [Fig. 13, left shows these three
horizons in two dimensions, while Fig. 14 below tries to
represent them in 3D]. It is also my opinion that luckily for
us, the rational horizon – which is the fundamental building
block for the construction of our line ASC-DSC – does not
deform with the height. On the other hand, given the huge
distances that we face when we relate our Earth to the
celestial vault, we can safely consider that our planet Earth is a simple non-dimensional
point in the very centre of the vault. As a consequence,
the rational horizon can be safely considered as
perfectly coincident with the astronomical horizon.
This is why I believe that a SR in orbit should be
subdivided into the 12 Houses based on the coordinates
of the place over-flown by the spacecraft at that time,
leaving out the factor altitude. This place is called sub
satellite point. For in space, when everything is related
to the celestial vault and to the Zodiac, the distances
vanish and I am sure that 100 km more or less do not
make any difference between an object lying on the ground and an object flying on the
vertical of the same place. This is my humble, personal opinion. Obviously the last word
will be the word of the first astrologers who are able to study a real case of SR in orbit, and

232
 9
to compare two charts drawn according to the two different criteria: one considering, and the
other one ignoring the height factor.

SATELLITE BUSTING

L et us try and calculate, as a mere didactical exercise, the SR of Italian Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi, fancying that in a fit of megalomania he decided to visit the
International Space Station just before his birthday of 2003. Are you wondering why
bother to fantasize about Mr. Berlusconi in orbit when we have at least 44 real cases of Solar
Returns in space to study? I’ll tell you right now, in connection with the two most striking
cases of SR in space. While in Patsayev’s case we do not know his time of birth, the time of
birth of Pete Conrad is known but this is no good – because we are not able to determine
exactly the Skylab position at the time of Conrad’s Solar Return. With Silvio Berlusconi,
the task is much easier to solve. First, we do know his time of birth and therefore we can
safely say that his SR of 2003 occurred at 10:21 GMT of the 29th of September. What is left is
to get to know where the space base was flying in that exact moment and at what altitude (if
we also want to consider the possible deformation of the
line ASC-DSC).
No problem – these and other pieces of information are
provided by excellent software packages, called satellite
busters6, especially developed for those amateurs who
love to go “hunting” artificial satellites to watch them
with a telescope or binoculars. Most of this software can
be downloaded free from the Internet in a demo or
shareware version. They are light executables that can
be installed in any computer. They read the orbital data
from text files with .TLE extension and return on your
computer screen the exact location of the satellite you
are looking for at the time that you want7. They also
provide a number of interesting data, including the sub satellite point, which is precisely the
element that we need to cast our charts, explicitly the geographical coordinates (latitude and
longitude) of the place over which the satellite flies at
that time. They also give the height of the object from
the ground, for those who want to play with the
deformation of the Houses.
However, the “satellite buster” software programs have
significant limitations. The files containing the orbital
data must be updated constantly; if we use non-recent
data we may get some nice surprises. For example, in
early 2003 I installed one of these software programs to
know where the International Space Station (ISS)
would be in September, during Mr. Berlusconi’s
birthday and the answer was... that it would have
already fallen on Earth! This is because, obviously, the
artificial satellites do not stay in orbit forever. In order
to keep them in space without letting them fall down on
to our heads, their pilots or controllers give them a

233
 10
helping hand from time to time. Later on that year, fed with more recent data, the same
software told me that if Mr. Berlusconi had been on board the ISS, he would have spent his
Solar Return at approximately 360 km above the point of longitude 134° E and latitude 52° N.
This would have been his SR then. I leave the analysis of its reading to you [Fig. 15 upper
left on the previous page shows his natal chart, Fig. 16 lower right on the previous page is his
chart of SR at ground, Fig. 17 below left shows the same chart at the height of 360 km].

CONCLUSIONS
Now back to reality, namely to those 44 sure cases plus
those 11 probable cases of SR in space, which I have
mentioned at the beginning of this article. As I told you,
we do know the time of birth of Pete Conrad – therefore
we could calculate the exact time of his SR in orbit.
Unluckily there is another hindrance yet. It is not
possible to trace the exact position of the Skylab at that
time, because the data files containing the orbital
positions for those “satellite buster" pieces of software
only refer to objects launched after 1980 and still
currently in orbit. No data available for the space
shuttles, Skylab, Soyuz, Gemini, Apollo missions…
Even the available data should be taken with care. First
of all, TLE files usually contain official data which does
not mean real data. Often the data contained in the
available files refer to the schedules of the intended
flight path at the time of take-off. There is no guarantee that in the end a space shuttle or the
space station really sticks to the planned routes. As for the Solar Returns on Earth some
approximation is a must; especially if you wish to relocate a SR, you can always spend a few
hours in the selected place for the relocation, thus counterbalancing possible uncertainty
about the time of birth and the exact time of the Solar Return itself. But the objects in orbit
are constantly moving, quickly flying always from West to East.
Let us open a small parenthesis of general orbital culture. Why do the satellites orbit always
eastwards? Because at the moment of take-off, in order to achieve the required escape
velocity, the rockets take advantage of the centrifugal force produced by the natural
movement of rotation of the Earth. In my naiveté, I imagined that when a rocket rises it
goes up in a straight line, while the Earth rotates beneath. If it were so, it would move from
East to West. Things do not really go like this: Earth works as a “slingshot” and when the
rocket lifts from the ramp and liberates from the gravitational pull, it is a bit like a stone
when it is detached from the sling, i.e. throwing itself in the same direction that the sling
gave to it initially.
For this reason there is also a precise relationship between the latitude of the launching site
and the orbital tilt, which is also influenced by unavoidable political variables to be taken
into account. First, we define an equatorial orbit having a tilt or inclination or 0° (the
satellite constantly flies over the equator) and a polar orbit having a tilt or inclination of 90°
(it flies over both poles, crossing the equator at a right angle). The Russian missions that
depart from Baikonur at just over 45° N, they should follow an orbit with a tilt of 45 degrees,

234
 11
but it is not so, because shortly after take-off they must consume a great deal of fuel to reach
the latitude of 51° N because they are not allowed to fly over China. Similarly, the space
shuttles departing from Cape Canaveral at 28°30’ N had to consume a lot of fuel to reach the
orbit of 51° and engage the MIR.
Back to the example of Silvio Berlusconi’s
hypothetical SR in space, we can cast his SR in space
only if we do not have any doubt about his time of
birth, therefore about the exact time of his SR,
because only one minute later than 10:22 GMT the
space station would have been quite far away from
the reckoned point. It would have been in fact over
the point of latitude 51° N and longitude 140° E. This
would have led to significant differences in the chart
of the SR [Fig. 18 left: chart at ground level, Fig. 19
below right: same chart at height]. Not to mention
that also the altitude of the space missions changes
constantly. As a consequence, dealing with Orbital
Astrology requires much greater precision (or said in
other words, it allows a much smaller tolerance) than
the earthly Astrology of everyday life – earthly not
only because it is a geocentric astrology, but also
because it is cast, reckoned, drawn and read at ground level.

***
In this article I presented some of the issues related to the
study of Solar Returns in space. There is a relative
abundance of specific cases that may already be studied, but
it is counterbalanced by a chronic lack of data for the
historic mission and the insufficient reliability of the
official orbital data. With this new chapter of my
Extraterrestrial Astrology I hope I have shown that not
only the calculation of a SR in space is possible, but it is also
necessary to address these issues. In fact a good fifty people
have already had a SR in orbit and we can not ignore this
fact any longer. The number of people who will spend their
birthday in space is doomed to increase rapidly in the close future. Perhaps even the birth of
the first human being in space is not as distant as we may believe.

Two short technical notes:

1) The natal charts and the charts of SR are produced by Ciro Discepolo’s software package
of professional astrology, Astral. I slightly modified them with MS Paint to re-draw the
cusps of the Houses and to show how they shift if we consider the deformation of the
horizon in height.

235
 12
2) When drawing the “deformed” charts I applied a rigorous calculation only to the line
ASC-DSC. The line MC-IC, in fact, refers to the meridian and does not change with height.
The other cusps of the charts in altitude have been reckoned in an approximate way, still
trying to reflect the criteria of subdivision of the quadrants of the trigonometric House
system of Placidus.

1
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patsayev
2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Conrad
3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizon
4
see also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angular_diameter_distance
5
see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterrestrial_skies#The_Earth_from_the_Moon
6
or satellite tracking software, see http://www.satbuster.com/ or http://www.nlsa.com/
7
see http://www.pcigeomatics.com/cgi-bin/pcihlp/AVHRCOR|TLE+DATA+FILE

236
 For the Application
of Epistemology to
Astrology
By
Luciano Drusetta, Italy
Translated and Rewritten into English by
the Author
Reviewed & Proof Read for SA by:
Pamela Jablonski U.S.A.

(Answer to a question originally posted on the

Born in 1962 and I have been an

Usenet newsgroup of astrology
tin.it.hobby.astrologia)

astrological counsellor to individuals, First published as an article in Ciro

couples and businesses for almost thirty
years. After experimenting different schools
of Astrology, ten years ago I resolved to join
Ciro Discepolo's astrological method and
school, named Active Astrology -- based on
the active relocation of the Solar Returns
(Mr. Discepolo calls them: Aimed Solar
Returns or Aimed Birthdays) and the
exorcism of the symbols, as originally
conceived by Swiss psychiatrist Carl
Gustav Jung. I am the founder and current
moderator of the newsgroup of astrological
discussion and information in Italian
language it.discussioni.astrologia.
Website
http://digilander.libero.it/drusetta/
Blog
http://lucianodrusetta.blogspot.com/
Discepolo’s magazine Ricerca '90
issue 39
“Dear XY;
In the newsgroup you have expressed your
moody curiosity of knowing what I think
of such a difficult and controversial subject
as Science vs. Astrology, if you really want
to know, I am here to answer. I’ll try to be
concise and clear.
To tell you the truth, I’d formulate the
defence of astrology as a genuine attack on
modern science, because science usually
boasts of an authority that is inadequate to
the weakness of its representatives, to the
real extent of its practical

237
results, and to the truth of its hypotheses. I’d begin by explaining that the attempts to
answer the question, “What is science”? or at least the attempts to understand how science
works and what science is based on, are almost all ‘naïve’ or outdated.

The Galilean method, so vehemently invoked as the essential foundation of sound scientific
experimentation, is an essentially deductive-inductive procedure. Starting from the
straightforward observation of reality, the Galilean scientists make up rules by deduction, and
later on they verify those rules by induction through a successive phase of observation /
experimentation. However, this method may have its own deficiencies at the logic stage,
because it is based fundamentally on the classic syllogism, although his real weakness lies
behind other limitations.

Alan Chalmers (author of the book that I have advised you to read in the newsgroup,
entitled What is This Thing called Science?1) defines the enthusiastic Galilean scientists ‘naïve
inductivist’2. He says so, I haven’t invented this expression. The inductivists claim that
science is based on observation3. Now, without saying names, I remember that someone
wrote recently in the newsgroup that astrology also is based on observation. Well, I disagree
with this point of view because I cannot imagine the old Chaldean shepherds applying a
Galilean method and performing a scrupulous statistical research concerning the physical,
psychological and somatic characteristics of people born under a certain sign of the zodiac –
this would have certainly been an anachronistic nonsense.

The inductivists point out: to be more precise, science is based on the observation of
phenomena that demonstrate the truth of an initial theory. For example, say that there’s a
theory claiming that the sun always rises in the East. Now, if you really want to verify that
the sun rises in the East, you should go out with your compass at every dawn and wait until
the morning comes... But at this point Chalmers starts a long dissertation on the validity or
the falsity of the observations, with digressions on the optical and auditory illusions4,
underlining that our brain, willingly or unwillingly, interprets the physical data that reach
your eyes or your ears5. Given these caveats I’m just considering that the inductivists are
wrong when they claim that the observation itself should not be influenced by any theory or
hypothesis whatsoever. In fact what happens in reality is exactly the opposite. If you really
watched the sunrise any given day, you should conclude that in fact the sun does not rise
always exactly in the East. Unless you observed the sunrise on an equinox (occurring twice a
year) you should in fact conclude that the sun never rises in the East. But if you modify the
initial hypothesis by adding a statement claiming that “during the equinoxes, the sun really
rises from the East” you would add a theoretical premise to your observation! Thus you
would cease to be an inductive, because you would admit to know that there certain special
days called equinoxes, and that you know what they are and what consequences they entail –
and this, without having ever experienced or observed them directly!

238
Moreover, nobody can assure you that the sun will always rise from the East, throughout all
the equinoxes of all the years forever more. The only way to be sure about it is to repeat this
observation, say the inductivists. The question then is, “How many times shall I repeat the
observation”? Two hundreds time? One thousand times? Perhaps a million times? In other
words, how many black crows should I watch before concluding that all crows are black? The
answer, Bob Dylan would sing, is blowing in the wind…

Given these considerations, the inductivists correct their aim and acknowledge that the
observation does not provide certainties but simply offers a fairly good ‘likelihood’ of
certainty. This way, their own logical castle simply collapses. In fact replacing truth and
certainties with simple probabilities means lifting the foundations from the castle of authority
that science has been building around itself. It means admitting that, after all, science is not
that great body of knowledge that some people want us to believe.

Another approach rises from the attempt to overcome the logical limits of inductivism: it is
called falsificationism6. The falsificationist says if you can not prove with certainty the
validity of a hypothesis, at least you can prove with certainty the possible falsehood of it,
provided that the hypothesis is expressed falsely, but clearly and immutably. Well, if I say
that “almost all crows are black” the hypothesis is valid just as if I see 10 or 1000 black ravens,
and even if you see two or three white crows that still is an equally valid hypothesis. Most of
the arguments or statements in Astrology are not falsifiable in this sense, as if in a manual
we read: “the sun in the 9th house often shows the native will eventually migrate or make
long trips” even though we find a person having the sun at 9 ° has not migrated and may not
have done any travelling, yet it has proved the falsity of the offending phrase. But if you
think about it, not many scientific ideas in vogue today are counterfeit.

Another blow to the two mentioned approaches is afforded the same recent history of
science. Many discoveries have been made by chance, or by mistake. And how many have
sprung from dreams or intuitions, rather than in cold laboratory experimentation? Science
later led extremely creative people, who swam upstream, carried away by their own
convictions, despite the many negative results. On the contrary the Galilean method, which
assumes that if the observation does not support the hypothesis, then we must abandon it.

Other approaches, like that of a man named Thomas Kuhn, who speaks of ‘paradigms’ or
structures of thought that have their relative validity for sometimes a very long season. But
then they begin to give way under the arrival of thinkers younger and more agile and
innovative. One example of scientific paradigms is the vision of the universe as geocentric
and heliocentric and is replaced by Newtonian physics, and then overcome and replaced by
the relativism of Einstein. Another example would be the fixity of species, replaced by
Darwinian evolution.

239
Another approach, which is a little mine, sees science as a sort of modern religion,
which happens exactly the opposite of those who taught us; that is, where the
scientist rather than a person, fundamentally open to innovations reaches the point
of evaluating hypotheses contrary to their own. They are then ‘happy’ to adhere to
new ideas and more valid theories than their own. But then they may actually
belong to a breed willing to do anything to maintain their own privileges. The fact
is that modern science has invented the congresses, relations, publications, and
then denigrates anyone and anything that does not belong to this ‘club’ as
unscientific. That's what happened with the innovative Italian Dr. Di Bella whose
anti-tumor therapy was criticized mainly for not having published his findings.
The same criticism applies in the astrological Forum. There are astrologers like me
who have not been published in any Bulletins of Science and therefore have their
ideas invalidated by the scientific community.

If you want to be good with scientists, admit that some people can observe and
experience in good faith. But then some who practice this good faith can also be
lead to use an ‘intellectual filter’ that then may lead them to discard some
observations and theories that are not in favour with the current popular prevailing
theories.

Michael Cremo, author of an attack on Darwinian evolution, after studying fossils

in museums worldwide, found that his work was censored because it didn’t adhere
to the dominant evolutionary theory.

I suspect and fear that astrology also follows this trend because even before
someone asks who you are and what you think, they ask what you have published.
So the idea of Grazia Bordonia to give a voice to professional astrologers not
expressly organized I find very admirable. Bordoni initiated the first ‘Day of
Astrology’ forum held in Milan in April 1999, NdA.

And although I can be lazy, I will try to post something in the future. This time
you provoked me, asked me what I thought, and now I will have written. In my
case the two things coincide.

240
Until next time!

Yours,

Luciano”

----------------

LUCIANO DRUSETTA

1
A.F. Chalmers, “What is This Thing called Science?” Queensland University Press, Open University Press and Hackett,
2nd revised edition (6 new chapters), 1982
2
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductivism
3
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_classical_observationalist-inductivist_account_of_science
4
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusion
5
See also Edward T. Hall, “The Hidden Dimension”, 1966, ISBN 9780385084765
6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falsificationism

241

Born in 1962 and I have been an
astrological counsellor to individuals,
couples and businesses for almost thirty
years. After experimenting different schools
of Astrology, ten years ago I resolved to join
Ciro Discepolo's astrological method and
school, named Active Astrology -- based on
the active relocation of the Solar Returns
(Mr. Discepolo calls them: Aimed Solar
Returns or Aimed Birthdays) and the
exorcism of the symbols, as originally
conceived by Swiss psychiatrist Carl
Gustav Jung. I am the founder and current
moderator of the newsgroup of astrological
discussion and information in Italian
language it.discussioni.astrologia.
Website
http://digilander.libero.it/drusetta/
Blog
http://lucianodrusetta.blogspot.com/
242
Chronicle of a Debate
By
Luciano Drusetta, Italy.
Translated and partially rewritten into
English by the Author
Reviewed by: Pamela Jablonski U.S.A
Article originally published in Ciro
Discepolo’s magazine Ricerca ‘90 issue 43
F
rom time to time the fascinating
(but sometimes well-worn) debate
on the topic of Astrology vs. Science
comes into fashion on the Internet.
Among the hackneyed sentences that you
can read on those occasions, it may be
difficult to disagree with this: the
opponents of astrology often do not have
the humility to try to understand what
astrology really is, what astrology really
deals with, and how our discipline really
works. Discussing astrology with them is
like talking to stone walls. I don’t think
that any of them has ever opened a
handbook of astrology and/or has learned
to cast a natal chart to verify its practical
utility. It is true that some people tried to
test certain horoscopes in a so-called
‘scientific’ way: but they did so in bad
faith, often resorting to, as they say in
boxing jargon, sensational ‘hits below the
waist’.
I remember for example the classic case
(with which sceptics claimed to have
definitely ‘demolished’ the astrology) of
five natal charts of five celebrities: the five
nameless charts were sent to five ‘well-
known’ astrologers in order to have their
readings. The 25 resulting reports were then sent back to the five celebrities. Each celebrity
was asked to identify which were the five readings that referred to him/ herself. The tester
claimed that, if astrology had worked, each celebrity would have selected the correct five
readings out of the 25. Obviously the result was below the average, i.e. none of the celebrities
was able to recognize which astrological report actually referred to his or her personality or
character.

Self-claiming ‘defenders of science’ occasionally propose similar experiments also in the

virtual groups of discussion on the Internet: but the result can only be ‘scientifically’
irrelevant, because what they proudly define as a scientific experiment is rather like a
deliberate mockery with the intent to ‘frame’ the naïve astrologers who wish to collaborate
with the sceptics (possibly because they hope to convince them that astrology does work
indeed). At most, such a test can only put in evidence two aspects that any experienced
astrologer should have already known quite well, and that they can never ignore. That is to
say:

1) The clients’ difficulty in knowing and recognizing himself in what the astrologer conveys
to him. Often people even tend to refute the astrologer’s reading at first, but later on they
may change their mind admitting that indeed, things are exactly as the astrologer reads from
their natal chart!

2) The astrologer’s difficulty conveying a holistic, logical, coherent and plausible description
of the clients’ character and general situation, starting with a myriad of seemingly
disconnected details (a phase of the reading of the chart that is particularly difficult for
beginners, and it proves to be critical even for expert astrologers).

Indeed, the above described ‘experiment’ does not test any of the deepest mechanisms, any
of the most basic assumptions of our discipline. Certainly there is no use in discussing with
people who have already have a bias against astrologers and whose sole purpose seems to be
to lay insidious traps. But further reflection on certain aspects of astrology can be useful to
those who deal with astrology and who, knowing its mechanisms and its limits very well,
use the incongruence sometimes seen to research why and how astrology works, and
whether our discipline can or can not be considered a ‘science’ . But to do so, we must also
understand what science is, and why today science enjoys an undisputed authority. We should
also consider whether the authority of science is, or is not, justified by the facts. In other
words we should consider both science and astrology under a critical and epistemological
approach (which is what I wanted to suggest by titling my previous article on this subject:
For the Application of Epistemology to Astrology).

243
Is astrology a science? It is hard to answer this question when we do not agree even on the
definition of science. Many agree in specifying that there are two ‘types’ of science: the ‘hard’
or exact sciences (mathematics, chemistry, physics, astronomy...) and the ‘soft’ or non-exact
sciences (medicine, psychology, sociology, meteorology...). However, be they exact or not, be
they hard or soft, in both cases the listed disciplines are commonly judged to be real science,
with the official stamp or the power of authority and the effectiveness that the word science
entails. The exact sciences describe precise laws; following these laws it is possible to
reproduce a given phenomenon in laboratory conditions and to foresee its taking place in a
natural environment. The non-exact sciences describe complex events based on theoretical
models that adapt more or less precisely to reality (perhaps they neglect certain factors
considering them virtually irrelevant) and they allow to forecast those events by means of
simulation (usually performed through powerful computers and with the help of
sophisticated software packages). Sceptics tend to stress that astrologers often fail their
predictions, but let me underline that sometimes even the forecasts of the non-exact sciences
fail: everybody laughs at the approximation of the weather forecasters, who may predict a
sunny day in a particular area and the following day that area is devastated by the most
violent hailstorm of the last decade...

Astrology is based on theoretical and practical assumptions that, in my very humble

opinion, can be defined as ‘scientific’. I refer to everything you need to calculate, cast and
draw a horoscope: the concepts of astronomical geography, the trigonometric formulas of the
house systems and our precise ephemerides, which differ from the astronomical ephemerides
only because they consider other points of reference. However, scientists and sceptics
usually deride the phase immediately subsequent to the casting, i.e. the interpretation of the
astrological chart, because it is judged not to be enough (or very little, if any) scientific. What
is the reason of such scepticism? Among the reasons that one can read from time to time in
the group of discussions on the web, frequently are the ‘naïve’ attempts to explain that
1
science is a method of knowledge which is much more reliable than any other , because it
assumes the following:
a) The existence of a real world, external and independent from the observer;
b) that this world works the same way constantly over time, and that the phenomena are
reproducible; and
c) that every event has a cause (the principle of cause and effect).

Some sceptics, in the mood for enflaming, stress that the above listed three points pose
‘serious problems’ for astrology. But they forget that these three principles pose serious
problems also for science itself, because they open the door to a sequel of problems that are
not easy to solve. Here are some.

Point a): the direct observation of the external world and its interpretation by the human
being implies huge limitations and is not always possible. Those who claim that thanks to

244
science “we know what happens inside the Sun, about 150 millions km from here”, they seem
to be unaware that if we know it (or if we think we know it) this hasn’t certainly been
achieved by means of direct observation or measurements. For what thermometer in fact
could ever measure the temperatures of our star? None. We infer based on a complex set of
scientific assumptions, which of course are considered valid and undisputed. And how do we
know what the world was in the Devonian age? We do not know; we can only have a pale
idea of it, based on the fossils that we collect digging rocks, and based on our present
knowledge of geology, we believe that those rocks belong to that particular age. And how do
we see that the universe is expanding? We do not see; we deduce it from the fact that most of
the galaxies observed through the prism lens, show a distinct ‘red shift’, which is interpreted
as Doppler Effect and which we explain as the effect of the light source moving away from
the observer. Some of those theoretical premises are probably based on direct observations
(observations might be false or might lead you to false conclusions, but discussing these
issues is out of the scope of this article) but a good deal of them derive from other theoretical
assumptions, in a sort of logical skein that we could not easily disentangle in a few lines.

As for astrology and observation, I have already expressed my scepticism about the
prevailing theory claiming that astrology was developed out of the spirit of observation of
the goat herders in Chaldea or Babylon, who first noticed some sort of correspondence
between the time of year in which one is born and his or her character. At the time when the
basic astrological assertions were presumably encoded, nobody certainly even dreamt of
looking at reality with a ‘Galilean’ eye. This is why I would exclude that astrology was
deduced from a number of observations and practical tests, and then organized in a logical
and complex theory. In fact the origin of astrology itself is shrouded in the same aura of
mystery that covers the origin of many other typically human activities and fields of
knowledge (language, cooking, breeding, art, religion…). Since the evolutionary theory (the
one prevailing these days) does not explain it thoroughly, we can only make conjectures on
their origin. Maybe Italian astrologer, Lisa Morpurgo, realized this fact when she developed
intriguing hypotheses about the extraterrestrial origin of the concept of zodiac.

Point b): not all phenomena are reproducible; nevertheless science still deals with them too.
It is impossible to replicate storms, tornadoes and earthquakes to our liking either in nature
or in laboratory: at most we can do simulations and build up theoretical models of them, yet
the disciplines that deal with this kind of phenomena are considered to be science. For
example, it is not possible to apply the Galilean method to study the biological evolution of
the species, because biological evolution is believed to develop in times too long for humans.
Scientists tried to reproduce a sort of biological evolution in laboratory, bombarding
countless generations of Drosophila (fruit flies) with X rays to induce those genetic
mutations that, in nature, are supposed to incite the birth of new species within a few
generations, evolutionists claim. The flies’ reproductive rhythms are so impressive that in a
few years they can produce many generations equivalent to those that less frequently

245
reproducing species may procreate only in millions of years. But despite such ‘induced
development’ scientists did not succeed in creating any new species of flies: only entire
generations of deformed and sterile Drosophilas, or whose offspring becomes ‘magically’
2
normal in the successive generation . The very origin of life on Earth is a non-reproducible
event. Many times scientists have tried to reproduce it in laboratory condition, but their best
result ever was the forming of some chains of amino acids and proteins. Creating life from
inanimate matter in a laboratory, it’s another kettle of fish and no one has succeeded yet. Yet
no one denigrates the scientists working on this issue.

Are astrological phenomena repeatable? Some are, some are not. When it comes to verify
the astrological assertions relating to the fast planets, no problem: we have thousands of
examples allowing us to carry on broad and well-documented statistical researches. But if we
try to verify the assertions on the slow planets, things are different. In an article I once
happened to read the following statement: Every passage of Uranus in Aquarius tends to bring
out evidence or indication that everything evolves and transforms. This statement, due to its
intrinsic characteristics (the presence of the verb ‘tends’ and the lack of concrete examples as
3
support of this assertion), is hardly falsifiable and it is therefore generally considered as
‘unscientific’. To verify this affirmation, the author should have described at least two or
three specific examples of passages of Uranus in Aquarius in different historical periods,
proving them to be correspondent to changes or evolution of historical importance.

On the other hand, we have emphasized that many scientific hypotheses are also expressed
in such way that can not be refuted. In order to be falsifiable (i.e. refutable) a hypothesis
must be stated in clear and unequivocal terms, certainly not in terms of probability. The
scientist claiming “We have 96% chance that at any moment a positron appears in the area
X of the accelerator Y” does not produce a ‘scientific’ prognosis because the assertion retains
its validity whether the positron appears or it does not appear. In addition, to prove the
falsity of scientific theories, they should not be modified only for the sake of preserving or
protecting them against all kinds of rebuttals. This is an important point, because
evolutionism has been moving away gradually from the original Darwinian Theory by
incorporating a sequel of self-adjustments which epistemologists define as ad hoc
4
modifications .

Item c): the principle of cause and effect is certainly the most prevalent scientific principle
today, but it proves insufficient before the epistemological-philosophical paradox of the
‘uncaused cause’. If we claim that everything has its own cause, sooner or later we must go
back to an initial cause, to the principle of all, to a factor not caused by anything. The
evolution is based on the same logic: mammals have evolved from reptiles, reptiles have
evolved from amphibians, amphibians from fishes, fishes from invertebrates, invertebrates
from mono-cellular organisms, mono-cellular organisms from chains of amino acids, amino
acids from simple protein... But to what extent can we bring back the evolutionary chain? At

246
a cosmic level, assumptions are made about a solar system that has evolved from a cosmic
cloud, which has evolved from... from what? If everything evolved from something prior
and (who knows why?) more primitive, then there must have been something absolutely
primary, poor, essential that evolved... out of nowhere!

In fact, science has made assumptions about the Big Bang: an exciting theory but with a
fundamental limit. In their discussions against astrology, our opponents claims that science
should not limit to describe – it should also explain the world, it should be able to tell us the
why of things, thus giving a factual contribution to the development and to the welfare of
mankind. However, this view does not reflect the sad reality. The Big Bang theory in fact
does not explain why matter has felt the ‘need’ or the ‘spur’ to explode, instead of remaining
in the state of equilibrium in which, presumably, it was. And evolutionism does not explain
why some species have ‘had’ to evolve in order to survive, while so many other species (ants,
sharks, certain reptiles, medusae) have remained unchanged to this day.

There are also certain purely descriptive sciences, such as comparative anatomy and Linnaean
classification. Thanks to them, for example, we can know exactly what are the differences
between the owls and the hawks, but nothing they say (because clearly it is not their
purpose) on the why the living beings show such a variety of organs and organisms.
Nevertheless the scientific community does not laugh at the classification of living beings
by calling it useless.

Does astrology limit to describe a certain reality or does it also help us to explain it? It
depends. There is certainly a practical astrology, an applied astrology, which proves to work.
Whoever deals with counselling can safely ignore the problem of how and why astrology
works. Years ago, in a message sent to an Italian newsgroup of astrology on the Internet,
astrologer Ciro Discepolo described himself as a ‘radio-repairer’ who knows how to repair a
radio set but who can not argue with the sage and the experts when they dissert on the most
hidden features of the Hertz waves. I find that this is a very clever example, but I knew that
Mr. Discepolo, whom I consider one of the most important Italian astrologers, was too
modest. In fact in his recent works he gives us his own opinions and theories on how and
why astrology works, and I guess that everyone who deals with astrology has eventually
asked himself the same questions and has also found his own personal answers.

Is astrology based or not on the principle of cause and effect? I think it is not. So it seems to
me pointless trying to explain how and why the planets or constellations ‘influence’ the
nature and/or the life of somebody: perhaps there is no influence at all. Although the
astrologers make statements like: “Nick is so and so (say romantic, lazy, hesitant…) because
his moon is in Pisces” in reality we know very well that things are not in these terms. Nick
is not so and so because his moon is Pisces, but surely the moon in Pisces tells us that Nick
was born so and so. It's a bit like the road sign warning the driver of a crossroad: the

247
intersection exists, but not because there is a road sign indicating it. We know that if all the
fingers of our watch point to the number 12 is noon (or midnight); but certainly it is not
noon because the fingers points to the number 12. Just like the road signs or the position of
the fingers in the old-fashioned clocks, also the combinations of planets, luminaries, signs
and houses give us useful insights into the life and character of people, while they are not the
cause of it.

Again let us talk of falsification: an epistemological approach claiming that one can never
prove the absolute validity of a thesis, we can simply prove it to be untrue. Although it is a
5
fairly reasonable attempt to overcome the limits of the so-called ‘naïve’ inductivism , even
this approach is to some extent based on the same assumptions as inductivism. Among
them, the repetition of the phenomenon and its direct observation. The promoter of
falsification, Popper, argued that one single test proving the falsity of a theory is sufficient
to dismiss (refute) it. Alas, reality is slightly different. The defenders of a given theory can
(rightly) consider a single proof to the contrary as a mistake, an error, a misunderstanding
that falsifies the theory ‘only apparently’. The truth of a theory, they claim, may also depend
on the level of technology achieved: what seems absurd today, tomorrow could be
acceptable. Suppose I keep two heavy objects in my hands and then I drop them, suddenly
turning my hands upside down. Suppose now, however absurd it may seem, that the two
objects do not fall down, as everyone expects, but remain floating mid-air. By doing so have
I shown that gravity does not exist? Of course not, nobody with a good practical sense
would believe so: they would rather believe that I've simply proved to be a good magician.
Sceptics would challenge me to repeat the performance in a laboratory under controlled
‘scientific’ conditions and upon their command, as often as they deem necessary. A single
event ‘against’ shall not in any way be accepted as ‘falsifying proof’ against a theory that, in
thousands of other occasions, has proven to work optimally. And, of course, it is absolutely
OK to do so.

Every time that a controversy raises on the Internet (or on television, radio, newspapers or
at the pub...) between sceptics and astrologers, somebody repeats the concepts of which I
have tried to demonstrate the limits: that science is a method of knowledge better than
others, that horoscopes should undergo a scientific test, that astrology is not an exact science
and so on.

I personally never claimed that astrology is a science. I simply say that we can consider it
under an approach of epistemological type. I think that this is the right thing to do, or better
said: the only thing we can do if we really want to place astrology in its correct cultural
dimension without inferiority or superiority complex with respect to anyone.

In addition I have shown that even the sceptics’ approach that quote Galileo (the so-called
‘naïve’ inductivists) and even Popper’s approach, (the falsificationism), have notable limits.

248
And indeed, both approaches have been criticized by other epistemologists, among whom I
would like to mention, Thomas Kuhn, with his ‘paradigms’. God willing, I’ll discuss his
point of view in a future article.

1
A.F. Chalmers, “What is This Thing called Science?” Queensland University Press, Open University Press and Hackett,
2nd revised edition (6 new chapters), 1982
2
G. Sermonti and R. Fondi, “Dopo Darwin. Critica all'evoluzionismo”, Rusconi, Milan 1980
3
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falsifiability
4
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hoc#Ad_hoc_hypothesis
5
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductivism

249

Deborah Houlding is the web mistress of
the Skyscript site. The past editor of The
Traditional Astrologer magazine, and
author of The Houses: Temples of the Sky,
her articles feature regularly in
astrological journals. She has a particular
interest in researching the origin and
development of astrological technique and
as a consulting astrologer specialises in
horary. She is the principal of the STA
School of traditional horary astrology,
which offers courses by correspondence
and intensive residential seminars. Her
website http://www.skyscript.co.uk is one
of the most popular western astrology sites
for scholars in astrology.
250
Prediction,
Providence & Power
of ‘Self’ in Horary
By
Deborah Houlding, U.K
"be a good example thy selfe, avoid
the fashion of the times"
William Lilly, CA, 'Letter to the Student
of Astrology' (1647)
D uring the last century the
word 'prediction' (pre dict:
'to say before') came to be
something of a dirty word in
astrology. When I started studying
astrology in the 1980s, I remember
frequent reminders that astrologers
should not attempt to 'predict' but
should merely aim to forecast
'psychological trends of experience'.
I was probably typical of many
students, in that the bestselling
book, The Complete Astrologer by
Derek and Julia Parker, was one of
my first introductory guides to the
subject, and for me an early source
of reference as to what astrology
was all about. Later editions have
been updated and no longer reflect
some of its earlier attitudes, but
their first edition (published in 1971)
was very representative of the
prevailing views towards the use of
astrology as a divinational tool.
Horary astrology was particularly singled out as epitomising all that could be
defined as shallow and ridiculous in the 'old fashioned' approach. Their
assessment was:
The student will be more than likely to encounter horary astrology. While
there are astrologers who take this branch of astrology seriously, its effect is
to trivialise astrology by its dangerous affinity to fortune-telling and
divination. [1]

Serving to emphasise the point, the same section of the book included
persuasive images of 'the astrologer at work'. The first (fig. 1 below) portrayed
"The 'modern day' astrologer at work" with a picture of the widely respected
astrologer John Addey. With his academic stance and half-ringed glasses,
surrounded by books and notes and papers, he looks entirely respectable and
erudite. The clock is suggestive of the intricacy of the subject with precise
timing; and he sits pen in hand, coffee on desk, looking every bit the
dedicated, hard-working professional we would all like to emulate. An
especially nice touch about this picture is the black cat sitting on the table, a
subliminal reminder perhaps of astrology's integration between the rational
and the mystical?

By comparison, consider the image headed "The horary astrologer at work"

(fig. 2), where the horary astrologer is characterised as the astral tramp and
downcast member of our society. Here, someone we are led to believe is a

251
typical horary astrologer sets to work looking like a bit of a spiv! Working on
the streets without books or papers to suggest study or acquired technical
knowledge, his working environment comprises a collection of sensationalist
mystic symbols and palm prints. He doesn't appear to need any chart forms as
he stares intently into his client's eyes. The Parkers conclude their paragraph
on horary with the statement:
The theory that events take on the nature of the time in which they occur is
basic to astrology. But the notion that the planetary positions can produce an
'answer' of this kind, usually to the most petty questions, seems too absurd for
consideration and is the kind of activity that can only call serious astrology
into disrepute. [2]

Whilst entirely representative of mainstream astrological opinion in Britain

at that time, such a flippant dismissal of horary would surely cause
widespread concern amongst astrologers today. Currently, after many decades
of being frowned upon for its supposedly 'vagrant-style', horary is undergoing
a renewal of interest and popularity, even among astrologers who previously
believed it lacked the potential for creative psychological analysis. Others
have come to see horary as a kind of gateway that leads to greater
understanding of traditional astrological philosophy. In my view, the
potential of horary is still often misunderstood or underestimated, but it has
certainly re-established itself to the point where it now seems hard to
understand why a branch of astrology as powerful and as proven as horary
came to lose its footing in the first place. If the Parkers were mistaken and the
notion that the planetary positions can produce answers is a sound one, then
how and why did horary fall into such a disreputable position in recent times?

The demise of horary in the early 20th century was a complicated issue, but
one major impact can be realised through events that affected the life of Alan
Leo, the great British champion of astrology at the turn of the last century,
whose influence upon the perception of astrology amongst his contemporaries
and later practitioners can hardly be over-stated.

Leo's own attitude towards horary was somewhat ambivalent. He practised

horary and even wrote a book about it, [3] but he also referred to the type of
horary practised in his day as "the vilest rubbish imaginable". [4] He
alternates between recommending it as something best pursued in conjunction
with the birth chart, to elsewhere arguing that it's real value is when the birth
time is unknown. Overall it seems that Leo had respect for the concept of
horary when used to answer serious questions, and on occasions he felt it

252
could be "exceedingly useful"; but from a moral standpoint he loathed the idea
of people becoming overly reliant upon it, through which he felt it would
weaken rather than strengthen the individual's character and sense of free
will. [5]

The significant events began to emerge on 29 April, 1914, when Leo, then aged
54, was summoned to court to answer the charge that he "did unlawfully
pretend to tell fortunes" through astrology. The case was dismissed for lack of
evidence but it left an uncomfortable feeling among astrologers. [6] For Leo, it
prompted a resolution to safeguard the legality of his position and have
astrology recognised as a creditable science. In order to do this he advised:
Let us part company with the fatalistic astrologer who prides himself on his
predictions and who is ever seeking to convince the world that in the
predictive side of Astrology alone shall we find its value. We need not argue
the point as to its reality, but instead make a much-needed change in the word
and call Astrology the science of tendencies. [7]

In 1917 Leo was brought to trial again on a similar charge. This time his
defence was that he did not offer predictions, but only focused on general
character analysis and astrological trends:
I most emphatically say that I do not tell fortunes. I tell tendencies from the
horoscope and in every horoscope I send out I make that statement.

The prosecution read out several passages from a report prepared by Leo, part
of which included the statement "at this time a death in your family is likely
to cause you sorrow". His case fell apart when the prosecution asked him "is
this death a tendency, or is there a tendency to be dead?" [8]

On conviction of the charge of "pretending and professing to tell fortunes"

Leo faced up to three months imprisonment with hard labour, but he actually
suffered only a minor penalty of a £5 fine plus costs. The political issue was
never about punishing Leo, it was about forcing legal boundaries upon the
rising interest in spiritualist movements, and clarifying a murky aspect of
British Law which had criminalized astrology as part of an 1824 Act
introduced for "the Punishment of idle and Disorderly Persons, and Rogues and
Vagabonds..." The Act's purpose was to deal with homeless vagrants and
gypsies, but Section 4 specified that it applied to "every Person pretending or
professing to tell Fortunes, or using any subtle Craft, Means, or Device, by Palmistry
or otherwise, to deceive and impose on any of His Majesty's Subjects …"

253
It was not until 16 November 1989, that the Law Commission repealed the Act
without replacement. Over time it had become so ineffective and impotent
that few people even noticed its passing. It was only in 1991 that the
astrological community realised its removal, revealing how little concern was
then given to the potential of it holding legal consequences. [9] But Alan Leo's
conviction shows that things were very different in the early 20th century;
and if the hidden motives of the prosecutors were to restrict the activities and
inhibit the confidence of astrologers, they certainly did the trick. Leo's
colleague, H.S. Green, wrote of the effect that the criminal charge had upon
Leo, saying:
It became evident that his whole system of reading horoscopes would have to
be revised, because what he regarded as no more than truthful and legitimate
advice to clients, the law insisted upon treating as fortune-telling. Therefore
he decided to recast the whole system and make it run along the lines of
character reading.... This entailed a tremendous amount of rewriting of
reference-books and sheets. [10]

Leo's determination to 'recast' astrology fell heaviest upon the branch of

horary, which though its ability to offer specific advice upon specific
situations, could present exactly the kind of fatalistic undertones that his legal
insecurities obliged him to distance himself from. But even within natal
technique, the fashionable new doctrine of 'tendencies' fostered an attitude
where rigour was loosened, specifics were frowned upon, and the potential
meaning of the chart was as open and free as the will of the person it was
intending to guide. The unfortunate consequence was that later generations of
students tutored in purely modern methods were admitting, if they were not
making predictions, it was not simply a case of choosing not to, but also
feeling incapable of doing so anyway; the lack of specific predictive technique
and the more creative style of 'free-will' judgement being of little practical use
in trying to establish what is likely to happen, rather than what is likely to be
inwardly experienced.

Thanks to the outspoken spirit (and in some cases bloody-minded

determination) of a few remaining advocates of horary, a striving for the
traditional definition and detail that is most readily apparent in that branch of
astrology never really disappeared, but horary did become a fragmented
branch which lost its voice amongst mainstream astrological practitioners. An
active drive to call attention back to horary in Britain began in the 1970s and
started to gain effect in the 1980s, a decade which saw fruitful results of
collaboration between horary enthusiasts such as Olivia Barclay and Derek

254
Appleby, and those with a passion for traditional techniques and philosophy,
such as Geoffrey Cornelius and other members of the Company of
Astrologers. All, of course, were served by Clive Kavan's facsimile
reproduction of William Lilly's 17th century work Christian Astrology,
regarded as the most authoritative text on horary astrology and offering
demonstrations of specific astrological judgements that most astrologers of
the 80s felt ill equipped to replicate. Still, it wasn't until the end of the 1990s
that most horary practitioners began to feel comfortably re-integrated within
astrological society, and we are really only now seeing the effects of restoring
respect for horary as a credible astrological tool. [11]

It is not my objective to analyse the details of that recent resurgence of

interest in horary, except to suggest that the motivation for many of those
involved in it was a sense of dissatisfaction with never-ending options
presented by loosely defined, 'open to your own interpretation' symbolism.
My main objective is to argue that the approach to horary which has
resurfaced today has been influenced by its earlier 20th century rejection, and
that despite the general view that this 'loosening' was a negative thing, there
have also been many positive consequences of an interim which allowed
astrologers the room to think creatively and freely, to re-question the
symbolism, and to consider the importance of psychological states of mind.
My argument is not that the traditional approach to horary is generally
inhibitive, but that by the early 20th century it had certainly become so.

It is a mistake to assume that the divide between those who see horary as
trivializing, and those who see it as empowering, revolves around the
'traditional v. modern' debate or the specific details of the techniques
employed. But the spirit of any age does set the standard by which
practitioners are expected to approach and utilise the information at their
disposal. In the 17th century mindset of astrologers such as William Lilly,
society still held a collective expectation that the material world was animated
by a spiritual design. This allowed astrologers great freedom in symbolic
reasoning, and they took up an active engagement with astrological
movements as a way to navigate their clients through difficult situations. We
may consider this style of astrology predictive, but it wasn't fatalistic. Lilly for
example, demonstrates many charts where the predicted outcome for the
client's course of action looks bleak, and so he recommends a change of
course, or scrutinises the more positive connections in the chart to identify a
person whose help could be sought, or an unexploited situation that could be
more advantageous than that currently embarked upon. This is active horary

255
analysis.

But as we move through the materialistic (or scientifically enlightened) ages

of the 18th century up to the early 20th century, this spiritual undertone to
astrology becomes increasingly lost; the fashion moves towards seeing
astrology, and every branch of it, as an astral 'science' that has an objective
reality in its own right. Providing the 'rules' are thoroughly known and
techniques are applied correctly, horary is expected to perform regardless of
the personal involvement of the individual reading the symbolism. This trend
is aptly demonstrated by William J. Simmonite's 1852 book on horary
astrology, subtitled The Key to Scientific Prediction; in which horary is referred
to as "the truest science of which mankind has any knowledge". Here horary
is expected to demonstrate unfailing reliability - false predictions being the
unfortunate consequence of failing to apply a necessary rule or mistaking the
correct significator. Even the Foreword of the book prepares the reader for
dire consequences should a fundamental rule be "violated or misunderstood".
This is passive horary analysis because the onus is placed upon the system, and
under this system the astrologer assumes the role of passive observer and
interpreter of what the stars declare, not daring to maximize upon their own
creative input.

When we compare the works of Lilly and Simmonite we see a difference

between them that goes far beyond the size of the text. The fact that Lilly's
work is very comprehensive is not one of its great strengths, for much of the
information is unnecessarily repetitive or even contradictory, and his horary
volume suffers for want of the editorial cuts that modern readers take for
granted. Lilly's strength lies in the fact that he not only displays great breadth
and depth of knowledge in his subject (both technical and philosophical), he
also takes full responsibility and ownership for his judgements, being
prepared to sculpture traditionally accepted knowledge to the specific
requirements of each individual chart. He isn't following rules, but working
with them, allowing them to be the springboard from which his creative
assessment arises, but never being afraid to read the symbolism in a way that
makes most sense to the situation it is tied to. Currently, most new horary
students are advised to hold back on their own creative impulses in order to
develop a thorough and detailed knowledge of traditional horary technique.
This is an important part of developing the structured processing involved.
But unfortunately many students, having sufficiently redressed that
imbalance, create a new one in their fear of imparting their own intuitive
reasoning in case it affects their judgement, rather than seeing it as the critical

256
factor that turns a passive judgement into an active one. Passive judgements
are predictive but they are also fatalistic. This is the style of horary promoted
around the time of Alan Leo but which Leo himself abhorred: supposedly
scientific, but noticeably rigid and dry. The astrologer is involved in a process,
but it is so programmed and routinely mechanical as to appear robotic or
computerised. [12]

Naturally, a branch of astrology that purports to be thoroughly reliable in

providing answers on what will happen is bound to retain some interest. But
horary is quickly open to abuse and scorn when people become overly
dependent on it as a decision-making tool; undermining the benefits of fully
employing their own inner wisdom, common sense and judgement born from
experience. The distaste that some modern astrologers feel towards horary can
seem justifiable when we witness it being used as a system that only aims to
reveal what the answers are; rather than a system that demands self-
reflection, an exploration of the root causes which led to the development of
the problem in the first place, or a desire to acquire a mastery of the self that
allows the problem to be more competently addressed at any other point in
the future. When this neglect of deeper exploration happens in situations
where clients have brought problems on their own heads through emotional
insecurities or mismanagement, the horary resolution is not really an insight
into how to treat the cause, merely a quick-fix solution to a symptom that is
bound to repeat itself. Of course everyone wants to know the answers, but as
any student knows, it is so much more useful when you understand why those
are the answers.

In aiming only to predict, and in failing to counsel or advise, this type of

fatalistic astrology missed the rising spirit of the 20th century, which turned
against the failed promise of scientific materialism and placed its favour in the
humanistic approach to astrology, as was so effectively promoted by the likes
of Dane Rudhyar. Rudyhar, Parisian by birth and American by nationality,
[13] had no concern for championing astrology as a science. Like many of the
great astrological philosophers of the past, he was passionately involved in
music and theories of harmony; his combined interests in religion, philosophy
and theosophy gave him a great knowledge of spiritual beliefs, which he
married very neatly to the emerging interest in Jungian psychology.

It is generally assumed that the humanistic astrology of Rudhyar sounded the

death knell for horary, and that there's little ground for reconciliation between
Rudhyar's view of the chart as potential, and the horary urge to reveal the

257
inevitable. But horary was already gasping for breath before Rudhyar entered
the scene, having lost contact with its spiritual basis. Rudhyar made his own
attempt to resurrect it as a creative tool, one that recognized the individual's
power to influence their own environment as well as be affected by it. In fact
Rudhyar is an undeservedly forgotten name in the recent history of horary
and ought to have some recognition for the way that he attempted to rescue
this branch of astrology from the soulless place in which it had been left
forgotten. In 1969 he published his Practice of Astrology, the twelfth step of
which was entitled 'The Significant Use of Horary Techniques'. [14]
Although this lacks the details of technique found in other works, it
contributes a very impressive philosophy on what horary is, how it works,
and how it is most gainfully employed as a system of direction and
reorientation rather than a means to static prediction. In contrast to many
other astrologers of his age, Rudhyar maintained a high regard for horary, and
provided a dignified answer to the Parkers' charge of 'fortune-telling' two
years before it was raised:
The real function of horary astrology is to establish a state of relationship
between universal intelligence or divine Grace and the individual person … It
is not "fortune telling" as an escape from personal responsibility and effort,
still less for curiosity's sake. It is instead a sign of the conscious binding of the
individual to the rhythm and purpose of the universal Whole in which he
accepts full and deliberate participation. From this Whole the individual
receives understanding and healing, and the key to his many problems, in
proportion as he is willing to consciously fulfil his function and his destiny.
[15]

Rudhyar's support for horary was longer and more committed than most
astrologers realise, and appears to have been prompted by his collaboration
with another American whose name doesn't readily spring to mind in
association with its restoration: Marc Edmund Jones. As early as 1943, Jones
had published Problem Solving by Horary Astrology, and it was to this book that
Rudhyar referred his readers for the details of horary technique. Jones himself
pays homage to Rudhyar in his Foreword, stating that it is due to Rudhyar's
early support that he gave up anonymity of the authorship, and adding:
If the volume were to have a dedication, it should be inscribed to Dane
Rudhyar, who early took an interest in the mimeographed materials and
insisted upon giving credit in print to the whole research project. [16]

The substance of technique explained in Jones' work was largely derived from
Zadkiel's edition of Lilly's Introduction to Astrology; hence the wordy subtitle:

258
"A complete analysis and demonstration comprising a clarification and
modernization of an interestingly effective seventeenth century psychology".

Unfortunately the analysis was a little too complete and the demonstration
was lacking. There are some real gems of psychological insight hidden within
its pages, but I would find it hard to recommend this book to anyone; most of
its content is so dull and boring that it becomes almost interesting by virtue of
trying to find the point of it. [17] But despite the unwieldiness of it all, and
the absence of good practical examples, here and there Jones reveals a glimpse
of his genius; and though he still refers to horary as an 'astral science' he does
at least point out that this is not really an appropriate way to consider a
subject that places such a strong emphasis upon symbolic reasoning. The real
value of his work lies in the way Jones' set out his theory on how the
mechanism of horary works. This undoubtedly influenced Rudhyar, or at
least sat comfortably with Rudhyar's own views, so that when Rudhyar wrote
about horary himself two decades later, he ran with the idea presented by
Jones, but articulated it in a much more persuasive and elegant manner.

Jones' suggestion was that a horary chart encapsulates the issues that are most
relevant in the mind, and as such reveals both the subconscious and conscious
knowledge contained within the mind, as reflected by the cosmos of which all
individuals are a part. He spends considerable time suggesting, and
attempting to demonstrate, that the subconscious mind is fully aware of the
reasons for past experiences and the future opportunities that lie before it.
Hence those 'chance meetings' that arise due to inexplicable wrong turns in
our journeys are actually designed by our subconscious mind in an effort to
unite us with our potential destiny. The horary chart is therefore not just a
map of the external heavens, but also a map of the internal mind and all the
information that the mind is able to project forward to collect or cast back to
recollect. This applies to both the conscious and the subconscious part of it,
and 'judgement' draws upon the knowledge contained within this map and
that of the mind of the astrologer, who must use subjective symbolic
processing as well as rational processing in order to extract its full meaning
and value. Jones explains that this is the reason why some astrologers can
make certain procedures work for them although these may be of little use to
anyone else:
The chart, in the case of a question, patterns a matter resident in some
individual's mind; and the content of that mind is also contained in the
general social complex - along with everything else - and hence under as real a
necessity to operate in concordance with universal order. This leads to the

259
rule that anyone who practices horary astrology must be very definite in
everything he does, not hesitating to express his own individuality. Every
good practitioner makes modifications in the techniques according to his own
tastes, because his private universe of thought has a specialized way of
ordering things. It is in accordance with the general reality, of necessity, but it
is also necessarily personal in all respects. [18]

As far as I can ascertain, Marc Edmund Jones, supported by his friend Dane
Rudhyar, was the first modern horary astrologer to make a deep and
committed attempt to offer a rationale for the workings of horary in such a
way that it offers no conflict to spiritual beliefs and yet remains compatible
with modern views on the power of the subconscious. He was obviously not
the first to touch upon these issues, but he appears to be innovatively involved
in the revival of astrology in modern times, in his attempt to give horary
respect as a technique which demonstrates remarkable power and needn't be
inappropriately defined as a science nor cast off into the negative bracket of
superstitious fortune-telling. He also moved beyond the ominous warnings of
'violation of technique' that we witness in the earlier works, placing the onus
back onto the astrologer to mould the techniques under their own judgement
as Lilly did. The fact that he subtitled his work "clarification and
modernization of an interestingly effective seventeenth century psychology"
illustrates that he felt more inspired and compatible with the creative
approach of Lilly than he was with the static and passive approach that had
since come to dominate the British astrological scene. He gives his main
credit to Lilly and mentions that it is Lilly's pioneer work "together with a
very few and sometimes surprisingly inconsequential books on the subject
written since his day" that formed his bibliography. In all, this totals only
seven works on horary that he had access to at that time: Zadkiel's version of
Lilly's text, the 19th century works of Simmonite, and Raphael, and the early
20th century works of Leo, C.C. Zain, Geraldine Davis and Robert de Luce. It
seems clear from his reference to these being "surprisingly inconsequential",
that he held much of the latter in scant regard. [19]

Recent articles and publications suggesting that the influences which

resurrected horary in recent times were centred upon what was happening in
Britain ought to be reconsidered. The evidence suggests that the British
influence around the turn of the last century had become stifling in its use of
horary, and was consequently generating hostility towards the concept that
lay beneath it. There didn't seem to be any attempt in Britain, in the early
20th century, to consider horary as anything but the fatalistic branch of

260
astrology that could drag all other branches into disrepute. Yet in America
there emerged much more of a will to work creatively with horary and to
recapture that "interestingly effective seventeenth century psychology".

Perhaps it is highly relevant that in America, around the same time that Leo
was enduring his legal trials, the law was pressing down just as heavily on the
activities of Evangeline Adams - but Adams fought back more effectively.
Adams never denied that she made predictions; she insisted that she did and
that they were very good ones too! She was first arrested under suspicion of
'fortune telling' in 1911 and although the charges were dropped, she revelled in
the publicity she gained from them. Then when she was brought to trial again
on similar charges in 1914, her decision to impress the judge with just how
good she was, not only led to her being acquitted of all 'wrong doing', but also
brought a commendation from the judge (reported in the papers) that she "had
raised astrology to the dignity of an exact science". [20]

So horary was never squashed in America, not even by those involved in the
humanistic movement, who offered the means to ennoble its philosophy in a
way that removed the final charge of being too fatalistic and potentially
weakening of the will. Later American writers such as Australian born Ivy
Goldstein Jacobson, who wrote her Simplified Horary Astrology in 1960, and
Barbara Watters, who wrote her Horary Astrology and the Judgement of Events
in 1973, subsequently felt no need to argue or defend their interest to 'modern
astrologers'.

Ivy Goldstein Jacobson's book was particularly influential, triggering the

interests of Derek Appleby and Olivia Barclay, both of whom then had a
persuasion upon other British astrologers.[21] But still, even in the Foreword
of Olivia Barclay's own book, Horary Astrology Rediscovered (1990), there is
respectful acknowledgement to the efforts made by Dane Rudhyar and Marc
Edmund Jones in restoring to astrology "a sense of responsibility for the
creation of our own lives". Barclay is generally considered 'strictly traditional'
in her interests, but although she condemns some changes made under the
umbrella of humanistic astrology that were "simply for the sake of change" or
"wandering off track", she was still of the opinion that "For the most part, the
new Humanistic Astrology was an evolution, a step forward".[22]

The fact that the respect which horary needed was being offered through the
humanist branch of astrology is either a good thing or beside the point.
Traditionalists will find that their techniques work just as well whether it is

261
believed that the individual creates its own opportunities or is submissive to
the limitations of fate. Lilly obviously believed that his clients had options
worth exploring, but he also recognized the fatedness of situations that had
moved beyond the point of return. His advice then was:
… afflict not the miserable with terror of a harsh judgement; in such cases let
them know their hard fate by degrees. [23]

Through this comment we can see that Lilly valued the usefulness of the
process above the 'cleverness' of the prediction. We can also see that he was
conscious of the need to treat the mind of the recipient with care, so that
problems weren't augmented through a client being paralysed by fear of the
unavoidable, but that there was a gentle leading towards a state of realisation
which worked in harmony with the client's inevitable progress towards self-
recognition. Thus Lilly adhered to Ptolemy's reasoning that "foreknowledge
accustoms and calms the soul and prepares it to greet with steadiness
whatever comes", [24] and yet he wouldn't have been in conflict with
Rudhyar either, because whether it's appropriate to call it a psychology or not,
his astrology involved taking every opportunity to offer guidance and advice,
and he was fully appreciative of the need to be sensitive and sensible with his
words.

Conclusion

T here can be no doubt that horary is properly described as a 'predictive'

branch of astrology; but it is also probably obvious that I favour the
active approach rather than the passive one. To me the veracity of
horary illustrates the existence of a cosmic environment that is very rich,
purposeful and meaningful. Its creative intelligence is full of signs, pointers,
omens, and warnings, designed to lead us towards opportunities or necessary
crisis points, and aiming to constantly develop our own ability to make wise
and informed decisions on the possibilities before us. I am personally a
believer that the human spirit does have the power to rise above what might
be expected, but that this entails an effort of will to transcend the 'predictable'
and to consciously conquer the baser instinctive responses. Horary is
divination, and there is no denying that. But does the phrase 'fortune telling'
adequately summarise what divination could and should mean? To 'tell one's
fortune' implies that we are delivering advance news of what will inevitably
fall upon someone's head regardless of what they do or how they strive to
perform; but 'divination', in its original sense, indicates inspiration and

262
guidance from a 'divine' or 'spiritual source'. Maybe it is wrong to worry
about whether that divine source originates from without or from within or
both at the same time; the only relevant point is that no one can practise
horary effectively without a firm belief in the existence of providence.

Historical lessons remain invaluable to us as situations we can learn from, and

one question I have often reflected upon is, given the circumstances he found
himself in, can we really blame Leo for distancing himself from the concept of
prediction? I realise there is no easy answer, but my conclusion is that, if he
did regard what he was doing as "truthful and legitimate advice" as H.S.
Green reports, then it really was foolish to try and argue that astrology can
operate without being seen as a predictive tool. Once again, words from Lilly's
'Letter to the Student' echo down the centuries as a pertinent reminder: "avoid
the fashion of the times"! Hopefully astrologers will never allow themselves
to fall into that trap again. [25] If we are to retain our own respect as
astrologers we must first give it to astrology and to what we aim to do with it.
Our argument should not be to reject the potential of prediction, but to exalt
its purpose, and to hold it always in a place of philosophical and spiritual
respect. Prediction will never again seem like a dirty word if we keep in mind
that it is representing the ability to 'say before' what appears to be 'fated' has
truly become so.

Notes & References:

1] Initially published by McGraw-Hill Book Company, this book, written
jointly by Derek and Julia Parker, has sold millions of copies and has
been translated into 12 languages. It should be pointed out that their
more recent editions now contain a very useful introductory guide to
horary and their earlier comments are referred to here only because
they demonstrate an attitude that was typical and widespread in
western astrology at that time.

2] In response to the original publication of an earlier version of this

article in the Traditional Astrologer magazine (Sept. 1998), Maurice
McCann wrote an interesting letter which picked up an intriguing
point concerning this picture: it has been altered! This appears to
deepen someone's commitment to discredit the reputation of horary
astrologers. A section of McCann's letter (published in the TA, issue

263
18, March 1999) reads:
I had been discussing your article with Peter Berresford Ellis when he
noticed that one of the photos had been tinkered with. I recognised the
photo of the so-called horary astrologer from page 19 of Louis
MacNeice’s book Astrology, first published in 1964 a year after his
death. This was one of three books published posthumously. Louis
MacNeice (1907-63) was the famous Irish poet who lived in Antrim a
few miles up the coast from Belfast. You acknowledge that both
photos, the horary astrologer and the photo of John Addey beside it,
have been reproduced with permission from Derek Parker. On p.350 in
the MacNeice book this photograph of the so-called horary astrologer is
acknowledged to Herbert List.

In the MacNeice book the caption says: 'Casting horoscopes to answer

questions is called “horary” astrology; below right, an Italian fortune
teller outside a Naples law court undertakes to answer litigants’
questions by this method.'

On the banner in the MacNeice version, underneath the drawing of a

hand and the diagram of the zodiac with the signs in reverse order, are
the words: Kiromanzia (cartomanzia) attraverso la costra mono. Potete
conoscere scientificamente ii vostro destino. Consultatemi.

In English this roughly means “Chiromancy (fortune telling by cards)

through your hand we will be able to know your fate scientifically.
Consult me.”

264
 The words at the top part of the banner in English read roughly
“Famous magician Hans D’Anna will reveal whatever the future”. In
short, the so-called horary astrologer would appear to be more of a
palmist, a hand reader and not an astrologer at all!

In the photo which appeared in the TA, these words have been blacked
out. It was this blacking that made Peter suspicious. If you look
carefully you will see a black bar with a straight white line at the
bottom of the banner blotting out these give-away words. The bottom
of the banner is lined up with the top of the palmist’s head. In the
MacNeice photo the bottom of the banner is lined up just beneath his
left shoulder. The blacked out banner space between the top of his head
and his shoulder has been altered to appear as if part of the stone wall.
The photograph has been cleverly forged. The only apparent reason
would seem to be to give horary astrology a very bad press and to
attempt to dishonour it. The dishonour, I would suggest, must be
bestowed on those, whoever they may be, who deliberately and with
malice aforethought falsified this photograph.

3] Horary Astrology, published through Leo's 'Modern Astrology' office in

London, 1907.

4] " ... Horary Astrology, as practised to-day, is the vilest rubbish

imaginable, and not worthy of the name."
Modern Astrology, vol2, no 10. May 1897.

5] I am grateful to Maurice McCann for providing some pertinent

references that illustrate the harsh things Leo had to say about horary:
The first aim of the Simple Method of Instruction given in these pages
was to clear away the rubbish of horary Astrology from the path of the
true practical Astrology.
Ibid., p.433
IT IS THE CURSE OF THE SCIENCE AND THE RUIN OF THE
ASTROLOGER.
Ibid., p.437
Nevertheless, incessant recourse to Horary Astrology is not to be
recommended; and this on two grounds. First and foremost, undue
reliance upon horary astrology is to be strongly deprecated on (in the

265
 highest sense of the word) moral grounds, in that it weakens the true
judgement and if practised to excess gradually deprives those who lean
on it of all independence and self-reliance. Secondly, and from a more
practical standpoint, because, unless pursued in conjunction with Natal
Astrology, it is apt to lead to erroneous judgements.
Horary Astrology by Alan Leo, 1909. Reprinted by Ascella. Supplement:
'Horary Astrology and Divination'
It requires very little skill to become a successful Horary Astrologer,
and it will very often happen that those who would shrink from the
more abstruse study of Natal Astrology may become experts in
divination by the aid of horary figures.
Ibid. Introduction.

6] For "A Brief Biography of Alan Leo" see

www.skyscript.co.uk/Alan_Leo.html

The details of this particular affair are explored at length in A

Confusion of Prophets: Victorian and Edwardian Astrology, by Patrick
Curry (Collins & Brown, London, 1992). Leo asked one of his assistants
to draw up a chart for 4:15 pm after he was presented with the
summons at his London address. If Leo treated this as a horary chart,
then he would have judged that he (Venus) was in a stronger position
than his opponents (Mars), and with the Moon void of course, he
might have expected the charges to be dropped. The presence of the
12th house ruler in the 7th is one of the indications of sinsiter motives
by his accusers.

7] Curry, p.149.

266
8] Ibid., p.155.

9] Ibid., p.14

10] Ibid., p.157

11] This is my own assessment based upon personal experience and

dialogues with relevant friends and colleagues. I became personally
involved in the efforts to raise attention in horary through lectures and
courses, publishing reprints of traditional texts, and in the distribution
of the Traditional Astrologer magazine that ran between June 1993 and
January 2000. Throughout that time my experience was that horary sat
on the fringes and a certain amount of diplomacy needed to be
exercised in order to talk or write openly about horary and traditional
technique without generating a hostile reaction from mainstream
astrologers. Due to illness I dropped off the astrological scene at the
end of 1999 and regained an involvement when I set up the Skyscript
website in spring 2003. It came as a surprise for me to realise that
during the interim there had been a noticeable shift of attitude and that
a great many mainstream astrologers were now looking to further their
knowledge of horary and traditional techniques in general.

For a more detailed exploration of the restoration of horary in Britain

since the 1970s, especially as it relates to the efforts of Geoffrey
Cornelius, see Kirk Little's paper Defining the Moment - Geoffrey
Cornelius and the Development of the Divinatory Perspective, available as a
pdf download from Garry Phillipson's website:
www.astrozero.co.uk/articles/Defining.htm

Or for a more general view see Nick Campion's The Traditional Revival
in Modern Astrology: A Preliminary History, available at
www.astrolodge.co.uk/astro/quarterly/traditionalrevival.html
Back to text
12] Upon this theme Leo wrote:
A Horary figure is useful to answer serious questions when the birth
time is unknown, or when the mind is very anxious concerning any
important event; and so long as it is not confounded with natal
astrology it can be exceedingly useful. It tends, however, to weaken the
will and initiative of the user who relies upon the figure, for he thereby

267
 becomes, more or less, a fatalist.

From one of two (undated) hardback notebooks by Leo containing

Lessons For Beginners In Astrology held in the library of the Astrological
Lodge of London.

13] He was born in Paris (Mar 23, 1895 12:42 am LMT) but emigrated to
New York in 1916. For a detailed biography see Dane Rudhyar: An
Illustrated Biographical Sketch at www.khaldea.com.

14] Reproduced in full on Michael R. Meyer 'Rudhyar Archival Project':

www.khaldea.com/rudhyar/pofa/pofa_12.shtml

15] Practice of Astrology, the Twelfth Step. See above.

16] Marc Edmund Jones, Problem Solving by Horary Astrology, (David

McKay, Philadelphia, 1946), Foreword, p.10.

17] Jones tries to make his book all things to all people. It deals with a
specialist subject and yet he aims it at the popular market, and so the
first 100 pages or so are taken up explaining such elementary principles
as what the zodiac is and the difference between the ecliptic and
equator, etc. He feels obliged to detail everything needed to be known
in order to manually cast a chart, forcing such explanations as what
sidereal time is and how to calculate angles. Although this part of the
book goes on and on, the instruction is still very rushed and
incomplete, presumably so that Jones can get around to horary; so from
the start there is a sense of confusion that makes his explanations seem
incomprehensible even for an experienced astrologer. By the time he
gets around to outlining horary techniques it all feels very tedious and
laborious. He is neither detailed nor illuminating in his explanations of
the actual principles of horary. There are very few practical examples
and references to these are scattered; one comment regarding the chart
appearing in one place, another appearing elsewhere. In all, it is a very
long winded text which would probably confuse most students more
then it enlightened them. He obviously had a passion for horary to
write a book of over 400 pages about it, but his mistake was to market
it at the man in the street, when no-one but a die-hard enthusiast
would be willing to mine his nuggets of gold from the surrounding

268
 dross.

18] Jones, p.58.

19] His full bibliography, including reference to his own research, is:

Lilly, William, An Introduction to Astrology (incorporated in "Christian

Astrology"), London, 1647; edited by Zadkiel (Richard James
Morrison), London, 1852; popular edition, "Bohn's Scientific Library",
London, 1865 (?)

Simmonite, William Joseph, The Prognostic Astrologer, London, 1851(?);

new edition, Horary Astrology, by John Story, Sheffield, 1896

Raphael (Robert Cross), Horary Astrology, London, 1883

Leo, Alan, Horary Astrology, London, 1907

Zain, C. C. (Elbert Benjamine) Horary Astrology; three manuscript

lessons; Los Angeles, October-November, 1920; combined with three
general lessons and another on elections; Los Angeles, 1931

Jones, Marc Edmund, Divinatory Astrology, twenty-four manuscript

lessons issued in mimeographed form; Hollywood, California, 1930-31

DeLuce, Robert, Horary Astrology, Los Angeles, California, 1932; new

"improved, revised and enlarged" edition; Los Angeles, California, 1942

Davis, Geraldine, Modern Scientific Textbook on Horary Astrology with

Authentic Charts and Predictions, Los Angeles, California, 1942

20] See A Brief Biography of Evangeline Adams by Karen Christino

www.skyscript.co.uk/adams.html

21] Irish astrologer Maurice McCann, who was close friend and colleague
of Derek Appleby and himself very influential in his horary teachings,
writings and lectures, also reports that Ivy Goldstein Jacobson's work
was one of his earliest sources. He recalls that Derek Appleby first
became interested in the subject after reading a short article written by

269
 Joan Rodgers in the popular 'new age' magazine Prediction, (sometime
around the mid 70s). After this Appleby more or less developed his
own system, later coming across the work of Goldstein-Jacobson which
offered him a more defined and structured approach. Derek mainly
adhered to his own techniques so is far more important in the revival
of interest in horary than the revival of interest in traditional astrology
as some reports claim; for he never had a great passion for the
traditional texts.

Maurice also recalls that his own interest in horary was activated after
hearing Bernard Eccles speak of it at the Astrological Lodge of London
in the early 80s, and that during this talk his notion of astrology
changed from 'black and white to full glorious Technicolor!' Clearly the
British community did benefit from having a nucleus of well informed
and passionately interested astrologers working together and meeting
at groups that were physically close to each other. This allowed them to
'turn up the volume' about horary so that it had its fair representation
in journals, and it gathered enough demand for information to see
Lilly's text back brought back into circulation. Even so, it has to be
appreciated that the impetus for their interest had come over from
America.

22] Olivia Barclay, Horary Astrology Rediscovered, (Whitford Press,

Pennysylvania, 1990) Foreword pp.13-14.

23] William Lilly, Christian Astrology, (originally published London, 1647);

'Letter to the Student of Astrology'.

24] Tetrabiblos, (1st century AD), translated by F.E. Robbins, Harvard

Heinemann, Loeb Classical Library; 1.3.

25] One incident that springs to mind occurred a few years back when the
British AA circulated a proposal for feedback that suggested defining
astrology as a religion, in order that it would be able to claim more
rights in its representation on British television.

270

Christine started with western astrology in
1992; she followed the 4 years education with
Karen Hamaker in the Netherlands with
success. In 1998 she started to study classical
astrology out of frustration, because she was
not satisfied by western astrology, especially
the relation with her parents. But - that also
did not give her the answers. So in 2000 she
started to study Vedic astrology and within a
year she had the right answers. This motivated
her a lot to go on with Vedic astrology and by
now she is more and more using Vedic
astrology for readings etc. Website:
www.christinekaspers.nl
271
Local Space Charts.
By
Christine Kaspers, Netherlands
W e talked
astrocartography
have seen what that
meant for the horoscope from
about
and
Napoleon. There is another
technique (related to astro-
cartography) called the Local Space
Chart. This chart is also based upon
an individual birthchart and so
unique that no one will have the
same Local Space Chart as you
have.
The Local Space Chart is based
upon the direction of planets in a
birth chart at the time of birth on
that day and in that place. Is a
planet in the north? East? South?
West? Or anything in between? All
seen from your place of birth.
Using again the horoscope of
Napoleon, born in Ajaccio1 (I use
1
Readers may refer the previous issue of Vol 7
where the author has done an article on
Napoleon and ACG
the birthtime of 09.05 hrs), this is his Local Space Chart seen from Ajaccio.

As you can see, the lines of the planets are not just straight, but forming a
kind of wave, because the earth isn’t flat but round. The further you look
from your place of birth or the place you are residing, the more curled the
lines are.
This means that when you are looking in for you rather nearby places, the
lines will look quite straight, but, from one continent to another, they become
curled. This also means – if you have got your personal Local Space Chart,
you just cannot use it in an atlas. You can use it in a plan of your city or
when living in f.i. Europe, from one coutry to a nearby country. As soon as
the distance becomes over about 200 km, you’ve got to be carefull!

Looking at the chart above and knowing Napoleon went to Paris to study,
you’ll notice that his Moonline is closest to Paris and the Moon is his lord of
the 10th, so a line on which you can work at your carreer.

272
If we want to know what could happen while living and operating from Paris,
we have t0 relocate. Some astrologers keep looking from the birthplace and
some from the new place one is living in. I do the last.

From Paris he went to Italy to try to conquer this country.

From Paris the closest line to Italy is his Mercury line and as you can see, this
line is going over all of Italy. Mercury is quite nice in his horoscope, so
Mercury line promisses succes.

Mercury is in Leo, so he wants to be at the top. Top of the army. Mercury is

in his 10th house, so going to Italy could have to do with profession and succes
(because Mercury is a bit strong and certainly not weak). Mercury is lord of
the 9th: foreign countries. Mercury is also lord of the 12th, so he should
beware for disappointments or looking with wrong eyes. In his case he also
saw a dream becoming true: the great emperor conquerring Italy.

In july 1798 he landed in Alexandria in Egypt and conquerred again. The

Mercuryline is from Paris also hitting Egypt.

273
From Alexandria Napoleon attacked Syria and his Plutoline is going straight
over Syria. Here was a lot of resistance and what was even worse: his troups
got the plague. Via Egypt he went back to Paris.

274
In the summer of 1812 Napoleon is going to attack Russia. In the above chart
you see the Jupiter-line ( expansion) going over Rushia and his Uranus-line( a
sudden change or an unexpected event) Napoleon was tempted deeper and
deeper in Rushia and then the winter began. This was fatal for his troups and
finally he withdrew and went back to Paris.

In april 1814 he abdicated and was sent after that to Elba, a little island near
Corsica. You can also look for transits and progressions of the planetlines and
,in april 1814, the closest line in transit was his Saturnline. So there he was:
alone and separated.

He escaped, went back to Paris, formed an army and attacked Belgium. There
he was beaten in the Battle of Waterloo. From Paris the line of the lunar
nodes is crossing Belgium and Waterloo is quite close to Waterloo. Fate and
destiny was crossing his path.

275
Finally he is banished to St.Helena, a little island east of Namibia.

As you can see his Venus line is closest to St. Helena, which sounds nice. But
Venus is in his chart, lord of the 1st and the 8th.
He died on St.Helena on the 5th of May 1821.

276
In transit closest were the Uranus line, sitting in the 8th in his birthchart and
the Neptune line of disappearing from the World. Neptune is his 6th lord and
he had troubles with his stomack shortly before he died (6th of disease).

It is quite interesting to use astrocartography and the Local Space Lines and to
look for different places and countries in the World for your own horoscope.
You can also combine astrocartography and Local Space Lines, but that is
much more complicated.

Also you can use the Local Space Lines in your city. Take your house as the
centre and see how all the Lines are going. Always trouble with someone?
Maybe your Mars- or Pluto line is crossing the home of that person. If a
friend is living on your Venus line and Venus is in your chart not ruling a
difficult house, you will have a good relation with that friend. Suppose he or
she is moving and is going to live on your Saturn line. It could be the end of
the friendship or at least give troubles.

The Local Space Lines can also be used in your house. Once I bought a desk –
not knowing at that time about Local Space Lines. I hated to sit there and
after a few times I moved the desk to another place. That was much better! So
somehow you know your Space Lines. It’s really fun to know them and also
those of your partner. Quite some time ago I had a quarrel with my husband
about where to put something on the wall. It was a nice painting and he
wanted it a few meters more to the right. That was where his Venus line is
running and mine is a few meters more to the left.

I always wanted to go to Prague, my husband simply refused. I didn’t know

why I wanted and he didn’t know why he did nót want to go. When I learned
about Local Space Lines I saw that my Jupiterline is right over Prague and
from his chart it is the Pluto line!

277

Ciro Discepolo was born in Naples in 1948,
where he works as a journalist and writer.
He worked for twenty years with the most
popular daily of his town, Il Mattino. He
worked for five years at the CNR (National
Research Council). He has been dealing
with astrology since 1970. He has published
over 50 books, most of them bestsellers in
Italy as well as abroad. In 1990 he founded
the quarterly Ricerca ‘90, which has been
publishing since then. He has been doing
statistical researches from the very
beginning of his interest in astrology. At the
beginning of the 90s, he obtained very
brilliant results with researches on astral
heredity on a sample of over 75,000
subjects. He has held seminars, courses and
lectures in different universities in Italy and
abroad, and in several culture clubs. He is
deeply interested in informatics.
Astrologically speaking, he followed the
school of André Barbault. He founded the
school of Active Astrology
278
Jupiter of SR in the
Houses of the Solar
Return
By
Ciro Discepolo, Italy
I t’s a fairly important element of the
SR: it tells where you’ll find your
main resources during the twelve
months to which the Solar Return refers.
You’ll see that the help of Jupiter will be
crucial for the overall result for the year.
Jupiter may give you a helping hand both
in a propulsive way (it gives a trump card
for a precise play) and by acting as a kind
of guardian angel (it restrains the damage
of a certain situation). Yet, you should
keep an eye on the way Jupiter ‘works’ in
the following three Houses: the second, the
seventh, and the eighth. Often, in these
three houses the lord of Sagittarius reveals
a behaviour which is opposite to its
classical one. It is something similar to
what I wrote about the transit of Jupiter in
the same three Houses of the birth chart.
Jupiter in the First House of SR: Its effect
is usually very positive concerning
recovery from a state of depression, or
from physical and mental dejections;
convalescence after surgery; release from a
period of financial, professional,
sentimental, or familial trouble; end of a
breakdown due to a death or a very bad
disillusion, and so on. With Jupiter so
placed, individuals who usually act with a
massive dose of distrust would tend to
lower their guard, considering others with
more trust than usual. With this position
of Jupiter, people act with more naivety
and more uncritically. This Jupiter is favourable for social contacts, for opening doors of any
kind; but it may be harmful in view of the possibility of being swindled by fellow human
beings. You must be careful, because this position of Jupiter fattens people, for it makes
them relax and it gladdens their heart.
In the most negative cases, it may favour the proliferations of all kinds – even the
pathological ones. Thus it may mean hypertrophy in general, immoderation, exaggerations,
overvaluations. Nonetheless, even when you read this position as a problematic one, you
must consider that Jupiter is basically a positive planet, and that it has to be considered as
one of the most powerful protections for one’s health, and in general, a bearer of good luck.
Moreover, if it’s very close to the Ascendant it’s a real ‘Prozac’ of the stars, for it reveals an
extremely valid antidepressant performance: it may be a real relief after a bad year.

In the Second House of SR, Jupiter is in one of the three adverse positions that we have to
consider carefully. In the section about the transits of Jupiter you can read what I wrote
about the bistable oscillator. Let’s repeat it once again here in brief. A bistable oscillator is an
electronic circuit that determines the inversion of the output signal for any input impulse.
For instance, assume that the oscillator switches on an output bulb when the first impulse
arrives. If a second impulse arrives the oscillator switches the bulb off. At the third impulse,
it switches the bulb on again, and so on. This mean that the position of Jupiter in the three
aforementioned Houses usually induces an inversion of the previous condition. Jupiter in
the 2nd House of SR means certainly an increased circulation of money, but it may be either
an input or an output of money. Only a general outlook of the individual’s current situation
helps you understand in which way this Jupiter will work. Here are some examples. If you
find this position in a SR with other Houses involved such as the 12th, the 1st, or the 6th
House, it almost certainly means loss of money. If the SR refers to dealers or businessmen
whose Saturn is transiting their 2nd or 8th radix house, then it almost means certainly an
outflow of money. If the individual is making repairs at home, or if he is purchasing an
estate, and his SR shows an occupation of the 4th House, then it indicates cash
disbursements – a real a drain of money. On the contrary, if the SR shows an occupation of
the 4th House and the native is selling an estate, then this Jupiter should mean an inflow of
money – much money. If you stick to this reasoning, you should be able to understand the
direction of the flow of capital with a good degree of precision. If a worker has been laid off
and he has got bad transits, with a Jupiter in the 2nd House of SR he might even lose his job
and reduced to penury. Of course, as they say: last but not least – you have to consider the
birth chart of the native. For if you are able to make a fortune selling grasshoppers in Africa,
or refrigerators in Alaska, then you are able to increase your income even with this celestial
position. If you were unlucky with money since birth, expect to face further financial
trouble with this celestial position. Such a position may also indicate an increased ‘presence’
of the native, who will probably participate in TV programs or public ceremonies, or his
picture may appear on a paper or be broadcast in the news, during the year of this SR. The
native may also show an increased interest (and receive particular satisfaction) in the fields
of photography, theatre, graphics, design, computer–aided graphics, commercial art. He
might decide to purchase tools to operate in the aforementioned fields of activity. The native
may even become more beautiful thanks to a diet, a new look, a different hairstyle, a fine
new set of teeth, plastic surgery, or by simply growing a new beard and/or a moustache, and
so on. He takes more care in dressing. With this position of Jupiter it is almost impossible
that the native does not purchase a monitor or a large screen television set, or that he does

279
not become keen, maybe occasionally, on taking pictures or videos. Probably his picture will
be published in the papers, or maybe he improves his sight by having his eyes operated with
laser surgery. If he’s an actor, he will perform more during the year, for instance he may
appear often in a TV commercial.

When Jupiter is in the Third House of SR it simply, although very often, indicates the
purchase of a new car or of a new motorcycle, or a motor scooter, a bicycle, a van, or any
other means of transport. It also points to possible travels and much movement. It may
announce a new job, or a new love affair, or a new therapy involving commuting – usually, a
happy and easy commuting. It further portends much communication. You may purchase a
new mobile phone, a cordless phone, a fax machine, a local exchange, a satellite dish, a
modem, an ADSL connection, a printer, a new word processor. Good news arrives to you by
letter, by cable, by fax, or by telephone. You experience good luck in your education.
University students may pass exams brilliantly. You stand good chances to win contests and
tenders. You may take part in courses not only as students, but also as teachers. You may
take advantage of this situation by enrolling in courses of languages, in training courses with
computers, in pursuing postgraduate qualifications, in demanding workshops; or taking part
in seminars, debates, or teach–ins. It’s a good time for writing. You may receive positive
criticisms from the press. There may be very good news from your brothers, sisters, cousins,
and brothers–in–law or sisters–in–law. If you suffer from a pulmonary pathology, you can
expect to recover from it. Good business ideas, lucky decisions. With such a position many
individuals learn how to use a computer. For instance, a learned man who had been writing
for fifty years with pen and paper may start using MS–Word under this celestial
configuration. Many natives get their first driving licence or boating licence, regardless of
their age.

Jupiter in the Fourth House of SR almost inevitably means advantages from real estate. It
may result in a good trading or transfer of property; an important business or a move; or
restoration or renovation of your house or your office, your workshop, your shop, or your
workroom… This refers to your own property as well as the places where you operate from.
For instance, a bank clerk may be transferred to another, more comfortable agency under
this celestial position. You must seize this opportunity if you plan to purchase a house. It is a
very good position for those who wish to take possession of their own house after years of
difficulties of different kinds. Jupiter in the 4th may also be a time for individuals to
eventually take a rest at home after having travelled for years.
You may inherit a real estate. From a different point of view, this position may indicate a
better condition for your parents (or parents–in–law), particularly of your father (or father–
in–law). They may improve their financial, professional, sentimental, or health condition.
Improvement of habitat may also refer to your parents or in–laws (it may be also your
boyfriend’s or your girlfriend’s parents). Your relationship with your parents gets better.
You may purchase a camper van or a time–share flat. You may rent a new studio or
garçonnière. You purchase new hard disks or other devices to increase the memory of your
computer. Jupiter in the 4th House may also indicate that you recover serenity at home or at
work. You may get to feel fine once again there after a period of troubles. Ironically, this
position may refer to diseases as well. In fact you might spend much time at home, and
enjoying it, simply because you are sick and you cannot go to work.

Usually Jupiter in the Fifth House of SR is rather spectacular and it facilitates very much

280
the birth of new love affairs and new flirtations, unless the native’s birth chart shows that
he’s subject to bad luck in this field. Keep in mind the remarks that follow. Many users of
astrology are persons with a shallow knowledge of the subject. They think that such a
position should grant them the right to get love, always. In fact, things are a little different.
For instance, let’s talk about inaugurations. I often happened to be asked to indicate a good
date for the opening of a commercial enterprise. And then, years later, my client complained
that things had gone very wrong financially despite my good piece of advice. Well, this is
quite logical – in fact the variables involved are not only of the astrological kind. One has to
take into due account the market conditions. Thus, if you try to sell furs in a tropical
country, your enterprise is bound to fail even if it was born under a wonderful sky.
Similarly, if a definitely ugly man (or a not really charming one) tries to woo a woman
during a party of young, bold and beautiful cadets of a naval academy, you can easily guess
that he stands very little chance to conquer the heart of a lady. Thus this celestial position
may bring a new wonderful love affair or the return of the beloved one in the period
spanning from one birthday to the following birthday, provided that there are objective
conditions for it to happen. In any case, the native has more fun during the year of such a
Solar Return. This fun may derive from playing cards, videogames, music, using the
computer, but also reading classic literature. Even boring books will do. Sometimes I
happened to listen to many people who admitted (after their Solar Return had come to an
end) that they did have fun, although it had been a matter of simply discovering the pleasure
of having conversations with people after a period of seclusion. Jupiter here also announces
possible sports, more cinemas and more theatre. With such a Jupiter people tend to go out to
dinner, to concerts, to the disco, to the country more often. They also have more sex. You
should receive good news from your kids or from young people in general (this has
particularly reference to teachers). You may overcome a problem relevant to your children.
You may also have a baby, even if you don’t wish. With this celestial position the native’s
fertility increases dramatically, be it a male or a female. Only in extremely rare cases, you
have to read this position as a negative one: for instance, it may involve troubles from your
children. Still about love – the most popular subject of all – I must add that Jupiter in the 5th
certainly heralds a nice year as far as sex or love is concerned, provided that the native is not
‘tainted’ in this field. Except a few cases, it usually forecasts a new meeting, or the return of
an old flame. Some say to me: ‘I am fond of Jeff. If it’s not Jeff, I am not interested in
anybody else...’ Well, stars are much more long–sighted than the human being. Thus, often,
even if it’s not Jeff – Jupiter makes the native happy.

In the 6th House, the lord of Sagittarius is able to amend many a bad situation, as far as
one’s health is concerned. In fact, it gives you good support in healing diseases and it offers
you often unexpected resources to enhance your psychophysical wellbeing. It also acts very
well during convalescences, and more in general, when you recover from hard times due to
sentimental, financial, professional trouble; or due to the death of a beloved one. Therapies
starting under such a Solar Return stand better chances to get positive, concrete, definite
results. It is a good time for surgery, especially for plastic surgery. You can expect better
working conditions, better human relationships at work. It is advisable to recruit new
employees, collaborators, contributors, staff, domestic help during such a SR. Old grudges in
your working environment (your office, your company…) find a solution. The period may
be good for a member of your staff too. It also may be that you find that your job, previously
considered as a hard and unpleasant task, is not so bad after all and you reconsider your view
about it. Jupiter in this position means advantages from any kind of therapy, such as mud–

281
bath; thermal treatments; Shiatsu; physiotherapy; fitness; slimming or detoxifying diets…
You may receive satisfaction from a pet. Remember that the most protective positions for
your health are the following: Jupiter and Venus in the 6th House of SR or Jupiter and
Venus in the 1st or 12th House of SR (the latter position, especially if the aforementioned
planets are very close to the Ascendant, is certainly very good for this purpose, although it is
usually inconvenient for love life).

In the Seventh House of SR, Jupiter behavior is more or less similar to that of its transit of
the natal 7th House. Usually, due to the ‘bistable’ effect that I have already described, Jupiter
lends you a helping hand and solves your troubles concerning your love life, marriage, and
anything related with stamped paper. If you are not involved in any affair but you strongly
wish to be involved – and if there are at least the theoretical preconditions for that to happen
– you can surely hope to have a promising encounter during the twelve months of the Solar
Return. It may be an important person with whom you might establish a quite steady
relationship. Also, if your love life has been recently spoiled by a crisis, a temporary
separation, and/or by incessant tensions, with the arrival of a Solar Return with Jupiter in
the 7th House you stand very good chances to overcome your misunderstandings, and to
restore the nice, peaceful and loving atmosphere of the good old times. The same happens
for legal issues, lawsuits, legal proceedings, pending issues with justice. If you are under
investigation or if you are on trial, if you are engaged in an exhausting lawsuit, then it’s
highly probable that you’ll find an important resource, an unexpected help, a kind of
miraculous support, something or somebody who gets you out of trouble or manages to
produce a favourable judgment – or at least, a sentence which is not so bad for you. The
other way around, if you are having a wonderful time in your love life and if you aren’t
facing any trouble at all with the law, then Jupiter in the 7th House may bring huge quarrels,
separations, even a divorce, stamped paper of all kinds, troubles with justice, individuals or
institutions attacking you, declared enemies, and even more: with this Jupiter one can even
expect to be a victim of acts of terrorism, robberies or attempts of robbery. Someone might
wound you. As I said, it is not clear how it really works: still, having collected and studied
thousands and thousands of charts of Solar Returns, I can assert for certain that this rule
proves to be true in the overwhelming majority of the cases, if not in all of them.
The same reasoning can be ascribed to your partner, husband or wife, associates in business,
education, politics, etc. Nonetheless besides the bipolarity that I have defined as ‘bistable’
there’s another attribute that I’ve often met with this celestial position. During the twelve
months of such a SR, your partner, boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife, associate or
whatever, is bound to stand out for some reason. They might recover from bad health or
they might grow in their profession or social position, and so on. It is a good time, anyway,
to take somebody into partnership, if this is what you are looking for.

Jupiter in the 8th House of SR, as well as in the 2nd House, means surely a definite
increased flow of money within the native’s natural financial situation (i.e. a few millions
for someone, billions for some others). This flow may be incomes or outflows depending
upon inheritance you take possession of; donations; gambling wins; endowments; pensions;
severance pay; arrears; unexpected income; good transactions; or brokerage; but it may also
be gambling losses; theft; huge expenses for your house; your partner’s debts; frauds you are
a victim of; bad stock speculations or bad speculations in general; money that you lent and
that will never be returned, and so on.

282
If you don’t pay attention, with this position you run the risk of facing real drains of money.
Sometimes the effect of this Jupiter may be deceptive. For instance, it may help you obtain a
loan, a subsidy, a financing, and it helps you to be granted quite huge amounts too – but you
may not be able to refund this money later on, so that eventually its presence in the 8th
House may be adverse for you. This position of Jupiter also indicates possible advantages
from a death – not only financial advantages.
You stand a fair chance in any kind of underground research – it may also be a matter of
digging into your own psyche. Your sexual life gets better. The latter point is not subject to
any two–faced interpretation: it often tells you that a new love affair is arriving, or that
things are bound to settle down positively with your partner. There may be a possible
amplification of the native’s psychic powers and likelihood of benefits that have something
to do with cemeteries.

Jupiter in the Ninth House of SR almost always forecasts long and wonderful travels for the
native; journeys to distant places; staying far from home; benefits obtained from foreign
people or foreign places, or relevant to other countries or towns than your place of birth or of
residence. From any point of view the ‘abroad’ and the ‘far away’ are favourable to you: they
give you benefits, they help you in finding work, money, health, love, or fame. You may be
cured by foreign doctors and/or in a foreign hospital. Jobs or collaborations may be offered
to you provided that you move to another town. You get the chance to attend foreign
courses, in foreign universities. You may obtain a higher qualification abroad. Jupiter in this
House also favours any kind of advanced studies, mainly if they refer to anything far from
your daily fields of expertise, such as philosophy, astrology, parapsychology, theology, yoga,
and so on. You can learn a foreign language or a programming language; you can also get to
master a particularly complex piece of software. It is an excellent period for going and living
in another town or for trying and reaching an agreement with people or institutions not
belonging to your geographical area. How could we define ideally what the 9th House really
refers to? It refers to any place where they speak a language or a dialect other than your own.
In my long years of practising and studying Solar Returns, I very often happened to see that
this position of Jupiter corresponds, for instance, also to the first flying experience of people
who have a deep distrust of planes.

Jupiter in the Tenth House of Solar Return is almost always a positive signal concerning
your growth – normally it’s a professional growth. Such a growth may refer to more general
kinds of emancipations, such as learning to swim or to swallow pills (many adults are not
able to do it in fact). Some people ‘grow’ by getting rid of an unpleasant person; some others
fly for the first time in their life. Others get a perfect sight thanks to a successful surgery.
Others learn a foreign language perfectly; others get to master a personal computer. You
may also become stronger psychologically; overcome fears or taboos; identify profitable
projects for the future; meet people who can change your life; complete your university
education; purchase your dream house; become a father or a mother; get married, and so on.
Nonetheless I have to say that such a position is much less powerful than an Ascendant of
SR in the 10th House of birth (on the other hand the latter has got contraindications, while
Jupiter in the 10th hasn’t got any at all). I don’t know why, but I’ve personally experienced it
over thousands of cases. The results that can be obtained by a Jupiter in the 10th House of
SR are, almost always, irreversible. It is my opinion, formed after many decades of
experimentation, that (expect a few cases) a Jupiter strictly conjunct with the MC is the best
combination that one can obtain in a Solar Return chart. In some cases this celestial position

283
announces a very good period for the native’s mother: she may improve her professional
position; she may become famous; she may get financial benefits; she may experience a
particularly good period for her health or her love; or it may be that the native’s relationship
with her mother gets better.

Jupiter in the Eleventh House of SR helps you very much through friends in high places,
important contacts, powerful acquaintances such as politicians, judges, officials. These
people may offer you a job, give you a position of responsibility, contract you, or ask you to
estimate something. They may show you the precise way to get to be operated by a famous
surgeon or to be visited by important specialists. They may put in a good word for you to
attend a course or to be accepted into an exclusive club. In other words you may get support
in any field of your life, even ordinary spheres of your daily life – as for instance, somebody
might put you through to his own personal car mechanic and ask him confer preferential
treatment to your car… During the twelve months of such a Solar Return you might receive
assistance of all kinds; you will sense more friendship around yourself, and receive concrete
signs of support from your friends. In a nutshell, this will be – a year of very good projects;
propel you toward professional growth; your projects begin to show desired results. There
may be possible benefits from a death. You easily overcome a risk of death for yourself or a
beloved one. This year will establish new and very good friendships. Jupiter in the 11th
House has always to be read as a positive factor, and it’s only a rung lower than Jupiter in
the 7th House of SR.

Jupiter in the Twelve House of SR is perhaps in its best position because, although it does
not help you effectively in any precise direction, it works like a wild card, like a guardian
angel who helps you recover from every negative situation and avoid all dangers; it helps
you rehabilitate, get out of troubles. It is a real universal remedy to recover after a disease; to
get out from legal troubles; to overcome a financial tragedy; to recover from the suffering of
a separation or of a death. Its effects are never impressive, but they are extremely evident for
those who honestly consider their own condition. Its presence in a Solar Return guarantees
that you won’t have any dramatic year, from any point of view. You won’t run any risk
even if, say, you walk on a rope suspended between two skyscrapers: Jupiter will be your
‘net’ below you. This is the position that – more than all the other positions – makes you
appreciate that Jupiter really is a good planet – only if it wants to be good.

284
 'The Seven Planets Rite & How To Use it'
Part I
By
Payam Nabarz, England.
The following is an excerpt from: ‘Stellar Magic: A practical guide to the rites of the moon,
planets, stars and constellations’ by Payam Nabarz (Avalonia, 2009).
www.stellarmagic.co.uk

Payam Nabarz is author of ‘The Mysteries of Mithras: The

Pagan Belief That Shaped the Christian World’ (Inner
Traditions, 2005), ‘The Persian Mar Nameh: The Zoroastrian
Book of the Snake Omens & Calendar’ (Twin Serpents,
2006), and Divine Comedy of Neophyte Corax and Goddess
Morrigan (Web of Wyrd, 2008). He is also editor of Mithras
Reader An academic and religious journal of Greek, Roman,
and Persian Studies. Volume 1(2006), Volume 2 (2008) and
Stellar Magic: a Practical Guide to Rites of the Moon, Planets,
Stars and Constellations (Avalonia, 2009). He is a regular
contributor to number of esoteric magazines and book
anthologies. For further info visit: www.stellarmagic.co.uk and
http://www.myspace.com/nabarz

285
 The Opening and Closing of the rite

Kore Kosmon by Julian Dourado (www.juliandourado.co.uk)

Introduction

‘Then as soon as my tears would suffer me to speak, I began by saying, "Most sacred and
excellent father, since this is life, as Africanus tells me, why do I remain on the earth, and
not rather hasten to come to you?" "Not so," said he; "for unless the God who has for his
temple all that you now behold, shall have freed you from this prison of the body, there can
be no entrance for you hither. Men have indeed been brought into being on this condition,
that they should guard the globe which you see in the midst of this temple, which is called
the earth; and a soul has been given to them from those eternal fires which you call
constellations and stars, which, globed and round, animated with god-derived minds,
complete their courses and move through their orbits with amazing speed. You, therefore,
Publius, and all rightly disposed men are bound to retain the soul in the body's keeping, nor
without the command of him who gave it to you to depart from the life appointed for man,
lest you may seem to have taken flight from human duty as assigned by God’- Scipio's Dream
by Cicero.1

All the rites in this book have the following opening and closing which is specifically
designed for emphasis on the stellar nature of the intended ceremonies.

It is useful to set up your altar and working space properly, and each chapter provides some
suggestions on what the ritual set up for each rite could be.

286
The opening has three steps:

i) The first step in the opening is a visualisation to allow the forming of a connection to
earth and heavens. This is called the Celestial and Earth Tree Meditation, which is a
combination of several similar opening visualisations: Druid body of light exercise, the
Kabbalistic cross (from the lesser banishing ritual of the pentagram), Nordic Seething
(Seidr), and the Wiccan Tree meditation. The Celestial and Earth Tree Meditation here
combines elements from all of these.

ii) The second step in the opening is the calling on the four Persian Royal stars or the Stellar
Chieftains. As this forms an important part of each rite, the Persian Royal stars and related
material are discussed briefly here. The four Royal stars were recognised around 3000BC and
were used as a marker of the seasons, the equinoxes and the solstices. However, due to the
Procession of Equinoxes, their prominence has shifted as seasonal markers.

The four Stellar Chieftains or Persian Royal Stars, are the Watchers and the Guardians of
sky, these are thought to be:

East: Aldebaran, eye of the constellation Taurus. It was associated with vernal equinox. Due
procession of Equinoxes now associated with Beltane in May.

South: Regulus, in constellation Leo. It was associated with summer solstice. Due procession
of Equinoxes now associated with Lammas in August.

West: Antares, in constellation Scorpio, and heel of the Serpent Bearer (Ophiuchus). It was
associated with autumnal equinox. Due procession of Equinoxes now associated with
Samhain in November.

North: Fomalhaut, in the stream of the Water Bearer (Aquarius) constellations, and in the
head of the Southern Fish (Pisces Australis). It was associated with winter solstice. Due
procession of Equinoxes now associated with Imbolc in February.

One of the references to the Royal Star is in the Persian Pahlavi Texts we read:

‘0. On the formation of the luminaries.

1. Aûharmazd produced illumination between the sky and the earth, the constellation stars
and those also not of the constellations, then the moon, and afterwards the sun, as I shall
relate.

2. First he produced, the celestial sphere, and the constellation stars are assigned to it by him;
especially these twelve whose names are Varak (the Lamb), Tôrâ (the Bull), Dô-patkar (the
Two-figures or Gemini), Kalakang (the Crab), Sêr (the Lion), Khûsak (Virgo), Tarâzûk
(the Balance), Gazdûm (the Scorpion), Nîmâsp (the Centaur or Sagittarius), Vahîk
(Capricornus), Dûl (the Waterpot), and Mâhîk (the Fish);

287
3. which, from their original creation, were divided into the twenty-eight subdivisions of the
astronomers, of which the names are Padêvar, Pêsh-Parvîz, Parviz, Paha, Avêsar, Besn,
Rakhvad, Taraha, Avra, Nahn, Miyân, Avdem, Mâshâha, Spûr, Husru, Srob, Nur, Gêl,
Garafsa, Varant, Gau, Goî, Muru, Bunda, Kahtsar, Vaht, Miyân, Kaht

4. And all his original creations, residing in the world, are committed to them; so that when
the destroyer arrives they overcome the adversary and their own persecution, and the
creatures are saved from those adversities.

5. As a specimen of a warlike army, which is destined for battle, they have ordained every
single constellation of those 6480 thousand small stars as assistance; and among those
constellations four chieftains, appointed on the four sides, are leaders.

6. On the recommendation of those chieftains the many unnumbered stars are specially
assigned to the various quarters and various places, as the united strength and appointed
power of those constellations.

7. As it is said that Tîstar is the chieftain of the east, Satavês the chieftain of the west,
Vanand the chieftain of the south, and Haptôk-rîng the chieftain of the north.

8. The great one which they call a Gâh (period of the day), which they say is the great one of
the middle of the sky, till just before the destroyer came was the midday (or south) one of
the five, that is, the Rapîtvîn.

9. Aûharmazd performed the spiritual Yazisn ceremony with the archangels

(ameshêspendân) in the Rapîtvîn Gâh, and in the Yazisn he supplied every means necessary
for overcoming the adversary.

10. He deliberated with the consciousness (bôd) and guardian spirits (fravâhar) of men, and
the omniscient wisdom, brought forward among men, spoke thus: Which seems to you the
more advantageous, when I shall present you to the world? that you shall contend in a bodily
form with the fiend (drûg), and the fiend shall perish, and in the end I shall have you
prepared again perfect and immortal, and in the end give you back to the world, and you will
be wholly immortal, un-decaying, and undisturbed; or that it be always necessary to provide
you protection from the destroyer?

11. Thereupon, the guardian spirits of men became of the same opinion with the omniscient
wisdom about going to the world, on account of the evil that comes upon them, in the world,
from the fiend (drûg) Aharman, and their becoming, at last, again un-persecuted by the
adversary, perfect, and immortal, in the future existence, for ever and everlasting.’2

There is a significant debate about the exact identification of the Persian royal stars and
some writers (George A. Davies) view the four Persian Royal stars being as Tîstar: Sirius in
the East, Vanand: Antares (Scorpio) West, Satavês: Fomalhaut (Aquarius) in the South, and
Haptôk-rîng: Great Bear/Plough in the North.

288
However, here we follow more popular convention (by Jean Bailly) of Persian Royal stars
East: Aldebaran (Taurus), South: Regulus (Leo), West: Antares (Scorpio), and North:
Fomalhaut (Aquarius).

The two red stars of Aldebaran and Antares face each other and the two white stars of
Regulus and Fomalhaut face each other. This forms a celestial alchemy of a white light/ line
axis and a red light/line axis crossing + each other in mid heaven. When we take Roman
astrologer Marcus Manilius god and goddess paring of constellations into account we can see
the Leo (Jupiter) is paired with Aquarius (Juno), they are king and queen of heaven: the
South-North white axis (and Solstices circa 3000BC). Taurus (Venus Goddess of love) is
paired with Scorpio (Mars God of war), the most fiery and passionate paring: East-West red
axis (and Equinoxes circa 3000BC).

The theme of naming and numbering of the stars is also seen in Christianity in the book of
Enoch:

‘I beheld the celestial stars come forth. I numbered them as they proceeded out of the gate,
and wrote them all down, as they came out one by one according to their number. I wrote
down their names altogether, their times and their seasons, as the angel Uriel, who was with
me, pointed them out to me. He showed them all to me and wrote down an account of them.
He also wrote down for me their names, their regulations and their operations.’ -Enoch 32:2-
3.

The four Persian Royal stars also feature in Christianity. According to John P. Pratt: ‘Thus,
Enoch was shown all the governing stars and learned their names. Now let us turn to
identifying the four angels represented by the four principal or "royal" stars. These stars are
first, Regulus, the bright star at the heart of the Lion. The second star is Antares, the red star
at the heart of the Scorpion, and also in the foot of the Serpent Bearer. The third star is
Fomalhaut, the bright star both in the head of the Southern Fish and also in the stream of
water being poured out by the Water Bearer. The fourth royal star is Aldebaran, the flaming
red eye of the white Bull.’ 3 The Lion and Unicorn Testify of Christ Part II: The Four Royal Stars
by John P. Pratt.

The four faces of the Cherubim (the Bible book of Ezekiel. 1:10, 10:14) are the four Royal
Stars. Their symbols are the lion, eagle/serpent, man and wild ox (unicorn).4 The four
royals stars (four creatures), are said to found on each side of the throne of God (the Bible
Book of Revelation 4:7).

The description of Cherubim is of interest, as is where Ezekiel had his vision, in the land
Chaldeans further emphasising the importance of the Chaldean Oracles.

Ezekiel, chapter 1
‘1: Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the
month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened,
and I saw visions of God.
2: In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,
3: The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land
of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.

289
4: And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire
infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of
amber, out of the midst of the fire.
5: Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their
appearance; they had the likeness of a man.
6: And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.
7: And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot:
and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.
8: And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had
their faces and their wings.
9: Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every
one straight forward.
10: As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion,
on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the
face of an eagle.
11: Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one
were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.
12: And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and
they turned not when they went.
13: As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire,
and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the
fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
14: And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
15: Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living
creatures, with his four faces….’5 Bible, King James. Ezekiel.

The four royal stars and their constellations also feature in Christianity as the four
Evangelists as well as the Cherubim. The symbol for the four Evangelist are: Matthew as
Human/Angel (Aquarius), Mark as Lion (Leo), Luke as Ox (Taurus), John as Eagle
(Aquila/Scorpio). Those familiar with the Golden Dawn system and Rider-Waite tarot
deck, will recognise the four Cherubim on the four corners of the World card and Wheel of
fortune in the pack. The snake or cloth is Constellation Draco which warps around the Pole
Star (Little Bear) the Axis Mundi.

From being worship on the tops of Babylonian Ziggurats the four royal stars found their
way into ancient Greco-Roman astrology and eventually into Christianity and Kabbalah.
Down the centuries they become incorporated as Watchtowers by John Dee in his Enochian
magic, and finally reaching modern day magicians in the form of the four lords of
Watchtowers in Wicca and Golden Dawn or Watchers (Grigori) in Stregheria.

As part of the opening and closing of each rite the recitation of the Zoroastrian prayer
‘Namaz-i chahar nemag’ (praise to the four directions) is used.6 The ideal and concept of Asha
(Truth) mentioned in this prayer is similar to the Sufi concept of the divine name Al-Haqq
(in Arabic: the Truth). This is the divine truth reflecting an understanding of the nature of
reality.

iii) The third step in the opening is the reading of the ‘Orphic Hymn to the Stars’. Hence
the three steps of the opening come together. The Orphic Hymns are a set of pre-classical

290
poetic compositions, attributed to Orpheus the founder of Greek Mysteries. He was thought
to be a poet and musicians of antiquity, and the inventor of the lyre. He is said to have
brought the arts and alphabet to mankind, his music was charming and enchanting to an
extent that all animals and even stones and rocks would be moved. The Orphic hymns were
probably composed by several different poets rather than just one person, perhaps Orpheus
was a title given to great poets and not just one person.

Rite Opening.

The directions of the four Royal stars or guardians should be determined for the day/time/
location/latitude you are performing the rite using a Planisphere or Star Globe. If you are
unable to determine the actual directions of the four stars, then the default setting to use is:
East: Aldebaran, South: Regulus, West: Antares, North: Fomalhaut. The four star directions
are points in a sphere and not just in a circle of horizon around you, that is the four stars
could above and below as well as to front and back of you.

This hence forth will be referred to as the standard opening, and used as the opening for
every rite in this book.
• All begin with the Celestial and Earth Tree meditation mediation to root yourself to
earth before reaching for the stars.
Celestial and Earth Tree meditation: Standing upright with your hands at your sides, visualise
yourself growing roots into the earth and making a connection. Allow roots to come out of
your feet into the earth and then feel the earth energy raise up, to your ankles, calves, knees,
thighs, and groin, up the spine, higher up the spine to the back of the neck. Feel the energy
filling the front of your body, stomach, chest and then down the arms. Next, feel the energy
reaching your head and filling with it. Imagine yourself as tree, with roots in soil and in the
past. Your tree trunk is solid in the present. Your branches are reaching the future and high
into the night sky and basking in starlight. Raise your arms upwards towards the stars, like
branches reaching for the light, and allow the starlight to enter you. Visualise the shining
starlight enter the top of your head, filling your head, neck and upper body with starlight.
Next feel the earth energy from below and stellar energy from above mixing and mingling
inside you. Visualise yourself as a bright shining star that stands with its feet on the earth
and head in the heavens.

Feel yourself centred and connected to both sky and earth. Then visualise the sphere.
• All hold hands and cast circle as expansion of the meditation forming a sacred
constellation.
• Each person is visualising being a Star, when you hold hands, the stars begin
connecting and a constellation is formed.
• Next call on the four Stellar Chieftains or Persian Royal Stars. These are the
Watchers and Guardians of sky. First recite the ‘praise to the four directions’ and
visualize the appropriate constellation for each direction and call on the Royal Stars
using your own words.
• Recite the ‘Namaz-i chahar nemag’ (praise to the four directions) once facing East,
once West, once South, and once North, respectively:

291
 o ‘Homage to these places and these lands, and for these pastures, and these
abodes with their hay-racks, and for the waters, land, and plants, and for this
earth and for your heaven, and for the Asha-owning wind, and for the stars,
moon, and sun, and for the eternal stars without beginning, and self-disposing,
and for all the Asha-owning creatures of Spenta Mainyu (the bounteous spirit),
male and female, the regulators of Asha.’

• When facing East after reciting the ‘praise to the four directions’ call on the star
Aldebaran, the red eye of the constellation Taurus (earth elemental sign), who was
associated with vernal equinox. Visualize a great Bull as part of the celestial sphere.

(Image from Atlas céleste de Flamstéed ‘U.S. Naval Observatory Library’)

• When facing West after reciting the ‘praise to the four directions’ call on the star
Antares, in the constellation Scorpio (water elemental sign), and heel of the Serpent
Bearer (Ophiuchus), who was associated with autumnal equinox. Visualize a Man
holding a serpent standing above a scorpion as part of the celestial sphere.

(Image from Atlas céleste de Flamstéed ‘U.S. Naval Observatory Library’)

292
• When facing South after reciting the ‘praise to the four directions’ call on Regulus, in
the constellation Leo (fire elemental sign), who was associated with summer solstice.
Visualize a Lion as part of the celestial sphere.

(Image from Atlas céleste de Flamstéed ‘U.S. Naval Observatory Library’)

• When facing North after reciting the ‘praise to the four directions’ call on star
Fomalhaut, which is in the stream of the Water Bearer (Aquarius) constellation (air
elemental sign), and in the head of the Southern Fish (Pisces Australis). Fomalhaut,
was associated with winter solstice. Visualize a Man pouring water from a cup as part
of the celestial sphere.

(Image from Atlas céleste de Flamstéed ‘U.S. Naval Observatory Library’)

293
 • Maintain visualisation of the four Royal Stars, as part of a sphere.
• After having invoked the four Royal Stars, the following Orphic hymn is recited.

TO THE STARS. (The Hymns of Orpheus)

WITH holy voice we call the stars on high,
Pure sacred lights and genii of the sky.
Celestial stars, the progeny of Night,
In whirling circles beaming far your light,
Refulgent rays around the heavens ye throw,
Eternal fires, the source of all below.
With flames significant of Fate ye shine,
And aptly rule for men a path divine.
In seven bright zones ye run with wandering flames,
And heaven and earth compose your lucid frames:
With course unwearied, pure and fiery bright
Forever shining thro' the veil of Night.
Hail twinkling, joyful, ever wakeful fires!
Propitious shine on all my just desires;
These sacred rites regard with conscious rays,
And begin our works devoted to your praise 7

This is end of part I of this rite; for rest of the rite please see Part II.

References:
1. Scipio's Dream by Cicero, Translated, with an Introduction and Notes by Andrew P.
Peabody.
2. Pahlavi Texts, Part I Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 5 translated by E.W. West 1880.
3. The Lion and Unicorn Testify of Christ Part II: The Four Royal Stars by John P. Pratt.
Meridian Magazine, Dec. 5, 2001.
http://www.meridianmagazine.com/sci_rel/011205royal.html
4. The Lion and Unicorn Testify of Christ Part I: The Cornerstone Constellations by John P. Pratt.
Meridian Magazine, Nov. 8, 2001.
http://www.meridianmagazine.com/sci_rel/011108lion.html
5. Bible, King James. Ezekiel, from The holy Bible, King James version Electronic Text
Center, University of Virginia Library.
6. Namaz-i Chahar Nemag, Avesta: Khorda Avesta (Book of Common Prayer) Translation by
James Darmesteter, From Sacred Books of the East, American Edition, 1898.
7. The Hymns of Orpheus translated by Thomas Taylor, 1792. http://www.sacred-
texts.com/cla/hoo/index.htm

294
 'T Seven
The S n Pla
lanets Ritee & How
H To Use
U it'i
P II
Part
By
Payam Nabarz,
N Englan
nd.
Th
he following is an ex
xcerpt froom: ‘Stellaar Magic: A practicaal guide to the rites of
o the mooon,
p
planets, stars and coonstellatioons’ by Pay
yam Nabaarz (Avaloonia, 2009)).
www.stellarmagic.co.uk

Payam Naabarz is autthor of ‘Thee Mysteries of Mithraas: The

Paggan Belieff That Shhaped the Christiann World’ (Inner
Tradditions, 20
005), ‘The Persian
P Maar Nameh: The Zoroaastrian
Boook of the Snake Omens O & Calendar’
C (Twin Serrpents,
20006), and Diivine Comedy of Neoophyte Corax and Gooddess
Morrrigan (Weeb of Wyrdd, 2008). He H is also editor
e of Mithras
M
Reaader An accademic annd religiouus journal of o Greek, Roman,
R
andd Persian Studies.
S Voolume 1(200 06), Volum me 2 (2008 8) and
Stelllar Magic:: a Practicaal Guide too Rites of thhe Moon, Planets,
P
Starrs and Constellationns (Avalonia, 2009). He is a reegular
conntributor to numberr of esoteeric magazzines and book
anthhologies. For
F further info
i visit: www.stellar
w rmagic.co.uuk and
httpp://www.m myspace.coom/nabarzz

295
Rite of Seven planets
Introduction

This is part II of this rite in the same issue of Saptarishis Astrology

This stellar ceremony which relates to the Neo-Platonic based cosmology involves a number
of deities: Pales (mother earth), Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Moon, Sun, and Saturn.
This is a rite of a magical ascent from Earth through the seven gates, which is each of the
mentioned planetary spheres and deities. The seven planets (the wandering stars) have
symbolic connection to metals according to the theology of Mithraism, as it was provided by
Celsus, Roman writer of the second century A.D.:
‘After this, Celsus, desiring to exhibit his learning in his treatise against us, quotes also
certain Persian mysteries, where he says: "These things are obscurely hinted at in the
accounts of the Persians, and especially in the mysteries of Mithras, which are celebrated
amongst them. For in the latter there is a representation of the two heavenly revolutions,-of
the movement, viz., of the fixed stars, and of that which take place among the planets, and
of the passage of the soul through these. The representation is of the following nature: There
is a ladder with lofty gates and on the top of it an eighth gate. The first gate consists of lead,
the second of tin, the third of copper, the fourth of iron, the fifth of a mixture of metals, the
sixth of silver, and the seventh of gold. The first gate they assign to Saturn, indicating by
the lead the slowness of this star; the second to Venus, comparing her to the splendour and
softness of tin; the third to Jupiter, being firm and solid; the fourth to Mercury, for both
Mercury and iron are fit to endure all things, and are money-making and laborious; the fifth
to Mars, because, being composed of a mixture of metals, it is varied and unequal; the sixth,
of silver, to the Moon; the seventh, of gold, to the Sun,-thus imitating the different colours
of the two latter." He next proceeds to examine the reason of the stars being arranged in this
order, which is symbolized by the names of the rest of matter. Musical reasons, moreover,
are added or quoted by the Persian theology; and to these, again, he strives to add a second
explanation, connected also with musical considerations.’ -(Origen. Against Celsus)8

The principle of ascension is the reversal of the process of birth on Earth; the souls entered
via constellation Cancer the point of genesis and left via constellation Capricorn the point of
apotheosis. A view that is seen as:
‘The soul, having started on its downward course from the intersection of the zodiac and the
Milk Way to the successive spheres lying beneath, as it passes through these spheres, not
only takes on the afore-mentioned envelopment in each sphere by approaching a luminous
body, but also acquires each of the attributes which it will exercise later. In the sphere of
Saturn it obtains reason and understanding, in Jupiter sphere the power to act, in Mars’
sphere a bold spirit, in the Sun’s sphere sense-perception and imagination. In Venus’ sphere
the impulse of passion, in Mercury’s’ sphere the ability to speak and interpret and in the
lunar sphere the function of the molding and increasing bodies.’- From Platonist Macrobius
commentary on Cicero’s ‘Scipio’s dream’ fifth century A.D.9

296
One of the recommended further readings for Planetary rites is the recently published
‘Practical Planetary Magick’ by Sorita d'Este & David Rankine (Avalonia, 2007).

A point to bear in mind is the planets in some views are not beneficent unlike the stars. In
Zoroastrianism the while the stars are created by Ahura Mazda the Planets are created by
Ahriman in opposition to the stars. This is inline with some aspects of Mandean Planetary
talismanic magic where the talismans are not made to channel the planet but to hold its
influence at bay!

The rite of the seven planets below is to guide the magician through the gates of the planet
and to the stars. The goal is to reach beyond the seven planetary spheres and reach the realm
of the stars.

Rite of the Seven Planets

This rite can be performed as a group ceremony for eight people; one candidate and seven
planetary initiators, the candidate or journey person walks up hill to each planet where
he/she hears the invocation to the planet. This rite can also be performed as a solo working,
where does all the invocations.

A bonfire (if outdoors) will be lit to mark the occasion at sunset.

Give plenty of time for clearing and setting up the ritual space.
The seven planetary representatives should wear clothes or robes in colors or symbols
relating to the planet, for example the Picatrix (Ghayat al Hikam) based schema could be
adapted. This is black robe or clothes for Saturn, yellow or white for Jupiter, red for Mars,
gold for Sun, white or green for Venus, silver or white for Moon, light blue for Mercury. 10

The order followed for the invocation of seven planetary deities: Mercury, Venus, Mars,
Jupiter, Moon, Sun, Saturn. Each person ‘becomes’ the planet they calling on. Each planet is
invoked using the The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus.11

Props:
-Place seven lit torches or large candles creating a path that leads to the bonfire.
-Set up an altar with a pictures or statues of all seven deities: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter,
Moon, Sun, Saturn.
-The symbols of seven planetary deities should be present, for example:
-A feather, a caduceus, for Mercury.
-A lamp, veil, spring water in cup for Venus.
-Dagger, spear, shield for Mars.
-Sistrum, incense, fire tongues & incense burner for Jupiter.
-Honey & Scythe for Moon.
-A large flaming torch, or a (large candle in sun candle holder), a crown for Sun.
-Staff, a dagger, and a libation bowl for Saturn.
-Corn/wheat.
-The planetary incenses to be burned for the Orphic hymns
-Food and drinks for the feast.

297
-If performed indoor and music could be played a relevant CD is ‘Secrets of the Heavens’
which are seven planetary invocations performed by Catherine King, Mark Tucker, and
Mark Rylance in spirit of Orphic singing of 15th century philosopher Marsilio Ficino.

The standard opening mentioned in the chapter ‘opening and closing of rites’ is used here.
This is then followed by hailing the planet is seven directions, that is above, below and
within in addition to the four cardinal position.

All: Fertile Earth Pales who procreates everything.

Seven directions are greeted by each person in their own words:

Mercury opens East (Air),
Venus opens West (water)
Mars opens North (Earth)
Jupiter opens South (Fire)
Moon opens below (underworld)
Sun opens above (upper world/ starry sky)
Saturn opens within (boundary of Space).

Followed by Mercury saying: O Primal Origin of my origination; Thou Primal Substance of

my substance; First Breath of breath, the breath that is in me; First Fire, God-given for the
Blending of the blendings in me, [First Fire] of fire in me; First Water of [my] water. The
water in me; Primal Earthessence of the earthy essence in me; Thou Perfect Body of me –
N.N. [your name], son of N.N. (fem.)[your mother’s name] – fashioned by Honoured Arm
and Incorruptible Right Hand, in World that’s lightless, yet radiant with Light, [in World]
that’s soulless, yet filled full of Soul! 12

Venus: ‘The soul, having started on its downward course from the intersection of the zodiac
and the Milk Way to the successive spheres lying beneath, as it passes through these
spheres, not only takes on the afore-mentioned envelopment in each sphere by approaching a
luminous body, but also acquires each of the attributes which it will exercise later. In the
sphere of Saturn it obtains reason and understanding, in Jupiter sphere the power to act, in
Mars’ sphere a bold spirit, in the Sun’s sphere sense-perception and imagination. In Venus’
sphere the impulse of passion, in Mercury’s sphere the ability to speak and interpret and in
the lunar sphere the function of the molding and increasing bodies.’ 9

Invocation of seven planetary deities: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Moon, Sun, Saturn. Each
person ‘becomes’ the planet they calling on. Each planet is invoked using the The Mystical Hymns of
Orpheus.11

298
The Orphic Hymn to Mercury XXVII.
(The Fumigation from Frankincense).

HERMES, draw near, and to my prayer incline,

Angel of Jove, and Maia's son divine;
Studious of contests, ruler of mankind,
With heart almighty, and a prudent mind.
Celestial messenger, of various skill,
Whose powerful arts could watchful Argus kill:
With winged feet, 'tis thine thro' air to course,
O friend of man, and prophet of discourse:
Great life-supporter, to rejoice is thine,
In arts gymnastic, and in fraud divine:
With power endued all language to explain,
Of care the loos'ner, and the source of gain.
Whose hand contains of blameless peace the rod,
Corucian, blessed, profitable God;
Of various speech, whose aid in works we find,
And in necessities to mortals kind:

Dire weapon of the tongue, which men revere,

Be present, Hermes, and thy suppliant hear;
Assist my works, conclude my life with peace,
Give graceful speech, and me memory's increase. 11

The Orphic Hymn to Venus

HEAV'NLY, illustrious, laughter-loving queen,

Sea-born, night-loving, of an awful mien;
Crafty, from whom necessity first came,
Producing, nightly, all-connecting dame:
'This thine the world with harmony to join,
For all things spring from thee, O power divine.
The triple Fates are ruled by thy decree,
And all productions yield alike to thee:
Whatever the heavens, encircling all contain,
Earth fruit-producing, and the stormy main,

299
Thy sway confesses, and obeys thy nod,
Awful attendant of the brumal God:
Goddess of marriage, charming to the sight,
Mother of Loves, whom banqueting delight;
Source of persuasion, secret, favoring queen,
Illustrious born, apparent and unseen:
Spousal, lupercal, and to men inclined,
Prolific, most-desired, life-giving., kind:
Great scepter-bearer of the Gods, 'tis thine,
Mortals in necessary bands to join;
And every tribe of savage monsters dire
In magic chains to bind, thro' mad desire.

Come, Cyprus-born, and to my prayer incline,

Whether exalted in the heavens you shine,
Or pleased in Syria's temple to preside,
Or o'er th' Egyptian plains thy car to guide,
Fashioned of gold; and near its sacred flood,
Fertile and famed to fix thy blest abode;
Or if rejoicing in the azure shores,
Near where the sea with foaming billows roars,
The circling choirs of mortals, thy delight,
Or beauteous nymphs, with eyes cerulean bright,
Pleased by the dusty banks renowned of old,
To drive thy rapid, two-yoked car of gold;
Or if in Cyprus with thy mother fair,
Where married females praise thee every year,
And beauteous virgins in the chorus join,
Adonis pure to sing and thee divine;
Come, all-attractive to my prayer inclined,
For thee, I call, with holy, reverent mind. 11

The Orphic Hymn to Mars

The Fumigation from Frankincense
Magnanimous, unconquered, boisterous Mars,
In darts rejoicing, and in bloody wars

Fierce and untamed, whose mighty power can make

The strongest walls from their foundations shake:
Mortal destroying king, defiled with gore,
Pleased with war's dreadful and tumultuous roar:
Thee, human blood, and swords, and spears delight,

300
And the dire ruin of mad savage fight.
Stay, furious contests, and avenging strife,
Whose works with woe, embitter human life;
To lovely Venus, and to Bacchus yield,
To Ceres give the weapons of the field;
Encourage peace, to gentle works inclined,
And give abundance, with benignant mind. 11

The Orphic Hymn to Jupiter

The Fumigation from Storax
O Jove much-honored, Jove supremely great,
To thee our holy rites we consecrate,
Our prayers and expiations, king divine,
For all things round thy head exalted shine.
The earth is thine, and mountains swelling high,
The sea profound, and all within the sky.
Saturnian king, descending from above,
Magnanimous, commanding, sceptred Jove;
All-parent, principle and end of all,
Whose power almighty, shakes this earthly ball;
Ev'n Nature trembles at thy mighty nod,
Loud-sounding, armed with lightning, thundering God.
Source of abundance, purifying king,
O various-formed from whom all natures spring;
Propitious hear my prayer, give blameless health,
With peace divine, and necessary wealth. 11

e
The Orphic Hymn to the Moon
The Fumigation from Aromatics
HEAR, Goddess queen, diffusing silver light,
Bull-horned and wandering thro' the gloom of Night.
With stars surrounded, and with circuit wide
Night's torch extending, thro' the heavens you ride:
Female and Male with borrowed rays you shine,
And now full-orbed, now tending to decline.
Mother of ages, fruit-producing Moon,
Whose amber orb makes Night's reflected noon:
Lover of horses, splendid, queen of Night,
All-seeing power bedecked with starry light.
Lover of vigilance, the foe of strife,

301
In peace rejoicing, and a prudent life:
Fair lamp of Night, its ornament and friend,
Who giv'st to Nature's works their destined end.
Queen of the stars, all-wife Diana hail!
Decked with a graceful robe and shining veil;
Come, blessed Goddess, prudent, starry, bright,
Come moony-lamp with chaste and splendid light,
Shine on these sacred rites with prosperous rays,
And pleased accept thy suppliant's mystic praise. 11

The Orphic Hymn to the Sun

The Fumigation from Frankincense and Manna

HEAR golden Titan, whose eternal eye

With broad survey, illumines all the sky.
Self-born, unwearied in diffusing light,
And to all eyes the mirror of delight:
Lord of the seasons, with thy fiery car
And leaping coursers, beaming light from far:
With thy right hand the source of morning light,
And with thy left the father of the night.
Agile and vigorous, venerable Sun,
Fiery and bright around the heavens you run.
Foe to the wicked, but the good man's guide,
O'er all his steps propitious you preside:
With various founding, golden lyre, 'tis mine
To fill the world with harmony divine.
Father of ages, guide of prosperous deeds,
The world's commander, borne by lucid steeds,
Immortal Jove, all-searching, bearing light,
Source of existence, pure and fiery bright
Bearer of fruit, almighty lord of years,
Agil and warm, whom every power reveres.
Great eye of Nature and the starry skies,
Doomed with immortal flames to set and rise
Dispensing justice, lover of the stream,
The world's great despot, and o'er all supreme.
Faithful defender, and the eye of right,
Of steeds the ruler, and of life the light:
With founding whip four fiery steeds you guide,
When in the car of day you glorious ride.

302
Propitious on these mystic labors shine,
And bless thy suppliants with a life divine. 11

The Orphic Hymn to Saturn

The Fumigation from Storax

ETHERIAL father, mighty Titan, hear,

Great fire of Gods and men, whom all revere:
Endu'd with various council, pure and strong,
To whom perfection and decrease belong.
Consumed by thee all forms that hourly die,
By thee restored, their former place supply;
The world immense in everlasting chains,
Strong and ineffable thy power contains
Father of vast eternity, divine,
O mighty Saturn, various speech is thine:
Blossom of earth and of the starry skies,
Husband of Rhea, and Prometheus wife.
Obstetric Nature, venerable root,
From which the various forms of being shoot;
No parts peculiar can thy power enclose,
Diffused thro' all, from which the world arose,
O, best of beings, of a subtle mind,
Propitious hear to holy prayers inclined;
The sacred rites benevolent attend,
And grant a blameless life, a blessed end. 11

• Sit and mediate on all that has been recited and energy you have taken into yourself.
• You might be inspired and moved to give voice to the planetary current you have
invoked.

• Leave your biodegradable offering.

• Saying of thanks to the spirits of the place.

The standard closing mentioned in the chapter ‘opening and closing of rites’ is used here:

Rite Closing

303
This hence forth will be referred to as the standard closing, and used as the closing for every
rite in this book.

-Saying of thanks to spirits of the place. This is thanking the genius loci the protective spirit
of a place.

-Sending of Blessings. This is an act of sending of some of the energy of the rite to help
those who need it. For example, this can be sending healing.

-Final thanks to main constellation that was worked with and was intent of the rite.

-Say Thanks to THE STARS. (The Hymns of Orpheus)

WITH holy voice we called the stars on high,

Pure sacred lights and genii of the sky.
Celestial stars, the progeny of Night,
In whirling circles beaming far your light,
Refulgent rays around the heavens ye throw,
Eternal fires, the source of all below.
With flames significant of Fate ye shine,
And aptly rule for men a path divine.
In seven bright zones ye run with wandering flames,
And heaven and earth compose your lucid frames:
With course unwearied, pure and fiery bright
Forever shining thro' the veil of Night.
Hail twinkling, joyful, ever wakeful fires!
Propitious shine on all my just desires;
These sacred rites regard with conscious rays,
And end our works devoted to your praise.

-Finish the rite by reciting the ‘Namaz-i chahar nemag’ (see Part I) again, in reverse order
this time, thanking each Royal Star in turn in your own words. First facing North, then
South, West, and East, respectively:
‘Homage to these places and these lands, and for these pastures, and these abodes with their
hay-racks, and for the waters, land, and plants, and for this earth and for your heaven, and
for the Asha-owning wind, and for the stars, moon, and sun, and for the eternal stars
without beginning, and self-disposing, and for all the Asha-owning creatures of Spenta
Mainyu, male and female, the regulators of Asha.’

It is recommended to have something to eat and drink after a rite. Finally clear the space
where you performed your rite, and if outdoors, make you sure you are following the
country code: leave only footprints, take only pictures.

References:
1. Scipio's Dream by Cicero, Translated, with an Introduction and Notes by Andrew P.
Peabody.
2. Pahlavi Texts, Part I Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 5 translated by E.W. West 1880.

304
3. The Lion and Unicorn Testify of Christ Part II: The Four Royal Stars by John P. Pratt.
Meridian Magazine, Dec. 5, 2001.
http://www.meridianmagazine.com/sci_rel/011205royal.html
4. The Lion and Unicorn Testify of Christ Part I: The Cornerstone Constellations by John P. Pratt.
Meridian Magazine, Nov. 8, 2001.
http://www.meridianmagazine.com/sci_rel/011108lion.html
5. Bible, King James. Ezekiel, from The holy Bible, King James version Electronic Text
Center, University of Virginia Library.
6. Namaz-i Chahar Nemag, Avesta: Khorda Avesta (Book of Common Prayer) Translation by
James Darmesteter, From Sacred Books of the East, American Edition, 1898.
7. The Hymns of Orpheus translated by Thomas Taylor, 1792. http://www.sacred-
texts.com/cla/hoo/index.htm
8. Origen. Against Celsus http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/ANF-04/anf04-
61.htm#P10231_2711351

9. From Platonist Macrobius commentary on Cicero’s ‘Scipio’s dream’ fifth century AD.
Manfred Clauss “The Roman cult of Mithras” p11.

10. The Picatrix or Ghayat al Hikam: The Premier Grimoire of Astrological Magic,
Book III, Chapter 3 translated by Christopher Warnock, Esq.
http://www.renaissanceastrology.com/picatrixplanetclothes.html

And The Picatrix book III, Chapter 3. Figures, dyes, clothing, incenses of the planets and also
dyes of the decans of the signs. Mike Rock.
http://picatrix.mike-rock.com/book3/p3ch3.php

11. The Hymns of Orpheus translated by Thomas Taylor 1792. http://www.sacred-

texts.com/cla/hoo/index.htm and also on http://www.renaissanceastrology.com/

12. Mithras Liturgy adapted here from that of G.R.S. Mead, from A Mithraic Ritual, 1907.

Further reading:
For discussion on alternative naming and identification of the four Persian Royal stars see:
The so-called royal stars of Persia by Davis, G. A., Jr. Popular Astronomy, Vol. 53, p.149-159
April 1945

Picatrix Ghayat al Hakim or The Goal of the Wise, Atallah, Hashem (Trans); Kiesel, William
(Ed), Ouroboros Press, 2002.

The Picatrix or Ghayat al Hikam: The Premier Grimoire of Astrological Magic, Christopher
Warnock, Esq. A very compressive site with translations, guide books and videos.
http://www.renaissanceastrology.com/picatrix.html

The Picatrix site by Mike Rock http://picatrix.mike-rock.com/

305
Praactical Plannetary Maggick by Sorrita d'Estee & David Rankine (Avaloniaa, 2007).

Thee Magus: Or
O Celestiaal Intelligenncer by Fraancis Barrrett, Nonsu
uch publisshing Ltd.. 2007.

306

Carl Johan Calleman is considered the
foremost authority on the Mayan Calendar
having written two bestselling books titled
‘Solving the Great Mystery Of Our Times:
The Mayan Calendar & The Mayan
Calendar and the Transformation of
Consciousness. From 1979 when most of us
did not know about the Mayan Calendar
till now he has delved deeper and deeper
into it, travelled extensively. He has
travelled to 20 countries spreading the
message of Transformation of Consciousness.
He is well known to bring out master to the
western world like Don Alejandro Oxlaj,
head of the council of elders of the Maya.
Mr Calleman work can be viewed at
www.calleman.com
307
The Recreation of
the Global Tree of
Life
in the Conscious
Convergence
By
Carl Johan Calleman, Sweden.
A
ncient traditions of our planet
almost universally looked upon
the four geographical directions
as Sacred. The origin of this sacredness of
the directions is that they since the
beginning of time have played a role in the
ongoing creation of our planet and its
evolution of consciousness. Naturally
then, many people’s all over the world
have performed ceremonies to honor these
four directions. The four directions were
thought to be associated with different
spiritual qualities and so were often each
symbolized by a guardian angel as
described for instance in the Book of
Revelation. From many traditions, such as
the Mayan, it is also clear that the four
(and sometimes six, if “above” and
“below” is included) directions emanate
from the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life is
the most widespread of all ancient myths,
and it was seen as the center of the four
directions. Examples of how the energies
of the four directions were organized
around a center we may find in the
Medicine Wheels in the West or the
Mandalas of the East.
 In the modern era the knowledge about the Tree of Life and the Four Sacred Directions
has essentially disappeared and been replaced by a purely quantitative GPS system. While
modern people typically acknowledge for instance cultural difference between the East and
the West it is rare that they would see those as related to the Tree of Life. The result has
been that many have become insensitive to the shifting energies of time and how these
affect the evolution of humanity. Only some indigenous cultures have retained the tradition
of the spiritual qualities of the four directions. Yet, in the Book of Revelation it is described
how the new world emerging at the end of time will at its center have a Tree of Life that
will nurture the inhabitants of this all year around. Maybe we are now in fact now beginning
to see a return of this Tree of Life also in popular culture such as for instance in the movie
Avatar.

What then is the Tree of Life? It is hard to believe that a phenomenon that has been
worshipped all over the world by almost all traditions would not be more than a myth or a
symbol. It would seem that there has to be a reality behind it. This, I believe is an etheric
three-dimensional scaffold from which all the energies that create the universe emanate.
Yet, there is not just one Tree of Life. The Tree of Life is more like a nested hierarchy of
holograms, and exists at several different connected levels of the universe that are in
resonance with one another ultimately according to the principle As above-So below. The
highest level is the cosmos, referred to as the Heart of the Heavens by the Maya, the second,
lower, level is the galaxy, the third is the solar system, the fourth the Earth, the fifth the
human beings (and all other organisms) themselves and then down to the level of the
elementary particles. Each of these levels has a central axis, a Tree of Life, which is at the
center of all of its energy grid systems (branches). On the level of our Earth, the Tree of Life
is the Polar Axis* and since we ourselves are affected by the energies of the Mayan calendar
through our resonance with the polarities that the Tree of Life generates it is now crucial to
prepare for the onset of the ninth wave. To be able to do so I however believe that it will
help if we are able to ceremonially recreate the Tree of Life after centuries of oblivion.

Our planet and its human cultures have thus emerged through the effects of the polarities
of energies originating from the Tree of Life. The same can be said about the imbalance
between male and female that has dominated for about 5000 years and it is not an accident
that in the Judaeo-Christian creation story of the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, and

308
the ensuing separation of the genders, the Tree of Life plays a crucial role. According to the
Mayan calendar, which is based on the shifting polarities of the Tree of Life, we know
however that these imbalances are now being rebalanced and will ultimately result in unity
consciousness if our resonance with the Tree of Life is strong enough. These polarities are
introduced along different perpendicular planes. One such plane is equatorial and separates
the northern and southern hemispheres, another goes through Berlin, Rome and Cape Town
and separates the western and eastern hemispheres of the planet and a third plane goes
through Washington, DC and separates the front (Pacific) from the back (Europe/Africa)
hemisphere of the planet. Through the influence of the Yin/Yang-polarities emanating from
the Tree of Life the planet has thus evolved into a global brain, where the western
hemisphere corresponds to the left brain half and the eastern to the right brain half.

Ideally, to recreate the Tree of Life of the planet we would thus like some people to
have gathered to perform ceremonies at both the north and south poles, but since this does
not seem practicable the North and South will be represented by gatherings in Scandinavia
and South Africa, respectively. To recreate the global Tree of Life these gatherings will be
complemented with gatherings on the equatorial plane in the West in Guatemala and in
Singapore/Bali in the East. In each of these directions representatives of cultural traditions
to whom the sacredness of the four directions have remained a living reality will be
participating (Sami in the North, Chinese/Hindu in the East, Bushmen in the South and
Maya in the West). On July the 18th at 7 am (pacific time, for other time zones
see http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock) people everywhere will thus have the
possibility to connect with the gatherings in these node points for the four directions in a
globally synchronized ceremony. Although the details will have to be developed locally it is
recommended that part of the ceremony is about recreating the global Tree of Life and
strengthening the relationship of the participants with this creative source. A second part
may be about unifying the energies and peoples of the four directions. The Conscious
Convergence is like setting up a base camp for the climb to the ninth wave and part of what
you do in a base camp is to make sure that you are prepared. This is true also four the
ceremony of the Sacred Directions. As the Ninth wave of the Mayan calendar will be
activated on March 9, 2011 a new frequency of vibration and a new polarity of consciousness
emanating from the Tree of Life will be introduced, which we need to be prepared for. The
Conscious Convergence is meant for those wanting to be co-creators with the divine plan
and so the days July 17-18 is nothing but a start point of a path directed towards unity
consciousness and for this the recreation of our planetary Tree of Life plays a vital role
(www.theconsciousconvergence.com).

*Note that I am here talking about polarity shifts in consciousness. This has nothing to do with the
many unfounded speculations about a shift in the position of the polar axis or a geomagnetic pole shift
in 2012. For a scientist’s view on these type of speculations see for
instance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHGaZMC8E0U. In fact, the only understanding of the
Mayan calendar that no scientist can reject is that it is based on the evolution of consciousness.

309

Tapan Das, Ph.D., P.Eng. has 35 years of
technical management experience in
telecommunication, wireless, IP, WiFi and
ASIC. He has worked as VP, Director and
Technical Manager in SGNT Technologies,
Kinaare Networks, Lucent, Nortel, and
Plessey. He holds an M.Sc. in Electronics
from the University Of London, UK and a
Ph.D. in Microwave Electronics from the
University of Bradford, UK. He also holds
seven patents and has published a number
of technical papers in International journals.
He cultivates an active interest in astrology
since a long time and has been researching
astrology and cosmology for the last five
years. He has published six papers on this
subject in Research in Astrology with
Media in Science (RAMS), International
Society of Astrological Research (ISAR)
and Journal of the Mindshift Institute.
Recently, he has published a book Why
Astrology is Science: Five Good Reasons.
310
Astrology,
Consciousness & Soul
By
Tapan Das, Canada
Reviewed By: Andree Leclerc, Canada
M ost of the scientific community
does not consider consciousness
different from the activity of
brain. There are over a billion neurons in
the brain and these neurons are connected
by synapses that pass electrical signals
between the neurons. Thus scientists
believe that the feelings of love, anxiety,
depression, ecstasy, etc. are all functions of
the brain. This is based on the concept that
consciousness is a part of the brain.
Soul, in some religions and philosophies is
said to be the spiritual or eternal part of a
living being, commonly held to be
separable in existence from the body. Soul,
termed in Christianity and Judaism, is
called atma in Hinduism and Sikhism, atta
in Buddhism, rooh in Islam, and jiva in
Jainism.
Soul has no place in science. The
distinction between soul and consciousness
has been ambiguous in some publications
treating the two as one entity.
Consciousness is the interfacing media
between the soul and the brain. Stars and
planets communicate with the soul of a
person. This is how astrology and soul are
related.
Brain, Consciousness and Soul
Noble laureate John Eccles thinks that
consciousness is separate from the brain.
His experiment with the cerebral cortex,
1
that controls movements in our bodies by sending signals to our muscles, found that neurons
in the supplementary motor area (SMA) in the cortex act before the neurons in the cerebral
cortex send signals to the muscles. Eccles concluded that conscious will, separate from the
brain, must be present before the neurological events begin. Thus consciousness controls
brain and not the other way round. Philosopher scientist Karl Popper describes
consciousness and brain separate from each other, brain being a part of the body and
consciousness motivating the body.

The brain is a supercomputer capable of doing very complex functions. But, can a computer
have the wondrous feeling at the sight of Taj Mahal? Can it ever express love? Can it enjoy
music? The experience of love, feeling and enjoyment can not be measured by scientific
theories or mathematical equations. But science breaks down everything in scientific
theories and mathematical equations – if something cannot be handled that way, then out it
goes through the window. Thus consciousness or soul has no place in science. A computer
will register Taj Mahal as a figure of architecture without any feeling and Ravi Shankar’s
sitar recital as wave patterns without any joy. Einstein was asked, “Do you believe that
absolutely everything can be expressed scientifically?” “Yes, it would be possible,” he
replied, “But it would make no sense. It would be description without meaning – as if you
described a Beethoven symphony as a variation in wave pressure.” Thus a person possesses
something which is far beyond the ability of any computer.

Quantum field theory (QFT) is an extension of quantum mechanics where photons of light
are not considered as little particles but as field quanta – ripples in a field. Similarly,
electrons can be described as ripples in a field. In the end, according to QFT, particles are
regarded as excited states of a field (field quanta). Taking the QFT approach to the brain
within the cranium, the brain made of atomic constituents can be described as the spatial
distribution of quantum electric dipoles. Thus brain is a quantum electric dipole field
coupled with electromagnetic field. An interesting physical process for memory retrieval
occurs in the brain in terms of QFT. (Subatomic particles are classified into fermions and
bosons. Electrons are fermions and photons are bosons.) As long as memory is maintained in
the geometric objects of the quantum electric dipole field, a type of bosons called Nambu-
Goldstone bosons emerge from the geometric objects due to breakage of symmetry triggered
by arbitrarily small incoming energy. Emergence of Nambu-Goldstone bosons is memory
retrieval1.

Our brain has roughly 100 billion neurons. The neurons communicate by sending electrical
signals through specialized connections called synapses which are the junction areas between
the axons and receiving dendrites. These Nambu-Goldstone bosons couple with the
electrical signals of the neurons and form an interference pattern forming an image1. This
image is the consciousness created in the brain. This image of consciousness is imposed on
the soul of a person for the soul to act. Thus consciousness is the coupling media between
the soul and the brain.

Imagine a driver driving a car. Soul is the driver, the instruments in the dashboard are the
consciousness, and the car is the brain. Both the driver and the car cannot function on their
own; they both need each other. The instruments in the dashboard and the mirrors indicate
to the driver the state and condition of the car – speed, torque, gas level, temperature,
2

311
orientation, etc. The driver operates the car accordingly. If another car hits the car, then the
driver will say, “You hit me.” The driver may not be actually hit, but he identifies himself
with the car. Similarly, soul cannot function without the brain and consciousness, and vice
versa. Soul identifies itself with the consciousness and brain although separate from it. The
better the engine and body of the car, the smoother is the ride of the car. Similarly, better the
brain the more advanced the person is. Slowly the scientific community is waking up to the
reality of some other existence other than the brain to explain metaphysical phenomena.

Soul in Veda

From the Vedic literature, the supreme soul brahman appears as atma in the individual body.
But this ignorance of brahman-atma is marked by the superimposition of “sheaths” (kosas)
over the reality of brahman-atma. We identify ourselves with the kosas obscuring the
brahman-atma. In the Vedanta, the kosas are considered as the layers of an onion with the
reality of atma buried in the centre of the onion, so that by peeling away the layers of kosas
and merging with the central core, atma results in the liberation. The outermost sheath or
kosa is anna or materialism; the second sheath is prana or life energy; the third sheath is mano
or mind; the fourth sheath is jnana or wisdom; and the fifth sheath is ananda or bliss of atma.
Finally, when the fifth sheath is peeled away, the reality of the core atma remains merging
with the supreme soul Brahman. This provides an excellent spectrum of life with the
ultimate goal of realizing atma.

Psyche

In psychoanalysis and depth psychology, psyche refers to the forces in an individual that
influence behavior, thought and personality. Psyche is composed of three components: the
ego, the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. The ego represents the
conscious mind; the personal unconscious contains memories including those that have been
suppressed; the collective unconscious is a collection of psychological inheritance containing
all the knowledge and experience we share as a species.

Archetypes are models of people, behaviors and personalities. Archetypes exist in the
collective unconscious. These are innate, universal and hereditary, and act to organize how
we experience certain things. Car Jung identified four major archetypes, but also believed
that was no limit to the number of archetypes that may exist. The four major archetypes are
given below.

1. The Self:
The Self represents both the conscious and unconscious parts of an individual. The
creation of the Self occurs through individuation by the integration of various
personalities.

2. The Shadow:
The Shadow is the darker side of the psyche, and consists of life and sex instincts as
part of the unconscious mind composed of repressed ideas, desires, weaknesses and

312
 shortcomings. The shadow can appear in dreams or visions in the form of a monster,
dragon, snake or some other exotic figure.

3. The Anima and Animus:

The Anima and Animus are the true inner self rather than the image we present to
others. Anima is the feminine image in male psyche and Animus is the male image in
the female psyche.

4. The Persona:
The Persona is how we present ourselves to others derived from the Latin word mask.

Then what is the relation between soul and psyche? Carl Jung was a proponent of psyche
and wrote much of his work in German. Difficulties arise in translation from German
because the German word “seele” means both psyche and soul. Jung made a conceptual
distinction between soul and psyche. “By psyche, I understand the totality of all psychic
processes, conscious as well as unconscious. By soul, on the other hand, I understand a
clearly demarcated functional complex that can best be described as a personality.”2 The soul
is an entity independent of a physical and mental existence. But it is the source and cause of
all functions. The psyche has the potential to exist only in the mind but cannot function
without the soul. We can only notice the symptom of soul. When salt is dissolved in water,
the salt is invisible; yet, by tasting the water we know that the salt is there. Similarly in the
brain and body, the soul exists, but we do not directly perceive it, only notice its effect.

Do psychologists believe in astrology? In a letter written to Hindu astrologer B.V. Raman,

September 6th 1947 - Carl Jung wrote:

"Since you want to know my opinion about astrology, I can tell you that I've been interested
in this particular activity of the human mind since more than 30 years. As I am a
psychologist, I am chiefly interested in the particular light the horoscope sheds on certain
complications in the character. In cases of difficult psychological diagnosis, I usually get a
horoscope in order to have a further point of view from an entirely different angle. I must
say that I very often found that the astrological data elucidated certain points which I
otherwise would have been unable to understand. From such experiences I formed the
opinion that astrology is of particular interest to the psychologist, since it contains a sort of
psychological experience which we call 'projected' - this means that we find the
psychological facts as it were in the constellations."

Psychology and Archetypes

Jung associated different archetypes with specific planets, and believed birth charts would
generate archetypal images to him that told him something about the subject of the chart.
He frequently looked at the birth charts of his patients, and believed that the symbols in the
charts made suggestions to him from the collective unconscious about that person's psyche.

Jung invented the term synchronicity to describe psychic coincidence. If you have ever
experienced a time when something going on in your mind coincided strangely with
something that happened in the physical world, then you have experienced synchronicity.
4

313
You suddenly think about someone; the phone rings and they're on the other end. You
suddenly hear some friend’s voice who lives far away, and then learn that the person has
died coinciding with the time you heard the voice. You dream about someone you haven't
seen in years, and find the person visiting you next day. You hear a name that you've never
heard before, and suddenly you're hearing it everywhere. Carl Jung believed that these types
of incidents were more than coincidence, and that there is a connection between our
psychological states and the physical world caused by the phenomena of synchronicity, and
referred to it as an "A-causal connecting principle" meaning, essentially, that We Are One,
and everything is connected, including our minds and inner states and the real physical
world around us. Just as the physical world affects us, so our psyche also affects the physical
world. A traditional scientific theory cannot explain the cause and reaction of synchronicity;
we can only experience it and recognize that it happens.

Once we are aware of the existence of synchronicity, we begin to understand that there is a
connection between our psyche and the physical world. This is not something that we can
explain in terms of cause and effect, and it's not useful to us to think about in those terms. It
is the symbolic nature of the phenomena that is useful to us. Our unconscious reaches out to
our consciousness with these symbols, which represent some knowledge contained in the
collective unconscious. If we are open to recognizing and accepting these symbols, it
becomes possible for us to consciously "experience" this knowledge.

Astrology and Archetypes

A strology takes the concept of archetypes to the cosmic level with the collective
unconscious embedded within the cosmos itself. Thus the planets and constellations
of stars called zodiacs are the archetypes. Their movements, positions and patterns
provide significant insight into a person’s potential. This awareness of the meaning of the
archetypal structures and patterns in one’s birth chart enables to fulfill one’s full potential. If
we are unaware of these potent forces then we are puppets of these archetypes. Our whole
potential is suppressed without any self awareness. Astrology reveals which archetypes are
important for each person, how their positions and patterns affect us, how they interact with
each other, and when and how they are likely to be expressed in the course of one’s life.

If the Sun is in Aries, then it indicates action, leadership, energy, aggressiveness, courage
and arrogance in a person. Moon in Taurus indicates that the person is cautious,
trustworthy, stubborn and stable. Mercury in Gemini indicates that the person is smart,
inquisitive, perceptive, humorous, intellectual and adaptable. Venus in Cancer indicates that
the person is kind, loyal, devoted, and clings to lover and friends. Mars in Leo indicates that
the person is confidant, impassioned, energetic and arrogant, and creates excitement. Jupiter
in Virgo indicates that the person is organized, perfectionist, intellectual and tense. Saturn
in Libra indicates that the person is rational, reliable, diplomatic and committed in marriage.
Uranus in Scorpio indicates intuition, strong will, charisma and resourcefulness. Neptune in
Sagittarius indicates freedom, travel and caution in dealing. Pluto in Capricorn indicates
persistence and pragmatism.

The relationship between two planets or aspect increases or decreases the strength of the
planets. If the Sun and another planet are in conjunction, then the second planet will play a
5

314
prominent role in one’s life and character. If the Sun and another planet are in opposition
then the influence of the second planet will be subdued. The aspect pattern between the
planets also has an important role in a person’s life. Grand Trine, when three planets are
forming trines (120 degrees) to each other, creates an open and effortless flow of energy.
Grand Cross with four planets, which form the four squares (90 Degrees) and two
oppositions, is a stressful configuration with lots of challenges and problems. T-square with
three planets, that includes two squares and one opposition, causes lot of difficulties in life
but also provide necessary drive and action to achieve success.

Planetary archetypes are indicative of the cosmic forces at a certain time. It is based on
correlation and correspondence, not based on linear causality. Just as the mercury in the
barometer does not cause the atmospheric pressure, but indicates the atmospheric pressure,
similarly the planetary archetypes do not cause the cosmic forces but correspond to the effect
of these forces on our life. This is represented in the maxim, “as above, so below,” that
reflects all parts of the universe integrated into a cosmic whole.

Astrology and one’s horoscope illuminate the path of a person’s life, showing the outline of
the future3. Astrology never indicates that “this cannot be done” or “you are out of luck.”
Rather, it shows our strengths and weaknesses, what can be done, and how and when. “Stars
incline, but they do not compel.” If we are warned that we are prone to rash actions due to
the influence of certain planets, then we can hold a check on our emotion and avoid rash
action and catastrophic results. If we know that the position of the planets give a favorable
condition, then we can take advantage of it by proper action. This is how astrology can help
without giving specific answers to specific questions.

Astrology and Soul

Soul is separate from the psyche/brain, but cannot function without them and vice versa. As
mentioned earlier, soul is the driver, consciousness contains the control instruments,
psyche/brain represents the car. As the driver starts the car, so the soul triggers the
psyche/brain. The driver looks after the operation, maintenance and security of the car.
Similarly, the soul keeps the psyche/brain functional with the help of consciousness. Even
the most advanced computer needs an engineer to operate and maintain it. The engineer
powers it up, monitors its operation, does regular maintenance and makes sure any failure or
malfunction is properly repaired. In this case, the engineer is the soul and the computer is
the psyche/brain.

What happens when a person dies? People cry and say, “Oh! He is gone.” But what has
gone? The body is still lying there with all the organs, brain and body parts. It is the soul of
the person that has gone. So soul is our true identity. Can science with all the modern
technologies bring back life in to the dead body? The answer is irrevocably “No.” Soul
cannot be created by science. Hence the brain as the source of soul is wrong. After all, the
brain is still there in the dead body.

The cosmic forces symbolized by the planetary archetypes communicate with the soul of a
person. The benefic and malefic cosmic forces indicated by the planetary archetypes
influence the soul. Does it matter to a dead person whether he will be soon in a good time or
6

315
bad time? It certainly does not. But to a living person it is very important to plan and act
accordingly. Since the only difference between the living person and a dead person is soul,
hence it is the soul which receives the cosmic communication and acts accordingly.

Conclusion

In astrology, planets and zodiacs are the archetypes that are indicative of the cosmic forces.
Cosmic forces indicated by these archetypes communicate with the soul of a person. Soul
accordingly monitors the function of the psyche/brain with the help of consciousness. This
is how astrology and soul are related.

References:

1. Das, Tapan. “Theory of Consciousness.” NeuroQuantology, Vol 7, No 3 (2009).

2. Jung, Carl. Psychological Types, Collected Works, Volume 6, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton
University Press.
3. Das, Tapan. Why Astrology is Science: Five Good Reasons. iUniverse (2009).

316
 1

Spiral Of Time And Comets

In The Era Of Great Celestial Conjunction
By
Sergey Smelyakov & Jan Wicherink, Ukraine.

Prof. Sergey Smelyakov is a member of the

“Golden Fund” of Cyclic Science of Russia,
President of Kharkov Regional Astrological
Centre. He owns Ph.D. in Cybernetics and
Doctor’s degree in Numerical Methods. His
site www.astrotheos.com is devoted to synthe-
sis of Astrology, Theosophy and Science in
study of Time. Owing to the grants, he was re-
porting the results of his research pertaining to
this site in England, Scotland, Germany, Rus-
sia. His birth data is June 22, 1953, 5:47 AM
UT, Kharkov, USSR.

Jan Wicherink is an independent re-

searcher with an interest in the astronomical
aspects of 2012 and the preserved esoteric
knowledge concerning this subject by freema-
sonry, religious and spiritual organizations as
well as the American indigenous people. He’s
sharing this interest with Professor Dr. Sergey
Smelyakov and has had the opportunity to co-
author a few articles focusing on the Great
Celestial Conjunction of 2012. His website is
www.soulsofdistortion.nl.

317
 2
1. Comet Hale-Bopp (HB) and its siblings. In 1997 a forecast was published in which the influ-
ence of this comet was predicted on the basis of analysis of its conjunctions with the Sun and
their aspects and associated eclipses [1-3] with the use of conventional astrological concepts. The
qualitative description of effects which could be produced at these conjunctions was presented
by (1) Factors of influence that were divided into three groups: natural, technogeneous, and so-
cio-political; in their turn, in each group a series of directions was specified. For example, for the
first group these are seismicity and volcanism, floods, fires, etc. For these Factors of influence a
concentration of events and/or appearing of record (rare or extremal) events of respective direc-
tion was forecasted. By their nature, these events exert a negative influence (catastrophes, con-
flicts, etc.), although in the third group a favourable events may occur.
The moments of these conjunctions specify the (2) Time Foci of influence which, due to their
mundane (viz. world-wide) nature, are defined as calendar dates with the effective orb of 5 days
which corresponds to 5° orb for Ecliptic conjunctions.
With the use of AstroCartoGraphy, the moments of these conjunctions were also used to obtain
the (3) Geographical Foci of influence – the meridians with the respective orb corresponding to
5° orb for Ecliptic conjunctions, along which the most pronounced manifestations of the events
were expected. In particular, they pass through definite regions of the USA, Russia, Ukraine,
Israel, China, Middle Asia.
It turned out [2,3] that in 1997 the forecasted concentration of events pertaining to the specified
Factors of influence had actually taken place around the defined Time and Geographical Foci, and
many of them were manifested as records; due to the nature of these Factor of influence the most
part of the events present inauspicious kind of events. After then, for several years the Time Foci
had reiteratively marked themselves while continuing the trends (in countries and types of
events) that were firstly marked in 1997 [4-11].
Among these trends those are very important which mark the beginning of military operations
and confrontations at the Time Foci of the comet Hale-Bopp, both local (e.g. between Israel and
Palestinians, N. and S. Koreas) and global; thus, the beginning of the most world-important op-
erations almost exactly fit these Foci: the bombardments of Yugoslavia had started on March 24,
1999 (viz. exactly at Т5, March 24), military invasion in Afghanistan – on March 1, 2002, with a
full swing on March 2 – 6 (viz. exactly at Т3, March 3), the war in Iraq – on March 20, 2003 (viz.
exactly at Т4, March 20), etc.
Not less significant are the trends in acts of terrorism ; the most infamous of them is the 911 at-
tack that took place within a 5° orb of the Focus T7, September 16; note to this end that the prob-
lems of this kind in the USA were predicted [5, 6] namely on the basis of continued manifesta-
tion of these trends over the Time and Geographical Foci.
It is also astonishing that the preceding (Hyakutake) and subsequent comet trajectories are
closely associated with that of the comet Hale-Bopp [14].
After some “lull” in the manifestations of events pertaining to other Factors of influence, since the
middle of the first decade of the XXI century the intensity of manifestations around the Time Foci
had started to grow once again, as well as the number of record events. The most significant exam-
ple – is the starting of the “explosive” stage of the World financial crisis on September 15, 2008 (viz.
exactly at Т7, September 16) [4].
So, the specified Time Foci being defined as calendar dates still continue to manifest them-
selves, well over the time of the pass-by of the comet Hale-Bopp [6 – 10] – up to the current
Spring. At this, as it is seen from the supplied Summary, at these Foci a stable trend relative to
the specified countries and types of events is seen, but the magnitude of manifestations varies
not only from year to year, but from Focus to Focus as well; this Spring the most sound was the

318
 3
Focus TB (April 7-11) which, by aspects, is associated with Algol, Saturn and Moon [3, 14] (See
item (i) of the Forecast, below).
The 14-year analysis [4 – 11] of the trends in event distribution over the Foci of the comet Hale-
Bopp allows us to conclude that the points of Zodiac which correspond to the Foci of this comet has
gained their own significance, and, on this ground, transfer their influence when the Sun passes
these points of Ecliptic, since both the surges of Solar activity [6, 11], and the Geomagnetic
storms (as shown in [6] and in the Summary, below) also show a trend to concentrate or to in-
tensify at the Time Foci.
We may consider various hypotheses relative to the origin of the influence of these Time Foci.
From our viewpoint the following considerations are consistent.
The physical analysis of the parameters of the comet Hale-Bopp shows [James M. McCanney]
that it possesses a huge electrical charge, is far from being a “piece of ice”, and its size is compa-
rable with that of the Moon. If so, its conjunctions with the Sun (viz. alignments with the Sun
on the plane of Ecliptic) may have left a “footprint” in the Interplanetary magnetic field [13].
Therefore, the size of this comet and proximity of its trajectory to the Earth (during 1997) give
us the grounds to consider it as an astrological object and, respectively, the moments of its con-
junctions with the Sun and a series of associate celestial events that took place during its fly-by
in 1997 – as a set of critical points on the Ecliptic, or composite Mundane “Natal” chart for this
comet’s fly-by.
Besides, a long duration of comet HB’s manifestations allows us to suggest that it was probably
that mysterious planet the appearance of which was predicted in the letters of Helena Roerich
who said that fly-by of this planet would cause new influence, not all aspects of which would be
adequately accepted by humanity but which in the upshot would be for common good.
Of course, weak arguments exist as to stating that the influence of this comet would have been
the same 50, 500 or 5000 years ago. However, in the context of the current situation in the space
and phase of the Earth’s evolution we may state that its Foci come to a resonance with a series
of other factors of influence. Just to begin with, these are other comets [14] and the Solar cycles
[6].
More importantly, a series of periodic and background evolutional factors of influence exist
which, by the principle of resonance or response ratio, can be considered as such to amplify the
manifestations of the comet HB’s Foci. In brief, they are as follows.

2. The Great Celestial Conjunction (GCC). In 1996 on the ground of bringing into correlation
the Tropical Zodiac with the Zodiac of the Solar System, the latter being defined by the axes
similar to the Solstice and Equinox ones of the former one, a hypothesis was put forward and
analyzed, on the ground of historical, esoterical and astrological considerations that presumed
that we actually live in an Era of great evolutional transformations [12, 15]. It resulted from the
analysis of alignment of the Tropical Zodiac axes with the Galactic ones. Later on, it was shown
[19] that these and some other alignments are associated with the direct physical influence.
Alongside, after defining more exactly the epoch when the Solstice and Equinox axis of Tropi-
cal Zodiac coincide with their analogues (defined by the planes of Ecliptic and Galactic Equator)
of the Solar Zodiac and correlating the concepts and symbols with those that were presented in
the Secret Doctrine, Mayan and other ancient cultures, the epoch of coincidence of these two
pairs of cardinal axes was named the Great Celestial Conjunction [16].
Among four such conjunctions during a Plato’s year (or Sidereal year, or the cycle of precession of
equinoxes) having an average duration of 25770 years (since this value varies in time [18]), one
takes place at present (denote it G4) it is described by the coincidence of the Tropical Winter Sols-
tice point with the “Equinox” axis of the Solar System defined by the intersection of Ecliptic
plane and Galactic Equator.

319
 4
But it is not only one of four events that takes place once in about 6500 years: it should seeming-
ly be considered as the principal of these four events since both the Tropical Winter Solstice, apart
from conventional astrological considerations, can be considered as the principal of these four
points, and this point is directed to the Galactic Centre.
Moreover, the importance of this epoch is enlarged by its close proximity to the end of the Mayan
Long Count Calendar which, by itself, quite exactly describes the evolutional world trends. At
this, the difference in several years between the millennia durations of these cycles is not signif-
icant and may be attributed to uncertainty in the position of Galactic Equator and Centre of Ga-
laxy as well a to variations in the orientation of Ecliptic.
Therefore, due to the importance of the current conjunction in transmitting of the Space influ-
ence it was proposed to consider it as the Origin of the Plato’s year.
In different aspects the concept of the Great Celestial Conjunctions was later (and seemingly
independently) reflected by John Major Jenkins in the astronomical part of his concept of “Ga-
lactic Alignment” – as a Winter Solstice position of the Sun that conjuncts the Galactic Centre,
and by Nick Anthony Fiorenza in the astronomical part of his concept of “Holy Cross” which
does not consider the Solstice lines (in more detail – See [16]).
Therefore, the current Great Celestial Conjunction can be considered to exert a prolonged back-
ground influence to which the Earth is submitted in the sense that even for its physical effects
[19] this alignment of the Earth’s axes creates a special channel for transmitting the “direct”
Space influence during a relatively long time interval.
Notice, that the preceding GCC (G3) relates to the epoch of approximately 6500 BP (or 4500
BC), which is correlated with a conception of the “ancient” cultures. Before it, the GCC (G2)
took place around 13 000 BP (11 000 BC); this era is correlated with a series of cataclysms and
processes that changed the surface of the Earth, including the North American continent the
Northern part of which had cleared from the glacier shield. 26 000 years age the same (relative
to the mutual orientation of the axes) Great Celestial Conjunction took place as the present one,
after which the last large-scale North American glaciation had started: during the latter part of
the Wisconsin Stage (26,000 to 13,300 years ago) the ice sheets extended to about 45 degrees
north latitude; these sheets were 3 to 4 km thick. Make note, that the termination of this glacia-
tion was synchronous with the GCC G3!
It is also interesting to note that the current year by the Hebrew calendar (viz. 5770), the origin
of which was formerly associated with the “Date of Creation”, is also close to the remoteness of
the GCC G3 and, thus, actually gives a date being close to the last “Creation”, or Transforma-
tion of the Earth’s World.

3. The Auric Time Scale and Mayan Calendar. In 1997 it was shown [20] that the periods of
many, if not majority, of the basic processes in nature and society comply to the discrete values
of progression with the geometric ratio equal to the Golden Mean number Φ = 1.618... (or its in-
verse value ϕ = 0.618... ), or to their doubled values.
By the Latin root (sectio Aurea) it was called the Auric Time Scale (ATS). It is marvelous also
that the average length of the 11-year Solar activity cycle To =11.07 yr and periods of the planets
of the Solar System also fit these series and their harmonic correlations when the period To (or
Earth’s one, it does not matter) is taken for the unity. Moreover, the terms of these series cor-
responding to smaller values, coincide with the basic processes in nature and society [21].
It turned out that this Scale structures not only the periods of various processes by correlating
them with the average duration of the 11-year Solar activity cycle, but the evolutional cycles as
well. The partitioning of the Mayan calendar into periods the lengths of which decrease by the

320
 5
Golden Section has shown that the bounds of these periods (more exactly – short time intervals
centered on these separation epochs) define the crucial epochs when an intense surge of events
take place that pertain both to natural phenomena (Earthquakes, etc.) and evolutional shifts in
civilizations [22, 23].
In particular, the last separation epoch before the end of the Mayan Calendar relates to 1997 (if 7
intervals are considered, the number specific to the esoteric measure of time); this is – the year
of fly-by of the comet Hyakutake, the direct predecessor of the comet HB, the trajectories of
which had made a cross over the Earth as if blessing it with future transformations (the subse-
quent comets have also come to the resonance with their critical points [14]). The respective ef-
fect remains effectual for the separation pointes obtained by increasing the lengths of the inter-
vals by the factor Φ while going to the past from the beginning of the Mayan Calendar (3114
B.C).
Moreover, it turned out that when the ATS is applied to the Mayan calendar to a its full extent,
that is considering the infinite series converging to the end date (December 21, 2012), it gives qu-
alitatively the same separation epochs on the basic interval (before 1997) while it provides us
with an additional series of critical separation epochs (Bifurcation Points, BP). In application to
the Mayan Calendar it was called the Infinite Auric Spiral of Time (IAST) [24].
Since the fly-by of the comet HB four such bifurcation points have passed. The first one, BP12
(January 20, 1997), fits the interval between the first and second comet’s conjunction with the
Sun during its perihelion in 1997: T2, January 3, 1997 and T3, March 3, 1997. Seemingly it was
this synchronism that caused an efficient manifestations of the comet HB’s Foci from the very
beginning.
The second one, BP13 (February 19, 2003), was very close to the calendar Focus Т3 (March 3)
and reflected in intensification of the comet’s influence after some calming down; thus, exactly
on the Focus T4 (March 20) the USA started the war in Iraq.
The point ВР14 (November 22, 2006) was far enough from the comet’s Foci, but when the next
bifurcation point, ВР15 (March 20, 2009), coincided with the Focus Т4 (March 20) the effect was
very powerful [4].
FORECAST (May 4, 2010) [25]
Therefore, we may expect that this year, after a series of stormy manifestations of the
Spring Foci T3 – T5 and, especially – at TB (April 7 – 11) the after-effects (as in the preced-
ing years) can take place pertaining to the comet Hale-Bopp Factors of influence at the fol-
lowing dates:
(i) on May 17, when the Sun will pass Algol (this star is associated with the Focus TB; See
above);
(ii) a sound resonance of the bifurcation point ВР16 (August 26, 2010) with the Focus Т7 (Sep-
tember 16) may take place in the interval August 26 – September 16, the more so since this Fo-
cus is marked by two world-wide catastrophes (911 and explosion of Financial Crisis; See
above);
(iii) a surge of the Timewave Zero function around July 9, 2010, coincides with the comet
HB’s Time Focus Т6 (July 4 with possible after-effects on July 14), thus giving a dangerous
resonance interval for July 4 – 9 (and, possibly, July 9 – 14).

4. The Spiral of Evolutional Time. The concepts of ‘Spiral of Time’, that were mentioned
above, with respect to methodology as to how they were obtained could be considered as empiri-
cal models: although they are verified and tested by observations, the model they are based on
does not follow directly from any concept of general nature. However, just published results

321
 6
show [17] that a generally used concept of “Spiral of Time” not only has a sense, but presents a
chart of mathematical function of physical or evolutional, or psychological, or other type of time
if presented as a polar function of, for example, physical time. Consider the required elements of
this work as its English translation would appear later.
Thus, bringing into correlation the concepts of Time and Space as they are considered in mod-
ern physics with the Theosophical concepts (first of all – The Secrete Doctrine) has shown that
these general categories are generally understood in both these approaches in the same sense,
whereas a series of principal concepts pertaining to cosmology and relativity that were formu-
lated in the second part of the XX century and during the last decades not only have the ade-
quate analogues in the Secret Doctrine, but were verbally described in it.
Physics does not define the concept of Time; instead, in theories it uses a numerical parameter,
the properties of which depend on the selected model, whereas in measurements it rests on use
of various Time Count Systems (TCS) which are based on operational definitions. Therefore, dif-
ferent TCSs are mutually heterogeneous; for instance, their basic periods may differ, and even if
their periods are equal, the respective clocks may define non-uniform ticks: as an example take
the “uniform” ephemeris time and the apparent Solar time. If we compare it with atomic time it
turns out that the ephemeris time is not uniform due to significant variations of Earth parame-
ters.
At this point the scale itself does not cause a problem, since we may divide or multiply the time
unit as required; the problem arises if non-uniform processes are considered in TCSs. For this
reason in physics, economy and other spheres of life the scientists try to select such TCSs which
have close time units, and we do not see the discrepancy between them.
However, if some process develops with a substantial acceleration, the TCS base on it will be
notably non-linear with respect to any physical time system (since the latter are coordinated to
be homogeneous), that is the same “periods of time” with respect to this process will correspond
to smaller and smaller “intervals of physical time”.
In this sense a propagation of the concept of TCS being adopted in physics to other application,
including the evolution, is as natural as in physics when a new TCS is defined. The only differ-
ence is the essence of the parameter called “Time” (we have to specify how to measure the re-
spective quantity).
Then if we define the evolutional time as a mathematical function of physical time, a graph of
typical evolutional cycle would take a form of slowly growing line (at a large interval of physi-
cal time, where the evolutional changes are almost not seen, but the harmonic cycles dominate
and clearly seen – e.g. in seasonal variations) with a more or less sharp rise and fall (depending
on the type of the cycle) at the point of bifurcation (Fig.1.a). A sequence of such cycles present a
saw tooth-like curve (Fig.1.b).
The examples – are economical cycles, evolutional cycles [David Wilcock], cycles of variations
in nature and society during the 11-year Solar activity cycles revealed by Alexander L Tchi-
jevsky, and other.

E
E

0 1 23 t t
0 T
a) b)
Fig. 1. Evolutional cycles

322
 7
a) one cycle: linear development on interval 0 – 1, quick nonlinear rise (1 – 2) and fall (2 – 3)
in the vicinity of the bifurcation point 2;
b) a sequence of evolutional cycles of the same type (arrows denote the vicinities of bifurcation
points); with respect to type of the cycles, the waves may be more and less abrupt.

Now, draw the charts of the same functions, but in a polar coordinate system: we obtain the phase-
plane portrait where the polar angle correspond to physical time, and radius – to the ratio of
time increments for physical and evolutional time scales, respectively.
If the increments are the same for any moment of physical time, we obtain a circle; thus, the in-
terval 0–1 at Fig. 1.a will be reflected by an arc being close to a circle (or to a fragment of a cir-
cle). However, the interval 1–2 will be reflected by a spiral curling to the center: the same incre-
ments of physical time are corresponded by greater and greater increments of evolutional time
so that the ratio rushes to zero, and vice versa – for the fragment 2–3.
Thus, let a single period of physical time (e.g. Plato’s year) present the full sweep angle of 360°.
Then, if an evolutional cycle goes to “infinity” at a bifurcation point while developing during
the whole period, we obtain a spiral presented in Fig.2.a; two spirals (Fig.2.b), if the evolutional
cycle develops twice during the whole period, four spirals (Fig.2.c) – if the evolutional cycle de-
velops four times during the whole period, etc.
Not less amazing is the fact that these spirals, viz. mathematical functions, reflect the world-wide
known symbols of time and cycles in time– the most sacred Mayan symbol G [26], Eastern sym-
bols Yin-Yang, Swastika and some other which you can find in [17], including the case with the
limited growth of function.
Last, but not least is that the psychological time can be defined and reflected in the same way.

a) b) c) d)
Fig.2. Phase-plane portraits of evolutional cycles with infinite growth in the points of bifurca-
tion

5. Spring Foci of the comet hale-Bopp in 2010. This year the statistics of natural cataclysms, air
crashes and technogeneous accidents, as well economical, political and social events of greater
importance and those which present records and concentrate around the comet HB’s Foci have
shown once again that these Foci, both Calendar and Geographical, are still effectual relative to
the major aspects of the Factors of influence pertaining to the Foci of the comet HB. In particu-
lar, the trends that appeared in the USA and Israel, between the N. and S. Koreas, in Russia and
Ukraine a decade ago are seen once again.

323
 8
Besides, a trend in distribution of volcanism and seismicity, that has intensified last year along
the edge of the Pacific Plate, in Europe and in Asia has had world-wide consequences. Once
again, Focus TB manifested itself most violently, like it did in the year 2009 (See Sec. 2 of [10]).
What is important, an event pertaining to one Factor of influence (volcano eruption) has caused
the extremal consequences being specific to all three Factors and exerted influence over the all
Geographic Foci; only several events over the last decade had developed to such a great scale –
the 911 attack and the explosion of the World financial crisis among them at T7 (not counting
the military operations), and they also developed at the comet HB’s Foci, as the tragically
known Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of December 26, 2004 (it was still December 25 in Europe
and America, viz. at the Focus T1, December 21) that killed nearly 230,000 people in fourteen
countries.
However, in the Summary below we consider only those spheres where the specified factors of
influence have manifested themselves to the largest degree and/or continue the trends that
started to appear at the comet HB’s Foci since the very beginning.
On the other hand, all the events that shocked the world in these months also fit these Foci, at
least those which are unique in modern history: for instance the plane crash of the President of
Poland, airtrafic collapse caused by the volcano eruption, an attempt to adopt a bill putting the ban
on astrology and some other.
Seemingly the only event of great significance that fits the Foci and show positive perspectives
(let us hope!) is the following:
TB 08.04 The Presidents of the USA and Russia has signed a new SALT agreement which
returns
a new process of nuclear disarmament that was actually interrupted for decades
This Summary may appear unimportant since the presented events are quite recent, in addition
not all types of events are considered to their fullest extent. But one must note that for the four-
teenth year the records and the concentration of events pertaining to the same Factors of influ-
ence continue to appear in the same regions and cluster around the same calendar dates. And this
does already become a system.
References
1. Smelyakov S. Comets Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp: a Forecast and its Verification / Prec. Int.
Conf. NCGR ”Uranus in Aquarius: Towards the Astrology of the III Millennium” – Mos-
cow, 1997, Astrological Bulletin, # 5.1. – P. 16 – 17. (In Russian)
2. Smelyakov S. Whether the Comet Hale-Bopp is Opening the Gate to the Forthcoming Dec-
ade? – Kharkov: UkrSibAstroBio Cetre Publ.,1997. – 28 p.
3. Whether the Comet Hale-Bopp is Opening the Gate to the Forthcoming Decade?
4. The Comet Hale-Bopp Foci as the Resonance Points of the Chronicle of World Disasters
5. An Astrological Background of the Acute World Trends
6. Summary: Tracing of the comet Hale-Bopp and its successors' effects over the period of 1999
- 2006
7. Non-Planetary Mundane Factors of Influence in 2001
8. Focuses of the Comet Hale-Bopp - the Magic Spectacles for Seeing the Mosaic of the Mundane
Trends?

324
 9
9. Whether Comet Lulin would Energize the Foci of Comet Hale-Bopp?
10. Comet Hale-Bopp’s Foci: the Hidden Schedule of World Disasters , Smelyakov S., Wiche-
rink J.
11. The Heavenly Colleagues and their Earthly Pursuits, or Whether this is Uranus for Whom
the Battlefield is Prepared?
12. Smelyakov S. ON THE THRESHOLD OF NEW ERA: the Structure and Verification of
Model of the Solar System Zodiac. – Kharkov: URSI, 1996. – 28 p. ISBN 5-7360-0053-0 (In
Russian)
13. The Celestial Crosses and Paramount Earth’s Cycles in Astrophysics, Artefacts and Esoterical
Concepts
14. Comet Page Guide
15. Smelyakov S. The Solar Zodiac and the Age of Capricorn // The International Astrologer, Vol.
XXIX (Spring 2000), No. 1, P. 41 – 45.
16. Crucifying the Earth on the Galactic Cross
17. Time as a Measure of Duration of Motion (In Russian) – English version to appear in July,
2010
18. The Celestial Crosses in Earth’s Motions: Geometry and Periods of Paramount Astronomi-
cal Cycles
19. The Celestial Crosses in Earth’s Exposure to the Growing Solar Activity and Galactic Influ-
ence
20. Smelyakov S. The Golden Section in Synchronism of Solar Activity Cycles and Planetary
Revolutions. – Kharkov, UkrSibAstroBio Cetre Publ., 1997. – 80p.
21. ATS as algebraic Structure of the Basic Periods in Nature and Society
22. Smelyakov S.V., Karpenko Yu.B. The Auric Time Scale and the Mayan Factor. – Kharkov,
Constanta Publ., 1999. – 72 p. (ISBN 966-7309-53-3)
23. The Auric Time Scale And The Mayan Factor
24. The Last Multi-Turns of the Spiral of Time before it Rolls Up to Appear in New Reality
25. Spiral of time and mundane influence of comets in the era of Great Celestial Conjunction
(In Russian)
26. Hunbatz Men. Secrets of Mayan Science/Religion. BEAR & COMPANY PUBLISHING
SUMMARY
Distribution of events of extreme nature over the Factors of influence
and Time Foci of the comet Hale-Bopp
In this Summary the events are distributed in the following format:
Ti Date: country, event {victims, wounded and other features}
where Ti specifies a Time Focus (T3, T8, T4, Т5, ТВ), and Date – the calendar date for the re-
lated event(s) which, as a rule, lies in a 5 day orb of the Focus corresponding to 5° orb of Sun-
HB conjunction.

325
 10
The calendar dates of the considered Foci are as follows
T3 (March 3), Т8 (March 13), T4 (March 20), Т5 (March 24), ТВ (April 7 – 11)

UPDATES
(May 20, 2010)
The above article and the below Summary were posted on May 4, 2010 [25]. As it turned out that
with respect to the above Forecast (item i), the events of extremal nature pertaining to the com-
et HB’s Factors of influence had actually started to appear and to continue the specified trends
at the resonance point of May 17, the below Summary was replenished with the respective events at
rubric AE (after- effects).

FACTOR 1: NATURAL CALAMITIES

EARTHQUAKES, VOLCANO ERUPTIONS
As in the first manifestations of the comet HB’s Foci in 1997, the natural calamities were start-
ing in 2 – 3 days before the Foci dates.
T3 27.02 Chili: earthquake, 9 on Richter scale – the strongest in 50 years.
700 victims, thousands missing, 2 million homeless. By its magnitude it was 10
times more powerful than the preceding quake in Haiti. It nearly outshined the
most destructive quake ever registered that took place also in Chili, in 1960. After-
ward, 45 more aftershocks were registered of various intensity. It shortened the
length of day by 1.26 microsecond and shifted the Earth’s axis by 8 cm
28.02 Afghanistan, Pakistan, India: earthquake, more than 6 on Richter scale
04.03 Taiwan: a powerful quake, 6.5 on Richter scale; landslides, land lapse, fires, de-
struction of
buildings, blocking of railways. As an alarm clock this region (together with conti-
nental China) reacts to the Foci since the year of 1997
07.03 Kurile Islands: three quakes (up to 5.5 on Richter scale)
T8 08.03 Turkey: powerful quake (6 on Richter scale), 38 victims
14.03 Japan, Tokyo: powerful quakes – up 6.6 on Richter scale
Т4 20.03 Iceland: the state of emergency is announced due to the beginning of volcano eruption
After a 200 years dormant, the volcano Eyjafjallajkull has waked up. 500 people are
evacuated from its suburbs. 3 flights from the USA to Iceland are cancelled
ТВ 05.04 Mexico: powerful quake, 7.2 on Richter scale; 2 victims, hundreds of wounded.
Large-scale losses were prevented since this region is sparsely populated, although
in several towns the power and water supply, communication lines are discontin-
ued; of roads and buildings are destructed. An echo of this quake was felt by 20
million people in Arizona and California where the shocks continued for 30
seconds: it caused a panic in shops, where the goods were falling on the buyers,
calls to 911 due to blocking of elevators, etc. Although there were no victims, the
Americans were frightened: such shocks were not felt in these States since 1979.
09.04 Russia, Kamchatka: intensification of ash clouds from volcano Shiveluch
14.04 Iceland: the volcano Eyjafjallajkull exploded with ash after the second crater had
opened.
By having started its activity as natural calamity at Focus T4, now, at Focus TB, it
propagates its influence over all three Factors of influence.

326
 11
As this volcano was covered by a glacier of 5 km in diameter, the floods covered the
ground and the clouds of ash and steam covered the sky and started to propagate
toward Europe. An eruption of the same type took place in 1821-1823, 1612 and in 920.
Since April 15 the ash cloud paralyzed the air communication over Europe, and
conventional communications on the Seas and ground due to a cancel of flights.
Even half of the flights between the USA and Europe are canceled since the silicon
micro particles can disrupt the engines, as it was with Finnish air fighters F16 that
got in the cloud. Such an airspace shutdown was not observed since WWII, and
has no precedents in its scale: 300 airports are blocked, 63 000 flights are cancelled, 7
mill. people cancelled their flights, 10 mill. people rushed to railway stations. Eu-
ropean airlines suffer a damage of 150 – 200 million Euro per day. General damage
to airlines, apart from that to passengers and loads, makes more than 2 billion Eu-
ros.
14.04 China: the most powerful quake of the year, 7.1 on Richter scale has destructed city
Tsega
2064 victims, 175 missing, 12 000 wounded. The subsequent multiple after-shocks,
land slides and gale-strength winds destructed 85% of the buildings, power supply
lines, roads. National mourning is declared.
AE May 16-17 a month after the air traffic collapse at the Focus TB, the ash clouds from the
volcano
Eyjafjallajkull had caused, firstly since the period of TB, a sharp worsening of the
conditions for flights over Europe, although on a lesser scale:
16.05 Ireland closes its airspace for the flights. The GB and Germany notify that the air-
space
might be closed. Test flights are undertaken for measuring the density of ash
clouds
17.05 Europe: more than 1000 flights are canceled. A day before the expected time the air-
space
is closed for the largest London airports. Amsterdam, London were inoperative al-
most all day long. Dozens of flights are canceled in Portugal. The Dutch airports
are under a threat
In continuation of the April and last year activity at Spring Foci a series of earthquakes and
volcano eruption take place along the Pacific Ring of Fire
AE 11.05 Russia, Kamchatka: intensification of one of the highest (5000 m) active volcano.
The ash
and dust is flowing to the Pacific at an altitude of 6000 m
16.05 Russia, Kamchatka: a quake, 4.5 on Richter scale
16.05 New Zealand: a series of quakes of 3.3 to 4.5 on Richter scale
16.05 Tonga island: a quake, 6.0 on Richter scale
19.05 Russia: 5 quakes at the Far Eastern coast – up to 5 on Richter scale
19.05 Peru: a quake, 6.4 on Richter scale
20.05 Russia, Kamchatka: intensification of ash clouds from volcano Shiveluch (See TB):
before May 17 a mudflow from its slope blocked a road and destructed a dam.
Since May 19 it throws the ash and dust to an altitude of 5000 m; alongside, about
50 quakes is registered in this region. Airspace limitations are estimated.

MAGNETIC STORMS
ТВ 6-7.04 The strongest magnetic storm in 1.5 years is registered on the Earth

327
 12
In its active phase it lasted for 9 hour. By its intensity it was a huge geomagnetic
disturbance that was caused by a coronal mass ejection. Noteworthy that it was
unexpected even for geophysicists since no noticeable Solar flares were seen which
usually cause such events. Note to this end that the Solar events were synchronous
with the comet HB’s Foci in the previous years as well [11]
12.04 The peak of the second magnetic storm is registered on the background of a quiet
Sun. As the
geophysicists note, in both cases there were no visible causes for these events: if the
first storm was preceded at least by a small Solar flare, the second was not accompa-
nied by any one
HURRICANES, LANDSLIDES
Т3 27.02 – 1.03 A wild storm called Xynthia hit Europe – the most destructive in15 years.
At least 57 people have been killed, dozens are missing, hundreds are wounded.
Hundreds dwellings are destroyed, millions of houses have no electricity. First it
hit the Canaries, and then – Spain and France, with floods and record winds (up to
220 km per hour). Salt water filled the fields, most of which could not be recreated.
For France, the damage is estimated as 1.5 bill. Euro. Chaos came to some regions
of Germany with closing of some roads, airports and railway stations. Avalanches
in Switzerland killed two people.
03.03: Uganda: mudflow washed off several villages, min 100 people killed, 300 missing
05.03: Anomalously great waves (9 meters) had abruptly stroke a cruise liner near Spain: 2
killed,
14 wounded. Such waves may appear in Mediterranean, but once or twice a year
Т8 09.03 In France and Spain a cyclone had turned Spring into a Russian Winter: 40 cm of
snow
has fallen in one night. Dozens of thousand houses had no electricity, roads are
drifted
13.03 Kazakhstan: a flood killed 35 people
Т4 20.03 China: a huge sand-storm covers 21 region of China during March 19 – 21.
Sand and dust propagate over thousand kilometers to South and East from Inner
Mongolia; a yellow dust had decreased the visibility and quality of the air to a dan-
gerous level not only in Beijing, but in Taiwan as well. Several days later it reaches
Japan.
The year of 2009 has become the most favorable for the number of sand storms in
China over a decade. But the sand-dust storms of this year have surpassed them
both in quantity and intensity. Thus, already 5 dust storms are registered in China
this year which makes an average yearly number (4 -5 events) for the last decade.
However, the first storm in 2010 took place on March 11 only (this is firstly since
2001) – that is at the Focus T8 (March 13); with a small intervals four more storms
stroke the country.
Т5 28.03 USA: a wide range of convective events on the area from Florida to Virginia:
8 tornados moved houses, pulled out trees, etc. the gusts reached 140 km per hour,
the size of the hailstones reached the size of a baseball ball. Loss of power supply
ТВ 7.04 Brasilia: a shower brought a record of precipitation in 44 years and flood in Rio de
Janeiro.
In less than a day a monthly norm of precipitation has fallen, although a raining sea-
son is generally stops in February. A state of emergency is declared: schools and most

328
 13
offices are closed. Road are blocked, 180 mudflows killed 133 people. 95 victims of flood,
dozens are missing.
08.04 Rio de Janeiro: new mudflow kills more than 200 people.
12.04 Italy: mudflow kills 10 train passengers, 4 missing, 28 wounded
13.04 India: powerful cyclone kills more than 116 people. The speed of wind exceeds 160
km/h,
the hurricane disrupts the roofs, uproots the trees
AE 16.05 Eastern Europe: heavy showers start the floods being a record in dozens of years
On May 17-18 the floods become extremal: dozens of victims, hundreds of thou-
sand flooded houses, washed off fields, destructed bridges and roads. Large-scale
evacuation of population and cattle. The record floods cover a region from Poland
to Bulgaria, from Czech to Ukraine. In particular:
16.05 Western Ukraine: In a day a monthly norm of precipitation has fallen, but the rains
continue in the subsequent days. The level of rivers is expected to raise by 4.5 me-
ters
17.05 Czech: state of emergency is declared
Hungary: such a flood was not observed for 40 – 50 years; some villages are cut
from the
roads. The military and local citizens are emergently erecting the protective dams.
Moscow: a ‘tropical’ shower (40% of monthly norm of precipitation) paralyzes traf-
fic. On
the next day a squall has broken 170 trees.
18.05 Poland: the “red” level of danger is announced for May 18 and 19. The rains are ex-
pected
for several days more. The level of Vistula at Krakow has exceeded the centenary
record. For Poland the damage exceeds 2 billion Euros. Slovakia: army is used in sav-
ing operations. Croatia: a record is established – in several hours 116 mm of precipi-
tations have fallen. There, as in Bulgaria, fields are badly damaged.
15-16.05 China: a very powerful storm and flood – unprecedented in 20 years. The field of vision
drops to 1 m. More than 100 victims, hundreds of thousand peoples are evacuated.
17.05 The season of rains and floods in the Southern China has started much earlier than
ever.
First showers started in the beginning of March (viz. at T3) – the earliest term in 20
years (as a rule, they start at the end of March or in April). Just in Tzyan-ci prov-
ince 270 000 people suffer damage. Chinese scientists associate this with El Niño.
19.05 Chili: snowfall in the most dry place of the Planet – virtually rainless Atacama
Desert – has
stopped operation of the Observatory – one of the most important in the world
20.05 India: an approaching of a powerful cyclone results in evacuation of 110 000 people
17 ± 7 USA: inexplicable 10-year maximum in tornado activity: just in Oklahoma several do-
zens
of tornado in 2 weeks; there were only 3 before May 10, but 24 to 30 tornados were
registered on this day; in the most powerful the speed of wind reached 300 to 360
km/hr.
NOTE. NOAA: Warmest April Temperature on Record: the combined global land and ocean sur-
face temperature was the warmest on record for both April and for the period from January-April.
Additionally, last month’s average ocean surface temperature was the warmest on record for any
April, and the global land surface temperature was the third warmest on record. This extra ther-
mal energy cannot but find the output in an intensification of El Niño and, as a consequence, in rein-

329
 14
forcement of processes that cause extremal precipitations and storms (Europe, S. America), tornadoes
(USA), dust storms (China), etc.
Meanwhile, a question arises: why the average temperature has grown? In some cases such an
increase is associated with the grows of Solar activity; but for several years (even 2-3 years longer
than it was expected) the Sun resides at the phase of 11-year minimum. The adequate answer to
this question, from our point of view, is given in [The Mahatma Letters, #23] where it is explained
that this is a meteoric dust which contributes to the greatest extent to increase in precipitation and
growth of temperature. And this statement is supported by the fact that at present the per-year mass
of the falling cosmic dust is increasing [13], as the number of asteroids which fly-by close to the
Earth [10]; to this end it’s worth mentioning the following:
TB 16.04 USA: after watching a relatively slow fly-by of a huge meteorite (they did not
know what
it was), people started to warn security services about coming of extra-terrestrials
Therefore, this external influence and its manifestations at the comet HB’s Foci allow us to as-
sume that later on the intensity of natural cataclysms associated with atmospheric processes
would grow and, with respect to this Summary, would continue to concentrate at the specified
Foci.

FACTOR 2: ENGINEERING DISASTERS

Among the technogeneous disasters at the Foci once again the events took place being typical
for the specified Factors of influence: destruction of buildings with victims (Hinduist Temple in
India, 20 victims, 30 wounded, on March 4); falling of cranes (Russia, Krasnoyarsk, 6 wounded,
March 26); fires (Moscow, 600 people evacuated, March 27); technogeneous explosions (Mos-
cow, April 7), etc. As well, large-scale car crashes took place (USA: crash of 31 car, 15 badly
wounded, March 6; Russia: creation of illegal car- shield on the road by police, March 9), ship-
wrecks, etc. To this end the following is important:
TB 14.04 a shipwreck took place that caused an ecological catastrophe: a Chinese tanker had
rammed the Bar Reef. Ecologists think that years would be required for eliminating
the consequences of this catastrophe.
since, as in the previous years (since 1997), an after-effect took place: two weeks later an unre-
corded catastrophe takes place with a BP’s platform in the Gulf of Mexico: more than 20 000
barrels of oil is escape daily to the sea. The damage exceeds 5 billion USD.
AE 13.05 Philippines: a conflagration destroyed a residential area; thousands became home-
less
17.05 Israel: extreme hot (up to 43°C) caused a series of natural fires; one of them had
thrown to
a minefield – several mines exploded. A highway was closed
17.05 Turkey: an explosion in a coal mine; 30 people killed, 8 wounded
19.05 Russia, Kuznetsk Basin: landslip in a mine, 2 missed, several wounded
Gulf of Mexico: several unsuccessful attempts to stop oil leakage at a mile leakage
But the most significant, along with the natural disasters, were the events associated with the
air crashes that basically concentrated at the Focus TB which is associated with the influence of
Algol and Saturn.

AVIATION ACCIDENTS
Т4 21.03 Moscow: emergency landing of smoking plane Tu-204
Т5 26.03 NASA decides to launch shuttle Discovery on April 5 (viz. at TB) regardless of
some

330
 15
technical troubles (Helium leakage in the right engine). Initially, the launch
planned on March 18 (viz. T4), but was put off due a bad weather.
ТВ 09.04 Russia, Voronezh: emergency landing of An-24
10.04 Russia, Kamchatka: an avalanche covered a helicopter that landed near a mound: 10
killed,
including 5 Germans; 8 tourists are saved from a 10 meter drift
10.04 Afghanistan: US helicopter CV-22 is shaken down; 4 victims, several wounded
10.04 Russia, Smolensk: crash-landing of the plane of the President of Poland in poor
weather
conditions (fog), 96 victims. The President was accompanied by his wife and the
highest State officials during an unofficial visit to Katyn. This situation is not de-
prived of mystical background since he was traveling to the place where the Polish
officers were executed by the order of Stalin. In Poland, Russia, EU and some oth-
er countries a mourning is declared.
Although the inquiry is not finished at the moment, it is declared that the plane
was in good shape. Competent persons remind that a similar situation took place
in 2008 during a flight to Tbilisi when the pilots were forced to land at the adverse
weather conditions.
Note.
In 30 years five Presidents’ planes have crashed, but never so many officials became the vic-
tims:
1981 – President of Ecuador: due to a pilots’ error the plane crashed in a hill;
1986 – President of Mozambique and 39 accompanying persons: the plane crashed in a hill;
1988 – PM of Pakistan and Commander-in-Chief: the plane dived and crashed (diversion is as-
sumed);
1994 – Presidents of Rwanda and Burundi: the plane was shot down by a missile;
2004 – Presidents of Macedonia: air crash due to a pilots’ error.
Make note that only the latter case took place after the arrival of the comet Hale-Bopp, but on
February 26, viz. near the Focus T3. This means that both air crashes with Presidents during the
last 14 years took place at the Foci of the comet HB!
13.04 Indonesia: on landing, the plane slid into a river, 20 wounded
14.04 NASA cannot repair the cooling system of ISS.
Two days later – the landing of Shuttle is postponed several times
14.04 Mexico: air crash, 6 victims
14.04 Start of airtrafic collapse in Europe; airtrafic with Asia and America is
cancelled due to the ash clouds of the Iceland volcano.
Notes.
At the Focus TB a synthesis of all three Factors of influence – natural (volcano eruption), techno-
geneous (cancelling of flights) and social (10 million passengers’ problems, etc. ) became apparent,
on the unprecedented level. These world-wide effects of the Foci become more and more notice-
able since the tsunami of 2004 at the Focus T1.
AE 15.05 Shuttle Atlantis: the crew cannot start inspection of outer casing due to a failure in
infra-red camera. At the same time, a problem arises at the ISS: its orbit must be
changed for escaping a collision with a space debris (to this end See also the Note,
above, and [10] relative to the influence of various space objects).

331
 16
Notice, that as with the President’s airplane crash at Focus TB, the majority of crashes in the
below “after-effects” are associated with landing and/or poor weather conditions
AE 12.05 Tripoli: crash of airbus А-330-200 on landing. 103 victims, one boy is saved by a mi-
racle.
As an after-effect of TB this crash resembles that with the President of Poland: it
is also a crash-landing directly before a landing strip, a crash of the plane that was in
a good shape
16.05 Surinam: crash of twin-engine plane An-28 due to a low visibility. 8 victims.
17.05 Afghanistan: crash of air liner due to a fog. 45 victims
17.05 Philippines: crash of helicopter. 6 victims
19.05 Russia, Stavropol: crash of helicopter; pilot is badly wounded
19.05 Georgia: a scandal with installing a catapult in the president Saakashvili’s plane. Once
again
the opposition accuses him in embezzlement of state funds: “apart from buying for his
own comfort a plane for 56 mill. USD, he ordered to provide it with a catapult (after
the crash of President of Poland) for 7 million USD whereas he promised to use just
the passenger planes”
19.05 Moscow: emergent landing of Boeing-737
19.05 England: a collision between a plane and a car: a small private airplane has rammed
a car
during an emergent landing on the road. The drivers did not suffer, the pilot is
hospitalized
19.05 Moscow: Press Conference after the results of investigation of the crash of President’s
plane:
The Int. Aviation Committee says that the crash (at TB) was not caused neither
by an explosion, nor by fire or technical failure. But it is still unclear what was the
cause of the crash. It is stated that two outside persons were in the cabin, president
and passengers were speaking by mobile. The screw was formed several days be-
fore the flight and it was informed about poor weather conditions.
22.05 India: an inflamed Boeing 737 had fallen before the runway; 158 victims, 8 wounded

FACTOR 3: SOCIAL EFFECTS

3.1. Violation of psychological and legislative boundaries by individuals and groups
Acts of Terrorism (AT)
Т8 08.03 Pakistan: AT: 14 victims, 70 wounded; suicide-bomber in a car attacked a police sta-
tion
Т5 29.03 Moscow: Two suicide-bomber-girls performed ATs in the underground. 37 vic-
tims,
60 wounded. It is are reported that more bombs were revealed and deactivated that
day
29.03 Russia, Chelyabinsk: especially dangerous criminal Bashir is detained.
His band organized criminal underground and secret religious extremist groups; it
was kidnapping and planned a series of ATs with suicide-bombers
ТВ 04.04 Russia, Dagestan: AT on the railway: 8 carriages were derailed
05.04 Pakistan, Peshawar: suicide-bombers attacked the US Embassy with 6 bombs,
another
group shelled it. 4 killed, 10 wounded.
On the same day one of the suicide-bombers made a powerful explosion: 39 V, 100
W

332
 17
07.04 New York: a powerful explosion in a tourist heart of the city is supposed to be an
AT: from
the covers of underground communications the tongues of flame and smoke have
broken away. Police evacuates the dwellers of the nearby houses.
AE 14.05 Athens: explosion of a powerful bomb in downtown; several wounded
16.05 New York: one more attempt to perform an act of terrorism with gas in cans in a
car
17.05 India: Maoists exploded a line bus: 40 victims
17.05 Russia, Kabardino-Balkaria: gangsters fired a police car; a bomb exploded in Minister’s
house
18.05 Moscow: a tear-gas sprayed by someone in underground station in peak hours
caused panic
18.05 Kabul: act of terrorism: 20 victims, 52 wounded
18.05 Pakistan: act of terrorism: 12 victims, 7 wounded
Telephone terrorists:
14.05 Latvia: Latvian airline was informed about a bomb on board during a flight to Ber-
lin.
After landing no bomb was found
16.05 Canada: forced landing of Hong Kong airline Airbus А340 with 300 people in Van-
couver
During the flight from Hong Kong, unknown person phoned to Canadian police
and said that the plane was mined. After landing no bomb was found
Crazy shooting
Т4 21.03 Moscow: a man who killed his wife and two daughters is directed to psychiatric ex-
amination
23.03 China: a man killed 8 children in the yard of primary school
Т5 29.03 USA, Detroit: 9 members of secret group Hutaree (“Christian Warriors”) accused
in plot to
kill police and cause disorders in the name of Christ
31.04 Washington, DC: Crazy shooting into travelers from a transiting car: 3 killed, 6
wounded
AE 12.05 China: 6 small children and a mentor are killed, 20 wounded by the ax at a kindergarten:
the attacker, 48 years old villager, committed suicide. This is the 5-th case in two
months – the first took place at the Focus T4, then – on April 28 (16 schoolboys and a
teacher were wounded by knife), the attacker was a former teacher; on April 29 (28
children and 3 adults were wounded) when a man attacked a kindergarten; April 30
(5 children were wounded by a hammer), the attacker committed suicide by self-
immolation.
Vandalism
Т8 14.03 Poland, Krakow: defilement of the Holocaust memorial on the place of concentra-
tion
camp where Nazis killed Krakow Jews
AE 17.05 Spain: night pogroms, mass fights of fans with police
Gangsters and illegal business, pirates
Т4 26.03 Moscow: police detained a band that robbed 15 collector cars.

333
 18
ТВ 08.04 Israel: a band is arrested that was trading the human organs; among them are law-
yers,
specialists in logistics and even a retired army general
09.04 The former head of Polaroid sentenced to 50 years for swindling (financial pyra-
mids); it is
proved that he had stolen 3.65 billion USD. 9 more persons are sentenced with this
affair
14.04 Germany: the record (in Germany) cocaine batch of 1.5 ton is seized in the Ham-
burg
14.04 Ukraine: the country is agitated by a mystical news: the historical remains of state-
founder
duke Yaroslav the Wise disappeared from the Temple- memorial " Sofia of Kiev"
AE 13.05 Russia: a spy who passed secret maps to Pentagon is sentenced to 4 years of impri-
sonment
17.05 Cameroon: at night the ship “North Spirit” entered the port for unloading. 20
armed people
occupied the ship: under the threat of guns and spilled benzene they broke the
communications, robbed the cabins and ship cash, and kidnapped the captain and
major mechanic. This is considered as a new tactics in pirates’ action. It is worth
mentioning that this is the second kidnapping of major mechanic – in August of
2009 he was in the crew of the timber ship Arctic Sea that was seized in Baltic and
taken to the African coast.
19.05 Paris: “the greatest robbery of museum in the history” - at night, from the Mu-
seum of
modern arts five paintings of the famous artists (Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani)
were stolen. The cost of these paintings makes more than 500 million Euros!
Assassinations
ТВ 12.04 Moscow: the judge of Moscow city court is shot who proclaimed the sentence to
the
“White wolfs” band: the skinheads are condemned for the killing attempts on the
race intolerance. He was threatened, in particular – at the Web forums.
Poisoning, Epidemics, Genetics
ТВ 07.04 Russia, Arkhangelsk: 86 people are poisoned in a hospice, 61 are put into hospital
AE 18.05 Russia, Altay: 102 schoolchildren are hospitalized after poisoning by unknown gas
18.05 Tajikistan: outbreak of poliomyelitis cannot be localized. 409 children are under
suspicion
84 cases are certified, 3 children died in a clinic
20.05 USA: a break-through in genetics: for the first time an artificial cell is synthesized.
Notice,
that since the Spring of 1997 many important events in genetics also follow the
HB’s Foci

3.2. VIOLATION OF PSYCOLOGICAL AND LEGISLATIVE BOUNDS

3.2.А. MILITARY ACTIONS
Friendly fire
ТВ 04.04 Afghanistan: Bundeswehr soldiers ‘mistakenly’ killed 6 soldiers of Afghan army

334
 19
09.04 Russia: at night tank exercises 2 officers are killed
10.04 Ukraine: 2 soldiers are killed at an artillery range

Israeli-Palestinian confrontation
Т8 11.03 Israel: Palestine rocket killed a citizen of Thailand
Т4 19.04 Israeli Air Force delivered Gaza strip a series of strikes in response to wounding 2
citizens
Т5 26.03 Hamas militants shot 2 Israeli soldiers; in response, Israeli soldiers killed 2 mili-
tants
27.03Israeli armored troops has entered Gaza strip and shelled it at a support of helicop-
ters.
An emergent evacuation has started
ТВ 02.04 Israeli Air Force delivered Gaza strip a series of strikes

Confrontation between the North and South Koreas

Т5 26.03 Once again, the North and South Koreas are on the brink of the war:
near the maritime boundary of North Korea a South Korean Combat Corvette
“Chonan” with the displacement of 1500 tons has sunk. Out of the crew of 104
people, 46 are missing. After the explosion it appeared a hole in the bottom. Imme-
diately after the event a suspicion was declared as to the North Korean torpedo or
underwater kamikaze attack.
AE 16.05 Two N. Korean warships broke the border where the Corvette “Chonan” had sunk.
The S. Korean ships started the warning fire and the N. Korean ships returned back
20.05 Seoul: S. Korea officially accused N. Korea in destruction of Corvette “Chonan”
The committee of investigation has officially declared that this corvette was de-
stroyed by a torpedo from N. Korean submarine. This conclusion follows from the
remains of the torpedo with the N. Korean marking

3.2.Б. REVOLUTIONS AND RIOTS

Т3 6-8.03 Nigeria: more than 500 people are killed in the result of Moslem-Christian clashes
Kirgizia: the collapse of “Tulip revolution”
ТВ 07.04 The temporary government dissolves the Parliament and assumed the legislature
As in the previous revolution, the protests started at the end of March – by the 5th
anniversary of the “Tulip revolution” that gave the presidency to Bakiev on the
wave of mass disturbances being analogous to the current ones. During mass pro-
tests of opposition 76 people are killed and 1520 are wounded. Masses produced a
pogrom in the Parliament and started a large scale marauding..
9-10.04 are declared the days of morning in Kirgizia. The deposed president leaves the
country
AE 13-15.05 After the overturn at TB the disorders started in Kirgizia once again:
On May 13 the opponents of the temporary government seized the power in Osh.
On May 14 the clashes (with sticks, stones and guns) took place in Dzhelal-Abad
between the supporters of the temporary government and former president with
the demand to free the seized residence of regional administration. Snipers were al-
so engaged in firing. On May 15 an attempt was made to destroy the monument of
Freedom in the centre of the Capital

335
 20
18-19.05 Dzhelal-Abad: in mass clashes 2 people are killed, 62 – wounded, 2 – badly
wounded. The supporters of ex-president had thrown stones in opponents and
State University

Note, that as in Kirgizia, after 5 years of “Tulip revolution”, so in Ukraine, after 5 years of
“Orange revolution” a throwing down of former powers, but legal, takes place at the Foci and
very quickly.
Ukraine: a fiasco of the “Orange revolution”
Т3 03.03 Ukraine: after election of new President a new majority is organized in the Parlia-
ment,
which supports him, without the elections. The coalition retires the “orange” PM
and Cabinet and form new government.
ТВ 03.04 Ukraine deflects the plan of joining NATO; this is the first of a series of decisions
which
abolishes the key anti-Russia programs of the former Orange rulers.
03.03 a court cancels the just adopted (in January) decision of the former president re to
decoration of Bandera (a shady ‘hero’ of the western regions who collaborated with
Nazis) with the highest order of Ukraine; his followers were fighting for this since
the WWII
Thailand: a reiterative attempt of coup d'etat at the Focus TB
ТВ 07.04 Demos threaten to seize the Parliament. The state of emergency is declared in
Thailand
50 000 police and soldiers are entered in the Capital. Opposition ignores the state of
emergency
09.04 Criminal court of Thailand gives a sanction on detaining of 27 leaders of opposi-
tion
With March 12 (viz. T8) the opposition continues the mass protests in Bangkok;
they promise “to force the PM to fulfill their demands” by April 12 (viz. TB)
AE 16-19.05: three-month confrontation transforms to a phase of armed conflict:
the preceding surge of counteraction took place on April 10 (viz. at TB), when thee
army attempted to disperse the demos, but the “red-shorts” had shown a fierce re-
sistance; 25 were killed, 870 wounded.
14.05 In 17 regions the state of emergency is announced. The clashes between the army
and
opposition were going in Bangkok all night long. 10 000 people have occupied the
centre of the Capital; the erect the barricades with the aim to repulse the army. Sol-
diers have started to shoot in protesters
16.05 The Government announces the centre of Bangkok to be “a zone of battering”:
there the camp of “red-shorts” is allocated. They continue to erect barricades, put
the wheels to fire, throw grenades and inflammatory bottles in soldiers. Officials
are evacuated from the city, as well as women and children.
17.05 In two days the centre of Bangkok has turned into a zone of military actions. Shooting
and
explosions have silenced just in the morning. The term of the Governmental ultima-
tum expires without a result. Disturbances do not calm down, dozens of victims, hun-
dreds of wounded.
19.05 With support of armoured troop-carriers the army has started the storm of barri-
cades.

336
 21
the number of victims and arrested protesters are growing. The robberies and arsons (2
banks, TV centre, etc.) are propagating. The curfew is announced in Bangkok.
By the evening, the opposition have surrendered. The 4-day armed conflict is terminated
with a dismal end: 60 victims, 1500 wounded.
Mongolia
ТВ 8-9.04 Opposition started the protest actions with the demand to dissolve the Parliament
Others went on hunger-strike demanding a referendum on confidence to the par-
liament

3.2.В. INTERNATIONAL SCANDALS AND UNEXPECTED DECLARATIONS

Political scandals of international meaning
Т8 13.03 Georgia: at Saturday night the country was seized by panic: the TV channel “Im-
edi”
presents a special news issue that the Russian tanks has invaded in Georgia, the
plans were to bomb the cities and president Saakashvili is killed. In panic, the citi-
zens started to leave the houses. A minor reservation that it is not a reality was not
noticed.
14.03 Russia, Lipetsk TV has threaten the citizens by an info that NATO invaded in Be-
larus
ТВ 08.04 USA: during a Washington-Denver flight a Qatar Vice-consul attempted to set his
shoes on
fire; he was neutralized by marshals
13.04 Ukraine: in the Parliament a bill is registered that has no precedents since the
times of
inquisition: in the draft it is proposed to ban any activity pertaining to astrology,
forecasting and healing except of those “documentary” films that narrate about
negative impact of future (fortune) predicting services. Astrologers of the Ukraine
have started to protest. Even in the Soviet times there were no laws which prohibit
astrology!
AE 17.05 Japan: in a protest to the USA base in Okinawa, a living line have encircled the
base
18.05 The Security Council considers a proposal as to putting new sanctions against Iran
Shocking deeds, children
T3 04.03 New York: a great scandal has agitated the USA: for an hour a child was monitor-
ing
the air traffic in the largest international airport; he gave the permissions for land-
ing and taking off; he turned out to be a son of traffic superintendent.
ТВ 09.04 USA, a shocking history: a stepmother has returned her adopted 7-years old son to
Russia
by sending him alone, with a writing that she made a mistake and now let some-
body else take him. In few days Russia adopts a temporary moratorium on adop-
tion of children by USA citizens
AE 19.05 USA: new scandal is flaring up that is associated with an adopted child from Russia:
although the adoptive parents were informed about not good heredity of a boy,
they demand 10 million USD from the adoptive agency
19.05 Germany: investigation is started re to illegal adoption of Russian children: some firm
has illegally brought 30 children in Germany

337
 22
19.05 Moscow, Mytishchi: a citizen of Uzbekistan had made an attempt to sell her 3-month
son
for 300 USD. She was arrested on getting money.
International agreements
ТВ 08.04 The Presidents of Russia and USA have signed the long expected new SALT
agreement
The negotiations were lasting more than a year; since Autumn, several times it was
announced that it would be signed ‘in a week or two’. It returns these states to the
process of nuclear disarmament that was actually disrupted a decade ago
3.3. ECONOMIC RECORDS
ТВ 07.04 The price on gold reaches its 3 month maximum – 1153,0 USD per ounce
08.04 It is declared that bankruptcies in the USA have reached their maximum:
160 000 per March – it is the maximal rate since October 2005
09.04 In continuation of European Gas crisis of 2009 (that also developed in extreme ac-
tions
by the HB’s Foci), the President of Russia starts the construction of the marine
part of the “Nord Stream” gas line that bypasses Ukraine
12.04 Russia: the USD to Ruble rate falls to a minimum since November 2009
AE 17.05 the Euro had fallen to its 4-year minimum
19.05 Germany: the Chancellor estimated the situation as the most difficult in decades.
This caused a sharp fall of Euro and stock exchange indices

338
 Plates Of Nephi Found
By
T.Stokes, U.K

G eorge Stokes was a London born Englishman who spent much of WWII both in
India, and the Western desert, and because he spoke Arabic he was dropped into the
desert to gain information on troop movements from passing Bedouins to radio
back to base, and once a month a plane would fly past and drop medical provisions water and
food.
The Bedouins would curiously stop at his tent and have any wounds treated, George an
army doctor found many of these simple people were amazingly generous, and impressed
him by being spiritual and non material, the simplicity and warmth of these passing people
stayed with him all his life.
One of the strangest people he met during his time in India was the fakir Kuda Bux, whom
George befriended, he said he had been given seven gifts, these he demonstrated many times
to the British army soldiers.
These are the only ones I remember him saying.
(1) The ability to be buried alive for several days
(2) To see with a blindfold on, on top of dough wound round his head.
(3) To stop his heart, in front of the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) doctors
(4) To walk through red hot embers of a burning fire in bare feet.
(5) He told a man he would soon die, and while digging a trench was stung by a scorpion
and died 4 days later.
George Stokes would seek out Kudu Bux to learn of his cultural and spiritual philosophy, and
from him he learnt how to see with the inner eye, and to discern the real from the unreal.
George was angry about Winston Churchill’s decision to withhold help from India during
the famine which killed 4 million people while India was fighting England’s war, and
Churchill gave huge amounts of aid to Russia, whom our own intelligence people said were
our real enemies all along.
Not many Englishmen understood the religious and cultural zeitgeist of the Indo/Pak
subcontinent, but George did, and said Gandhi was a wonderful man who achieved
everything by peaceful means or Ahimsa, and Bhakti devotion to god, and Prema love of
god, and when Churchill wanted Gandhi murdered as a troublemaker, George was one of
the group of Englishmen who protested.
After the war George never forgot the lessons and the kindness he received from the desert
Bedouins, Kuda Bux, Gandhi, and the Indian people, and on his return to England began to
devote his life to meditation and good works between communities.
He became known throughout London as “The coin man” because could hold a coin in his
hand and could relate everything depicted on the coin to the Book of revelations and tell of
both past and future occurrences in history,
Over 50 years ago he foretold Britain begging to enter the Common Market, after fighting
W. W. II. to keep out, he foretold the Marxist dictator Tony Blair coming to power with his
faked up wars, and Britain’s economic decline, with corrupt banks and drug companies
taking over.

339
He foretold the collapse of the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church through
corruption and perversion, with a dehumanizing lowering of all standards in public life. He
also told of China and India becoming world powers, as Both America and Britain declined,
he spoke of the Cold War, changing from a war with armaments to a war of words, where
communism would sweep Europe, and replace god with the State and the State would
control everything, he spoke of cataclysmic world events such as hurricanes earthquakes and
tidal waves until man returned to god.
He found organizations would consult him, and he was known as the London seer to the
Roman Catholic theologians, seventh day Adventists, and the Black Muslim assoc and when
asked by the local Mormons now known as
“The church of Jesus Christ latter day saints” to look at their literature,
he said he had found the missing Plates of Nephi which was the basis of the religion and
which were presumed lost, but were actually coins of the realm, proving Gods plan yet
again.
Over the coming months, many senior latter day saints came over from Salt Lake city to
discuss the finds, one man said within my hearing, ‘for anything to be accepted into the dogma of
the church it must have from between 5 to 10 complex similarities”
George replied quietly, ’’I have 3,500 and have stopped counting”
The upshot was that a group of Latter Day Saints came over to Georges home in East
London, and heard a lecture on the meaning of the find, and that it confirmed God’s hand in
the religion, and the right way for the future.
The find was discussed at length in Salt Lake City HQ, and was narrowly defeated, this
meant the finding of the Plates of Nephi was hidden from the devout followers, and all
further news suppressed, but those of us who watched the proceedings on a day to day basis,
know the wonder of its truth.
George died just 8 years ago, and many devout Latter day saints still make the trip to
Georges little East London home to ponder on the Plates of Nephi, but I know the truth as
George was my father.

340
 1008 Petals

The Nature of True charity

Once Arjuna asks Krishna, when every king, including the Pandavas are doing great charity
and giving away things to the poor generously. Then why Karna alone is praised for his
generosity.

Krishna, the next day, takes Arjuna to the outskirts and by his powers
creates a Golden and a silver mountain, and asks Arjuna to donate the
mountains to others, before Sun set. Arjuna, seeing the small
mountains, laughs and says, it’s not a big deal. So he calls everyone
from the surrounding villages and gives them a piece of the mountain
by breaking the mountain. But to his shock, he sees that the mountain
grows by the same size he breaks it and its almost sun set and even
after distributing to everyone and tired of the act, he almost gives
up, saying it’s his maya (illusion) and he can’t win over it.

Then Krishna sends for Karna just before sunset and asks Karna to
donate the mountains before sunset. Karna just calls two passerby,
asks one to take the golden mountain and the other to take the silver
mountain and walks away.

Krishna says to Arjuna - this is generosity. You were not liberal to

give away everything but Karna can give away anything to anyone and
that’s why he is great.