I recently participated in a debate on the topic of modern versus traditional astrology, with astrologer Eric Meyers representing the modern approach, while I represented the traditional approach. As part of the debate each of us made opening statements in defense of our respective traditions. What I have below is the position statement that I […]
Category: astrological techniques and concepts
Articles related to specific astrological techniques, including basic concepts.
Last week I was preparing the Horoscopic Astrology Blog for a traffic spike due to an interview that Patrick Watson and I did with ABC News for the Political Astrology Blog. I was trying to make sure that the blog could withstand a large increase in traffic, but I was also trying to beef up […]
What is the definition of astrology? If you search around the internet for a few minutes you will find a number of different definitions. Unfortunately most of them are wrong. They are wrong in the sense that they do not accurately reflect the way in which many astrologers conceptualize and subsequently define their own subject. […]
Over the past few weeks there has been a lot of discussion about the zodiac in the mainstream media. Unfortunately most of it has been misinformation and false reports, deliberately designed to make people question the validity of astrology. In order to set the record straight, I’m writing a two part series of articles on […]
A “yod” is an aspect pattern that some astrologers use. It involves two planets in a close sextile (60°), with a third planet ‘quincunx’ (150°) to both of the planets in sextile. Click here to view a full-sized diagram of a yod. The truth about yods is that they aren’t terribly important, or at least […]
One of the best pieces of advice that I could give to people who are just getting into the field of astrology, or to astrologers who are already in the field, is to document your lives. Document your lives as extensively as possible. Usually this means keeping a journal of some sort in which you […]
Several years ago I made this animation which depicts the story of how the five classical planets came to rule two signs of the zodiac each. It is loosely based on a Medieval Persian story that centers around the Thema Mundi, which is the mythical horoscope for the birth of the world. The Thema Mundi […]
Back in March of 2007 I had the pleasure of attending and speaking at the first Blast Astrology Conference in Sedona, Arizona. The conference was organized single-handedly by Moses Siregar, and it was a smashing success, bringing together a broad array of both up-and-coming and well-established astrologers as speakers. From my point of view the […]
I was reading some random blogs tonight when I came across a video that provides a pretty compelling illustration of what hard aspects between Venus and Pluto are like in relationships. By hard aspects I mean the conjunction, square and especially the opposition. Such a configuration is usually most relevant in a relationship when it […]
Ten important tips for choosing an auspicious electional chart for starting a new venture or undertaking.
The outer planets, Uranus, Neptune, and yes, Pluto, are often overplayed in modern astrological delineations. They are overplayed in the sense that they are often the first thing that a modern astrologer will look at in any chart delineation, and it is often the case that without the outer planets a modern astrologer will consider […]
An important concept in the Hellenistic astrological tradition that did not survive into modern times is the distinction between day and night charts, which is associated with a technical concept known as “sect.” In this article I will provide an introduction to concept of sect, and demonstrate how it is used in astrology. The term […]
Horoscopic astrology is a very specific and advanced type of astrology that was developed in the Mediterranean region during the late Hellenistic period, sometime around the 1st or 2nd century BCE. The tradition of astrology that flourished during this time period is usually referred to as Hellenistic astrology, although there is a distinction between horoscopic […]
I recently came across some really beautiful astrologically themed artwork by an artist named Mindy Sommers, and I wanted to post some of it here because I was particularly impressed by it. I took the liberty of adding the Greek names for each of the signs, along with a literal translation of what each name […]