Things I wish I knew 20 years ago

Posted on August 6, 2010 by TX Astrologer

Astrology Tips

Cynthia Novak, Astrologer

There is always something good about the most difficult chart. Look for it.

Mercury retrograde is annoying, but retrograde Mars really screws things up.

Watch for planetary Stations: These transits are the strongest for luck or for frustration. Give 3 degree orb for greatest impact.

Orbs matter for timing, but you can “feel” a transit coming as soon as it enters the constellation. So although a Saturn transit will frustrate on some level for a full 2 ½ years, it is usually most intense for 9 months. This is the period it takes to make 3 passes over one degree.

I look forward to looking back on a Saturn transit. I don’t think it is an accident in the universe that Saturn and birth run the same period of time. Once it starts you can’t get away from it until it’s over.

When it’s over you have given birth to something new. Life is set up so that Continue reading →

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Polaris, The Aurora Borealis and Alaska

Posted on June 27, 2010 by TX Astrologer

Kaye Shinker, Astrologer

Here is a bit of background information and at the end of the article a little morsel of astrological information that can help you preserve some of your investments.

Alaska has two seasons: Getting ready for summer and Getting ready for winter. Alaska skies change rapidly but sometimes the storms are endless. A white out snowstorm can last a few days or a few weeks. Alaska is the least desirable state for amateur astronomers. Statistically, the odds are against you. 200 days per year are overcast. All sorts of events interfere with a good view of the stars. Summer, winter, the aurora Borealis and bitter cold.

If your hobby is astronomy and you have an excellent telescope, store it in Texas and plan to visit it during the Winter holidays. Alaskans concede that the stars at night are big and bright and Texans still have the best view. That’s it. Everything else is bigger and better in Alaska.

Sky watchers the First Financial Astrologers. Moving to a new part of the world gives you the opportunity to explore the mythology of another culture. As an astrologer I searched through the native myths to see if they mentioned sky messages to tell time, predict the seasons, and future events.

Put on your mukluks, tie the hood on your parka and hitch up the dog team. OK? Mush.

Everyone asks how do Alaskans Continue reading →

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The Grahas / Planets

Posted on May 11, 2010 by TX Astrologer

I would like to open the mind of the Western astrologer to see the connectedness of our human spirit through the similarities of Eastern and Western astrology and their mythology.

Joni Patry, Astrology

Mythology is the common vein of Mankind. The planets are the symbols or Archetypes of humanity. The stories of the heavens reflect in our daily lives and connect us to the divine. A myth is something that never was but is always happening. It is the common thread of the Human experience, transcending culture and time. We will all experience on some level the lessons we came to learn and how to heal our lives to grow beyond the grasp our collective consciousness has on us.

Graha (Sanskit for planet) means “to grasp”, meaning the planets possess, or control us. It is the Vedic philosophy that the planets are our karma. Karma is based on the Continue reading →

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Understanding Health Concerns

Posted on April 17, 2010 by TX Astrologer

To better understand health problems in our chart, we can refer to the solar chart, which I study before I look at the natal chart.

Mauriene Pierce, Astrologer

My late husband, who was a professional astrologer, said he learned more from the solar chart than from the natal chart. For anyone who has never constructed a solar chart, put the exact degree of the Sun on the cusp of the first house with the consecutive signs in the same degree on all the other 11 houses. (All houses are equal.) Then put in all planets according to their degree in their signs. Then, of course, insert the transiting planets for further reading.

Taking the Sun as the giver of life thru all of the signs, we find that in each separate sign the general health conditions are ruled by the strengths of the Sun at birth, accented by the sign that is on the Ascendant at the time of birth. By looking at the rulership of the 6th house of health conditions and the planets therein, we can get an idea of that person’s state of health.

For a person who has his or her Sun on the 1st house cusp (Aries), the sign Virgo will be Continue reading →

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Mercury, Venus and Mars: Retrograde Planets

Posted on March 22, 2010 by TX Astrologer

The subject of retrograde planets is an extremely controversial one!

Susie Patterson, Astrologer

This is particularly true when one investigates it from the Vedic vs. Western perspective. However, you will find contradictions within each system, also.

First of all, what is a retrograde planet? It is when, from the perspective of our vantage point here on earth, a planet appears to move backwards in the sky. In actuality, no planet does this — but, because of the velocity of the rotation of the Earth as compared with the velocity of another planet, for example, Mercury, at certain times the planet looks as if it is traveling backwards. This can be compared to the motion of a car and a train running side by side. If the car picks up speed and begins to move faster, the train may appear to be going backwards but is not.

Even though a planet’s actual motion has not changed, the effects of its energy do change. No one understands why this is so, but, believe me, it is. Symbolically, the energy begins to turn inward and the outward manifestation is very different than when the same planet is in Direct motion.

For the purposes of this article, I chose to only include the inner planets for examination: Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Since these tend to have a more personal effect, I felt the reader could relate more easily to their delineation.

First of all, let’s look at retrogradation from the Western perspective. In most references you will find that a retrograde planet in a natal chart will Continue reading →

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Give the Quincunx More Respect!

Posted on February 10, 2010 by TX Astrologer

Donna Hensen, Astrologer

In the 70’s and earlier we considered the quincunx to be a minor aspect.

According to Ed Dearborn, a very respected astrologer who is a board member of NCGR, which is only one of his many credits,

“most of us are blind to the many ways this 150° aspect functions in a chart.”

We have been taught that a keyword for the quincunx is “adjustment” since it pinpoints where we tend to drain forces in a haphazard, nonproductive fashion before we synthesize the two energies. The lower or waxing quincunx has a 1st and 6th house (Virgo) influence and is called the “health quincunx.” This is especially true if it relates to the 1st or 6th houses or their rulers in the timed chart. The upper or waning quincunx has a 1st and 8th house (Scorpio) influence and is called the “death quincunx,” but unless the regenerative side of this aspect (Scorpio) is recognized, its true significance is overlooked.

This type of quincunx can also result in crises involving money (Scorpio). It is like a nagging problem operating over an extended time until circumstances develop forcing us to give it our utmost attention. Often its conflicts are not obvious to us. We need to make long-standing adjustments on the feeling level.

There is nothing compatible in the two signs of a quincunx. They differ in Continue reading →

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Why Would Anyone Want to Study Harmonics?

Posted on January 6, 2010 by TX Astrologer

Why would anyone want to study harmonics when there is so much to be learned in traditional astrology?

Donna Hensen, Astrologer

Actually, harmonics are traditional astrology, but understanding them also borrows from numerology and certainly from Vedic astrology. Vedic astrologers have long used harmonic charts such as the Navamsa and Saptamsa, 9th and 7th harmonic, charts.

Minor Aspects

My curiosity was piqued when I heard David Cochrane refer to harmonics frequently in his lecture at the last AFA convention. He does not consider minor aspects to be minor, but he does admit that they are hard to see, especially those like the 7th harmonic, which is 51 3/7°. The harmonic charts show these aspects clearly so that the astrologer gets a deeper insight into a chart.

Harmonic aspects

Harmonics essentially have to do with aspects. They are a way of studying a wider range of aspects than is normally used in traditional astrology. All planets have some relationship to each of the other planets. Theoretically, there could be as many as Continue reading →

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