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The Moon: Fact and Symbol

We’ve come to know a lot of facts about the Moon, but its astrological – symbolic or metaphysical – meaning is completely at odds with science. It’s a good example of how differently astrologers and materialists see the world.

Scientists see the universe in terms of physical characteristics. The InfoPlease encyclopedia talks about the history of our knowledge of the Moon’s physical characteristics – from Galileo taking a closer look with his telescope in 1610 to the Moon walk in 1969 and beyond. The Moon has no atmosphere, though there may be “water ice” in its soil, according to space probes. Most of it is made up of powdered rock and rubble, with craters from meteorite impacts. It is “an essentially static, nonevolving world.” In other words, it’s dead.

Dr. Luke D. Broughton (1828-1899), a homeopathic physician and astrologer advised us that, “God appears to have made the world upside down, and things appear inverted to men as well as to babies, the first time they look at them; and men, like babies, have to learn to see things aright.” The symbolic meaning of the Moon isn’t apparent (and may even be considered “occult” – secret, concealed or not easily recognized).

Astrologically, the Moon’s meanings are the virtual opposite of its scientific, physical attributes. We know it symbolizes our emotions and feelings. We look to the Moon in the horoscope to answer questions about fertility, birth and growth. And it’s often associated with life-giving waters, cycles and women.

We might say that the scientific view of the Moon is totally left-brained (using logic, facts and numbers) while the astrological one adds right-brained thinking (focusing on the creative, intuitive and emotional meanings). Scientists derogatorily think of our use of symbols as “magical thinking,” since they see no connection between meaning and the world around us.

Everyone sees meaning in different things in life, but it’s a shame that science is often so dismissive of astrology – they cut themselves off from worlds of understanding. While we know that we live in a vibrant, animate universe.

Evangeline Adams Astrology Podcast

Chris Brennan and Christopher Renstrom talk about my book, Foreseeing the Future: Evangeline Adams and Astrology in America on the Astrology Podcast.

They cover Adams’ New York City arrest and trial, her impact on astrology, Trash Astrology
and the history of astrology in the U.S. It’s fascinating!

Transiting Jupiter was in Sagittarius in Adams’ 9th house as she returned to the airwaves. It trined her Moon and squared her Venus and Ascendant when the Astrology Podcast went live.

Evangeline Adams Bio Update


Amazon.com is pushing the old (2002) version of Foreseeing the Future: Evangeline Adams and Astrology in America and only brings up the new version in digital. (They must have some in stock that they’re discounting.)

If you’re interested in the 2019 update, please use this link, and be sure to order the cover featured here.

Jane Austen… Again

Over 200 years after her death, Jane Austen’s popularity continues to soar. Her numerous book spin-offs include plays, film adaptations, soft-core porn sequels and even things like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. With Neptune rising in her horoscope, it appears that everyone can see something different in Austen.

Neptune conjoining the Ascendant in Virgo in Jane’s chart makes her work multi-layered. Her books give us her personal impressions and are true-to-life reflections of daily concerns that strike a chord with readers, perhaps because there is usually some romanticism and often the suggestion of happy endings. But typical of Neptune, we don’t even know what she looked like!

Austen may not always be what she appears, especially as Neptune squares her 4th house Sun in Sagittarius. Commentators have seen her as a conservative, a house-mouse and a feminist (she never married and while tied to her family, she produced great novels). Her Mercury in Sag. in the 3rd attests to her need to write, and it opposes Uranus in the 9th house, giving her an independent outlook. Jupiter in Gemini in the 9th shows her education and the ability to publish, especially as it trines her Moon and Saturn straddling the 2nd house cusp. This aspect is probably part of what has continued to keep her books popular with readers, as Saturn can bring longevity. (While she sold some work during her lifetime, Jane did not make much money at it.) Venus in Scorpio indicates her deep feelings.

The Moon in Libra conjoining Saturn gives Austen a consistent interest in relationships, which were both persistent (especially those with women) and limited (she quickly broke off an engagement). The Moon and Saturn also square Mars in Capricorn in her 4th house, suggesting responsibilities and obligations to the home and family. Her life had limitations. Saturn squaring Pluto in Capricorn shows her pragmatic and realistic side. The Sag. and Capricorn planets combine to make her work both humorous and ironic.

With Pluto trining the writer’s Ascendant in 2020 and returning to its natal place in 2021, the recycling of her brand will probably continue. Hopefully some of it will get to the heart of what makes Jane Austen special.

Jane Austen was born on December 3, 1775 at around 11:45 pm in Steventon, Hampshire, England, according to a letter from her father – see Astrodatabank.
Helena Kelly’s feminist analysis, Jane Austen, Secret Radical, deconstructs Austen’s life and work and provides an encyclopedic look at the history and culture of the time.

Foreseeing the Future Review

I’m thrilled and flattered to see Ken Irving’s review of the update of my book Foreseeing the Future in the May 2019 issue of Horoscope Guide magazine. He says,

“Karen Christino’s revised edition of the outstanding Evangeline Adams biography Foreseeing the Future may be the same story, but it covers Adams’ life in more depth than the first edition, so Christino has taken her original, unique history of an American astrologer, and made it much, much better. If you already have the original on your shelf, get the revised edition. If you have never come across the original, buy this newer edition. Karen Christino is a wonderful writer, and this is a wonderful book to read.”

For more on the book and links to order, click here.

Measles!

New York’s Commissioner of Health and Mayor de Blasio just ordered mandatory vaccinations for all people in four zip codes in Williamsburg, Brooklyn who haven’t demonstrated immunity to the measles. It seems like NYC is caving in to its 9th house Neptune, exaggerating people’s fear as well as their reliance on modern science and medicine. It highlights the fact that in almost all broadcast media, science and medicine are universally judged to be both “good” and “right.”

One might understand ordering unvaccinated children to stay home from school, as they also did in Rockland County (though the order was struck down by a judge). I don’t like to court controversy, and frankly I’m not sure what I’d do if I had kids.

This is a disease that 60 years ago was considered “not particularly dangerous in the young, unless they are exposed to a severe drought of cold air. In old age it is much more dangerous and deaths from it are not infrequent.” (World Scope Encyclopedia, 1958) Adults can certainly make up their own minds. In my parents’ day, measles was considered an expected disease that many experienced in childhood (it shouldn’t be confused with Rubella or German measles, which may be dangerous to unborn children).

As of today, the New York City Department of Health reports that there are “285 confirmed cases of measles in Brooklyn and Queens since October.” 228 of them were in Williamsburg, the neighborhood that now has the mandated vaccinations. That’s about 38 cases a month for six months. Not really an epidemic.

Measles comes and goes and has never been completely eradicated. Yet if you listen to our scientifically-minded officials, we’re in a state of emergency. Neptune is leading them to a place of hysteria. We are not talking about Typhoid Mary here!

As astrologers, we know that science generally attacks our beliefs. They are now going further. My objection to the Court Order has to do with the general reliance our society has on western medicine. While we have to admit that they can be helpful at times, my own experience, as well as those of my family and many friends, is that doctors over-test, over-treat and over-prescribe. These things often weaken the body further. And of course the system is in a shambles. I wish I could find a medical doctor who could get to know you and give you sound advice. In my experience, they have always been few and far between. They, too, are squeezed by the insurance companies and are also earning a lot less than they used to.

Any evening news will routinely report on the latest scientific developments and breakthroughs. Most of them relate to pharmaceuticals. What they don’t tell you is that most of these are in very early preliminary trials. And if you pay attention, you’ll notice that they usually exhibit an extremely strong bias toward science. I have yet to read or hear – except in a few special interest publications or independent websites – any opposing views. Isn’t there room for disagreement?

The Saturn and Pluto stations this month conjoin the City’s 4th house Mercury in March, suggesting paranoia and control, and the Nodes are involved in that pattern too. Jupiter is stationing near the midpoint of The City’s Venus-Mars conjunction in Sagittarius, and opposite its Neptune in the 9th: an over-reaction.

Astrology to the Rescue!

It’s such a common movie and TV plot: a person is at a crossroads and they don’t know what to do. Should they marry X? Go to school? Change jobs? There’s a lot of drama before the protagonist makes the right (or wrong!) decision. It often leaves me thinking that, if they’d just go to an astrologer, things would be a lot easier.

Astrology can answer so many questions of life, perhaps especially those related to the angular houses of self-expression, relationships, career, home and family. A horoscope is like a map or compass showing your life’s pattern. While it can’t provide specifics, it can often tell us more about all of the following:

The areas of life and types of experiences that should come easily to us;
Where challenges could occur, with suggestions to overcome them;
How to best develop your talents;
What to expect from partners, superiors, lovers and friends;
How uncontrollable events may impact on you and how to best address them (things from the outside world, culture or society);
Where your greatest opportunities could appear and when to expect them;
If it’s better to get married now, later or never;
How to maximize your assets;
How to overcome your liabilities;
The types of career that you could succeed in and what to expect along the way;
If a problem is temporary or long-term, when and how it may be resolved;

And much more! In fact, for every area of life, there’s probably an astrologer who can give you more insight.

Is Astrology Still Taboo?

My mother’s old friend Dot died recently. They had met in a metaphysical group in the 60s and stayed in touch over many decades, sharing a love of astrology and mystical subjects.

Dot had the Sun conjunct Venus in the 7th house. Her obituary, lovingly written by her family, captured her warm, supportive and outgoing personality with reminiscences and beautiful photos. But the tribute had a major flaw – it completely ignored her great passions: astrology and the occult. Dot was psychic, she could sometimes communicate with those on the other side, and while she never practiced astrology professionally, she studied horoscopes throughout her busy life. Yet she was described primarily as “the consummate homemaker and mother.”

What happened? Why wasn’t the full person described? I think it’s more than simple sexism, and suspect that one of her children wrote the obituary, someone who didn’t understand or approve of their mother’s spirituality and metaphysical leanings. Perhaps it was simply an embarrassment to them. Or maybe they considered astrology and the occult to be things one didn’t talk about in public.

Dot was always completely open about her beliefs. Her Jupiter, ruler of her Sagittarius 9th and 10th houses, showed her dynamic faith and public profile, and was strengthened by its angular placement in her 7th house. But it was also squared by Pluto in Cancer in her 5th house of children. So her kids could be at odds with her expansive and idealistic Jupiter side. Her Moon conjunct Mercury in Scorpio in the 8th house closely trined her Pisces Ascendant, making her dedicated to those closest to her. But she was also driven to explore the mysteries of life. There can often be hidden elements to both Pisces and the 8th house. But the Moon in Scorpio rules her 5th house and is placed in the 8th, showing that her children wanted it kept secret. (Interestingly, Dot’s one out-of-body experience happened when she was pregnant.)

I hope we’re moving into a time when studies like astrology will no longer be considered taboo. Dot would’ve understood, taking it in stride with good humor. But I don’t like it. Astrologers in general suffer when one of our own leaves us unacknowledged. Let’s say a prayer for all the astrologers who have passed, forgotten or unknown. And especially for Dot, whose understanding and faith were a shining light for so many during her life.

Sefer Yetzirah – The Book of Formation (or Creation)

Meira Epstein presents Sefer Yetzirah, one of the oldest Jewish mystical texts, in a new, accessible and easy to read translation with commentary. Sefer Yetzirah dates from the 1st to 3rd centuries (perhaps around the time of Vettius Valens and Ptolemy), and presents a philosophical model of creation.

This unusual text describes the creation as a world of pure forms and ideas, a time prior to Genesis’ “In the beginning there was the Word.” Numbers, letters and the elements are the only forms. The numbers are more divine (provoking astrological parallels), the letters are connected to material creation.

Epstein’s argument that the ten “Sefirot” mentioned in the text refer to planetary spheres or motions is compelling. The twelve zodiac signs and other similarities are mentioned, and Sefer Yetzirah ends with the divine covenant with Abraham, who was traditionally connected with astrology.

I’ve never read anything quite like Sefer Yetzirah before, and thankfully Meira Epstein places it in its historical and cultural context. It shares some ideas or influences with Gnosticism, neo Platonism and the Phythogoreans.

While contemporary western books are for the most part rather linear, this is a multilayered and organic work. The introductory sections, Sefir Yetzirah itself, the notes and the commentaries all naturally lead to other sections. Each section is completely different from the rest, and each illuminates the others in many ways, in the same way I understand the Talmud and Torah to be organized. Epstein guides us through this world, and as I become immersed in it, the book kept getting better as I went along, leading me to immediately start reading it once again from the beginning.

But what does Sefer Yetzirah represent? Is it derived from an oral tradition? A magical incantation, prayer or chant? The spare nature of the text itself leaves us with this question.

The entire work is about 200 pages, with the text itself taking about ½ the book and including the original Hebrew, transliteration for those with familiarity of Hebrew, and the English translation and notes.

The Appendices form about 1/3 of book and introduce us to a wide array of related topics in a compact form. One was more fascinating than the next, and they include introductions to the Merkavah mystics and their vision quest, the four-fold hermeneutic way of understanding scripture, the history of writing, the connection between numbers and letters in Gematria, the metaphysical and metaphorical meaning of names, the legend of the Golem, the Dead Sea Scrolls and much more.

If you’re interested in the ancient world, Jewish philosophy or mysticism, you’ll enjoy this engrossing book – a small treasure!

Buy Sefer Yetzirah at Amazon.com.