Category Archives: astrology history

Planetary Powers

Patti Tobin Brittain’s book, Planetary Powers: The Morin Method takes the reader through the first steps in understanding how her teacher, Gerhard Houwing and his accomplished source, Jean-Baptiste Morin (1583–1656), may have interpreted a horoscope. As I have a background in this method myself, it was fascinating to see her approach.

This is a clear introductory text that focuses on what the author calls “cause and effect.” Brittain uses stripped-down charts with only a few key elements to show how the ruler of one house placed in another creates meaning. She provides numerous examples to familiarize the reader with these mechanics, almost like drills. They are often illuminating, but it can be unclear whether the examples represent real people or theory.

Another important concept is “analogy.” The Sun has an affinity for the 10th house, and Venus for the 7th, for example. These will vary by sign, ruler, house or aspect and are also clearly illustrated. This is another concept that I had personally absorbed but never reviewed in such detail.

The planets’ essential nature (their basic meanings and whether malefic or benefic) are significant, as is cosmic state (dignities and debilities). Morin used simplified triplicity rulers (different than those in Ptolemy or William Lilly).

Students interested in Morin’s methods should find this book a good, accessible starting point. Houwing emphasized “the concise, the specific, the concrete” and a “systematic approach to reading a chart.” These do reflect Morin’s traditional practices, which are very different from modern psychological astrology.

Houwing “felt it was worse to be unresolute than to be wrong” and Brittain admits this “may sound fatalistic.” I found it so myself when one of her “malefic” examples reflected components of my own chart! I personally strive to be accurate in a more general way than rigorously specific, as the latter can often be misleading, judgmental, or just plain wrong. Horoscopes, like human beings, are complex.

Some intriguing tidbits are mentioned but not addressed and are certainly beyond the scope of the book. But I would’ve liked to read more about what factors could indicate events in childhood, middle or late life, or what placements might show experiences that are fleeting vs. constant and ongoing, for example.

Patti Tobin Brittain died in March of 2019 at the age of 91. Born on 10/28/27 in Forney, Texas, she had the Sun, Moon, Mercury and Mars all in Scorpio in a grand trine with Jupiter in Pisces and Pluto. Her mentor Houwing was born on 10/27/23 – just a day and four years before Brittain, so we can understand their connection astrologically. They share the Sun and Venus in Scorpio and both appear to have been single-minded and incisive. Houwing’s Jupiter closely conjoins Brittain’s Mercury, and he passed along his knowledge and experience to her. But while the teacher had Mercury sextile Neptune, the student had a square between these planets, so something may have been lost in this rendition of Houwing and Morin’s work.

Taking apart a horoscope to understand its working parts may be valuable, but putting an emphasis on isolated elements makes for a somewhat linear and literal approach. Another book is needed to fill in the vast spaces between the simplified examples shown and an interpretation and synthesis of the full horoscopes presented at the end of the book. Nevertheless, Planetary Powers provides a valuable introduction to Morin’s methods.

Check out Planetary Powers (AFA, 2010) on Amazon.com
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Brittain’s birth date is from her obituary.

Houwing’s birth date is from public records on Ancestry.com

Mundane Astrology

The comprehensive astrological textbook Mundane Astrology: an Introduction to the Astrology of Nations and Groups (1984) benefits from the contributions of three accomplished astrological authors – Michael Biagent, Nicholas Campion and Charles Harvey – who raised the level of astrological discourse with their contributions. While readers need a familiarity with basic astrology to understand this book, those interested in the subject, whatever their level of knowledge, will find much valuable information.

This is one of the excellent astrology books published by the U.K. based Aquarian Press in the 1980s. It begins with a concise history of western mundane astrology dating back to the Babylonians. Basic meanings of planets, houses and signs in mundane astrology are provided, along with information on various planetary cycles. Other topics include ingress charts, lunations, eclipses, Astrocartography, the astrology of cities and countries and much more. This book predates Biagent’s Astrology in Ancient Mesopotamia and Campion’s Book of World Horoscopes and The Great Year, and provides an introduction to those works. I had never read Charles Harvey before, and his discussion of planetary cycles is phenomenal, including many references to Andre Barbault’s work. He also addresses midpoints, giving us a better understanding of this topic, too. The work of Charles Carter and John Addey is also covered, and with numerous references to the works of others, the book serves as a resource for more.

A long section pulls the techniques together to analyze World War II, as many European astrologers failed to accurately forecast it (ironically, Americans Elizabeth Aldrich, Louise McWhirter and Evangeline Adams had all predicted U.S. involvement in a conflict years earlier).

While this is a long book, many chapters are inclusive in themselves. The Table of Contents and Index make it easy to find topics of interest.

And it’s time for a reprint! While the book is available second-hand, copies tend to be rather expensive. The charts are small and hand-written, and can be challenging to read. Planetary abbreviations at times also make for a less than fluent read (it took me a while to find the key and realize that SO stood for the Sun!). Notes and sources sometimes follow one chapter and other times are placed further along in the text. The use of a 90-degree dial around the outside of many of Harvey’s charts is not explained until the very end, and it would’ve been more helpful at the beginning. A tiny font detracts from the Index. (Perhaps the 1995 Thorson’s edition may have resolved some of these issues.)

But these are quibbles. Mundane Astrology is a classic of astrological writing, superbly researched and clearly written. The authors generously share their abundant knowledge, and anyone interested in this complex subject will profit from reading it.

Check out Mundane Astrology on Amazon.com

Astrology News Service Review!

I was thrilled to see Armand Diaz’ review of my book, Foreseeing the Future: Evangeline Adams and Astrology in America on Astrology News Service. He says,

“Adams was not only a good astrologer, as Karen Christino’s book clearly shows. She was a real maverick in many ways, including her fight to establish herself in business at a time when women rarely held positions of authority. She was also a master of self-promotion, and one gets the impression that Adams possessed the abilities of a great mystic in liberal combination with the spirit of P.T. Barnum.”

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

Louise McWhirter

Search the web and you’ll find plenty of information on financial astrologer Louise McWhirter, though all of it relates to her 1938 book, McWhirter Theory of Stock Market Forecasting. Her low profile has even led some to speculate she was only a pseudonym for W.D. Gann (a rather sexist theory proposed by a man). But yes, she did exist.

Wikipedia shares information from a family member’s posts on Ancestry.com. Martha Louise McWhirter was born in 1896 in New York City, and we can find additional family information in Census records. Her younger brother was born two years later. Her father, Robert, was from Texas and her mother was from France. By the time Louise was 14, she was living in Maryland, her father had remarried and he was now a gardener and shareholder in a cooperative farm, which must’ve been an unusual situation at that time.

Louise’s parents had divorced and her mother returned to New York, working as a department store clerk. She died when Louise was only 21 years old.

McWhirter married John Mitchell Henry soon after, and the couple settled in Bayonne, New Jersey. They eventually owned their home and had five children – making it obvious why Louise didn’t publish her book until her early 40s. John worked as an assistant engineer at an oil refinery and Louise was a stay-at-home mom. Apparently she used her middle and maiden names for her work for privacy. She had studied the astrology of financial markets for years and one would guess that she made some modest investments herself. Perhaps she did readings for clients.

Evangeline Adams and her teacher Catherine Thompson had used some financial forecasting techniques beginning in the late 1900s. The stock market crash of 1929 brought more interest in predicting the highs and lows of the market. Sepharial and L. Krohn had written a few books on the subject in the ‘teens, W.D. Gann was also writing by that time, and James Mars Langham and L.J. Jensen had published financial astrology texts in the early ‘30s. McWhirter says she originated the New York Stock Exchange chart, and Graham Bates credits her with rectifying it.

We don’t know exactly who Louise’s astrology teachers were. Her home was within commuting distance from Manhattan, where she might have taken classes with one of Evangeline’s former employees like Iris Vorel, Myra Kingsley, Nella Webb or Lynn Wells. Other New York astrologers at the time included Elizabeth Aldrich and Katherine Taylor Craig. Astrologer Juliet Pontin had a home in New Jersey and an office in the city.

McWhirter used the North Nodal cycle, transits and lunations to the NYSE and incorporation charts for long and shorter-term forecasting. She was a Libra with Jupiter in Virgo and her book is a clear and workable instruction manual on how she used astrology to forecast the ups and downs of the markets. As she said, “It is no longer necessary to be wiped out on the Stock Market. That is a sign of ignorance.”

I’ll share more about her book and forecasting methods in a later post.

McWhirter Theory of Stock Market Forecasting is on Amazon.

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.

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.

Foreseeing the Future Update

I’ve just finished the update of my biography of the famous American astrologer Evangeline Adams, Foreseeing the Future. The original was published in 2002, and with more information from newspaper databases and genealogy websites online, I’ve now filled in details on the people in Adams’ life and included more historical context.

I’ve found additional information confirming Evangeline’s forecasts and I also take a look at her sexuality, but basically it’s the same story. There are so many public domain photos now available online so I included a lot more pictures, too.

My main focus in this book has always been to document Adams’ forecasts and provide an objective look at what astrology can do, while also telling her life story. I leave it to readers to make up their own minds. I’m dismayed to see that Wikipedia’s entry on Adams has been edited in recent years. References to any of Evangeline’s substantiated forecasts have been removed. Any mention of my book has been deleted, replaced by skeptics’ opinions, tertiary and inaccurate sources, with no documentary evidence to support any statements made, despite supposed notes and references. I have no appetite to fight them, and hope the book continues to help people better understand how astrology and astrological forecasting work.

Updated print and digital versions are now available. Many thanks, as always, to Bruce Scofield and One Reed Publications for publishing the original.

For more on the book see my webpage.

To order the updated Foreseeing the Future for Kindle, click here. Or order the updated print version on Amazon.com.

Astrological Birth Control

Sheila Ostrander and Lynn Schroeder’s Astrological Birth Control (1972) is a very odd book. It reports on the theories and work of Eugen Jonas, a Catholic psychiatrist in Czechslovakia, who purportedly developed a system of pinpointing astrological fertility cycles.

Obstetrician and medical astrologer Margaret Millard has told us it can’t work. But astrologers I respect say they’ve used it with success. The basic theory seems intuitively logical, that the repetition of the Sun-Moon angle from a woman’s birth chart indicates fertile times.

For several years in the 1960s, Jonas, along with other physicians and researchers, received grants to study birth control, fertility, sex selection and viability astrologically. The fertility and sex selection cycle was reportedly identified by projected estimates based on the size and length of newborn infants. While this might symbolically produce a meaningful horoscope, it seems far-fetched that it would lead to the their consistently reported 85-98% success rates.

Almost nothing in astrology is this simplistic or constant. I also find it hard to believe that so many couples were able to routinely follow such specific instructions at home. People are not lab animals.

The authors state several times that the theories haven’t been proved and that little documentation was available, but everything about the book suggests a breakthrough. Some time is spent summarizing numerous scientific studies that support astrology but have little to do with the topic at hand.

Several of the few examples reproduced from Jonas’ work have errors. The authors don’t appear to be astrologers (nor does Jonas for that matter), so that the presentation of the actual techniques is also not very compelling. (It may be worthwhile to consider Jonas’ close Moon conjunct Neptune in Virgo, which exactly squares the Nodes, suggesting that publicity and hype may outweigh content.)

Astrological Birth Control is historically intriguing, as it was released by a major publisher, was designed for a wide audience, and influenced many astrologers. But for better books on this topic, I’d recommend Your Fertile Hours (reprinted in 2015) by Emily Faugno, a readable memoir and textbook with horoscope delineations from another Catholic devotee, or The Lunar Cycle (1989) by Francesca Naish, which is a practical guide. The Moon and Childbirth (1999) by Margaret Millard, M.D. is an excellent work that covers many topics (in vitro, predicting sex and the prenatal epoch), but unfortunately it’s difficult to find reasonably-priced copies these days. Fertility Astrology (2018) by Nicola Smits-Allsop provides sophisticated astrological analyses of fertility in the birth chart and presents astrological techniques for in vitro fertilization (see my review of this book here).

Click the links above to see more on these books on Amazon.com

The Moment of Astrology

Geoffrey Cornelius has taken a wonderful look at astrology and skepticism and concludes that horary is a tool for divination in The Moment of Astrology. While somewhat philosophical, this well-researched book is also full of gems from the history and practice of astrology.

Scientific studies of astrology often don’t work, and the author feels that our reliance on quantification “threatens to undermine the whole way of proceeding with symbols.” He shares an often overlooked conclusion by Jung in his analysis of married couples, that the attitudes and desires of the person doing the research will influence the result (kind of a quantum theory point of view).

We’re treated to a survey of the history of astrology, from predestination to inclination and more mystical approaches. He sees his own perspective as originating in Mesopotamian, Greek and Roman models of divination, which necessitated a participatory relationship between the gods and humans. He also addresses the odd circumstance that many practicing astrologers experience, of getting the right answer from the wrong chart.

Geoffrey Cornelius sees horary or electional astrology as seeking a blessing, and that the outcome is not compelled. There is an allegory between planets and events. In his own work, Cornelius tries to answer the question of how to resolve the situation “to the good fortune” by presenting the client with possibilities. He reminds us of Lilly’s admonition to “afflict not the miserable with the terror of a harsh judgment.”

There are few actual horary charts included, but the interpretations are fascinating. Geoffrey analyzes the horoscope presented with the 1975 Humanist article (where scientists attacked astrology), Charles Carter’s query about horary itself, and perhaps most compelling, his own horary about an exploitative tenant of his aunt’s. These make terrific studies.

The horary revival is seen as beginning with Olivia Barclay’s reprint of William Lilly and Derek Appleby’s book, both in 1985. This surprised me, but I was reminded that in the U.S., Ivy Goldstein-Jacobson’s horary book came out in 1960 and Barbara Watters’ in 1975, so the American revival was actually earlier.

The Moment of Astrology is an in-depth, thorough and thoughtful work. I took my time reading it as there is much to consider and it can be slow going at times. I can’t agree with all of Geoffrey Cornelius’ conclusions, but he is always thought provoking.

Buy The Moment of Astrology on Amazon.com.