Category Archives: astrology history

The Modern West is Linear

Horoscopes have survived for over 2,000 years and represent a unique remnant of the ancient world. There is absolutely nothing else like them, as they symbolically represent the sky and are able to convey the events and experiences of a life. While we can use various techniques to progress or direct the chart into the future, the horoscope itself conveys the entire life.

In the contemporary west, we live in a world of linear time, where we adhere to schedules and see ourselves evolving into the future. Others in the past and elsewhere are different. In polychronic cultures, time is cyclic, and deadlines are unimportant. People from India that I’ve known seem to have a more polychronic attitude, for example, and interestingly enough many in India also value astrology.

Astronomer and anthropologist Anthony Aveni gave an excellent example of polychronic works of art in his book, Conversing with the Planets. In a museum in Mexico City, he observed Aztec plant sculptures that contained both the mature fruit and blooming flowers – which cannot co-exist at the same time. “Each half of the calabash and maize sculptures seemed totally faithful to what I have actually seen in my garden at the beginning and the end of the season… But the artists who made these carvings just a few generations before Cortés landed on Mexico’s shore… had conflated different stages of plant metamorphosis into a single coherent image… for reasons that escape us, the polychromic image – the combination of realities pulled from different time frames and brought together by the human imagination into a composite whole – seems to have held greater significance.”

A horoscope can also be seen as a “composite whole.” And it’s worth noting that the Maya, who predated the Aztecs by at least 1,000 years, were keen sky observers who also had their own elaborate system of astrology.

One reason that astrology is commonly criticized today may be that mainstream western society is so time-driven, ordered and quantitative, while horoscopes and astrology are qualitative and cyclic. Those of us who value them are able to do so despite the linear culture that surrounds us.

Aveni’s Conversing with the Planets is a wonderful book that looks at the many cultures through history that developed astrology. It was published in 1992 as the Uranus-Neptune conjunction in Capricorn approached, and is one of the first books to seriously address the cultural history of astrology for a wider audience. Buy on Amazon.com:
Conversing with the Planets: How Science and Myth Invented the Cosmos

How to Handle Transits?

The transiting planets bring us situations that often seem to be coming from the outside world. With the heavier planets, we may feel pushed into situations where we must make important decisions – how do we respond?

A century ago, astrologer Evangeline Adams typically advised taking a back seat and waiting for difficult influences to pass. Under a Saturn transit, for example, she felt a person would not be as congenial or magnetic as she ordinarily might be. Things will not go her way. Adams told an anecdote of a husband under difficult influences, whose wife was becoming romantically interested in a young employee of his. She counseled him not to force the issue. The man invited the employee to his home, even leaving him alone with his wife. As she got to know the young man better, the woman realized she may have made a horrible mistake had her husband not been so patient and understanding.

So the advice is to wait things out. My mother, who studied and practiced in the 1970s, would have suggested the same thing. She was always cautious, advising that no one make any kind of important change during difficult planetary weather. When conditions clear up, you will see things more plainly.

Today, I think things have changed somewhat. Divorce is more common and people often admit the limitations of their relationships. And many also believe in limitless free will and the ability to personally change things.

With outer planet transits, though, sometimes we may have few choices about how to proceed. Heavy Uranus transits, for example, can bring sweeping changes that leave few options available. And it’s a regular occurrence to find career limitations on a transit of Saturn to your Sun.

We should do what we can to get through challenging periods. Astrology is not the best at forecasting outcomes, but is better able to describe the type of situation to expect and the timing and length of an influence. In addressing any transit, we also need to keep the birth chart in mind. For some, a transiting planet will bring great change; for another a passing development. These considerations will help put things in perspective.

Scientific Basis of Astrology

Dr. Percy Seymour, an unusual scientist with an open mind, has considered the evidence and concluded that our geomagnetic field, as well as that of the Sun and even planets, may account for the influence we call astrology. In his book, The Scientific Basis of Astrology: Tuning to the Music of the Planets, Seymour traces the history of our involvement with natural cycles over millennia and puts our relationship with the cosmos in an evolutionary context. This book was released in 1992, when the Uranus-Neptune conjunction in Capricorn was first near exact, and it reflects a more cosmic view of history and cycles. To me, this time was a turning point for thinkers considering astrology from different points of view.

Living organisms are locked into the fluctuations of our geomagnetic system and all life on earth has evolved within it. Seymour first surveys the development of calendars and clocks over the centuries, and we see how intimately we’ve been part of the cycles around us. We then look at numerous studies of the seasonal behavior of mammals, birds and insects, and how exposure to light can influence them.

The Moon’s connection with the tides is well known, but it also has a proven link to rainfall. It’s fascinating to learn about studies done on how bacteria, bees, migrating birds, homing pigeons and even whales are directly influenced by the magnetic field that surrounds all of us. Most people are familiar with the effect that solar activity can have on electrical instruments, but studies point to the fact that solar activity may correlate with planetary movements as well.

Dr. Seymour also cites theories on geomagnetic and planetary influences and includes a discussion of the work of Michel Gauquelin, the intrepid astrological researcher. Gauquelin couldn’t prove the influence of Sun signs, and Seymour doesn’t accept them, either. (However more recent research has shown that the month of birth correlates with a risk for particular diseases.) The author also critiques his scientific colleagues for their closed minds when it comes to investigating astrology.

This is a wonderful book for any astrologer who wants to know more about how astrology might work. Each of the chapters builds on the material in the one before it, ultimately amounting to an astounding revelation. There is no index, but the Table of Contents is clear, as is the organization of the book itself.

Buy at Amazon.com: The Scientific Basis of Astrology: Tuning to the Music of the Planets

My Last Lesson from Al

Al H. Morrison had over 40 years of experience as an astrologer when I studied with him in the early ‘90s. He relished astrological questions and always had a ready answer. I vividly remember one lesson toward the end of his life that concerned making assumptions about a horoscope.

A client whose chart I’d done subsequently asked me about a woman he was seeing and what to expect from her. Easy enough to do astrologically. But what I found in her chart disturbed me and I wasn’t sure how to properly advise him.

I’d recently been through a grueling two-year transit of Pluto opposite my Moon. Everywhere I had turned, Plutonian people were intruding on my life. They all seemed to be going through intense transitions that involved power plays, manipulation, melt-downs, obsessiveness and even death. Many of those I encountered had strong Pluto placements in their birth charts or were actually experiencing Pluto transits like I was. This was a challenging time and left me feeling at least somewhat betrayed by those closest to me.

I don’t believe that we can totally know someone’s spiritual development or how one will use the energies in the horoscope. But the woman whose chart I now had to analyze was another heavy Plutonian person. I felt sure that she would have ulterior motives and focus on her own agenda to the exclusion of my idealistic client’s needs and those of their relationship, no matter what their astrological compatibility.

I was in a quandary. While I always avoided making judgments on people or telling others what to do, I felt I should advise this man to run the other way – fast! He was likely to be burned. I shared my dilemma with Al, who, as usual, had a succinct response: “Some people like that.”

OMG! A light bulb went off. I was seeing this chart in terms of my own recent experiences and prejudices. I could’ve been accused of being a little Plutonian myself! So I went back to basics: described the tendencies, possibilities and range of experiences the client and his friend were likely to share, along with her own characteristics. I described who she was, but didn’t make a judgment on what I thought the outcome of her energies might be. And the client was very happy with what he learned.

For more on Al H. Morrison, see The Best of Al H. Morrison.

Al’s photo is from a 1968 NY Times Sunday Magazine featuring astrology and astrologers. The photographer said his assignment was to make him look “really weird” and Al felt he succeeded.

Casenotes of a Medical Astrologer

Published in 1980 by Samuel Weiser, Casenotes was written by Margaret Millard, M.D., an obstetrician and general practitioner who somehow also found the time to raise six children. Uranus rising made her an independent thinker, and she was also an accomplished medical astrologer who later practiced acupuncture and holistic health.

As a medical professional, Millard also had access to hospital records, where she often obtained the birth times of many of the patients she treated. Readers are the beneficiaries of the corresponding birth charts, along with her insights and expertise. As a local doctor in Maine, Millard often personally knew the people she writes about and sometimes their families as well. There are many difficult and sad cases that she could not resolve and she shares the heartbreak of doing your best while dealing with the inevitable.

I’ve had an interest in medical astrology for years, but it’s a complex topic. This is not a cookbook or textbook, but if you already know the language of astrology, you’ll follow the discussion. I was also initially drawn toward Millard’s consistent use of declination in her interpretations, and with declinations we see chart themes both echoed and highlighted. The book is aptly titled “Casenotes” since each case considered is no more than 7-8 pages long. But Margaret Millard packs a tremendous amount of information into the horoscopes she analyzes and it’s the chart interpretations that take this book to the top tier of astrological works.

The case studies follow a brief introduction to the topic, and no matter what your experience, you’ll learn something new. Dr. Millard refers to harmonics, parans, Primary Directions, the Prenatal Epoch and the work of Ebertin. She favors the Topocentric house system. Yet the book is never theoretical but always focuses on specific charts and their meaning. The chapter on rectifying charts with family members using Oblique Ascension is rigorous, especially considering that the writer did all of her calculations by hand.

Casenotes of a Medical Astrologer is a throwback to earlier times: to the days when all medical practitioners were astrologers, but also to an earlier generation of astrologers who wrote sophisticated works and had strong opinions about their judgments. I don’t agree with everything Margaret Millard says, but her conclusions are always thoughtful. Andt’s unusual to find such a focused and thoughtful work, representing a lifetime of study.

181 Pages; copies are available second-hand.
Buy at Amazon.com: Casenotes of a Medical Astrologer

Stellar Review

Donna Van Toen gave my astrological mystery, The Precious Pachyderm, a nice review in the December ISAR International Atrologer.

“This is an astrological mystery. The pachyderm is not a cute little baby elephant, but rather a carved jewel of great value. And it goes missing. The sleuth who finds out what happened to it is none other than Evangeline Adams. Now Adams was, in her way, a detective, but not in the way envisioned here. This is, of course, fiction, but it’s a very good fit.

The setting is in keeping with Adams’ era in Manhattan, circa 1926. And the story opens with a wealthy businessman, whose wife is Evangeline’s client, being found dead. And meanwhile, there’s the issue of the missing elephant, which Adams herself is accused of stealing. Lots of twists, turns and tangles, and lots of characters, many of whom are, well, characters. Among these are the rather unpleasant Mrs. Fiske, whose husband is murdered, Evangeline’s assistants Mary and Clara, a group of Hindu monks, a prince (the owner of the elephant) and more. All of this, plus plenty of astrology is woven together in a fast-paced and often funny mystery, written by one of the foremost chroniclers of Evangeline Adams’ life.

Christino is probably the foremost living expert on Evangeline Adams. While this work is definitely fiction, it’s credible fiction. For the most part you could see this happening. No need to suspend belief. The cast of characters, clients, staff and hangers-on, are fun. I’m sure you will smile with recognition at some of the client antics, though I never had a client show up with a dog, and of course nowadays we don’t need transcriptionists. And yes, you will relate to the astrology, too, I’m sure.

If you like mysteries and want a good read, I recommend this. I enjoyed it thoroughly!”

The Astronomer and the Witch

Ulinka Rublack looks back at the life of Johannes Kepler and the year he spent defending his mother against charges of witchcraft in their hometown of Leonberg, Germany in the early 17th century in her engrossing book, The Astronomer and the Witch.

Kepler’s work fits neatly into a time when there was great excitement in studying the natural world, which was seen as part of God’s great plan. There was enthusiasm for mechanical developments such as clocks, as well as natural remedies. While women were generally not educated, they nevertheless had access to medicinal plants and herbs, and Katherina Kepler used these for herself, family and friends.

Kepler was around 50 in 1720, when his mother was arrested and imprisoned. He had previously been associated with Tycho Brahe and Emperor Rudolph II and had already published many of his most important works, but experienced career ups and downs in a time of great instability between Catholics and Lutherans. We learn something about his personal life and relationships with colleagues, family and friends.

Leonberg and its neighboring towns regularly prosecuted witches, who were often older women, hanging or burning those convicted. Katharina’s initial accuser gained support, and rumors turned to testimony against her. Her tough, confrontational manner hurt her case, with a biased and corrupt local official complicating things. Over 70 at the time of the arrest, she’d been a widow who’d raised a family on her own and successfully supported herself for over 30 years. She was jailed for over a year while chained to the floor.

At the same time Kepler published his Epitome of Copernican Astronomy, court records show how he was able to use his experience in the political world and as a critical thinker to craft his mother’s defense. He used rigorous logic and research to dissect the testimony against Katharina, and rhetorical persuasion to argue her case.

The author does an excellent job of portraying Kepler as a multi-faceted individual and admits that he had a large collection of horoscopes and did chart interpretations and forecasts for his various patrons. But she unfortunately does not appear to have researched astrology, which could only have strengthened her work. Rublack provides an excellent historical context for Kepler’s “negative sketches,” but to an astrologer, these are obviously cook-book-like delineations of planetary combinations. She similarly states that “What we call ‘gender’ played no role at all in the explanatory framework of astrology,” which is simply incorrect. Interestingly, she shares some of Kepler’s unanswered questions about his own birth chart, which might be answered by using the outer planets today.

Rublack stresses Kepler’s skepticism, stating, “his view that astrology was of little value.” She is probably more correct in her later discussion, where she concludes that Kepler’s mature belief was non-deterministic, allowing for the influence of the human soul, culture, education, choice and habits to modify the horoscope: “good astrology was very much like medicine in its character, an inductive art, which required observation, experience and analysis.” Kepler’s beliefs were based upon his experience as well as his optimistic Christian world view; he also stressed the need for accurate birth data. Astrologically, he was an innovator, as he was in astronomy.

Despite my quibbles, this is an excellent book for anyone interested in the history of ideas, and particularly for astrologers who wish to learn more about one of their most successful forebears.

Buy on Amazon.com: The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Kepler’s Fight for his Mother

Kepler’s Astrology, Ken Negus’ translation of some of Kepler’s astrological writings is available in print.

Culture & Cosmos’ edition on Kepler is unfortunately no longer available. See the Table of Contents here.

Evangeline Adams Update

Half a Saturn cycle after my 2002 biography of Evangeline Adams, I’m updating it. And with many collections now online, I’m finding a lot of new information.

I’d never been able to find proprietor Warren F. Leland’s report of Evangeline’s accurate 1899 forecast of disaster for the Windsor Hotel. But now I’ve discovered an article in which he advises a reporter what Adams told him in advance.

I wasn’t sure about Evangeline’s maternal grandfather. But with several of her distant relations posting Family Trees online, I’ve now definitely identified him. He was a machinist with nine children and a suicide! This says something significant about Adams’ mother and grandmother, as they were obviously survivors. Evangeline was, too.

In her autobiography, Evangeline Adams talks about her engagement to her employer, a Mr. Lord. The relationship was facilitated by her aunt. I’d searched for Mr. Lord years ago but with no first name it was difficult to go further. I’ve now found him in newspaper databases through the company name that Adams provided. And it turns out that Luther S. Lord was thirty years older than Evangeline Adams. It was more common in the 19th century for women to marry much older men. But thank goodness she didn’t! She was only eighteen or nineteen at the time.

I’m excited to search for more about other people and events in Evangeline’s life in the coming months and expect to share these in the update of Foreseeing the Future: Evangeline Adams and Astrology in America.

Book Blog Tour

Check out the Blog Tour for my astrological mystery novel, The Precious Pachyderm. Set in 1920s New York City, astrologer Evangeline Adams and her two assistants discover who stole a priceless elephant figurine and killed one of their high-class clients.

Join me for some excerpts from the book and a review or two. I’ll also reply to comments and answer your questions. Plus: sign up to win a $15 Amazon gift card!

October 23: T’s Stuff
October 24: Books, Dreams,Life
October 25: This and That Book Blog
October 26: Fabulous and Brunette
October 27: Book Lover Promo
October 30: BooksChatter
October 31: Straight From the Library
November 1: fuonlyknew
November 2: Jane Reads – review
November 3: The Avid Reader

In the Shadow of the Moon

At the time of the Uranus-Neptune conjunction in the early 90s, I was thrilled to read some of Professor Anthony Aveni’s books. Conversing with the Planets looked at people’s relationships with the cosmos through history and across cultures, and Empires of Time covered how people consider time, which derives from the cycles of the Sun and Moon. These books both touched on astrology, as the author is both an astronomer and anthropologist. Aveni became one of the first prominent voices on what would now be called cultural astronomy or, at the time, archaeo-astronomy.

Anthony Aveni’s work is refreshing since he accepts people’s beliefs (including astrology) as part of what makes them interesting. His latest book, In the Shadow of the Moon, covers solar eclipse viewing and arrives in time for total solar eclipse to cross the U.S. on 8/21/17.

In the Shadow of the Moon looks at not only eclipses but also the people who study them. The author eloquently shares his own eclipse viewing experiences and presents others who’ve captured the spectacle in words. We learn about predicting eclipses through the centuries, from Stonehenge to Babylon, the ancient Greeks, Chinese and Maya, with detailed accounts of eclipse expeditions in the U.S. and abroad in more recent times.

Full of insight and wit, Anthony Aveni’s eclipse book is part science history, part human interest, and captures the challenges of navigating capricious weather as well as the joys of encountering this rare natural phenomenon.

While this book doesn’t address the astrology of eclipses, it provides an excellent background to studying them and communicates why they’re so compelling, regardless of time and space.

Buy from Amazon.com: In the Shadow of the Moon: The Science, Magic, and Mystery of Solar Eclipses
Empires of Time: Calendars, Clocks, and Cultures
Conversing with the Planets: How Science and Myth Invented the Cosmos (Kodansha Globe) by Aveni, Anthony published by Kodansha Globe Paperback

Karen Christino

Astrologer and Writer