Archives.

 Good morning.

2nd August 2007. The different techniques of psychics and Astrologers. 

I watched a psychic at work last night on TV and it alerted me to the difference in technique between what they do and the way in which an Astrologer works. In my opinion, psychics read the images we have in our minds. No I am not decrying what they do, and I am sure that the majority do try very hard to be helpful.  I am just looking at it from a different perspective. 

Psychics can be very accurate simply because those images held in a person's mind are largely true, so it is rather like watching a movie rerun to a psychic. I don't go along with the idea that the dead are turning up specially to give little snippets of information. If they had actually crossed the divide then why didn't they come up with more useful information instead of just providing not very useful facts such as, 'Your father says you need to keep warm'?  

I have found, and you may have found the same, that a psychic will spend a great deal of time talking about your past, and if they are particularly talented will come up with real names and locations. However, when it comes to the future there is not as much information available to you. Again, if the presumably all-seeing departed had come back to give you messages, surely out of concern they would concentrate more on what was likely to happen in the near future - if anything. I would say that once again we are dealing not with disincarnate people but with images held in the mind. Some of these will be of such strength that they will eventually come to pass. Some are just vague hopes and wishes and are not so favoured. A good psychic will instinctively know which is which.  

Now despite the antics of James Randi, scientists, and various crackpot critics, there is no evidence that Astrology is paranormal, and I defy any of them to prove that there is. An Astrologer learns how to read a chart and using this knowledge he is able to supply accurate information about his client. He does not attempt to read the mind of his client looking for images. It is a straightforward process and anyone of average intelligence can do it. You can. 

The information given by the Astrologer is of a different order. He won't give you names and addresses or pass on messages reputed to have come from the spirit world but he will give a lots of information about yourself, including finances, domestic matters, work & career, relationships, that sort of thing. He will tell you what you are good at and what you are not so good at and will, whenever possible, give advice on how you may improve your life. With regard to your future, once again he won't look for images, instead he will use a variety of complex techniques to establish the likely trends and from this will make a forecast. He will be particularly good at helping you with a problem where there is uncertainty and choices to be made because he can see from those trends which way things are likely to go and, more importantly, what you can do about it. 

One last point. If you see an Astrologer using a crystal ball or tarot cards then you can be pretty sure he or she is not a genuine Astrologer, because we don't use such things. We interpret charts.

6th August 2007. Latest improvements.

Free birth charts can now be sent to you in pdf format which is more readable and allows you to print out a superb colour chart suitable for framing. 

For existing and previous students, a new student zone has been set up containing downloads of forms and instructional videos. All students are entitled to unlimited free charts which can be requested here. This is reserved only for students of my course and is not available to the general public. 

9th August 2007. Retrograde Venus. 

Retrograde Venus continues its reverse track through the Zodiac and has now moved into the Sign of Leo. Retrograde planets are indicators of a slowing down in the matters ruled by the planet and quite often there is a tendency to go back over old ground, attending to unfinished business or even undoing what has been established. 

Venus rules money matters. so one would expect to see a slowing down, and in fact yesterday here in Great Britain, two banks announced branch closures and layoffs. I had already said there would be problems in the service industry. Hints are surfacing that all is not well with the Economy and that there may well be another rise in interest rates shortly. In the High Street, sales are not as good as expected because people are tending to keep their money in their pockets rather than spend it. They may be more inclined to invest and save rather than spend money on luxury and non-essential items. Also, the recent outbreak of foot & mouth disease at a farm in Surrey has certainly affected many people financially. 

There will be a change in focus now as Venus enters Leo, and I would expect financial problems and renegotiations to affect Leonian matters, such as the theatre and the arts, or even the Royal Family. 

24 August 2007. Fad & fashion. 

For what it's worth, in my opinion fad & fashion are one of the greatest problems we humans have to face in this day and age, in fact the problem has become so chronic that fad & fashion have become fashionable. People are so often lead by the nose into believing the most ludicrous things imaginable and, incidentally, deprived of large amounts of money in the process. The question must be asked - who sets these 'trends' or decides what the latest fad is gong to be? Perhaps I am being a little cynical but it seems to me that some jokers with a perverse sense of humour actually spend time thinking up silly stunts just to see if the public will adopt them. For example, what on earth was the point of introducing the letter r into words that formerly were quite understandable previously? Remember the craze that swept the Nation? O [r] ff, draw [r] ing. Even politicians and public figures were heard uttering this nonsense, fearful they would not be considered 'with it' if they didn't comply. [Here, I am reminded of the story of the Emperors New Clothes] Why should having a bolt through one's nose be considered good practice? And, of course, who decides what this season's 'colour' is going to be fashionable? What was wrong with the previous one? No longer a financial honey pot, I fancy. 

The problem has extended into Astrology. A few decades ago Astrology was largely the territory of a relatively small number of dedicated people who spent their time studying and practicing the ancient Art. Any advances or new ideas would be discussed rationally and tested out for efficacy. Then Astrology suddenly become 'fashionable', largely due to the emergence of the Sun Sign Cowboys, and from then on things went downhill rapidly. But that wasn't the only problem. A new breed of Astrologers came into being who wanted to shake off what they say as the fetters of the past and blaze new trails. Oh dear...

To be continued. 

29 August 2007. Fad & fashion contd. 

I was recently alerted to the problems caused by fad & fashion affecting Astrology after being alerted to a comment on an Astrology forum by a lady whose name I forget. Apparently, she took exception to my description of a Grand Cross, stating that she was tired of hearing negative comments about this configuration and adding that all square aspects [90 degrees] where not really difficult - they were 'challenges'. This sort of reasoning, or rather lack of reasoning, illustrates the fad & fashion issue quite nicely.

It has become a 'trendy' thing to believe that difficult aspects are challenges; the implication here being that they can be overcome or even mastered if one approaches them with a positive attitude and learns from them. However, in the real world - the one we all have to live in - I know full well from dealing with clients and others that while this may be true in principle it has less chance than a snowball surviving the fires of Hell of being of any use to people as a solution to their problems. As an Astrologer, what am I supposed to say to my clients when they ask for advice over a particular difficulty? According to the trendies I should tell them that their problem is no problem at all. Instead, I should tell them to think positively and regard the Uranus - Mars square that has just devastated their life as a 'challenge'. Fat chance! People don't want to hear about fancy notions of challenges - they would just like the truth and some useful guidance. 

But to return to the issue of the Grand Cross. What this lady forgets - and this is a common problem among amateur Astrologers - is that one should never take a chart factor in isolation. Now while it is perfectly acceptable to describe a single chart factor or configuration for the purposes of illustrating a point, one never judges a chart solely on a single configuration. So, while it is perfectly correct to describe a Grand Cross as being difficult and one in which the recipient is like to endure a life of hardship and live in something of a rut, the Astrologer should always remember that this is only part of the whole picture, a picture that may tell a different story when all the chart factors have been evaluated. Difficulties there will certainly be, but they may be compensated by other placings and aspects. Much depends on the chart. Grand Crosses don't simply go away, nor are they so easily overcome by regarding them as a challenge, but they may play a lesser role than is seen at first glance. And so I say to this lady, and all other would-be Astrologers, before you go rushing into print it is always a good idea to check out if the theory you so easily adopt yet fail to examine closely is actually valid in the real world. Or is it just another fad? Astrology survives not through fanciful theories no matter how trendy they may be, but through centuries of tradition that has shaped it and supports it today. Such tradition says 'keep it simple' and adopt no new ideas until they are proven, and above all else useful to the client. 

To be continued...

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