Archives.

 Good morning.

1 October 2006.

I was thinking how I could get the message across that most of the 'Astrology' you see in the media and on the Internet simply isn't Astrology at all, and that there are so many fake Astrologers and frauds all over the place. Then the phrase 'To boldly go where no [Astrologer] has gone before' came to mind - with apologies to Star Trek, and to the English language for the split infinitive. The result is a video called The Naked Astrologer. It's not what you think it is, but is ought to make you think about Astrology. Happy viewing. 

4 October 2006. Astrology forums. 

I have been looking in on Astrology Forums and I am astounded at the general state of Astrology if these are examples of modern thinking. Far from advancing the subject we now have all manner of strange ideas and virtually indecipherable charts. It seems as if astro-babble has replaced common sense and as a result the general consensus is now so far removed from reality as to border on absurdity. 

This is the problem with an unregulated profession in which anyone can say anything, which is then almost certainly adopted by everyone else without a check being made as to the validity of the ideas being put on display. Asteroids abound, aspects proliferate, discredited House systems, Karmic nonsense, you name it. The rules are cast aside in favour of wooly thinking. I have yet to see any of these individuals actually produce a genuine report or even a sensible interpretation, because no one seems to think it is relevant any more. Yet surely the whole point of Astrology is to come up with meaningful interpretations? Astro-babble is far easier and doesn't attract too much criticism from the other contributors, so the whole thing can go on and on...

If only these people would realise that Astrology depends on simplicity to reveal the inner workings of a chart. All one needs is the 10 planets [yes including Pluto!] and Equal Houses. I should say that the mere mention of Equal Houses is enough to cause closed minds to close their eyes and ears as well, but the reality is that in every case Equal House will prove far more accurate than any of the other House systems. A system of analysis, interpretation and synthesis follows. End of story. 

6 October 2006. Interfering with the Solar System. 

I care not one jot for what astronomers in their arrogance do to the Solar System through reclassification of celestial bodies, because it is of no relevance to Astrology. The fact that an assortment of pieces of rock are now deemed to be planets or that Pluto is now downgraded to a little piece of rock may satisfy the egos of a few, but for the rest of us - so what?

The system of Astrology passed down over the centuries and put together by far greater minds than ourselves was quite clear about the planets, not as physical objects but as indicators of consciousness and events. It began with the Sun and ended at Saturn, but eventually after years of observation and careful consideration the planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were added. Note - after time and due consideration. Now we have the new breed of astro-babblers and Sun Sign cowboys ever eager to make instant, ill thought out proclamations about anything that turns up in the lens of a telescope! 

Let us be quite clear about this. One cannot include astronomical bodies in Astrology simply because they exist. It will still take years of patient observation and a lot of thinking before any of these can be added to the system, if indeed they ever will be. To seek to bypass this is sheer folly, and one can only wonder at the motives of those who ignore protocol. Could it be that talking 'clever', boosting one's ego, or making money is the answer? For heaven's sake let's stop this insane  harvesting of celestial bodies which does nothing other than make certain people feel good about themselves and, worse still, clutters up an Astrological chart to the point where it becomes undecipherable. We don't need asteroids, new planets, and other oddities. What we do need is simplicity and common sense. It has stood the test of time, so why don't the wooly thinkers go back to the playground with the other children and leave Astrology to the adults?  Eris, Sedna? Who needs them?

14 October 2006. Fake Astrology site. 

A scam appears to be operating from Horoscopes get my answers.com. This single page web site offers a horoscope but requires lots of personal information, including your address and phone number. Why? Couldn't your horoscope be sent by email? I suspect that your personal details will be used by spammers and fraudsters to tempt you into parting with money, but all you will get is rubbish, that is if you are lucky! 

Always beware of single page websites that offer no Astrological information - I can guarantee that they are scammers. Full details here. 

16 October 2006. Reclassifying the planets. 

Since the reclassification of planets occurred we are now getting the inevitable speculation which eventually leads to misinformation entering the Astrological debate. Some of it is started by Sun Sign Cowboys, such as Jonathan Cainer, but not all. The latest utterances concern the so-called planet Eris and, believe it or not, they are based solely on the name. All the mythology of Eris is being brought into play and will, unless checked, become part of the 'meaning' of Eris, to everyone's detriment. 

Let's make no mistake about this, Eris is not a planet as far as Astrology is concerned, and until it is included in the scheme of things - if indeed it ever will be - it remains so. To attach meaning based on a name is sheer folly and shows a complete lack of understanding of what Astrology is all about. Certainly, the planets of old were named after Greek Gods, but there are sound reasons why this was done, not the least being that the consciousness epitomised by a planet directly related to the named God. This is not the case here. Suppose this 'planet' had been named differently? What would happen then? Exactly the same speculation! Eris was the name decided by astronomers, not Astrologers. The latter would have spent years, if not decades, studying the effects of this body before coming to any conclusions but it seems that wild speculation is preferred in some quarters. Don't believe a word of it. 

17 October 2006. Jonathan Cainer. 

Jonathan Cainer today publishes a letter from Daphne who, strangely in the same literary style as Cainer himself, raises the same question I asked yesterday. Cainer replies that 'tradition' demands that we Astrologers should accept any decisions astronomers make and act in accordance. Rubbish! Are these the same idiots who insisted there were 13 Signs in the Zodiac? Just because astronomers decide that a little piece of rock should be designated as a planet and then named Eris does not mean that we professional Astrologers have to follow them blindly. Perhaps the real reason for Cainer's allegiance to astronomers is that there is money to be made?

24 October 2006. When is a birth chart not a birth chart?

It is quite incredible how many charts freely available on the Internet are badly drawn, and there is a reason for this. In this day and age charts are almost universally calculated and drawn using a computer program. Now a program is a wonderful thing but it is only as good as the person using it. The mistake often made is to use the program 'as is' without any attempt to customise it. These programs are set to 'default', which usually means at the whims of the programmer, who may or may not have any concept of what the correct standards are. Often, the wrong House system is used thus placing planets in the wrong House, orbs are too big or too small, and all manner of essentially useless artifacts are included. The result is an unreadable chart in which elements such as chart shaping, aspect patterns, and other essential information are obscured. 

Take a look at the two examples below. The first one is typical of those available on the Internet. As you can see it is quite unreadable and therefore useless. The second has been drawn using the correct standards; it is much easier to read and the Kite shape and T-square patterns are plainly evident, whereas before they were obscured. A badly drawn chart is misleading, so if you want a correctly drawn chart, get one here. 

28 October 2006. Mercury retrograde.

Well folks it's Mercury retrograde time once again as the planet makes one of its regular reverse turns. I won't issue the usual warnings other than to say that communications of all types are likely to be disrupted. Instead I would like to concentrate on other effects. 

In making an apparent backward movement Mercury is likely to cause us to go over old ground, perhaps discovering something we had forgotten or reviving an old interest. People who have been out of touch for some time could suddenly make contact and important matters could arise. Mainly, this is a time to review thoughts, ideas, concepts, and opinions in order that new light may be shed and realisations made. The past is coming back in a way, so do take advantage of this trend rather than just feeling frustrated at life in general. 

For an explanation of Mercury retrograde, here is a short animation. Mercury retrograde. 

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