The Magi


If you want to hide something, put it in plain sight.



Who doesn't know the story of the Three Wise Men? How they followed the Star of Bethlehem? And the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrhh? Most people accept a folk version of the tale that portrays the three visitors as kings. One of the more popular of these has a dark skinned man as a king from Africa, a yellow skinned man as a king from Asia and a brown skinned man as a king from India. You’ve seen their statuettes at many a nativity scene. Another source of your knowledge about these gentlemen may come from the carol, “We Three Kings”. Many simply refer to the Gospel of Matthew. Whatever version you choose there are some commonalities to all of them. First, these were men who were highly respected in their home communities, be they wise men or kings. Second, they brought gifts. Third, the guidance system for their trip had an astronomical basis. The first two of these are not a problem as far as explaining the story and there are many cultural variations as we know. One of these explanations heads toward the actual truth when it acknowledges that the original Greek word first used to describe the visitors, translated in English, is Magi. There is no question as to what a Greek or Hebrew historian in early A.D. was referring to with this word – a Zoroastrian priest and Zoroastrian priests were astrologers - the acknowledged best astrologers of the day with an international reputation. This was a time when astrology was highly regarded as a science and astrologers were treated as royalty. 



So why does this get lost in translation? We get astrologer/priests following a star but that's about as far as the truth of the story gets. Periodically we get taken on an astronomical wild goose chase by stories that claim to finally identify the star of Bethlehem. These are sadly, indicative of astrology's decline in modern culture. Following a star? Any astrologer worth their salt knows what the Magi were looking at and why. That would be the subject of an entire book. Suffice it to say that they were going to an area that their calculations were telling them to search in at a particular time. That they were “following a star” could be a poetic description of their work, it's true, and yes, their calculations were astronomical ones of actual objects. But they were not following one particular star that “shone” brighter in the heavens. That is such a gross oversimplification of astrology that it can hardly be compared to the real thing. And what about the biblical reference to the “dream” they had “warning” them to not go back through Herod's territory? Again, any good astrologer would have done what is called an election chart for the start of the journey which would have told them everything about the trip including the possibility of death through a monarch's deceit and how to avoid it. To the unenlightened it might appear the astrologer received some vision from their calculations that “spoke” a warning.



Good students of history know that astrology’s present standing in the community is not from things being merely lost in translation. It is largely due to Christianity's suppression and persecution of Zoroastrian devotees and its long historical relationship and antipathy with magic which continues to this day. Heretics are kept away from the fold and their heresies are shunned. At least they left them as Kings.


Retrograde Mercury

Retrograde Mercury

Mercury is retrograde from December 8 - December 26! Sound the alarm! Your “astrological” friend has said “don't do anything until Mercury goes direct!” So what do you do? Does it depend on how much you “believe” in astrology? Perhaps you have benefited from some astrological insights and you are wondering how this retrograde Mercury fits into the scheme of things. Your unease with some of the advice you have heard is well-founded. The phenomenon known as retrograde Mercury is one of the most well-known and most misunderstood events in all of astrology–to newcomers and skeptics alike. Astronomers know what it is, of course, but give it no meaning. In one sense they are right. That would be the sense that is needed to balance much of the misunderstanding one encounters when hearing about the effects of a retrograde Mercury from what could best be called “superstitious” astrologers.

There are two fundamental concepts critical to understanding how a retrograde Mercury “works”. The first concept is the astronomical understanding of retrograde motion. The second is what ‘backwards’ means. An astronomical understanding of retrograde motion can be had by asking any astronomer or looking up online “planetary retrograde motion". Here is a link to a site that explains it and shows it in animation very clearly: The important thing to understand is that it is an apparent motion. Mercury is not actually going backwards. It only looks that way. It's an optical illusion, folks. Things of a mercurial nature are not going to start going backwards in your world. But here's the tricky part. (You didn't think you were going to have an understanding of a Mercury phenomena without it getting tricky did you? Mercury, the Trickster?)) This is the optical illusion part. Things can look like they are going backwards. It can seem like you are starting over. Sometimes you have to take a step backward to take a step forward. Your individual level of awareness and acceptance of these kinds of things largely determines your experience of a retrograde Mercury. And of course now we're talking about Mercury in your individual chart, aren't we? What is your awareness of the role of intellect in your life? Is it a servant or a dictator? How comfortable are you with reflection? With looking back? With powerlessness? Powerlessness is anathema to the intellect because you can't think your way out of it. Letting go of one's attachment to mercurial things is a lifetime spiritual discipline. Everybody just has the opportunity to get more practice when Mercury is retrograde!

For more clarification of the backwards concept let's look from an indigenous point of view. Amongst the Native American tribes from the Plains of North America, the Lakhota have an understanding of what they call ‘heyoka'. Again, I would invite you to research on your own for a fuller, more complete understanding of heyoka as there is not enough room in this short article to do it justice. Suffice it to say that the heyoka medicine man/woman literally did things backwards. He/she reminded the people to not take themselves too seriously, to remember to laugh and to remember to take time to heal. How long has it been since you've done that? A retrograde Mercury can give you more opportunities.

Another piece of the puzzle is the understanding of Mercury in the United States chart. American's relationship to intellect is a love/hate one. Too much of it and you are labeled a nerd and considered out of touch with the “real” world or a snob or worse yet, a liberal! Too little of it and you're a boob or a loser. Yet, Americans are obsessed with thinking that they can think their way out of any problem. American media is saturated with Mercury's most famous, dishonorable trait – lying. Waking up to an enlightened relationship with intellect can be most difficult if you have grown up immersed in American culture.

Having said all this, if I had a client come to me over the next few weeks while Mercury is retrograde and asked me if they should sign some important legal documents that would be binding for a long time I would advise them to wait. I was taught and have since confirmed that during the retrograde Mercury one does not have all of the information necessary to make an informed, wise decision and that it is best to wait until Mercury goes direct rather than make a decision you will regret later when the information you don't have comes in. The short version–you'll change your mind and regret that you didn't wait. Depending on the nature of what's involved and your relationship to it this can be anything from a mere inconvenience to a major life obstacle. Does that mean everything is put on hold while Mercury is retrograde? Of course not. Life can only be lived forwards but taking a step back can be a good thing.

Beginner's Mind

A deep bow to Suzuki Roshi for the title of this post -- it was the title of his first book. And a deep bow of apology to you, the reader, for the length of time since my last post. I've been dealing with ulnar nerve impingement in my right arm and tendinitis in both hands which forced me to stop using my computer. Thankfully, I have found a wonderful solution which I am using right now––Dragon Dictation––that enables me to use my computer completely by voice. Enough about me. Let's talk astrology.

Every once in a while I pick up a recently published book by some well-known, well-respected astrologer just to see what's being run up the flagpole these days. In one such book I am presently reading the author purportedly explains how to do an astrological consultation, all the while exhorting the reader to, above all else, keep it simple. Yet in their very first example they cite an obscure, minor aspect to explain an over-archingly predominant trait in a famous person's personality. I was dumbfounded. In the example chart one finds a planet rising in the first house that has long traditionally been associated with all of the elements of the personality trait that are being pointed to. Even a beginning astrological student would be puzzled as to why this is not mentioned and why instead we are to attribute things to something far less obvious. Ok, fine, if something works for you, great, use it. But when your “system” of astrology becomes attached to any one particular facet of astrological science to the point of missing the big picture then you have, to use the Zen metaphor, mistaken the finger for the moon.

My point is, we must be wary of becoming experts. Trust what we see, not how we see it. Don't get me wrong. Yes, I've done my homework, I know my symbols, aspects, signs… I've learned it all and I've learned it well. But in the end I am always reminded that I'm looking at a living thing. That I am not going to be able to figure it out on one level. If all of my chart preparations don't leave me in a place where I realize I am looking only at one thing, one living thing then I've missed the boat, I've missed the person.

Again, let there be no mistake, I am not at all suggesting overlooking the identification, study and understanding of the many, many details in the science of a horoscope. That is an essential prerequisite. You will not be able to articulate what you are seeing without this necessary groundwork. But we can't forget, as my dear friend and astrological mentor, Barbara Watters, continually reminded me, “Always go back to the chart.” What am I seeing? If I think, oh, it couldn't be that simple, that obvious, could it? The answer is almost always yes.

Partial Lunar Eclipse June 26, 2010

I've been asked by a friend to comment on the imminent partial Lunar eclipse that is happening later tonight. I'm hesitant to respond because what I have to say is not going to sit well with many astrological aficionados. A cursory search on the web yields any one of a number of predictions based on an analysis of the time of this eclipse. The problem with most of these predictions is that they are, for the most part, based solely on the chart of the eclipse. You might well ask what else a prediction might be based on and I would say at least you've asked the right question. An analogy might be helpful. Let's say you are a doctor and are monitoring a patient with multiple health issues and they've been admitted to a hospital with some acute symptoms. What sense would it make for you to ignore all of their previous medical history, age, sex, etc. and assess the future of their well being based solely on one acute symptom? Analyzing a lunar eclipse chart is tantamount to that. No, it's even worse. It would be like ignoring the patient entirely and focusing only on a description of the symptom which, in effect, is an almost entirely worthless endeavor as far as being of any practical value to the patient's treatment plan. That is is not to say that a doctor would ignore symptoms. Those symptoms are important when placed in a full and proper context. The same with a lunar eclipse chart. For an astrologer working with an individual it is absolutely necessary they have a firm understanding of that person's natal chart to begin with. Then they are in a position to ask the right questions to understand how that individual has been dealing with the unfoldment of their progressed chart and the long term transits up to the present. Finally, the astrologer can place the individual in the present time stream of the larger cycles of energies that are in play at any given time, eg., the soli/lunar eclipse cycle that has been unfolding within the larger solstice/equinox cycle to name just two. Arriving at an astrological analysis of any moment in time and its effect on an individual, a city, a state, a county or the world at large is an immensely complex and arduous endeavor and requires an unstinting intellectual rigor and breadth of vision. Dozens and dozens of inter-related factors and principles are involved, many of which are in constant motion. For example, I would cite one of these principles -- the principle of heirarchical astrological influence. The simplest expression of that is: no transit or eclipse can trigger an event that is not an a priori potential in an individual's natal chart. If it's not in the original horoscope, it ain't gonna happen, folks. No matter how many eclipses or Grand Cardinal Poobahs you have. As I said, this would be one of the simplest expression of the hierarchical principle. This principle is applied in the understanding of how spheres of influence nested within each other operate. Each sphere contains another with progressively less impact until you finally arrive at the present moment. Tonight that happens to be a partial lunar eclipse. Unless you have carefully examined and weighed all those spheres as they have unfolded you are in no position to understand what's going on. Astrology is simply a means of knowledge. It is not a creator of knowledge. I often tell new clients that I can't tell them anything they don't already know - on some level. All the work that goes into a reading is a means by which an astrologer can get as close as possible to understanding the point of view of their client. We are literally selling water by the river. Anyone who tells you they can see things about the future that can't be seen any other way is a huckster, a charlatan, a flim-flam man. By the time you have done all the required analysis of a given person's or country's chart it's not that hard to predict what will happen next. So I have two questions for you. One, who is willing to devote the enormous amount of time and intellectual effort involved to be able to stand alongside the likes of Ptolemy, Regiomantus, Ficino, Bruno and Kepler to name but a few of the great Western minds that understood astrology? And, two, who really wants to know the truth?

Continuing with the analysis of the Deepwater Horizon disaster we turn to the ruler of the First House, Jupiter at 21 PIS 45. Here begins the unraveling of one of the threads of a complex configuration of planets and fixed stars that I believe spells out the prospect for a worst case scenario. Jupiter is exactly opposed the violent and unfortunate fixed star Denebola. This second brightest star in Leo is known as the "Tail of the Lion" and is associated with the triggering of major disasters. Denebola was conjuct the Midheaven at the take off of the ill fated Air France Airbus jet bound for Paris from Sao Paolo, Brazil that went missing over the Atlantic Ocean May 31st, 2009. There were no survivors and the cause of the crash at sea still remains a mystery. At the time of the plane's last transmission the Moon had reached a conjunction with Denebola. Denebola is rising at the time of the bombing of Hiroshima exactly at the midpoint of the Ascendant and Jupiter in the First House. So much for the astrologers of sweetness and light association of Jupiter with benevolent protection and all things good. Jupiter rising in event charts of war simply assures victory.

One of the complexities of this chart and a very critical one in understanding this event is the fact that Jupiter is also the ruler of the Fourth House. In event astrology we look to the Fourth House to assess the final outcome . This is where things get really nasty. Jupiter is very close to the cusp but is considered to have passed on to the hidden side of the Imum Coeli. This is the situation we are seeing everyday with BP. They are very much present as a part of the effort to bring an end to the disaster but have been ineffective at best. Not only are they the instigators (1st) they are also the ones with the supposed know-how and equipment to put an end to the situation (4th). The big question is will they be successful? In the short term the answer is clearly, no, which we have so depressingly witnessed. Jupiter's only Ptolemaic aspect before it leaves Pisces, outside of a weak semi-sextile to Neptune, is an opposition to an elevated, angular Saturn in its ruling house. Here high rolling, arrogant Jupiter meets its match with the cold, hard reality of Saturn. The weak semi-sextile to Neptune has been well parodied by the Doonesbury comic satire of BP's incredulous attempts to minimize the amount of oil that has been leaking and their ultimately futile attempts to be in charge and solve the problem. As Jupiter approached the exact opposition to Saturn's original place at 29 VIR 06 we were on the edge of our seats anticipating the outcome of BP's "top-kill" solution. On May 30, BP's announcement of the failure of the "top-kill" exactly coincided with Jupiter reaching 29 VIR 06.

It might be considered that Saturn is throwing a double quincunx to the Sun and Neptune which would effectively draw them and Jupiter and Uranus into one grand Finger of God, or YOD. By classical methods this would be stretching things as the Sun is past the quincunx to Saturn. The translation of light phenomena may apply here, though, because the Medium Coeli is fast approaching a conjunction to Saturn and about to change to O degrees of Libra which would eventually put it quincunx the Sun. I believe the more compelling argument for the workability of a YOD is the fact that the midpoint of the Sun and Neptune is 29 PIS 36 which is, in effect, the leading point that all five of these planets are centered around. This is substantiated by seeing how the powers that be (Sun) that are involved are all pointing the finger at each other and there has been nothing but misrepresentation and deceit (Neptune) in the assessment of the amount of oil that is being released and in the uncovering of the collusion between the government inspectors and BP officials. The final piece of this stellar nightmare is found at this leading center point of 29 PIS 36. It is the fixed star Scheat at 29 PIS 22, said to have malevolence of sublime scope and associated with extreme misfortunes, catastrophes that lead to loss of life and with mining disasters. On November 13, 1909, 259 men lost their lives in the Cherry Illinois Mine Fire, one of the largest mining disasters in U.S. history. Mars was conjunct Scheat in the Fourth House of that terrible event.

The dark tragedy of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion could be no better portrayed than in the succinct astrological poetry of the configuration that lies at the heart of the moment it occurred. Saturn at the M.C. quincunx Neptune and the Sun and opposing Jupiter in Pisces conjunct Scheat. Under 5,00o feet of pressure (Saturn) a technological failure (Virgo) at the bottom of the ocean (Pisces) allows an enormous explosion (Uranus) to take place that kills 11 (Scheat) and creates the largest environmental disaster (Scheat/Uranus/4th House) in U.S. (Uranus) history with corruption and deceit (Neptune) on one side and powerless leaders (Sun) on the other.

When will it be contained? How far will it spread? To be continued . . .

Deepwater Horizon blowout

It's been a long time since I've done any astrological analysis on an event chart because I still have not recovered from my prediction on the outcome of Barack Obama's announcement to run for the presidency. Those of you who followed that know that this was an event chart with a void Moon. I had never, in my 40 years of study and experience, ever seen this fail to be a significator of a project that would not come to fruition. I've also yet to hear an adequate explanation as to why this time honored stricture did not prevail. I said at the time I made my prediction that if Obama was indeed elected I would stop doing astrology altogether. Yet here I am. My curiosity got the better of me and the event chart you see to the left is the result. BTW, I am open to hearing from other astrologers what they they think of Obama's end run around that void Moon but please don't burden me with magical, "new age" theories or erstwhile Aquarian mumbo-jumbo. If such "out-of-the-box" thinking becomes acceptable then astrological analysis can be thrown out the window and replaced with anyone's psychic or intuitive guess. You may as well then do readings by throwing a deck of cards on the floor. Granted I have known people who can do this exact thing but please don't call it astrology. I make no apologies for my stance in this regard as far as mundane and horary astrology is concerned. I arrived at my position through extensive studies in the early '70's with my dear friend and teacher, the late Barbara H. Watters. Those of you who know her work know she abhorred wishful thinking. 40 years later her influence still guides me and I recall the remark I most often heard from her when she was faced with a barrage of "interpretations" from her students : "Always go back to the chart." It is in this spirit that I would have you look at the present chart of the moment the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster began - the chart that has set my feet back on the path of astrology.

It's always good to start at the beginning, as the Red Queen advised Alice, which, in this case, is the cusp of the first house, the Ascendant, at 15º Sagittarius. The Ascendant describes those who initiate an event. There are no other planets in Sagittarius and 15º is the exact midpoint of the sign which should give us an expression of the most typical, unadulterated Sagittarian traits one could possibly find. (Yes, there are positive Sagittarian traits but they most often occur because of the elevating influence of the Sun which is not the case here.) This is indeed an accurate description of those who have set in motion the disaster that is now unfolding with ever expanding consequences. One cannot escape the synchronicity of the very name of the rig, Horizon, for this is what Sagittarius is all about - ever seeking new horizons and exploring new territory. Earlier that day officials from BP had thrown a celebration for the workers who had just completed the deepest drill ever made. We are now finding out that reckless optimism, a well known Sagittarian trait, had been driving the push to complete the drilling and was largely responsible for what took place. Two very critical components of the fail-safe system of the drill had shut down. When it was brought to light, the powers that be chose to ignore the reports and pressed on. There was also enormous pressure on the workers to step up the pace because they were trying to make up for lost time caused by a previously unsuccessful attempt. This is an all to common bind Sagittarius often finds itself in as efforts are made to recover from debts incurred from a previous bad gamble.

For now I am only going to delineate the factors that involve the Ascendant of this chart. There are simply too many other important elements to describe in one session and, to be honest, I wouldn't wish on anyone the burden of taking in all the horrors of this chart in one sitting. Yes, folks, the prognosis is not good.

To continue, the fixed star, Ras Algethi is rising with the Ascendant at 16 SAG 09. When rising, this star portends the good and bad sides of Saturn. It is also associated with lies, tricks and deception which we have already seen in BP's estimation of the amount of oil that is spilling into the Gulf of Mexico and now possibly being carried by currents into the Atlantic Ocean. The good side of Saturn? Ambition, mining, structure and the ability to deal with hardship -- all of which resonates with Horizon's work. The bad side? Frustration, limitation, and an inability to adapt to change -- pretty much BP's response to this disaster so far. A further Saturnian influence comes from the exact opposition of the fixed star, Cursa, at 15 GEM 17, which is known to have an influence like Saturn. A most revelatory side note regarding this star is that it is the principal star of the constellation Eriadnus. Eriadnus represents the river Padus into which Phaeton fell when slain by Jupiter for having set the world on fire by misguiding the chariot of his father Phoebus. No, I'm not making this stuff up! Could there be a better analogy of the present situation?

Another perilous association to the Ascendant is its extreme proximity to the degree of the Moon's Nodes -- only 11 minutes of arc. The following is a quote from Barbara Watters' "Horary Astrology and the Judgement of Events": "The Nodes are sometimes regarded as Karmic points which act like an adverse combination of Saturn and Uranus to bring sudden retribution or calamity to someone concerned with the outcome of the event." Nothing more need be said.

So far, with the analysis of only one point in the chart, the Ascendant, we have a stunningly accurate description of the people and forces involved that precipitated this tragedy. For the most part it involves the distillation and concentration of two opposing energies - Sagittarius and Saturn. The unstoppable optimism, drive and recklessness of Sagittarius meeting the compression and natural laws of the Saturnian elements that occur at 5,000 feet.

The Ascendant is of course only the tip of the iceberg of the entire First House. To deepen the examination we would look to the ruler of the First, Jupiter, which we find on the hidden side of the Fourth House at 21 PIS 45 and also at Pluto in the First House at 5 CAP 22. I will take these factors up and more in my next post.