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How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 2:49 pm
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: spiritoflove
Hiya,
How did most of you learn astrology...? Did you do any courses, and what was the hardest bit of this art you could not get your head around?
I did start out studying correspondence with the Mayo school of astrology UK...but it just fizzled out never held my attention...yet I have seen a course that does hold my attention and that is the Huber school of psychological astrology...it looks more enlivening.
Anyway would love to hear your tips, etc...'
SOL
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 5:10 pm
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: Dracophoenix
I work with Non Vedic Eastern Astrolgy (Chinese, Nine Star Ki, Tibetian...) The way I learned was living in NYC's Chinatown and by going to Japanand learning. I still have too look up stuff all the time because there's so muchto kno. For Western Astrology I've learned some from friends offline and
http://www.astro.com has some excellent articles to learn astrology from plus there are plenty of people her that are always willing to answer questions

How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2004 4:31 am
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: dreaminglife
i studied (western) with a great teacher/mentor in LA for about a year. Before that it had been books books and more books. I am now enrolled in the bachelor program at kepler college (kepler.edu).
I noticed i was developing a serious problem when i was studying alone and that was that i would get SO excited about the information that i would study things too quickly and end up not really absorbing things. I was turning into a "cookbook" astrologer, always referencing other peoples work. Taking formal classes has slowed down my learning and allowed me to seriously connect with the art and allow my intuition to really kick in.
The huber school is cool, its from a humanistic lineage of astrology which is pretty cool, just make sure it's the way you view things before getting too involved. there are other ways to learn astrology in a broader context.
Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 6:12 am
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: Hypnos
[QUOTE=Dracophoenix]
www.astro.com has some excellent articles to learn astrology from [/QUOTE]
Thanks for the link. Looks like a pretty good site.
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:09 pm
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: punxzen
mostly by observing people and subtle influences.
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 5:34 pm
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: Dracophoenix
Your welcome I find it answers my questions I have on astrology

How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:59 pm
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: Rin Daemoko
[QUOTE=Dracophoenix]I work with Non Vedic Eastern Astrolgy (Chinese, Nine Star Ki, Tibetian...) The way I learned was living in NYC's Chinatown and by going to Japanand learning. I still have too look up stuff all the time because there's so muchto kno. For Western Astrology I've learned some from friends offline and
www.astro.com has some excellent articles to learn astrology from plus there are plenty of people her that are always willing to answer questions

[/QUOTE]
Dracophoenix, do Chinese, Nine Star Ki, and/or Tibetan astrology work only with the Sidereal Planets? Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn? For some reason I'm interested in Sidereal Astrology - I think it's because of my ChM paradigm.
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 2:30 pm
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: Dracophoenix
Vedic Astrology astrology is like sidereal in Western Astrology. Chinese, Tibetan astrology Nine Star Ki and other eastern non Vedic Astrologies are based on the lunar calander to when certain animals control the lunar month rather the constellations to determine which animal controls your month. Different elements control your your life and luck elements too. There are more stars used than with traditional western astrology but not as many as Vedic astrology from how I was taught. I still find myself having to look up things in books half the time.
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2005 5:22 pm
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: enki360
The difference between western astrology and all other forms of astrology is that western astrology is what is called "tropical" (no, it's not warmer than the other type lol) and the others are sidereal. Sidereal astrology (Vedic, Chinese, Babylonian, etc.) is based on actual observation of the night sky. If we look up and see the planet Jupiter in the constellation of Leo, we can say that Jupiter is in Leo. In tropical astrology (so named because the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn are the northernmost and southernmost latitudes of the Sun's yearly motion) instead of using constellations, it uses signs. So if we took the previous example of Jupiter, and say that it is in the middle of the constellation of Leo, in western astrology it is in the sign of Virgo.
There are different explanations for this. One theory is that all of tropical astrolgy is a giant mistake made by the astronomer Ptolemy, at a time when the constellations and signs were perfectly aligned. This theory rests on the idea that Ptolemy did not know about what is called the precession of the equinoxes, a 25,920 cycle (approx.) in which the spring equinox moves through the zodiac. This is due to the wobble of the earth (think of a spinning top that wobbles on its axis). Right now, we are in the age of Pisces, almost in Aquarius (the precession goes backward through the zodiac). At the present there is about a 25 degree difference between the signs and constellations. So if you've had your western chart done, subtract 25 degrees from the position of any planet and you have its sidereal position.
The fact that western astrology works is a good arguement against it being a "mistake". Greek and Babylonian astronomers knew about the precession of the equinoxes hundreds of hears before Ptolemy.
Western astrology places alot of emphasis on the ascendant, which is less important in sidereal. Both place emphasis on the houses and the distance of the planets from one another (aspects). I personally believe western astrology is lacking the emphasis that the moon deserves. Sidereal astrology has maintained that tradition. I think the nakshatras (moon mansions) are very descriptive and should not be ignored.
There is often arguements over which type of astrology is "right". I think it is a waste of time. Certainly sidereal astrology is much older. I have cast my charts both in the western tradition and the Vedic, and have found that they are both "right", but for totally different interpretative reasons.
There are so many forms of astrology, eastern and western, and I recommend them all.
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2005 9:55 pm
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: Dracophoenix
I don't think that there's any "right" form of astrology. I think it's more about what you feel most comfortable working with. I work with Eastern Astrology. For me it's the easiest systems to work with. I get very accurate charts with these systems. However I have seen incredibly accurate charts done with Western Astrology too. Correct information is the key. Without the correct information one can't get an accurate chart, it doesn't matter what system a person uses.
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 12:05 pm
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: Champagne
My mom introduced me to astrology at a very early age, so it seems almost second nature to me. I've read all of her books she has on astrology. Mostly I learned about signs according to what sign the guy I was dating at the time had. So far I've become well versused in most of the signs (I've had a lot of BF's). With my current BF I knew he was a Sag. before he told me his birthday, and I knew he had a strong Aries influence in his chart, turns out his moon is in Aries.
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 10:28 pm
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: enki360
That is great that you were exposed to astrology at a young age Champagne. Although I had a burning passion for all things occult and beyond the physical realm as long as I can rememember, I didn't find astrology until before my Saturn return, just in time to know what I was in for. My Saturn return would have been much more difficult if I didn't have the astrological knowledge to understand what I was going through.
I am curious what astrologers are people's favorites. With my ruling planet in Gemini, it's no wonder I like a variety of approaches. I like Dane Rudhyar and the humanistic school, Liz Greene and the Jungian approach, it's hard for me to pin down a single particular style and prefer an eclectic approach. But most of all, I think the evolutionary/karmic approach is my preference. Although I have to say the author I consult most is Rob Hand. He is probably the best scholar today. But don't ever go to him for a reading, he has poor counseling skills. I saw him speak in Boston (I'm a member of the Boston chapter NCGR) and he his technical skills are great, but, he almost had one guy in tears from lack of tact, then he proceeded to delineate the worst possible configuration of Mercury, which was a description of my natal Mercury. He then went on to say that anyone with this configuration would be dyslexic or autistic, or at the very least unable to communicate and have a poor grasp of language. I hope the preceeding paragraphs have demostrated that he was wrong. Even the best can be wrong.
So I would like to hear from others what their favorite schools of astrology are.
Although I have not dated alot of women, I use Champagne's approach on everyone I meet. I find that my first guess is almost always the ascendant or the sign ruled by a planet close to the ascendant. Once I get to know someone (and haven't done their chart) I usually get the moon sign, but I have difficulty guessing the sun sign.
Anyway, it would be nice to hear from others on these subjects.
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2005 5:15 pm
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: LadyHydralisk
I read Linda Goodman's "Sun Signs" when I was eight and was hooked. I always reccomend her books to people interested in learning astrology the right and easy way.
Outside of Linda Goodman, some of the better astrological system usages come from people who have no books or business, who pass their teachings orally as in the old days. That is what I have discovered.
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2005 2:31 am
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: enki360
I have read Linda Goodman's Sun Signs and think it is a good book. I would make a comment that her way may be an easy way (one other author I thought was easy to learn from was Alan Oken) , it is not the "right way" as there is no one right way (refer to Dracophoenix post above). I wholeheartedly agree on your statement about great teaching that are in the oral tradition. My teacher had much experience, and when experience conflicted with "theory" she always chose experience. I wish I had studied with her for longer, as she had so many insights that were not in any book. She lives on the other side of the U.S. now.
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2005 6:42 am
by Occult Forum Archive
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2005 10:53 pm
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: kaereste
Blessings,
My mother is the most intuitive astrologer I know; she just knows, and it's amazing to watch her read a chart. She has been slowly giving me bits and pieces for years, but really expects me to just figure it out for myself.
She uses a Western system different than any I've seen, but it works very well for me. There are Thirteen Houses, the extra being ruled by Ophiuchus. All I can do so far is a personality interpretation, and from there, if my subject is present, get a feel for present circumstances.
I chart all my friends. They think it's too fun. I have a master list of people in my account on Astrodienst, though I should really just buy an ephemris.
So, in a roundabout way, I learned from my mother, and from rather obsessive self-study.
Love and light,
Kæreste
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 10:02 pm
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: enki360
I am really into all the variations of astrology, they all seem to work and be self-consistent. The thirteen signs/houses is something that interests me very much. Ophiuchus intersects the ecliptic in (the 12 sign system of) Sagittarius. I have always noticed two distinct Sag types, one more dogmatic and self-righteous than the other. I wonder, kaereste, if you have experienced this, and if you have is it the "true" Sag or the Ophiuchus type that is like that?
There is another interesting 13 sign/house system, with the added sign starting at mid-Taurus (Aldebaran in the constellation) and into Gemini, i don't remember the exact degrees off-hand. The sign is called Arachne or Ariadne, which in itself suggests some interesting connections.
any comments are welcome
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2005 4:17 am
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: kaereste
In my system, the thirteenth house is, well, ethereal. It exists on another plane. Ophiuchus rules this 13th house. It is located between Scorpio and Sag, as stated, but it is always empty. (Mom used to have an ephemris specifically for this system, but alas no more. She says the house is always empty, so I go with that.) Oph symbolizes the witch, the healer, the shaman, the medicine woman.
Incidentally, the houses I use are a little different from what I've encountered in the rest of the astrological community. One sign rules each house, no overlap.
Beginning with the first house, ruled by the sign of the Ascendant, the houses are Self, Twos, Free, Health, Act, Matterful Things, Magic, Timing & Motion, Create, Chosen, Pleasures, Dreams, and Perfection.
Oh, I'm babbling.
Love and light, y'all,
Kæreste
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2005 6:19 am
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: dal_timgar
It's been more then ten years since I've tried doing charts and my books are all packed up, but drawing up the chart is pretty much the same in all the books. It's the interpretation that's the hard part. I looked on amazon.com.
THE ONLY ASTROLOGY BOOK YOU'LL EVER NEED by Joanna Woolfolk
looks OK but I think the title is kind of arrogant. It's only $12. If you're still interested after reading one book you should have some idea what to look for in the next book.
The funny thing about astrology is, when EXACTLY is the Age of Aquarius supposed to begin?
Dal Timgar
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2005 11:18 am
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: Dracophoenix
Kaereste,
If you feel like doing a speparate thread on your method of Astrology feel free to do so. I'm learning Vedic Astrology right now. I don't know enough about it to say whether different "signs" overlap or not, I've noticed that Mayan Calander doesn't have overlaps but there are more than 13 "signs" used. Though I work with non Vedic Eastern astrology and will sometimes see overlaps in the luna cycles that each animal rules. I can't speak for everyone else here but your system sounds very facinating

and I'm always willing to learn something new.
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2005 11:48 pm
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: Anubis RainHawk
You might want to check out the Astrology class on Mystic Wicks (A pagan forum). All you need to do is sign up, and then post any questions you may have. Here's a link to the class
http://www.mysticwicks.com/forumdisplay.php?f=106
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 12:18 am
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: enki360
A couple of thoughts I'd like to communicate.
Kæreste, your system is very interesting, in fact unique in my experience. Though using "whole sign" houses is probably the oldest house system.
The archetypes you assign to Ophiuchus (the witch, the healer, the shaman, the medicine woman) are all related to Chiron, the Centaur(Sag). Some astrologers assign rulership of Virgo to Chiron, and they have a good point because Virgo rules health and medicine, herbs, and other things that were Chiron's specialty. But rulership of Sagittarius (or actually, Ophiuchus) makes more sense, because Chiron was also a shaman, healer, and diviner. Chiron's myths are many (the most descriptive is the wounded healer), and they all add to the complexity of the "planetoid" (not quite planet, not quite comet) we have named Chiron. In addition to the myths, there are also aspects of it's orbit which add a new dimension. In traditional astrology, the farthest planet that could be seen with the naked eye was Saturn, which represented physical reality, and became the boundary of the known universe. Uranus, the next planet out (and rules Aquarius) is a higher octave of Mercury. Mercury is the intellectual realm, Uranus is the spiritual/intuitive realm. Chiron makes a large loop that goes outside of Uranus' orbit then comes inside Saturn's orbit, thus bringing the "unknown" universe into the "known" universe. All just food for thought.
But use Chiron in all my readings, and those on a spiritual path seem to be more sensitive to its influence.
As for Dal Timgar's question: since there is no exact boundary between constellations, it is hard to give an "exact" time of the beginning of the Age of Aquarius, but the majority of astrologers say about 2150. Seems like it's far off, but in terms of a 25,920 cycle, we are but a hair away.
Thanks for letting me pontificate.
Enki
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2005 6:32 am
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: dal_timgar
There would be 12 changes of ages in that 25,920 years so each age is 2160 years long. 145 years out of that is about 15%. A bit more than a hair.
The book THE ULTIMATE FRONTIER claims it was August 1953. Consider the changes in science and technology begining about 100 years before that date. Consider the technology we are using to communicate now. How much is the thinking of millions of people around the world changing because of the acquisition of information via the internet? There will have to be some big changes long before 2150.
Dal Timgar
How did You Learn Astrology / tips?
Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2005 6:27 am
by Occult Forum Archive
Original post: enki360
Okay, I'll concede "a hair" was an innapropriate term to use.
And again, alot of the discussion is based around the divisions of the constellations in the sky, when we are talking about manifestations of the Aquarian age in human culture.
I will acknowledge another mistake I made in my last post, I should have have said astronomers, not astrologers, tend to agree on a 2150 date. Astrologers opinions are much more diverse.
As an astrologer, I have consistently found that when approaching a cusp, the qualities of both the end of a sign and beginning of the next manifest, sometimes as as a sort of either/or, and sometimes as a blending of the two. Example: A person with an ascendant of 29 degrees Sagittarius inevitably has a Capricorn character to the ascendant as well.
I have The Ultimate Frontier in my library and found it a quite interesting and provocative book, and I will not try to intepret nor refute the 1953 date.
But here's an idea I have. There are always subdivisions in astrology, 360 degrees into 12 signs, 3 decans in each sign, 30 , degrees in each sign, etc (also Vedic dasas and their sub-periods).
If we take 25,920 and divide it by 12 we get 2160. So for 2160 years a certain sign has a predominant influence. If we further divide that by 12 we get periods of 180 years. So we then get a sub-influence of a second sign.
All this kind of thinking is predicated on the idea of fractals and the holographic universe, which are defintely Aquarian in nature.
So I have seen datesas early as the 1800s when Uranus (Aquarius' ruling planet) was discovered to as late as 2290. Aleister Crowley believed the new Aeon began in 1904 with his receiving of the Book of the Law by a channelled entity named Aiwass. Many believe the late 1960s and early 70s ushered in the new age. And Dal Timgar points out the technology of today as indicative of the Aquarian age, and rightly so.
So I guess that leaves us in limbo as to any kind of certainty.
I must say, as an Aquarian myself, that I feel right at home with the internet, new technologies, and new ideas. We may indeed already be in the new age.
Any other guesses?