CLASS LECTURE I Astrology Basics

Transcription

1 CLASS LECTURE I Astrology Basics I want to start by saying that I am not a fortuneteller and I do not teach astrology as a superstition. I teach it as a road map, a way of learning the harmonic relationship between the planets and stars and how they affect space and time. Our task is to learn the principles of astrology step by step; layer by layer and apply them to our lives. I began to study Astrology very casually at the age of 13. Later when I was attending college, I met a lady who interpreted my chart and I began to study with her. After a period of time, I moved in with her and one thing lead to another. It seemed the more committed I became, the more the right teachers were put into my path. I have studied astrology and its values over a period of 25 years. When I first studied I was very much into the ego, what it was all about for me; and that was fine, because that's how you learn. Then, the more I learned, the more I saw that everyone has a choice and the chart is a reflection of who I am, where I could go and what paths are in front of me. It is a system of analogy that works. My chart helped me actualize the potential I was born with. Astrology has been a powerful guiding factor in my life and the process has been very interesting. I am going to teach you all the rules. Then, once you know the foundation all the basics and all the rules I will teach you how to break them. There are many philosophers and beliefs and teachings. I have taken many from Carl Jung. He taught that every woman has a male within (The Animus), and every man has a female within, which he termed The Anima. The Animus is a term to represent the father figure or our unconscious feelings and attitudes toward men. It is the inner male side of us. The Anima, is a term to represent the mother figure or unconscious feelings or attitudes toward women. Another tenet of Jung s was that everyone has a theme in his or her life, whether it be success, family, wealth or freedom. Whatever it is, this is called an archetype, which is the original pattern from which a form is made. We can embody one or more archetypes. For example someone might go through a whole life searching for success or wealth to make themselves happy. At the end of the search, they could realize success does not make them happy. Perhaps self-realization or peace of mind is what gives them happiness. This is a theme or archetype. Jung teaches that the self is the side of you that knows you. The part that always knows what to do. The energy, the idea, the belief that keeps you going, this is the self. The idea is to get closer and closer to that realization of the Self.

2 2. The Alphabet of Astrology Now we are going to learn the basics, the alphabet of Astrology. The basics are the signs, graphs and rulers. These are the basic constructions of every astrological chart. First we start with THE CIRCLE The Circle = The Spirit The Cross = Man Together = Man s Personality Crucified on The Circle of The Spirit 360 degrees or the circle is what you might call the spirit. Then we have a cross on the circle. The cross or angles represent man on the spirit. If we split the circle in half, you get earth to sky. Then on the circle we have the settings: East, West, South and North. You will notice that the East and West are reversed. N Noon East means Sunrise or 9:00 position West means Sunset or 3:00 position South means Midnight or 6:00 position North means Noon or 12:00 position E Sunrise Sunset W S Midnight Note: if you are born at midnight, the sun sign will be around midnight on the chart. If you are born at sunset, the sun sign will be around the 5th house of the chart. The circle or the spirit is 360 degrees and if you divide it by 12 (the 12 houses), you get the size of each house, which is (technically) 30 degrees. There are 12 signs and 12 houses. Each house is ruled by a sign. There is one major rule in astrology and that is: You always go in order. Never break the order. Astrology is a series of checks and balances º

3 3. In Astrology there are four elements: Fire; Air; Water; Earth. There is a fifth element, but we will not use that now. (It is called the "Akasha", meaning the highest element, the spirit, the memory or collective unconscious.) There are symbols for each of the four elements: Fire Air Water Earth Fire and Air are what we call the YANG energies, meaning: the masculine, assertive, aggressive, outward, extroverted, the father (not always the personal father), the law maker, the authority, God the father, the hero. Water and Earth elements are female or YIN energies, meaning: receptive, passive, mother (not always the personal mother), goddess, healer, witch, medium and poetess. Fire and Air signs are always masculine and father (the father archetype). Water and Earth signs are always feminine and mother (the mother archetype). Fire and Air being of the same polarity are friendly toward each other because they are masculine. Water and Earth, are also in the same polarity and so they are friendly toward each other because they are both feminine. Although Earth and Water are harmonious energies, they do not mix well with Fire or Air and visa versa. The Fire Signs are: (Masculine/Yang) The Air Signs are: (Masculine/Yang) The Water Signs are: (Feminine/Yin) The Earth Signs are: (Feminine/Yin) Aries Leo Sagittarius Gemini Libra Aquarius Cancer Scorpio Pisces Taurus Virgo Capricorn All these signs comprise an astrological whole and represent all of the energy in a balance. As you will find when you begin to analyze a chart, the balance of these energies and their placement in a chart, can show you where a person is off-balance or where they have issues and disharmony as well as harmony in their own chart.

4 4. The Houses The Houses are as follows: (Try to become familiar with the symbol for each as you read each of the houses and their natural rulers in the chart.) 1 ST HOUSE is ARIES ruled by MARS. FIRE sign (Masculine/Yang). Symbol of the ram s horn. The 1st house is also called the ASCENDENT. Aries and the 1st house are ruled by Mars. The components are: exuberance, energy, aggressiveness, action, can be selfish because the 1st house deal with the self. The ruler Mars shows how you assert yourself, your physical energy, your ability, how you defend yourself and how you assert your sexuality. 2 ND HOUSE is TAURUS ruled by VENUS. EARTH sign (Feminine/Yin). Symbol of the bull. An earth sign. The components are: What do I have? What do I own? What is tangible? Very pragmatic, practical, rules pleasures, ease, antiques, beauty but in a domestic way. The ruler Venus shows what you like, what you love, how you love, where you like ease, where you are happiest. 3 RD HOUSE is GEMINI ruled by MERCURY. AIR sign (Masculine/Yang). Symbol of the twins. The components: it rules the mind, communication, early learning (the lower schools elementary), siblings. What shows-up on your 3rd house is going to show how you communicate, how you think; because the ruler Mercury shows how you communicate, how you think, how you speak, how you get your message across. 4 TH HOUSE is CANCER ruled by the MOON. WATER sign (Feminine/Yin). Symbol of the crab. Also, the 4th house is called the NADIR. It rules the home, attitude about the home, the mother and the end of life. Traditionally, the 4th house is used to describe the mother, but with certain aspects in a chart, it can represent the father. The ruler, the Moon, shows your emotional life: personality, instincts, your fears, how you feel, your emotional needs, your mother, where you need security, the quality of your home life, and where you have dependency issues. 5 TH HOUSE is LEO ruled by the SUN. FIRE sign (Masculine/Yang). Symbol of the lion. Rules children, creative pursuits, romance, falling in love, fun, party, entertainment and gambling. The ruler, the Sun, shows your character, individuality, your basic constitution (what you're made of), and the deep roots of your vitality.

5 5. 6 TH HOUSE is VIRGO ruled by MERCURY. EARTH sign (Feminine/Yin). Symbol of the virgin. Rules work, daily routine, daily toil, health and regiment. The ruler Mercury is ordered, detailed, service oriented, organizational, analytical, discriminating and mental in a pragmatic way. 7 TH HOUSE is LIBRA ruled by VENUS. AIR sign (Masculine/Yang). Symbol of the scales. The 7th house is also called the DESCENDENT. Rules partnerships (business & marriage), contracts, balance, harmony and can describe the other (meaning the partner) in a chart. The ruler Venus is the lover, wants everything to be beautiful, aesthetic, balanced, perfect, very romantic, loves beautiful people and can be very good partners. 8 TH HOUSE is SCORPIO ruled by PLUTO. WATER sign (Feminine/Yin). Symbol of the scorpion. The 8th house is very intense. It deals with sex, death, regeneration, other people's money, psychologically what you face as a child, and the child in a state of crisis. The ruler Pluto shows power. A test of power in some form of ownership, mutual monies, the mate, partner or in business. It shows where you have had a childhood crisis, where you need to transform energy, where you can heal others. Pluto rules unions, reunions, and unresolved criminal elements. 9 TH HOUSE is SAGITTARIUS ruled by the JUPITER. FIRE sign (Masculine/Yang). Symbol of the archer. The 9th house rules religion, higher schools and studies (college), travel, foreigners, law, values, philosophy and your belief system. The ruler Jupiter shows where you realize expansion in your life, where you have luck, where you can be a teacher, a helper, a mediator. Jupiter is called the benefic planet and brings wisdom, benevolence, providence, richness and wealth in career, spirituality and mental pursuits. 10 TH HOUSE is CAPRICORN ruled by SATURN. EARTH sign (Feminine/Yin). Symbol of the goat. The 10th house is also called the MIDHEAVEN the most important point on the chart. It deals with what you are here to accomplish, what you are here to be, what you are here to learn. Your mission in life, your career, honors, achievements, the father figure, authority, the point where the spirit comes to a higher call. The 10th house can describe the mother in some charts instead of the father. The ruler Saturn shows where you experience constriction and restriction in your life. Life's lessons, the truth, fears, the shadow (or dark side).

6 6. 11 TH HOUSE is AQUARIUS ruled by URANUS. AIR sign (Masculine/Yang). Symbol of the water bearer. Rules friendships, groups of people, ambitions, hopes, wishes and socializing. The ruler Uranus shows where you are eccentric, where you have a genius, where you experience sudden changes, where you escape reality, where you are ahead in life, where you experience cruelty, where there has been cruelty in your life. It rules the unusual, inventive, nontraditional, rebellion, volatility, and the bizarre. 12 TH HOUSE is PISCES ruled by NEPTUNE. WATER sign (Feminine/Yin). Symbol of the fish. Rules secrets, self-undoing, prisons, incarceration, institutions, the unconscious and Karma, or what you have brought over from other lifetimes to work on in this lifetime. The ruler Neptune shows where you have illusion in your life, where you are in a fog, where you have fantasy, deception. It can show where you go out, delusion, drugs, the ability to project illusion onto things, idealism, hidden things, idealism, anesthetics and it rules glamour. The houses will always go in order on the wheel or chart. That is, house number one, two, three, etc. are fixed on all charts. What will change, depending on your date of birth, time of birth and place of birth, is how the signs fall into these houses. So given the proper birth information, the 1st house or Ascendant, can be any of the twelve signs, and so on. The signs, will always follow their natural order, so that Leo in the first house is followed by Virgo in the Second, Libra in the Third etc. all the way around, finishing with Cancer in the twelfth house. Doing an analysis of the chart is partially a comparison of the energy between the conventional houses on the wheel, and the signs that fall into them. We add to that the planets and where they are placed. If you have a lot of planets in the first house, you are going to have a lot of issues on the self. If you have a lot of planets in the second house, the theme may be money or what you need to know about money and attitudes about your possessions or money. These are just examples of how we can begin to examine a chart and see the issues that are present. As you continue with your studies, you will find that the key is to weigh the importance and value of each of the influences you uncover in a chart, against the energy of the whole chart. In other words, a negative aspect may be offset by the placement of another planet and so still functions well within the chart as a whole. Above all, remember that astrologers are a strange lot and everyone teaches different things. It is a brilliant way of looking at life and it is an individual way; but the ultimate and final authority is yourself and that is who you must believe and trust.