Astrological Repair Manual

Book One

Alexander M Zoltai
amzolt@gmail.com
http://www.lulu.com/amzolt

Editor

Wendy Hope Shaffer

wnshaf@hotmail.com

A Project of:
Benevolence In Dharmic Exploration
Published with the aid of Lulu.com

Copyright © 2005 by Alexander M Zoltai

 Contents

The Voyage

1: Xena and the Hordes

2: The River of Death

3: Idealism Abounds

4: Venus and Her Father's Penis

5: Transpersonal Awareness

6: Father-Time Is All Spaced-Out

7: Promiscuous Gods

8: Chaos

9: The Ancient Warrior

10: Home Sweet Home and Lunacy

11: Acid Love

12: Messenger of the Gods

13: Plasma Love

14: Galactic Visitors

The Instructions
 Introduction

My relationship with astrology began like many relationships do—just minding

my own business when she came along, knocked me out, and dragged me off to her lair.
I was studying graphic art at San Francisco City College and the instructor had the
audacity to show us some Japanese paintings, while extolling the way they showed so
much with just a few strokes of the brush.
I was impressed and went and bought a book called The Way of Chinese Painting,
figuring that Chinese painting couldn’t be all that different from Japanese. I quickly found
out that “The Way” in the title meant Tao, the closest they seemed to get to what I called
God. What I thought was only a book of technique turned out to also be a book about the
world-view that informed the technique.
Tao led me to a book called the I Ching—a world-view expressed through a
seemingly simplistic graphical representation of the world.
The I Ching led to Tarot cards which made me study astrology. Within about six
months, I’d gone from meaningful brush strokes on paper to meaningful glyphs in the
sky. It would take years—like many relationships—to discover the underlying reason I’d
gotten involved in the first place—to realize that oriental art, the I Ching, Tarot and
astrology all used symbols to help humans decipher meaning in their lives. None of them
were much good at portraying (or, predicting) actual events, no matter how much folks
thought they did.
Now, all these years and tears later, it's time for me to repair some perceptions
people have.
I’m focusing on astrology because its system of symbols is capable of revealing
more meaning than the others, with the possible exception of those brush strokes on
paper...
This is not a book about the technical, how-to aspects of astrology, although there
is a list of web sites at the end that will help you if you’re so inclined. Plus, you'll find a
method for determining the positions of your birth chart factors and a system that will
start you on the road to interpreting them for yourself! Books Two and Three (once
they're written) will take my method further but in this book you'll be directed to a Web
Forum that will help you deepen and extend your abilities in interpreting your life.
This book is what I wish I could have read before I got all caught up in the usual
approach to learning and using astrology. If I’d known then what I know now, I could
have saved myself years of misunderstanding and pain. My current understanding of
astrology is so much deeper and higher than it was even five years ago, let alone when I
began my studies. She's a much finer mate than I ever could have imagined in those
intoxicating early days.
I'll be showing you many things that won't be spelled out completely in these
pages. I will give good directions to places you can use to find those full explanations,
though. My goal is to give you the most important Perceptions—the underlying positive
assumptions that you'll need to thrive and prosper in the truly amazing Realm of
Astrology. What you can expect to gain from reading this book is my hard-won
knowledge of the truth about astrology—it cannot predict the future of events but it has
the potential to show you a rich world of beautiful Meaning; past, present and future!
Truth be told, someone could read The Instructions of this book and have the
largest part of the most "practical" information here. I do hope most of you will read the
main body of chapters, though. It's one thing to have a practical way to interpret an
astrological chart. It's quite another to have the perceptions and understanding to interpret
a chart in a way that assures positive and productive results.
I hope you enjoy the journey this book is meant to be!

Alex
Winter, Northern Hemisphere, 2006
 Xena and the Hordes

Imagine!
You’re coming back from a visit to another star. You’ve been keeping up with all
the news from earth on the Space Internet. You’ve already passed the zone where the
Sun’s atmosphere makes love to interplanetary space, and you’re orbiting Xena, roughly
100 times more distant than the Earth is from the Sun. You realize it was discovered
around Christmas of 2004. The name for this “10th planet” is still unofficial (it's been
called 2003 EL61, K40506A, and 2003 UB313) but the media name does seem
appropriate—a female warrior princess. You’ve seen some of the Horde—the thousands
of other “planets” that orbit the Sun, so far out that the Sun itself is just another bright
star. Xena's just a little larger than Pluto and smaller than the Earth and takes about 560
years to go once around the Sun. Others out here take a lot longer. This orbital time will
gain more meaning as we get closer to home but for now the meaning of Xena's full cycle
could only be useful in understanding things like the rise and fall of civilizations.
We’re nowhere near the Earth, where astrology is practiced, but, out here with a
female warrior princess and a horde of other bodies, we’re in the space that symbolizes
the deeper unconscious mind—the part of our minds that sends us dreams and answers
questions we haven’t thought of yet—a mind we all share and which underlies the
shaping of humanity's largest social structures, deepest concepts, and most spiritual
forces.
This is where astrology begins. Further out, between the stars, is the space that
symbolizes "contact" with "other souls" that inhabit a purely spiritual dimension. Once
inside the atmosphere of the Sun, we’re dealing with aspects of ourselves that relate to
life on a very solid earth, even though Xena and the Hordes are aspects of our minds that
we rarely think about. When humans inhabit the space between the stars, they’ll have all
these deep, unconscious forces well-integrated into their daily lives. Still, there will
always be more space and higher spiritual realms to integrate... In psychology (which
is something that must be added to the bare bones of astrological symbolism), there's the
concept of “archetypes”, the energies of the psyche that motivate us but rarely enter our
conscious minds. Once we’ve gotten in toward the Sun farther, near Uranus, we’ll have a
deeper appreciation of what these forces are and why it’s important to give them their
due, even if we don’t fully understand them. These archetypal characters can change into
each other and can make us do things we never “intended”. Some can be felt as a
Visitation, some as a huge Bother!
With the discovery of Xena (and her moon, Gabrielle), humanity is repeating, on a
vaster scale, what it went through around 1781, 1846, and 1930 (the times when Uranus,
Neptune, and Pluto were discovered). Each of those discoveries signaled a coming-to-
conscious-potential of aspects of the unconscious that humanity had “earned” the right to
use more objectively. Of course, earning the right to use and using are two different
things. Xena and her Hordes present the symbol of a HUGE potential for the human
race—an entering into the powers of the unconscious like no time in the past—a chance
to use energies (multiple and deep) that have been, so far, little understood.
Since individuals are just barely starting to use the energies symbolized by
Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto in a hands-on, conscious way, it may take quite awhile for us
to learn how to make Xena and her friends help us, or to know for sure how to interpret
them in anyone's individual birth chart. I won't be dwelling on the mythology of the
names of the planets or, for that matter, on the escapades of Xena. What I do want to
stress, though, is the fact that humans do have this unconscious realm and that the more
we pay attention to it, or "woo" it, the healthier and happier we'll become. Sure, it takes
effort and can lead to some fantastic struggles but life without struggle is death...
It may have entered your mind to wonder, "Why is Alex starting way out in the
unknown to help me change my perception about astrology?" Well... I could have started
on Earth and I could have gone even further toward an earthly approach by saying things
like, "Saturn is the planet of limitation and grief.", or, "Venus is the planet of love." But,
this jamming of large concepts and energies into narrow boxes is very unhealthy. I'd
rather start out here with Xena and make her my friend 'cause she could change into
Hercules or Pan, she could give me some secret knowledge, she could help me even when
I'm not paying attention to her. Better have her on my side than ignoring her and having
her blast into my consciousness and wreak havoc!
Basically, since we know so little about any of the planets beyond Pluto, about all
we can hope to do with them in astrology is think of a sheath or aura around us, a non-
localized group of potentials and energies that each individual can tap into IF they can
manage to begin using the other planetary functions consciously.
I said in the introduction that this book is not a how-to, even though the
Instructions will give you a method to interpret your own life. This book is primarily a
Why-to. Why in the world (universe) should anyone be concerned with things that are
hardly ever used objectively? Because the subjective, the unconscious, the dream-world,
Xena and her Hordes are out there (and, in here) and they need at least a nodding
acquaintance or they can cause one heap of trouble.
As we cruise into the next three chapters, you'll gain a better understanding of how
to make these kinds of powers obey your "command". And even if you don't manage to
do that, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that there really is more to the world
(universe) than what keeps happening every day...

The River of Death

We've left Xena and the Hordes to their appointed rounds and we're approaching
the double planet Pluto/Charon (as I write this, Hubble has discovered two moons
orbiting this planet). We may have left the space of the Hordes but we’re certainly not
done with functions in our lives that rely on the unconscious energy of psychological
forces.
Matter of fact, the Space Internet has informed us that the Earthlings have
launched a spacecraft out this way (won't arrive till 2015) and interest in these deeper
spaces should increase worldwide.
But now, since we’re into space that's been paid attention to by humans since
1930, we can get down to some real work in the realm of astrological understanding.
Understanding death, to be precise, and how it’s a river that wends its way through
every part of our lives. There are many deaths in a life—many times when one phase of
our existence gives way to another. Even orgasm as been called "the little death" and
sleep can be viewed as a nightly death of our conscious awareness.
Pluto/Charon's orbital period is about 248 years and the symbolic significance of
that length of time is perfect for gaining meaning about long-term social, political and
economic cycles. In fact, thinking back to what our society was like that long ago can be
like looking back to a time that's certainly died, gone forever. Yet, there can be influences
felt from those times, just like your parents' behavior on Earth has an influence long after
they've left their physical bodies.
In astrology, the period of 248 years is symbolic of completely new
circumstances, a total regeneration of what's being considered, a thorough purging of the
past. And, even though none of us can live that long, we can still gain meaning from the
symbolism of this cycle. One reason we can use it personally is that the halves and
quarters of cycles are very important in gaining meaning from a chart and, if we look at
the quarter cycle here, we have 62 years—an amount of anyone's life that shows the
qualities of death-of-the-past, or regeneration of basic factors, or purging of one heck of a
lot!
Astrology, as I indicated earlier, has nothing to do with predicting events, yet it
can help us understand the meaning of events—past, present or future. Pluto was
discovered in 1930 (Charon’s presence was noticed a bit later and I'll stop mentioning it
and only use Pluto's name so I conform, just a bit, to "normal" usage...). The Great
Depression happened at that time (it actually began in 1929 and lasted until about 1939).
Did Pluto cause the Depression? How loud can I holler, "NO!"? Right here, we're at one
of the most crucial Repairs of Perception I hope to offer. The planets and their cycles do
not cause events. The best that can be said is that humans are born into the solar system
and all of its interlocking cycles and, because whatever is included within something else
participates in the rhythms of the larger structure, we have cycles in our lives that mirror
the cycles of the planets. It's as simple as that. No horrible fates, no in-bred bad traits, no
mumbo-jumbo.
Another division of whole cycles that has great meaning in astrology is one-
twelfth of the cycle, in this case about 20 years. Pluto's trip around the Sun shows quite a
bit of variability when viewed from Earth so the twelfths can be shorter or longer than
that. For the moment, think about your last 20-odd years and contemplate the changes that
have happened...
Right now, while we're still out here where the meanings are so deep, the
important thing to remember is that we all have these nearly-unfathomable meanings in
our lives and it can take most of a lifetime to gain even a small amount of understanding.
Still and all, knowing about them can often be enough to help us weather the changes
they can induce in our lives. And, again, I'm not saying the planets are causing these
changes. It's the synchronistic and mirroring cycles in our deeper minds that bring these
ponderable changes.
So, just before we head in toward Neptune, let's agree that we can begin to accept
the little or big deaths that occur in our lives; we can see death and regeneration as an
integral part of life; we can face the darkness and know the light is streaming toward us...

Idealism Abounds
We’ve left Pluto behind and we’re approaching Neptune, much larger and mostly,
from our vantage point, blue gas. Neptune’s full cycle around the Sun is 165 years; still
too long to apply specifically to an individual’s conscious choices but wonderful for
gauging the dreams and visions of a generation of people. Dreams, visions, ideals, and
spirituality; these are the most important of the meanings for Neptune’s symbolic and
cyclic influence.
Discovered in 1846, because astronomers noticed irregularities in Uranus’ orbit
and felt there had to be a body out here doing it, Neptune’s discovery’s co-incidence with
events in our world shows the birth of a major religion and a general fever of what’s been
called millennial-madness—hordes of folks rushing around trying to be in the right spot
for the Second-Coming. Most of them had their hopes dashed but history shows that
something did arrive within the depths of humanity’s collective mind. Something that had
all to do with dreams, visions, and ideals. This was the time that humanity found its
compassion and began to find ways to implement it. This was the time of the birth of
Causes—for the poor, the downtrodden, the excluded. This was the time when the ages-
long empires of the world, those that completely ignored the masses and used them for
horrible ends, began to crumble and fade away.
If we take the half-cycle of Neptune, about 83 years, we have what today is a full
life; hopefully, a life that achieved its dreams and ideals. The twelfth-cycle is 14 years
and is important in seeing the subtle shift in the weave of our visions and hopes...
One of the more misunderstood aspects of Neptune’s meanings is the process of
dissolving associated with its symbolic action—the dissolution or evaporation of the solid
ground of past beliefs or dreams. It’s important to always remember that astrology deals
with cycles and with cycles-within-cycles. A planet’s functional and symbolic meaning
happens by giving birth to energies and forces appropriate to its cycle, building them to a
full state, then letting them decay and die into a rebirth. And, within any given cycle there
are sub-cycles of birth, growth, decay and rebirth. Neptune’s ability to dissolve the old
(and this will be, hopefully, the last time I remind you that it’s not the actual physical
planet doing these things but the psychological powers within) prepares the way for
Pluto’s regenerations. We’ll see this with each planet we come to—its function is
necessary for the one further out (or, deeper within...). We can also look at the
interrelationship of these life functions the other way around, the way we’re doing it,
from the deepest to the most conscious. This way, we see Pluto’s deaths and purgings as
necessary for the dissolving actions of Neptune’s dreams and visions to take place.
When we get to Uranus, we’ll have a triple of functions that most people on this
Earth never bring to conscious awareness. I must say that more and more people are
beginning to see these forces and energies as something they can incorporate into their
personal lives but this individual use of such deep collective powers takes the ability to
put the ego aside and see life from a higher or wider point of view. This altruistic attitude
is a big part of what Neptune’s meaning and purpose can instill into our lives.
So, we enjoy our spirituality, dreams, and ideals, until the power of Neptune’s
cycle manifests and we find the need to dissolve the old to be ready for it to regenerate
into the new...

Venus and Her Father's Penis

Approaching Uranus now—about as large as Neptune but more toward the

turquoise and still mostly gas. But wait! It’s not spinning the right way... Looks like its
lying on its belly. And, so it is. Uranus’ pole is tipped almost 90 degrees and it does roll
on its “belly”. But in 1781, when it was discovered, nobody knew this. They didn’t know
about it when they knew its full cycle was 84 years and gave it meanings that include:
Innovation, Transformation, Radical Change, and Utter Truth. The eccentric planet’s
appearance was helping us realize the symbolic power of these forces long before
someone discovered it had eccentric habits as an actual physical body.
It should be mentioned that both Neptune and Uranus had been “seen” before they
were “discovered”. Thing is that, because they move so slowly, the astronomers thought
they were just other stars.
The co-incident events surrounding Uranus’ discovery were the French and
American Revolutions...
O.K., this is a chapter about Uranus and the title has Venus in it. Yup. When she
was still called Aphrodite, she sprang into being from the foam of the sea. The foam had
been caused by Uranus’ penis having been severed by his son Cronus (Saturn, who we’ll
meet in the next chapter) and thrown in the water. Why didn’t I wait till the chapter about
Venus to bring this up? Well, Venus just sprang up, all well and happy. Poor ol’ Uranus
had his penis whacked off! Naturally, being a god, he weathered it pretty well, although
Cronus did depose him.
Something about radical change going on there...
Following along with an idea from the last chapter, it’s important to see how
transformation and facing the utter truth can prepare us to utilize the ideals and dreams of
Neptune properly. Also, we can profit from looking at it the other way around—loosening
up and dissolving old ways and dreams so we can embrace the innovations and
transformations of Uranus’ cyclic power.
When we look at the half and quarter cycles of this function, some very interesting
meanings emerge. The half-cycle is 42 years—smack in the middle of middle age. The
quarter-cycle first occurs at 21—an age at which many of us have an insatiable urge to
irrevocably separate from parental dictates, even if we’ve already made a physical
separation. But separation isn’t an absolutely necessary part of Uranus’ function. It does
accompany many folks’ experience of this unconscious power but, if we’re prepared for
the action of transformation and are fully ready to face the truth of a situation, we can
navigate the changes and keep treasured possessions—mental, emotional or physical.
If we contemplate one twelfth of a Uranus cycle, we see some of the reason for
what people have called the “7-year-itch”. Since one of the purposes of Uranus’ cycle is
facing and incorporating the rock-bottom, radical truth, I want to say a few words about
“Good & Bad”, “Positive & Negative”, and “Abstract & Concrete”.
We’ve been dealing with some big abstract concepts so far: Regeneration,
Idealism, Transformation; and, as we travel in closer to the Sun, we’ll be dealing with
concepts that will feel a lot more concrete. Truth is, there’s an abstract and concrete side
to most everything. The events we live through as we regenerate, idealize and transform
are quite concrete. Similarly, when we get to the functions that appear mostly concrete,
we’ll still have the abstract psychological powers lurking behind them.
As far as the polarities of “Good/Bad” and “Positive/Negative” are concerned, the
truth of the matter is that the old maxims about focusing on the positive bringing good
and focusing on the negative bringing bad are fascinatingly true. The catch is that you
have to absolutely focus on the positive and, before you can do that, you have to
absolutely know what the most positive view is. And, when it come to astrology in
general, it's very important to remain rigorously positive. Even if some of the books on
astrology detail various negative qualities and, even if you find your expression of those
factors as negative, you still need to focus on the positive. How else can you change
negative to positive? Plus, there's a harmful practice that's too prevalent where people use
the negative interpretations of astrological factors to excuse their negative behavior—
”Sure I do that. It's because I'm a (fill in the blank).”...
One of Uranus’ functions is to bring us the shattering truth when we’ve been
either purposefully or unknowingly clinging to half- or partial-truths. This can be painful
or shocking but, when we get to the other side of any crisis, we can usually see the
wisdom of the “unnecessary” strife. And, even if we still can’t make sense of what’s
happened, there are the functions of Neptune and Pluto out there (in here) to help us
dissolve the clinging falsehoods and bring them to a state of regenerative wholeness.
Yes, I’m a hopeless optimist! But my experience of life has included a great
quantity of shock and pain and dissolution and, thank God, necessary regeneration. What
I’m left with after all this inner work is the ineradicable conviction that life has many tests
and trials, we all must face some of them, and we all have the sacred duty to maintain our
faith and hopefulness that we will see the truth, we will find the dream, and we will
experience rebirth into ever-higher understanding and meaningfulness. If not... there’s
hell to pay!

Transpersonal Awareness
In the words of the most important person during my early education in astrology,
my purpose is “to transform the search for a static kind of security-by-avoidance into a
search for a dynamic kind of security that can be achieved only through understanding the
place and meaning of the cathartic and transformative in human life.” That was said by
Dane Rudhyar and this chapter is intended to give you some damn good reasons to
believe it.
Our world has been and is full of some very oppressive and negative people and
institutions. Our world has also been evolving toward being, slowly and steadily, a freer
and more creative place. If you doubt that last statement, I urge you to look further than
you have and to take a small but important piece of advice: what may look bad on the
surface or at the beginning can be the most powerful indication of something good. One
example that may be close to home for some of you: A child at two years old is always
getting into trouble. They’re almost totally unruly by ten and their teen years are full of
crime and filth. Then, they hit their personal brick wall, they come up short on luck, and
end up behind bars. True, many people like this stay bad and end their lives still in jail or
dead in the street. For most of humanity’s existence this has been the general rule.
“Lately”, though, there have been more and more examples of folks starting out headed
down, coming to a radical turning point, and being given some help at that point that turns
their lives around and permits them to grow to become exemplary citizens.
Why is this happening more now than ever before? What could be happening that
has such power to turn lives around? I feel it’s the steady growth in society of the
awareness that we are not just passive cogs in the wheel or just a bunch of angry
individuals. We are both individuals and social beings and we have a need to nurture both
sides of our being. This is where a knowledge of the cycles of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto,
and their symbolic meanings, can be of immense aid in speeding the development of a
safe and sane society.
It's important to consider the lengthy durations of these cycles that apply to the
slow yet steady transformation, elevation, and regeneration of our world. It’s only been a
little over 300 years since Uranus was discovered and humanity had a conscious symbol
for a method of getting at the ultimate truths with more to show for it than a collection of
fables and myths. And, the conscious awareness of ways and means to raise the level of
our dreams and visions and to find the proper ways to purge and regenerate society have
been available for even shorter times. Let’s give ourselves a break and stop being
pessimistic about the future. If you look closely enough at recent history and compare it
with the eons of time humans have been struggling on this earth, you’ll come away totally
amazed at the glorious potential we hold in common! I used the word
“Transpersonal” in the title of this chapter for very conscious reasons. -Personal because
humanity’s growth ultimately depends on more and more individuals getting it right.
Trans- because it means to go beyond or through or across. If our personal awareness of
life can go beyond the personal while not letting our individual views disappear; if we can
see through the merely personal to what lies beyond and is so important for a full life; if
we can get across the bridge of the personal and see that it leads to wonderful vistas of
creativity and freedom; if each of us does these things, we will be bringing what many see
as the dark forces of the unconscious into the bright light of day and using them, very
consciously, to accelerate human evolution beyond the hatreds and terrors that are still too
much with us. The Instructions has suggestions for where to go to get your own birth
chart as well as a method for beginning to interpret your chart factors. If you feel
adventurous, go there now and find the house and sign for your Uranus, Neptune, and
Pluto. Realize that this first step in using the knowledge from this Repair Manual is only
that, a first step, even though it may be one of the most important first steps you’ve ever
taken!
As you ponder the meanings of these factors in your life, don’t forget to look at
them as a three-step process of Transpersonal Awareness and also consider them as a
sequence from Pluto to Uranus and also from Uranus to Pluto—the first direction is the
one that brings large-scale social factors into your personal life and the other direction is
you injecting yourself into the flux of society's largest concerns.
If you do this exercise and end up totally confused, you can count on the fact that
your unconscious mind is very happy with your ego. In fact, without you knowing it, your
unconscious can arrange to give you dreams that help you understand, or “mysteriously”
lead you to find another individual that helps you understand. Or, you may be the type of
person who just stands there and charges against the wall till it falls down and lets you
build a bridge.
Whatever happens, we still have a ways to go till we reach the Earth and find out
what this astrology stuff is all about. I will let you in on a secret here, though: what
you’ve read so far and what you can gain from trying to interpret you own Uranus,
Neptune, and Pluto is far and away more knowledge of True Astrology than many
practicing astrologers have! Believe it...

Father Time Is All Spaced-Out

We’ve left the three transpersonals far behind but clearly not forgotten. As we
approach Saturn we notice it’s quite a bit bigger than Neptune or Uranus, obviously
composed mostly of gas, but with a bright, pastel yellow atmosphere.
Hmmm... This character is the one who cut off his father’s penis... This is the guy
called Father Time and he carries that sharp scythe...
This is also the planet that gets the worst press from traditional astrologers.
So what’s wrong with this function? Nope, not gonna answer a question like that;
I’m too hopelessly optimistic. I’ll answer this one instead: What’s right with this
planetary function?
First, the most right thing about Saturn is that is represents Structure. After having
been through the realms of Regeneration, Visions, and Transformation, it can feel pretty
good to pull some structure around oneself—get things organized, clarify issues, make a
few definitions. Of course, if we were going the other way, we’d be leaving this structure
and looking forward to a transformation of possibly rigid definitions, checking to see if
our clarifications are really clear enough, changing the priorities of our organizational
plan.
This ability to see any function from both “directions” is a valuable talent to have
if you’re thinking about using astrology. It isn’t enough to just stay free of limiting
categories for any particular planetary function, it’s also important to see the function
operating in many different roles.
Language and our use of it become critical factors when we begin to apply
astrological knowledge to our lives. For example, take my use of the phrase “limiting
categories” two sentences ago. Limitation is also one of Saturn’s functional purposes, but
a healthy limitation of some field of endeavor is very different from imposing limiting
categories on ourselves.
Let me say this another way. Astrology has ten major functions, represented by
the cycles of planetary bodies, that can be used to gain meaning about the various aspects
of our character. Even though I won’t be covering it in detail in this book, you can also
pair these cyclic functions, finding the time periods that occur when one that’s faster is
tracked as it, first, “lines up” with a slower one, then makes a full cycle around and back
to that alignment. If we pair all ten functions in this way, we end up with 45 cycles that
explain the interactions of two functions at a time—their intermingling actions.
Since all the functions can be used with all the other functions, you need to stay
very flexible in the way you view their meanings. You can’t go so far that a function
changes its basic meaning just because it’s interacting with another one, but it's important
to know that these meanings certainly can bend and sway. Kind of like that time you went
to some social gathering and had to keep certain aspects of yourself from showing too
strongly...
This whole discussion of language, meanings and the need to be clear about the
structure of the words is quite Saturnian, too. It’s like a relationship where Saturn is
dancing with Uranus and Saturn is doing all the leading. If Uranus were to lead, there
would be meanings changing into each other. Confusing? Try thinking back to last
chapter’s discussion about the bad kid changing into a good citizen. It was the same
person the whole time—their Saturnian structure didn’t change—but they went through
some amazing Uranian transformations.
So, now that Father Time is all spaced-out, I’ll reveal another major truth about
astrology: no one symbol or function or planet or sign or house (we’ll meet signs and
houses when we get closer to Earth) — none of these factors has any meaning all by
itself. I can say Saturn means Structure, Limitation, Clarification, Organization, etc. but it
gains its meaning from its cycle as it relates to other cycles. How could structure even be
defined if there weren’t things that needed to be structured?
One of the backbone sources for the meaning of any function in astrology is the
length of its trip around the Sun. For Saturn, it turns out to be real close to 30 years with
the half-cycle at 15 and quarter cycles around 7-something. When I was young it was
common to hear: “Ya can’t trust anybody over 30.” Oh, my! I wonder if those saying it
were under thirty and probably not averse to a rather disorganized and freewheeling life-
style?
Right around thirty is when most of us have finally “found ourselves”. We usually
find it necessary to stake a claim for the pattern of self we’ve decided to be—lay out the
pattern for others, organize our time in society to accommodate the clarity of self we now
feel.
And now I hear some people saying, “Oh yeah? Thirty was hell!” But do they
realize that whatever difficult or negative period they were experiencing might have been
there to clear the decks so they could claim a stronger place for themselves—make a
clearer pattern of living?
The half-cycle of Saturn is just as important for Identity Formation (key Saturn
phrase there). But, at fifteen, we’re putting out (for all to see) what we were born and
raised with. We’re also finding out what others think about that identity pattern and,
possibly, trying to either hide it or flaunt it even more. The transition at thirty is
qualitatively different. We’ve been through one whole cycle of identity formation and
we’re trying to squeeze out whatever doesn’t really belong to the real self—condensing,
confirming, clarifying, defining.
Now, while we're circling this symbol of patterns and organization, would be a
good time to lay out one of the most important structural concepts in astrology: the
Squaring of the Circle.
Every cycle, whether with one planet or two, has a beginning. It has a middle and
an ending, too. Simple, eh? Yet many astrologers forget this view of life. They look at the
position of a planet in a birth chart and freeze it there, trying to milk it for more meaning
than it can give. We’re born with the planets at certain positions determined by our time
and place of birth. The important thing to remember though is that the planets keep
moving and so do we. Life and people evolve. These motions in astrology are called
Transits and Progressions and are two topics that must be left for you to discover in the
references recommended at the end of this book (and, for discussion in Books Two and
Three).
Way before you attempt learning about all the meaning possible with moving
planets, you need a firm grounding in the field they move within—the circle or cycle.
Each one has its moment of beginning when things are new and fresh—either exciting or
scary. Each cycle also has its ending, which is the same moment as the beginning of a
new cycle. But rather than thinking of this evolution of meaning as an old phonograph
record, spinning endlessly, we should concentrate our positive minds and see each ending
and rebirth happening on a new and higher level—a spiral of ever-ascending and
fulfilling meanings.
The first half of any cycle is all about taking the new materials we have to deal
with and shaping them according to the vision we (hopefully) had at that magic moment
of rebirth. If we aren’t facing our astrological cycles and our very lives in this way, we’re
shortchanging ourselves!
The exact middle of any cycle is the time when the vision of the beginning can flower and
fruit—come to its highest personal consummation of expression.
From the middle to the next rebirth is the time to share the fruits we’ve garnered
with others—to make the function(s) valuable in others' lives.
The two quarter phases—halfway from beginning to middle and halfway from
middle to rebirth—are times we can use to firm up our directions, shift gears, if
necessary, to get back on course, make sure our roots are firmly planted (personal or
social), and gain strength for the push to the color and magic of the middle; or the raking
of leaves, the seed-tending of the time near rebirth.
You're going to find that The Instructions and its system of interpretation doesn't
deal with these moving functions. Like I've said before, this book is all about giving you
the right Perceptions so that any further studies you might engage in can be positive and
profitable. If I'd never mentioned this important concept of the General Cycle, I would
have been shirking my duty...
Right now, we have to fire up the engines, kick out of orbit, and head to the planet
whose function is, in many ways, the exact opposite of Saturn. Think I’ll go up to the
observation bubble and watch...

Promiscuous Gods
Approaching Jupiter, largest planet in this system, 300 Earth’s-worth of gaseous
colors swirling in riotous flow...
Jupiter Optimus Maximus (the Best and Greatest) for the Romans; Zeus for the
Greeks—god of sky and thunder.
For everything that Saturn pulls in and tightens, Jupiter loosens and expands.
Rather than focusing on a clearly defined territory of meaning, Jupiter magnifies things to
their widest potential. Instead of limiting, he amplifies.
Jupiter’s full cycle is very close to 12 years and its meanings have to do with
opportunities and how we give them birth, fill them with optimism, and reap their
rewards.
In mythology, this character represents what most of us think of when the word
promiscuous is used—many sex partners. In fact, this “god” impregnated many mortal
women. (It's interesting that the word promiscuous comes from Latin roots that mean to
mix very well.) Jupiter was also the supreme ruler of all the other gods, sat on his throne
on the highest peak of the world, and issued proclamations that none dared to question.
I’ve been mentioning some of the mythos of the planets as we’ve been traveling,
and I think you’ve noticed that I don’t adhere strictly to the myths' exact interpretation.
It’s not that I think the myths have little to offer; it’s that there’s more than any one
particular myth-meaning in every planet. The planets and their symbolic meanings
predate the urge that societies had for making myths. The planets' cyclic meanings run
deeper and spread farther than all the myths ever told. Fact is, we have the whole solar
system inside us, including all the changes this system has gone through in its history.
Our unconscious minds resonate and vibrate with the energy of the cosmos. And, when I
say that, I’m just repeating something that’s been said in every culture and religious
tradition since stories started to be told.
This is something that Saturn would caution against—dangers abounding for those
who go too far, dream too high, probe to deep! Jupiter shrugs and says, “Nothing
ventured, nothing gained.” There have been many times in my astrological career that
I’ve wanted to rename everything, even astrology itself. Names carry so much power to
bend minds and too often blind us to the true identities circling around us. I believe
there’s a place in all of us (part of that deeper, collective unconscious mind) that knows
well the names of Jupiter and Saturn, knows their exploits and their reputations. This is
the part of the unconscious that needs a good airing out in the light of day. And while the
dirty laundry is flapping in the breeze, we can dive even more deeply into what preceded
these notorious characters. Let’s do that:
There is a set of forces within each of us:

Structure, Definition & Clarity <—> Expansion, Optimism & Extension

Neither is more important, neither is better. Certainly, at different times of our

lives, one or the other will become more prominent, but, if we want the best for ourselves,
we’ll always keep both close by, even if one of them is standing more forward and taking
the temporary lead. Jupiter (nothing for it but to use the common name and rely on your
ability to stay above the worst of the common interpretations) is the function we all need
to assure ourselves we can find greener pastures for our energies, the symbolic power to
take a viewpoint that is high enough and broad enough to serve as the ruler of our hopes
and aspirations. Without Jupiter, life would be sterile, and there would be no progress.
It’s much more than just interesting to trace this function’s path through its 12
year-long phases. It begins with the potential you were given at birth to initiate your life’s
expansions—the sign and house Jupiter occupied in your birth chart. [ If you haven’t yet
looked back to The Instructions to find your chart factors, this might be a propitious time
to begin. If you don’t want to yet, I’m sure your reasons are valid. ] Naturally, children in
their first year of life have a maximum of desire to expand and seek all the opportunities
possible. Even people who later ripen into the more austere members of humanity begin
with some measure of exuberance and abandon. The second year of Jupiter’s transit
brings some kind of contrast to the first since there’s a natural polarity to the flow of the
signs and houses (more on this later). Year three sees the potential for a certain
productivity along with the sheer delight at so many open fields of discovery. The fourth
phase brings the first gearshift or rooting-in of our sense of opportunity—half-way to the
middle of the cycle. Five gives us a chance to test the waters with some showing off and
six brings a breather while we check our bearings just before the apex of the cycle.
After six years of experiencing Jupiter’s power of seeking opportunity, we’ve
almost completed one quarter of our first Saturn cycle. Our growing sense of structure is
nearing its first attempt at nailing things down. It’s always interesting to look at what
society has scheduled for us at various times in our lives and compare that with what our
internal cosmos wants us to do. Reaching the ripe young age of six brings with it a deep
desire to share with others our first full sense of what optimism means to us. Of course,
most six-year-olds don’t think of it this way, but that doesn’t stop it from happening.
We’re at our first peak of feeling our oats, and we need outlets to share that feeling
without it getting stepped on.
Year seven should be a time of finding special others that can share our particular
brand of positivity; eight, a time of deepening those ties; nine, an opportunity to take
some first steps in social expansions; ten, the first reception of solid social rewards;
eleven, the beginning of learning to network our abilities; and, twelve, a rebirth, with
many gold stars on the wall! In the chapter that deals with the most expansive of the
functions, I can be nothing but positive. That sketching-out of the first twelve years of
growth may have sounded nearly idyllic. But I must speak the truth about what’s possible.
If not now, when? If not me, who?
Plus, there’s Chaos ahead and we can use all the upbeat attitude we can get our
minds into!

Chaos
Here we are traveling through what’s been called the Asteroid Belt—many
thousands of carbony or rocky planetoids, chunks of stuff that some think are left over
from a destroyed early planet and others think think haven't been together long enough to
make a planet; jury’s still out...
The thing is, that since they first called it a belt, astronomers have found bodies
orbiting in something more like a sphere with the majority of them huddling in the
somewhat flat plane of the major planets. Also, this conglomeration of bodies between
Jupiter and Mars used to be the big thing in small bodies. Now we know there are large
groups between Saturn and Neptune, not to mention all those Hordes out past Pluto.
The critical thing for an astrologer to consider is what can be done, with such a
wide variety of objects orbiting in such a wide variety of places, when the astrologer
comes to the point of trying to draw any logical, interpretive conclusions. Sad to say,
there are many astrologers who don’t stop to consider many things before they blithely
offer up their opinions. Result? Chaos; in the astrologer’s mind and in any soul unwitting
enough to bite this particular apple.
One outstanding example of this unconsidered (though, probably, sincere)
approach to interpreting this realm of chaotic bodies is the object dubbed Chiron.
Discovered in 1977 and having an orbit that takes it between Uranus and Saturn, this
small celestial traveler has been given way too much responsibility in the traditional
astrologer’s bag of tricks.
The first major consideration before attempting astrological interpretation of this
kind of object is, “What about all the other ones?” Sure, some astrologers interpret a few
of the asteroids in their practice, but the critical difference between planets and this host
of other bodies is that they are a host, a multitude, a legion. Back when we were hovering
near Xena, I said one approach for hordes-interpretation was to, “...think of a sheath or
aura around the chart, a non-localized group of potentials and energies that each
individual can tap into IF they can manage to begin using the other planetary functions
consciously.”
That was said for the bodies out beyond Pluto, but it can certainly be applied to
the asteroid belt and this plethora of small bodies. Another consideration is the length of
their cycles. This depends on physics, but with this legion spread over most of the extent
of the solar system, we witness cycles from less than a year to many hundreds of years.
One approach would be to use “the sheath or aura...of potentials and energies” and give it
special attention when we find a concentration of these denizens of chaos. Since the
Hordes of Xena have very long cycles, they would represent a congregation of energies
that society-at-large can use; the flock between Jupiter and Mars would be oriented
toward the transition between Social Expansion and Personal Motivation (Mars-teaser-
meaning).
I should make it clear that since astrology deals with the mirroring of solar system
cycles in the lives of people (cultures or individuals), everyone is always “using” these
energies and functions. The goal is to make this cyclic-meaning more conscious. And, to
be as progressive as possible, astrology is not the only way to do this; just the one I’m
writing about...
So, in other words, these hordes and legions are a cloud of cycles and meanings
that don’t have the clarity or precision of interpretation that planets do. They do, however,
let us consider the value of chaos in our lives.
Chaos is a word, like many others, that now seems to live far from its birthplace.
Not to say that words shouldn’t grow and move from place to place, but, like you and me,
if they change their identity too many times, we should give them a new name or folks
might get confused. Actually, most words like this don’t change their meanings; people
just don’t know them well enough. Like “chaos”.
It came from the Greeks and originally meant something like the primal emptiness
or to gape or be wide open. One thing it didn’t mean back then was disorder or
confusion—meanings common today. Some of you may be thinking, “So the word
changed its' meaning. Forget about the old ways of using it.” Well, the fact is that’s real
hard to do, and the reason is lurking right there in all our minds—the unconscious. It
remembers, very well, and, when we use words in ways they weren’t born for, we induce
chaos in our thoughts. Oops! Did I mean disorder or confusion? Did I mean emptying our
minds or making them wider? (Actually, I tried hard in that sentence to leave room for all
the meanings of chaos...) Let’s leave this discussion behind with the understanding that
words can be tricky, we should be wary, and chaos just might be a good thing—in its
proper place, of course!
I feel this is the proper place for an understanding of the potential for using all these
otherwise misunderstood space objects as a symbol of the vast and multilevel energies
available to us; some deep in the unconscious, some much closer to our waking
understanding. It’s my firm conviction, though, that none of us will use them consciously
unless we are using the main functions—the planets we all know and love—in
consciously controlled ways.
Let me share another quote from Dane Rudhyar that speaks to this positive
understanding of chaos:

“Whereas our ancestors used to dwell in a comfortably static universe in which

everything had a well defined and rationally reassuring name, a form and a permanent set
of characteristics, today we find change enthroned everywhere.... Against the classical
concepts of permanence and identity the realization that all living is a dynamic process of
transformation from which no entity escapes now stands backed up by the whole edifice
of scientific research and theory. On the ruins of the world of thought dogmatically
extolled by nineteenth century minds we witness the reappearance of ancient concepts
which were for millennia the foundations of human knowledge. The universe is once
more to be understood as an ocean of energies in which two vast complementary tides can
be distinguished. Everywhere a dynamic and electrical dualism appears as the foundation
upon which all reality stands.”
--- The Pulse of Life (1943)

Humanity is far from a complete understanding of life, the solar system, or the
universe. There will always be more to learn and new ways to use what we already know.
As we approach the inner edge of this asteroid belt, let’s just agree that there is more to
know, and we can profit from letting our minds open a little bit wider at times. If we can
reach a place where our minds feel somewhat empty, we will feel less driven, less
oppressed. Our minds might even become broad enough to let new interpretations in,
interpretations that include enough reality to have the power to take us closer to the truth.

The Ancient Warrior

Rusty red, not a gas ball—Mars looms near. Place of pink skies and global
sandstorms. Most likely candidate for extensive human settlement —in this solar system.
Full cycle real close to two years. Mythological cloak, red with the blood of sex and war.
Mars, the astrological cycle of Motivation, Externalization, Drive, and Assertion.
Yes, Mars the astrological cycle; not Mars the planet. As this book progresses, I’m
attempting to talk in two languages while giving you the truth about only one of them.
The first language is what most people use to refer to various aspects of astrology. The
second language is something that can only be understood through experience. The
second language uses most of the basic words from the first language but uses them in
different and deeper ways. Like referring to Mars as a cycle. Yes, I know, I’ve called
most of the previous cycles "planets" before divulging their cycles. I think it’s time, since
we're getting so close to Earth, to reveal more of the truth. Up until now, I’ve been sliding
into the second language slowly. The prime reason is that I’m writing this book for those
who know nothing about astrology as well as those with a competent working knowledge.
Starting with one language and sliding into the other is a tricky venture, but absolutely
necessary if we want to use astrology to truly help ourselves or others. The Instructions
will definitely spell out all the basics in this second language. O.K. Enough disclaimer.
Since the cycle of Motivation is close to two years, we have an opportunity to
discover, and easily check, a concept that explains one of the most perplexing regular
occurrences in our experience—the way that things can seem to be going along just fine,
and, “all of a sudden”, they slow down or even stop and reverse their trend. In the
traditional lexicon of astrology, this is called retrogradation. I personally don’t like the
word. Retro may be fine in fashion, but when we need to get things done, it’s a potential
bother. Potential only, though. If we can see that there is a natural reason for cycles to
progress forward, then appear to retrograde and finally finish their course, we can turn
bothers into blessings.
Because of the view from Earth, all the planets but the Moon and Sun (I know the
Moon is a moon and the Sun is a star but, again, we’re talking in two languages) have a
period when they look like they’re going backwards (but they aren’t). In terms of cycles,
this is a forward motion with a period of time when it’s naturally appropriate to slow
down or even reverse our intentions or motivations, check ourselves, analyze plans, and
then resume with a better plan, direction, or thrust.
Imagine you’re on a train or trolley and you’re passed by another one. There’s a
moment when it can seem you’re moving backward. It’s all about relative perceptions.
This is one way to understand why the planets seem to retrograde.
Now, maybe I can talk about this using only the second language. I’ll be talking
about the cycle, Mars, but this phenomenon of retrogradation happens, in different time-
frames, with all but the Sun and Moon.
So, at the beginning of the Mars cycle, we’re all full of the rebirth of a new
motivation, drive, or period of assertion. We really cruise, plowing through obstacles,
climbing mountains of resistance, and making good headway. When we reach the first
quarter phase of the cycle, we make a point of reinforcing the strength of our intentions,
sometimes shifting gear into a higher vibration of drive. Along we go, and, near the
middle of the cycle, things get more uphill, or possibly we find our fuel running low.
Maybe others are naysaying our progress. I’m happy to say that this is perfectly natural,
even if it is “against” some of the principles of our highly materialized culture.
For a few months out of the two years of the cycle, just when we reach the time of
bringing it to personal fulfillment, we should slow down. We’re getting ready for the
transition to the second half of the cycle. At this time, it's appropriate to share our
motivation and drive with others, even act for them or pick up their loads. We need the
time of “reversal” or slow-down to make sure that we don’t run off past others, that we
can moderate the thrust in order to give it social value. This phase of the cycle, so
necessary to proper growth, has a decided element of internalization about it. A certain
reaching-in; finding what the rest of “us” needs...
Our culture often doesn’t like or doesn’t even permit this type of cycle. Hence,
many of the frustrations of many of the people!
If we were talking about the Pluto cycle, the internal phase would be many years
long; same with Neptune and Uranus. For Saturn and Jupiter, it’s months. When we get to
Venus and Mercury, it’s less. For all the functions, there is a time when we need to either
slow down or go inside (even if we’re still acting outside) to gain a larger perspective. It
happens in the middle, right when youth wants to forge ahead and age sits back and
nods...
Mars itself is usually perceived as all about going forward. But, if you consider the
times when a prudent pause actually gave you more energy, this concept will seem more
natural. If the Mars cycle only meant forging ahead, thrusting without let-up, it would
really have a hard time getting along with the other cycles, causing steam leaks and
explosions in our well-crafted psyche. What’s that you say? Oh...
Another truth about astrology is that, even though it mirrors cycles we have inside,
we have the free-will to warp and bend those cycles and energies. There have been times
when I’ve thought the main reason to use astrology was to fix what’s broken. Sure, it can
help a lot with this kind of healing, but imagine using it before the breakdown, imagine
using it to educate children about the natural cycles within themselves, giving them a real
head start in life!
So, what about the Ancient Warrior? This was what folks used to think Mars
meant. This is how people have misused this energy for centuries. This is the kind of
thinking that this book is out to change. If you look far enough back in the history of the
word “war”, you’ll find a meaning close to “mix”. War is a particularly horrid way of
mixing it up. I probably don't have to tell you that it will take many individuals
committed to other ways of integrating differing opinions to wipe war off the face of the
Earth. Impossible? Only if it’s impossible for people to get along. Impossible? Only if
people don’t look for frames of reference that can include their views and others’ at the
same time. Impossible? Only if people refuse to try...
I think it’s time to introduce the signs of astrology. I’m going to do it by sketching
out what Mars using each of them could look like. You’ll have a chance to do this for all
the functions in all the signs in The Instructions. Remember, though, that just because
you might start with Mars using a particular brand of energy, and even though that way of
being assertive has a tendency to be prominent your whole life, there is a slow and steady
moderation. Time and the tides of the cycles bring opportunities to act in differing ways
and with differing results. Some see these as obstacles to their “natural” way of
motivating themselves, some as chances to refine and expand their innate drives.
Plus, there’s the other truth of astrology (I’ve been saving this one for the right
moment): We all have all twelve signs. When you look at a complete birth chart, and
when you realize that the whole chart is a symbol of your whole life, you’ll know that all
the signs or energies of astrology are there in that wheel, that you have all those energies
available to use. Most people have four or five much stronger than the rest because that’s
where their planets lie, that’s where the cycles of the functions begin their evolution.
Now, let’s look at Mars with each of the signs; but realize that this is just an
introduction to your own interpretations in The Instructions.
As you read each of these different ways of asserting ourselves, see if some of
them seem like friends or work-mates or relatives... Also, if you know which Sign your
Mars is in and these words don't seem like you, consider that I'm still being extremely
optimistic (from necessity) plus, you could have another planet heavily modifying your
Mars.
Mars using Aries is a motivation that springs ahead with such energy that
restraint is next to nil if there are no other functions to slow it down or moderate it.
Thankfully, it’s uncommonly rare for anyone to have all ten planets in Aries! This is the
first sign of spring and has all the youthful energy that it implies. People with Mars using
Aries seem to have unending energy supplies. They have no problem asserting
themselves and usually learn quite early that everyone else just seems to act differently.
Goal and action seem to occur simultaneously—no timeouts and no restraints. But, since
people with Mars using Aries do have other functions in other signs, they have the
potential to channel all that energy without busting a seam against any obstacles.

Mars using Taurus is, in important ways, a polar opposite to the motivator using
Aries. This combination still shows a very determined way of acting (we’re still in the
early phases of the energy cycle, just after the rush of the rebirth), but the application of
drive is more deliberate, more restrained, more focused.

Mars using Gemini has a chance to be motivated in multiple directions

simultaneously. This is a combination that can diffuse energy and spread motivation out.
Sometimes this manifests as an ability to operate on multiple levels of energy use or in
parallel lines of endeavor.

Mars using Cancer is an assertiveness that’s motivated by strong feeling. Here is

where things are not just done to be finished but to attain
some value. This is when people are able to externalize their feelings in ways that make
others want to act on those feelings.

Mars using Leo is extremely outgoing yet has quite a bit of natural restraint. This
is the combination that acts toward clear goals, being forward when necessary and
holding back if action would impede future forward motion.

Mars using Virgo has the ability to finely focus energy use. This is a Mars that
can seemingly wait forever to act at the “right” moment. This is disciplined motivation,
moderated drive.

So far, we’ve covered Mars using what can be called the “personal” Signs. The
next six combos will show a more social orientation.
 Mars using Libra is the situation of working toward a balance in outgoing and
incoming energy. Actions are intended to accomplish what’s necessary to engage other’s
motivations.

Mars using Scorpio also seeks to fathom how others can be brought within the
sphere of action, but the intensity of analysis is sharper, the thrust of intention is deeper.

Mars using Sagittarius takes flight and looks for distant goals that can lead yet
farther. Action here is initiated for ideal reasons, socially grand designs, or future
possibilities.

Mars using Capricorn has all the ambition it needs and also the practical reasons
for having it. Motivation streams toward practical solutions. Assertiveness aims at
accomplishments that endure.

Mars using Aquarius is action in the social arena, motivation that is fitted for
group goals, assertiveness that stimulates a consensus.

Mars using Pisces is the way to make peace—act as if you were the other, act for
the other, or, like the Zen mind, act without acting...

This round of motivational types was meant to be illustrative only; certainly not
definitive! When you consider that Mars must act in concert with nine other functions,
much of what I’ve indicated can be woven with other thread, colored by other filters.
Still, the essence of these various ways of externalizing our drives remains.

Time to move on. There is much to do at Earth!

Home Sweet Home and Lunacy

Here we are, finally approaching Earth—birthplace of astrology. First, we cuddle
up to the Moon, home of much lunacy...
Let’s look at that last word more closely since a major purpose of this book is to
repair mis-perceptions, and various lunacies are still far too prevalent in the astrological
community.
In Old English, lunacy was born in the phrase mona seocnes or "month-
sickness"—insanity alternating with periods of clear-mindedness. This clearly describes
many practitioners of astrology, but, if it were up to me, I’d reverse the order and say they
seem very clear-minded for periods punctuated by bouts of insanity. Let’s be clear. It’s
insane to say that astrology predicts events (and, of course, I'm using the word "insane" in
its original meaning: not healthy)
This may be really hard for some folks to understand, but here it is: Astrology
does not, will not, and never has predicted events. What?! Yes. It's the absolute truth,
even if some astrologer "predicted" something for you. (If an astrologer tells you
something is going to happen, don't you think that, if it does, there may just be a bit of
self-fulfillment in that?) What astrology does predict or reveal is Meaning.
O.K. What if an astrologer says some event happened in your past, and that, in
fact, it did happen? Believe it or not, what happened is that the astrologer saw a meaning
in the chart and made a very good guess at the exact event. Here's some proof of that:
Many years ago, I had the opportunity to talk to two men, born of different
mothers but at the same time at the same hospital. Since they had the same chart you'd
think they would have had the same events happening in their lives, right? Well, all it
takes is one contrary occurrence of something to disprove a theory and here it is:
There was a strong indicator in their charts at a certain time, and I asked the first
man what happened. He said his father had died. I asked the other man, with the same
chart, what happened, and he said he'd been on his first nude beach...
Obviously, the same chart had shown two very different events! Then, I asked the
first man (by the way, I interviewed these men separately), "What did it mean when your
father died?" He said that he'd felt like he'd had shackles removed (his father had been
rather authoritarian). I asked the other man, "What did it mean to be on your first nude
beach?" He said that he had dropped his shackles... They used exactly the same, and not
so common, word to describe what two very different events meant.
See? Astrology predicts meanings.
By the way, it’s also insane to attribute the mental faults of some astrologers to the
effect of the Moon. The Moon has nothing to do with it. None of the planets have
anything to do with it. It’s the influence of environment coupled with free-will that warps
folks into the fields of lunacy.
‘Nuff said.
So, what’s this big, beautiful Moon good for? It just happens to be, from our view
on Earth, the fastest cycle we have—27.3 days to be exact—the archetypical Month!
Think of it as the second-hand on a cosmic clock with ten hands. By the way, my saying,
just a second ago, “from our view on Earth”, may be the most important thing we can
consider. Astrology from any of the places we’ve been so far, including this Moon, would
be very different! It’s very definitely a thing about point-of-view...
The cycle of the Moon gives us many things. One of the most important is a cycle
we can definitely feel—if we’re not stone-cold numb. Whether or not you’ve been
keeping up with the cycles of your chart, you most likely have a clear feeling for what a
“month” means for you—even if only in terms of what you can get done in that amount
of time. If you look at a month as the time the Moon spends going from where it was
when you were born, around the cycle of Signs, and back to your birth-position, you’ll
have a marvelous indicator of your personal style-of-living. The Instructions will help
you find your personal Moon position and the recommended web sites plus our Forum
will tell you how to track it.
The Moon in astrology also acts like a “trigger” for other cycles. (I must reiterate:
the actual Moon is not making things happen) Tracking it around your birth chart while
being aware of when it’s “over” your other planets' positions is a solid exercise in making
the internal chart (the one in your unconscious mind) reveal itself in the symbolic chart
(the one on paper or your computer screen). How to do this is best left to your visits to
our Forum. This isn't a come-on. I'm being as basic as possible in this book for good
reason—roots must go deep for trees to stand tall...
If I said the Moon cycle shows the Style of living, then the Earth shows the actual
Central Focus of a life. The Earth is going around the Sun, right? In astrology, the Sun is
referred to as the Central Focus of life. It's easy to see why, since without it, we’d be
dead! So why am I confusing things and calling Earth the Central Focus? It’s because the
Sun’s cycle is the reflection of a moving Earth, and astrology is all about our point-of-
view from the Earth. I needed to remind you that the Earth is moving ‘cause it’s so easy
to forget...
So, we’ll pair the Earth-Sun year-long cycle of Central Life Purpose with the
month-long Moon cycle of Style of Living that Purpose, and we’ll have the most
important Couple of all the astrological Relationships. So important that, with just Sun-
Sign and Moon-sign and an understanding of how to blend their meanings into one
“chord”, you can impress and astound anyone by explaining the Core of their psychology.
Certainly, there are other important considerations, like two or three of the other planets
close to each other or the Sun or Moon very near another planet, but Everything else in a
chart depends on this “battery” of Sun/Moon. Nothing else would happen without it.
While we’re here where astrology actually lives, it’s time to get into a little more
detail about what the Signs and Houses of astrology mean. We’ll start with the Houses,
since these are the Space within which everything else happens.
There you are, a newly born babe, taking your first breath (the most accurate
moment to use in a birth chart). The space that surrounds you has Meaning. Your
unconscious mind is already working overtime, though the conscious ego will take years
to catch up, if it ever really does... The unconscious is noting the directions and the
various cyclic energies that are ranged around you. Powerful connections are being made
between your deep psychological state and the actual space that surrounds you. The
imprint of this moment of birth is so profound that an astrologer can look at a chart’s
meanings and sometimes actually deduce some of the physical happenings at that
moment. Certainly, the moment is powerful enough that it becomes, in the full detail of a
complete birth chart, the “blueprint” for the rest of your life.
To the East, where the path of the planets rises, is what has been called the
“Ascendant” or the beginning of the First House. At the highest point of the planets' path
is the “Midheaven” or the beginning of the 10th house. These two positions define the
circle of the Houses. There are actually twelve of them, and their meanings will be given
in detail in The Instructions. For now, let’s look at these two defining positions'
meanings.
The Ascendant is the position of your most individualized perspective on life—
your “mask”, in the old meaning of that word—what the medicine man wore to let a part
of his unconscious come out, certainly not something put on to hide behind. If you don’t
know your time of birth accurately and you can’t find it in the records, you need to locate
a well-seasoned and rigorously honest astrologer to do what’s called “rectification”. This
is a complex method of working “backwards” to deduce a time of birth. Much can be told
from a chart that’s approximately correct, but it will be significantly general information,
true for many people born at or around the time of your birth.
The Sign that was rising on the Ascendant when you were born is the energy you
characteristically use to individually perceive the world. Any planets that are near the
Ascendant will blend their functions with your perceptions and become some of your
very best “tools” in life.
The Midheaven is the position of your characteristic way of Growing into the
world. It shows the way you can best be “objective” about life and, with its
accompanying Sign is often used to guide people toward a profession. (Again, I must
stress that the chart doesn’t “say” which specific profession. What’s indicated is the
meaning that the profession has in your life. Rather than saying “doctor” or “nurse” or
“counselor”, for instance, you might see the meaning of “helping others”, although this is
a very simplistic way of telling you what a good astrologer could say about your
Midheaven and its relationship to other factors in your chart.)
All the other Houses in your chart derive their meanings from these two—your
individualized way of perceiving life and your unique way of growing into it. The Houses
can be thought of as the Activities of your life while the Signs are the Energies you use in
those Activities and the Planets are the Functions that channel those Energies in those
Activities. Another way to say this is that the Function “uses” the Energy to “perform”
the Activity. You’ll get a lot of practice with this basic astrological formula in The
Instructions when you begin interpreting your own chart!
So, the Houses are determined by where and when you were born and define your
Space of Activity. The Signs are determined by the motion of the Earth around the Sun
and define the Energies that are used in that space.
There is a moment in the Earth’s journey around the Sun that we call Spring—
when day and night are equal and day is beginning to be longer than night. This moment
and the place the Sun is in at that time is what we call the beginning of the Sign Aries. In
a very important way, saying what Spring means is saying what Aries means. There is
another time in the Earth’s journey around the Sun that happens when night is longest and
day is shortest and day is just beginning to increase again. This time and the place the Sun
is in then is called Capricorn and (without using any of the negative meanings) saying
Capricorn is the same as saying Winter. These two Signs and times determine all the
other Sign’s meanings, similarly to the Ascendant and Midheaven giving meaning to all
the other Houses. I’ll direct your attention to the web site link in The Instructions that
goes to Khaldea where you’ll find more than enough information to go as deeply as you
desire into the lush fields of Sign and House meanings...
Earlier in this book I said something to the effect that nothing in astrology has
meaning without everything else—kind of like your head means nothing without your
neck... Even things like the Ascendant or the first House, which give meaning to other
factors, don’t have meaning by themselves. It’s our position on the Earth and it’s
relationship to the rest of the solar system that give meaning to Ascendant and first
House. When we get to the last chapter, you’ll get a feeling for how even this solar
system gets its meaning from the rest of space...
Most of my time on this Earth has been spent learning to find the core meanings
of the various factors of astrology. The journey has been wild with discovery and, at
times, perilous with risk. I mentioned two languages earlier—the one that astrology has
crystallized into—traditional words and meanings—and the one that holds the truth. Even
though you’ll be able to interpret your own chart by the time you finish reading this book,
you won’t have reached the end of that interpretation until you die. The reason I've stuck
with astrology for so many years is that its deepest meanings are the "seeds" that give
meaning to everything else. The structure of astrology is, at root, the structure of our
psyche.
Bold statement, that! Hard-won truth, too. Back behind all the lunacies of popular
astrology, far deeper than anything I can say about the subject, is the ocean of our
unconscious mind. Our mind, because, at that level, it is a collective mind—heir to the
full history of humanity and parent to any individual ego consciousness. There is a man,
someone I’ve called the Einstein of psychology—Carl Jung. If you want to delve into this
magnificent arena of the origin of consciousness, read Jung...

And what about our feelings? Ah! We must travel to Venus to begin to unravel the
mysteries of feeling...
 Acid Love
It’s been said by some astrologers that the Moon we just left behind has much to
do with feelings. If it does, it’s only in the sense of being the style of expression of the
feelings. The Feelings themselves and the Values behind them belong to Venus.
We're approaching the planet that’s been called Earth’s sister, mostly because it’s
near enough to have a somewhat similar cycle around the Sun and it’s just about the same
size. If Earth and Venus are sisters, Venus is the “nasty” one. If the atmospheric pressure
doesn’t collapse your lungs, the acid in the air will eat your skin away, and the
insufferable heat will fry your brains. If you somehow protect yourself from those
dangers, you still have to contend with an extremely long day—243 Earth-days—and the
disorienting way the Sun has of rising in the West! Yes, Venus rotates the other direction
from Earth, and it takes a long time to do it. Also, this is the planet whose cycle has been
associated with Love...
Notwithstanding its mythology, I wouldn't necessarily call Venus the planet of
love.
If there were ever proof that the physical characteristics of the planets don't give
them the meanings we should use in astrology, Venus is it. Certainly, there can be nasty
things within the bounds of what we call a love-relationship. However, those less than
nice things are not love.
Venus’ cycle relates to how we Evaluate our experience. Whether we love
something or not comes from the way we invest it with our values. We can’t have love
without values, but we can have values without love. Love itself is an expression of at
least four of the planets’ functions operating together—Venus, Moon, Sun and Mercury.
Venus is the value, the Moon is the style of expressing it, the Sun is the purpose or reason
for the evaluation, and Mercury is the rational side of the situation (if that’s being used in
the equation...).
Many of our “higher” functions, like love, are expressions of more than one
planet’s cycle. Motherhood, for instance, isn’t just the provenance of the Moon. Thinking
isn’t just the job of Mercury. Action isn’t done only by Mars. What you can learn from
the system of interpretation in The Instructions is what you might call the basic
vocabulary and grammar of astrology. Being able to converse fluently will take more than
this book. It will take much time and effort. Still, if you were in France (actually, you
might be...) and had to go to the bathroom, being able to utter a simple, basic phrase is
just fine! Much meaning can be transmitted with simple, basic words. So, using the
system at the end of this book (while referring back, every so often, to these more lyric
chapters on the basic perceptions we need) will get you far, yet there’s always more.
Some folks don’t like unending potential; I love it!
Our Values and Feelings give our lives much of its meaning. Meaning is what
astrology can predict, and it's a basic indicator of the Venus cycle—about 225 Earth-days
long. Notice how close the Venus day year are? In fact, the day is longer than the year.
This durational quality of Venus (just imagine waking up, going through a day, and
realizing a year’s also slipped by) is central to the kind of meaning I mean. Oh, the tricks
words play... I just checked Google and it actually has an entry for “the meaning of
meaning”! To clear the air just a bit: Astrology defines many meanings, many functions
of life. Venus is what we use, as a specific function, to give value to all those meanings.
Hang in there, o.k.? Once you’ve done a little checking with the interpretive system in
The Instructions, you’ll begin to separate these meanings with ease. In fact, astrology’s
ability to contain and reveal so much meaning is its chief value...
Another important part of why Venus helps us see our values and the important
meanings in our lives is that it is the first of the “Inner” planets. When we were way out
with Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus, we were talking about deep unconscious functions
shared by everyone and useful in gauging large social trends. Saturn and Jupiter cycles
were also fairly social in their functions but due to the cyclic lengths involved—30 and 12
years—they’re more personal-social functions—we have more personal control over how
we use them. Mars is the first planet outside the Earth’s orbit but is relatively near. It
came to symbolize our personal reaching out to the social realm.
Then there is the Moon and Earth—the Place we live.
Now, we enter the very personal realm of functions, those which we “own” sooner
and more fully. With the first of these inner functions, I want to introduce you to one way
of seeing a Planet’s Function operating in the various Houses' Fields of Activity. We’ll
start at the traditional beginning, the First House and see what having Venus in each of
them could mean.

Venus operating in the First House:

With this placement, a person has their evaluating function operating through
activities that focus on their own individual perception of reality. Their frame-of-
reference for life will include a strong dose of personal values. They’ll use their feelings
about situations as their first line of approach.

Venus operating in the Second House:

Having the function of valuing in the activity of finding your personal resources
makes for a rather focused placement. These people put their feelings to work finding
what they most value in themselves and their personal history.

Venus operating in the Third House:

Values applied toward communicating with the “local” environment. Evaluation

as the primary tool for learning. Evaluation used primarily for connecting with others.

Venus operating in the Fourth House:

This person’s feelings are grounded in what can anchor them. Evaluations are
used to make situations more stable.

Venus operating in the Fifth House:

Feelings become projected, and evaluation is used to gauge the effect of personal
choices on others.

Venus operating in the Sixth House:

 Here is where values and feelings are put to the task of improving things and
people. Self-evaluation could be the strongest suit.

Those were all extremely personal uses for this inner function. Now we’ll look at
this personal function working itself out in the social realm.

Venus operating in the Seventh House:

Here is a placement of evaluation right at the spot where a person is most aware of
others. Feeling is used as the primary function for bonding with people.

Venus operating in the Eighth House:

This is where Venus’ function of valuing is taken deeper to bring relationships to a

stable state based on mutual feelings.

Venus operating in the Ninth House:

This area of activity gives Venus’ function of evaluation a lot of room to soar.
Feelings broaden out and encompass more “territory”.

Venus operating in the Tenth House:

Here is where evaluation becomes the prime determinant in the affairs of society.
Feelings are used in career and business environments.

Venus operating in the Eleventh House:

Values operating in this activity field are used to bring bonding to social groups.
Appreciations grow toward consensus.

Venus operating in the Twelfth House:

Evaluation blends with contemplation. Values are used to plumb the depths of all
matters.

So, there’s a brief look at Venus in the Houses. The Instructions will give you a
chance to add the Sign to an interpretation. This is certainly nowhere near what could be
said about Venus. But I think you’ve noticed by now:
I’m giving you just a taste of what the Functions of the Planets’ cycles can mean,
along with other basic astrological information. This is all aiming toward the end of the
book where you’ll receive a method that will let you be your own astrologer—distill your
own Meanings from your own chart (or, others...).
I don’t think we should get too attached to hanging out around Venus ;-) so, let’s
get much closer to the Sun and go visit Mercury.

Messenger of the Gods

 It’s getting pretty warm now, so close to the Sun. Things are heating up as far as
cycles go, too. We’re at Mercury, dealing with a function that may seem very cut-and-
dried, but certainly is not.
Mercury: Intelligence, Concrete Thought, Perception, Communication. All these
things can seem so normal that they hardly need comment. But comment I must since
they’re all ripe for illusion and disarray!
As I’ve affirmed before, none of these astrological functions stands alone; they all
work together. If we use our free will to hide, subvert or bury any of them, we open the
floodgates to problematic living. That being true, our intelligence and our different ways
of communicating certainly shouldn’t operate in a vacuum. The first function that will
help Mercurys' functioning is the planet we just left—Venus. Feelings and values are the
perfect complement for intelligence and communication.
Wonder why they seem to be at odds so often? Check your culture; look closely at
the social environment these functions develop within. From where I’m sitting in the
United States, I must admit that this country’s culture has been very unkind to a smooth
marriage of these two functions for far too many years. I’m sure that the situation is
similar in most cultures around the world. It hasn't always been this way. I know that
there were times and social situations when it was different, families and groups within
which it is different, and I predict that the whole world will get it right eventually.
Since the two planets are physically close, and since their cycles are similar in
duration, one could wonder deeply at the rank perversions heaped upon using them
together.
To cut our feeling from our thinking is a crime. Yet one of the most valuable uses
for astrology is to hold our various functions and their proper relationships up to us in a
symbolic mirror. We can See what should be and, most often, find the best way to iron
out persistently irritating wrinkles—those warps of function induced by family, culture
and the press of living in a world changing faster than it ever has before.
I mentioned the phenomenon of “retrogradation” before—the apparent backwards
flow of a planet’s function. I pointed out that I hate that word “retrograde”, but I haven’t
come up with a suitable alternative yet... I also pointed out that, when a planet is doing
“that”, it’s a time to focus on the function's meaning in an internal way, to ponder the
depth of the function in our lives, to let the function dive into our unconscious. Then we
can return with fresh energy for the journey.
Mercury does this internal journeying about every three months; it lasts for about
three weeks. This Mercury Retrograde period has gotten some of the worst astrological
coverage! What’s been said has had a quality of “negative truth”—an inappropriate
reporting of only the undesirable aspects. The real problem is that this “negative truth” is
touted as the Whole truth. Just because many people suffer from erratic thinking during
these periods, just because they are forgetful or can’t concentrate on what they think is
important—these things are no reason to blame the planet Mercury or to make a bald-
faced assumption that Mercury Retrograde is somehow automatically a bad time, to be
merely suffered through.
Think about this:
People are told that they have an opportunity, every three months, to use their
perceptive qualities to find fresh and highly individualistic solutions to things that may
have been causing some bafflement in their lives. These people believe what they're told,
at least enough to give it a try. So, they schedule time during this period, time apart, to
reconsider a few things, to look at things from other angles, to Let some new thinking
happen.
“Naw... I really don’t have the time to slow down and rethink anything. My
spouse and my boss wouldn’t understand. Do you have any idea how hard it is already,
just trying to keep up?”
Actually, I do understand. I pity this person’s inability to understand that
continuing to barge ahead when their natural cycles demand internal action might be the
cause of the problem.
I just love to talk to the people I’ve met who have Mercury Retrograde in their
birth charts. They usually have a lifelong ability to do this “backward” thinking. And they
just happen to be some of the most creative, original people I know!
Being this close to the Sun is starting to get to me. Its' ferociously brilliant
splendor is acting like a plasma magnet. I’m being pulled toward its' awesomely
prodigious, life-giving waves of light...
Come on! You don’t want to miss the fun, do you?

Plasma Love
The Sun. Our Star.
Source of Light and Life.
Mystery to this day!
Scientists are having a horrible time making sense of how the Sun works.
Astrologers miss many of the most important aspects of the cycle of this Function.
Many people feel that this function is the only part of astrology. (Except, of course, for
those twelve Signs of the Zodiac that are popularly given costumes and asked to play
parts they’ve never read the script for...)
You might think that, this being the next to the last chapter of the book, I’d want
to calmly summarize and draw all the other chapters’ information to some grand
conclusion. The thing is, I don’t intend to actually “conclude” this book. I want you to
enter The Instructions with Wings! I want you to soar through the Realms of
Astrological Meaning!! I want you to Really Live!!!
“Calm down, Alex. These people may not realize what treasure lies at their feet.
They may still think this astrology-thingie is a fancy parlor game that makes for witty
conversation. They may not understand it when you throw out concepts that aren’t
accepted by most reasonable people.”
Hmmm...
Well...
All I can say is that this very close Star, this fantastically beautiful beacon of
Purpose has me all fired up! So...
Start to get used to the idea that our solar system is not what you may have heard
it was in high school. The planets may not have always been where they are right now.
The Sun and its orbiting progeny may not be floating in some lonely backwater of the
galaxy, like many astronomers would like you to believe.
The Sun has been said to hold the planets in orbit with its gravity. This is not
capable of being true, which is born out by the latest interdisciplinary scientific studies.
There are many aspects of the planets, individually and collectively, that want to tell a
very different story.

For instance, the ancients talked about a “sun” but its characteristics don’t match
the one that gives us a tan. They do match the planet Saturn. Also, Venus was thought to
have been much closer to Earth in the past and so was Mars. As a matter of fact, there
was a time when people saw Venus in front of Saturn, Mars in front of Venus, Jupiter
hidden behind Saturn and the whole party steadily revolving at the north pole. There was
also a time when this configuration broke up, and there were shudderingly graphic “wars
of the gods” in the heavens which rained debris, electromagnetic bolts, and terror on our
ancestors.
“Oh, my! Poor Alex has gone off the deep end and doesn’t even have a
spaceship’s lifeboat to crawl into. He’s Sun-drunk and his little brain is melted.”
Hmmm...
I’m putting some information in the references at the end of this book that will
help you find sources that confirm everything I just said. At this point, I’m going to say
that this magnificent Star, our Sun, is the Center of our solar system, and it’s also the
Center, the Focus of any interpretation you dare make with astrology. Focusing,
Centering, Life-Giving, Light-Bringing, Purpose-Revealing Sun.
One extremely important fact of astronomy that every person using it should know
is that ninety-nine percent of the universe is plasma. You surely remember your solids,
liquids, and gases, right? Plasma is the next state of matter, the most rarified form of
substance, yet capable of organizing, moving, and creating new organizations of the other
three forms of matter. Our Sun is floating in a Sea of Plasma, electrified Plasma, powerful
Plasma.
If you’ve seen neon signs or arc-welders, you’ve seen small versions of the
process that lights our Sun and every other of the billions upon billions of stars. The
regularity of the orbits of our planetary system (as well as the previous orderings and the
transitioning chaotic states) are maintained by the streams of plasma and the power
contained in this almost “spiritual” form of matter. Even the weather on our Earth (as well
as the weather on the other planets) is influenced and driven by the power of this all-
pervasive Plasma.
It's much more the case that the planets are ordered by a form of Cosmic Love—a
force that transcends mere gravity and material forces—a power and vitality that centers
all our concerns.
If “Love” holds it all together, it certainly must be a Plasma Love.

And, if love is the power that binds it all together, we could say that:

Pluto is the Regeneration of Love.

Neptune is the Vision of Love.

Uranus is the Transformative Power of Love.

Saturn is the Clarity of Love.

 Jupiter is the Expansiveness of Love.

Mars is the Externalizing of Love.

Venus is the Valuing of Love.

Mercury is the Perceptiveness of Love.

And, our ol’ familiar Moon is the Style of Love’s expression.

The Sun is the Center of it All...

To make sure this chapter goes out with a sense of the ineffable—the truth that
defies rigid expression—here’s a poem by Emily Dickinson:

Love reckons by itself — alone —

"As large as I" — relate the Sun

To One who never felt it blaze —

Itself is all the like it has —

Galactic Visitors
The last chapter may have been a bit weird for some people: planets not forever
circling in stable orbits, catastrophes that ravaged our ancestors, plasma that powers the
stars...
Let’s take that last fact. If plasma does make the Sun glow so ferociously, where
does it come from? Well, it’s pretty much all over the place when you look at things from
a universal perspective; ninety-nine percent of all the stuff there is. So, it comes from the
space that surrounds the solar system. All those atomically-small charged protons and
electrons that make up the plasma that’s streaming into the system and lighting the Sun
are the most obvious and most continuous Galactic Visitors there are.
But astrologically, just like the case of the hordes of small bodies we considered
earlier, in this perpetual stream of particles, it’s not the particles that concern us; it’s not
the particles that can be used to give meaning in astrology; it’s the Stream itself—the
patterns and convolutions and dance of the plasma stream have meaning.
Naturally, since humans have only been considering this plasma in any serious
way since the space age dawned, there isn’t a heck of a lot of considered opinion about
what this Galactic Visitor means. Except, maybe, this:
 The universe is literally teeming with a tenuous and yet powerful substance that
can create stars and galaxies—a substance that has the characteristics of a Cosmic
Mother.
In early Egyptian mythology there were the archetypes of the Great Ennead of
Heliopolis: Atum, the first god, and his descendants: Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nuit, Osiris, Isis,
Set, and Nephthys. Nuit was the sky goddess, in contrast to most other mythologies,
which usually had a sky father. So, just maybe, we can consider Nuit, as Cosmic Mother,
contributing the essence of her body to our Sun. This causes the Sun to burn with
Purpose. The Sun gives birth to the planets and (with the help of the plasma streams it, in
turn, creates) our Sun brings about a dance that we, creatures of this system, have lodged
in our unconscious minds. This internal Plasma Dance resonates with the one in space
and, we, if we let ourselves, see the synchronicity and wonder of it all, can draw maps of
these cycles, attribute psychological meanings to the interactions of the cycles, bring
meaning into our lives...
There isn’t much more to say.
And also, I could go on forever attempting to describe the insights I’ve gained in
the past three and one half decades of courting my sweet lover, Astrology. Back when I
first met her, I really wasn’t capable of appreciating her beauty and strength. I
misunderstood her motives, misinterpreted her signs, attributed things to her that were all
my fault. But she hung in there; she loved me enough to not leave while I went
through many convolutions of perception and understanding.
She remained, always, so attractive that I could never abandon her to the people
who would try to pimp her secrets on the newsstand.
But she was much more mysterious than they could imagine.
She let them do whatever they wanted, completely unconcerned about her
“reputation”...
How could the Spirit of the deepest unconscious archetypes worry what a few
mortals said about her?
How could the daughter of the Sky Goddess trouble herself over people that not
only didn’t understand her but actively tried to pretend she was something else...

The Instructions
So, here we are, at the place where I show you how to obtain your own
astrological charts and my method for interpreting them for yourself!

The first thing you’ll always need to do for a chart is obtain the most accurate
birth time. Even if the chart isn’t for a person but is, say, the birth of a corporation or an
important relationship, accuracy is important. If the birth certificate doesn’t have a time,
the State (or Provincial) Health Department will often have the right information for a
small fee.

If you don’t have a proper time for the chart, you should be able to interpret all but
the Moon since it moves fast enough to change Signs within a day. For more information
about interpreting “timeless” charts, log on to http://ars.forumsplace.com/. As indicated in
the text, there are astrologers who can do what’s called rectification and bring a chart into
some form of accuracy.

Just before we go through the steps to make a chart, I want to go over the basic
symbols and how to read them.

On the next page you can see a typical chart. Don’t worry if you can’t read the
details too well, it was made small so all the symbols would fit on one page.

The Houses of the chart are the twelve pie sections around the circle. The
Ascendant is the left end of the line that goes through the middle, left to right, and has
the letters AC. The First House is the space just below that. The other eleven Houses
follow the first around the circle going counter-clockwise. When you get to House Ten
you should be near the top of the chart and what’s called the Midheaven, with the letters
MC.

Take just a minute or two to look at the listings of the Signs and Planets and, even
though they may not make any sense to you right now, match them up in the example
chart. Some of them may seem just a bit different in the list and the chart but, in this day
and age, when the web is such a good resource for any kind of information, you’ll see
many different styles of astrological symbols as you cruise cyberspace.
 *** Making Your Own Chart ***
The first thing to do is go to the web address www.astro.com !

You’ll come to a greeting page with exactly the same top border design as the one
pictured above and you’ll click on the words “Free Horoscope” right under the
words “Astrodienst www.astro.com”.

That will bring you to the page you see above and you’ll next click the words
“Please Click Here” in the box on the right, just under the words “free horoscope”.

This will take you to the page shown next...

 Fill in all the blanks.

DO NOT click the boxes next to “Show Map” & “Use Manual Time Zone”.

Then you’ll have to click the “Continue” bar and, on the next page, click the “Continue”
bar again.

That will take you to the “Please select your free horoscope” page again but, as the next
picture shows, you’ll want to scroll down and click on “Extended Chart Selection”... (
near the bottom).
Now, you’ll make sure the boxes are filled in as shown on the next page.

There are many other options on this page and you certainly can try them all
but, please, be sure the “chart style” box has “Classical style” in it so your
chart, at first, resembles the example chart in this book, o.k.? That's the only
box you need to change, for now.

There is an option to have two people’s data in one chart—the name boxes at the
top—but, if you select “Classical”, you’ll only get one (the top person, if there are
two).
Once you press that bar with the words, “Click here to show the chart”,
you’ve graduated to Senior Student and can now learn how to interpret
all those symbols!

Now, the real meat of this book.

How to interpret your own chart!

 F ( E ) —> A
That formula is the most important statement about astrology that I’ve ever
written. It holds the key to a proper interpretation of the basic factors in any chart.

One way to interpret the symbols is this sentence:

Function of Energy yields Activity

Another way to interpret it is:

My Function uses an Energy in order to do an Activity

Functions = Planets ~ Energies = Signs ~ Activities = Houses

After I show you the Key Words and Phrases that you’ll use to interpret your own
chart (or, those of family and friends), you’ll be filling-in a form that looks like this (there
are 9 of them after the Words and Phrases):

Function Energy in order to Activity

_________________ _______________ in order to ____________________

__________________ _______________ in order to ____________________

What you’ll end up with are ten symbolic sentences. I want to stress that the
sentences will not tell you exactly what to do with your life but they are powerful enough
to help you get your mind into the Space where activities like finding solutions do
happen.
This system was created to turn the symbols of an astrological chart into word-
symbols, to ease the transition to the Real Process—what you do in your own mind and
heart as you take the symbols and turn them into Your Own Reality.
The example that follows will give you a good head start in this Process of being
your own astrologer !
We’ll start by using my chart as an example, since making your own choices for
these symbolic sentences is extremely important!
In the chart on the next page, find the circle with the dot. That’s my Sun in the
chart. Notice that it’s in the Sign of Aries in the 9th House. The House placement is a bit
obvious but, if you’ve not dealt with astrology symbols at all, you can confirm the Sun in
Aries by using the tabular info under the chart.
 For now, don’t concern yourself with all the numbers in the images. One day (I
hope) you’ll have graduated to a level of understanding where you can access some of the
informational links in this book and learn much more.
For now, let’s concentrate on the most important Basics and get our roots firmly
planted. This way, if you stick with it long enough to actually have a mature tree, it won’t
be bent and twisted...
Now, if you look just seven pages ahead you’ll find the Key Words and Phrases
that make up the heart of this interpretive system.

[ Each of your Planet/Sign/House combinations has 64 possible interpretations in this system; plenty to
choose from! ]

Find the sections “Sun”, “Aries” and “9th House”. Now follow along as I reveal
something about myself...
I look at the words and phrases for Sun (and, yes, I do this often, as I hope you
will [since Life is always changing and we can always use a fresh perspective]) and I
choose: “Focusing”
Now, I look at “Aries” and I choose: “Personal Initiative”
And, now I look at the 9th House and choose: “Bring the Situation to its Highest
Expression.”
I chose these based on my current focus on finishing this book and presenting it to
the public—my current Major Focus...
Now, we fill in the blanks:
Here are the “blanks”:

Function Energy in order to Activity

________________ _______________ in order to _________________________

Here’s the blanks filled in by me (for my current situation):

Focusing Personal Initiative in order to Bring the Situation to its Highest

Expression.

This is an accurate interpretation for these symbols of my birth chart for my present
situation—bringing this book to its audience!
O.K., so that’s the Sun and the Major Focus. What about the all-important “Way”
I’m going to do that—my Style of Bringing this Situation to its Highest Expression.

Let’s interpret the Moon.

I choose: “Adapting”
And, now the Sign. Let’s see...: “a Harmonizing Attitude”
And, the House: “Make Connections.”

So, when I fill in the blanks of the form, I have:

Adapting a Harmonizing Attitude in order to Make Connections.

 No fancy mumbo-jumbo here; no higher understanding of progressions or transits
or other “tricks of the trade”. All I did was look at my birth potential in my chart and
interpret the two most important factors in light of what's going on right now in my life.
When you consider that I’m sitting here writing this and considering the imminent
publication of this book, the combination of Sun and Moon (as the two strongest factors
in anyone’s chart) are very explicitly meaningful!

Sun = Focusing Personal Initiative in order to Bring the Situation to its Highest
Expression.
Moon = Adapting a Harmonizing Attitude in order to Make Connections.

In case you might be wondering how I'm interpreting “Make Connections” in that
Moon sentence, it's one thing to write a book and quite another to have people actually
look at it. My Style (Moon) of accomplishing my Main Focus (Sun) needs that kind of
Connection...

Naturally, these are my interpretations of my current situation. And, to be very

honest, what, when you get right down to what ultimately matters, is more important than
what Your Interpretation of Your Circumstances is?
Whether they’re “right” or “wrong”, until you find Your Own Meanings, life will
not Sing!
The goal, in this first interpretation, is to focus on what’s happening Now and
choose the words and phrases that give Voice to that. If you have difficulty doing this, I
urge you to Persist and take as much time as necessary to interpret the factors in your
chart so they express your Current Situation(s).
Many astrologers will be squirming because I’m not directing you to consider
what are called “Progressions” and Transits”. The best I can say is, if the birth chart (the
Symbol of Who You Are) can’t answer the question, “What’s going on?”, nothing can.
Sure, progressions and transits are important, eventually, once you have a grounding in
what your Birth Chart is “saying”. Plus, you can find all the advanced info you want in
the Further Studies section.

So, now I’m thinking, “What should I think about the current situation?”

I look at the words and phrases for Mercury and pick:

“Increasing Awareness of”

And, for the Sign (Pisces):
“Visionary Initiative”
And, the House (8th):
“Merge With Others.”

The full Mercury statement becomes (for now):

Increasing Awareness of Visionary Initiative in order to Merge With Others.

This describes my attitude about how to promote the book (Initiative)

intelligently—be very aware of how to merge my ideas with others...
 Venus:

Evaluating Individual Worth in order to Be Who I Am In The World.

And, right here, we come up against one of those “rules of thumb”—things you
just have to know even before you know enough to know why:
Venus is very close to my 10th House, even though it’s actually in the 9th (look
back at my chart and see what I mean). When this happens, you need to read the Planet
and its Sign into the next House.
Trust me...
So, that’s about my feelings right now.

What about the Planet of Action—Mars?

First I choose, “Being Driven by”;

then, “Nurturing Abilities” (Cancer);
th
then, “Bring the Issue to Its Best Possible Conclusion.” (12 House).

So, my “action plan” is:

Being Driven by Nurturing Abilities in order to Bring the Issue to Its Best Possible
Conclusion.

Now, let’s look at the more “Social” planets:

Jupiter (in Libra in the 3rd House [and, Retrograde!]) {By the way, retrograde
planets have an “r” next to their position in the tabular information at the bottom of your
chart}:

Optimizing Awareness of Others in order to Make Connections.

O.K., but it’s retrograde and I have to consider this affirmation in a very
individual way—non-normal. Part of that “non-normal” making of connections (for
someone as old as me) is using the Internet extensively!

Saturn (in Cancer in the 12th House):

Clarifying Nurturing Abilities in order to Bring the Issue to Its Best Possible
Conclusion.

The same Sign and House meaning as I chose for Mars (could have been different
but I wanted them both the same [for now]); and, again, Saturn is actually in the 11th
House but very near the 12th, so I read it in the 12th.
Don’t be too concerned about “how near” it has to be. If it looks like it’s right
there at the line, go ahead and read it into the next House.

Now, we get to the Functions that define the most important Collective activities
you can be engaged in—Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

Since these are so “all-inclusive” and “beyond the norm”, I urge you to pause, as
you select your meanings, and consider more deeply...

Uranus (in Gemini in the 11th House [ again its really close...]):

Breaking Obsolete Traditions of Intellectual Freedom in order to Give Expression to

My Hopes.

This statement may be completely non-sensical to you but, to me (which is what

this system is all about) it’s crystal clear: What people used to think was intellectual
freedom is not what I consider it to be. So, this book is attempting to break those barriers
down and the book is definitely an expression of my Hopes!

Neptune (in Libra in the 2nd House [retrograde]):

Dissolving Old Forms of Awareness of Others in order to Ground My Plans.

So, first, I have to look at this meaning from my most individual perspective
(retrograde). I really need to see others in a new way, eh?

Pluto (in Leo in the 12th House [retrograde]):

Regenerating Dramatic Concern in order to Bring the Issue to Its Best Possible
Conclusion.

Again, I choose the same 12th House meaning even though Pluto is in a different Sign
than Saturn and Mars. The retrograde quality here makes me look at “Dramatic Concern”
in a different way—not all that “outward”, not “showy”; more “Emphatic”.

So, there you have my interpretation of my own chart in the light of my bringing
this book to its completion.
If I’d done this exercise for some other point in my life, I would have chosen
different meanings (possibly).
This just shows the “elasticity” of the functions of Astrology. Certainly, one factor
can't mean what another does; but, they each can have various shades of meaning
depending on the circumstances...

What’s the best way to use this interpretive technique?

Stop and think about your most important concerns (past, present or future).

Go through all your Planet/Sign/House combinations and select the most appropriate
meanings for the time and issue you have in mind.

Ponder; Consider; Think ( keep a notebook [dated] of your symbolic sentences—over

time, you'll learn a lot more with notes like these! ); then, Take Action.
 If it “doesn’t work”, look back at the interpretations you made and change them (if you
think it’s necessary [ adding changes to your notebook] ); or, if you think your sentences
are “just right”, consider how you didn’t take the right actions or, maybe, didn't take your
action in the right “place”.

Realize that Astrology (or, any mental-psychological system) is only as good as the effort
we bring to it.

I’ve been using Astrology for 36 years and my considered opinion is that this
system of symbols never “lies”. Any problems always have to do with “where I’m at” and
how honest I am about what’s going on.
This is a system intended to help you make your Own decisions. Therefore, if it
provided exact, explicit answers, you wouldn’t have anything to say about the result.
Right?
Now, you have a method of having a “Dialogue” with yourself—a way to find
deeper answers to the famous question: “What should I do?” By the way, I never
intended to have this system consist of only the words and phrases you find in this book.
What’s necessary, for me and you, is to take the words here, work with them, and work to
find more words that mean similar things—synonyms!
Pick up any Thesaurus and find the words I’ve given you here. Add other
meanings that seem to fit, for you. Expand the system to your own needs! You can even
try your hand at rewriting the sentences in your own form or style! In fact, writing out a
paragraph (or more) to explain each of the symbolic sentences is not only a good exercise
for learning the system, it's a way for you to take the system and make it work for you! I
must admit that the true, meaningful interpretations in astrology come from a
combination of mind, heart, and experience—using our minds first while letting them be
guided by our hearts, then putting what we decided into the realm of experience—using
our interpretations.

Something else you can do is to log on to the Web and visit the Astrological
Repair Station—
http://ars.forumsplace.com/
—a forum designed to help anyone who’s read this book extend and deepen
their understanding and successful use of this system of interpretation.
There's also a Blog you can post in at: http://www.angelfire.com/space2/arm0/plasma/

First, though, I urge you to “struggle” with it yourself, at least for a day or two;
then, come on in to the forum and we’ll all learn more about how to figure out this thing
called “Life”!
Another exercise I recommend is to look past the first sets of interpretive words &
phrases (which follows soon) and tear out the last few pages of this book (just after the
Acknowledgments & Credits), paste them on to some thin cardboard, and cut them
apart. You'll have a set of “cards” that you can move around on the table to interchange
various meanings and see, at a glance, how two or more different choices “look” in the
symbolic sentence.
 One more thing you should try interpreting is your “Rising Sign”. This is the Sign
that's on the beginning of your First House; it's the Sign at the Ascendant (AC). This is a
special case of interpreting because there is no Planet involved. It's just an Energy (Sign)
in order to do an Activity (House).
The formula would be:

Using Sign in order to Activity.

For example, in my chart, the first House (Ascendant) has Leo on it. Right now, I'd
choose “Creative Response” for Leo and “Truly Be Who I Am.” for First House. This,
then will be my Most Individual Way of Approaching My Circumstances [that's a
definition of what a Rising Sign means]:
Using Creative Response in order to Truly Be Who I Am.

So, all these words, the whole main part of the book from Xena to the Galaxy,
then this “how-to-use-the-system” stuff and Now:

The B.I.D.E. SYSTEM

of
Interpreting Your Own
Birth Chart
 Sun
Vitalizing Centering Focusing Integrating

Moon
Adapting Nurturing Nourishing Enfolding

Mercury
Perceiving Conceptualizing Investigating Increasing Awareness of

Venus
Being Discriminating about Attracting Valuing Evaluating

Mars
Externalizing Motivating with Asserting Being Driven by

Jupiter
Expanding Amplifying Optimizing Being Optimistic about

Saturn
Defining Clarifying Structuring Organizing

Uranus
Transforming
Breaking Obsolete Traditions of
Seeking the Truth of
Exploring Fresh Ideas about

Neptune
Dissolving Old Forms of
Envisioning
Being Idealistic about
Spiritualizing

Pluto
Getting to the Depths of
Transcending
Purging
Regenerating
 Aries
Individual Awarenesses
Dynamic Awareness
Personal Initiative
Fresh Approaches

Taurus
Personal Resources
the Value of Possessions
Personal Values
Individual Worth

Gemini
Diversity of Ideas
Multiplicity of Interests
Intellectual Freedom
Conceptual Versatility

Cancer
Emotional Security
Character Development
Active Feelings
Nurturing Abilities

Leo
Dramatic Concern
Magnanimous Action
Creative Response
Energetic Influence

Virgo
Discrimination
Systems and Techniques
Careful Considerations
a Service Attitude
 Libra
a Harmonizing Attitude
Awareness of Others
Considerations of Sharing
Seeing Things from Other’s Perspectives

Scorpio
the Urge to Blend Perspectives
the Desire to Bond Deeply
an Analytical Attitude
the Worth of Others

Sagittarius
a Broad Viewpoint
Philosophical Appraisal
a Top-Down View
an Idealistic Awareness

Capricorn
an Objective Attitude
a Desire for Enduring Patterns
Constructive Initiatives
Structural Innovations

Aquarius
Humanitarian Considerations
Group-Consciousness
Radical Breakthroughs
“Global” Awareness

Pisces
Sympathetic Awareness
Compassionate Understanding
Universal Feeling
Visionary Initiative
 1st House
Focus on the Present.
See Things from My Own Perspective.
See Things Clearly.
Truly Be Who I Am.

2nd House
Focus on my Resources.
Realize my Heritage.
Be Aware of My Worth.
Ground My Plans.

3rd House
Be Aware of My Immediate Environment.
Learn Important Facts.
Study What’s Important.
Make Connections.

4th House
Anchor Myself.
Nourish My Roots.
Fertilize the Situation.
Ground Myself.

5th House
Dramatize My Concerns.
Externalize My Creativity.
“Test The Waters”.
Provide an Example.

6th House
Be of Service.
Improve Myself.
Prepare for Relationship.
Correct Mistakes.
 7th House
Begin (or, Refresh) a Relationship.
Be Aware of the Other Person’s Perspective.
Initiate Sharing.
Find a Compensating Viewpoint.

8th House
Deepen Relationship.
Find the Depth of the Issue.
Accentuate the Importance of a Relationship.
Merge With Others.

9th House
See the Broader Perspective.
Bring the Situation to its Highest Expression.
Broadcast Expectations.
Realize the Ideal.

10th House
Make the Situation as Objective as Possible.
Realize My Highest Objective Goals.
Express My Social Role.
Be Who I Am In The World.

11th House
Make My Social Position Secure.
Enlist the Aid of My Social Network.
Activate My Goals.
Give Expression to My Hopes.

12th House
Realize the Oneness of Life.
Utilize the Resources of My Unconscious Mind.
Explore the Value of Transcendence of Self.
Bring the Issue to Its Best Possible Conclusion.
Name: Date:
Function Energy in order to Activity

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

Name: Date:
Function Energy in order to Activity

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

Name: Date:
Function Energy in order to Activity

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

Name: Date:
Function Energy in order to Activity

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

Name: Date:
Function Energy in order to Activity

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

Name: Date:
Function Energy in order to Activity

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

Name: Date:
Function Energy in order to Activity

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

Name: Date:
Function Energy in order to Activity

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

Name: Date:
Function Energy in order to Activity

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

_______________ ________________ in order to __________________________

 Further Studies

For more depth-of-coverage and more challenging topics, Khaldea is the Place !
http://www.khaldea.com

There’s a lot of information on this site so, if you want to look at just the astrology, go
here:
http://www.khaldea.com/rudhyar/astrology.shtml

Chart Gallery - Hundreds of famous people ! http://www.khaldea.com/chartgallery.shtml

If this book has lit a fire under your curiosity and you want to get serious about astrology,
start here:

The Planets and their Symbols

http://www.khaldea.com/rudhyar/astroarticles/planetssymbols_1.shtml

THE PLANETARY ALPHABET Reading Your Celestial Name

http://www.khaldea.com/rudhyar/astroarticles/planetaryalphabet.php

ASTROLOGICAL HOUSES AND THE ZODIACAL SIGNS

http://www.khaldea.com/rudhyar/astroarticles/housesandsigns.php

The Aspects
http://www.khaldea.com/eon/eonintro.shtml

There's another place on the Web where you can get a free chart:
http://www.zodiacal.com/chart.htm

If you want to see the sky from the Astronomical view a good place (with a free 3-D
Space Simulator) is:
http://www.shatters.net/celestia

Here's a starting point for discovery of the new paradigm in science:

The Electric (Plasma) Universe

http://www.holoscience.com/

An Open Letter To The Scientific Community http://www.cosmologystatement.org/

 Acknowledgments & Credits

For permission to quote Dane Rudhyar, I want to thank Michael R. Meyer and the folks at
CyberWorld Khaldea.

For the screen shots and charts, thanks goes to all the people at www.astro.com

For straightening out my English and innumerable other instances of advice and aid,
Thank you Wendy!

I must thank my Daughter, Audra Michelle, for

being a continual inspiration!!

Thank you Linda Ann for Everything!!!

To all the friends and acquaintances over the years,

thanks for so many different things.

To Janet and Margaret, thank you both for being such

Awesome Sisters!!!

To my Mother, Ruth, and my Father, Alexander, I hope that life beyond this physical
plane is reaping the rewards you deserve...
Sun Sun

Vitalizing Centering

Sun Sun

Focusing Integrating

Moon Moon

Adapting Nurturing

Moon Moon

Nourishing Enfolding

Mercury Mercury

Perceiving Conceptualizing

Mercury Mercury

Investigating Increasing Awareness of

Venus Venus

Being Discriminating about Attracting

Venus Venus

Valuing Evaluating

Mars Mars

Externalizing Motivating with

Mars Mars

Asserting Being Driven by

Jupiter Jupiter

Expanding Amplifying

Jupiter Jupiter

Optimizing Being Optimistic about

Saturn Saturn

Defining Clarifying

Saturn Saturn

Structuring Organizing

Uranus Uranus

Transforming Breaking Obsolete Traditions of

Uranus Uranus

Seeking the Truth of Exploring Fresh Ideas about

Neptune Neptune

Dissolving Old Forms of Envisioning

Neptune Neptune

Being Idealistic about Spiritualizing

Pluto Pluto

Getting to the Depths of Transcending

Pluto Pluto

Purging Regenerating

Aries Aries

Individual Awarenesses Dynamic Awareness

Aries Aries

Personal Initiative Fresh Approaches

Taurus Taurus

Personal Resources the Value of Possessions

Taurus Taurus

Personal Values Individual Worth

Gemini Gemini

Diversity of Ideas Multiplicity of Interests

Gemini Gemini

Intellectual Freedom Conceptual Versatility

Cancer Cancer

Emotional Security Character Development

Cancer Cancer

Active Feelings Nurturing Abilities

Leo Leo

Dramatic Concern Magnanimous Action

Leo Leo

Creative Response Energetic Influence

Virgo Virgo

Discrimination Systems and Techniques

Virgo Virgo

Careful Considerations a Service Attitude

Libra Libra

a Harmonizing Attitude Awareness of Others

Libra Libra

Considerations of Sharing Seeing Things from Other’s Perspectives

Scorpio Scorpio

the Urge to Blend Perspectives the Desire to Bond Deeply

Scorpio Scorpio

an Analytical Attitude the Worth of Others

Sagittarius Sagittarius

a Broad Viewpoint Philosophical Appraisal

Sagittarius Sagittarius

a Top-Down View an Idealistic Awareness

Capricorn Capricorn

an Objective Attitude a Desire for Enduring Patterns

Capricorn Capricorn

Constructive Initiatives Structural Innovations

Aquarius Aquarius

Humanitarian Considerations Group-Consciousness

Aquarius Aquarius

Radical Breakthroughs “Global” Awareness

Pisces Pisces

Sympathetic Awareness Compassionate Understanding

Pisces Pisces

Universal Feeling Visionary Initiative

In Order to In Order to

In Order to In Order to

In Order to In Order to

In Order to In Order to
 In Order to In Order to

1st House 1st House

Focus on the Present. See Things from My Own Perspective.

1st House 1st House

See Things Clearly. Truly Be Who I Am.

2nd House 2nd House

Focus on my Resources. Realize my Heritage.

2nd House 2nd House

Be Aware of My Worth. Ground My Plans.

3rd House 3rd House

Be Aware of My Immediate Learn Important Facts.

Environment.
3rd House 3rd House

Study What’s Important. Make Connections.

4th House 4th House

Anchor Myself. Nourish My Roots.

4th House 4th House

Fertilize the Situation. Ground Myself.

5th House 5th House

Dramatize My Concerns. Externalize My Creativity.

5th House 5th House

“Test The Waters”. Provide an Example.

6th House 6th House

Be of Service. Improve Myself.

6th House 6th House

Prepare for Relationship. Correct Mistakes

7th House 7th House

Begin (or, Refresh) a Relationship. Be Aware of the Other Person’s

Perspective.

7th House 7th House

Initiate Sharing. Find a Compensating Viewpoint.

8th House 8th House

Deepen Relationship. Find the Depth of the Issue.

8th House 8th House

Accentuate the Importance of a Merge With Others.

Relationship.

9th House 9th House

See the Broader Perspective. Bring the Situation to its Highest

Expression.
9th House 9th House

Broadcast Expectations. Realize the Ideal.

10th House 10th House

Make the Situation as Objective as Realize My Highest Objective Goals.

Possible.

10th House 10th House

Express My Social Role. Be Who I Am In The World.

11th House 11th House

Make My Social Position Secure. Enlist the Aid of My Social Network.

11th House 11th House

Activate My Goals. Give Expression to My Hopes.

12th House 12th House

Realize the Oneness of Life. Utilize the Resources of My Unconscious

Mind.
12th House 12th House

Explore the Value of Transcendence of Bring the Issue to Its Best Possible
Self. Conclusion.