[ordinaryguy]

In what sense do you make an analogy between astrology and the elements of your own personality? An example would help.

Houses, Planets, and Signs are the essential elements of natal astrology, and I like to use a grammatical analogy to introduce them. Planets are like verbs, and represent basic functions, actions, or urges that need to be expressed to actualize one's life purpose in the material plane. Houses are like nouns, and represent the stages of personality growth and development, or the places where the action represented by the Planets takes place. Signs modify both houses and planets in the same way that adjectives and adverbs modify nouns and verbs. They represent archetypal attitudes or styles that color our expression of planetary functions and the habits of thought that we tend to use in each stage of personality growth and development represented by the Houses.

What follows here is the first part of an "astrological primer" that I've written to help introduce the subject. The whole thing is too long to fit in a single post, so I had to break it up.

What a Birth Chart is
A birth chart is nothing more or less than a diagram of the positions of the other bodies of the solar system as viewed from the place and time of an individual's first breath on earth. The usefulness of this diagram as a tool for self-discovery and growth in understanding depends on the willing choice to treat it as a symbolic mandala that represents the sum of all challenges, opportunities and experiences inherent in the circumstances of one's birth. There is no necessity or requirement to make such an analogy, hence the sages say "the stars inform, they do not compel".

Where you are
You are at the center of the wheel. All the planets in all the houses in all the signs are you. Each planet represents an essential facet of yourself that needs to be expressed in this lifetime. Each house is an essential stage of development or place of action within your evolving consciousness that needs to be recognized and acknowledged as you grow. Each sign brings an archetypal attitude or style to the house it occupies and the planets (if any) that reside there. All of these are you..

Getting Started
Start with houses, trying to grasp all twelve as stages within a complete cyclic process, and learning to recognize how each one relates to the others within that larger framework.

Next, look at each of the planets, trying to recognize the function or purpose or motive or "ray of self" that each represents. Study them in this order: Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.

Finally, look at each of the Signs of the zodiac in the following order: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces. Notice how the archetypal attitude represented by the signs in this order corresponds and relates to each of the twelve houses in their sequence

Cyclic Structure
A helpful analogy for understanding any cyclic process is the growth, flowering, seed forming and senescence of a plant through its annual cycle. In the spring, the seed germinates, a tiny root and cotyledons form, and the plant begins to take sustenance from earth and heaven. During the vegetative phase, leaf, stem and root mass increases rapidly. The purpose of this stage is to build supporting structures, both above and below the ground. Then vegetative growth slows and the flowering phase begins--delicate, often colorful and fragrant structures meant to attract the attention of flying, hopping and crawling pollinators.

But the goal of the plant's existence is not to produce roots, stems, foliage and flowers, it is to make seed that encapsulates and encodes and harmonizes the experience of this particular cycle with the distilled essence of all previous cycles that was brought forward by the seed that began this cycle. Thus, the value of the present cycle is added to the accumulated value of all previous ones, and the evolutionary process continues.

Similarly, in the human lifetime there are multiple overlapping and intersecting cycles of germination, growth, flowering, seed-making and re-germination. I believe that the study of the astrological symbolism associated with these processes can make us more effective as receptors and incorporators of spiritual value--more efficient at actualizing and passing forward the value of conscious creative experience in the material world. Probably my very favorite among the sayings attributed to Jesus is, "In very truth I tell you that unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit".

Generally speaking, the first half of a cycle, leading up to opposition, represents the growth and vegetative phase, while the second half, returning to conjunction, represents flowering, seedmaking and replanting. So at full apogee (opposition), one arrives at the maximum extent of the circle this time around, definitely not a time to radically expand the scope of the enterprise. Rather, a time to start thinking about how to concentrate and solidify the gains already made, to preserve what has value in the seed, and reduce the residue back to nutrients available for the next cycle.

The twelfth house, ruled by Neptune and Pisces, is where this "residual reduction" takes place. By that time, the seed is well-formed and secure, but the final step is to break down and release the fertility value still tied up in the structures that were created in the growth and flowering phases, but having served their purpose, are no longer needed.

The Cycle of the Houses
One of the keys to understanding the meaning of the houses is to recognize the relationship of each to the one before and the one after it, as well as the one opposite it. The full cycle of the houses represents the various stages of growth or unfoldment of the person in time and space, so there is a definite sequential structure. In the "language" of astrological symbolism, houses are nouns, the places or stages of growth within a person's life experience.

The first six houses (beginning at the eastern [left] horizon and proceeding counterclockwise) represent the inner or more subjective half of the cycle, while the last six (from the western [right] horizon back to the ascendant) represent our relationships to others in the outer objective world, beginning with one-to-one relationships in the seventh house and progressing through wider and more inclusive relationships to the twelfth house (cosmic, karmic, ancestral relationships).

So, in the first house we assert our unique individuality, and in the (opposite) seventh house we learn to negotiate, make agreements, contracts, and commitments with another person, based on the idea of our separate identities and our equality as individuals.

In the second house, we gather the materials and resources necessary for material security, and in the (opposite) eighth house, the obligations we assumed in our seventh house relationships come due and we have to "make the payments" often from our personal stash. Not only that, we discover that the supposed distinction between us as individuals isn't really so sharp and clear, and that influence and obligations flow both ways.

In the third house, we explore, learn, communicate, and satisfy our curiosity about how the material world works, and in the (opposite) ninth house we seek the meaning and spiritual purpose of our material life. We also learn to test and measure the motives that came to light in the eighth house struggle for power and influence against higher and more noble ideals than narrow personal interests.

In the fourth house, we find our sources of emotional nourishment, sustenance, and security--our home, in the emotional sense of the word, while in the tenth house we find our place and role in the institutions and structures of society--businesses, churches, governments, and other social organizations. Also in the tenth house, we learn how the attempt to codify and enforce and promote the high aspirations and ideals developed in the ninth house so often fall short and disappoint us when translated into the laws, customs and conventions of social structures.

In the fifth house we express ourself and try to make our mark on the world by giving expression to our personal vision through some kind of unique creative performance. The intended audience for this performance is the community of our peers (or those we hope to inspire and impress) represented by the eleventh house. The voluntary associations and friendships of the eleventh house stand in contrast to the relatively inflexible and largely obligatory roles and relationships required by our participation in tenth house organizations.

The sixth house is the most private place in the chart. It's where we go after the "show" of the fifth house and take private stock of our performance, measured not by audience reaction, be it approval and adulation or rejection and ridicule, but by our own true lights--our inner sense of right and wrong, truth and falsehood. While the twelfth house is also invisible to the casual observer, its obscurity is due to the vast and impersonal scope of its inclusiveness, in contrast to the inward and private nature of the sixth house.

A common misconception that beginning students of astrology may have is that nothing much is going on in the houses of a natal chart that have no planets in them. While it is true that there is bound to be plenty of focus on the occupied houses--the Planets are, after all, the verbs of our "life-sentences"--the transits of the outer planets through the cycle of houses in the natal chart guarantees that every lifetime has it's share of attention paid and effort expended in tending to the affairs of every house. Every step is important in the making of a viable seed.

[ordinaryguy]

This covers rulerships and Planets and touches peripherally on Signs.

Rulerships
The concept of "rulerships", refers to the "natural" affinities or similarities between the various planetary functions (actions, urges), the signs (attitudes, styles), and the houses (stages of development). For example, Mars and Aries are said to rule the first house, because the emergent phase represented by the first house is consistent with the explosive, energetic, pushy function of Mars and the fiery, forceful dynamic attitude of Aries.

But of course, in a birth chart, the signs and planets never align perfectly with the houses that they rule, so inconsistencies and paradoxes abound in every birth chart, and the challenge of interpretation is to try to understand how these conflicts in symbology relate to the struggles and adjustments that every person has to make in living their life and resolving the contradictions inherent in their unique circumstances of life.

The Actions of the Planets
The ten moving heavenly bodies symbolize ten essential urges, functions, or rays of self that must be activated, exercised and radiated in order to achieve a balanced, harmonious and satisfying expression of the Whole Self within the constraints of space, time and gravity. The planets supply the action words, the verbs, in sentences that describe the purpose and meaning of a person's material life. The house placement of each planet tells us where that function can be expressed most effectively.

The Moon--"I adapt, I respond, I survive"
Rulerships: The Fourth House, The Cancer Attitude.
The Moon symbolizes the primal urge to do whatever it takes to survive, moment-by-moment, The Moon's function is the most instinctive and immediate of any of the planets. No thought precedes the Lunar reaction to the needs of the moment. Of course, instinctive responses to immediate circumstances may not be entirely consistent with our longer-term interests, so the Lunar function must be educated and tempered as we mature.

Mercury--"I explore, I learn, I understand"
Rulerships: The Third and Sixth Houses, The Gemini and Virgo Attitudes.
Mercury represents the urge to understand how things work, how to distinguish cause from effect, and how to use this information for practical purposes. It also represents the function of making connections and establishing communication links. Mercury discovers (Third House) and assimilates (Sixth House) new information.

Venus--"I attract, I receive, I enjoy"
Rulerships: The Second and Seventh Houses, The Taurus and Libra Attitudes.
The attractive function that Venus symbolizes is the ability to draw to ourselves the materials, situations and circumstances that provide the opportunity to fulfill our life's purpose. Venus also represents the ability to enjoy and be satisfied by the material and emotional resources we acquire.

The Sun--"I act, I express, I create"
Rulerships: The Fifth House, The Leo Attitude.
The Sun symbolizes the creative function, the urge to express one's own unique vision. It represents the act of focusing and directing spiritual power (Fire) on a personal scale. It is both the Ego and the Will, in the best sense of these words.

Mars--"I start, I push, I insist"
Rulerships: The First and Eighth Houses, The Aries and Scorpio Attitudes.
Mars represents the ability to make things happen by single-minded application of the force of will. Once the Martian function is brought to bear on a situation, something will happen, whether for better or worse. Force is not always the right tool for the job, but when it is, Mars delivers.

Jupiter--"I aspire, I imagine, I transcend"
Rulerships: The Ninth House, The Sagittarius Attitude.
Jupiter, is the transgressor of boundaries. It's function is to expand, to explore, to experience, to grow, to go beyond the known and conventional, to discover novelty and surprise. Without the active, expansive function of Jupiter, stagnation would ensue. A severely conflicted Jupiter usually connotes frustration, and possibly explosive anger. The house placements and aspects between Jupiter and Saturn are telling in terms of how easy or difficult the process of growth may feel as it is being lived. The two functions are opposites, yet both are essential and must be reconciled and integrated as "the course of a lifetime runs". Neither Jupiter nor Saturn gets to have the last word. Expansion and consolidation phases occur in every cycle of growth, and both are necessary to build a well-balanced, healthy organism, or personality. Every successful driver must learn the proper and timely use of both the accelerator and the brake. Jovian action lubricates social interactions and brings mental and spiritual connections into awareness and conscious use.

Saturn--"I focus, I define, I stabilize"
Rulerships: The Tenth House, The Capricorn Attitude.
Saturn represents the function of limitation--to restrict, to focus, to constrain, to delineate, to define the boundary of identity. In some ways, Saturn is more relevant than the Sun in terms of defining the essential features of our personality. The Sun is our source and center, but Saturn is our circumference, the dividing line between Self and Not-Self. There is much that is optional about how we draw that line, but to leave it un-drawn is not an option. Without it there is no personality, no identity, no Self.

In traditional astrology, Saturn has a bad reputation, and it is undeniably true that as a subjective experience, limitation and constraint is more likely to be experienced as unpleasant than pleasant. In the natal chart, the house occupied by Saturn will probably not be felt to be the happiest or easiest stage of our unfoldment. Nevertheless, delineating the boundaries of the self is an absolutely essential function, and when it is compromised, the personality becomes dysfunctional or, in extreme cases, disintegrates into madness. So, in spite of its bad reputation and sometimes unpleasant operation, it does behoove us to make friends with Saturn, so to speak, and learn to appreciate the essential function that it represents. Saturn is to the personality as the skeleton is to the body.

Uranus--"I awaken, I excite, I revolutionize"
Rulerships: The Eleventh House, The Aquarius Attitude.
Jupiter and Uranus are located on either side of Saturn, and they both are somewhat antithetical to the urge for solid stability that Saturn represents. Whereas Jupiter wants to jump over Saturn's wall, Uranus wants to knock it down, or better yet, blow it up. So far as Uranus is concerned, patience is not a virtue, and stability is a synonym for stagnation. The house position of Uranus shows the area of life where we are destined to revolutionize ourself, to transcend our previous definition of our own identity and take our first steps toward a trans-personal selfhood.

Neptune--"I release, I dissolve, I forgive"
Rulerships: The Twelfth House, The Pisces Attitude.
If the function of Uranus is to awaken and excite, the function of Neptune is to soothe, to comfort, to heal, to forgive, to release and resolve the conflicts and struggles of material life. Neptune and Pisces rule the twilfth house, the completion of the cycle, the distillation of experience, the disolution of unused structures and release of unnecessary resistance. The house position of Neptune in the natal chart indicates the area of life where these tender mercies are most needed to complete the work of the lifetime. The house(s) with Pisces on the cusp, and other natal planets in Pisces are further clues.

Pluto--"I resurrect, I transfigure, I re-form"
Rulerships: The Eighth House, The Scorpio Attitude.
Pluto represents the death, transfiguration, and resurrection of the ego.

It is helpful to bear in mind that over the thousands of years of astrology's development, Saturn was the end of the story. The outer planets were unknown to the ancients. Since the discovery of Uranus in 1781, astrologers have begun to use the trans-Saturnian planets to symbolize the trans-personal dimensions of human experience. Since this historical period is so brief in relation to the length of the cycles represented, it should be no surprise that we still have much to learn.

So, are you still with me? Too much information? Any questions?

There's more, but I don't want to inundate you completely, so tell me what you think so far.

[Athos]

So, are you still with me? Too much information? Any questions?

There's more, but I don't want to inundate you completely, so tell me what you think so far.

Well, it is by far the fullest explanation I have ever seen on the subject of astrology. Correct me if I'm wrong, but (are you saying ?) astrology doesn't directly influence an individual but, rather, it is a kind of framework around which an individual may choose to help guide his life thereby providing an indirect influence - in that respect, not unlike any system of thought that one might choose for the purpose.

If I have that right (I very well may not), it seems like a positive tool for self-examination. I am unclear, however, on why the position of the "planets" has importance based on the moment of the first breath taken.

[ordinaryguy]

Well, it is by far the fullest explanation I have ever seen on the subject of astrology. Correct me if I'm wrong, but (are you saying ?) astrology doesn't directly influence an individual but, rather, it is a kind of framework around which an individual may choose to help guide his life thereby providing an indirect influence - in that respect, not unlike any system of thought that one might choose for the purpose.

Yes, it is a "system of thought", though I don't think of it in terms of influence, either direct or indirect. I think of it as a "model", in the scientific sense of the word, that provides the rational mind with distinctions that define the "parts of self" and their relationships to each other and to the outer world.

This conceptual framework is rooted and grounded in the notion of cyclicity as a unifying principle that underlies all processes of growth and change, from plants to persons to civilizations to galaxies. Becoming familiar with this model of personality, social relationships and cycles of change allows the rational mind to participate more directly and consciously than it otherwise could in the process of personality development and growth.

I don't think this participation of the intellect rises to the level of "control", but it does help the mind to be more at ease with the very substantial share of our development that occurs below [edit: and above] the threshold of conscious awareness. Sort of like giving a dog a chew toy so he doesn't tear up the furniture when left alone in the house.

If I have that right (I very well may not), it seems like a positive tool for self-examination. I am unclear, however, on why the position of the "planets" has importance based on the moment of the first breath taken.

Well, the view of Heaven from the place and time of our entry into Earth has importance because we choose to give it importance, and because we make the effort to understand the inner referents of each of the elements contained in the model. Without that choice and that effort on our part, it has no significance at all. That's why I always tell skeptics and debunkers to just walk on by.

[Athos]

Well, the view of Heaven from the place and time of our entry into Earth has importance because we choose to give it importance, and because we make the effort to understand the inner referents of each of the elements contained in the model. Without that choice and that effort on our part, it has no significance at all. That's why I always tell skeptics and debunkers to just walk on by.

If we don't know the time of birth, I assume one can simply choose a time?

While I'm thinking about this (I may have more questions), can you do a little on Tarot cards?

[ordinaryguy]

If we don't know the time of birth, I assume one can simply choose a time?

Not knowing the exact time of birth affects mainly the House positions because these are referenced to the horizon line, which changes moment to moment as the Earth turns on its axis. With the exception of the Moon, which moves about twelve degrees per day, none of the other Planets move more than a degree or so in twenty four hours, so the placement of the Planets in the Signs, and their angular relationship to each other (Aspects) isn't affected much by time of day. Nevertheless, house placements are pretty important, so uncertainty about that feature does make chart interpretation more difficult and tentative.

What I usually do is erect at least two or three charts calculated for different times of day, such as sunrise, noon, sunset, or midnight, and then see which seems to be most consistent with the client's personal history in terms of the timing of major events or turning points in their life thus far. Such points are often coincident with transits of the of the outer planets through the houses, and can give clues that at least reduce the range of likely possibilities. But there really is no very good substitute for an accurate birth time.

While I'm thinking about this (I may have more questions), can you do a little on Tarot cards?

Sure. Are you more interested in the symbology reflected in the Tarot cards themselves, i.e. the Major Arcana and the four Suits, or do you want to go further into the issues I touched on earlier about oracles and horary techniques generally?

[Athos]

Sure. Are you more interested in the symbology reflected in the Tarot cards themselves, i.e., the Major Arcana and the four Suits, or do you want to go further into the issues I touched on earlier about oracles and horary techniques generally?

Maybe start at the beginning. Where do they originate? What are they supposed to do?

My only exposure to tarot cards was when a buddy and I were bouncing around what was Baltimore's sleezy saloon district (pre-Inner Harbor) many years ago and we stumbled into a gypsy store front where, for 5 dollars, she told me some things that I forgot almost immediately.

So I am coming from a point of complete ignorance on this subject.

[ordinaryguy]

Maybe start at the beginning. Where do they originate?

The consensus view seems to be that they first appeared in northern Italy in the mid-1400's. I don't have any scholarly expertise on the subject, so I googled it and found this site, which my casual inspection leads me to think is as good a place as any to start exploring a subject about which very little is known for sure, and therefore competing theories and controversies abound.

What are they supposed to do?

Apparently, they were used first in various games, and only later (the late 1700's) started to be used for divination.

I myself have looked for correspondences between the Tarot, Astrology, and Kabbalah, with enough success to be interesting to me, but based on very little more than my own intuition. It's been many years since I gave it any attention, so I don't know how well it would hold up, even for me personally, if I went back and looked at it again.

[Athos]

The consensus view seems to be that they first appeared in northern Italy in the mid-1400's. I don't have any scholarly expertise on the subject, so I googled it and found this site, which my casual inspection leads me to think is as good a place as any to start exploring a subject about which very little is known for sure, and therefore competing theories and controversies abound.

Apparently, they were used first in various games, and only later (the late 1700's) started to be used for divination.

I myself have looked for correspondences between the Tarot, Astrology, and Kabbalah, with enough success to be interesting to me, but based on very little more than my own intuition. It's been many years since I gave it any attention, so I don't know how well it would hold up, even for me personally, if I went back and looked at it again.

Thanks for your time and effort explaining these things. I know more now than I did.