The Purpose of this Book
To quote William Shakespeare, “Art, as it were, holds up a mirror to Nature.” This quotation summarizes the purpose of this book: To teach any individual the basic knowledge of the astrological art that will allow him or her to erect, interpret and understand their Natal Chart.
This work aspires to make a contribution to human spiritual development, hence its name “Modern Spiritual Astrology”. It aims to accomplish this goal through a comprehensive exposition of astrological principals and techniques which will allow a sincere individual to gaze into “the mirror of consciousness” and come to terms with their inner spiritual nature, thus gaining the chance to improve the quality of their life through refining their existing strengths and working to minimize the effects of their weaknesses.
It essentially allows you to view your reflection in the “astrological mirror”, consider what is reflected there, and then do with it what you wish in accordance with your “free will”. You may use Astrology to enhance your strengths, work on your weaknesses or you may ignore its insights altogether and go your own way.
A Brief History of Astrology
In ancient times, a Chaldean Astrologer, when questioned by the Roman emperor Julian as to the age of his art, replied that it was over 5000 years old. According to this anecdotal historical statement, the origins of the astrological art are rooted in prehistory. However, modern historical scholarship places the origins of astrology in the second or third millennium B.C.E. pointing to its point of origin as being in either Egypt or Mesopotamia. The origins of the astrological doctrine and method that would later develop in Europe and the Middle East are found among the ancient Babylonians and their system of celestial omens that began to be compiled around the middle of the 2nd millennium BCE. This system of celestial omens later spread either directly or indirectly through the Babylonians and Assyrians to other areas such as India, the Middle East and Greece where they merged with the then existing forms of astrology. From this melting pot of ideas emerged the life and work of Claudius Ptolemy, the father of Hellenic Astrology, whose work formed the basis of the astrological method of the Greco - Roman civilization until the fall of Rome. During the so called “dark ages” the ancient concepts were imported into the expanding Islamic world whose thirst for knowledge and meticulous scholarship greatly advanced the astrological art. When Europe finally emerged from the Dark Ages, Islamic texts were imported into the reemerging European civilization and translated into Latin thus laying the foundation for medieval astrology. This astrology carried through into the Renaissance. During the Renaissance, a form of "scientific astrology" evolved in which court astrologers would compliment their use of horoscopes with emerging discoveries about the nature of the universe. After a brief period of decline, Astrology reemerged in Elizabethan age and reaches us today chiefly due to the work of the great English astrologer, William Lilly, who utilized the astrological techniques of the ancients and passed them forward to us in his monumental work “Christian Astrology”. In the modern age in which we now live Astrology was used by such notable people as Dr. Carl Gustav Jung, who often consulted the patients Natal Chart as an aspect of his psychiatric practice as he believed in astrology's descriptive powers regarding the psyche’s spiritual tendencies without necessarily subscribing to its predictive claims of being able to establish accurate factual information concerning future events.
In music the best known example of astrology's influence is in the orchestral suite called "The Planets" by the British composer Gustav Holst, the framework of which is based upon the astrological symbolism of the planets. Many prominent thinkers, philosophers and scientists such as Galen, Paracelsus, Giordano Cardan, Nicolaus Copernicus, Taqi al-Din, Tycho Brahe, Galileo and Johannes Kepler also practiced or significantly contributed to astrology. Some recent Western developments in modern astrology include Cosmobiology, Psychological Astrology, Sun Sign astrology and the Hamburg School of Uranian Astrology.
Underlying Principals
Astrology is a symbolic art. The symbols of the Planets and Signs which are central to this language do not imply any direct action on the part of physical planetary bodies of the solar system on the life of the individual but are used to express the essential character of the principals and energies inherent in life as perceived from the astrological perspective. In this methodology, the seven sacred planets of the ancients (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) do not refer to the
physical bodies of our solar system but are symbolic representations of the seven aspects of the Life Power manifested as Consciousness (the planets) and the manifestation of these powers in the natural universe (the Signs). The Houses represent the organization of the activities which comprise human life into loose categories which, when taken as a whole, comprise the entire sphere of human experience from birth to death. As an example, if Mars in your chart is residing in Scorpio in the 7th House this could be expressed as Mars (the aggressive natural energy) acting in a manner characteristic of Scorpio (intense, passionate and emotional) in the 7th House (the House of Relationships, which encompasses marriage and close personal relationships.)
This method of Astrology, in accord with the ancients, considers only the seven sacred planets acting in their Elements and Modes, the Ascendant and the twelve signs of the Zodiac and the two Lunar Nodes. The outer planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto), which were added by Western astrologers after their discovery by astronomers, as well as the various asteroids and comets which enter our Solar System, are not considered within the context of this modernized view of the ancient astrological methodology.
The Planets
The Primal Will differentiated itself into seven active sentient energies which, from the point of view of this methodology, represent the progenitor powers underlying and acting in all creation. The activity of these energies are reflected symbolically as the seven planets which, when taken as a whole, comprise the symbolic representation of the principal of consciousness as manifested in the human being. A planet (aspect of consciousness) is perceived as being influenced or “colored” by the energy of the Sign (natural energy) in which it resides and acts upon the House (area of experience) in which it is resident.
The Signs
Each aspect of the Life power manifests itself in two characteristic ways in accordance with the law of duality which underlies the Universe. These two manifestations are the “day” and “night” thrones or domiciles (“homes”) of the planets i.e., the two qualities of expression that are most characteristic of their energy. To return to our previous example of the planet Mars, this planet has two domiciles, that of Aries and that of Scorpio, which are the day and night, or masculine and feminine, expressions of its activity in Nature and in ourselves.
The two exceptions to this are the Sun and the Moon which have only one domicile (“home”) as they express the primal essences, the Masculine and the Feminine. These characteristic “colors” of expression by the domiciles of the planets are further individualized by the Elemental character and Mode of the particular Sign, a subject that will be covered in more detail in a subsequent chapter.
The Houses
The Houses represent the organization of the activities which comprise human life into loose categories which, when taken as a whole, comprise the entire sphere of human experience from birth to death. They are essentially experience solidified into cohesive and logical groupings so the areas of life in which the planetary powers find their principal focus can be clearly perceived and understood.
The Astrological Life
You may conceive of the Zodiac as the circle of life, around which the individual is destined to travel from the time they enter the natural world in birth until their departure in physical death. By living through the experiences of the 12 Houses we come into contact with the spiritual and natural energies represented by the Planets and the Signs. Through the study of astrology we develop an awareness of our relationship with the Universe from which emerges a vision of our purpose for living within it. This also leads to a closer relationship with the spiritual and natural aspects of ourselves through which we can attain harmony and balance as we begin to acknowledge the fundamental unity between ourselves and all creation. It is important to remember that the information presented to you in this work is the astrological interpretation of the placements of the Planets in the Signs and Houses of your Natal Chart. It is not meant to be a literal and factual representation of your personality and experience. It is up to you to experience and study this information and to determine what resonance it has to your actual self and experience. Through a harmonization of this information with your actual experience you will be presented with the opportunity for spiritual growth as an individual through the integration of the insights that astrology provides. As in all aspects of life, it is up to you to utilize this information to your best advantage so that you may attain a more fulfilled and meaningful life as you travel on your journey through this world on a path that hopefully will be filled with good fortune and success.
What You Will Gain
From the study of this methodology and the analysis and interpretation of your Natal Chart you will gain:
1) A knowledge of the principal areas of focus for the energies of your consciousness according to astrology.
2) The most significant areas of your life when taken as a whole – according to an astrological interpretation of your chart.
3) A meaningful insight into your individual self according to the principals of Astrology.
Simplified Natal Chart
