The Astrology Podcast

In episode 402 Demetra George joins the podcast to talk about the recent discovery of the earliest named astrologer from the Hellenistic tradition who was a woman, Heliodora, and the early history of women practitioners of astrology. Heliodora was an astrologer who lived in the city of Terenuthis in Egypt around the 2nd or 3rd century CE. Her tombstone was recently discovered by archeologists, who published a paper in 2021 which noted that she is the earliest known woman in the Greco-Roman tradition that is known by name to have been a practicing astrologer. During the course of the episode we talk about what is known about Heliodora and the location and time period in which she lived, and we also discuss other historical women that may have had some connection with astrology and astronomy. For more information about Demetra see her website: DemetraGeorge.com This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Bibliography   Roger S. Bagnall, Cathy L. Callaway, and Alexander Jones,  “The Funerary Stele of Heliodora, Astrologer,” Muse: Annual of the Museum of Art and Archaeology, University of Missouri, 53/54, 2019-2020 (published 2021), pp. 28–45. [Link to PDF] Nadia Anderson, Drawing Down the Moon & Aglaonice of Thessaly [Link to PDF] Earlier Episodes Previous episodes of The Astrology Podcast mentioned in this episode: Episode 86: Saturn as Feminine, and the Earliest Female Astrologer Episode 137: Elsbeth Ebertin and the Rise of Women in Astrology Episode 295: Queen Buran, Astrologer in 9th Century Baghdad   Timestamps 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:45 Why there were few ancient female astrologers 00:04:00 Horoscopes for ancient women 00:09:25 Hypatia in the 5th century and Queen Buran in the 9th century 00:10:48 Heliodora article 00:14:05 Heliodora as a "mathematike" or mathematician 00:21:28 Urania, Greek goddess of astrology 00:23:13 Enheduanna, poet and priestess 00:25:44 Egyptian goddess Seshat, scribe and astronomer 00:27:45 Aglaonice, predictor of eclipses 00:34:22 Were women practicing astrology prior to Hellenistic astrology? 00:39:20 Oracle of Delphi and divination 00:44:43 Heliodora's tombstone 00:46:35 Heliodora's time period and location 00:58:04 Blending of Egyptian and Greek cultures with Helidora 01:01:37 Images and inscription on the tombstone 01:03:54 Heliodora remained unmarried to pursue astrology 01:11:40 How Helidora learned astrology 01:18:04 Family lines of astrologers: Balbilla, Thrasyllus, Commagene 01:31:00 Julia Balbilla, poet 01:40:33 Women astronomers in Sumerian-Babylonian history 01:42:04 Death of Ellen Black and her role in starting Project Hindsight 01:46:28 Rise of women astrologers in the 20th century 01:51:04 New discoveries being made of notable Islamic and Indian women astrologers 01:54:40 Lost text of Ptolemy discovered 01:55:55 Demetra's background 01:59:29 Demetra's course on hand-calculating a chart 02:07:14 Asteroid retreat and lectures 02:09:27 Patrons and sponsors Watch the Video Version of This Episode Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M1ILOwNd68 - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 402 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode Listen to the audio version of this episode or download it as an MP3:

In episode 401 Dr. Benjamin Dykes joins the podcast to talk about his new translation of the astrological work of the 4th century astrologer Firmicus Maternus. Firmicus was a lawyer and astrologer from the 4th century who wrote one of the longest surviving texts on astrology that has survived from antiquity, which is titled Mathesis. Firmicus' work is unique because it was written in Latin, and it preserves a lot of material from earlier Greek sources that did not survive into modern times, such as the works of Asclepius or Nechepso and Petosiris. The text also contains huge amounts of delineation material, where Firmicus explains how to interpret different placements in a person's birth chart. During the course of the interview we discuss Firmicus' life and work, Ben's motivation for translating this book, and some of the interesting features of the Mathesis. You can get a copy of Ben's new translation of Firmicus here: Firmicus Maternus Mathesis This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Timestamps 00:00:00 A new translation of the Mathesis 00:09:52 The life and dating of Firmicus Maternus 00:19:50 Firmicus' philosophy and religious views 00:30:40 Later conversion to Christianity 00:37:00 Mathesis as the first comprehensive astrological text in Latin 00:57:00 Mitigating conditions 01:10:00 Firmicus views on fate 01:31:28 The Thema Mundi 01:38:33 Firmicus using whole sign and equal houses together 01:49:29 Firmicus' emphasis on the Moon 01:55:47 Apotelesmata and chart synthesis 01:59:35 Lots as houses/places 02:08:08 Fixed stars 02:13:32 Popularity of Firmicus in later tradition 02:17:53 Ben's upcoming projects 02:19:14 Patrons and sponsors Watch the Video Version of This Episode Watch the video version of this episode on Firmicus Maternus on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoNf5JVNMZI - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 401 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode Listen to the audio version of this episode or download it as an MP3:

In episode 400 astrologers Chris Brennan and Nick Dagan Best talk about the emergence of artificial general intelligence through the lens of astrology, and discuss if and when it may occur. Usually when I reach major milestones every 100 episodes I'll do a retrospective looking back, but this time I wanted to look forward into the future and see if we could predict where some of the trends are headed with artificial intelligence over the next couple of decades. We focus in particular on the question of if researchers will be successful in developing what is called artificial general intelligence, which is like sentient human level intelligence in a machine, and if so when. I've been meaning to do an episode on some of the new trends in AI ever since things started accelerating in December with the release of ChatGPT, and because of that I wanted to document some of the recent developments that have happened since then towards the beginning of this episode, and how they have overlapped with things like Pluto's ingress into Aquarius in March. After that we get into talking about some of the broader philosophical issues that are being discussed surrounding AI in the world today, like AI alignment, and the implications of creating a new sentience species on Earth. Eventually later in the episode we look ahead at some major transits in the future over the next 20 years while Pluto is transiting through Aquarius, and try to anticipate when some of the most important turning points in this technology will take place. This episode builds on a previous episode I did with Kent Bye in December 2021 titled Artificial Intelligence and Astrology. You can find out more about Nick Dagan Best on his website at: https://www.nickdaganbestastrologer.com This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Watch the Video Version of This Episode Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEMaiAgxJS8 - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 400 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode Listen to the audio version of this episode or download it as an MP3:

In episode 399 astrologers we look ahead at the astrological forecast for May of 2023, with astrologers Chris Brennan, Austin Coppock, and Claire Moon. May opens with a solar eclipse in Scorpio, as well as the second half of a Mercury retrograde in Taurus. Later in the month Mars moves into Leo and then forms a T-square with Jupiter in Taurus and Pluto in Aquarius. At the top of the episode we talk about some recent news and events, such as the discovery of a lost text by the 2nd century astrologer Claudius Ptolemy, or the identification of the earliest woman who is known by name to have been a practicing astrologer. This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Northwest Astrological Conference https://norwac.net The Behenian Fixed Stars Cards https://www.medievalastrologyguide.com/starcards The Astrologers' Websites https://www.chrisbrennanastrologer.com https://austincoppock.com https://www.aligninglightastrology.com Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:52 Quick overview of May astrology 00:02:38 Welcoming Claire and Austin 00:04:14 New Ptolemy text rediscovered 00:07:28 Heliodora, earliest named woman astrologer 00:12:54 Fear of AI and calls for regulation 00:29:22 AI image generators and Saturn in Pisces 00:41:10 Jupiter-Saturn shift to air 00:49:52 Recent eclipse stories 00:56:41 Northwest Astrological Conference 00:59:50 Behenian Fixed Stars Oracle and Guide 01:04:15 Egyptian origins of astrological glyphs 01:12:48 May astrology forecast begins 01:13:48 Mercury retrograde and Pluto station 01:22:00 Lunar eclipse in Scorpio 01:32:20 Jupiter morning star in Aries 01:37:08 Venus square Neptune 01:43:12 Venus into Cancer 01:49:25 Mercury direct and Jupiter in Taurus 01:59:00 Mars-Jupiter-Pluto T-square 02:15:20 Sun square Saturn 02:20:48 Auspicious election on May 30 02:24:19 Archetypal explorer transits 02:27:05 Claire's work 02:28:25 Austin's upcoming work 02:30:28 Chris' work and conclusion 02:31:12 Patrons, sponsors, and end cards Watch the Video Version of This Episode Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwtzFQwNMuk – Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 399 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode Listen to the audio version of this episode or download it as an MP3:

In episode 398 professor Ian Moyer joins the show to talk about the history and practice of astrology in ancient Egypt, and discuss some of the notable Egyptian contributions to the astrological tradition. Ian is the author of the book Egypt and the Limits of Hellenism, which explores the ancient history and modern historiography of cultural and intellectual encounters between ancient Greeks and Egyptians. At the beginning of the episode we talk about the early Egyptian use of the 36 fixed star decans for calendrical and timekeeping purposes, and how these eventually came to be used for the purposes of astrology. Other topics covered in this episode include: The Naos of the Decades The rising decan as a precursor to the Ascendant Zodiacs in the temples of Dendera and Esna The use of astrology by Egyptian priests Demotic horoscopes Astrological glyphs derived from Egyptian Coffin lids with zodiacs This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:09:42 The Egyptian language 00:18:42 The decans 00:35:10 The Naos of the Decades 01:06:25 Decans as precursor for the Ascendant 01:15:10 Egyptian hour priests 01:40:27 Academic sources for Egyptian astrology 01:45:27 What constitutes astrology in Egypt? 01:58:35 Cosmic harmony 02:03:25 Shai, Egyptian God of Fate 02:11:45 Mesopotamian astrology transmitted to Egypt 02:23:25 Hellenistic period and Ptolemaic Egypt 02:32:25 Zodiac of Dendera and Esna 02:56:20 The Thema Mundi 03:14:33 Coffin lids with zodiacs 03:29:05 Heliodora: Earliest known woman astrologer 03:33:24 Demotic horoscopes 04:00:55 Astrological glyphs derived from Egyptian 04:09:15 Reassessing the Egyptian contribution 04:23:50 The Hermetic tradition and origins of Hellenistic astrology 04:55:45 Determinism and magic 05:02:05 The lasting influence of Egypt on the astrological tradition 05:18:58 Credits and sponsors Partial Bibliography Anne-Sophie von Bomhard. The Naos of the Decades: From the Observation of the Sky to Mythology and Astrology. Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology, UK, 2008. Andreas Winkler. "Stellar Scientists: The Egyptian Temple Astrologers". Journal of Ancient Near Eastern History; 8 (1–2), 2021: pp. 91–145. Andreas Winkler. “The First Zodiac Sign and the Daimon: The Advent of an Astrological Tradition and Seven Elaborate Horoscopes.” Studien Zur Altägyptischen Kultur, 51, 2022, pp. 267–323. Andreas Winkler. “On the Demotic-Hieratic Horoscopes from Athribis.” Journal for the History of Astronomy, Vol. 53 (3), 2022, pp. 328 –337. Marina Escolano-Poveda. “Astrologica Athribitana: Four Demotic-Hieratic Horoscopes from Athribis (O. Athribis 17-36-5/1741 and ANAsh.Mus.D.O.633 Reedited).” Journal for the History of Astronomy 53, no. 1 (2022): 49–87. Joachim Quack, "Egypt as an astronomical-astrological centre between Mesopotamia, Greece, and India," in The Interactions of Ancient Astral Science, ed. David Brown, Bremen, 2018, pp. 69-123. Dorian Gieseler Greenbaum. The Daimon in Hellenistic Astrology: Origins and Influence. Brill, Netherlands, 2015. Otto Neugebauer and Richard Anthony Parker. Egyptian Astronomical Texts. 4 vols., Brown University Press, 1960. Kim Ryholt, "New Light on the Legendary King Nechepsos of Egypt," The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 97(1), 2011, pp.61-72. Stephan Heilen, “Some metrical fragments from Nechepsos and Petosiris,” in La poésie astrologique dans l’Antiquité, Paris, 2011, pp. 23-93. Watch the Video Version of This Episode Watch the video version of this episode on Egyptian astrology on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuwb94Hh8xk - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 398 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode Listen to the audio version of this episode or download it as an MP3:

Episode 397 is a discussion about the astrology of comedy and comedians with Stevie Goldstein, Julia Loken, and Lisa Chanoux from the What's Your Sign? astrology podcast. During the course of the episode we talk about how a person's birth chart can reflect distinct ways in which they express themselves through comedy. We also look at the birth charts of a number of different comedians, and discuss the ways in which the planetary alignments reflect their unique style and brand of comedy. You can find out more about the What's Your Sign podcast here: https://linktr.ee/whatsyoursignpodcast https://www.youtube.com/@whatsyoursignpodcast/ This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Watch the Video Version of This Episode Watch the video version of this episode on astrology and comedy on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpUOX8MKyw0 - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 397 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode Listen to the audio version of this episode or download it as an MP3:

In episode 396 astrologers Catherine Urban and Patrick Watson join the podcast to discuss calculating astrological charts by hand, without the use of a computer. In the episode we discuss how this is the first generation of astrologers in history who don't need to know how to calculate charts in order to practice astrology, what some of the advantages are of learning how to do it manually, and some related digressions about astrological certification. This isn't a full tutorial on how to calculate charts by hand, but instead it is more of a general discussion about the topic, although we do talk about what books you need in order to calculate charts manually and what each of them does. Here are the books and resources mentioned in this episode: Simply Math: A Comprehensive Guide to Easy & Accurate Chart Calculation The American Ephemeris 1950-2050 at Midnight American Atlas The Michelsen Book of Tables   Catherine's 8-hour workshop on chart calculation: https://www.catherineurban.com/webinars-and-giftcards/chart-calculations-for-the-apocalypse Patrick's article about his journey learning how to calculate charts by hand: https://patrickwatsonastrology.com/should-astrologers-know-how-to-calculate-natal-charts-by-hand/ This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Watch the Video Version of This Episode Watch the video version of this episode on calculating birth charts by hand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwL0OCAkwmE - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 396 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode Listen to the audio version of this episode or download it as an MP3:

In episode 395 we look ahead at the astrological forecast for April of 2023, with astrologers Chris Brennan, Austin Coppock, and Robert Weinstein. In April there will be a solar eclipse in the sign of Aries, which happens right about the same time that Mercury stations retrograde in Taurus conjunct Uranus. At the beginning of the episode we discuss some recent events in the news and what they correlated with astrologically, such as the explosion in popularity of AI, the banking crisis, and the Academy Awards winners, and then in the second half of the episode we get into the astrology of April. This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. StarScribe Our sponsor this month is the StarScribe astrology journaling app, which is running a Kickstarter through April 22nd: https://www.starscribe.co About the Astrologers https://www.chrisbrennanastrologer.com https://austincoppock.com https://www.astrocryptoreport.com Auspicious Election for April The most auspicious astrological date this month is April 10 around 2:15 PM, with Leo rising. For more lucky dates this month see: https://theastrologypodcast.com/elections/ https://theastrologypodcast.com/2023report/ Patreon https://www.patreon.com/astrologypodcast Watch the Video Version of This Episode Watch the video version of our April astrology forecast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ6uY2mAyF8 - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 395 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode Listen to the audio version of this episode or download it as an MP3:

In episode 394 astrologers Chris Brennan, Patrick Watson, and Nick Dagan Best discuss the recent release of Hillary Clinton's birth certificate, and whether it finally lays to rest a longstanding controversy in the astrological community over her true birth time. Hillary Clinton's birth time has been the subject of interest among astrologers since at least the 1990s when she became First Lady of the United States, after her husband Bill Clinton was elected President in 1992. The topic has long had an air of mystery surrounding it though, because there have been multiple conflicting birth times floating around, and much debate among astrologers over what the correct birth chart is for Hillary. The mystery and debates surrounding this issue culminated in 2016 when Hillary ran for President against Donald Trump, and many astrologers based their predictions about the outcome of the election on different proposed times for Clinton, despite the uncertainties surrounding them. Much of this was documented previously in episodes 90, 91, and 93 of The Astrology Podcast, titled 2016 US Presidential Election Birth Data Issues, Hillary Clinton's Birth Time Revisited, and Post-2016 Election Analysis and Reflections. This month some of those questions were finally resolved when Hillary reached a certain age where her birth certificate became a matter of public record, and astrologers obtained an original copy that contains her birth time. The birth certificate was posted on AstroDatabank on March 2, 2023 by data collector Viktor E: https://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Clinton,_Hillary While in some ways the recorded birth time resolves a number of longstanding debates, although it may also raise other questions, as we discuss in the episode. This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Timestamps 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:10 Background on the debate about Hillary Clinton's birth time 00:04:44 Scorpio rising 8:00 AM chart history 00:10:54 When Chris asked Hillary for her birth time 00:14:20 Gemini rising 8:00 PM chart 00:16:26 Leo rising chart 00:22:20 2016 Washington Post article about Hillary's birth time 00:26:10 How Hillary's birth certificate was obtained 00:30:50 Hillary's correct Gemini rising chart 00:36:15 Hillary's first Mars retrograde in Gemini in 1960 00:38:35 Mars retrograde in Gemini in 1975 00:40:45 Mars retrograde in Cancer in 1992 00:48:05 Mars retrograde in 2008 00:52:53 Why rectification is difficult for public figures 00:56:00 Why Nick thought Gemini rising was correct in 2009 01:01:40 When Patrick asked John Kerry for his birth time 01:06:28 Zodiacal releasing for the Scorpio rising chart 01:09:28 Zodiacal releasing for the Gemini rising chart 01:26:33 Saturn, Mars, and Pluto in Hillary's Leo third house 01:30:20 Wrong 2016 election predictions 01:33:42 Debate about the time on the birth certificate 01:44:35 Zodiacal releasing for the Leo rising chart 01:47:16 Transits that support the Gemini rising time 01:49:33 Lessons learned from the birth time debacle 02:01:08 Nick's videos on synodic cycles 02:01:39 Patrick's website and consults 02:03:47 Patrons and sponsors Watch the Video Version of This Episode Watch the video version of this episode on Hillary Clinton's birth certificate on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlEjvHxGfpc - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 394 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode Listen to the audio version of this episode or download the MP3 here:

In episode 393 astrologers Austin Coppock and Chris Brennan discuss the meaning of the zodiac sign Pisces in astrology, and explain the traits and characteristics associated with people who were born under that sign. Pisces is the twelfth sign of the zodiac, and it is a feminine or nocturnal sign, mutable, watery, and ruled by the planet Jupiter. This is the final entry in our series of episodes where we do a deep dive into each of the signs of the zodiac, to help listeners develop a more detailed understanding of their underlying meaning and significations. During the course of the episode we talk about different keywords and archetypes associated with the sign Pisces, look at the birth charts of celebrities who were born with different planets in that sign, and also compare Pisces to other signs of the zodiac. Austin's credentials for this episode are that he has a stellium of planets in Pisces in his birth chart. Austin's website: https://austincoppock.com/ This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Watch the Video Version of This Episode Watch the video version of this episode on Aquarius on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMUusbMVJMM - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 393 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode Listen to the audio version of this episode or download it as an MP3: