The Astrology Podcast

In episode 392 astrologers Adam Elenbaas and Chris Brennan discuss the relationship between fate and astrology, and how astrology can be used as a tool to study fate. This episode was originally recorded as a Q&A for Adam's YouTube channel, where we answered some questions that were sent in my his fans about fate, free-will, and ancient astrology. During the course of the episode we talk about how ancient astrologers viewed fate, and used astrology as a tool for understanding and negotiating it. Along the way we also touched on other topics such as karma and reincarnation, electional astrology and magic, and how to delineate a birth chart in a way that balances determinism and free-will. This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Timestamps 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:11 Diverse views of ancient astrologers 00:04:48 Were ancient astrologers fatalistic? 00:07:10 Definition of fate 00:10:35 Complete determinism 00:16:03 Partial determinism 00:19:08 Signs vs Causes 00:30:07 Resources about Jung on astrology 00:31:28 Is fate the same as karma? 00:43:24 Was astrology a religion? 00:49:08 Did ancient astrologers believe your chart was a set of instructions? 01:02:16 Was astrological magic used by all astrologers? 01:10:30 Electional astrology and magic 01:12:44 Limitations of predictive astrology 01:18:20 What successful astrology looks like 01:22:36 Why ancient texts sound fatalistic 01:28:45 Modern astrology's view of charts as a set of potentials 01:37:42 How to deliver a delineation 01:38:45 Why fate is a good thing 01:44:36 Concluding remarks 01:47:04 Patrons and sponsors Watch the Video Version of This Episode Watch the video version of this episode on fate and astrology on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAr4wbJ-gMs - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 392 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode Listen to the audio version of this episode or download the MP3 here:

In episode 391 we look ahead at the astrological forecast for March of 2023, with astrologers Chris Brennan, Austin Coppock, and Leisa Schaim. March is one of the most notable months of 2023 because it contains a number of planetary ingresses, such as Saturn moving into Pisces, Pluto moving into Aquarius, and Mars finally departing Gemini for Cancer. At the beginning of the episode we talk about some recent stories in the news and how the astrology played out over the past month, and then in the second half we do a full analysis of the astrology of March. This episode is available in audio and video versions below. Donate for to Earthquake Relief Funds https://www.reddit.com/r/Turkey/comments/10w7nbc/how_to_help_turkey_earthquake_fundraisers/ https://events.softgiving.com/donate/HasanAbiForTurkeySyriaEarthquakesFund About the Astrologers https://www.chrisbrennanastrologer.com https://austincoppock.com https://leisaschaim.com Auspicious Election for March The most auspicious astrological date this month is March 22 around 2:00 PM, with Leo rising. For more elections 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 March astrology forecast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnRYOK2VrPk - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 391 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 390 astrologers Aerin Fogel, Bear Ryver, and Chris Brennan discuss the meaning of the zodiac sign Aquarius in astrology, and explain the traits and characteristics associated with people who were born under that sign. Aquarius is the eleventh sign of the zodiac, and it is a masculine or diurnal sign, fixed, airy, and ruled by the planet Saturn. This is the eleventh entry in our series of episodes where we do a detailed breakdown of each of the signs of the zodiac, one per episode, in order to develop a more nuanced understanding of their overarching meaning and significations. During the course of the episode we talk about different keywords and archetypes associated with Aquarius, and also look at the birth charts of celebrities who were born with different planets in that sign. Aerin and Bear’s credentials for this episode are that they both have a number of prominent placements in the sign of Aquarius in their birth charts. Aerin’s website: https://aerinfogel.com Bear’s website: https://www.bearryver.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=P-CpOy-hEZE - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 390 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode Listen to the audio version of this episode or download it as an MP3:

Episode 389 features an interview with esteemed astrologer Robert Hand where he responds to Deborah Houlding’s recent claims about the history of house division, including some mischaracterizations that were about him personally, and sets the record straight about the recent history of the recovery of ancient astrology. Rob was one of the three main founders of Project Hindsight, which was a translation project for ancient astrological texts in the 1990s. In the interview we discuss the clear evidence for the existence of whole sign houses in ancient astrology, and Rob relates his firsthand accounts of the recovery of Hellenistic astrology, including sharing some stories about his time at Project Hindsight. Along the way, Rob also shares some of his perspectives and experience from his 63-year career in astrology, and we hear about his life and work, as well some oral history about the recent recovery and revival of ancient astrology. This is a followup to episodes 386 and 387, titled Deborah Houlding and Whole Sign House Denialism, and Demetra George Responds to Whole Sign House Denialism, and each of these episodes includes additional material and discussion about this topic. You can find out more about Rob's work on his website: https://www.arhatmedia.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=u4xJP74Rx1Q - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 389 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode Listen to the audio version of this episode or download it as an MP3:

Episode 388 is a recording of an hour long webinar hosted by Chris Brennan and Jenn Zahrt where we celebrated the life and work of the 2nd century astrologer Vettius Valens last Wednesday, to mark the occasion of his 1903rd birthday. The webinar was hosted by Jenn Zahrt of the CAELi Institute, which is an astrological research library that is available to the public in Olympia, Washington. Last year Jenn helped me to publish a print translation of Valens by Mark Riley, and this was the first time the entire Anthology had appeared in print in English. During the course of this episode we talk about Valens’ life and work, and then we also answer some questions from a live audience that attended that day. Since this episode was recorded right in the middle of the week where there were a lot of discussions about Vettius Valens in connection to debates about house division, that was addressed as well. See the previous episodes 386 and 387 for more context about that debate. I wanted to release this recording because it represents part of the discussions that week, and may help to contribute some pieces to people’s understanding of the 2nd century astrologer who has recently become one of the major focal points of that discussion. Sadly this week another major thing that happened is that a huge earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, and one of the towns that was devastated was the birthplace of Vettius Valens, a city named Antakya, Turkey, which is the ancient city of Antioch. There are a number of charities that have been set up in order to help fund the earthquake relief efforts, and I’ve already made a donation, and I encourage all of my viewers and listeners to find a charity and donate some funds for the relief efforts if you can. Donate to Turkey and Syria Earthquake Relief Efforts Here is a link to a page with some  resources for reputable organizations you can donate to in order to help the people of Turkey and Syria: https://www.reddit.com/r/Turkey/comments/10w7nbc/how_to_help_turkey_earthquake_fundraisers/ The one I researched and decided to donate to was this one: https://events.softgiving.com/donate/HasanAbiForTurkeySyriaEarthquakesFund CAELi Institute Find out more about Jenn's Celestial arts Education Library: https://caeli.institute Watch the Video Version of This Episode Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whJJkOcTp38 - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 388 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode Listen to the audio version of this episode or download it as an MP3:

Episode 387 features an interview with Demetra George where she shares her recollections of her time at Project Hindsight and sets the record straight about the recent history of the revival of ancient astrology. This is a followup to episode 386, titled Deborah Houlding and Whole Sign House Denialism. This episode available in both audio and video versions below. Watch the Video Version of This Episode Watch the video version of this interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbiun5V8MQQ - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 387 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 386 Chris Brennan addresses a controversial lecture that was recently given by Deborah Holding where she denied the historical existence of the whole sign house system in ancient astrology. Holding claims that whole sign houses did not exist in ancient astrology, and that the concept was only invented in the 1990s by Robert Hand and Robert Schmidt of Project Hindsight. Chris sets out to present evidence that contradicts Holding's claims, demonstrating that there is ample evidence for the existence of whole sign houses in ancient astrology, and to provide a commentary on the distortions and misrepresentations made in her lecture. During the course of the commentary Chris emphasizes the importance of separating the historical debate from the current practice of astrology, and criticizes Holding for denying the historical existence of whole sign houses based on personal preferences rather than objective evidence. Chris also discusses the concept of whole sign house denialism, which is the attempt to deny the existence of whole sign houses in ancient astrology and dismiss or suppress any historical evidence that it existed, as well why it is important to address false claims in order to set the historical record straight. This is a recording of a livestream that was broadcast on February 9, 2023. It is best to watch the video version on YouTube, because there are lots of visual elements, although most of the information is contained in the audio. This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:37 Deborah Houlding’s lecture 00:01:37 The central false claim Houlding makes 00:05:14 Whole sign house denialism 00:08:45 Separating history from current practice 00:11:35 An extreme view 00:13:26 The need to address this 00:16:28 Not eager for this debate 00:19:42 Responses to her lecture 00:21:33 Different scholars saying DH is wrong 00:27:01 Fair use in this commentary video 00:28:59 My main treatment of house division in ancient astrology 00:33:35 Sneak diss 00:38:00 Commentary on DH’s lecture begins 00:40:42 Quoting Co-Star instead of the source she’s debating 00:44:42 Ignoring the Indian tradition 00:45:15 Claiming whole sign houses “didn’t exist” prior to 1990s 00:53:00 Downplaying the equal house system as well as WSH 00:55:44 Intermission 00:58:07 Intermission ends 00:58:47 Rhetorical tactic: make false claim then say responses are “emotional” 01:01:30 She “doesn’t like to talk about personalities” then proceeds to do so 01:02:38 Blaming Project Hindsight 01:03:32 Houlding claims not “a single historical astrologer” mentions WSH 01:05:35 Downplaying the work of historian James Holden 01:09:20 Holden’s 1982 paper on WSH 01:13:44 Sextus Empiricus defines WSH in 2nd century 01:20:45 Isaac Argyrus defines WSH 01:22:45 Ancient charts that use WSH 01:24:41 Prevalence of WSH in ancient horoscopes 01:25:36 Vettius Valens WSH example 01:27:14 Dorotheus of Sidon WSH charts 01:29:44 Rob Hand coining the phrase “whole sign houses” 01:30:48 Claims WSH only used abstractly 01:35:48 Earlier discoveries of WSH before Project Hindsight 01:45:00 French book on WSH from 1961 01:50:42 Intermission 01:55:40 HD trying to suppress WSH 01:57:26 Ali A Olomi on Arabic texts using WSH 02:00:31 Masha’allah using WSH in horary 02:02:13 Possible Morinus example of WSH? 02:05:05 DH falsely claims “most” of Valens translated before Hindsight 02:07:00 Revival of 17th century Lilly tradition in 1980s 02:09:38 DH only studied traditional for few years before Hindsight 02:10:40 Tensions between the Hellenistic and Renaissance traditions 02:17:03 DH displaced from center of traditional movement 02:20:18 Robert Hand and attempt to undermine his credibility 02:24:45 Robert Schmidt’s background

In episode 385 we look at the astrological forecast for February of 2023, with astrologers Chris Brennan, Austin Coppock, and Bear Ryver. February is the final month of Saturn transiting through Aquarius and Mars through Gemini, and so it is a month of bringing things to completion and reflecting on how far you've come since those two transits started. At the top of the episode we talk about the astrology of some recent events in the news, such as the release of Avatar 2 under the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction, AI starting to ramp up as a prelude to Pluto in Aquarius, and an entire generation successfully completing their Saturn return. In the second half of the episode we get into the astrology of February, which includes Mercury finally moving into Aquarius after a long retrograde period in Capricorn, a Full Moon in Leo, and a new Moon in Pisces. This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. More About Chris, Austin, and Bear ChrisBrennanAstrologer.com AustinCoppock.com BearRyver.com Archetypal Explorer ArchetypalExplorer.com Astrology Calendar Posters for 2023 TheAstrologyPodcast.com/merch/ Vettius Valens Book Chat on Feb 8 caeli.institute/event/vettius-valens/ Auspicious Election for February The most auspicious astrological date for February is: February 22, 2023 at 2:01 PM local time, with Cancer rising For more auspicious dates in February see our electional astrology podcast. For dates later in the year see our 2023 Year Ahead Electional Astrology Report! Patreon https://www.patreon.com/astrologypodcast Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:41 Quick February Astrology Overview 00:01:48 Welcoming Bear and Austin 00:05:23 Reviewing astrology of recent news stories 00:09:44 Avatar 2 and Jupiter conjunct Neptune 00:22:38 Saturn returns in Aquarius finishing 00:45:30 AI and Saturn and Pluto in Aquarius 00:53:15 Mars direct in Gemini 01:00:10 Andrew Garfield an astrologer? 01:04:22 Younger astrologers coming into community 01:09:52 Archetypal Explorer sponsor 01:13:26 Astrology Christmas tree 01:14:00 February astrology forecast begins 01:16:08 Venus in Pisces square Mars in Gemini 01:23:11 Full Moon in Leo halfway between eclipses 01:28:40 Venus conjunct Neptune in Pisces on February 15 01:34:48 Mercury-Pluto conjunction 01:38:16 USA Pluto return 01:40:46 Holland USA chart 01:46:24 Mercury enters Aquarius 01:46:58 Sun conjunct Saturn in Aquarius 01:52:00 Saturn in Aquarius reflections 02:03:56 Sun enters Pisces and New Moon in Pisces 02:12:30 Auspicious date for February 02:16:30 Final alignments of February 02:17:24 Mars-Neptune square 02:20:25 Mercury conjunct Saturn and Venus conjunct Jupiter 02:28:33 Bear's offerings and contact info 02:30:13 Austin's offerings and contact info 02:32:20 Chris' upcoming episodes and Patreon 02:34:25 End credits Watch the Video Version of February Astrology Forecast You can watch the video version of February astrology forecast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rSH5Nwu38Q - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 385 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 384 astrologer Bruce Scofield joins the podcast to discuss his new book The Nature of Astrology: History, Philosophy, and the Science of Self-Organizing Systems. The book covers topics such as possible causal mechanisms underlying astrology, the historical reasons why astrology declined during the Scientific Revolution, and how astrology can regain intellectual credibility in society again in the future. Bruce holds a doctorate in geosciences from the University of Massachusetts, and he is currently an instructor at Kepler College and president of the Professional Astrologers Alliance. You can get the book on Amazon here: The Nature of Astrology, by Bruce Scofield This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Watch the Video Version of This Episode Watch the video version of my interview with Bruce on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fosqlckdDSU - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 384 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode Listen to the audio version of this episode or download it as an MP3:

Episode 383 features an interview between astrologer Chris Brennan and science journalist Abi Millar, where Abi asks some questions about astrology from the perspective of someone who is skeptical but open-minded about the subject. Abi is in the process of writing a book titled The Spirituality Gap, which will explore a range of spiritual practices and examine how people make sense of life in the modern world, and how this can be understood within the context of a scientific mindset. As a science reporter, Abi was approaching the subject of astrology from more of a skeptical perspective, but said that she hoped to maintain a balance between skepticism and open-mindedness. She asked to interview me for a chapter in the book that is going to be on astrology, and I agreed under the condition that I could record and release the discussion as an episode of the podcast. I thought this would be a good opportunity to record an episode talking with someone who is skeptical but curious about astrology, and demonstrate how I would personally answer some of the questions about astrology that naturally come up in that context. In some ways it is a continuation of a similar approach that I took in episode 288, which was titled Explaining Astrology to Non-Astrologers, and if you enjoy this episode then I’d recommend checking that one out as well. 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=C2LsqdSZjKw - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 383 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode Listen to the audio version of this episode or download it as an MP3: