The Astrology Podcast

Astrologers Basil Fearrington and Kathy Rose discuss the life and work of the prolific astrologer Noel Tyl. They explore Tyl's unique approach to astrology houses, the significance of squares and quintiles, and his practical thinking in vocational profiling. They also touch on deep psychological references in astrology, the impact of first impressions, and Noel Tyl's approach to singleton planets. The chapter ends with a discussion on teaching, conferences, and personal connections in the astrological tradition.

Episode 261 features astrologers Kelly Surtees, Austin Coppock, and Chris Brennan giving an overview of the astrological forecast for July of 2020. The astrology of July features Mars starting its long transit through Aries, Saturn moving back into Capricorn, a lunar eclipse in Capricorn, and Mercury squaring Mars most of the month. We begin the episode by reviewing the astrology of the second quarter of the year, focusing on Saturn's ingress into Aquarius where it began squaring Uranus, which should give us some preview of what Saturn's return to Aquarius will look like in December and after. Two of the main transits of July are Saturn retrograding back into Capricorn and Mars beginning its long six month journey through Aries, which in many ways brings us back to some of the same themes and energies that were present in the first quarter of the year. Tensions are heightened in July though, as a side effect of the second half of the Mercury retrograde period is that Mercury will be squaring Mars pretty closely for most of the month. At the same time we begin the month with the second of three Jupiter-Pluto conjunctions in Capricorn, as well as the final lunar eclipse taking place in Capricorn. Below you will find links to news and announcements, the show notes, and then links to stream or download this episode of the podcast. This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. News, Announcements, and Sponsors Queer Astrology Conference, July 10-12, online Donate to BLM & related causes: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#donate Honeycomb Collective Personal Astrological Almanac Horoi ancient astrology text translation project   Timestamps We spend the first hour and a half reviewing the past few months. The forecast for July starts at 1:28:00 Planetary Alignments for July Mars just moved into Aries in late June Prelude to the squares and the retrogrades starting Aug - Sept Jupiter conjoined Pluto for second time on late day of June Mercury halfway through retrograde on late day of June Saturn retrogrades back into Capricorn on July 1 Lunar eclipse in Capricorn July 5 Really amplifying the Jupiter-Pluto-Saturn conjunction in Capricorn Culmination of solar eclipse in Capricorn way back in December Mercury squaring Mars all month Exact July 8 Again July 27 Mercury stations direct in Cancer July 12 New Moon in Cancer July 20 Closely opposing Saturn at 28 Capricorn Sun moves into Leo July 22 Jupiter sextile Neptune July 27 Auspicious Astrological Date for July Our featured electional chart for this month is a Sun in Leo election: 🪐 July 29, 2020 around 7:30 AM, with Leo rising We also presented a few other elections for July on our private subscriber-only podcast on auspicious elections. We also recently discounted our full year-ahead electional astrology report for 2020, which highlights some better charts later in the year. Watch the Video Version of Our July Astrology Forecast Here is the video version of our July astrology forecast episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYbSJf6XYwo – Listen to the Audio Version of Our July Forecast You can either play the audio version of this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your device by using the buttons below:

Astrologers discuss interpreting birth charts and prioritize factors. They explore birth chart reading in different contexts and the importance of accurately determining birth time. They analyze core elements of a birth chart and discuss patterns and aspects. They explore Judy Bloom's birth chart, the significance of the moon, and the importance of stationary planets. They focus on Venus in the first house and Mercury's influence on communication. They discuss the significance of eclipses and secondary progressions. They explore the balsamic phase, context in astrological readings, and various astrology techniques and resources.

On episode 259 of the podcast astrologer Sam Reynolds joins the show to discuss the issue of racism in America, and to talk about some related topics that have come up in the astrological community in the past two weeks. These discussions resulted from the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and the resulting protests across the United States. In the first part of the show we discuss some of the underlying issues in the country related to systemic racism and police violence, while later we transition into talking about some of the discussions and activism that have sprung up in the astrological community recently. Along the way we touch on broader themes about what it is like to be a black astrologer in America, efforts Sam has made to bring greater diversity to the astrological community, and what can be done to help these efforts in the future. Sam has given a couple of related related talks in the past year, including The Astrological Destiny for African Americans for the Fresh Voices in Astrology summit, and a talk titled Race, Justice, and America's Pluto Return for the Association for Young Astrologers. You can find out more about Sam's work on his website: UnlockAstrology.com This episode is available in both audio and video versions at the bottom of this page. Show Notes Here are some of the topics we discussed, with links to related resources: George Floyd Donate to George Floyd Memorial and Family Funds Nick Dagan Best's Venus retrograde research The Astrology Podcast Ep 39: Venus Retrograde: Challenging Consensus (2015) Venus Retrograde: Cycles of Injustice (2007, content warning: graphic images) Deon Mitchell: Should White Astrologers Talk About the Riots? The appropriateness of post-mortem astrological analysis of notable figures Breonna Taylor Donate to Breonna Taylor family fund Spiritual Solidarity fundraiser for Black Lives Matter and related causes Organized by Six @BlackWomenCry on Twitter Spiritual Solidarity on Twitter @TheSSCoven and hashtag #SpiritualSolidarity International Society for Black Astrologers Facebook group Donations and Resources Please consider making a donation for the victims, protesters, and related organizations: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#donate - Sam's recommended reading list: Anti Racism Resources for White People Social Change: Everyone Has a Role to Play Research-Based Solutions to Stop Police Violence     Watch the Video Version of This Episode Here is the video version of my discussion with Sam Reynolds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioLirMV7KaA - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 259 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode You can either play the audio version of this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your device by using the buttons below:

In episode 258 of the podcast astrologer Diana Rose Harper joins the show to talk about her work in using natal astrology as a form of radical-self care. This discussion was based on a talk that Diana gave at the Northwest Astrological Conference last month titled Fierce Compassion: Natal Astrology as Radical Self-Care. Radical self-care is a way of thinking about self-care that goes beyond the most surface level of self-care that most people think of when they hear that term today. The focus is getting at the causes or the roots of why certain forms of self-care are required in this day and age. This involves digging into the things that influence our sensation of worthiness as well as our judgement of other people's worthiness in our lives and in society in general as well. Within this context, self-care that is not only about you, but also about the world around you, and provides a structure to help support individuals in being the good people they aspire to be, in a way that is more foundational and enduring. This episode expands on some themes discussed in episode 19 of the podcast with Ben Dykes, titled Objective Versus Subjective Reality in Astrology. Later in the episode Diana and I spend some time going through the 12 houses to consider each of them within the context of radical self-care. Diana's full NORWAC talk is available for purchase on her website: Fierce Compassion: Natal Astrology as Radical Self-Care There are also two free handouts that give exercises for radical self-care and links to resources: Exercises for Radical Self-Care Resources for Radical Self-Care   You can find out more information about Diana on her website and social media: Website: ddamascenaa.com Twitter: @ddamascenaa Instagram: @ddamascenaa Patreon: @ddamascenaa   This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Timestamps Here are some timestamps for topics covered at different points in the episode: 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:18 Diana's background 00:13:00 Why self-care is important 00:16:00 What people take for granted 00:25:23 Things outside our control 00:32:30 Deserving/Undeserving 00:34:50 Predestination 00:38:50 Saturn return misconceptions 00:41:30 Gender and gender presentation 00:44:48 Intersectionality 00:47:00 Privilege, talents and skills 00:51:10 Privilege in houses 1-5 01:03:06 Types of privilege 01:12:07 Context of the chart 01:16:40 Privilege in houses 6-12 01:43:30 How to use your privileges 01:53:10 Diana's website resources for self-care 01:54:30 Diana's future work and tarot zine 01:57:10 Closing remarks Watch the Video Version of This Episode Here is the video version of my interview with Diana Rose Harper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHl3iInnxp8 - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 258 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode You can either play the audio version of this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your device by using the buttons below:

In episode 257 astrologers Kelly Surtees and Austin Coppock join the show to talk about the astrological alignments coming up in June of 2020. The month features the second half of the Venus retrograde in Gemini, as well as eclipses in Sagittarius and Cancer, Mercury stationing retrograde, the second of three Jupiter-Pluto conjunctions, and Mars entering Aries where it will stay for the next six months. This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Timestamps The first 45 minutes of the show is miscellaneous discussion topics, mainly what happened at NORWAC. Forecast begins at about 47 minutes into the episode Planetary Alignments for June Retrograde Venus-Sun conjunction June 3 Lunar eclipse (full Moon) in Sagittarius June 5 Mercury stations retrograde June 18 Sun moves into Cancer (solstice) June 20 Solar eclipse (New Moon) in Cancer June 21 Neptune stations retrograde June 23 Venus stations direct June 25 Mars moves into Aries June 27 Jupiter conjunct Pluto June 30 Sun conjunct Mercury June 30   Auspicious Astrological Date for June Our featured electional chart for this month is a Mars election: 🪐 June 29, 2020 around 12:30 AM, with Aries rising. We also presented a few other elections for June on our private subscriber-only podcast on auspicious elections. We also have a full year-ahead electional astrology report for 2020, which highlights some better charts later in the year. Watch the Video Version of Our June Astrology Forecast Here is the video version of our June astrology forecast episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJvgV26WDXY - Listen to the Audio Version of Our June Forecast You can either play the audio version of this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your device by using the buttons below:

Episode 256 of the podcast features an interview with astrologers Laura Nalbanian and Nicholas Polimenakos about the recent Northwest Astrological Conference (NORWAC), which was moved online recently for the first time in its 36 year history due to the pandemic. NORWAC is normally an in-person conference that takes place in Seattle on Labor Day weekend at the end of May each year. It was originally founded in 1984 by Laura's mother, Maggie Nalbandian, who was profiled in episode 75 of The Astrology Podcast. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic that broke out earlier this year, Laura was not able to hold the conference in-person, but instead made the decision to move it entirely online. The conference ended up being a success, and the purpose of this interview was to talk about what happened, and what it was like moving an in-person conference to an entirely online one. Lecture recordings from the conference are now available on the NORWAC website: Norwac.net This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Watch the Video Version of This Episode Here is the video version of this episode on NORWAC 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTQyole7SNc – Listen to the Audio Version of This Episode You can either play the audio version of this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your device by using the buttons below:

In episode 255 of the podcast astrologers Chris Brennan and Benjamin Dykes unveil a new discovery about the origins of the exaltations, derived from a lost Hermetic text preserved by Abu Ma'shar. Last summer Keiji Yamamoto and Charles Burnett released their long-awaited translation of The Great Introduction to Astrology by the 9th century astrologer Abu Ma'shar. This was the first time this text has been translated into English in its entirety. I received my copy on July 30, 2019, and the most interesting thing I found was that Abu Ma'shar frequently cites a lost Greek text attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. This appears to be the same text called the Panaretos that the 4th century astrologer Paulus Alexandrinus drew on for his treatment of seven planetary Lots, although Abu Ma'shar shares much more from the text than Paulus did. The most interesting pieces of the Hermes material preserved by Abu Ma'shar is that it contains a set of rationales for the domicile and exaltation schemes that are unique, and it seems to preserve what may be the original conceptual rationales for both of those schemes. The exaltations chapter in particular provides a much more detailed explanation for the exaltations than any I've ever seen, and it is also unique because it provides an astronomical rationale for the exaltations degrees, not just the signs of exaltation and fall. I first talked about this discovery in episode 26 of the Casual Astrology Podcast, which was released on September 18, 2019. I urged Ben to look into it to help confirm the discovery, and over the past several months he worked on his own translation of Abu Ma'shar from the Arabic, which he finished and shared with me on May 8, 2020. Ben was able to confirm that most of the math for the exaltation degrees seems to work out, and so with that confirmation we decided to record this episode to present this discovery and talk about it on May 13, 2020 around 5:15 PM MT. We begin the episode by providing some background information on the text, and then eventually transition into a summary of the arguments presented by the text for how to derive the exaltations of the planets and their degrees. Interestingly, the arguments for the domiciles and exaltations presented by this text are firmly rooted in the tropical zodiac, and this raises some major questions about previous assumptions that the exaltations had their origins in the sideral zodiac and the earlier Mesopotamian tradition. The discovery also raises questions about the extent to which Hellenistic astrology, and western astrology in general, partially represents a sudden invention or technical construct that was put together sometime around the 1st century BCE. This is kind of visually intensive episode, and our friend Paula Belluomini made a number of diagrams to help illustrate the concepts, so I would recommend watching the video version of the episode if you can. Ben plans to publish his translation of the Great Introduction by Abu Ma'shar sometime in the next few months, and you can signup for the email list on his website to receive a notification when that is released: BenDykes.com This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Timestamps Here are some timestamps for topics covered at different points in the episode: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:50 New Abu Ma'shar translation 00:07:23 Hermes 00:12:16 Ptolemy 00:15:24 Domiciles and Exaltations math 00:17:50 Planetary joys, thema mundi 00:21:05 Exaltation locations 00:24:45 Exaltation degrees 00:28:00 Origins of exalations 00:29:54 Exaltations, Sect, and Aspects 00:33:00 Hermetica mandela 00:39:26 Dendera zodiac and exaltations 00:42:50 Tropical Rationale 00:48:00 Chapter V.7: reason for exaltations 00:52:00 Increase/decrease in light paradigm 00:54:03 Sun in Aries exaltation 00:55:14 Moon in Taurus exaltation 00:57:37 Saturn in Libra exaltation 00:59:50 Mars in Capricorn exaltation

In episode 254 astrologers Chris Brennan and Leisa Schaim discuss a recent article in the New York Times that claimed that astrologers did not predict the recent worldwide crisis, and some of the related issues with coverage of astrology in the media, as well as the practice of mundane astrology. The starting point for this discussion was an article that was published in the New York Times on May 9, 2020 titled Will Coronavirus Kill Astrology? The author primarily focuses on the Sun-sign astrologer Susan Miller, and the central argument is evidently that astrologers not only did not predict the Covid-19 pandemic, but they did not predict that it would be a difficult year for the world in general in their forecasts for 2020. During the course of the episode we discuss the article and its claims, question the validity of some of its conclusions, and then discuss some broader issues about the practice and perception of astrology. This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Mundane Astrologers Discussed in This Episode In this episode we discuss the works of two mundane astrologers, André Barbault and Richard Tarnas. André Barbault was a French astrologer who died in October of 2019. In 2012 he published an article titled “Survey of Pandemics” (Aperçu sur les Pandémies) in which he studied the outer planet alignments that coincided with major pandemics in the past century, and then used that information to make a prediction that the next such alignment around 2020-21 could coincide with a major pandemic: "Going back to the pandemics and going back to the past century, the four crises of 1918, 1954, 1968 and 1982 are obvious, the two considerable being the first, the famous "Spanish flu" which is said to have claimed 25 million lives, and the last one in which AIDS, which is even more devastating and continues to be deadly. Since then, there has also been a small influenza surge in 2009, against the last lowest cyclical index (2010). We may well be in serious danger of a new pandemic at the 2020-2021 mark, at the lowest peak of the cyclical index of the 21st century, with the quintet of outer planets gathered over a hundred degrees, a conjunction Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto can more specifically, and even specifically, lend itself to the "tissue" of this imbalance. Nevertheless, this configuration can also transfer its core of dissonances to the terrain of geophysical disasters, without ultimately sparing the international affairs scene, Nature and Society being indiscriminately affected." This prediction was published in The Astrologer journal (L'Astrologue), issue number 177, in the first quarter of 2012. The full text of the original article is available on André Barbault's website, the translation of the paragraph above was made by astrologer Mark Cullen in a Skyscript forum thread, and I'm working on a full translation of the article into English that will be released soon. Update: You can read a full translation of the article or download a scan of the French original here: André Barbault, A Survey of Pandemics (English translation) André Barbault, Aperçu sur les Pandémies (original French article)   In this episode we also discuss the study of mundane astrology that was published by Richard Tarnas in his 2006 book Cosmos and Psyche, which also had some interesting studies of how certain pandemics have coincided with conjunctions of Saturn and Pluto, which is a conjunction that many astrologers noted was occurring again just this year in January: "Another such defining [Saturn-Pluto] conjunction was that of 1348-51 that coincided with the eruption and spread of the Black Death, which similarly devastated Europe and set in motion cultural and economic shifts that permanently transformed European life in the late medieval period. The Black Death, or bubonic plague, began in China in 1333 in coincidence with the preceding Saturn-Pluto opposition and reached a climax in Europ...

In episode 253 astrologers Kelly Surtees and Austin Coppock join the show to talk about the astrological forecast for May of 2020. Most of the action this month happens in the second full week of May, when Saturn stations direct, Mars completes its conjunction with Saturn by moving out of Aquarius and into Pisces, Venus stations retrograde in Gemini, and Jupiter stations retrograde conjunct Pluto in Capricorn. At the top of the show we spend about an hour catching up and talking about news that has happened since last month, Chris' recovery from being sick with Covid, astrology conferences running into issues this year, and reflecting on weird conspiracy theories surrounding the virus. This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. News, Announcements, Links The Northwest Astrology Conference has been moved to an online conference, and is happening May 21-25, 2020. Kelly Surtees' website Austin Coppock's website Chris Brennan's online courses Become a Patron of The Astrology Podcast   Timestamps The first hour of the show is discussion topics Forecast begins at 1 hour and 10 minutes into the episode Planetary Alignments for May The month opens with Mercury conjunct Uranus Venus/Neptune square for 1st time on May 3/4 Sun-Mercury conjunction in Taurus on May 4 Lunar nodes switch to Gemini/Sag on May 5 (True Nodes) Full Moon in Scorpio on May 7 Saturn stations retrograde in Aquarius on May 11 Mercury moves into Gemini on May 11 Mercury squares Mars May 10/11 at 28 just before ingress Mars leaves Aquarius and moves into Pisces May 13 Venus stations retrograde at 21 Gemini on May 13 Jupiter stations retrograde at 27 Capricorn on May 14 Sun/Jupiter trine exact May 17 Sun into Gemini May 20 Venus retro/Neptune square exact May 20 New Moon in Gemini on May 22 Mercury moves into Cancer on May 28   Auspicious Astrological Date for May May is again not a great month this year for good elections, and the best chart we could find was: 🪐 May 2, 2020 around 9:30 am, with Cancer rising. We also presented a few other elections for May on our private subscriber-only podcast on auspicious elections. We also have a full year-ahead electional astrology report for 2020, which highlights some better charts later in the year. Watch the Video Version of Our May Astrology Forecast Here is the video version of our May astrology forecast episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y0H0R0SL_E - Transcript A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 253 transcript Listen to the Audio Version of Our May Forecast You can either play the audio version of this episode of the podcast directly from the website or download it as an MP3 to your device by using the buttons below: