SOLAR ARC DIRECTIONS

How to Read Life’s Roadmap

Carole Devine
Copyright © 2000 by Carole Devine

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored

in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means
whether electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or other, without
the prior written permission of the author.

Cover Illustration by Kenneth DeMott

First published by: L.A.B. Professional Publishing

P.O. Box 4130 Woodbridge, Virginia 22194
Website: www.labpublish.com

First printing - December 2000

Second printing - July 2001

ISBN: 0-9700696 -0-X

Printed in U.S.A.
For my sons, Joseph, Gregory, Ralph and Kenneth
DeMott,
who are my inspiration,
and for Duane Urban, my literary mentor, for
interminable encouragement.
 Acknowledgments

No book is a one-person effort. I want to extend special appreciation

to those clients who were so gracious to anonymously let me use their
stories, and who took the time to write them in their own words. It
helped to give their histories more immediacy.
Very special thanks to the meticulous expertise of Lora
Blackburn, whose work produced the final design of the whole
book.
Thank you to all my friends (too numerous to mention by
name) who were encouraging and patient with me as I bounced ideas
off them. Especially, I thank Maureen Demot, a very well-known
South African Jungian Astrologer transplanted to Culpeper, VA, who
was the most inundated with it all and wrote the foreword. I bless
the day she emailed me and said she believed she lived just down the
road from me.
And thank you to my son, Kenneth DeMott, who painted a
cover that was exactly what I wanted and even exceeded my
expectations.
Thank you to Jeff Jawer for reading and commenting on the
manuscript, and to Joe Anne Bridge, a psychologist, who also read the
manuscript and added her special expertise.
All charts are derived from the Solar Fire v.5 computer
program available through "Astrolabe" (www.alabe.com).
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

Chapters
1. Basic Principles

2. As the Twig is Bent

3. Introduction to Cosmobiology

4. The Mid-Life Shift Into Reverse

5. Charts That Affect a Nation

6. Solar Arc in Composite Charts

7. Counseling the Client

8. Rectification Using Solar Arc

 FOREWORD

In true Aries fashion, Carole is a pioneer. In my almost twenty-five

years as a counseling astrologer I have seen many new ideas
surface in the astrological field. But this book is truly a breakthrough.
A long time ago, when she first told me about this new way of
examining a chart I was excited. As astrologers we know that life,
[our growth, development, and the situations we experience] operate
in cycles. With her unique way of tracking repetitive situations in our
lives, Carole has introduced us to a wonderful tool to help our clients
understand why “history repeats itself”. Not only is this an
innovative work on solar arc directions, it is also a very practical and
valuable tool for both astrologers and their clients.
Carole is a certified professional astrologer. Not only is she a
superb teacher, who brings a dynamism and vitality to her lectures,
she also provides a highly acclaimed correspondence course for
students. In addition, she has an innovative mind and is a fine writer.
As a woman, Carole is full of fun, and a warm and vital
person, whom I consider a wonderful friend who has made my life
richer for knowing her. She has tolerated my wildly outrageous sense
of humour, and has been kind and understanding in times when I
needed a shoulder to cry on. Her awareness of the human condition
makes her a rare human being and an excellent astrologer. It is with
honour that I call her friend and professional associate.
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed watching it
grow, develop, and come to fruition. Further, my wish is that you
derive the benefit of Carole’s many years of knowledge and this
exciting technique.
Rev. Maureen Demot, Ph.D.
August 2000

Sadly, Maureen Demot made her passing on February 17, 2001 in an

automobile accident. She owned Galaxy House, a thriving
astrological center which was the hub of astrological activity in
Johannesburg, South Africa in the 80's. Although well-known in South
Africa and throughout Europe, she was only beginning to share her
wealth of knowledge with us in the USA.
 INTRODUCTION

Imagine an Anasazi Indian in Chaco Canyon, NM watching the sky

year after year, first noticing a rhythm to solar cycles and then
laboriously recording it with rocks, sweat and probably blood so
accurately that today those rock carvings are still reliable. To these
people, compared to many things in life, the Sun was stable. Along
with the Moon, it was the one thing they could count on to continue
a cyclic pattern year after year no matter what else was
unpredictable around them. As they came to depend on these
annual rhythms, a culture developed around them. Planting
schedules, religious rites and surely many other observances were tied
with this reliable pattern. It had to have given them a sense of
stability, security and connection with the universe.
In our understanding of Astrology today, the Sun is a major
factor in a chart. In secondary progressions, it is the most powerful
indicator of change, and with the eclipses added, the scaffolding of
a lifetime can be built. As we grow in understanding of the laws of
quantum mechanics, chaos theory and fractal geometry, we learn that
there is order in everything, and all of reality is interdependent.
Therefore, it is not hard to reason that the planets could be given a
solar rhythm that is just as valid as their own.
The planets are reliable too, but from a geocentric point of
view, their cycles are not as smooth as the Sun's steady, forward,
predictable apparent motion. When we use the transits of the planets
to trigger dormant and waiting progressed aspects, some points are
triggered several times due to retrograde periods. This makes it very
hard to time anything precisely. Furthermore, the outer planets
remain in orb of contacting a point for many years due to their slow
orbital motion. Granted, they are effective for as long as the orb is in
range, but much is happening within that time frame that is important.
Taken together, these methods of prediction are accurate enough
when examined after a drama, but are hard to pin down before
events unfold. The one body that seems more dramatically accurate
than the others, when progressed, is the Sun. Since all secondary
progressions are based on the premise that one day equals a year,
it is not so far-fetched to move the planets the same motion as the
Sun's daily increment for each year.
It is also hard to see life as a pattern using progressions and
transits. We have the reliable Saturn cycle to build a lifetime structure,
and along with it, other outer planetary cycles and the most reliable
progressed Moon. But these are still cycles. They are repetitive for
the same number of years for everyone. There isn't a great deal that is
personally unique about them except the order in which they contact
the various components of the chart and the houses being affected at
a given time. No life unfolds in quite that orderly a manner. Further,
it is interesting that one contact from a planet at one time in the life
may be far less important than an identical contact at another time.
It is the combination of other factors occurring simultaneously that
makes the difference.
Solar arc directions have been around for a long time and are
commonly used by many Astrologers. There are even books with
lists of what various planetary combinations mean when they are
activated by solar arc directions. However, as far as I know, there is
no body of work that shows the pattern of a life, as shown by the
unfolding of solar arc contacts, in quite the way this book does. In
fact, I’m not sure that anyone has even noticed that there is a pattern
at all. There is one, however, that is quite unique for each person; in
fact, there are patterns within patterns. The main theme of this book is
to explain these patterns and show examples from the lives of
ordinary people so that we can use solar arcs more effectively in
guiding our clients through a seemingly endless maze of events that
seem to have no common thread. The thread is there and not really so
hard to discover!
The first couple of chapters of this book contain simplified
example charts; i.e. they will show the traditional components of a
chart, and mostly solar arc contacts will be used. I am primarily a
teacher and have found that the most effective way of teaching
anything is to isolate each part of a new study to see it in its purity
without confusing it with too much information too soon. Solar arc
directions do not stand alone, but I wanted to demonstrate that they
do, indeed, provide a life outline that is quite valid.
In some of the examples later in the book, asteroids are added,
and in others transits and secondary progressions are included. I did
not include secondary progressions in any great detail in this book,
although I use them in my practice. Again, it is for the purpose of
simplicity. Cosmobiology is introduced, but since it is a major
subject in itself, and because there are numerous books already
published about it, it is not examined in great detail here. However,
solar arc is so much a part of Cosmobiology, no book about one
would be complete without mentioning the other. I would encourage
students to pursue that topic more thoroughly.
Carole Devine
September 2000
SOLAR ARC DIRECTIONS
 Chapter One
Basic Principles

Mainstream psychology is valuable and has taught us much about the

human condition. We have gained enormous insight into the
subconscious, behavior mode ls, the importance of childhood
experience and a host of other fascinating theories. It has, however,
been treating the human being as a limited-to-the-five-senses
creature whose behavior could be explained by this lifetime’s
experiences alone.
It has, for the most part, except through rare, exceptional
practitioners, ignored the soul. If a person has a phobia, s/he might
go to a doctor to heal it. Some times the phobia is cured, but often
another might take its place somewhat symbolic of the first one.
Many years ago I met a university professor who was terrified to go
through a tunnel or be in an elevator. I suggested therapy. He
answered that he could live with staying away from small enclosed
places, but from experience, he knew that if he “cured” that phobia,
another would take it’s place, and he wasn’t so sure he could live
with the unknown replacement, whatever that might be. He had
built his life around his claustrophobia and had gotten used to it.
With all his knowledge and years of therapy prior to this time, he
had no idea where the phobia originated. In all fairness, though,
psychologists use a technique called implosive therapy that often
has positive results for this kind of problem. Gary Zukav, in his best-
selling and ground breaking book, The Seat of the Soul, tells us that
in a specific lifetime, the soul clothes a portion of itself with a
personality that will serve its purposes in that lifetime in order to
attract the experiences it needs to grow. The personality that is chosen
is based upon past life experiences, which are very much a part of
the current life. Edgar Cayce’s work has shown that again and again,
people are expressing the results of past lives’ experiences because
there is a thread, a theme, that is prevalent in the soul’s history that
needs to be healed. To address the problem and ignore the concept of
karma is like leaving the verb out of a sentence!
Astrology is an incredible tool to provide that verb. After over
twenty-five years of consulting using this grand system of wisdom,
I’m still awed by its power, insight, beauty and unerring accuracy. But,
I believe its potential is still in its infancy. We are still discovering that
there is more than we ever dreamed possible in its intricate
symbolism. In Jan Spiller’s recent book, Astrology for the Soul, the
past life issues, as shown by the Moon’s nodal axis, are so clearly
defined, it leaves one awestruck. We are learning by leaps and
bounds that there is so much more in a natal chart to be
discovered. What we need to do now is to determine a productive
way to relay information to our clients that will empower them to
make the most of this life they have chosen.
The chart not only gives us a description of the personality
and past life conditioning with clear instructions about our sojourn in
this lifetime, it also gives us a road map of where the life is going
and when we can expect to meet crossroads along the way. Our
journey is planned, the detours marked, and the options listed. All
we need to do is read the map. On my path to learning about
Astrology, I had no problem with the concept of its defining personality.
After all, with a little study and observation, that part was obvious. It
was the predictive part that had me skeptical.
 3
First Exposure to Solar Arc

I was still having trouble accepting the concept of forecasting with

Astrology when I settled into a chair at Gina Ceaglio’s On The Way
Astrology School in San Diego in February of 1973. I could see, in
theory, what would be expected with different planetary cycles, but
I couldn’t quite identify with it all. And symbolic concepts like
secondary progressions? No way, I thought, could hypothetical
phenomena affect people!
The other students at the round table had studied elsewhere,
as I had, but had concentrated on different branches of the subject.
To pass the time before class began, we looked at each others’ charts.
Phyllis, the lady looking at mine, suddenly commented, “It looks like
your mother deceived you when you were about 17”. She had my
full attention.
While I was visiting my aunt in Florida during the summer
before my senior year in high school, my mother moved the family to
a new school district without telling me. In her defense, she didn’t
want to spoil my vacation, and wasn’t even sure I’d have to change
schools. Since I was slated to be on the staff of the school newspaper
and in the Honor Society, I was looking forward to my senior year,
which would be totally different if I had to go to a new school.
Nothing could have been done about it, but I mostly remember not
being told that the family was even planning to move, much less to
a new school district.
How did Phyllis know? She then showed me the short cut
version of solar arc. It was quite a revelation! Since solar arc is
roughly a degree a year in motion, then when a planet moves a
number of degrees to contact another planet, one would be about
the age equal to that number at the time of contact. I had the Moon
(mother) at roughly 4 degrees Virgo and Neptune (deception) at 21
Virgo. Twenty-one minus four is seventeen. Amazingly simple, isn’t
it? Well, not so fast. There’s a lot more to it than that! After all, the
Moon is much more than “mother” and Neptune is far more than
“deception”. Further, they are posited in particular houses in the chart,
and possibly rule other houses. Plus, other contacts could be going on
by transit and progression at the same time that would further modify
that event. So there are many layers of interpretation that is possible to
relay depending upon how knowledgeable the interpreter is.
In this particular example, the drama continued. Later in the
school year, my father was transferred to Germany, and I actually
graduated from an American military school that I only attended six
weeks. Those last weeks were very confusing (Neptune) because
there were new friends from extremely diverse backgrounds (Neptune
rules my eleventh house), plus new concepts that I didn’t
understand (Moon rules my third house) in some of the classes,
especially Chemistry (also Neptune). Therefore, as you can see, the
symbolism for the year was quite appropriate for various facets of
experience.
The Neptune/Moon solar arc conjunction occurred in the fifth
house, and I even had an unrealistic romantic relationship with a
young man I met in Germany. So, from that one conjunction of
Moon to Neptune, a very complex tapestry of experience emerged. It
somehow managed to involve everything in the chart that they
symbolized! A solar arc direction lasts a long time, often as long as a
year, being triggered several times along the way by other factors
such as lunations, eclipses, transits or even the progressed Moon. It
will never be a simple, one dimensional drama for the owner of the
chart.

Stretch your imagination!

Astrological forecasting has long been done with no provable

explanation of how it works. We only know that it works. In his
book, Interpreting the Eclipses, Robert Carl Jansky explains theories
in the first chapter based on electromagnetic fields, addressing a
phenomenon of direct cause and effect of a physical nature. This
would apply to an explanation of transits, but Astrologers use
symbolic mathematical systems, of which, solar arc directions is
one.
Secondary progressions, another symbolic system, using a
ratio of "a day for a year," has been explained as originating with the
Biblical formula found in Ezekial 4:6 (“a day for a year, yea, a day for
a year I have appointed to thee.”) and Numbers 14:34 (“Forty days
you spent in scouting the land; forty years shall you suffer for your
crimes; one year for each day.”). In the case of solar arc directions,
the formula is even more arbitrary. Simply move all planets and
other points the motion of the progressed Sun. Since the whole idea
of progressions is based on a hypothesis that does not apparently
occur in nature, it would seem we are building a hypothesis on a
hypothesis!
One factor that is permeated in forecasting is the concept of
time. It is really relative, and there is evidence that time, as we know it,
only exists here. However, time is perhaps based on what can be
perceived at once. For instance, because we live in a three
dimensional world, we can see a house with height, width and depth
all at once. If we lived in a two-dimensional world and could only
perceive flat planes, it would take us “time” to construct a three
dimensional house, and we would be unable to perceive it all at
once. Hence, time would be different in that dimension. Who is to
say that psychics are not just tapping into a fourth dimension where
one sees more all at once than we can, where time is altered?
Psychics do seem to have an ability to be free from the constraints of
time as we know it. Perhaps when we peer into an astrological chart
we are tapping into that dimension where a whole lifetime can be
seen all at once.
The most astounding thing about time, though, is that
dimensions may have nothing to do with it at all. Hermann
Minkowsky, one of Albert Einstein’s teachers, worked extensively with
space/time concepts and came to the conclusion as early as 1908 that
all time, past, present and future, exists at one point in space at one
time! This concept is even in the Bible. Ecclesiastes 3:15 states, “What
now is has already been ; what is to be, already is.....”
Astrological forecasting methods demonstrate this.
Mathematical techniques in Astrology show cause and effects at the
moment of birth, before the causes have even been set into motion.
A good Astrologer can see from a birth chart at what age an
automatic response trigger will activate, what it is about, and in
adulthood, when it will be triggered again. When you have examined
hundreds of charts and verified that this can be done, you will have
an entirely altered concept of time.
The solar arc direction technique of forecasting is simple and
powerful. It is so simple that it can be done with a reasonable degree of
reliability in your head since all points move roughly one degree per
year. But, as with anything that is seemingly simple, it has potential
complexities to satisfy the most discriminating Virgo. Just add a few
Cosmobiology techniques, and the math whizzes are in Heaven. For
the rest of us who may not be so inclined, solar arc can be used with
equally satisfying results revealing much-needed information about
the life script a person has chosen without painful exercising of the
grey cells. In fact, from my experience, this information has packed
more punch in getting a person's attention than the most painstaking
secondary progression with transits forecast, although I would not do a
chart without them, as well.

The Very Simple Math

Before being able to work with solar arcs, it is necessary to calculate

them, which is easy. Just calculate the motion of the secondary
progressed Sun for any given year and add that motion to every
other planet, points, such as the Moon's Nodes, and angles. If you do
not know how to calculate this incremental motion, here are some
instructions. It is helpful if you are familiar with the arc conversion
table, but if you are not, that table just converts each degree of each
sign into a degree of a complete circle. For instance, Aries is 0 to
29, but when you come to 0 degrees of Taurus, use 30 instead of 0
and assign each degree the following number on to 59 which equates
to 29 degrees of Taurus. Then Gemini would start at 60 degrees and
so on around the Zodiac. This makes it easier to add and subtract
signs. If you do a lot of this work and do not use a computer, it would
make things simpler to type this table for reference.
To calculate the position of the solar arc Sun (which is the
same as the progressed Sun) start with the birth position of the Sun.
Then count the number of days from the birth date in an ephemeris for
the birth year equal to the age of the person whose chart you are
using. If a person is born on May 10, and you want the solar arcs for
age 20, then add 20 days to May 10 (making it May 30) and use the
Sun position for May 30th. After refining it for the time of day your
subject was born, this is the progressed Sun position. One common
mistake that students make when doing progressions is to use an
ephemeris for the year the person was the age in question, in this case,
20. The formula for secondary progressions is "a day for a year" so
naturally, you use the same ephemeris as the birth year.
Refining for the time of birth can be done several ways, but if
you are not familiar with short cuts, just calculate the progressed
position from the ephemeris for the birth time. If you are familiar with
the limiting date or adjusted calculation date concept for secondary
progressions, that is applicable to solar arc positions, as well, because
the solar arc Sun is identical to the progressed Sun.
When finding the Sun's motion, it is easier if you use the
above-mentioned arc conversion table. For example: If a person was
born on May 10, and the birth Sun was 18:49 degrees of Taurus,
we would convert that to 48:49. Twenty days later, the Sun could be
8:04 Gemini for that year. Convert that to 68:04. After we subtract
them, we get 19 degrees, 15 minutes. That is easier than trying to
subtract degrees from the next sign.
Then simply add 19:15 to every other body in the chart,
including the MC, ascendant and Nodes. If natal Mercury is at
19:20 of Gemini, then after adding 19:15, the result is 38:35. We
know there are only 30 degrees in a sign, so subtract the 30
degrees, and the solar arc position of Mercury is 8:35 of Cancer. It
had moved into Cancer when it went over 30 degrees.
Just about every computer program that I know of has a solar
arc option, so most people will not need to calculate this by hand.
However, sometimes we hit a wrong key or some other glitch
occurs, so it is good to know how to do this in order to spot errors. If
you have no idea how to calculate them, you will not recognize
mistakes when they occur.
There are other solar arc methods of calculation. One, the mean
motion, simply averages the motion of the Sun over a year and uses
the same increment for every chart. The siderealists adjust for the
apparent precession of the Sun’s position. Those are not included in
this treatment of the topic.

Solar Arc Directions Are Calculated.

Now What?

I use a triple wheel for prognostication, placing the natal chart in the
center, the secondary progressions in the second wheel and the solar
arcs in the outer wheel. Anyone attempting to use solar arcs, should
already be familiar with progressions and transits, and therefore
should also be familiar with concentric chart forms. After placing the
planets, angles and points in position, look for aspects between the
solar arc planets and the natal chart. Locate not only the
conjunctions, but also the squares, oppositions, trines, and even the
minor aspects. Look for aspects only between the calculated solar
arc positions and the natal chart. Theoretically, solar arcs do not
trigger progressions, though I’m not so sure about that. They do not,
of course, affect each other, as secondary progressions do. After all,
the planets and angles are all moving at the same speed and therefore,
hold their natal aspects and patterns. Transits, however, trigger
everything—natal, progressed and solar arc directed positions.
Looking at the chart you are directing, determine what is being
activated. For instance, if there are two planets that are 20 degrees
apart natally, they are not in contact at birth, but when one has
moved 20 degrees, then there will be a conjunction of the two.
What house are they in when this contact occurs? What houses do
they rule? How are they both aspected to other planets in the natal
chart? What does the natal chart show about how the native uses
these ene rgies? These will give you clues as to what the event is
about, and above all, what the life script (the natal chart) has to say
about the lesson involved.
It is impo ssible to forecast for a client if you do not know how
to interpret a natal cha rt. The cha rt is the basis for the forecast. It
could be compa red to the unfolding of a play. The later acts do not
make sense unless you have a basic idea of what the play is about
from the beginning. And, more impo rtantly, an event does not make
sense unless you know why it is happen ing. All this is the job of the
natal cha rt.
We all have the same factors in a cha rt. But, we all lead
completely different lives. There is no such thing as an
interpretation of one planet making an aspect to another that will fit
every person. Not only will a specific planet contacting another
specific planet mean different things to different peop le, but they may
mean different things at different times to the same person! It depend
s on the age of the person, choices that have been made in the past,
other techniques that are in effect simultan eou sly and above all,
the natal indicators of tempe rament and the free will and
determination of the person involved. A person with a strong Jup
iterian tempe rament will hand le a Moon/Saturn contact far
differently than one with a Saturnian tempe rament.
10
It takes time and practice to develop the skill of
forecasting, but to begin with, one need s to know what forecasting
really is. It is not a prediction of a specific event that is bound to
happen no matter what is done . It is, rather, an oppo rtunity to heal
or address an issue that is needing attention, as shown by the natal
chart. The soul comes into material man ifestation to learn what it
needs to become whole, to become one with the Father. The event,
which is the teacher, is only a scene from the play of a life
orchestrated by the owner of the chart and peop led by other souls
who have chosen to reflect facets of the native back to himself. So, in
the case of a Moon/Saturn contact, one could say that the person need
s to look seriously (Saturn) at emotional responses (Moon) to ......,
and then go to the natal chart and see what houses, signs, etc. are
involved. What dilemm as and problems do the Saturn and Moon
natal configurations symbo lize? There is no formula. Every chart is
different. Again, the way to learn to forecast is first to learn to
interpret a natal cha rt thoroughly and well.
Solar arc directed planets all move at the same rate of speed ,
so the whole cha rt moves at once. Therefore, the cha rt's patterns
move in unison as well. If there is a grand square in a cha rt
involving several planets, all of them will be involved at a time in the
native's life when even one planet in the grand square has moved to
contact planets that are not in the grand square pattern. It is
absolutely necessary to unde rstand what the pattern means in that
person's life in order to interpret what kind of events are likely to
occur at the time of any contacts. Always go back to the natal chart
to see what life script lesson is being addressed. Even if a grand
square were contacting a grand trine, the natal configuration of the
grand square is the prima ry concern. If the grand square is spea king
of a painful childhood with direct ramifications on the na tive's ability to
earn a living, then every time that grand square contacts anything in the
cha rt, there is another oppo rtunity to heal that pa rticular problem.
Being able to "perform" by telling a person that s/he will fall down
 11
the stairs next week is not healing the wound s with which the na
tive has to deal at that pa rticular time. Being able to address these
issues at the right tim e, however, is invaluable. We are suppo sed to
address and heal pa rticular dramas in a timed sequen ce, and that is
what solar arc provides — a timing device.
Further, the energy (planet or pattern) being contacted is
being combined with the directed planet(s), and in effect, they are
now able to be blended . In the case, for instance, of a grand square
contacting a grand trine, the trine configuration's natal promise of
being hab itually comfortable in what it represents can be used directly
to heal the grand square's man y dilemmas. It may have been
somewhat inaccessible to these particular dilemm as before that time
if there was no natal contact between them. It is like having an
unseen teacher within oneself (the grand trine), but ha ving no access
to that teacher, or at least the ability to app ly its wisdom to a specific
pa rt of the soul’s growth, until a configuration moves to ene rgize it and
introdu ce it to you! When the grand trine is activated by solar arc (or
any other technique for that ma tter) it is like ma king a discovery
that you can learn how to hand le the problems you have at that time
from within your own store of wisdom, which, of course, was always
there.
Solar arc directions point to turning points in the life because
they indicate times when we must address the issues we were born to
resolve. The natal cha rt shows these issues clearly, but what we do
about them is entirely up to us. Minute-by- minute, according to the
choices we make, we are accumu lating either more issues to deal
with in the future (karma), or we are hea ling the dilemm as we
have. Using a list of “mean ings” of aspects between this planet or
that, rather than helping a client to make hea ling choices, will inhibit
creative reasoning ability in interpreting them. It is better, again, to
have a thorough ground ing in the basic mean ings of houses, planets,
aspects and signs. One can always write more eloquen tly with a good
vocabulary. The same is true for interpretation of a chart. The
12
more you know about natal interpretation, the more eloquen tly you
can forecast.

Jack C.: An Awakening

When planets contact each other by solar arc, it is not always

an overt event. Often it is a profound internal experience. Note the
following example. Jack C. says:

“When I went to MIT (Massachusetts Institute

of Technology) right after high school at age 18, I
met a Hungarian who was Jewish. We imm ediately
liked each other. From him I found that foreigners
were very trustworthy and non- game playing. We
freely exchanged ideas, and even if arguments got
heated, we would always eventually come back as
good friend s. It seemed to be stronger. At last I
found someone with whom I could be myself and
be okay.
He told me that in 1944 the Nazis swept into
Hungary where he was still living. They continued
their extermination of the Jews. Only they didn’t
ship them off to cam ps. Instead they took them
down to the Danube and shot them. There were so
many, that the river ran red. He told of the loss of
many of his friends. One day his entire family (he
was an only child) was captured. Somehow he and
his father escaped, but his mother was executed.
Later he met the German officer respon sible.
I asked if he hated him, and he said no. He was a
proclaimed atheist, and it was a profound lesson for
me to find out such forgivene ss was possible.
 Forgivene ss cuts across all spectrum of beliefs, or in
this case non-belief. How my narrow world opened
!”

This gentleman’s chart, solar arc directed for age 18 at the

time he would have started college, is shown in Figure 1-1.
13
Figure 1-1
14
He has a T-square configuration between Jupiter, Pluto and Uranus
in his natal chart. Uranus rules the third house, so this pattern has a
lot to do with how he thinks and expresses himself. Since Uranu s
squares Pluto, there is pa ssiona te intensity behind his expression,
and the oppo sition to Jup iter in Libra shows this pa ssion is often
motivated by a desire for justice and fairness (Jup iter and Libra).
With Mars conjunct Mercury, as well, there is an unde rcurrent of
anger when confronted with injustice.
This T-square is of major impo rt in his life because Pluto, the
focal planet, is not only in the eighth house (the unconscious mind),
but it rules the twelfth (the subconscious mind). Much of his
decision-making processes and ways of expressing and commun
icating come from a deep ly entrenched past life array of
unpredictable (Uranu s) injustices. We attract what we expect at a
subconscious level, so naturally, this man will attract events that will
help him heal this expectation. These events can be vicarious, as in
this case, but many were not. (See the same example in Chap ter 2)
First, the friend ship, itself, is shown by solar arc Mercury and
Mars in sextile aspect to natal Venus, ruler of the eleventh. Jup iter by
solar arc was at that time just about exactly sextile natal Neptune,
the planet that we associate with compa ssion. Althou gh Pluto and
Uranu s are not directly in classical aspect with Neptune at that
time, they are still affected because of their association with Jup iter
natally. Ergo, some of his in-born attitudes were being
softened . The sextile, however shows an oppo rtunity to learn
something about himself at that time; he could have chosen to
ignore it. It is interesting that he chose the words “How my narrow
world opened !” Quite appropriate for Jup iter.
That wasn’t all that was going on in this man ’s life at that
time. He further says of this period,

“At the end of my first semester in my

sophomore year at MIT (I was 19), I flunked out,
 15
or rather withdrew before it actually would have
happened . I had no idea what my parents thought
because this was strictly my decision. So they didn’t
know until I cam e home at Christm as vacation. I just
wasn’t MIT material. I gave it my best shot. On the
one hand I felt very bad about it, but on the other, I
figured it was tim e to move on.”

In Figure 1-1, in the third house, Saturn has moved to conjunct

the Sun (ruler of the ninth, higher education) in his freshman year.
It is clear that school that year would not be easy. Sun is natally
oppo site Neptune, one of the signatures of low self-esteem, but
more importantly, pertaining to education, an indicator more of a
music major than a scientist.
Saturn rules the second house which is the house pertaining to
how we value ourselves in regard to getting a return in the form of
material income. In this case, he was coming to an awareness (the
oppo sition) that his worthiness was not to be found in his current
circumstances. He was feeling his lack of success in schoo l keen ly.
With Saturn (conflict, pain and doub t) contacting the Sun/Neptune
oppo sition, the possibilities of letting this incident "get" to him were
enormous. An Astrologer could have helped him to see this during
that time, which would have eased a lot of grief.
He was in a critical dilemm a about life direction pertaining to
career as it was man ifesting in the arena of education at that time.
By the time he was well into his sophomo re year, solar arc Saturn
was oppo site Neptune. You can move solar arc positions ahead
mentally by 5 minutes a month to determine when upcoming
contacts will be made . A decision (Saturn in the third house) had to
be made about the very founda tion of his life (Neptune rules the
fourth house) in terms of his education (natal Neptune in the ninth).
To add to this, the Moon, ruler of the eighth, is conjunct natal
Neptune in
16
the ninth, showing that his educationa l choices would have been
confused by other peop le’s values (eighth house).
But, was he a musician? Well, yes and no. He ultimately
became a compu ter programmer. After all he has Virgo on the MC,
but his love of music was awakened at this time as evidenced in his
own words:

"My father played the violin. He loved to play

for other people's enjoyment — dancing, singing,
even conversation. Wheneve r he took out the violin,
it seemed like the room became brighter, the conve
rsations livelier. He had a loving expression with the
bow in his hands. I took a picture of that. My son
has the same expression. Howeve r, he did not like
classical music, thinking it was too pretentious.
When I met my Hungarian friend in college,
he played classical music for me during our lunch
period at the college's music library, and on Friday
afternoon we listened to live concerts of the
Boston Symphony . It took perhaps a
month of hearing before I really listened . The music
that turned me to it was Beethoven 's S ixth
Symphony , "The Pastoral." It "took" me to the
countryside, woods, to the songs of the birds, all
things of nature. It was a very spiritual expe rience.
From then on I was in love with music. Even though
I could never convince my father to hear classical
music, neve rtheless, we still shared the forms of
music I grew up with. I just expanded my interest.
Think of what that did for me when I went to
Europe."
A curious footnote: he said that most of the compu ter programmers
he worked with were music majors!
 17
Stud ent Exercis e: Using September 30 , 1952 as a
starting date, examin e the transits for this chart throughout
the fall and all of the next year.

A Shoc king Disco very

Three months after Cherry was born, her mother ended her
abusive ma rriage, and as pa rt of the divorce, had the father agree to
have no privileges of seeing his child in exchan ge for having to pay
no suppo rt for her. When Cherry was two years old, her mother was
ma rried again to a wonde rful man who was the only father Cherry
had ever known, and she assumed he was her biological father.
Cherry knew he had other children from a previous marriage, and in
her desire to be loved equally, she needed constant re-assurance that
she was just as important to him as they were, but it had never
really been a problem. One day she found out the truth, as she says
in her own words:

"My mother was away on one of her trips,

and my dad and I had been having a really good tim
e. I seem to remember it being vacation time for me,
as I’d spent the days playing at my dad’s work. Dad
and I had a really good relationship, and it was
very easy to spend time with him, and I really
enjoyed being with him. When my mother was
away, those times together seemed more special
as we shared a comm on pain—m issing mom!
It was a Sunday and we had spent the day at
my grandparents’ house. During the afternoon I’d
decided that I wanted to spend the night. Dad had
said no, and that he’d prefer to have me at home.
Now, on retrospect, I can understand that the
reason he said no was purely emotional — he
didn’t want to be alone. Unfortunately, being a
child, I didn’t recognize his need and simply acted
on my own.
18
Typical of a spoilt child, I stormed into the
house, told my Gran that Dad had said no, and
proceeded to tell her that he acted just like a mean
old stepfather! Her answer came as a complete
shock. To this day I canno t remember her exact
words. The only thing I do remember are the two
words I heard that ultimately changed my life: real
father and stepfather, and the ice-cold feeling of
shock that swept over me. I felt abandoned and
alone . I couldn’t run to my mother and ask her if it
was true, and I was too scared to ask my Dad for
fear that he would confirm what I had just heard,
and in some way change our relationship and his
love for me. I don’t really remember what happened
after that. I did go home with him that night, and I
do remember telling him every few minutes how
much I loved him, and I remember the tears, both of
ours.
Being a child at the time, I don’t know the
ram ification of my Gran’s declaration on the “adult
world”, but it definitely changed the way I saw the
world. I no longer felt sure of anything. And it took
awhile before I felt totally secure about my place in
our family. In time, I believe the truth actually
brought my Dad and I closer, and in some way
cemented our father and daughter relationship, but
if I’d had the choice to know, or not know, I think
I’d much rather never have known ."

Through pa ssport records and the fact of the time being a

vacation from schoo l and a Sunda y, we have surmised that this event
took place on Janua ry 2, 1972 . In Figure 1-2, we’ve included the
seconda ry progressions in the second wheel as a point of interest.
Notice that althou gh solar arc Uranu s has pa ssed natal Pluto by 40
minutes of arc, solar arc Saturn is approaching a square to the
MC by 34 minutes of arc. Often when more than one solar arc
contact is imminent, which indicates a potent time in the person’s
life, the event(s) will not
19
Figure 1-2
20
occur when exact, but wait until they are both almost equidistant from
being exact and then be triggered by a transit or luna tion.
Pluto rules the fourth house. In the ongoing discourse of
whether the fourth is the mother or the father, I learned from
Patricia Petty Munns that she believes the tenth is the parent of the
same sex. I have found that to be true thus far. In this case, the father
would be the fourth. From the time Cherry was born, any astrologer
could see that around age ten she would have a surprise (Uranu s)
about her father when Uranu s moved by solar arc to conjunct Pluto.
Uranu s is often called the planet of sudden awakening, and that is
precisely what happened here, a sudden awakening about her father.
Likewise, one can see that when Saturn moved to square the MC,
and simultan eou sly the fourth cusp, of course, she would have severe
doub ts about emo tiona l security (fourth house) and how much she
could trust authority figures (MC). Solar arc Sun was quincunx the
Moon within 7 minutes, which would show an adjustmen t with her
mother and a separation forever from her old values (Sun rules the
second) about her very self (Moon rules the first).
Seconda ry progressed Mercury had just chan ged signs and
was approaching a square to Uranu s, and that square was triggered
that day by transiting Saturn at 0 degrees Gemini. Saturn was
moving very slowly and made a station at 29:34 Taurus late in Janua
ry, keeping this experience very raw for a few months. Transiting
Neptune was conjunct Mars, showing her confusion about what to
do. That contact also continued for weeks.
And last, solar arc north node is quincunx natal Jup iter with 2
minutes orb, indicating a re-assessmen t of what love is. Jupiter
rules the fifth house. This was a karmic event, since the nodes are
involved, which is shaping her attitude s about the kind of man she
will ma rry (Jup iter is in the seventh) and her attitude toward her own
children (Jupiter ruling the fifth). This was a profound event that
was mean t to happen . There is more about this father/dau ghter
relationship in chapter six.
 21

Stud ent Exercis e: Loo k at the ec lipses that occ

urred in August 1971 and those just following the event,
and notice how profoundl y they affec t this chart.
 Chapter Two
As the Twig is Bent

A baby is born with a Moon /Uranu s conjunction in Cancer

only 22 minutes in orb of being exact. Moving at 5 minutes a month,
Uranu s will conjunct the Moon by solar arc at approxima tely four
and a ha lf months of age. His family has repeated the tale all his
life about the event at that time. His mother went on a trip and took
him along. For a few da ys on the trip she left him with a couple of
aunts while she went off alone. The aunts said he cried the whole
time his mother was away. It was his first separation from her. Who
knows why it affected him so strongly? Perhaps there was an
abandonm ent in a pa st life. Suffice to say, he sees women as
unpredictable and independen t. Since we make our own reality by
the way we perceive things, you can bet your life women will fulfill his
expectations!
A girl has the Sun square Mars (Sun rules the fourth) with an
orb of 4 degrees, 44 minutes that is exact by solar arc at age 4 years
and 9 months. She also has Saturn conjunct Mercury in the twelfth
house, 5 degrees and 39 minutes orb, that will become exact at age 5
years and roughly 8 months. Saturn rules the ninth house, and
Mercury rules the second and fifth. At age four and a ha lf to five
years, there is a memo ry of anger and violence. Then at age
five and a ha lf to five and three quarters the parents
divorced. She saw her father again
23
24
only once, by acciden t, and that was all. Expectations of men are
not high. Persona l value and ego (second and fifth houses) are
strongly affected when a child is not sought out nor obviously thought
of again. There was no emo tiona l nor finan cial suppo rt. Will this
affect her marriages? Absolutely! The pattern will repeat again and
again until she unde rstand s that she can evaluate herself differently.
This kind of synchronism goes on in every birth chart. There
is no argumen t that childhood trauma s set up responses that become
automa tic by the time pube rty sets in. If there is no hea ling process
implemen ted for these responses, they continue into adu lthood . We
all pretty much concur that it is necessary to unde rstand the origina l
triggers in order to transform our adu lt dilemm as.
However, there are two things that are amazing. One, the
birth chart prom ises the events that evoke responses in childhood at
the moment of birth before the infant has even shaken hand s with
mom and dad ! And, two, because of the surround ing maze of suppo
rt in the chart conne cted to those triggers, positive or negative, each
child reacts differently to the same potential trauma s. A Sun/Mars
conne ction, for instance, will be perceived differently, and therefore
evoke different responses, according to each child's tempe rament.
Good que stions are "Where does the ‘game plan’ come
from?", "Who wrote the script?" and "How does one get the
temperament shown in the cha rt?" Hard to answer, but perhaps the
concept of reincarna tion holds a clue. The que stion we can answer,
with a little investigation, is "How can we tell when in adu lt life the
childhood trauma s will surface and beg for hea ling?" That is valuable
information that peop le need to make sense of wha t's happen ing to
them at any given time.
The average birth cha rt is full of aspects. Some are singular,
mean ing they are not part of a pattern, such as a T-square or grand
trine. Some are wide in orb, others tight. We can assign a kind of
hierarchy based on this. The tighter the orb
 25
of an aspect in the birth cha rt, the earlier in childhood the aspect will
become exact by solar arc motion. Therefore, it is most likely to be
deep ly buried and an instinctive response. The more conne cted the
aspect is with a pattern of other interlocking aspects, the more
complex the childhood events are.
We could say that a life is compo sed of two main dramas.
The first unfolds before the age of ten when all aspects in the natal
cha rt will have "closed." That is, by solar arc motion they will have
become exact. The ages at which these occur can be determined
quickly since solar arc motion is roughly one degree a year and
five minutes a month. Therefore, if a Neptune/Venus square is 4
degrees apart in orb, then it will "close" at age four. If it were 4
degrees 30 minutes in orb, it would do so at four and a half years.
It doesn’t matter if the aspect is app lying, separating or retrograde.
The planet in the lower degree is moved forward to contact a planet
in a higher degree at the age shown by the amoun t of the solar arc
incremen t. Transits will trigger these closures earlier or later than the
exact pa rtile time, but most dramas unfold over a period in excess
of a month anyway. There can be several events conne cted to one
drama tic time period. There is usually a strong conne ction between
events that coincide with the closures of aspects involved in a pa
ttern, such as a grand square or a T- square, and are therefore,
unde rstanda bly, more important.
The second drama is the rest of the life as these origina l
natal aspects and patterns move on to aspect each other. A single
oppo sition involving only two planets may eventua lly move to a
position where it will interact with a T-squ are for a while. The
interaction will initiate and unfold a drama lasting until the whole
pa ttern has finished its mutua lly ene rgizing process. The longer the
interaction lasts, the more impa ct there is on the life. It is especially
dynam ic if there is more than one such drama unfolding. This is
when peop le usually experience profound change. You can be sure
that each time this happen s, it is an oppo rtunity to heal the child
within, to make a conne ction
26
to the childhood drama that initiated an automa tic defense mechan
ism that pre-disposed the child to react in a way that is protective of
itself in the future. Most of the time, if not all the time, this response
is purely subconscious. It has a life of it’s own.
But, we are not only containing subconscious reactions from
this life. We are also carrying around with us unfinished business and
auto response mechanisms from past life dramas. The childhood
events, themselves, could be, and most likely in all cases are,
situations we have chosen in order to set the wheels of the life lesson
in motion. Ga ry Zukav tells us in The Seat of the Soul, that there is
really nothing unfair happen ing in the world, and that we set it all in
motion by the choices we make. Choices are not just what we pick
out, like a suit of clothes or a life partner, but more importantly,
they are the way we choose to respond to any event or situation at
all. How we choose to perceive and react to each event is more impo
rtant than anything else we do in life, and it actua lly sets up the future
for us. Is that response self-dep recating or is it self-empo wering? A
little child respond s in the way his or her tempe rament is inclined ,
and the natal cha rt tells us what this inclina tion is.

A Frightening Experience

Our friend from chap ter one, Jack C., remembe rs a trauma
from childhood that took place at age 8. When an event is etched in
memo ry as vividly as this one, it most likely will have an impact that
triggers an auto-response mechanism. Jack C. tells us:

“At eight, I remember going out of schoo l in

second grade and a teacher handed me over to a
policeman. He took me into the police car while kids
lined up on both sides of the road. He accused me
of breaking windows in an
 27
abandoned house. I told him I wasn’t there, but
playing with my friends. No matter what I said, he
refused to believe. I was scared out of my wits.
Here I am telling the truth and not being believed.
I was certain in my mind, he would drive off with
me, and I would never see my family or friends
again. So to get it over with, I confessed, naming
my friends and some schoolmates that were with
me. Finally, my brother came along and told the
policeman it was he. But my father, as a S ing S
ing guard, knew all the local police and gave him
‘what for’ in no uncertain terms. This made me
have good feelings toward him as a fair person (my
brother got the razor strap).
To this day policemen make me nervous at
times. I am very concerned about people being
wrongfully convicted and leery about “confessions”.
If that is the only thing the prosecution has, then as a
potential juror, I would tend not to be persuaded
unless the defendant confesses at the trial. I am a
firm believe r in the Miranda rights.”

This took place in April or May 1942 . Solar arc

directions for Ja ck’s cha rt at that time (Figure 2-1) show that an
important closure of natal aspects was taking place.
The Sun/Neptune oppo sition was within a degree of activating natal
Mercury, which is conjunct Mars, and adds the impa ct of anger.
Neptune is separating in aspect; the Sun is app lying. Mercury rules the
MC (authority figures) and the seventh house (public). This took
place in the third house (elemen tary school and siblings). The Sun
rules the ninth house, which is where we find attitudes about ethics,
hone sty, the law, etc., and Neptune is located there. It is easy to see
what this event would be about.
 Remembe r that these contacts will remain active for the
larger part of a year, and so there were probab ly several instances
in his young life, when the issues of truthfulness and
28
Figure 2-1
 29
the power of authority over ‘smaller’ peop le (justice) were brought
to his attention that year. A Neptune/Sun/Moon/Asc. configuration
like this one can often indicate a person who feels like a victim some
times. The nature is sensitive, and sympa thy is easily aroused both
for oneself and others who appear to be unde rdogs. A person with
this much sensitivity has no problem empathizing with the less
fortuna te but can become a martyr.

Injustices Revisited

Ja ck C.’s cha rt has two main themes of concern. One is the

sensitive T-square between the Sun/Neptune/Moon/ Ascendant,
which also includes the nearby Mercury/Mars conjunction, and the
other is the intense focus of the Jupiter/ Uranus /Pluto T-square.
Because of the childhood experience described above, we can expect
an innate response to situa tions that subconsciously remind him of
that time. From roughly 1977 through 1991 , the Jupiter/Uranus/Pluto
T-square moved over the Neptunian configuration by solar arc. This
doesn’t imply that all the events of the period will be trauma tic. After
all, in the childhood event, his brother confessed to the crime, and
the outcome was positive. He has a rather strong faith that “good guys
win.”
One of his first memo ries of the late 70's and 80's is a positive
experience.

“In August or September 1979 , I was

approached by my boss, who wanted to give me a
major promotion. I would be the second in the
company with such a position, a very pleasant
surprise. In order to get it, I would have to appe ar
before a board. It comprised my boss’ boss, some
senior managers of the support group, technical
support people from the field, field service
(hardware group ) and enginee ring. I was to be
asked both technical and support
30
issues questions including how to handle
customers. In addition, I was to make a presentation
on a support issue that needed attention.
Surprisingly, I took it rather nonchalantly, sailed
through the board presentation smoothly and was
awarded the promotion. Perhaps there was a
spiritual message that if one is not anxious or
attached to a desire, things may come out for you
if you deserve them.”

In Figure 2-2, there is a reciprocal formation of these two T-

square configurations. That is, both patterns had moved by solar arc
to contact each other. Persona l recognition is shown by the reciprocal
contacts of Jup iter and the Ascend ant. Solar arc Moon had just pa
ssed a conjunction with Jup iter, and Jup iter is approaching a square
to the Moon . There is only a 16 minute separating orb of the solar
arc Sun conjunct Uranu s in the fifth house, and solar arc Uranus
was only 2 minutes applying to a square to natal Sun, demon
strating the sudden attention he was getting. Above all, though, there
was a conjunction of solar arc Pluto to the natal Moon, and a
separating square from solar arc Moon to natal Pluto that tells us what
a profound transforma tion on a subconscious level this was
providing. Pluto rules the twelfth, and the Moon rules the eighth
houses, which are related to the subconscious and unconscious
minds.
These are, however, T-squares, which aren’t all sweetness and
light. There are lessons to be learned here as well. The configurations
were active for more than a decade. He says of the mid-80's:

“One set of very disturbing m atters occurred

with my daughter. She had very difficult teen age
years, especially from 1980 -1987 . She was so shy
that she wouldn't answer the phone , go
shopping, and barely left the house
31
Figure 2-2
32
except as necessary. I felt helpless in not being able
to do a "father knows best". She didn't date during
her high school years. When she met someone in
college in 1983 it was a disastrous relationship. He
was a former Army Ranger, real macho (not like
me or my two sons). She wanted to marry him
badly. But, thankfully, he hesitated. He was so bad
that his own mother warned her of him. He could
be abusive. All I could think of was her someday
knocking at my door with a couple of young kids,
and he would be stalking her. When she talked
about him, and that wasn't very often, I told her, ‘I
don 't see you are happy with him’. No response. So
I knew the answer. Eventually, she took the time to
grow up and found out what he was like in reality,
even though it took a long time, six years, to finally
break it off.”

Ja ck’s cha rt shows an easy commun ication with his children.

Mars, ruler of the fifth house, is conjunct Mercury in the third house,
and both trine Pluto in the eighth house. He has a close conne ction
to them. But, in 1983 , (Figure 2-3) solar arc Mercury and Mars
had moved to square his natal Venus. Mercury conjunct Mars in
the third house is a very nervous ene rgy anyway, and at this time it
was beginning to affect his health, since Venus rules his sixth
house. His confusion about what to do about the situa tion is clearly
shown by the solar arc Jupiter/Pluto square contacting his Neptune,
where it had been active for quite awhile.
It doesn’t take too much ima gina tion to see a conne ction
between his anxiety about his daughter and his own anxiety about
being at the mercy of the police who didn’t believe what he told
them. The macho boyfriend could symbolize his own policeman
image, and his daughter was his off-spring, a pa rt of himself. His
own father had interceded for him, and so he subconsciously felt he
ought to be able to make it ok for his dau ghter.
33
Figure 2-3
34
In 1985 , his mother died, and he says of that experience:

“That was the year I wished never happened ,

but there are those and can’t be avoided. That was
the year in which my mother died. One of the most
disturbing matters about it was the way she was
treated at the hospital, the attitude of the place, and
the people who worked there were totally in
opposition to the way it was when my father died in
1966 . They seemed to care less in their treatment.
The doctor was not responsive to inquiries and
perform ed what he called a “procedure” relating to
kidney failure (my mother was 81).
Spiritually, it was difficult to unde rstand any
caring God who would let a perfectly wonde rful
person die in such agony. Only in reading and
hearing Rabbi Kosher (When Bad Things Happen
to Good People) was I able to have some
understanding.
That was the year I fell into the depression. Had
a nightmarish new manager to work for. One person,
who had a laid-back personality, was going to punch
him out, and it took several others to restrain him.
The onset of the depression had its beginning in
late fall of 1985 . I remember losing so much weight
that I got down to about 135 pound s. Gaunt. Went
into the hospital in March 1986 for about five weeks.
I was put on an anti- depressant and lithium. Turns
out I was m is- diagnosed as a manic-depressive. A
couple years later, I dropped the lithium as I felt I
didn’t need it and was concerned about the long
term side effects, such as possible uncontrollable
 twitching (didn’t have) and damage to the liver
(didn’t happen).”

The solar arc directions for April 1986 (Figure 2-4) shows a
turning point approaching. Solar arc Mars and Mercury are in
35
Figure 2-4
36
trine to Neptune, an indication of spiritual hea ling possibly taking
place. Venus, Moon and Ascend ant are shortly going to change signs,
so a new attitude is evolving. The Uranu s/Jup iter/Pluto T- square is
still going to contact Mercury and Mars in a few years, but for now,
quite a bit of stress is behind him. Through a study of Astrology and
Metaph ysics, Ja ck has come to unde rstand his pa tterns clearly, and
instead of feeling victimized, sees now why the events happened as
they did to teach him what he needed to know about himself in
order to heal those portions of his soul that needed integration.

Stud ent Exercis e: The promotion in Figure 2 -2 occ

urred in S eptember 1979 . Loo k at the ec lipse of S ept. 6th that
year, and note the transits in effec t that month, as well.

A Child ’s Unusual Famil y Life

Laura H. had a very unusual childhood that did not appear

at all dep rived if one were looking at it through an outsider’s eyes. It
was obvious she was loved and well-cared for. So why did she grow
up ha ving a fear of abandonm ent? Her natal chart (center wheel
of Figure 2-5) shows that her early home life (fourth house) had a
bit of irritation and instability about it (Mars in the fourth oppo site
Uranu s), but it was pleasant enou gh (Jupiter in the fourth sextile
Venus, Mercury and Neptune in the second). But, Mercury
and Neptune in the second house of worthiness are oppo site Saturn.
There is a vivid ima gina tion at work with an inclina tion to be critical of
one ’s worthiness (Virgo placemen ts in the second house) in a
negative (Saturn) way. Her father was a Scorpio, and liked his
privacy. Saturn (father) is in the eighth house. Regarding her
childhood , Laura says,
37
Figure 2-5
38
“When I was six years old, in the summ er of 1941
, my father decided to sell our home in Newpo rt
News, VA and move his wife and three little girls to
the coun try. Up until that point, life had been fairly
typical except for World War II, and the fact that my
dad had to work at night at the shipyard for the war
effort. My paternal grandparents already lived in the
country in the old homestead, and my father soon
built a building with a small apartment over it that
was just large enough for my mother and father.
During the summ er, that wasn’t so bad. We ate our
meals with my parents and went over to my
grandparents’ house to sleep.
When cold weather arrived, it was not fun
anymore. We got up in a cold room and ran over to
my parents home to get dressed, eat breakfast and
get ready for school. Some mornings my mother
would drive us to the head of the lane to catch the
bus, but other times we walked the half m ile.
This was supposed to be a temporary
arrangement, but the months turned into years, and
it became obvious that my dad was very
comfortable with the arrangement and had no
intention of changing it. These were the years when
I first learned about rejection. My grandparents were
not too happy with the arrangement and complained
loudly to each other when they didn’t know we
could hear them. My dad was always anxious to
have us go over to my grandparents so he could be
alone with my mother. I felt very much like I was in
everyone ’s way, and the longer this went on, the more
I began to depend on myself. They were never mean
and seemed to love us, but we did not seem to be
conven ient. My father never did build a house for us,
and I never spent a night under the same roof with
my parents until 1978 , when my father had a
stroke.”
 39
Laura’s cha rt, directed by solar arc for age 6 in Figure 2- 5,
clearly shows this major change in her life. At first, it was looked
upon as a good thing (solar arc Moon was trine natal Venus), and
the summe r was fun. The shake up in the daily routine is shown
by solar arc Ascend ant in quincunx to Saturn. Saturn rules the sixth
house, which, amon g other things, represents the daily chores and
maintenance we must perform to keep life mana geable. I’ve found
the quincunx aspect to be quite prevalent in situa tions where we are
adjusting to new circumstances, leaving the pa st behind or dea ling
with a separation of some sort. The semi-sextile aspect is the “other
side” of the quincunx. In other words, if aspects are viewed in terms
of their relationship to an oppo sition, then the complement of the
trine is the sextile, the complemen t of a square is another square,
and the complemen t of the quincunx is the semi-sextile. It stand s to
reason that it must behave similarly. After all, the two signs are not in
harmony, and as with the quincunx, are too different to even have
a basic conflict, and are therefore, separative. The solar arc Sun is
semi-sextile the ascendant, giving us much the same message as the
Ascendant/Saturn aspect.
Natally, Sun is semi-sextile Pluto, promising this kind of
disjointed home life at some time since Pluto rules the intercepted
fourth house, and the Sun rules the ascendant. At the same time
that the Sun has moved to semi-sextile the Ascendant, Pluto has
moved by solar arc to conjunct the Ascend ant. This spea ks of
physical strain, but more impo rtantly, the demise of her sense of
persona l emotiona l security in the home . Pluto (death) co-rules the
fourth, which represents emotional security issues. Because Pluto is
natally conjunct the ascend ant, the Sun is in the first house, and
because it is all clothed in Leo energy, she need s much more
attention and reassurance than the average child. “...I began to depend
on myself...” is very telling. That is promised by natal Uranu s
40
square the Ascendant, a strong indicator of independen ce learned at
an early age.
The natal chart also promises that there would be stress between
daughter and father since Pluto natally squares the MC, and quite
tidily, the MC has moved by solar arc at this time to close the
square showing that this strain is beginning at this age. In roughly
seven months, it would be exact.
What would normally happen eventually unde r these
circumstances? In most cases, a young lady would find an early oppo
rtunity to leave, and that is just what she did. In Figure 2-6 we see
that solar arc Saturn has moved to trine natal Pluto. So we have a
beginning contact between the second/eighth house oppo sitions and
the MC/AC/Pluto configuration. Again, there is a depa rture from the
da ily routine shown by solar arc Saturn quincunx natal Sun. Solar
arc Sun has moved to a conjunction to Neptune which had been
exact the year before when she gradua ted from High School.
Interestingly, when solar arc Sun was exactly conjunct Neptune, she
went to college for a brief time but was suspended because of being
accused of something she didn’t do. Neptune rules the ninth and
also represents deception. It affected her sense of worthiness
profound ly since Sun rules the first and second houses. Her parents
simply didn’t believe she was innocent. Her ego (Sun) was
dissolved (Neptune). After that, in her own words....

"I got a job and met the man I would m arry.

After a courtship of only three months, I was
married in August 1954 to a man I knew I did not
love. I was looking for an escape from home and
someone to love me. On the honey moon, it was
obvious that I had made a serious m istake. I thought
maybe if I stuck with it, I could learn to love him. I
tried to convince myself that I could. In the fourth
month of marriage, I found out I
41
Figure 2-6
42
was pregnant and accepted my fate. My son was
born prematurely on May 28, 1955 .”

In August 1954 , (Figure 2-6) solar arc Neptune is trine the

seventh house cusp, indicating a ma rriage. The Sun will sextile
Jupiter, ruler of the fifth house, in a year. That is the signature of the
birth of a child, although, it could have been a love affair. Her son
has been the greatest pleasure of her life.
But, it is obvious that the soul has been presented with a
challenge for growth by looking ahead a few degrees. Notice that the
solar arc Moon/Jupiter oppo sition is approaching a square to Saturn.
This is a classic example of childhood issues being brought to bear on
adu lt circumstances. This contact will occur in three years. Note also,
that the solar arc Uranus will square the natal Sun in three years, as
well. In the first instance, solar arc Moon square natal Saturn operates
on several levels. The lack of emo tiona l fulfillmen t and security is
beginning to be a hea vy burden, and a feeling of guilt arises at being
unab le to fulfill another’s needs. Solar arc Jup iter square Saturn shows
the lack of love in the relationship (Jup iter rules the fifth house) and
the inab ility to keep on striving. The Moon/Jup iter oppo sition by solar
arc would be in square aspect to natal Mercury the year before, so
perhaps an exaggerated sense of optimism would be prevalent, or pre-
occupa tion with the baby would make it easier. When finally Uranus
by solar arc moved to square the
Sun, the urge to be free would have been most pressing. It is an
awakening to ego needs not being met, and is a classic indication of
breaking loose from whatever seems to be tying one down. In add
ition, the solar arc noda l axis, three years after the ma rriage, was
square natal Mars, an indication of stress and irritation in the
environmen t.
It might be worthwhile injecting here, it is a theo ry that when
the node s are involved in any solar arc activity, there is a good
chance that it is particularly karmic in nature. Meaning it is the result
of prior action and/or choices from past lives. Newton’s
 43
third law of motion states that for every action there is an equal and
oppo site reaction. That is all karma is. If one ma rries a person one
does not love, in order to receive love, then there has to be a reaction
that will teach the person that love is, by nature, reciprocal and
uncond itiona l. Karma is set into motion by the choices we make,
whether in this life or some other.
The divorce was final in 1958 , four years after the marriage.
Note the MC by solar arc had moved, by that time, the four
degrees necessary to oppo se Mars. Mars rules the MC which is the
prima ry indicator of status in the world (ma rried, single, divorced,
etc.) as well as the career.
Laura H. had her most intense experience starting in 1966 .
She says of this time:

“In 1966 , I met my second husband, and we

seemed to click from the first date. I fell very deeply
in love, and he did too. This was a miracle to me,
and I thought that I finally had found my place in
the world and my love. My wedding day, March
25, 1967 , was the happiest day of my life, right up
there with the birth of my son in 1955 .
My happiness was short-lived , howeve r, due to
my husband’s illness. He had his first heart attack in
1970 and seve ral more after that, then open heart
surgery when they found he had congenital heart
disease, and all that was left was scar tissue. They
said he could possibly live five years. It was the
things that came with the disease that hurt me most.
He suffered severe depression from the blood not
getting to his brain. He became a Dr. Jeky ll and
Mr. Hyde, and his frustration was taken out on me.
My life became hell, and the feelings of rejection
were deeply entrenched. He finally took his own
life on December 8, 1975 , and I was destroyed.
S ince that time, I have had years of agony and
trying to get past the feelings of rejection. When I
think I am there, there comes something
44
else thrown in my path to bring me up short and tell
me I’m not there yet. I have never been able to have
another romantic relationship. It is just an instinct of
self-preservation. No love; no pain.”

Figure 2-7 is a cha rt directed for the wedding date of Laura’s

second ma rriage. The Sun and Pluto had been interacting with each
other. The year before the wedding, when they met, the Sun was
sextile Pluto and Pluto was conjunct the Sun, certainly indicating a
profound ly intense conne ction that affected her on an emotiona l
security level (Pluto co-rules the fourth house).
If you were an Astrologer, however, and were trying to
determine how the future several years would go, you could easily
see that there was another oppo rtunity coming up that would
further her soul growth. The natal Ascendant/ Uranus
/Mars pattern has moved by solar arc to begin activating the natal
Mercury/ Neptune/Saturn configuration, and solar arc Venus was on
the way to square Pluto in roughly three years, and then would
square the natal Ascendant a few years after that.
What does one say to a client on the happ iest day of her life
when such a drama is about to unfold? First, the natal configurations
have to be explained in such a way that she will unde rstand what
her innate conflicts and life lessons are. We are in a schoo l here, not a
playground . Every life has a curriculum. Most of us can accept our
life course syllabus, if we only knew what it was.
Start with the Moon ’s node s which is the hea rt of the life
course. In this chart, the south node is in the twelfth house in
Cancer. In pa st lives there has been much time spent in spiritua l
developmen t and isolation (twelfth house). Perhaps, because the
South Node is in Cancer, it was because of family ties for some
reason. Family dependen ce has assumed a role of major importance,
almost too much so. In past lives there was too
45
Figure 2-7
46
much expectation developed on what a family provides, especially
emotional security dependen cy.
With the North Node in Capricorn in the sixth house, the
task is to become more service oriented herself, but also to learn to
be in control of her own destiny. Essentially, the problem is one of
dependen cy on being nurtured versus the need to learn to be
independen t and strong enou gh to provide nurturing for others.
Usua lly, when the south node is in Cancer, the family the person is
born into does not provide the emo tiona l suppo rt that the soul has
come to expect, and this forces self- reliance. No matter where the
person looks for this emotiona l dependen cy, it will not be found ,
because it would keep the person in the past rather than contribute
to growth. Ironically, once a soul starts to take respon sibility for
developing the north node requ iremen ts, the old hab its and
expectations drop away, and life becomes much more mana geable.
When it comes to ma rriage, Laura’s cha rt promises, at least
as long as needed , relationships that force her to take an
independen t stand . Uranu s rules the seventh house, is oppo site Mars
and squares the ascendant. It is quite eloquen t in it’s
simplicity. But, from past life habits, she would prefer the
Cancerian/twelfth house life of being nurtured and cared for in a
private, secure (Moon is in Taurus), idea listic environmen t. One of
the Astrologer’s jobs is to point out to clients that what they want
may not be what they need. If one does not voluntarily
accept the circumstances of the life curriculum, it will still be present,
but just not in harmony with the desire nature. As A Cou rse in
Miracles says, we can “look at things a different way.” There is no
law that dictates how we must perceive a situa tion. We have total
free will to respond in any way we wish, and it is in the way we
choose to perceive things that makes all the difference in how the
world respond s to us.
In Laura’s case, it would have been impo ssible for me to tell
her that her husband would ultimately take his own life. In the first
place, it was his choice, and he didn’t have to make that
 47
particular decision. If we were destined , withou t having a choice, to
do something like killing ourselves or another person, then what is
the point of the Ten Commandmen ts? It wouldn’t make sense.
Secondly, even if it were possible to tell that it was a probab ility, it
would have been irresponsible to plant such a seed. But I would
have told her, in detail, that she had a life lesson about learning to
be independen t within the structure of a family, and that the best
way to approach any problems that might arise in her upcoming
ma rried life would be to avoid feeling like a victim (south node in
the twelfth house) and to realize she would soon be asked to take
charge and be the one giving suppo rt rather than receiving it. I would
have made it clear that it didn’t necessarily mean there would be a
crisis, but in sma ll ways from the beginning, if she voluntarily took
that attitude, it would make a huge difference in the outcome of
things. I would have further pointed out the times when she would
need to make impo rtant decisions in this regard, which would have
been the months that solar arc directions made exact aspects to natal
planets. ( I use seconda ry progressions and transits as well, so this is
just one technique used, albeit the major one.)
It is also impo rtant to note that Laura has a tenden cy to
become overly emo tiona l when faced with eviden ce, as she sees it,
of rejection. That is a north node in Capricorn trait; plus she has
Moon oppo site Jup iter, which also indicates over-reaction, not to
mention being a dramatic doub le Leo! If she could be made aware
that many times her reactions were not appropriate to the
circumstances, it might help to convince her to stop and think
before reacting strenuou sly, taking things too persona lly, or
interpreting behavior incorrectly.
In Figure 2-8, which is for the date of her husband’s suicide,
notice that the solar arc Sun is quincunx Uranu s. Again and again,
I’ve noticed separations occurring with the quincunx aspect.
Literally, separation from her husband is being shown; Sun rules the
ascend ant (self) and Uranu s rules the seventh (legal
48
Figure 2-8
 49
pa rtner). It is only 5 minutes separating and so could have occurred
at any time in the previous month. It did not have to be the event
that happened . Separations can be effected many different ways,
even emo tiona lly while physically being in the same space. Solar
arc Venus is only minutes from squaring the ascendant, and the MC is
about to chan ge signs, which is a strong indication of one ’s status
chan ging in some way. Solar arc Neptune is semi-sextile the natal
Venus, which also acts like the separative quincunx. Interestingly,
solar arc Pluto is trine the natal Uranus, which indicates that shortly
before this event, she had taken control of the marriage, but things
were reaching a critical point where something had to be done .
There were probab ly several avenue s. Her profound self-ana lysis and
obsessivene ss about this for the next few years is shown by solar arc
Pluto activating the Mercury/Saturn oppo sition. She was being
asked to examine, unde rstand and change her thinking hab its.
Laura eventua lly grew through all this. She says now:

“I have been through therapy and with a lot of

help have overcome my family issues by taking my
own journey to the past in November 1995 to
release my inner children. I now know that my
husband did not reject me because he didn’t love
me; he could not help what happened to him
because of his illness. I also realized my parents
were dealing with their own issues.
My only desire is to have peace and enjoy what
life I have left, and I enjoy my home, my dog and
my own company. I have learned to love and
respect myself and know that I am worthwh ile.”

Laura was blessed to have found a therapist who knows a

technique of getting in touch with inner childhood issues. In much
the same manne r of a Shaman retrieving soul fragmen ts,
50
she went on an inward journey and re-integrated her past in a way
that healed her life course. Her chart for that time, Figure 2-9, shows
a profound awakening with solar arc Mercury oppo sing Uranu s,
solar arc Neptune conjunct natal Mars and solar arc Sun and Pluto
again approaching mutual aspects. The most hea ling indication for
those years of therapy is shown by solar arc Mars and Jup iter ma
king an ongoing grand trine configuration with her Taurus and Virgo
placemen ts. She was able to activate her innate wisdom and app ly it
to her past events fruitfully.

Stud ent Exercis e: Loo k at the transits and ec

lipses affec ting the time of her marriage, March 25 , 1967 ,
and the time of her husband ’s suicide, Decem ber 8 , 1975 .
51
Figure 2-9
 Chapter Three
Introduction to Cos
mobiology

With the translation from the origina l German of Reinhold

Ebertin’s The Combination of S tellar Influences, the English spea
king world had access to a more scientific approach to Astrology,
which was coined “Cosmobiology” by the Austrian physician, Dr.
Feerhow. What we call a horoscope was dubbed “cosmogram” in this
schoo l of thought. They origina ted the use of midpoints, some times
called “ha lf-sums,” midpoint structural elemen ts, sometimes called
“trees,” and made use of ingenious devices like the 45 degree
epheme ris and the 90 degree dial. With these tools, complex
diagrams and combinations were made more simple and mana
geable. The above reference is a good starting point to become
acquainted with this magnificent branch of Astrology. In this chap ter
we will examine only midpoint theory and its structural elemen ts.
The 45 degree epheme ris and 90 degree dial (and other similar
tools) can be studied in a plethora of Cosmobiology books already
in print.
Midpo ints are the degree positions that are ha lfway between
two bodies, points or angles of a cha rt. For instance, if a planet were
positioned at 5 degrees of Cancer, and another planet at 25
degrees of Cancer, then we would know that the midpoint between
them is 15 Cancer. It could be called a half sum because if we add
5 and 25, and then divide it in ha lf, we would get the midpoint
position, 15 Cancer. Most of the time

53
54
however, the planets for which we calculate midpoints are much
further apart than that. Hence, again, the arc conversion table
(chapter one) is hand y if you don’t have a good compu ter program.
For a chart with the basic planets, node s, MC and Ascendant, there
are around 78 to 80 midpoints!
Not all midpoints are equal in strength. Midpo ints should be
treated like any other point in a chart, such as the Part of Fortune
and other Arabian Parts, and viewed as capa ble of receiving aspects.
One midpoint may be in a position where it has no interaction with
many other planets or angles, whereas another midpoint may be
quite strong because it is in a place where nearly everything in the
chart energizes it by aspects. Conversely, a planet, point or angle of
a chart may be strengthened considerably by being involved in a pa
ttern where it is aspecting many midpoints. The planet could be very
weak otherwise, but take on much more importance because of
this phenomenon .
With so many midpoints and aspects with which to work, it is
to our advantage that the origina l Cosmobiologists devised the tool of
midpoint structural elemen ts or “trees.” The Solar Fire compu ter
program diagrams these the way Ebertin did, so it is a good source
for a visua l representation of them. In Figure 3-1, note that at the
top of each vertical set of planets is one planet, point or angle.
Sometimes there is more than one topmo st planet, but it will be
placed directly below. This mean s that they are so closely conne
cted, they share the same set of midpoint trees. Below it is a list of
planets in pa irs with a line between them. Included are points and
angles, but for simplicity, we will refer to all of them as planets. Each
pair represents the midpoint between those two planets. The planet at
the top is in aspect to each of the pairs below it. Beside some of
pairs, you will notice a lower case “d,” which stand s for “direct.”
That mean s that the top planet is directly conjunct the midpoint of the
pa ir. All the others are “indirect,” mean ing that the top planet is
in aspect but not in conjunction. This pa rticular
55
Figure 3-1
56
list designa tes all aspects of the eighth harmon ic. That is, it is based
on multiples of 45 degrees, and there are eight 45 degree segmen ts in a
circle. Any aspect that is a multiple of 45 degrees would be included .
The Ebertin school further developed mean ings for combinations of
three planets together, and they pa rticularly concentrated on hea lth
and med ical issues. They assigned a pa rt of the body to each degree
of the zodiac, which has been remarkably accurate, and they have
cited case histories showing certain diseases associated with pa
rticular midpoint combina tions.
Although I had known the techniques of Cosmobiology
since 1974 , I became even more interested when I personally
experienced an event that was a graphic confirmation of its
principles. In designating degrees, whether for Cosmobiology or for
Sabian Symbo ls, the first degree is 0 to 1, then the second degree is
1 to 2, and so on around the circle. In Cosmobiology, the 22nd degree
of Virgo, and only that degree, is the gall bladder. Conversely, it
represents only the gall bladder and no other part of the body. As you
all know, Pluto represents “death” among other things. Natally, I
have Neptune at 21:27 Virgo, the 22nd degree. When Pluto by solar
arc reached that degree, it foretold the “death of the gall bladder”
literally. That doesn’t mean that everyone who has a planet at 21 of
Virgo will necessarily have a gall bladder problem, but it is possible if
one ’s diet and hab its have been indicative of the probab ility, which
will be shown by other factors in the chart.
Surgery to remove the gall bladder was the morning the World
Trade Center was bombed , February 26, 1993 . Figure 3- 2 shows the
solar arcs in the second ring, and transits in the outer ring are for
approxima tely the middle of the surgery process. The solar arc
Pluto had been conjunct Neptune for a few months, but it was from
Valentine’s Day onward, that the trouble was acute. (I had been given
a lovely box of chocolates.) Notice that transiting Mars had been
oppo site natal Mars da ys earlier, and that Mercury in transit (the
dispositor of Neptune) had been
57
Figure 3-2
58
triggering the solar arc Pluto conjunction to Neptune just da ys earlier
as well, but interestingly, the transiting MC was conjunct the
transiting Mercury during the time that surgery was taking place.
Trad itiona lly, we look to the sixth house, Saturn and the
ascendant to tell us about health issues, but without Cosmobiology,
these positions and rulers don’t appear to be represented here.
However, if we study the midpoint structures, we’ll find they were all
represented and even spell out why the probab ility of this pa rticular
22nd degree Virgo planet ended up requiring attention. Figure 3-3
shows the midpoint trees. Neptune is the focus of our attention. It
is natally exactly oppo site Jup iter, one of the indications of over-indu
lgence, made stronger by Neptune being in the fifth house and the
dispositor of Jup iter. But, add the fact that Jup iter is directly
conjunct the midpoint of the Sun and Venus (ruler of Ascend ant and
the sixth house), and there are additional tenden cies to
overindulgence and love of rich food and conne cted to a hea lth
indicator. Ebertin also points to Sun/Venu s and Jup iter/Venu s conne
ctions as ha ving to do with gland s and glandu lar tissue. Since the
gall bladder stores secretions of bile, then it fits in this category.
Solar arc Pluto brought with him a midpoint tree of his own.
Under Pluto in the midpoint tree listing, you can see that there was
an indirect aspect of a square to the Sun/Ascendant midpoint, and a
direct aspect to the Saturn/north node midpoint. Saturn is closely
associated with hea lth. So, obviously, there was not only a tenden cy
to overindu lgence that was destined to affect the gall bladder, but it
did so at the time that solar arc Pluto triggered the whole pattern.
Not only does Cosmobiology give us a wealth of information
for natal interpretation, but it also has broadened the scope of
forecasting by showing that when a planet, point or an gle is
directed by solar arc, that planet, etc., brings with it the entire
midpoint tree it aspects, and when it aspects a position, it affects all
the midpoints that are conne cted with that position as
 59

Figure 3-3
60

well. The more midpoints involved in the contact, the more

profound the experience.

A Rebellious Year

Madeline W. was always a well-beh aved child. She has

Taurus rising, and those folks usua lly are non -confrontationa l,
preferring a peaceful life to the stress and strain of argumen t and
uphea val. Her chart is not overwhelmingly difficult, and until this pa
rticular year, she had been a happ y, obedient and delightful child.
Then came the winter of 1957 -58. She says of this period,

“For my sixteenth birthday party my mother

gave me money to buy a party dress. I went to
town to shop and found a beautiful pale blue
organza with lots of petticoats and a wide blue silk
sash. It cost more than I had in my purse. But, I
really wanted it. Knowing that I would get into troub
le, I neve rtheless decided to place the money my
mother gave me as a depo sit, and opened an
accoun t for the balance. I was in school and only
had a Saturday morning job, which didn’t pay too
much. How was I going to pay it off? But, that was
not on my mind – only the beautiful party dress.
Needless to say, there was “hell to pay,” and this also
caused friction between my parents.
The night of the party brought its own
problems. I had a young fellow that I was crazy
about, but my parents had forbidden me to see
him. They did not approve of him because they did
not think he was the right “type .” In spite of this, I
had invited him to the party. I took the chance,
thinking that my parents would never make a fuss
in front of all my friends. But, that was not to be.
The party was going great, when
 61
my boyfriend arrived, complete with stovepipe
pants and “ducktail” hairdo slicked down with
Brylcream. In those days, this “look” was a parent’s
nightmare! My father hit the roof. He stopped the
music and told all my friends that the party was
over, and they had to go home. I was dev astated,
but knew I had brought it upon myself.
Another time, even
having been forbidden to see this
fellow, I lied about visiting a girlfriend in order to see
him. I said I was going to sleep over at my
girlfriend’s house. Instead, I took a bus to meet my
boyfriend, and we went to a party. But, when the
party was over, I didn’t know where I was going to
sleep. I went to the bus stop and sat down wonde
ring what I should do. A man on a
motorbike stopped and asked me where I was going
at that time of night. S ince I was a little frightened , I
told him I was on my way home.
So, at midnight I caught a bus back home and
thought I could sleep under the hedge in our garden
until morning, then tell my parents that I had been
dropped off early. Howeve r, as the bus
approached my bus stop, I saw my father at the
gate! Because the interior bus lights were on, he saw
me sitting there. When I got off the bus, I was once
again in deep trouble. This whole period of time, I
was always doing what I knew I should not do. I also
knew the trouble it would cause, yet I went ahead
and took chances to get, or do, what I wanted.”

This drama took place in a coun try in the southern

hemisphere where the seasons are reversed, so the date of Februa ry
1958 was not too cold for sleep ing unde r a hedge in a garden.
Remembe r that a person cannot act out of character, so rebellion
would not be possible if it were not promised in the natal chart.
In Figure 3-4, the natal chart (center wheel) shows a twelfth house
Mars in Aries and Moon in Aries. Under certain
62
Figure 3-4
 63
cond itions, she is capable of being rebellious. But, in order to do so,
those positions of the cha rt would have to be activated. This period
of rebellion went on for several months, so it had to be more than
a mere Mars transit.
We associate Uranu s with rebe llion, and just as one might
suspect, there it was by solar arc just minutes away from a
conjunction to Jupiter which rules the eighth, other peop le’s power
and values. Solar arc ascend ant was conjunct natal Uranus, as well!
Plus, seconda ry progressed ascendant was conjunct natal Saturn,
which must have felt particularly stifling at that time. But the real rebe
llion was shown by first, the solar arc Moon in Aries within a degree
of a conjunction to the natal Mars, and second ly, progressed Moon
oppo site the solar arc Mars and both square natal and progressed
Pluto! This is one of those examples of why I think progressions do
activate solar arc planets.
The key players here are Uranus, Mars and Moon, so those
are the midpoint trees we will examine. Figure 3-1 lists Madeline’s
midpoint trees. (Inciden tally, trad itiona lly, Cosmobiologists refer to a
midpoint conne ction like an equation. Thus, Uranu s conjunct the
midpoint of Jup iter/Ascend ant would be expressed: Uranus =
Jupiter/ Ascendant. I am forgoing that in this book so that aspects
will be recognized. Once studen ts unde rstand the concepts, then the
jargon is easier to use.) Madeline does have a natal Uranu s
conjunction to the Jupiter/Ascendant midpoint which is a happ y
sense of humo r and expectation that everything will work out all right.
So when Uranu s came to the conjunction to Jup iter, it brought a pa
ttern in its midpoint trees that bestowed a kind of fearlessness. She
believed nothing terrible would happen . The same goes for the solar
arc Ascendant conjuncting natal Uranus. Under the Ascendant
midpoint tree, there is a Moon/Neptune contact, a semi-
square/sesqui-quad rate in the natal cha rt, which can be emotionally
delusional. This could be the source of the infatua tion with the
young man.
64
The Moon midpoint tree is very complex, but especially
notable is the Moon square the Uranus/Pluto midpoint. That is
emotiona l rebellion taken to extremes. When the Moon is making a
contact by solar arc, or being contacted by solar arc (or really any
mathema tical method), this willfulness will have an oppo rtunity to
express itself.
And last, the Mars midpoint tree, althou gh sma ll, shows
willfulness as well, since it is semi-square the Moon/Pluto midpoint.
That emph asized the progressed Moon and solar arc Mars square
natal and progressed Pluto, which activated the natal promise and
brought out potential expression, if she chose to do so.

Stud ent Exercis e: Loo k at the transits during the

winter of 1957 /58 and obse rve how they interacted with the
progress ions and so lar arc direc tions of Madeline’s chart.
 Chapter Four
The Mid-Life S hift Into Reverse

Socrates said, the unexamined life is not worth living. But what
is an examined life? Most of us probab ly feel it is one in which the
individua l independen tly reflects upon his or her pa st behavior
against the implacable mirror of some philosoph ical ideal. The
majority of us also probab ly think this is a free will choice we have.
After all, the only time one hea rs of an imposed retrospection is from
someone who has seen the grim jaws of death and has lived to tell
about it. Many who survived such an out-of-body experience
reported that during the perceived final momen ts, they saw their lives
flash before them — but in reverse order!
The Rosicrucians teach that for three and a ha lf da ys after
death, before the "silver cord" is severed, one reviews his or her life as
if it were a movie being rewound — hence, the reverse order. Then,
they tell us, we again view this retrospective (still in reverse) in one-
third the time it took us to actually live it. Because the progression of
events is in reverse order, we become aware of "cause and effect"
factors at work. We are able to see how we were instrumen tal in
causing the events that affected our history. Also, we feel intensely all
the joy and pain we caused others — three tim es more intensely than
they did — to teach us empathy.
It would seem that we begin to learn from our life only after
death — or is that necessarily so? Oh, how we might bene fit
65
66
ourselves and others if we could derive some of this "reverse order"
information before death! Well, listen up; I think we can.
Many years ago, while working with Cosmobiology and the
90-dial, I noticed that after an incremen t of 45 degrees solar arc
motion, which equals about 45 years of life, the planetary contacts
reversed themselves and made the same contacts that were present
in the first 45 years, but in reverse order! In other words, if Venus by
solar arc direction came to a conjunction with Saturn one year before
the 45th degree of solar-arc motion, then one year after that point,
Saturn would square Venus.
The mathema tics of this hypothesis is straightforward. Since
all aspects of the fourth harmon ic (ninety degree dial) are divisible
by 45 degrees, the sequen ce of planetary aspects by solar arc — as
well as midpoint structures affected by them — will ma rch away
from 45 degrees with the same precision as that with which they
approached it. Those aspects activating the chart at 40 degrees will
do so again at 50 degrees, and those at 36 degrees will do so again
at 54 degrees, and so on. The degree of 45 is equidistant between
40 and 50 as it is between 36 and
54. The second contact would probab ly elicit or evoke the same kind of
response in an individua l that it did the first time around and activate
the same componen ts of the chart, since they still rule and are
posited in the same houses natally, triggering the chan ce to re-live, to
bring into a person's consciousness, the same kind of experiences as
the first contact and activate the same parts of the chart, thereby
giving the person another chance to re -live pa st experiences unde r
different circumstances and another oppo rtunity to learn from them.
Because it is in reverse order, the cause and effect process is
clearer. Thus, a whole life plan eme rges, giving us greater insight into
the events we experience — especially after age 45. Naturally,
because of changed life circumstances, one would not expect to see
iden tical events, but surely the essence of the events’ purposes
would be there.
 67
It is hard to relate to anything withou t experiencing it. At the
time I noticed this phenomenon , I was not yet 45, and didn't feel
confident enou gh to mention it to anyone. Now, after observing it in
others and in myself for over a decade, I can see its effects quite
clearly.
Events are a result of choices we make — choices colored by
internal pressures for satisfaction of various desires. The natal chart
displays the desire nature, and shows us what the prima ry motivation
for choices will be in differing circumstances. Since these are many
and some times contrad ictory, solar arc contacts nea tly reveal them
in orderly sequen ce so that we may grow one step at a time. It brings
to the surface pressure to fulfill these need s and urges us to make
choices.
These mathema tical directions seem to app ly consistently to
the houses ruled by those planets making solar arc conne ctions and,
seconda rily, to the houses they occupy natally. Each choice we
make sets into motion natural consequen ces, and often we don 't
consider that some recent event was actua lly the result of a choice
we made perhaps years earlier. It may take one an entire lifetime to
perceive conne ctions.
A lady, (Figure 4-1) let's call her "Natalie," is now 79 years
old. Since she is a Sun in Cancer person, her solar arc incremen ts
have gradua lly slipped behind her actua l age due to the Sun's slower
motion in the summer. To avoid confusion, we will refer to Natalie's
solar arc incremen t rather than her age. When Natalie's solar arc
directions reached the 21st degree, it activated Jup iter square the
Sun. At that time, her husband found a good job in another city,
they moved and invested in a new home , which she describes as "a
good deal." Her natal Sun is in the eighth house (investments), Jupiter
co-rules the fourth, which has Pisces on the cusp, and Jup iter is
conjunct the midhea ven in the natal cha rt. Definitely a move up in
the world! At the 21st degree, this took place 24 degrees from our
turning point of 45 degrees.
68

Figure 4-1
 69
When her solar arc directions had traveled 69 degrees, they
were at a point 24 degrees after the 45-degree mark, and at that time
the Sun moved to conjunct Jupiter. What happened ? She found
another "good deal," of course. She bought a time-sha re condom
inium, which was too attractive to pa ss up, and it was another step
up in self-esteem . The life lesson in this is something Natalie will
have to examine, but there were similar events.
Natalie has a real issue with emo tiona l security, which she
easily equates with circumstances surround ing partnerships and
basic necessities. At the point of 25 degrees solar arc, which is 20
degrees before the magical 45th degree, Uranus squared the Sun.
During this time, Natalie had her one and only experience with fear
of hunger, which to her is a form of emo tiona l insecurity. Her
husband was out of work, a child was seriously ill, and neighbo rs
gave them food. Natalie felt isolated and very insecure. It is the basic
reason she is so active in distributing food to the need y now. Later,
after being widowed, she remarried. When the Sun opposed Uranu s,
it was at the 65th degree of solar arc, which is, of course, 20 degrees
after the 45th ma rker. Natalie realized that this ma rriage was not in
any way going to provide emo tiona l security, and that same feeling
of being isolated returned.
At the 34th degree (11 degrees before 45), the Moon squared
Pluto, and Natalie's father-in-law died. This was important to her, and
took a heavy toll. At the 56th degree (11 degrees after 45), Pluto
oppo sed the Moon, and her first husband died — another
devastation. At the 37 degree mark (8 degrees before 45), Natalie
and her first husband bought a farm. Mars was conjunct Neptune,
and remembe r, Neptune rules the fourth. It was hard work (Mars)
and confusing (Neptune) since they knew nothing about farming.
When the Neptune squared Mars, at 53 degrees of solar-arc (8
degrees after 45), they sold the farm but were unsure (Neptune ) if
that was the best thing to do (Mars is action). Both dilemm as
involved buying/selling the
70
farm, and both involved a lack of confiden ce in what they were
doing.
Natalie could probab ly gain a lot of insight and have an
incredible tool for examining her life, by delving into the feelings and
reactions she had to these pairs of events. Then, perhap s she can
determine what the lessons were. We cannot tell a client precisely
what their lessons are. We can only facilitate self- discovery.
Another lady, (Figure 4-2) let's call her "Hope ," has
examined this theo ry and is able to extract quite a bit of comfort from
it. She has a propen sity to attract peop le who are quite deceptive.
The Moon in Pisces in the eighth, ruled by Pisces, is oppo site
Neptune in the second house. She has experienced sudden unexpected
changes in her status in life. Her MC, ruled by Mars, is in a grand
square with Uranu s, Pluto and Jup iter. One of her most difficult
times with this was when the oppo sition began to affect the Grand
Square. As the solar arc incremen t came to 43 degrees, Neptune
squared Mars. She was a popu lar and successful newspape r reporter
but much resented by a superior who began to accuse her of
deceptive practices. The theme of reputation (MC) against a
backdrop of career, also MC, in the context of another's power over
her (Neptune rules the eighth and we must remembe r that Mars is
oppo site Pluto in the natal chart) was being brought into focus.
Four years later, when the solar arc incremen t was at 47
degrees, a point as equidistant from 45 degrees as the above
example, she discovered that the gentleman she had recently ma
rried had been ma rried three times before and not two, as he
claimed. Also, they bought a house on the basis of a trust fund
which, after a court battle, went to his ex-wife. Mars was oppo site
Neptune, and Pisces also rules the ninth house in the natal chart. With
the first aspect, a newspape r career and her reputation were in que
stion and another person's evalua tion of her was bewildering
(eighth house). This time a trust fund (eighth house) and court battle
(ninth) were the focus. In both cases there is a
71
Figure 4-2
72
theme of misplaced trust, which is beautifully illustrated by a
Mars/Neptune contact.
When a chart shows this theme of attracting such sad
circumstances, it is imperative to examine childhood experiences to
determine why a person would do so. In this case, Hope clearly
has developed a perception of herself as being a sacrificial lamb
(Moon in Pisces oppo site Neptune, which is positioned in the house
of self-worth) and has someho w been cond itioned to feel she must
give a tremendou s amoun t to be considered worthy of love. It is
easy to see that with the rulers of the fourth and tenth involved in a
tension-ridden grand square which include s the MC and IC, the
beginning stages of her life were not the most ideal for fostering self-
confiden ce. She was born into a family were alcoho lism was
prevalent, was essentially abandon ed by her mother and raised by
grandpa rents. Then later she lived with her father, to whom she
played a mother role, rather than that of a daughter. With the ruler of
the fourth, Venus, conjunct Saturn in the seventh, expectations are
not high in regard to ma rriage. This thumbna il sketch is just
scratching the surface!
The most spectacular illustration of the 45 degree "shift into
reverse" in Hope 's life was the drama surround ing the dissolution of
her two marriages. Thirteen years before 45 degrees solar arc
movemen t, one marriage broke up. Thirteen years after the 45
degree point, the other marriage dissolved. I had interviewed her
withou t trying to fit events nea tly into a time frame — just asked for a
list of major turning points. I fully expected to see a neat
arrangemen t for the 13-year before-and-after degrees. There was
nothing.
However, I had been working more with asteroids then, and
when I put those in the 90-degree dial and did the midpoint tree
structures, voila! There it was. At the 32-degree point on the dial —
the time of the first ma rital break-up — the Moon was conjunct
Ceres, and the MC was conjunct Chiron. Pallas in her natal seventh
house, is pa rt of the Chiron structure and would be pa rt of this
drama. Both aspect the Sun/MC, certainly impo rtant
 73
in a status chan ge. The direct MC/Mercury/ Neptune midpoint picture
helps to describe the deception that surrounded the event. The
husband went on a trip leaving her at home unaware of where he had
gone. When he returned, he only stayed long enou gh to pa ck. He
deserted her withou t explana tion. The most devastating detail of this
abandonm ent was that Hope was pregnan t at the time, and months
later, had to go through childbirth withou t the emo tiona l suppo rt of
her former spouse — typical Ceres/Moon drama, especially
considering the attend ant midpoint structures. Under the Luna r
midpoint structure, there is a Uranu s/Pluto contact. That, coupled
with the dome stic nature of both Ceres and the Moon, certainly
describes a sudden , forced uphea val in the home or, more impo rtan
tly, one 's emo tiona l security base.
At the 58-degree mark by solar arc direction, the patterns were
reversed, and this time Ceres squared the Moon and Chiron squared
the Midhea ven. It happened all over again. The deception was
different, but the basic scenario was the same. A husband left
abruptly.
In my own chart, two of the most significant events of my
life occurred unde r these reverse circumstances. The first (Figure 4-
3) centered around August 1, 1975 . That was the final day of living
with my first husband after a brief reconciliation. Note the Uranus
by solar arc square the Jupiter/Neptune oppo sition. Also, Sun had
been conjunct Uranus the day the divorce was final, the previous
December.
In 1995 (Figure 4-4) there was a similar split with another
relationship that was just as impo rtant as the first marriage. The
same planets are active but in reverse. This time Jup iter is conjunct
Uranu s instead of Uranu s square Jup iter, and Uranu s is square the
Sun instead of the Sun being conjunct Uranus.
Even minor events are present. For instance, in the late sixties
I had a job with the hea lth depa rtmen t, and later, at a time
equidistant from 45 degrees as that event occurred, I had
74
Figure 4-3
75
Figure 4-4
76
another job with the hea lth depa rtmen t doing a similar task. Both
were for three months. Most remarkable.
This 45 degree phenomenon appears to be effective with other
harmon ics. The eighth harmon ic is valid, as one would expect, since
it is based on 45 degrees, but curiously, at equidistant positions from
45 degrees, a quincunx between any two pairs of planets becomes a
sextile and vice-versa. Finishing a motion from quincunx to oppo
sition will equal 30 degrees, and the addition of 60 degrees for the
sextile will add up to the 90 degrees we need to fit the fourth harmon
ic. This just isn't visible on a 90-degree dial. Sometimes the quincunx
can be followed by a trine. One of my studen ts worked out a formula
for all the possibilities, but I don ’t want to comp licate things for
beginne rs.
It is, I believe, impo ssible to determine what the lesson is for
each person's life script in these instances. Indeed , these lessons may
be multi-layered and integrated with others in a magnificent pattern
of midpoint structures. We can suggest the direction a client might
look (i.e., house rulerships and positions involved — both directed
and natal) in order to discover similarities and determine the
feelings and attitude s that were prevalent and possibly altered.
Being objective brings clarity to the fore — enables us to make sense
of these patterns hitherto thought of as just random repetitions.
There is really nothing random about them.
 Chapter Five
Charts That Affec t a
Nation

World War II was obviously a major turning point in our

history. Figure 5-1 is the USA cha rt, as rectified by Barbara Koval,
and directed by solar arc for D-Day, June 6, 1944 . Since solar arc
directions move at about a degree a year, we can see what had been
contacted just prior to this date. Notice the drama tic conjunction of
Pluto to the Sun now separating. It spea ks powerfully of the stress of
the previous several years as it was approaching and exactly
conjunct the Sun. The Sun rules the ninth, foreign countries, and
Pluto rules the twelfth, private sorrows. The conjunction takes place
in the eighth house, which need s no explanation. We had black outs,
loss of young lives, women going to work for the war effort — a
dark time. We found out about covert genocide going on in
Germany (twelfth/eighth houses). Mars (arms) by solar arc was
conjunct the ascend ant four to five years earlier, the beginning of the
war. Jup iter is approaching an oppo sition to Mars in the natal seventh,
and since it is the ruler of the cha rt, a good indication of our predom
inance in the outcome during the year following.
Our pa triotism, at the time, was very idea listic. Seventh
house, by the way, is "open enem ies" and associated with war. Note
also that Jup iter is close to squaring the natal Neptune. Less than
two years later Pluto will square natal Saturn. Clearly, the USA's natal
chart configurations of Mars square Neptune and
77
78
Figure 5-1
 79
Sun square Saturn are being activated by Pluto and Jup iter, mean ing
that there is an oppo rtunity to use these energies and heal ourselves
in some way by app lying Pluto and Jup iter principles.
Mars square Neptune can get carried away with idea lism. It
does indicate "acting on spiritua l principles" but a square norma lly
man ifests in a somewhat distorted way, perhaps being too idea listic
or too maud lin. It can also indicate deceptive behavior or hidden
agendas. Or, our spiritua l beliefs are one thing (Neptune), but what
we do (Mars) is quite another. Most often, we are unaware of our
squares and for a time project their effects in our lives onto others —
"They are the ones with the problem, not me!" In this case, keep in
mind that we espouse a creed of "brotherly love." (Jup iter conjunct
Venus, Jup iter ruling the chart and Venus ruling the 11th. Plus this pair
is conjunct the Sun which rules the ninth — our philosophy.)
We were appa lled by the outrages of the Hitler death camps.
But, what were we doing back home with a full-blown segregation
policy, which is a direct contradiction of the creed we are known for?!
We left England to end oppression and find freedom for ourselves.
But what did we do when we were still a new country? We started
enslaving Africans, not to mention adop ting atrocious policies
concerning the American Indians! That is one way the Mars/Neptune
square is man ifesting. There are probab ly hund reds of others.
Sun in the eighth is square Saturn in the eleventh, and they
rule the ninth and second houses respectively – another way of
singing the same song. Or values (second house) are in conflict with
our espoused philosophies (ninth house). Further, we have a history
of taking respon sibility for foreign coun tries' affairs. We get involved.
Althou gh Saturn square the Sun can be hardworking and the mark of
a "self-made " man, certainly a USA characteristic, it can also be a bit
authoritarian and unyielding. How often have we heard of the Ugly
American who comes to a foreign country and expects peop le
there to just "know" and
80
respond to our tastes. We impose our values (authoritarian Saturn
rules second) on the rest of the world (Sun rules ninth). But at the
same time, we also take on excessive respon sibility for it. By D-Day,
solar arc Pluto was pa st the Sun and on its way to square Saturn.
Clearly an oppo rtunity to use these energies positively.
Figure 5-2 shows this same energy being activated during the
Civil War. The date chosen is just arbitrarily in the middle of the war.
You will note that the Sun/Saturn square had begun activating Jup
iter (which is conjunct Venu s) a couple of years earlier at the war's
beginning. Jupiter rules the ascendant – ourselves. We were
imposing our values and philosophies on ourselves. Very graphic
and another oppo rtunity to heal these conflicts.
Back to Figure 5-1, a year and a ha lf later, in late 1945 , solar
arc Uranu s moved to square the USA Moon. After the war, ideas
flourished (third house ruler square third house planet), and we had
a "baby boom " sudden ly (Moon is associated with fecund ity). There
was an electric excitemen t in the air. Certainly indicative of a Uranu s
square Moon ene rgy.
Now let's move up to June 17, 1972 , the day of the Watergate
break-in. Figure 5-3 indicates that a very serious covert ethical or
philosoph ical event is about to unfold. The solar arc Sun is
approaching a conjunction to Pluto. If one knew this at the time of
the break-in, then it would be obvious that this or some other unde
rcover event was about to break forth. Pluto, besides being a symbo
l of subversion itself, is ruler of the twelfth. Sun rules the ninth
bringing in the ethics symbo lism. Inciden tally, the eclipses during
the whole time of the Watergate affair were phenomena l in Nixon's
chart, but for the USA, the previous eclipses before this date were
at 25 Capricorn and 25 Aquarius, activating appropriately sensitive
points in this cha rt, Pluto and the Moon.
Note also that Uranu s (which is oppo site the ascend ant in
the natal USA cha rt) by solar arc has aligned with the
81
Figure 5-2
82
Figure 5-3
 83
Mars/Neptune square. Since this square is also involving the MC, there
is promise here of one of our own (ascendant) doing something
covert (Mars/Neptune). Remembe r that solar arc moves roughly one
degree per year. The MC is the president, amon g other things, and
he did leave abruptly. By that time, solar arc ascend ant had reached
the square to the MC. We must remembe r that since the ascendant
and Uranus are oppo site each other in the natal chart, they will be
involved together in unfolding events.
Inciden tally, solar arc Mars was oppo site natal Jup iter,
showing a gamble, or action with too much confiden ce. Until that
aspect was separating, Nixon appeared to have thought he was
above the law.

Stu dent Exercis e: Compare the so lar arcs of the

Vietnam Conflict years to the USA chart and see if you can
find the signatu re of that drama, including the lack of
idealistic patriotism that was so prominent in the S eco nd
World War. Those years are simultan eo us with the above
period of time so can be adjusted easily using the formula, a
degree for a year, five minut es a month.

Another Drama tic National Event

Another spectacular event was the infamou s O.J. Simpson

trial. Figure 5-4 is the USA with solar arcs directed to June 12, 1994
. Another compu ter program I used at that time had calculated the
solar arc Mars as being exactly conjunct Pluto on that day, but this
one (Solar Fire) places it one minute app lying. A remarkable
symbo lism is here. This combina tion is classic for violence. I had
expected an assassination to occur and predicted that in my newsletter
prior to the event. However, no ma tter who is killed violently,
whether a political figure or sports star's wife, it is still an assassina
tion.
84
Figure 5-4
 85
In O.J.'s cha rt (Figure 5-5), which include s four popu lar
asteroids, note that solar arc directed Saturn was separating from a
square to Uranu s at the time of the murder. That indicates that he felt
there was nothing he could do about his marriage (Uranu s rules the
seventh) and was depressed about it. The north node was conjunct
the Sun — a very karmic time in his life — and this was reinforced
by the solar arc Sun squaring the natal node s. This also tells us that
he was in the middle of his 45 degree shift, explained in the last chap
ter. However, he was born in the summer, when solar arc directions
are the slowest, and so his age was not as congruen t with the shift as
it would have been had he been born in the winter. By solar arc, his
Saturn/Pluto conjunction was poised oppo site the natal Moon, and in
fact, the natal Moon was at the midpoint between the two solar arc
positions, and the solar arc Moon was conversely squaring his natal
Saturn/Pluto conjunction. Since the Moon rules the twelfth, this was
bringing out enormous subconscious feelings of passion, inadequa cy
and guilt. (Ebertin interprets these three together as "the tragic destiny
of a woman .") Above all, it was triggering his natal Moon square
Uranu s, which is indicative of erratic emo tiona l behavior. The solar
arc Venus was squaring natal Jupiter, presaging the enormous
expenses to follow.
In the twelfth house, Uranu s was closing a conjunction to
Saturn. I don 't know how many times I've seen this aspect when a
prisone r is released from jail. It literally mean s that limitation (Saturn)
is released sudden ly (Uranu s). So, naturally, I predicted he would
walk or at least be so loosely confined that it wasn't limiting. In all
these cha rts, added informa tion is there when the seconda ry
progressions, eclipses and transits are examined, but we are
concentrating only on solar arc directions. I also am aware of
converse solar arc, ha lf solar arc, doub le solar arc, and planetary arcs,
but in this book, they are not examined. Once a studen t unde rstand s
the main principles, the other app lications can be easily employed.
86
Figure 5-5
 87
Back to Figure 5-4, notice that the USA solar arc ascend ant
was separating from a conjunction to Jup iter, and Uranu s was
separating from an oppo sition to the Sun. That include s their
respective app lying and separating squares to Saturn. A lot was
going on in the na tion besides the Simpson trial. This was
indicating our concern about the budget and the need for legislation
to control it. Gene rous Venus and Jupiter had been trining Uranu s
by solar arc for several years. The solar arc Uranu s square natal
Saturn had not made it easy to balance the budget.

Simpso n Murder Pos tsc ript

I’ve published a little newsletter for my clients since 1986 ,

which is now available on my website. After the Simpson murder, I
re-examined the Mars/Pluto solar arc conjunction that foretold it
because it had to have some kind of larger mean ing to have captured
the imagination of a nation for over a year, and to have been so
‘destined’ as to have shown up in the symbolism of both the USA
and Simpson cha rts. Here is a transcript of the article published in the
fall of 1994 :

In the last newsletter and in my taped

forecast for 1994 , I mentioned the significant solar
arc conjunction of Mars to Pluto in the USA chart,
which represents pressures coming to bear with a
possibility of something like war or assassina tion.
The conjunction of these two particular planets
represents a catharsis, like a bursting boil, where
things come to a head and erupt with force. In a
country’s chart, representing millions of peop le in
a group consciousness, it can man ifest in various
ways, usually simultaneously, often privately, just
unde rstood by each of us in our private lives. It will
also man ifest as problems the society is grapp ling
with at the momen t, which is a
88
collective of each citizen’s frustration. And, almost
always there will be a pub lic figure who will
symbolize the country’s struggle by man ifesting it
in a way that galvanizes the public’s awareness of the
collective’s current lesson in evolution. Mars and
Pluto, since they represent erupting force, also
represent murder, armed conflict, and rebellion in the
extreme. Thus, war or assassina tion is not an
unreasonab le forecast.
Our country always seems to be having a
crisis of some sort, but in 1994 the drama was
intense. The conjunction was exact in mid-June and
remained so for over a week. On June 12th,
O.J. Simpson’s ex-wife and her friend were brutally
murdered, and this was in the media all summe r,
since the sports star, himself, was accused. It has
galvanized us as a na tion to focus on spousal abuse.
And what have been the subjects of other deba tes
most of the summe r? The crime bill. Gun control.
Very fitting for a Mars and Pluto conjunction.
Let us look more closely at the Simpson
murder, the USA chart and other peripheral events.
Adding asteroids and using midpoint structures in
the USA chart reveals some interesting insights.
There is a grand square involving Pluto, Mercury,
Juno and Chiron. Juno represents the ma rried
woman , the female of a one-on-one relationship.
Not the mother, but the helpmate appreciated for
herself in an equal partnership. Chiron represents
the “wounded healer,” the idea list ever striving
optimistically for better results. When these two are
in stress formation, it is probab le that, as a coun try,
our expectations of ma rriage are too idea listic.
Mercury reflects how we think collectively, and
Pluto adds forceful obsessivene ss to whatever planet
it aspects. It is oppo site Mercury, and they both
square Juno and Chiron. We are a na tion
that thinks
 89
obsessively about idea listic relationships. Transiting
Uranus, the planet of sudden awakening, was
activating this grand square all during 1994 and will
continue through 1995 . In fact, it was squaring the
midpoint of the USA Mercury and Pluto on June
12th. Further, O.J. Simpson’s Mercury and Sun are
conjunct the USA Sun and Mercury. He fits America
like a glove. (Ironically, this was written before the
fam ous trying on of the glove in the courtroom !) His
ascendant is oppo site the USA Moon (the common
peop le in a coun try’s cha rt) within one degree; we
identify with him!
The USA Pluto does not aspect any
midpoints, and therefore, does not have a midpoint
structure or “tree.” Mars, however, when it moves by
solar arc, or any predictive formula, brings its
midpoint structures with it, and gives us more detail
about what kind of energy it is bringing to the Pluto.
Among other things, Mars is prima rily aspecting the
midpoints of Saturn/ Pallas,
Moon/Saturn, and Venus/Uranus.
Pallas is the symbol of the creative,
compe tent working woman ; Saturn is respon sibility
and seriousness. The Moon/Saturn combination is the
responsible mother, and the Venus/Uranus
combination is the fickle femme fatale. Haven’t you
noticed that in America the women feel they must be
all those things to keep their relationships in good
shape ? Haven’t the complaints been increasing lately
about the necessity of being “supe rwoman ?” The
coun try is a Cancer nation, a mother and family
symbo l.
 Yet, we are right now extremely concerned
about family values. What has caused the erosion of
the family? Unrealistic expectations about marriage
perhaps? Most of the men and women I see who
are thinking of leaving their spouses simply feel
“unfulfilled” or say that they don ’t have
those “roman tic
90
feelings” anymore. Very few are leaving for life and
death reasons.
A solar arc direction stays in effect for two
years – a year app lying and a year separating from
exact contact. It will man ifest the most when there is
a transit of significance over the solar arc contact or
over the natal position of the planet that has moved
to make the contact. Furthermore, as men tioned
before, the planets involved also bring their midpoint
structures with them. Let’s concentrate on a few
mentioned before with Mars.
According to the Ebertin book, The
Combination of S tellar Influences, the Mars/ Pluto
combina tion alone mean s, “to proceed in a brutal
manne r... violent assaults... injuries.” With the Moon
and Saturn, “... an injury caused to a woman ... desire
to overcome difficulties and obstacles at all
cost...” Since Uranu s is transiting and part
of the midpoint structure, its involvemen t
adds, “sudden
disasters or calamities of great consequen
ce.”
It has been a summe r of extremes. On the
news, there have been reports of more acreage
destroyed by fire in western states in history, the most
rain to fall in Geo rgia ever, July 3rd – the greatest
numbe r of fatalities in auto acciden ts in one day in
Texas ever, the greatest exodus from Cuba ever, and
on and on... FEMA representatives say their agency
canno t fund another disaster. Don’t forget we also
have Haiti and Cuba to deal with.
The transits unde rscoring all this in the USA
cha rt are ama zing. Just looking at June 12th alone,
we find that the Sun was exactly conjunct the USA
Mars at the time of the Simpson murder, and Venus
was exactly oppo site Pluto within one minute of
being exact if the murder occurred at 11:00 p.m.
which is the approximate time. It could have been
right on the mone y! Uranus and Neptune were
 91
transiting in close range to all the planets in the
grand square, and Pluto was within a degree of
squaring the USA Moon and O.J. Simpson’s
ascendant. All through the weekend, Mars was
transiting square O.J.’s progressed Pluto/Saturn
conjunction – an extreme ly frustrating, obsession
indicator echoing the solar arc contact of Mars to
Pluto in the USA chart.
With such close conne ctions to the United
States’ cha rt, it is obvious that Mr. Simpson was
destined to be a prominent figure in its history.
Whether or not he is guilty is not at issue here, but
he is bringing to our awareness several impo rtant
areas that need attention. First, growing inciden ts of
violence as a way to solve problems; second,
society’s attitude toward ma rriage and women; and
third, the deplorable cond ition of our justice system.
One last note. Uranus by solar arc conjuncts Mr.
Simpson’s Saturn about seven months after the
murder. In every case I’ve studied, it has been man
ifested as freedom (Uranus) from restraint (Saturn).
Looks like he might walk, or at the very least, feel
he has more freedom than he did previously.

S tu dent Exercis e: O. J. S impso n’s birth data is July 9

, 1947 at 8 :08 AM in San Franc isco , CA. Calculat e the seco
nda ry progress ions for June 12 , 1994 and add transits, as
well. How do these pos itions add to the drama ?
 Chapter S ix
S olar Arc in Compos ite Charts

For a long time, I would only forecast compo site charts using
transits because the math was so formidable with other
methods. By hand , one would not only have to find
the midpoints of all the bodies and points between two natal cha rts,
but also find the midpoints between every progressed and solar arc
placemen t. With the advent of compu ter programs, it has become so
task-free, all three methods can be used with ease.
Since this is a book for relatively advanced studen ts, it is
assumed that the principles of compo site cha rts are alread y known,
but briefly, compo sites are relationship charts that are created by
finding the midpoints between all the placemen ts in the charts of the
two peop le involved. It is also valid to have a compo site between a
person and a place, a person and a compan y, or even two non-
human entities. Anything that had a birth, and therefore a cha rt, is
eligible for being combined with another entity. The compo site chart
is the chart of the relationship between the two (or more) subjects,
and as a cha rt, it can be used as a starting point for forecasting.
Calculating by hand , one would just find all the midpoints as
described above, but even that has different schools of thought.
Some Astrologers calculate the midpoints between the planets of the
two charts, and then find the MC and ascendant by other methods
related to birthplaces. Some even determine the midpoint date
between the two birthda ys and cast a cha rt of that day including
alterations to accoun t for the birth times and
93
94
places. But, the most common method, which I use, is the one
calculating the midpoint between all placemen ts in the charts,
including house cusps. If done by hand , the work is enormous,
since it has to be done three times: once each for the birth charts, the
progressed charts and the solar arc cha rts. Solar Fire has a special
function for this task which works quite nicely.
Once the midpoints of all three have been determined, they are
displayed on a three-ring wheel as we have been doing with regular
charts. However, remembe r that it is impossible to distinguish
between individua ls from the compo site; i.e. it is not possible to
know who did, or will do, what. The only things possible to
determine are the ene rgies affecting the relationship, itself. Also,
remembe r that there is a possible compo site chart between everyone
and everything on earth, so if two peop le (or subjects) are not
relating, haven’t met, and have no contact, their compo site is only
potential.

Father and Daughter Revisited

Our step-father and dau ghter from chap ter one were unusually
close, and the event that had such a strong impa ct upon the
daughter also had an impa ct on the relationship, itself. For that
reason, it should have been appa rent in the compo site’s progressed and
directed chart. Figure 6-1 shows the seconda ry progressions (second
ring) and solar arc directions (third ring) around the compo site chart
for the day she made her fateful discovery. Keep in mind, as before,
when there are several contacts, it seems that the event happen s
when they are all within range, with some alread y ha ving made a
contact and others about to do so.
This event did not dama ge the basic relationship, but it did have
an impa ct at that time. First, in the compo site, itself, notice that Venus
is just about at the midpoint of the Sun and Neptune. A very idea
lized love. Moon in Cancer sextiles Mercury showing
95
Figure 6-1
96
ease of commun ication. Pluto conjunct the ascendant, both trining
Jupiter in the eighth house, further emph asizes the unbreakable
bond between these two. Humo r is even present as represented by
the Jupiter sextile to Uranus. There was, however, a promise that there
was something involving marriage, legalities and commun ication that
was out of synchronicity. Venus quincunx Mars shows this. Venus
rules the third and tenth; Mars is in the seventh and rules the
ninth. It could just have easily (and even ma y) indicate difficulty in
reconciling philosoph ies concerning relationships and commun
ication therein.
At the time of the event discussed in chapter one, solar arc
Mercury (this was something commun icated) was separating from a
conjunction to Venus by only six minutes, activating the quincunx.
Mars, pa rt of the quincunx, was approaching a square to compo site
Uranus (shock and surprise about “truth”; Mars rules ninth house),
and Uranus was separating from an oppo sition to compo site Saturn
in the fifth (children). Uranu s rules the compo site seventh, so this can
indicate a surprising turn of events regarding ma rriage and children.
An oppo sition symbolizes awareness. Even the MC is equidistant
from approaching a conjunction to Uranu s and having been in square
to the Sun deno ting a sudden change in how iden tity is perceived. I
canno t help but be struck by the solar arc Pluto contacting the
progressed Ascendant, which is why I question whether or not
these two have interaction, as well. They are each, however,
quincunx Chiron in the secretive eighth house. This combination, with
Pluto ruling the fourth house, does indicate the shaking of the
founda tion of trust concerning the relationship.
Last of all, the solar arc Moon has just changed signs less than a
month before. Since this happen s only every 30 years, it is significant
in symbo lizing a major shift in the dynam ics of how these two would
relate in the future.
 97
O. J. and Nico le

The violence and the drama tic ending of this relationship raises
que stions about its astrological signa ture. Was it that each one might
have had a similar experience with anyone in an intima te setting, or
was it the combina tion of their individua l chemistry patterns that was
unique?
Nicole’s chart (Figure 6-2 - bottom) shows a woman who was
used to being a victim. Pisces rising, Mercury, ruler of the seventh,
oppo site Neptune, and a Saturn/ Venu s/ Moon T-square all point in
this direction. She didn’t value herself very highly and would not
expect anyone else to do so. Therefore, she would probab ly have
tolerated abuse from anyone she attracted.
O.J. (Figure 6-2 - Top) is not necessarily a terribly violent man .
He does have sudden mood swings with Moon square Uranu s, is
very proud and can be quite determined. Mars in his chart is well-
aspected for the most part. But, Nicole’s Mars, at 22 degrees Cancer,
was conjunct O.J.’s Sun and Mercury. Her Pluto and ascend ant
squared his Mars (quite volatile and obsessive). Her Mercury
squared his Saturn/Pluto conjunction. Her Saturn oppo sed his
Venus, and her Venus squared his Neptune. Her Uranu s was
conjunct his Pluto and Saturn. There are other contacts, but this is
enou gh to show that despite the lovely conjunction of her Moon to
his Neptune, they brought out the worst in each other.
In the compo site (Figure 6-3 - center ring) this volatility is
obvious. First house stellium include s Mars conjunct Sun, Mercury
and Venus. These also show an overwhelming attraction, but they
are all oppo site the Moon in the seventh house. So much of their
relationship was defensive and unconscious.
On June 12, 1994 , there were a few things worth noting. At
first glance, it would not seem that they were experiencing
anything bellicose at all. Mars doesn’t seem to be contacting
anything by progression or by solar arc. There is a conjunction
98

Figure 6-2
99
Figure 6-3
100
within one minute of Neptune to the seventh cusp, which is an
indication of the dissolution of a ma rriage, especially when Neptune
rules the MC. Saturn had contacted that point a year earlier which
clearly shows their problems of the previous year. The Sun had
changed signs more than a year earlier showing further permanen t
change in the relationship. Seconda ry progressed Venus,
separating from a conjunction to natal Pluto, is approaching one to
progressed Pluto, and that can show a private stalemate over details in
negotiation. Venus rules the sixth and intercepted private twelfth.
Pluto also rules the sixth (details) and is in the third. That is not enou
gh to deno te rage. Solar arc Jup iter is approaching a conjunction
with the
Moon, and the progressed Moon is square the progressed MC, both
indicating excessive emo tion, but still not murder. Solar arc Pluto,
however, is in range of squaring the Moon and is only one minute
from having squared seconda ry progressed Chiron. Note that prior to
chan ging signs, solar arc Pluto had been in square aspect to Mars
about two years earlier. That would have been an extremely intense
time and was probab ly the event that led to the break up.
Obviously it was not over yet. Remembe r that patterns have to be
completely finished being activated before the life drama is over.
Pluto has not yet contacted the Moon exactly, and the Moon is
involved in the stellium in the first house.
The details are in the midpoints. Solar arc Mercury, seconda ry
progressed Mars and ascendant are all around 25 to 27 degrees of
Cancer. The Mars/Pluto midpoint, (see Figure 6-4) which we
associate with brutality, is 25:32 Cancer. The Moon/Pluto midpoint
(extreme emotiona l expression) is 26:56 Libra (Figure 6-4). Note
that solar arc Mercury is 26:57 Cancer, square that point within one
minute. Look in an epheme ris at June 12, 1994 , and you will note
that Uranu s was tran siting at 25:37 Capricorn that evening, and
Venus was tenen ting 27:26 Cancer.
 101

Figure 6-4
102

The solar arc Uranus is occupying 27:16 Leo, and the

Moon/Saturn midpoint, which we associate with depression, is 27:17
Scorpio. A solar arc square within one minute of arc, would be a
sudden and disruptive attemp t to alleviate depression. Since the
Moon and Saturn rule the second and eighth finan cial houses, and
Uranu s rules the ninth, it is possible there were some surprising legal
disruptions concerning finan ces at that time. But, most interesting, is
the fact that Nicole’s Sun/Jup iter oppo sition is 27 degrees of fixed
signs, which mean s they are tied into the compo site Moon/Saturn
midpoint and the solar arc Uranu s of the compo site. Tran siting
Pluto was occupying 26 Scorpio that day.
Remembe r that when a planet is activated or when it is doing
the activating in a cha rt, it brings its midpoint tree with it. If a
midpoint structure is pa rticularly close in orb, it is a powerful force. In
Figure 6-5, you can see unde r the tree for Uranus the Mars/Node
midpoint is only one minute of orb. These three together show several
things. First, in the compo site, itself, it is eviden ce that this was a
physical attraction that happened quite sudden ly. It shows that their
environmen t was prone to uphea val, and last, because Uranus had
moved by solar arc, bringing the pa ttern with it, to contact the
Moon/Saturn midpoint, the depression that was always there was
violently addressed. This does not mean that we can, without doub t,
accuse Mr. Simpson of murder, but it does show he was capable of it
that day.

Stud ent Exercis e: Find the ec lipses that occ

urred before June 12 , 1994 , and including all the midpoints
and trees , co rre late the transits with them to find further co
rroboration of rage or violence on that date.
 103

Figure 6-5
 Chapter S even
Counse ling the Client
..With a Little Help from A Course in
Miracles

“When a person comes to an Astrologer for advice, he has been

everywhere else; the buck stops with you!” Lione l Day’s impa
ssioned statemen t in 1971 still rings in my ears toda y. His heartfelt
exhortation to be of service – not to perform, not to stroke one’s
ego, not to give them pablum to satisfy what they want to hear, but
to tell them what they need to know in order to heal – was
profound ad vice that I never forgot. I went forth with a vow that I
would not mislead a client just to make him or her like me. I was
determined to do my best to interpret a cha rt accurately.
I soon learned some very hard lessons. Sometimes
unvarnished truth can do a lot of harm. Some times the client canno t
possibly accept it if the time isn’t right. Later, some courses in
psychology helped me enormously in unde rstanding the principles
of projection, transference and denial, among other things. I
found out the mean ing of the Biblical pa ssage in Ecclesiastes 3:1
“There is an appointed tim e for everything, and a time for every
affair under the heavens.” But, at first, in the early to mid-seventies,
when I started my practice, in my zeal to “help”, I got a reputation for
“telling it like it is” and probab ly left some clients rather wilted. I still
refuse to compromise integrity, but I do have a different way of
relaying informa tion and have learned to address only the issues
that are pertinen t at the time.
105
106
An entire lifetime of lesson material is hard to swallow in ninety
minutes!
There are man y philosophies about consulting with a client
in a counseling setting. I’ve never subscribed to the idea of drawing
informa tion out of the client, as is done in psychological consulting,
because, as Astrologers, we have specialized informa tion that the
client is asking to know. S/he is paying the Astrologer to interpret his
or her chart. A psychologist can use a cha rt, of course, in
conjunction with his or her methodo logy, but I don’t believe an
Astrologer who is not a psychologist should pretend to be one.
However, I do believe that Astrologers should be informed of
psychological principles to aid in his or her technique of relaying
this specialized knowledge. The two disciplines combine very well.
The whole idea of interpreting a chart is to assist a client in
healing the dilemmas shown there. All problems come from within
one ’s self, so naturally, it is necessary to help him or her to
recognize this. One of the first obstacles I encountered when I was
starting a consulting practice was most clients’ insistence that if
only the peop le with whom they were in a relationship, whether
familial, fraterna l or roman tic, would be different, then s/he, the
client, would be happ y. It seemed at the time, that getting them to see
that one canno t chan ge other peop le but only one ’s self, was nea
rly impo ssible. I also refused to interpret a chart in a way that gave
someone an advantage in vanquishing an enem y. So man y wanted to
know a good time to get even with a perceived wrong-doe r. That just
felt wrong to me. I didn’t feel I was helping much, and it didn’t seem
that my clients were healing, either. After years of groping in the
dark for answers, I found A Cou rse in Miracles. Actua lly, a friend had
given me a set of the course’s original form of three books, and they
sat on a book shelf for a decade before I read them. I didn’t start
to app ly the principles until the early nineties! I know it is not the
only positive perspective for relaying informa tion to peop le, but
 107
for me, it was a Godsend and made a great deal of sense. Just as
with psychology, it was a dynam ic blend with astrology.

The Course is Born

It is interesting that the same dilemm a of “there must be

another way” to relate to peop le was the key desire of Helen
Schucman and William Thetford just before they began their
collaboration of scribing A Cou rse in Miracles. They were both
associated with Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center as
psychologists and were working on a project together as consultants
to an interdisciplina ry research project at Cornell University Medical
Center, Bill’s former employer. They were ha ving a very difficult
time getting along as colleagues to the extent that the work was
suffering, and they were getting little done . In June 1965 , Bill
decided to suggest that they approach their relationship a different
way, and from that time on, one thing led to another to produce A
Cou rse in Miracles which is said to be channe led directly from Jesus
Christ through the scribe, Helen Schucman. Bill Thetford worked with
her daily to transcribe her hand written noteboo ks into a manu script,
which was fina lly pub lished in 1975 .
The most basic principle of A Cou rse in Miracles is:
“Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists.”
Another basic idea is that all behavior is based on love or fear. If one
is not coming from love, s/he is coming from fear. I also love the
course’s thought, “We can look at this a different way.” It took me
back to 1969 when I had a part time job with the hea lth depa rtmen t
on Long Island in Brentwood, NY. I had a supe rvisor
who made an inde lible impression when I listened to her at board
mee tings. Whenever the subject of violence, lying, chea ting, etc.
came up in our case studies, she would explain to us possible
scenarios of what might be the fears of the person. She never, ever
criticized anyone. Always, she tried to “look at it a different way.”
108
The first thing I had to do in my consulting practice was
to look at cha rts a different way. Instead of seeing difficult Saturn,
Pluto, Neptune and Mars aspects as negative indictmen ts of a person’s
flaws, I had to learn to see them as fear indicators. Even violence is a
protective measure against some fearful outcome . It doesn’t mean
one should put one ’s self in the path of it or to indu lge in that
behavior, but surely it would help to unde rstand why it is happen
ing. As soon as our perspective chan ges about an unde rlying
philosophy, the words chosen to relay informa tion changes. Instead
of saying one is “sharp- tongued, aggressive and rude,” we can say
one is “quick to verbal defense because ....etc.,” and then explore
why that method of defense was chosen. Going further, we can
explore “a different way of looking at it,” or alterna tive methods of
hand ling the ene rgy. The objective is to replace fear with love,
especially love of one’s self.

The Many Faces of Fear

One of my teachers referred to Saturn as “conflict, pain and

doub t”, which is an eloquen t definition of fear. Saturn is the classical
embod iment of fear, and the easiest to unde rstand and recognize in
the character. We think of fear as “withdrawal, hesitation, inhibition,
etc.” All these are characteristics of Saturn. Similar to this are the
signs Capricorn and Virgo. Whatever houses hold these signs, there
will be doub t and fear about the affairs they represent. The idea of
Saturn and these two signs being representative of low self-esteem
and insecurity is so universally unde rstood and accepted, there is no
need to examine them extensively. Suffice to say, the parents and
early upbringing would be most impo rtant in unde rstand ing the source
of fear. Helping a client to see another’s viewpoint is so very impo
rtant. Assisting him or her to unde rstand why a parent (or anyone
else) may have made the choices that were made , and above all,
helping to facilitate forgivene ss is a hea ling tool.
 109
Saturn also represents guilt. The course says that guilt is
insane. It doom s one to live in the pa st where change is impo ssible.
The pa st is done and gone. It is a deb ilitating waste of time to dwell
there. Once one has asked forgiveness, made any amends that are
possible, and forgiven one ’s self, then what else can be done ? This
idea, alone, can be an enormously hea ling relief. Whenever we
interact with anyone, each of us has free will in choo sing how we will
respond , and each of us is responsible for our choices. Respond and
responsible come from the same root word. If we respond with
love and forgiveness, choosing to unde rstand why a person may be
projecting something negatively, then we stop the karmic wheel of
cause and effect. It can go no further.
The course also teaches that anger is an attempt to make
another person feel guilty. It’s a form of projection. When we cannot
face taking respon sibility for our own choices, then we need to find a
scapegoa t. Here is Mars in action. In a woman ’s chart, for instance , if
Mars is stressfully aspected to the Sun, she may project anger toward
men in general. If she can be shown that it is her free choice to do
that, and that it can be changed to another attitude , much hea ling can
take place. By discussing life events that she perceives as being the
reason for this projection, a creative Astrologer can guide her to
assess the situation from another viewpoint, help her to unde rstand
why her defensive mechan ism (Mars) was viewed as need ing to be
activated, and suggest different choices so that she may release the
anger. There is also a practical reason for doing this. According to
the course, illness is “anger taken out on the body.” We know that
emotions have an enormous impact on health. Mars
rules adrenalin, amon g man y other things, so when we are in a
fighting mood , excessive chemicals are released, and therefore, just
for physical reasons we can see how illness can result. Anger takes
many forms, and expresses in myriad ways, stressing parts of the
body and setting us up for illness.
110
Pluto is also a fear indicator. Anything to which Pluto
is stressfully conne cted brings a need to be in control of that energy
at all costs. Why would anyone need control over anything? Fear of
losing control suggests fear of being vulnerable. More than likely a
client with strong Pluto issues felt out of control early in life. One
acquaintance I have was shuttled from one aunt to another during all
his childhood from the age of two while his mother worked a long
distance away. He has a Capricorn ascend ant oppo site Pluto. Since
he has a couple of personal planets in Cancer, home and emotional
security are basic need s for him, but there was hardly a feeling of
ha ving it supplied while he was young! Even after 50 years, he was
still quite emo tiona l when talking about it. One of his basic character
traits, which the natal cha rt promised would be a coping mechan ism
through the Pluto placemen t, is the need to be absolutely in control
of all facets of his life. It is a human characteristic to compen sate for
what we perceive to be lacking. What the compen sation will be is
shown by which of the fear indicators is most prominent. Pluto is
one of the most difficult to “get through to” since it is associated with
Scorpio, a fixed sign, the eighth house and the unconscious.
Neptune is another face of fear. This one is most prominent
in cases of denial. When one canno t cope with a dilemm a, or
doesn’t wish to, it is often easier to dissociate from it and deny it
exists. This can become so extreme that multiple persona lities can eme
rge. Neptunian characteristics can be present even if Neptune in the
chart is well-aspected. A twelfth house emph asis or stressfully placed
planets in Pisces can just as easily show this coping mechan ism.
In Figure 7-1, (natal cha rt in the center circle) there is a
twelfth house emph asis and Neptune is rising, which would certainly
indicate a Neptunian way of dea ling with fear. In this case, Mars is
also rising, and so Neptune has doub le duty as a way of dea ling
with anger, as well. There is a Virgo stellium, Saturn square the
ascend ant, and a Capricorn Moon, all
111
Figure 7-1
112
deno ting low self-esteem issues. This is a fearful person! Even
Jupiter conjunct the Sun will not be enou gh to overcome this
deep-seated insecurity, but her disposition is cheerful! As men
tioned earlier, timing is everything. Before this year, I might not have
been able to convince her that she was in a habit of den ying anger
and possibly displacing it. This year, however, it was possible to deal
with it.
In the second ring, in the second house, seconda ry
progressed Mars is exactly trine natal Saturn; she can take respon
sibility for her behavior. Solar arc (third ring) Uranu s is semi-sextile
the same place, and therefore, an “awakening” can take place about
what those responsibilities are. More impo rtantly, however, solar arc
Pluto had just finished contacting the natal Mars, Neptune, Ascendant
conjunction. I asked her if she had been seriously ill a little over a year
earlier. That would have been about the time Pluto was conjunct
the Ascendant. I also asked if she had been ha ving ma rital problems
about three years ago. Pluto had been conjunct Mars, ruler of the
seventh at that time. She said that a little over three years ago, her
husband ended their ma rriage, and about the time I had indicated,
she was seriously ill and unde rwent surgery. We discussed anger, or
more impo rtantly, her total denial that she was ever angry. All this
went back to early childhood , since Mars squares Saturn, which
rules the fourth, is posited in the tenth, and disposits the Moon,
which is in the fourth. She learned at an early age, or in a past life,
given the twelfth house emph asis, to control (or den y) any indication
of anger. But, the anger is there, none theless. When she suffered
rejection, it expressed through hea lth issues. The cure would be total
forgivene ss of her husband and to look at the situation from a
completely different perspective. She needed to unde rstand that
before anyone else can love her, she must first love herself. Naturally,
this is simplistic, and we discussed far more than we can cover here,
and more than this outline is requ ired to interpret a cha rt fully, but
it is easy to see
 113
how this would be the right tim e to address these particular issues.
A Cou rse in Miracles teaches that a miracle is a “correction.”
The correction is shifting from perceiving anything as truth or
illusion, real or unreal. If the premise “Nothing real can be
threatened. Nothing unreal exists.” mean s that the only things that
are real are those that canno t be threatened , then very little that we
see in front of us is real. It reminds me of an internet anecdote that
was being circulated awhile back concerning judgment. A grocery
check-out clerk was highly appa lled that a mother on welfare was
using food stamps for a birthda y cake, but she later was most remo
rseful to discover the cake was for a termina lly ill child’s last birthda
y. Judgment withou t knowing all the facts, which is always impo
ssible unless you’ve lived the other person’s life, is an ugly, most
harmful thing. Many peop le only need to make a correction of their
assessmen ts of what is real and what isn’t, and it would produce a
profound change in their lives.
For instance, we know that we “teach” other people how to treat
us. In the cha rt example, can you ima gine how this person would
exude the message that she will allow herself to be treated unfairly
because she doesn’t see herself as worthy of better treatment? If
she perceived herself as highly valuable and deserving of being loved
and appreciated, which is possible, she would receive it, because we
always ask for what we receive in direct propo rtion to our
expectations, whether we are consciously aware of it or not.

De press ion: Another Res ult of Fear

The Course says that depression comes from feeling dep

rived of something we desire that we do not have. Desire is a
decision that we make about what we want and insist on where it must
be found . It implies that we canno t be happ y unless external desires
are met. It is a blessing, though, because desire
114
drives us to find answers and fulfillmen t, so there is a positive side
to it. The problem is, until we find out what is real, there is never enou
gh. As soon as one desire is met, up pops another one! In the
recent best-seller, The Poisonwood Bible, the missiona ry’s wife
makes a profound statemen t about what is valuable (desirable) and
what isn’t, when she lays her dead child on a table and then emp ties
her house of all possessions for the people in the village to divide
among them. Everything, after all, is relative. Thoughts, alone, cause
pain. It is the way we choose to respond to every single momen t of
our lives that determines whether or not we are fulfilled and happ y.
Often a client will ask, “Will I ever be happ y?” My stock answer is,
“Anytime you decide to be.”
Each of us comes into life with Mars and Venus in our cha rt.
Mars reveals the desire nature, and Venus shows what is valued.
Sometimes they are in conflict, sometimes one or both are
challenged with stressful contacts from other planets promising
frustration in attaining these desires. This does not condemn the
person to a life of deprivation; it merely shows where hea ling is
needed so that the person can change his or her perception of values
or desires to attain peace of mind. The very fact that these two
planets are in stress with each other or other planets in the cha rt,
shows an imbalance of their ene rgies. It is the Astrologer’s job to
facilitate recognition, both of what is real and what isn’t, as well as
another way of perceiving the stress. Most values and desires, if not
all, are brought over from past lives and are hab its. It is not the
Astrologer’s job to impose his or her own values on a person, but in
the context of the client’s life to facilitate a more satisfying way of
looking at these ene rgies.

Additi onal Conce pts

 Some other helpful concepts from A Course in Miracles are
just common sense, but resona te within each of us as truth when we
hear them. One is that fear is not in the present, but
 115
only of the pa st and future. It is so reasonab le when stated that way.
However, if we are living in the pa st or future, that is, feeling remo
rseful of what was and fearful of what might be, we are not in the
present. Yet, the pa st and future do not exist; the present is all there
is. Therefore, if we dwell in the past or future, we are living in an
illusion, an unreal place. The definition of illusion in the course
encompa sses much, much more than this, but this is an example of
one way we sabotage ourselves.
We all know and agree, in this age of enlightenmen t of the
power of the subconscious, that the future is made from the thoughts
we think toda y. If we are in the past or the future in a negative state of
mind, we are not in control of the present, and therefore, not in
control of the future, either. This is how we fulfill the premise that
everything that happen s, we have asked for and received as we
have asked.
But, what I’ve learned that is most valuable in reading a chart
is to take a stance of non-judgment. We canno t know our brothers if
we have alread y judged them as “good”, “bad”, “stupid”, “deceitful”
or whatever. It is only when we approach every single relationship
with no reference to the past, making no judgmen ts, that we give
ourselves a chance to learn about each other anew . . . and that
includes the client in front of you.
 Chapter Eight
Rec tification Using S olar
Arc

The time a person is born is everything. Even twins have different

lives. One of the most exasperating things about popular Astrology that
is contributing to keeping it misunde rstood and disrespected is the
insistence on some Astrologers to ignore this vital fact and try to do
cha rts based on something other than the correct time of birth.
Basing it on noon or sunrise is no better than any other fictitious
time. It will still not be that person’s chart. Many times clients will
have no way of ascertaining a time of birth, and for those peop le
rectifying the chart might be in order. Even then, however, there is
never an absolute guarantee that the rectified cha rt is correct. It is
more like an educated guess. Sometimes the real chart might have an
angle in the exact position of a planet, and in that case, the person
rectifying the chart might miss the correct angle altogether, attributing
the events to the planet rather than to an angle. It is necessary to be
able to interpret a chart very well in order to rectify, since one can
tell if the event did or did not fit the planet or angle in question.
There are four times a day when aspects can affect an angle
because an angle can be activated by conjunction, oppo sition, and
upper or lower square. Therefore, there are four valid times that a
person could be born, and still have the events “fit”. Therefore, I like to
have a client be able to determine his or her time within six hou rs to
elimina te three possibilities. However, that is not always possible.
Since it would be quite a
117
118
mathema tical feat to find the right quarter of the day, I like to use
more creative methods.
The first thing is to just look at the person and note physical
characteristics. Dimples can be indicative of Libra rising, sharp angular
features and an impa tient manne r can deno te Aries. Large watery,
fish-shaped eyes can be attributed to Pisces. Every sign has physical
characteristics associated with it. However, this is tricky. If a planet is
rising, it can mod ify the sign considerably. For instance, if cha tty
Gemini is rising, but Pluto is conjunct the Ascend ant, there will be a
hea vy influen ce of Scorpio characteristics. Therefore, this is not
always the best way to approach the problem. It’s just a starting
point.
My most successful method of determining the rising sign is to
gather the birth data of other family membe rs. Signs are inherited,
and often one of the parents’ (or other relatives’) prominen tly
represented signs will be rising in the subject’s chart. By examining
the subject’s parents’, siblings’, spouse’s and children’s cha rts, there
will usua lly be a sign that is prominent in most of them that is not
represented in the client’s untimed chart. That is most likely the rising
sign in the subject’s chart. Sometimes it might be the MC, but most
of the time it seems to represent the ascending sign. Only
testing of events will determine which is which.
Once a sign has been selected to test, the real fun begins!
Rectification is so difficult because a sign can be represented by
polarity, i.e. the oppo site sign, a prominent ruling planet of a sign, or
a house position. For instance, Aquarius can be strong in a chart or
family and be represented by accented Uranu s positions, planets
or angles in Leo, or planets in the eleventh house. All are equally
valid.
Using an example of a male born on May 23, 1932 in
Newton, MA, we’ll go through a rectification step-by-step. This
gentleman had no idea what time he was born, and both parents and
older siblings were all deceased. In fact, only the month of each
parent’s birthda ys is known, not the dates. After
 119
considering three siblings’, three wives’ and four children’s birth charts,
with only the children’s and current wife’s having a correct time of
birth, it was appa rent that the signs recurring in their cha rts, that was
missing in his, were Libra and Aries. Since they are a polarity, this fit
nicely. His persona lity and appearance is quite Libran. Before starting
to retrace his life with a list of events I was given, I picked a starting
point based on a recent event, his wife’s illness, which started quite
sudden ly very late at night on May 22, 2000 . His solar arc Saturn was
9 Aries on that day, so I assigned the ascend ant 9 degrees of Libra as
a beginning point. That would put solar arc Saturn conjunct the
seventh cusp. His wife is wheel chair bound currently, and his
responsibility for her is enormous. Figure 8-1 shows seconda ry
progressions and solar arcs for this tentative potential chart. Note also
that solar arc Uranu s is conjunct seconda ry progressed Mars. The
illness was a sudden stroke. Uranu s, in this tentative cha rt, is in the
seventh and Mars rules it. (Again, I’m forced to wonder if these two
methods of prognostication interact with each other.) The first event
to check is the death of the mother on
Dec. 13, 1943 . This was a pivotal event that is basic to his entire life.
In Figure 8-2, the solar arc MC and ascendant are both activating the
Moon/ Pluto/ Uranu s T-square which would point to a potential
sudden event around this time with a parent. I’m reluctant to chan ge
the conjectured birth time because there is also a progressed new
Moon at 13 Gemini, indicative of a new beginning. The next
month’s eclipse at 4 Aquarius would conjunct the natal fourth house
Saturn, further corrobo ration that we’re on the right track. The
previous eclipses were at 8 Leo and 22 Aquarius. The first one squared
Mars on the cusp of the eighth house.
The second event, August 1946 at age 14, was when his father
abandon ed him and he was on his own. He moved into the YMCA.
Now I’m tempted to try an altered birth time because the solar arc
node s are 7 of Aries/Libra, and since this is a major shift in his
environmen t, I will make the ascend ant 7 Libra and
120
Figure 8-1
121
Figure 8-2
122
check the events just done against that time. Figure 8-3 shows this
event with the altered birth time. Note that the solar arc Moon is
conjunct Saturn in the fourth, a profound indication of this event, the
nodes are conjunct the ascend ant/descend ant axis, and the solar arc
ascendant and MC are triggering the Moon/ Uranus/ Pluto T-square.
Let’s now check this new time against the mother’s death event.
In Figure 8-4, the MC and Venus conjunction are both
activating the Moon/ Uranus/ Pluto T-square. Furthermore,
Venus rules the eighth house so there is clearer indication that this is
a death event. This new time fits both events. The
hardship of the next couple years is clearly shown by the MC’s
continued activation of the T- square and the solar arc Uranu
s/Moon square activating Saturn. In the chart for 1946 , his sudden ly
being trust into the world is poignan tly shown by the progressed MC
squaring the progressed Uranu s and the solar arc ascendant square the
natal Pluto. But, what about the current wife’s cond ition and solar arc
Saturn at 9 Aries? In this chart it is square the MC/Venus conjunction,
and the marriage has had some hardships for the last couple years. It
also fits this new time. At this point, I’m rather satisfied with this
time of birth,
but it need s to be tested against further events. He married for the
first time on April 12, 1952 . When there is a chan ge in status, the
MC or ascend ant must be involved. They can either be ma king or
receiving aspects. In this case, Pluto is at 9 Leo, and there do not
appear to be any major aspects involving the angles. Therefore, I’m
going back to the 9 degree Libra ascend ant as an equal possibility.
The second ma rriage was on Dec. 1, 1973 . Figure 8-5 is dramatic in
showing this event. He had divorced his first wife only the month
before, so obviously he had known the second wife for some time.
The solar arc Sun is separating from a conjunction to Venus and MC.
Naturally, we can wonder if the Venus is the operative here, but the
seconda ry progressed ascendant is trine the Venus and the
progressed MC is going to conjunct the progressed Jup iter in a little
over a year
123
Figure 8-3
124
Figure 8-4
125
Figure 8-5
126
which is when a child was born. It would trine the natal Uranu s, ruler
of the fifth, a few months after the ma rriage. Mars, in a little over a
year, would also trine the ascendant, further giving creden ce to this
birth time. There are man y other contacts a studen t would find
interesting to discover.
Retiremen t is always an impo rtant time to consider when
verifying time. His retiremen t was November 30, 1988 . This
(Figure 8-6) is an extremely corrobo rative chart. Solar arc Jup iter is
conjunct the ascendant. The MC and Venus are conjunct Neptune,
ruler of the sixth, and Neptune by solar arc is about to change signs.
After checking out all the other events I was given, one last test
was a nervous breakdown suffered in April 1990 . Figure 8-7 shows
the ascend ant (impo rtant in hea lth issues) by solar arc is square
Neptune, ruler of the sixth, in mutable signs. Progressed Moon is
square the Sun, also both mutable, and both Neptune and Saturn by
solar arc are chan ging signs. Neptune is confusion, mutable signs are
the most prone to nervous conditions, pa rticularly Gemini. This was
the last corrobo ration I needed to put this chart to rest and determine
the time of birth to be 3:30 pm.
When I began this chapter, I had not rectified this cha rt, nor
did I have any practice with it. Usua lly, rectifications are much
more difficult with sometimes five or six attempts at a workable
solution.

Stud ent Exercis e: Other events in this man’s life were:

High sc hoo l gradua tion, June, 1949 ; Father died, March or
April 1964 ; First child, Feb. 23 , 1954 ; Seco nd child, May 24
, 1955 ; Third child, Dec . 9 , 1974 ; Fourth child, April 9 ,
1979 ; Third ma rriag e, Oct. 26 , 1996 ; Seco nd divorce ,
April 15 , 1988 . Do follow-up tes ts with those events.
127
Figure 8-6
128
Figure 8-7
 Epilogue

Forecasting with astrology is controversial. Many astrologers

do not forecast at all, others try to be too specific and discount the
power of free will. After almost thirty years as a professiona l
astrologer, I have come to the conclusion that the old quote from
dusty textboo ks, “The stars do not compe l; they impel.”, is the
truthful middle ground . I have had clients who go through a tangle of
difficult aspects and come out better off than before, but they do adm
it that they were tempted to make other choices at the time that
would have been much more negatively consequen tial than the ones
they made .
Therein lies the difference – choice. We have free will, and
when we stand at a fork in the road where a choice has to be made ,
it is a blessing to have a roadmap in the form of our cha rts, wherein
we can assess what the lesson is about in Planet Earth University at
that juncture and the length of time it will take to travel through the
course. Astrologers have the hono r and privilege to help others to
arm themselves with knowledge of the terrain so they can travel
through life with more wisdom and spiritua l awarene ss. Nama ste.
129
 Bibli
ography

The Se at of the So ul Ga ry Zukav

As t rology for the So ul Jan Spiller

The Holy Bible Confraternity-Douay Version

Inte rpret ing the Eclipses Robert Carl Jansky

The Comb ination of Ste llar Influences Reinhold Ebertin

The Dancing Wu Li Maste rs Ga ry Zukav

Co nside rations Magazine vol. VIII, # 4 and vol. IX, # 1

Cosm ic Views (newsletter), Carole Devine

A Co urse in Miracles , The Founda tion for Inner Peace, 1975 ,

1985 , 1992

Abs ence from Felicity,

Wapnick, Kenne th, Ph.D., Founda tion for A
Course in Miracles, 1991 , page 93
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