Where I started

[my_starz]

"Astrology is valid for the same reason multiplication tables are valid: it works." -- Grant Lewi

I don't remember exactly why I started looking into astrology, but I clearly remember how I did it. I was a member of The Science Fiction Book Club, and a flyer included in one of their mailings was a solicitation to join something called The Universe Book Club. Same deal as any other book/record (or CD)/movie club that's ever existed -- get several items for an insanely low price when you join, on the condition that you buy several more within a certain time frame at 'regular price'. But this one had a unique range of offerings: books on the supernatural, metaphysical, and what would generically be referred to as "the occult". This included astrology.

My father was a fairly talented amateur stage magician, and I'd picked up that hobby from him. As an adjunct to that practice, I became interested in some of the fields the tricksters were able to imitate -- psychic abilities, hypnosis, and even "real magick". So I selected my several books, and joined The Universe Book Club -- and for reasons I really can't recall, one of the titles I got in that initial shipment was Heaven Knows What by Grant Lewi.

As far as 'how-to' astrology books are concerned (although I didn't realize this until years later), Heaven Knows What is extremely simple to use, and rather limited in scope. It starts off with the 144 possible combinations of Sun and Moon placement, and from there deals only with the planetary aspects -- the angular relationships of the luminaries I mentioned in an earlier post. But don't misunderstand me when I refer to it as limited -- in spite of all that's not included (signs for the planets, ascendants, houses), the results produced within those limits amazed me!

I used myself as the subject of the first chart I cast, and was astonished as to how closely the text matched up my own understanding of my personality. Phrases like "sticks to their guns, even when out of ammo" suited me to a "T" - so much so that I can recall that bit even now, decades after the book left my hands. Doing charts for my siblings produced similar on-target results -- there was *far* more accuracy here than in anything any of us had seen in the sun-sign summaries, which had been the limit of our previous exposure to astrology.

I was hooked. Lewi's other major title, Astrology for the Millions was quickly added to my collection, but that one wasn't able to hold my interests anywhere near as well as the first -- of course, your mileage may vary. If I recall correctly, the latter book was much more technical in nature, and at that time, I was spoiled by the 'easy-to-use' aspects of the first. But the door had opened, and I had set off along a path I'm still following (with varying degrees of diligence) to this day.

I'm curious: what was your first step into serious astrology? A book, a teacher, having a chart cast? Please share that experience in the comments.

More another time.

Comments

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Gosh, I've been at it so long
I can't remember a specific
starting point. I do remember
having my chart done in college,
though, because it was so apt
that people laughed. That was
when I started paying closer
attention to the details.

[rix_scaedu]

I don't think I've made it, really.
It's always been the other interesting bit on the newspaper comics' page. More serious work has been interesting to read on occasion but I've never had a chart drawn up.
Firstly, a family background that doesn't go in for that "sort of thing".
Secondly, caution about prodding the future in case it prods back & what if it tells me about myself and it's right?
Thirdly, if you want a chart done, you want it done by someone whose work you trust and with 1 & 2 in operation, I've never gone looking.

Point by point

[my_starz]

1st: While my own circumstances were somewhat different regarding astrology and most other esoteric interests -- my parents were largely of a 'don't ask, don't tell' mindset when it came to "the occult" -- there were aspects of my life which the implicit disapproval kept me from exploring fully until years after I was no longer living under their roof. So I understand, and to an extent sympathize, with family background steering one away from something that might otherwise have been of interest.

2nd: Thank you for giving me a topic for a future essay! While I won't go into it in any detail here, I will point out that natal charts, unto themselves, aren't about "prodding the future" -- in the broadest sense, they're simply a personality profile. It takes much more work than casting a natal chart for an astrologer to make meaningful predictions, and to some extent I myself question whether or not that is the...wisest?...choice a person can make. More to come, after another essay or two on personal experiences.

3rd: I'm still some distance from getting the website up and running, but one of the first things it will feature will be a (small but growing) selection of natal charts, and their interpretations, of folks whose personalities we're already familiar with: entertainers, political figures, historical icons. My hope is that posting these will provide some grounds for establishing trust (if said interpretations are at all accurate); what happens from there will be out of my hands.

Thanks for reading, and even more so for the comments!

Re: Point by point

[rix_scaedu]

I'm glad I could be of some help. :)
"Prodding the future" comes up in my mind, I think, because those little snippets in the paper are trying to provide an insight for the next day or week.

[thejeopardymaze]

Through a friend, but all of it was modern, which was like hitting a brick wall. I'm slowly building up a collection of translations from the Hellenistic and sooner or later Muslim period (it turns out they embraced and forwarded the Hellenistic tradition than originally given credit for, especially in Persia0, and the traditional rulerships and so forth are starting to help make it click for me for once. The audio lecture series from Ben Dykes have been helpful, though I might eventually purchase some from Demetra George, even though I really disagree with how she uses asteroids-but at least she takes traditional texts seriously these days.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Ancient Persian and Arabian cultures were serious stargazers -- hence why a lot of stars have Arabic or derived names. I really like looking at different historic cultures' accomplishments in the sciences. The Celts and the Chinese were also into studying the sky. Everybody in the West thinks about the Greeks but they were neither the first nor the most extensive.

Re: Yes...

[thejeopardymaze]

I'd be skeptical about the claims about the Celts and astrology, Peter Berresford Ellis's claims about Irish astrology (or druids or Celtic women for that matter) have been exaggerated, and the only preserved material of it we have of their work was in the post-Christian period, and that was clearly Hellenistic derivative. Someday I'll devote a blog to mystical woo stuff in which I'll get in to greater detail/rant about the so-called Irish astrology.

As for Greek, most of the foundations of Western astrology were codified more or less during the Hellenistic era, but much of it was preserved in the East by Persian and Muslim cultures.

Re: Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I said studying the sky. How much
was astrology and how much
astronomy is open to interpretation.
I don't want to get into a big
debate about that because I don't
want to drag 20 books downstairs.

Re: Yes...

[thejeopardymaze]

All cultures did, though I'm curious about how much the Celts actually worked on outside of Ellis's claims, which might be hard to do. I would like to see actual source texts and archaeological sources, however.


How much
was astrology and how much
astronomy is open to interpretation.

There was and is certainly a Chinese astrology, but it's nothing like how it's presented in the mainstream, but you might already know that. :) I'm frustrated by the lack of decent software for it so far, but it's been awhile since I googled around for it, maybe there's something in the app store.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Ancient Persian and Arabian cultures were serious stargazers -- hence why a lot of stars have Arabic or derived names. I really like looking at different historic cultures' accomplishments in the sciences. The Celts and the Chinese were also into studying the sky. Everybody in the West thinks about the Greeks but they were neither the first nor the most extensive.