Astrologers and the Academy

I’ve just been watching the video below by Robert Hand, and it’s got me pondering (again) the place of academia and the teaching institutions within astrology. I suppose my big reservation is that they become the source of authority, the definers of the canon of knowledge, to which many astrologers automatically look. A certificate, or an MA from them makes you a real astrologer in a way that astrologers without those formal qualifications are not. I think a lot of people think that way.

It is like the relationship between a novelist (practising astrologer), a creative writing course (the teaching institutions) and literary criticism (the academy.) Each of these has its place, its value. But make no mistake: it is the novelist who is at the top of this tree, he/she is the guardian of the inspiration that spawned these auxiliary branches.

And it is the same with astrology. Astrology is about reading charts, it is about synthesising symbols so that something original and energising and particular to that person (or situation) emerges. It is that ability that brings in something transformative, and gives a sense of the numinous.

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I am not saying that astrologers in academia or the teaching institutions do not have that ability. I am sure that many of them do, to a greater or lesser degree. But that inspirational quality is crucially dependent on what I call metaphysical autonomy, which not many people have, though most people think they have it. It is to do with having your own independent relationship with what you feel to be ultimate, and this is usually a hard-won thing. It often involves finding the confidence to put yourself on an ‘equal’ footing with those who have been your teachers. Then, if you like, the channels are free, unfettered by derivative pre-conceptions, or any conceptions at all.

But it is evident that in the astrological world, the practising astrologers are not at the top of the tree. The top of the tree is occupied by the high priests and priestesses within the institutions. They are commonly regarded as the authorities.

I am not complaining. I would not expect it to be any other way. Religion has always been like this, and institutionalised astrology has all the characteristics of a religion. And religions usually have a ‘heretical’ fringe. Heresy comes from the Greek word hairein meaning ‘to choose’, and that says it all really. The heretics are those who choose, whose ultimate source of authority is within, rather than without in the form of books and high priests/esses. And if you are a high priest/ess of astrology, that inner authority easily turns into a love affair with the authority others give you. It becomes part of who you are, and the inner connection is compromised. I have observed this a lot.

So, to address a point Robert Hand makes, I (unlike Hand) am glad that astrology is not regulated by the government. I think formal training in astrology can be a great thing, but not all of us have done that, and government regulation would mean I for one could not practise as an astrologer. (I have, after all, got Mercury in Aquarius opposite Uranus.) I think if you are that way inclined, it is perfectly possible to train yourself in astrology. It’s not that difficult. The hard part is the inner work, and that can easily be circumvented in a certificate course or an MA. The real qualification is an initiation, or a series of initiations, that life will usually provide if we are open to it: Pluto transits, Neptune transits that destroy unreflective attitudes and awaken us to sources within.

Astrology is an inner thing, but as with any religion, the emphasis can end up on words and intellect and who knows the most, technical proficiency. The wrong kind of knowledge.

Moon and Venus in Cancer

My router is bust so I’m offline and I’m going to post this at the local library in Exeter. That also means no pics or charts.

Yesterday, today and tomorrow we have Moon and Venus in Cancer. Excellent time for nourishing yourself, buying things you’ve denied yourself but which you can afford, doing those creative things – in my case writing an astroblog – which can get squeezed out. The Moon is what you feel on a basic level, what you need to be OK, Venus is valuing that, and Cancer is taking care of that, nourishing it.

Venus is square Uranus and opposite Pluto, and the Moon has been passing across that t-square. So it’s a very good time for unearthing your feelings (Pluto), making them conscious (Uranus) and transforming them (Pluto) by being nice to yourself!

It’s the Sun, the Hero, that gets most of the attention in our culture, particularly I think in the USA, where it is sacred to die a hero, and it can seem like most films are about heroes. But it can also be a way of avoiding oneself. It gets very hard and superficial.

This is where we need the Moon, who needs to be given equal weight to the Sun. The Moon is hidden, she is personal, she does not make the big noise that the Sun makes. The present planetary ecological crisis is, you could say, an externalisation of a Sun-Moon imbalance within individuals.

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The one-sided Moon is childish and timid. The Sun and the Moon need each other. On their own they cannot live fruitfully. The Sun may have the brilliant ideas and the drive, but the Moon knows how to go about things, how to make sure everything feels right before we do something, how to be patient, how to ensure everyone – including oneself – is taken care of.

I think on an inner level the feminine needs to be the leader. And maybe on an outer level too. Dangerous territory. In our culture you’re not allowed to generalise about men and women unless the women are favoured. The women leaders we get are usually trying to be like men, and that’s not what I mean. Maybe Angela Merkel, Germany’s leader, has something of it. With Sun in Moon-ruled Cancer, she is trying to hold Europe together while keeping her own people happy. She doesn’t swashbuckle, she doesn’t make displays of power like Margaret Thatcher did.

The Mayan 2012 prophecy. It’s like the Chinese creating a Merlin bandwagon. Does anyone have any direct insight into Dec 2012, or is it just a blind bandwagon?

Venus is in Cancer trine Neptune, Moon is in Taurus. Nice! Very nice! Just keep plucking those grapes!  With the t-square from venus to uranus-pluto, this isn't about self-indulgence, it's about what you need. Earth Mother at your service.

I'm quite impulsive. Moon in Sag. Works out well sometimes. Sometimes it's crap. Began my blog in 2006 under Merc retro in Leo. Began this twitter thing under Merc retro in Leo. Both spur of the moment. But Merc Retro is quite thoughtful. It has a bad press.

Is Tweeting about saying something, or is it just about links?

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Ad Break: I offer webcam astrology readings (£60 full reading/£30 update) and written responses to specific questions (£30). Price negotiable if you’re hard up. Contact me on Dharmaruci71(at)hotmail.com.

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 David Cameron is quite gifted academically. They are not always the best judge of people. Look at Andy Coulson. People in top jobs wouldn't be there if they didn't know what was going on. Like Coulson and the hacking. Cameron gave him a '2nd chance'. So Libran. His advisers must have been tearing their hair out. Librans want to think the best of everybody. But they can be very judgemental if you are critical of people. Like you are a bad person for thinking like that. Now Scorpio, they will call a spade a spade. Or if they're from Yorkshire, a bloody shovel.

Gu Kailai, the chinese businesswoman on trial for murder. Sun conj Venus in Scorp opposite Mars. Moon in Cap. Ambition and deadly charisma. Like the female spiders who kill after mating. Neil Heywood, her victim. A Libran. Probably thought Gu Kailai was his best friend.