A little later ...

Strange things can happen when you move ... our diagonal took us from the north Kent coast (UK) to the north Wales coast (hence the anagram). Just a little rearrangement there, then. We are still on the crease in the map and the page overlap. We are still on the estuary of a substantial river ending in the same syllable ( Medway to Conwy which used to be Conway). I still go to choir practice on Tuesday evenings at 7h30, and the diary still says 'choir @ C/B' (Canterbury to Colwyn Bay, which both entail a 20-minute journey from home.) My other half still goes over to the island ending in '-ey' for meetings - but Anglesey instead of Sheppey. Our house is still a Victorian hostelry - an ex-pub in Kent, an ex-B&B in Conwy. Both homes were bought from the rapidly fracturing family of an artist fleeing to pastures new. No change there, then!

... but oh, the difference in the view and the air! You tend not to get mountains in Kent. and we had about 2'6" of filthy pavement between us and 24-hour HGVs, spewing particulates and carbon monoxide and promising premature burial.

From here I can watch paradisaic sunsets over the peaks of Snowdonia and breathe champagne straight off the Irish Sea.

Wouldn't you move?

Now then. Astrology.

I have been involved in Astrology since 1968 (well, 1961 if you count buying a tiny square and indecipherable book in Paris on holiday! But the Marabout-Flash "L'Astrologie" lay dormant for a quarter of a progressed lunation). In that momentous year my friend Joan discovered an astrologer living a mile across the fields from my semi and drove us both over there to make friends. This was because our other friend Jackie had sweet-talked the local librarian into lending us her entire stock of coffee-table astrology books indefinitely - so we drank a lot of coffee, learned quite a bit of astrology, and developed an insatiable curiosity!

The astrologer turned out to be a generous, delightful woman named Olivia. She gave us free access to her library and pointed me firmly in the direction of the Astrological Association of Great Britain, as it now presents itself, and the Faculty of Astrological Studies, whose Diploma is still the most recognised and respected in the astrological world. To this lady I shall always be grateful, and to my friends, as this is the path I have trodden ever since, for going on 36 years! ... with joy and perpetual fascination.

THE TECHNICAL BIT!

Now, for those of you who have been hunting for astrology and found this blogspot, brace yourselves, because what follows is quite challenging, but it summarises (at some length, I have to say) what I have so far understood of the structure of a fully-functioning, deeply effective Western astrology.

INTERDIMENSIONAL ASTROLOGY - A SUMMARY

Rev. Pamela A.F.Crane
DFAstrolS, DMSAstrol, DPCCH

Most of the following techniques are now available in all major Astrology computer programs.


1. A ZODIAC IS IDENTICAL OR ANALOGOUS TO A STANDING WAVE IN THE TWELFTH HARMONIC, GENERATED AT ANY ECLIPTIC NODE.

(e.g. Tropical Zodiac generated at the Spring Equinox Node; the Draconic Zodiac at the Moon's Ascending Node; the Oriental Zodiac of the Houses at the Horizon/ Ecliptic Node.)

2. A ZODIAC BEGINS WITH ITS OWN SIGN.

(This rule includes the DWAD - a micro-zodiac generated at the nodal point of a Sign-cusp in its "parent" macro-zodiac, the RADIX, and which begins with the Radix Sign in which it is formed.
As the "parent" zodiac of twelve standing waves begins with Aries, the same principle applied in the opposite direction identifies the the Ecliptic Circle as a whole as ARIES - the Generator, the Creative Origin out of which the Zodiac springs, and thus as a manifestation or symbol of the Father. Within this circle is generated the TRIANGLE - the Three-in-one, the Trinity - of ARIES the FATHER, LEO the SON, and SAGITTARIUS the HOLY SPIRIT.
This triangle of the first, fifth and ninth signs in each of the Dwads creates the familiar DECANATES.

3. A SIGN, WHETHER AT HIGH OR LOW FREQUENCY, IS A DISCRETE PACKET OF MEANING.

(i.e. There is discontinuity of characteristics at the nodal point where one Sign ends and the next begins. This is demonstrated by the missing Sign between any two Dwads; for example, the Dwad in Radix Taurus finishes with Aries, and the following Dwad in Radix Gemini begins according to the rule with Gemini, the sign in sextile. A Zodiac does not behave like a spectrum with a gradual progression of meanings that overlap and blend into each other.)


4. IDENTICAL AXES OF LONGITUDE IN TWO OR MORE ZODIACS RESONATE TOGETHER.

(If two bodies in their respective zodiacs - macro or micro - are found in or very close to the same degree of the same Sign, they are "on the same wavelength", "striking the same chord"; if one is in the opposite degree,half the circle away, its resonance with the first has something in common with musical notes separated by an octave. Tight squares to an axis can also be strongly active. Again we have a division of the circle ( the "string" of the zodiac) by two, raising its "note" by a further octave. In music, the same note played on several instruments or sung by several voices is powerfully reinforced as they all resonate together. In the same way two or more planets or angles "playing the same note" on their respective zodiac strings (Tropical, Sidereal, Draconic, Heliocentric, Dwad etc) have their energies (their "voices") combined and amplified by the unison.

The image of fingers moving on a musical string and producing octaves of its original note is perhaps closer to reality than we have imagined; physics now teaches that every object bends its local space. So every planet and energy-point may interrupt the basic resonance of the ecliptic to make the music of the spheres.

Orbs of aspect to an axis should ideally remain within 5E on either side, and within 2E for squares. Clearly, the tighter the contact, the purer the unison of energies, and the more dramatic their combined action when triggered by progressions, transits or Solar Arcs for example.)

Putting all this into practice means working habitually with not just one zodiac at a time, but TROPICAL, DRACONIC and SIDEREAL together, plus HELIOCENTRIC - and sometimes with the GEOSOLAR - the zodiac generated within the calculated Radix chart from the position of the Sun - or the ORIENTAL, mentional earlier.

THE TROPICAL CHART ( in my own terminology the GEOTROPIC or GT ) is the one with which we are all familiar, and expresses the "new creation", the "growing tip" of our self, the embodied and environmentally conditioned personality of the current incarnation and its consequent psychology. At this level of self we have maximum free will to shape ourselves through coping or failure. This is the "little" self which we must master at all costs, or become increasingly the slaves of our bodily drives and desires. Even when it is full of positive qualities, this Tropical identity is essentially selfish, and has always to be directed or monitored by higher levels of the will.

In synastry, contacts between Tropical charts show compatibilities or potential conflicts of interest, similarities or differences - but these do not in the end determine the strength, importance or longevity of a relationship even though they affect it; the stock phrase "This thing is bigger than both of us!" in fact holds the key - the strong relationships are the deep ones, based in the soul or in shared vocation, and to see them we must look to the other levels.

THE DRACONIC CHART ( the GEODRACONIC or GD ) is calculated by taking the Dragon's Head (Draco), the Moon's North or Ascending Node, as the first point of Aries. The formula is as follows:
PLANET/ANGLE - NORTH NODE = DRACONIC PLANET/ANGLE.

This self is a vital core of strength for each of us, as it expresses all that is of current value that the soul has brought with it from the far and/or recent past into this incarnation to be used, or to be resolved (for there is karma here), and to be drawn on in times of need. Many of one's most deeply-held principles are found here, in what amounts to a personal belief-system and may even extend to an enduring self-image. As it is older and more central to the consciousness than the Tropical, this is bound to be true for much of the life, until the new experiences begin to lay down their own deep patterns in the self's core, adding to all that has gone before. Using DRACO in counselling restores meaning and purpose to lives that are almost cracking apart.

There is less freedom of will at this level - it is conditioned by the commitments made by the soul prior to the incarnation, which must not be neglected. This involves the more important relationships - between souls who have come back together to resolve old issues or do particular work together. Contacts between the Draconic charts will show the bonds and the kind of work to be done. SUN-MOON alignments (conjunction or opposition) are commonly found from Draco to Draco or from Draco to Tropical, as well as Tropical to Tropical, where there is or has been a marriage between the two.

THE SIDEREAL CHART ( GEOSTELLAR or GS ) is the basis of Hindu astrology, and is used by a growing number of Western astrologers. However, the nodal starting point of this zodiac is still a mystery, and only by much careful research has the Synetic Vernal Point (SVP) been established (the degree in the Sidereal Zodiac at which the Tropical Spring Equinox is found at a given epoch. ) This point is listed in the "Phenomena" section in the Michelsen and Rosicrucian ephemerides. Having worked to fine tolerances with this, the Fagan-Bradley version of the SVP, I am personally persuaded that it yields the correct Sidereal positions. The AYANAMSA is the degree of the Tropical Zodiac where the start of the Sidereal Zodiac is found. AYANAMSA + SVP = 360E, so to find a planet or angle's GS position all you need to do is either subtract the Ayanamsa, or add the SVP.

The Sidereal chart and its alignments appear once again to describe the new self - but this is a greater self, no longer ego-centred in the manner of the Tropical but one that takes its identity from the role it plays in the socio-cultural whole, for which it may be remembered, even in some cases revered. Generally this is an unselfish level of selfhood, and freedom of the will is only exercised as far as it does not interfere with the person's current duty as a member of the human family. If his or her identity is entirely founded on this contribution to the whole, duty is pleasure; but if this is all the person lives for, then private life can suffer, and important personality or karmic issues may not be tackled when they should be. It can be seen from this how vital it is to live consciously - and conscientiously - at all levels of our being, even when one of the several identities is bound to predominate for much of the time.
It is worth remembering that nowadays the GS planets and angles are mostly a sign behind the GT positions, so to assume that all Aries and Scorpio men, for example, are ideally suited to military life or other areas of challenge or leadership is quite, quite wrong. This is why most tests of astrology and vocation fail so miserably ( and, alas, so publically as a rule! ) for in the above example only the body-self is cut out for such work, and the greater self is intended for the more sensitive pursuits of Pisces and Libra! The Taureans and Sagittarians are the ones in public life who have hidden strengths, with their Sidereal Suns in Signs of Mars. These days, the iron hand almost always comes in a velvet glove.... the wolf in sheep's clothing.
Synastry between people who work together or who are thrown together by events, should always include the Sidereal; and it is essential in work on Mundane astrology, especially events and individuals of historic significance.

THE GEOSOLAR (GSL) is calculated thus:
PLANET/ANGLE - SUN = GSL PLANET/ANGLE.
This is not the same thing as a sunrise chart; the overall feeling from this pattern is that of the unconditioned person, the spontaneous child, the self at its most free ... and selfish! It is fascinating to compare this chart with the actual childhood behaviours of the individual - and to see where they arise in adulthood! The phenomenon of "isolated and congested Suns" is highlighted here by the presence or absence of planetary clusters in Geosolar Pisces/Aries.
It must be pointed out that at all these Radix levels the geometry between the planets and angles remains the same; all aspects and midpoints remain the same, describing the fundamental dynamics in the psyche that run through all shifts of identity, all changes of experiential context.

THE ORIENTAL CHART ( OR ) is identical with the twelve Equal Houses, starting from the Ascendant, with this important difference - not only are the Houses treated as Signs, but planets have exact positions within these Oriental Signs as they would in any Zodiac. This is one of the most personal of all the zodiacs, and on investigation seems to show what the person actually wants - not what they feel moved to do (GT) or driven to do (DR) or obliged to do (GS). It adds detail to the picture painted by the Houses, of the main action taking place in chosen corners of life's stage. In practice, these choices vary very little throughout life, though they may express themselves in a variety of ways. Once a fifth-house person, always a fifth-house person! - although drawing may give way to sports, then to love-affairs, then parenthood, then to creative renewal or running a children's playgroup, for example. And the Signs through which all this activity is expressed will vary according to the dimensions of self which dominate at various times.

THE HELIOCENTRIC CHART ( HELIOTROPIC or HT ) seems to be the most "fated" of all the patterns, with the possible exception of karmic Draco. It is a pattern of blessings and curses on our lives over which the ego has little or no control, having no option but to accept and come to terms with it. It really sems to be our good and bad luck.

But there is more to it than simple fate, because the hard aspects in this dimension also describe with painful accuracy our deepest flaws, and the easy aspects do match the parts of our nature that are problem-free and parts of our lives that always seem to work out well - often enviably so. Some of the flaws appear to be areas of inadequacy which reflect a lack of development and a need for experience and training; some are blocks which prevent us from being as kind and considerate as we could be; some are vicious corners of the psyche where old jealousies, fears and hatreds are still alive and well and sowing our lives and all other lives we touch with the bitter seed of violence. Some flaws are the remains of ancient greed for attention or power or sensual pleasure.

What seems to happen to many people is that they behave so badly that in the end they are brought sharply face to face with their faults, and are so shocked and remorseful that they try very hard from then onwards to become a far better person. Once this will to change is registered in the deep heart of the spiritual conscience, the eternal Self which is most closely approached by the Heliocentric chart, the hard patterns cannot manifest any longer as sins. Instead, they are channelled into our lives as illnesses, disabilities or other personal problems that are as difficult to escape as that old self once was. This would seem to be the price we pay for our refusal to love. With the acceptance of Love, at last, and the hope of spiritual healing, material suffering must also be endured. The only relief from this is the act of Grace, an answer to prayer; and for many this will never come during the lifetime. Only when the body and the material world are cast away in death may the spirit at last spring clean and free from its self-made prison.

It is necessary to add that some relatively unblemished souls may incarnate with difficult helio patterns to work with as a voluntary challenge, a willed burden that may either be needed to provide others with the opportunity to grow through help and caring, or to lift some of the karmic weight from the world. Also that some of the errant behaviour described above may in fact result from innate hormonal/metabolic imbalances rather than spiritual ignorance or downright wickedness. The issues in the Helio chart are very important, and central to our basic viability and vitality as whole beings; they do tend to marry with our fundamental physiological makeup with which the personality is supported or hampered. Therefore it is crucial not to make hasty moral judgments, but explore the physical and attitudinal issues here with discernment, honesty and care. I do believe however that at the Heliocentric level, we can "know ourselves as we are known"; deep in the heart of our own spiritual truth, we are under the gaze of God.

ALL THESE LEVELS INTERACT through axial alignments, sympathetic zodiacal resonances. The dimension from which such an axial contact comes, shows the area of self that is making itself felt. A study of violent criminals has turned out to be most interesting in this respect, as time after time clusters of "malign" planets collected around angles; yet different levels would be emphasised, showing how one man could have chosen to live a better life (GT), another was making a mess of his karma (GD), one needed to be remembered no matter what the cost (GS), another was driven by his fate to face the awful darkness in his soul (HT).

AT EACH LEVEL a precise description of the individual is given by the DWAD and (where possible) its refinement the SUPERDWAD.

As in the twelfth harmonic, to calculate the Dwad, each chart factor is multiplied by twelve and converted back to degrees and minutes of longitude - but its Sign is found visually from its original, radix, sign position; every 2½E of the "parent" sign becomes a micro-sign, and the sequence (as explained earlier) starts with the parent sign itself. Aries starts with Aries and ends with Pisces, but Taurus starts with Taurus and ends with Aries, Capricorn starts with Capricorn and ends with Sagittarius, and so on.
For example, a Sun in 22E21' Sagittarius will now fall in its LEO sector;
12 x 22E21' = 268E12' = 28E12' Sagittarius... however, it is not now in this sign but in 28E12'LEO.

The Dwad is very powerful in its description of the specific interests and character of person or event; transits, progressions and other directions to the Dwad from radix planets and angles, and vice versa, are an important element of fine-tuning, and the use of selected asteroids from the available list of many hundreds will show you quickly and clearly just how accurate these descriptions are. For example, musical asteroids in the charts of singers, composers and other players are always very strongly placed, and in the charts of comedians and humorists the asteroid HILARITAS combines dramatically with the Lights and Angles.

The Dwad seems to show us the idea behind the form - it is often less obvious, less immediate, but on closer acquaintance it introduces us to the deeper, subtler but far more specific characteristics of the person or the phenomenon. The real self emerges to add depth and detail to the broader picture given by the radix, in any and all of the Dimensions. To study any chart without adding the Dwad is to risk generalising at the expense of necessary accuracy. The more refined and particular you can make your analysis, the more relavant it is going to be - and the more testable, in this critical age.

It will be appreciated that reasonable accuracy is needed for Dwad work; to study the Superdwad, time and place must be very close to exact, otherwise error-free work is impossible. Accuracy in the Radix to the nearest minute of arc creates a margin of error in the Superdwad of up to 1¼E either side. If you can work to decimal minutes, this will be improved ten-fold.

TO SUMMARISE -

The authentic spiritual Self (HELIOCENTRIC) manifests through the incarnate personality (GEOCENTRIC) with a Role to play (SIDEREAL), Karma to resolve (DRACONIC) and a body/new identity (TROPICAL) to work through, master, and learn from - all of which are essential facets of the whole Identity, and whose activity is focussed and encouraged by the HOUSES. The RADIX chart at all levels describes the self at its most material, most dense, most general; the DWAD at all levels adds specific detail of the real, subtle self. the mind, the idea animating the form.

There are still further dimensions and details - but those above form the essential structure.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

A USEFUL IMAGE TO WORK WITH IS THAT OF A TREE IN A FOREST:

The Root of the tree from which all growth initiates and continues, and which anchors it in the life of the world around it, is the Helio chart. Even if the tree is felled, life can begin again from its root if it is healthy. If it is diseased or inadequate, life will always be a struggle, even in optimum conditions.

The Crown of the tree with its unique annual growth of leaves, flowers and fruit is the Tropical chart, whose life of individual growth then adds a layer of experience to ...

The Trunk of the tree - the Draconic - which carries the memories and strengths of all previous growing seasons.

The tree as part of the Forest is the Sidereal chart, contributing to the ecosystem, the collective life, and affected by its experiences.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Use of the Transiting Dragon's Head produces the CURRENT DRACONIC, where the radix chart is zodiacally related to that point, producing a very powerful and important new set of Directions concerning Karmic events or stages in soul-growth.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Tuesday April 6th 2004, 16h45 BST

Small World arrives on the world-wide web! For several years I have been jotting down my thoughts and ideas on the exhilarating subject of astrology and emailing them to my friends and colleagues all over the globe as the "Small World" bulletin. Then we moved diagonally from Swale to its anagram and all work went firmly on the back burner. I am quite certain that over the past couple of years most of the addresses I had will have evaporated - so here I am with another venture and hoping that someone, somewhere will find it!

Watch this space...