Start taking notes! I am quite serious, the subject is so vast that you can indulge in it for years. There is a wonderful online resource of the astrological traditional lore called Renaissance Astrology by the Astrologer and Mage Christopher Warnock. It calls Astrology “a spiritual science” and explains in details the readings and the making of celestial talismans, to harness the energy of the stars for the benefit of the humans. The website also features courses in ancient magic, books and software, traditional resources, and some historical articles on Astrology in the Renaissance. So how to approach this enormous field:
Erecting A Natal Chart
First and foremost, there is a lot of theory you should know and lots of experience you need to have in order to be able to erect a natal chart. It is a drawing, which represents the celestial situation, or where the planets were located at the time of an individual’s birth. While doing this you have to be precise and accurate as if you are solving a mathematical equation.
The Natal Chart has got its areas of influence, related to children, health, profit, relationships, career and spirituality. Observing the relations of the planets and their positions in the horoscope, the astrologer is able to predict what the individual will face in their lifetime. To the uninitiated person, a natal chart does not hint much. It generally looks like this:
It features the exact time and place of birth. The glyphs denote the planets and the signs. These beautiful, small pictures are the alphabet of Astrology. The red and blue lines represent beneficial and tense aspects. The numbers show the houses, as each sign and each planet resides in a certain house and each house represents an area of life.
So an astrologer would like to know where te planets reside – in which house and which sign does Venus inhabit, which should define the mood of the planet, respectively the energy it emits. The positions of Venus, Mars, and the Moon signs are essential for the love connections. Jupiter shows good luck. A stellium – a heaping of 3 or more planets means that the person is heavily influenced by a certain type of energy. There are four basic elements in Astrology, namely air, fire, earth, and water, and each of the Signs is characterized by one of these. Celestial bodies present in every element bring balance to the individual. Signs are also divided into cardinal, mutable, and fixed. So the sum of all these accounts for the astrological portrait of a person.
The Best Beloved Synastry
After you are done with the Natal Chart, stick around, there is more! Synastry is a chart erected not for an individual but for two people, moreover, two people who are in love. Two Natal Charts are overlapped to compare and assess the potential of the relationship. The inner wheel is that of the woman, the outer is that of the man. Astrologers analyze the aspects formed between the planets of both charts. If the Venus of a man and the Sun of a woman are placed in the same sign – chances are she is an ideal mate for him. The relations between the planets of both individuals reveal if the couple are ineligible, or are eternal soul mates.
For a synastry, it’s important how your Personal Planets will communicate. These are the Sun, Moon, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn. Each of them defines a crucial component of a relationship: love, passion, understanding, communication, life, problems, tension, and stress, as well as happiness and good luck.
Erecting a synastry chart is a most objective and accurate astrological method to discover the compatibility of the couple and what situations may arise in their relationship. It estimates the coupe’s energy – the two charts, superimposed, give us information about the aspects formed, but also their positions in the houses of the partner. This is why an astrologer has to have a good understanding of the two partner’s individual charts, before casting a synastry.
The Synastry chart of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Remember what a beautiful couple they used to be before they broke up? The red lines are the tense aspects of their relationship, and they show conflicts and passion. The blue lines are harmony and understanding. Watch the angles their planets make, then analyze the placement of the planets in the houses of the lovers.
Horary Astrology
We delve into Horary Astrology, when we want to ask the skies for advice. It is an ancient branch of astrology and it deals with a question that the astrologer has received at a special time. It’s a bit foolish, but what the astrologer does is create a chart for the time of asking the question. It is called “a horary chart.” Of prime importance are the position of the Moon and its aspects. The querent – or the person who asks the question is represented by the Planet ruling the Sign, which falls on the Cusp of the First House.
For instance, the question “Where is my dog?” is represented by the sixth house, since it governs small animals. The First House Cusp will be in a particular sign – maybe Leo. Leo is a Sign ruled by the Sun, which is why the Sun will be considered “the significator” of the dog. Its position and mood in the horoscope will give a hint to the animal’s whereabouts.
Astrological Transits
What will happen to me today?
People learn Astrology because they like to know what to expect during the day. Interpreting Astrology Transits is a way of foretelling the future, by comparing the data in the Natal Chart to the present, ongoing movement of the planets. A very important transit is the “planetary return,” which is when the transiting planet returns to the same point in the sky where it used to be when the native was born. This signifies a new beginning for the person. This is why we are most sensitive on our birthday, we celebrate this day because it is the day the Sun returns to the same position in the sky, the same degree of the Sign that it used to occupy during our nativity. The Sun is of course the most important celestial body in Astrology, with the most influence on the individual, which is why astrologers interpret the skies every day focusing only on the Sun Sign. Though the predictions may be fun, they are often quite inaccurate, because they neglect the relationships of all the other planets.
Electional Astrology
“When should I marry? When should I cut my hair?” The querent asks a question that is to be answered by the astrologer. The latter finds the most auspicious date and time when the action should take place. There are certain positions in the sky, and certain heavenly influences that are most favorable for the event. On the particular date, the Astrologer, if he is also a Mage can make talismans and seals – imbued with the quality of the date they were made. One can find instructions for talisman-making in medieval literature. It resembles very much making compotes for the winter season – a talisman conserves the heavenly energies at a certain celestial peak for later use.
