September 2002
Contents
World News by Jenni Dean Harte
Dave Gorman's Important Astrology Experiment by Kim Farnell
Phyllis Playter - Comment by Jeanette Simpson, Morine Krissdottir and Garry Phillipson
Roger Elliot's Tree by Dione Smith
The Astrological Association Research Conference by Pat Harris
Just Another Crash? by Helene Schnitzer
Request for Research Volunteers by Robert Blaschke
Editors Notes by Kim Farnell
Welcome to the latest issue of Transit.
Again, we have our regular slots - amongst them Jenni Harte's World News, David Fisher's Data Section and Nick Campion's Media Watch. The discussion on John Cooper Powys continues below. Jeanette Simpson offers notes on Phyllis Playter's chart followed by a biography of Playter, and comments about her chart from Morine Krissdottir and Garry Phillipson. Further comments in the light of this information are welcome. The extra space we now have by placing Transit online allows detailed discussions of this nature. I hope that some of you will be able to sapre some time to offer your thoughts.
Dave Gorman's Important Astrology Experiment is due to be screened in the UK from September 1st. Dave was kind enough to offer some of his comments to Transit readers. We will be offering a review of the show in the next issue. If any of you would lke to contribute towards this please contact me.
Komilla Sutton has returned to Transit with Vedic View. This will be a regular feature in future issues. Pat Harris has contributed material about the upcoming AA Research Conference. In future issues Pat will be addressing astrological research, and we would love to hear from you if you are undertaking any research of your own.
The largest astrological conference in the world - UAC - took place in July. A number of contributors have offered their thoughts on the conference from varying points of view. You will no doubt be delighted to hear that Nick Campion was the proud recipient of the Marion March Regulus award for Professional Image this year.
We've again inserted email links to the authors of articles. If you want to contact them direct to offer comments please do so. Athough you obviously can direct any queries and comments to me if you prefer. David Fisher is unavailable by email so if you want to make any comments on his submissions please contact me direct and I'll pass them on.
There are still members who have not logged on to receive Transit as yet. If you know of any please encourage them to look at the latest issue. From this issue onwards it will no longer be necessary to use a pin number to view Transit, though if you wish to use the AA database you will still need your pin number. Back issues are being archived online so please contact me if you have missed any recent issues and need to know how to access them.
As ever I'm happy to receive any comments on Transit and look forward to hearing from you in the future.
World News 
by Jenni Dean Harte
The Saturn Pluto opposition is finished at last—these 3 pass social/outer planet hits seem to go on forever, don’t they?—but until Pluto reaches 17 Sag, the last opposition degree, expect a drip-feed of troubling news, like…airlines in meltdown…kids going missing, and generally increasing stress (and loads of articles to confirm it) for everyone suffering endless delays just trying to get around—near or far. Sorry (but not very) if August references are a little plentiful—it takes time for this stuff to get from there to here, but here’s some.
Saturn/Pluto Revelations: This is good…Anti-Gravity has been the stuff of Star Wars for most of us—much too complicated for most of us to wrap our heads round, unfathomable. However, unknown amounts (well, unpublished anyway) of time and money have gone into research at Bae, Boeing, NASA and countless covert programmes in governments and universities around the world. An article by my favourite reporter in the Sunday Times, Jonathan Leake, on 4 August (Mercury sextile Uranus) tells us this much and a bit more. Evgeny Podkletnov, who works for the Moscow Chemical Science Research Centre, has been investigating anti-gravity for about the last 10 years, probably in Finland and under the greatest secrecy—like all the other programmes. He was in the UK two years ago doing a lecture at Sheffield University where sensationally announced, "he’s been able to reverse gravity so effectively that his experimental equipment levitated!" Last sentence in the article: "It could be that the very force that binds us to the ground could be harnessed to carry us to the stars." Stay tuned. No data for Podkletnov.
We’re only too aware that Saturn Pluto found endless ways to get attention and unfortunately transportation remains particularly high on the list. One fine example: London Mayor Ken Livingstone has cleared hurdles to his £5 ‘congestion charges’ for motorists driving into central London, scheduled to come into force for a 2 month trial in February 2003. But with the New Moon on 1 Feb 2003 conjunct Neptune and opposite fiery Jupiter in Leo trine Mars in hurry-up Sag, it could turn into a traffic nightmare. Perhaps Ken should start thinking about a new job, he’s unlikely to re-elected if things go as wrong as it looks like they might. PS: Ken’s Uranus is 14 Gemini! Ken Livingstone: 17 June 1945, 0.00 (-2), London.. Data: Caroline Gerrard’s House of Commons List (an invaluable resource.)
Drivers in Paris got short shrift, but very creatively, when Bertrand Delano, Mayor of Paris (and a car-hater like Livingstone), banned traffic on the right bank of the Siene (the busiest expressway in Paris) in mid-July, laid grass, sand and palm trees on the pavement and sat back, vindicated by the enthusiastic response from the public (not including motorists, of course). Delano said, "…we foresaw 15,000 visitors a day but on opening day alone 60,000 people turned up!" Creating a beach in the middle of Paris, who’da thunk it? Saturn in Gemini settled on one side of the Siene—Jupiter, Mercury and the Sun the other. Sorry no data.
For the time being, let’s count Jupiter’s ingress into Leo as a blessing and—as long as egos don’t run amuck—we might actually have a little fun during the next year. House prices in England are still rising, at least until Saturn enters Cancer but that’s not until next year. Meanwhile interest rates are still very low, so property owners still have something to be grateful for…unless you’re a first time buyer or bought-to-let, that is.
An active New Moon 7 September squares Pluto and the nodes, Chiron stations direct at 3 Capricorn 13 that day too, trine Mars (watch those cheating corporate executives wriggle). And Jupiter opposes Neptune (square the MC/IC in London), plus a grand trine in air with Venus, Saturn and Uranus. Slow Mercury in the 3rd in London, ready to station Rx (trine Neptune). So much to say, so little clarity!
The Full Moon in Pisces at 29 Pisces exactly squares Saturn in the 6th in London…doesn’t look like commuters and travellers will be getting any breaks, Mars rules the 3rd house and it’s square Pluto—getting to work looks like a real drag. Jupiter also opposes Neptune at this Full Moon…more heavy rain and flooding to add to the joy? The Autumnal Equinox closely follows the Full Moon, on 23 September with Mars rising in Virgo square Pluto on the IC.
Happy Anniversary Neptune! Neptune was ‘discovered’ in Berlin by Galle on 23 September 1846—the autumnal Equinox—in tight conjunction with Saturn at 26 Aquarius…exactly trine the Moon and North Node in Libra and exactly sextile the undiscovered Pluto at 26 Aries!. So the timing of this fishy story has a very special resonance, for this September’s Equinox. The cosmos has a good laugh, as always, transiting Uranus (surprise!) will be exactly conjunct Neptune’s 26 Aquarius discovery position on the anniversary. Ya gotta love this stuff.
Heavy Stuff: Giant Squid, long thought to exist only in nautical lore have not only shown themselves, but teuthologists (squid scientists) say they now have a greater total weight as a species than the entire human race! This discovery, as Jupiter nears opposition with Neptune, is a world-wide phenomena. One of these remarkable creatures was found on Seven Mile Beach in Tasmania last July, 15 metres long and weighing 250Kg, it was described by an onlooker as "calamari the size of truck tyres." And they’re popping up all over the planet. Since March of this year, sightings of these huge sea monsters have been reported in the US, Japan, Spain, France, New Zealand and even Scotland. The dramatic story reported in Australasian Science, a respected journal, says that the giant squid are currently growing so fast, in both size and number, that in terms of biomass, they now surpass the human race. It now seems Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was inspired by an actual encounter involving the French battleship Alecton, near Tenerife in 1861 (not long after Neptune was discovered). The truth is always stranger than fiction.
Bye, Bye Jupiter in Cancer: Wet and plenty of It Listening to the rain pounding on the conservatory roof in early August it was inevitable there would be big news about flooding in SE England. And so there certainly was, they had to close several tube stations, many streets were impassable, and cars and buses were submerged under feet of water following flash floods that dumped inches of rain around the London area in just a couple of hours. This past summer was especially wet and unpredictable which started me thinking about a clipping—from spring this year…about the potential for one of the wettest summers in a long time. Time to sort out the clippings pile then (and it’s a BIG pile!)…there it is…3 March 2002, Sunday Times. Headline ‘Ocean winds set to bring summer of downpours,’ blimey! Times Science Editor Jonathan Leake wrote "Britain and Europe could be facing on the wettest and most unpredictable summers in a decade because of dramatic changes in ocean currents on the other side of the world." Unfortunately all too true in August, it wasn’t only England that got drowned…major rivers overflowed in Germany, Austria, Hungary and elsewhere, bringing floods and chaos to some of the most beautiful old cities in Europe. At this writing (late August) China’s biggest lake (the size of Luxembourg) is in danger of bursting it’s banks. And all this while so many other parts of the planet are experiencing the worst droughts in decades. Go figger.
Jimi Hendrix has been dead for decades but lives on in memory as the greatest guitarist of all time according to an article in the Independent 7 August as transiting Venus entered Libra and hit his Neptune. Solar Arc directions are fascinating, SA MC is exactly conjunct his natal Ascendent and SA Neptune, exactly conjunct his natal Mercury opposite natal Uranus! There you go bro’, I told you way back when you’d never be forgotten! FYI, 2 and 3 in the list are Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. Jimi Hendrix: 27 November 1942, 10.15am, Seattle, Washington, 47 N 36, 122 W 20. Asc, 25 Sag. Data: Clifford.
The Sound of Silence? Not! I always imagined that orbiting in space would be a peaceful experience but according to Robin McKie, Science Editor in the Observer (14 July), there’s so much noise on the International Space Station from all the pumps and equipment that astronauts have to speak up to hear each other. ‘What?’ is the most common word spoken on the ISS. It’s a very unhealthy environment where sleep is disrupted, instructions are easily misunderstood and often leads to temporary deafness following tours of duty. There’s a constant 72-decible roar, roughly the equivalent of standing beside a busy motorway, as noisy as a local swimming pool on a hot summer’s day! On the day the article was published, transiting Mercury was sesquiquadrate Uranus—keyword, disruption! Hmmm.
Lost and Found: The Taliban are (almost) gone in time for Afghanistan’s Saturn return this year and time moves on. With transiting Neptune on it’s natal Jupiter Moon conjunction and as transiting Jupiter crossed the IC and hit it’s natal Mercury at 30 Cancer in the 4th, a Buddhist metropolis has been found. Nick Fielding in The Sunday Times 28 July 2002 reported that villagers about 100 miles SW of Kabul, have uncovered the ruins of an unknown Buddhist city known locally as Kaffir Got, dating from the 2nd century! Jim Williams from the UN cultural organisation Unesco has visited the site and says this discovery could re-write history. Until now it was thought the Buddhist Gandharan civilisation existed in scattered small pockets of northern Afghanistan and Pakistan but Kaffir Got suggests Gandharan civilisations may have been contiguous, forming a much larger empire than realised. However, unless some kind of protection is provided for the 20 square mile area, vandalism and looters will reduce the place to rubble before its secrets can be unearthed. Illegal excavations at this site—and, sadly, many others of historic interest—lead to serious plundering—priceless artefacts are flooding out of the country and onto the international markets. Afghanistan: 17 July 1973, 0.00 CET (-4.30), Kabul, 34 N 31, 69 E 12.
Dissidents Invade Iraqi Embassy in Berlin 20 August: Well, something was bound to happen with all that international press about war against Saddam. George W Bush had to endure some taunting from Tariq Aziz, Iraq’s Foreign Minister, Aziz saying that Bush 3rd has less intelligence than his father and the take-over, tho short-lived, was a US/Israel conspiracy. So much for propaganda, in fact it was Iraqi dissidents, probably a Kurdish splinter-group, who occupied the Berlin embassy for 6 hours until German police stormed the building and brought it to an end. It appears the dissidents were making a statement as much against Germany as it was against Saddam’s regime—the German government has been vocal in it’s criticism of the Bush administration plans to overthrow the Iraqi leader. At the same time—in smaller print—US and RAF fighter jets were bombing an Iraqi air defence command and control facility about 120 miles south of Baghdad saying it was "in response to recent Iraqi hostile acts against coalition aircraft monitoring the southern no-fly zone." ER yeah, meanwhile, the dissidents in Berlin saw their action as ‘the first step towards the liberation of our beloved fatherland." Ironically, Iraq (and Saddam) seem to be slide out of reach on every score by one miracle or another wriggling out of danger time after time. Perhaps the transiting Sun/Mars conjunction will stir things up when they reach Iraq’s natal Pluto at 1 Virgo. Or maybe it will take until transiting Pluto reaches natal Saturn at 21 Sag. For now, Saddam’s grip is as tight as ever. Iraq Republic: 14 July 1958, 4.00 GMT, Baghdad, 33 N 21, 44 E 25, Asc 15 Leo
Media Watch
by Nick Campion
MEDIA WATCH September 2002 Nick Campion Please send any clippings, cassettes and videos relating to astrology ine process. the media for the archives to me at 51 Bellevue Crescent, Bristol BS8 4TF, UK.. You can e mail me at ncampion@caol.demon.co.uk All tapes will be copied and returned. Also, please let me now if you are yourself doing anything in the media concerned with astrology.
The Media Watch archive is growing and will provide an invaluable resource on how astrology is treated in the media - and information given on astrology in the media. Over the next few years I am intending to create an online index of all the stories sent in.
Just one item this issue. I am grateful to Paul Kesten for drawing my attention to the San Francisco Chronicle, August 1, 2002, in which Laurel Wellman wrote a feature on well-known financial astrologer (and AA Conference lecturer - in 2000), Ray Merriman.
After some initial comments Laurel got on to the substance of the feature:
'In other words, like the stock market itself, I don't thrive on uncertainty', she wrote, 'At the very least, I like to know why things happen. So last fall, after exhausting the apparently short list of people who study the psychology of economics and being unable to get a conclusive answer about how mass expectations affect stock prices, I began to wonder: What if the invisible hand of the marketplace isn't so much invisible as -- well, visible -- only through a telescope? And would that explain the recent instability of the Dow?'
So who can provide the answer? Well, enter Ray Merriman.
She continued, 'Well, maybe. "When Jupiter changes signs, you can get that kind of wild fluctuation," says financial astrologer Ray Merriman. Scoff if you must -- that goes double if you're a Virgo -- but Merriman, who's written a number of books explaining how to use astrology to time investment moves, also publishes the Merriman Market Analyst, a newsletter whose subscribers include high-powered bankers, brokers and commodity traders; he thinks market fluctuations correlate with planetary activity.
And then she quoted Ray directly on the current scandals: "All this stuff about corporate fraud -- all that's Pluto," he says. Saturn opposed Pluto for much of the past year; in fact, for a planet that only completes an orbit of the sun every 29.5 years, Saturn gets up to a fair bit, like opposing Uranus, "which rules technology and computers," for the market crash of October 1987. The square between those same two planets also coincided with the Nasdaq's plunge.
As far as the future is concerned, 'in 2008 -- give or take a year or so -- Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto get together for a T-square that, says Merriman, will probaby mark the final low point of this longer-term bear market cycle'.
For this year Ray is predicting 'a five to 24-month corrective rally, starting around October correlating with Jupiter's move into Leo.
Dave Gorman's Important Astrology Experiment
by Kim Farnell
We all know that millions of people consult their sunsign horoscopes on a daily basis. In fact, many of you reading this produce those very horoscopes.
Comedian Dave Gorman has used this as the basis of his new show Dave Gorman's Important Astrology Experiment, which will be aired from Sunday 1st September at 10:40 pm on BBC2. For 40 days and 40 nights Dave Gorman follows the advice of 20 sunsign astrologers. None of them knew that the experiment was taking place - all of the horoscope columns were available in the press at the time the experiment was being run.
The six 30 minute episodes feature Dave running his life according to these horoscopes. At the same time, his twin brother Nick spends 40 days ignoring his horoscope. As their charts are almost identical - every planet is in the same house - he seemed to make an ideal choice.
In the show Dave explains to the studio audience what happened. After this Nick checks his diary and describes what he was getting up to at the same time. Then a panel of TV experts give their opinion as to how they were affected in the areas of love, health and wealth - Denise Robertson (TV agony aunt and Gemini), Hilary Jones (TV doctor and Gemini) and Alvin Hall (TV financial advisor and Cancer).
The audience jury - comprising 12 groups of 12 people, one of each sign cast votes awarding happiness points to Nick and Dave in the areas of love and health, while Alvin calculates their relative ups and downs in wealth. The results are then plotted on a graph.
The show was filmed in June of this year but the results of the findings won't be known until the end of the series. In the next issue of Transit we'll be reviewing the show. Hopefully, some of you who watch it will let me know what you thought of it.
Dave Gorman is known for producing eccentric comedy. His show, Are You Dave Gorman, a description of his search to find 54 people called Dave Gorman, was originally aired at the Edinburgh festival in Summer 200 and became a runaway success reaching the West End, becoming a TV series and finally spawning a best selling book. And therefore numerous people are convinced that he is the man to make anything funny - including astrology.
Is that a problem from our point of view? Obviously, we can't give a considered opinion without seeing the show. But it's clear that there are a few assumptions made. Firstly, this is sunsign astrology and there are no pretensions towards examining astrology in any more depth. Or are there? Clearly someone has enough knowledge of astrology to use Dave's twin brother as the "control" - not just someone who shares the same sun sign. Whatever the treatment given to astrology in the show it recognises the large part that sun sign columns play in popular culture. If there wasn't such a large audience for this type of astrology it would be impossible for such a show to be made and aired.
In general terms astrology isn't treated well by the media. It's rarely taken seriously. Astrologers are notable by their absence in any programmes addressing popular culture. Part of the problem is that it's difficult to present astrology in a way that is entertaining, informative and provides something good to look at. Discussions on astrology revolve around sun sign columns and the issue of whether there really are only twelve types of people in the world.
The issue of whether serious astrologers should involve themselves in sun sign astrology is a well worn debate and I don't want to rehash the arguments for and against here. Reality is that a lot of competent astrologers do write sun sign columns and a vast number of people read them.
We could regard the series as another stab in the back, more ridicule heaped on astrology when it already groans under the weight. Or as public recognition that astrology, albeit on a basic level, is a part of people's lives today. This is a comedy series. Expecting a deep analysis of the role of astrology in this context would be absurd. However, just because it's lightweight doesn't necessarily mean that astrology itself has to be treated as absurd. It remains to be seen what approach the show takes.
There is only one person who can talk authoritatively about the show at present, and that's Dave Gorman himself. So that's exactly who I asked about it.
"I was born at 1.55 am on March 2nd 1971 in Stafford."
"I appreciate that there is a difference between a proper chart and the sun sign information that is widely available. This point was made most forcibly to me by one astrologer who insisted that testing the sun sign information was pointless as only a true chart would prove anything one way or another. It seemed particularly odd to me because he was responsible for writing an astrology column based on the basic sunsign information. I asked him why he wrote the column if he thought it was pointless and I can't say that I got a very satisfactory answer. I hope you haven't made your minds up already about whether it is positive or negative coverage. I promise you, I have a very open mind.
I won't tell you what I think about astrology because that would be like Agatha Christie revealing who dunnit in a new book. The series reaches a conclusion - that's all I think it's proper to say.
If astrologers want to wrote columns based on sun signs in order to pay the bills I do think they have to accept that these columns are subject to scrutiny as much as anything else. There is no point complaining that they aren't "proper" and writing them at the same time and they are most people's perception of astrology. This isn't most people's fault - it's down to the way astrology sells itself surely.
I don't say this in anyway to be defensive - as I say, I approached it with a genuinely open mind - but since the project was known about I've encountered a few astrologers who have opened their correspondence with me by defending in depth astrology and dismissing mainstream sunsign astrology while continuing to write sunsign based columns. It's a contradiction that (in my opinion) does no great service to astrology."
Whatever approach the show does take, it offers a huge amount of airtime to astrology. The show will be watched by millions, talked about, written about and astrology will be brought into the centre of the arena. We may or may not like the way that the series deals with astrology, but as astrologers we need to be prepared for the potential upsurge in interest that can result from this. We can complain about what we don't like about the show. Or we can take advantage of the publicity and use it to improve astrology's profile. Whether or not as individuals we believe sun sign astrology to be valid, as astrologers we need to recognise that as far as most people are concerned sun sign astrology IS astrology. I, for one, will be watching with great interest...
Vedic View - Testing Time for Partnerships and Alliances, Saturn's Transit through Gemini
by Komilla Sutton
Note: All planetary positions in this article refer to the sidereal Zodiac, which is currently 23 degrees 53 minutes and 20 sec. behind the Tropical Zodiac. Nakshatras are fixed stars or lunar mansions. The nodes of the Moon- Rahu Ketu are considered shadow planets in Vedic Astrology.
Saturn's transits show the difficult areas of life at that particular time. Saturn creates problems as it is trying to make you change your attitude to life and mature into a better, deeper person. It is the great teacher of cosmic truths. Saturn's transit is usually troublesome as it means facing up to reality, which we usually want to avoid. Even if you feel you can deal with the lessons of Saturn, it will test you, throw up obstacles, and make you find your strengths. Patience, forbearance and a philosophical attitude help to deal with its influence.
Shani is the Sanskrit name for Saturn. Shau means to sharpen and accentuate. Ani to cause, bring on or to reduce. Another meaning of Shani is slowly, gradually, deliberately, little by little. Saturn makes its impression slowly and deliberately. Its impact is sharp; it accentuates your inadequacies and makes you dig deep. It can help reduce your karmic liabilities if you use its energy properly. Alternatively it can create unexpected upheavals and your impulsive reaction to them can become your karmic burdens to be faced another time. Always treat a Saturn transit with respect and lots of patience.
Mithuna the Sanskrit name for Gemini has many meanings. Mitha is to associate with, unite, pair, copulate, understand, perceive, know, contradict, hurt, injure, grasp and seize. Mithu means falsely, wrongly. Una is the compound of Au+Na. Au is one hand or the other, partly, a particle expressing of doubt, uncertainty, association, connection. Na is not, no or neither. The full meaning of Mithuna is a couple, not an individual, junction point, living together, cohabiting, twins, and union. On 27th July 2003, Saturn moved into sidereal Gemini (Mithuna) where it will stay till 25th May 2005. Saturn moves in and out of Gemini during this period, creating confusion, testing resolves and relationships. Saturn retrogrades back into Taurus on 9th January 2003 to finish its uncompleted tasks there and giving the Gemini a short respite. It comes back into Gemini on 8th April 2003. It leaves Gemini on 6th September 2004 only to retrograde back on 13th January 2005 and will be in Gemini till 25th May 2005. Saturn's transit of Gemini is going to teach us about living together with others. We move into this transit with a great deal of insecurity and uncertainty. Saturn in Gemini can sharpen the divide but also teach us to learn from our differences. It has the potential to hurt us but also the quality to make us join together and strengthen our points of contact. USA will face the greatest challenge of this transit.
Having its Sun in sidereal Gemini, this transit is going to test the resolve of its coalitions and partners in fight against terrorism. Many partnerships can break under the pressure from the saturnine reality.
During its transit in Gemini, it will pass through three nakshatras. At present Saturn is in Mrigasira nakshatras (ruled by Mars), on 8th June 2003 it will move into Ardra (ruled by Rahu) and then on 16th June 2004, it will move into Punarvasu (ruled by Jupiter). The underlying influences to Saturn will be Mars, Rahu and Jupiter. Both the Mars and Rahu nakshatras will emphasize militancy, war, terrorism and uncertainty. But when Saturn reaches Punarvasu; the Jupiter ruled nakshatra, this will bring about a balance in the world. The terrorists and militants will not have it their own way. Saturn will teach them about facing up to their own responsibilities and not blaming others for their actions. There can be frustrations and disappointments but at the end as we move into Punarvasu a new order with stronger connections will emerge. New alliances will be formed. Old enemies can become our new friends.
On a personal level, Mithuna stands for the union between man and woman. If this union is weak, Saturn will test it intensely. It can split you apart or strengthen your union. Weak relationship may not stand the relentless pressure of Saturn while the strong relationship will face the test of time and their links will become even stronger than before. Saturn's transit will put a lot of strain on couples. There can many breakups during this transit. While Saturn was in Taurus, people may have been patching their relationships, trying to be together whether their relationship was happy or not. But Saturn in Gemini is different. You will question the need to be a couple, the validity of the present status quo. Those willing to invest in existing relationships and work on their strength, it will help establish strong ties. Those with Gemini Moon, Sun, Ascendant ruler in Gemini will feel this transit intensely.
Sade Sati
Sade Sati is the most important of Saturn's transits in Vedic Astrology. When Saturn transits the 12th, 1st and 2nd house from the natal Moon you are experiencing Sade Sati. It is a 7½ year transit, which is most powerful when Saturn is directly over the natal Moon. The beginning of the Sade Sati will give an indication the issues, which you need to deal with. The house that is ruled by the Moon will also go through a difficult time and the houses ruled by Saturn are the issues that are putting on the pressure (this is applicable to your Vedic Chart). If Moon rules the 10th house and Saturn the 4th and the 5th houses- your career will face pressure from your home and children. If Moon rules the 1st and Saturn the 7th. Your marriage, partnerships are putting pressure on you and so on.
Those with Moon in Aries are completing their Sade Sati. Cancer Moons are starting it. Aries Moon should not be too much of a hurry to let go of their saturnine restrictions. Saturn will come back into Taurus on 13th January to 8th April 2003 to complete its unfinished tasks.
Gemini Moons are facing the toughest portion of their Sade Sati. Be prepared and be patient. This is not the time to make changes and move away from your security zone. Here I must stress that you must not worry unduly about Sade Sati. It is a time of life that has to be experienced. It can bring about immense growth if the energies are used properly. Refusing to face major issues and not learning from life experiences makes Sade Sati difficult. You should avoid making choices, which seems too good to be true. Hard work and study are the best antidotes to Sade Sati. It is not a time to shirk responsibility.
Komilla Sutton is the author of The Essentials of Vedic Astrology, Vedic Astrology and Lunar Nodes- Crisis and Redemption. Her books have been translated into French, German and Dutch. She is the co-founder and Chairperson of the British Association for Vedic Astrology. She is also on the board of the American Council of Vedic Astrology. Komilla also teaches, and lectures. She has a correspondence course for beginners. Her articles have been published in the Mountain Astrologer, AA Journal, Transit, Gochara and Lodge Quarterly.
Phyllis Playter - Comment
by Jeanette Simpson
NOTE: In the last issue of Transit we asked if anyone would like to comment on Phyllis Playter's, (the long term companion of John Cooper Powys) chart. Please refer to the last issue for discussions on John Cooper Powys' chart. The following comments were received from Jeanette Simpson in Australia. Jeanette didn't have access to the biographical information below when she offered her notes on the chart.
29 November, 1894 at 3.08p.m. in Kansas City, MISSOURI (there are several Kansas Cities) U.S.A. click here to see chart
Using
an Equal House chart I see a rather charming person, full of life yet
with a stable and determined personality that belies a deeper, great need
and love of freedom and independence. (ASCtau, VEsag8 conj. SU. MO9).
A powerful, possessive lover not keen on being owned but once committed is very loyal, even though possibly feeling a bit limited or hampered by that union. (MEsco7 conj UR. MOcap. SA7.)
She probably had political interests and enjoyed horse riding and might have shared John’s love of long distance walking, certainly his liking to travel and explore. She would have been happy though to make a home. (MOcap9. Sagittarius. ME con UR. JUcan3)
Her social profile would have felt more secure when she was in a partnership (ruler MC, SA7.) but this would have conflicted somewhat with her equally strong need of independence and desire to be her own person (rather difficult to achieve I should think in her time).
Phyllis would have had a searching and penetrating mind with some extremely original insights into the mysteries of life which she would have enjoyed sharing with John. (MEsco7 conj UR. JUcan3.) There is also a rich imagination which however can sometimes be extreme. (MO9 op JUcan3.)
She appears to have a good business ability (ASCtau. JUcan3 tri SAsco7) but probably was somewhat fearful to act alone and her frustrations could have come out in quite powerful temper tantrums.
Her partner would have brought some stability to her up and down emotions. (SA to MO op JU)
An early trauma in life could possibly have been at the base of later relationship difficulties, (MCp to MA12.) but also stimulating a deeper searching and questioning about life in her adult years. (SU/VE8 op PL/NE2)
By an Equal House chart John’s MC ruler, MA, is on the cusp of the ninth house conj JU8 and forming a nice grand trine of imagination and with a strong occult influence. (MO12. NE4. JU8.)
Sun conj Mercury in Libra in the tenth square a dignified and rising Saturn anchors the trine and gives him the ability to achieve a high social profile in writing (ME-SA) even though he probably experienced some difficulties at times.
by Morine Krissdottir
Jeanette's comments were passed onto Morine Krissdottir, who is working on a biography of John Cooper Powys. In the last issue of Transit we announced that she has taken a strong interest in the light which astrology has been able to shed on him. Whilst she feels that she has a pretty good handle on Powys's idiosyncratic character, much less is known about Phyllis Playter, his long-time companion. She is particularly interested in any insights which Transit readers are able to offer into Phyllis's character. Morine responded to Garry Philipson who initiated this discussion:-
Many thanks for the Simpson response. It doesn't add much to your insights. Except the bit about being asute in business is true, although she didn't have much to work with! And she did have political interests in the sense of being interested in political happenings, but never involved in them. There is absolutely no indication of any 'trauma' at the age of 1 or 2. I have a number of pictures of her circa 6 -10 and she looks like a happy rather mischievous and indulged little girl. That of course does not mean that she was not very ill at even an early age, but there is no reference to this in the diary, as there is about her breakdown in early adulthood. Is there any way of exploring this possibility further?
by Morine Krissdottir and Garry Phillipson
Morine and Garry have been corresponding about Phyllis and kindly offered some of their discussions to Transit.
GP: Phyllis's chart is an interesting one - would it be fair to say that death was an important theme in her life?
MK: How very right you are - Phyllis was a death-lover, although I am not sure why. Maybe the horoscope will make that explicable. I have pictures of her as a child and up to age of about 15 and she was a mischievous-looking, probably indulged and apparently happy (possibly lonely) only child of an old man and his second young wife. However, from the very earliest letters, JCP refers to her "past unhappiness" which must have brought her close to a breakdown, but NEVER does he refer to what may have brought it on or how serious it was. It was before they met, but she was 26 when they met. JCP's letters from 1921 onwards worries about her swallowing the "pills of lethe" and several times in the diary at periods of great stress he is worried she will walk into a river, and he often quotes her as saying "oh that we were both dead." I have just been reading the 1946 diary - by which time she was 52, and never had the "extras" she had longed for all her life. Nov 23, 1946: " "The TT tells me that Mahlers Song of the Earth is her favorite Piece of Music more even than Mousorski's Old Castle. And she tells me that some weeks ago she had a Revelation that she was Lucky & not unlucky to be living with 3 old People so close to DEATH since she has such a cult for death!"
(The 3 people were her mother (aged 80) her aunt (aged 85) - both unwell and living next door to them in Corwen and JCP who was by then 74.)
GP: One question - do we know anything about what happened to Phyllis in 1910? Her transits for that year look spectacularly bad - with change, trauma and shock connected to a parent (more likely mother than father), and to sex and relationships, all coming together in a horrible lump. If I had to bet on when she changed from happy-go-lucky to troubled, I might put my money on that year.
MK: When I got your email last night suggesting the year 1910 as a very bad year for Phyllis, I sat down and tried to work out some dates. Her life is virtually unknown except through the vague hints JCP gives in his diary. However, I have dug up a newspaper report on her father Franklin Playter and I do have some very early photographs of her and one of her in a Breton dress which has on the back 1909. So from these bits I have constructed a preliminary dossier and - well, judge for yourself.
Father, was Franklin Playter, born 30 June, 1841. Died 11 Jan, 1933 at age of 91 and 6 months. A newspaper article on him, in 1951, long after his death, gives outlines of his career. He was born in Canada in the Toronto area. He trained first as a teacher then studied law at Toronto University. He was obviously a real entrepreneur who made (and lost) fortunes in mining, ranching, railways, real estate, banking etc. He appeared to have operated mainly on the borders of Missouri and Kansas. By 1890 he was worth a fortune estimated conservatively at $250, 000. [I will have to check what this would be in today's terms - probably a millionaire.]
He married a childhood sweetheart and had two sons Clarence and George, both in the mining business. This wife died in 1889. In 1891 he married Mary Hawley, daughter of his old law partner Col. C.G. Hawley. Mary was born 16 May, 1866. She was therefore 25 when she married a man 25 years older than she was. There is every indication from early pictures that she came from a wealthy family and then married a very rich, if old, man.
Phyllis was born 29 Nov, 1894 - 3 or 4 yrs after the marriage. Phyllis was born at 3.08 p.m. in Kansas City, Missouri (3 hrs 7 min 40 sec) Father would have been 53 at the time. The photographs show her as a very bubbly happy child. JCP suggests her father never allowed her to grow up. A lovely photograph and caption of her going up in a hot-air balloon with her father when she would be about 8. I have photos which show the interior of a house [whether in Boston or in Joplin, is uncertain] which is very palatial.
The newspaper report says Mr Playter lost his fortune in the depression of 1907. For whatever reason, possibly financial, her mother took Phyllis to Rosporden, Brittany for a year when, says JCP, she was 14. On the back of the photograph of her dressed in a Breton wedding dress, is the year 1909 and it looks like summer. She would be 14 on 29 Nov, 1908, so this fits - she probably learned her fluent French in this year of 1909. The newspaper report says Playter went to Boston after the crash, but returned to Kansas in 1910 and settled in Galena, (which is on the border of Missouri and Kansas) where he had a mining interests. He also operated the Playter Land Co in Joplin, where he maintained an office almost to his death.
At this point the following is speculation: She would have been 16 in 1910. It seems likely that her mother and she came back to basically a ruined man. Given the personality he appears to have had, he would have been frantically trying to recup his losses in Boston, but by 1910 decided he had better go back to Kansas. It is possible that she was sent to the Boston Art school after the year in France, while her parents were still there. If she had gone back with them to Joplin when he returned in 1910, and it seems likely she would have, as she would only be 16 then, both she and her mother would have had to come back down to earth with a thump. There is a very revealing photo of the 3 of them in this very rich house, which was probably Boston, all looking into space and incredibly unhappy. There are hints in the diary that the mother was very attached to the daughter which only makes sense. In fairness, the mother, who seemed to be a rather passive idividual, stuck with her husband until he died at age 91. All that was left when he did die was the house in Galena which sold for $600. Phyllis and John invited her to Wales to live next them because she was virtually penniless.
PHYLLIS'S BREAKDOWN - All that is known is through hints in the diary, which over the years become more explicit. At first known as her 'unhappiness' , in a late diary he says frankly that she was mad for a while. It seems clear she had a breakdown of some sort, but it is difficult to know how long it lasted or what the real cause was. JCP wrote [Oct 9, 1947] "The T.T. was seriously unhappy in that life-revolt of hers that when she was 18-24 years old nearly amounted to an insanity." [19 Sept, 1933] Tuesday 19th September. And there was the T.T. coming to meet me across our orchard - with an open book - Axel's Castle - about Villiers de L'Isle Adam in her hand. She spoke of the fatal effect of these French Books (Huysman etc., etc.,) when she was young in bringing on her "Unhappiness" in fact a mental state that was really Deranged - with the sense of Futility & Despair, proud & wilful hopeless."
If it began when she was 18, this would have been 1912-13. In the early letters to her from JCP he often refers to her hatred of Joplin. And when they first met she was waitressing at the Blue Gate cafe in Joplin - not exactly a job you would have expected of a girl who apparently had been educated in exclusive girls' schools. It begins to look as if from the time of her breakdown she was unable to hold down a job that was anywhere near her ability and education. It is also obvious from the diaries that from time to time he would become eriously concerned that she would commit suicide. But generally, she was just a rather depressed individual most of the time and found it difficult to cope with everyday chores. His diary records rather frequent hysterics; she cried a good deal, and she would occassionally throw herself on the floor and bite her hand. But that is JCP's word for it!
Phyllis met JCP 21 March, 1921. She would be 26 and 4 months. He would be 48 and 5 months - i.e. a difference of 22 years between them. So the comparison with her father and mother's ages is interesting. Everything he does (not) say in his letters to her, suggests an uncharacteristic boldness in her with which she approached JCP. It is possible that life in a small mining town with an old father and a desperate mother would have led her to do anything to get out.
So, Garry, 1910 would have been the year that everything went pear-shaped for her at least, although she did not apparently break down until circa 1912-13. One can only speculate, but the father must have finally felt defeated in 1910 - he would be 69 then, and who knows what the mother - then only 44 and accustomed to comfort all her life - would have felt.
GP: I just took a look at the fixed stars in Phyllis's chart, and she has Antares conjunct Sun and Venus. Antares, apparently, was the god of the dead (Yima) to the Persians. Brady observes that it can offer great success, "However, it also indicates that the person may well cause their own undoing, like the scorpion on the frog's back in the Celtic parable. The natural desire of this star to generate success by going through a cleansing life-and-death experience can cause a person to seek this intensity even when it is not required."
This more or less reiterates the quality which we already knew about through Sun + Venus in 8th house, and opposition to Pluto. The need for intensity rings a bell - I remember an episode from the diary where she chides JCP for looking 'perfunctory'. I think it stuck in my mind because it seemed such a strange word to choose, but of course it's more or less the opposite of 'intense'.
Saturn on her 7th house cusp would indicate her marrying an older man, and - since Saturn rules her 10th house - you could almost say that she 'married' her father in JCP.
If any reader would like to offer further comment on the chart in the light of the comments above we'd be delighted to receive them. Please email the editor at email Kim Farnell or Garry Phillipson at email Garry Phillipson
Roger
Elliot's Tree
by Dione Smith
Roger Elliot died in 1993 and those members of the Astrological Association who subscribed to the Tree erected in his memory at Kew Gardens might like to know it is now marvellous. It is a fine healthy oak in a beautiful corner near the river and is now over 12feet tall. It was a very imaginative thing to do in his memory ; Suzanne and his children are all most appreciative and I know Roger would be very happy with his tree.
Data Section
by David Fisher
The death of rock guitarist John Entwhistle in June 2002 (see Jenni Dean Harte's column in the last issue of Transit) means that only Pete Townshend and Roger Daltry remain from the Who's original line up in 1964. These three, plus zany drummer, Keith Moon, had several hits in the 1960's. It was Townshend who came up with Tommy, a coneptual album about a deaf, dumb and blind boy who could only connect with the world through the game of pinball. It spawned a musical in 1972 and two years later a movie directed by Ken Russell. Moon died of an accidental overdose of sleeping pills on 7 September 1978, and was replaced the following year by Kenny Jones. The Who's first show with the new line up was marred by eleven fans being trampled to death in Cincinnati. Various resurrections by the group in the 1980's and 1990's, in spite of Townshend's heroin addiction, met with moderate success, but the Who traded too much on past successes and they were never on the same level as the ever touring Rolling Stones.
Pete Townshend: 19 May 1945; London (51N30, 0W10); 3 pm BDST (13:00h GMT). Ascendant 17 Virgo
Roger Daltry: 1 March 1944; London; 2 am BST (01:00h GMT). Ascendant 29 Scorpio
Kenny Jones: 16 September 1948; London; 8 55 pm BST (19:55 GMT). Ascendant 21 Taurus.
The above are all taken from Secrets from a Stargazer's Notebook by Debbi Kempton Smith, data from their mothers.
Keith Moon: 23 August 1947; Wembley, London; time not known. Guinness Rockopedia (1998) p 476
Singer Rosemary Clooney died on 29 June 2002 after a long battle against lung cancer. She had many hits in the 1950's including Come On-A My House, Hey There and This Ole House. She began her career touring with her younger sister Betty (who died aged 45) as The Clooney Sisters. She also acted but was forced to quit both acting and singing in the 1960's because of an addiction to pain killers, although she successfully relaunched her career in 1976. Her best known film was probably White Christmas (1954) in which she starred opposite Bing Crosby. Clooney was married to actor Jose Ferrer 1953-61 and again briefly in the late 1960's. She was a close friend of Robert Kennedy and was waiting for him at a Los Angeles hotel room on the day he was shot dead in 1968. Her nephew is the popular actor George Clooney, star of the TV series ER and several films.
Rosemary Clooney: 23 May 1928; Maysville, Kentucky (38N39, 83W46); 2:30 am EST (7:30h GMT). Ascendant 29 Pisces. The Gauquelin Book of American Charts from birth certificate.
George Clooney: 6 May 1961; Lexington, Kentucky (38N02, 84 W30); 2:58 am EST (7:58h GMT) Ascendant 12 Pisces. Grazia Bordoni quotes Carol Adrienne, "My assistant wrote to the state of Kentucky to obtain a copy of Clooney's birth certificate."
The Astrological Association Research Conference 2002
Systems, Models and Theories in Astrological Research: Philosophical Views and Practical Uses
by Pat Harris
23rd November at the Theosophical Society, 50 Gloucester
Place, London W1.
Professor Suitbert Ertel
This year the conference presents what we hope will be an illuminating mixture of different approaches to astrological research, in both eastern and western traditions. Dr. Sidha Sambandan will be presenting material on the practice of Nadi or Palm Leaf astrology - a practice that has fascinated astrologers from both traditions because of its apparent accuracy over incredible lengths of time. Padam Simkhada, researching a PhD at Southampton University, explores the value of astrological insight into sex trafficking of girls in Nepal - could the birth date of a baby daughter determine her future in this regard?
There will be presentations by Professor Suitbert Ertel (hopeful findings, unduly neglected, on stars and human affairs), Didier Castille (New Research on Astrological Heredity) and Pat Harris (Astrology and infertility: recent findings) which show how quantitative statistical analyses can be used constructively in gaining further insight into astrology while Professor Peter Roberts ("The Message of Astrology" through the principle of the Tao: going with the flow) and Mike Harding (Phenomenological models of thought in astrological research) present, respectively, models and pproaches that describe the value of the qualitative approach. Mike Wackford will be presenting a fascinating perspective on the Polar Horoscope and its uses and applications in higher latitudes where other horoscopes can fail to deliver the goods.
Mick O'Neill's lottery experiment involves astrological research constructed on quantitative lines with added elements of fun and games and the potential promise of a cash reward for all study volunteers! This is not to be missed but you must get to the Conference by 10:00 a.m. in order to take part in choosing possible lottery numbers that may come up on winning tickets for the day.
No other AA research conference has had this broad based approach to research in astrology and much of the material presented on this day is groundbreaking and unseen at earlier conferences. It is certainly a date not to be missed!
Programme
9:30 a.m. Pre-conference refreshments
10:05: Take part in the Libra Lottery experiment conducted by Mick O'Neill. Timed group experiment - "free, easy and we may possibly win the lottery".
10:15: Conference officially opened by AA Research Conference Chairman: Nick Campion
10:20 Professor Suitbert Ertel - Hopeful findings, unduly neglected, on stars and human affairs
11:20 Coffee break
11:45 Professor Ertel answers questions from the delegates
12:00 Doctor Sidha Sambandan - Nadi or Palm Leaf astrology: fact
or fiction?
(The photograph shows an actual astrology palm leaf, opened and ready to read as discussed in Doctor Samandan's paper. )
1:00 Lunch
2:00 Didier Castille - New Research on Astrological Heredity
2:30 Padam Simkhada and Dhruba Simkhada - Astrological perspective on the problems of sex trafficking of girls in Nepal
3: 00 Professor Peter Roberts - "The Message of Astrology" through the principle of the Tao: going with the flow3: 30 Tea break
4: 00 Mike Harding - Phenomenological models of thought in astrological research
4 :30 Mike Wackford - The polar horoscope
5: 00 Pat Harris - Astrology and infertility: recent findings
5: 30 Conference ends.
Pat Harris, MSc., D.F.Astrol.S is the Conference Organiser and Editor of Correlation, the AA's research journal.
For bookings or inquiries please contact the AA office at email to Astrological Association heading your message AA Research Conference booking/enquiry.
UAC 2002
UAC 2002 at Disney: It's a Small World
by Carolyn Minsker
A few years ago, through the wizardry of email and the world wide web, I made friends with a Serbian astrologer despite US politics and the vast kilometers that lie between us. In fact, we traded Christmas cards and care packages along with our periodic emails. I had grown very fond of her, and as I packed for UAC, I wondered if I would finally get to meet her.
Arriving in the sweltering everglades of central Florida in July, my husband in tow, I was excited, but also a little trepidatious. I had agreed to volunteer as a Room Monitor, and if that wasn't pressure enough, I would be meeting many people I know only through their words, uttered in cyber space. I wanted to make the most of it, as this is probably the only UAC I'll ever attend.
After finding our room, we had little time before my first Monitor's meeting. I hoped it would be a short one, and coerced my husband into coming with me. He dropped me off in my meeting room promising to check back in half an hour, and went exploring. But first, a cigarette. As he smoked, he noticed a woman struggling to light her own cigarette on the other side of the portico. She was obscured by one of the columns, but he tossed his lighter over to land in front of her on the walkway. He heard her light her cigarette, and then she walked over to return it. As they chatted, she told him her name and where she is from. His reaction was excited: "My wife knows you! I know you! " My husband met my good friend, Branka Stamenkovic, of Serbia, even before I did!
The magic of UAC had already begun.
My husband is not an astrologer, but what most of the rest of us were doing in the Magic Kingdom was attending the United Astrology Conference. The first UAC in 1986 was the fruition of the guts and tears of an idealistic generation of astrologers who bucked the status quo in the early 80s. They had a vision of networking to empower astrologers all over the country, and the world, to be able to captain their own collective fate, to pool resources for the good of astrology and its practitioners everywhere. The 2002 event, entitled "The Mystery of Space and Time" brought together astrologers from across the globe. Because of the Internet, many of us already "knew" each other.
Back in 1997 I had found an online community of astrologers on an email list, and since then many of the participants have become my confidants, my friends, my compatriots. About 30 of these friends and colleagues were able to make the trek to Florida. For some, like me, it was a first UAC experience. It was truly a blast! The surprise of finally seeing the body that went with the email address quickly passed as we picked up where we left 'online'. The excitement of first in-the-flesh meetings continued almost daily as more of us found each other.
Almost every night there was a party or a social activity. On the night of the Costume Ball my husband dressed as Hugh Hefner. He spent some time being amused by some Muses, and Apollo. I was feeling devilish so I kissed him goodbye and left for the Ball. Arriving, I found myself surrounded with Wizards in a spectrum of colorful robes, Darth Vader, and the Prince of Peace. The band played eighties hits in a freaky theme: "She's a Super Freak", "Freak Out", while I would have preferred "A Freak On A Leash". I was surprised by a shiny Mars in Aquarius, Madam Butterfly fluttered by, and the Man in Black was shot by Lara Croft as the hilarious evening progressed. The amusing Muses showed up and sang a winning tune, but The Moon in Gemini had me seeing double so it was time for me to go back to my room.
Morning came early as I rushed off to attend the lectures. I felt extremely lucky to work as a volunteer, which necessitated that I attend every single lecture slot for the entire week, and blessed by the fact that being assigned, I attended lectures I would never have chosen for myself. By divine intervention they seemed to have been picked for me. Now, weeks later, things I learned and the speakers' words are still having a profound impact on my thinking. For example, I was assigned Kim Farnell's lecture, "Before the First Saturn Square" and I have a baby nephew just born in March, I find a rich new meaning as I watch his development, like his first Mercury opposition which just passed as he becomes aware of other people in his life. I was impressed with the warmth of David Pond, challenged by Geoffrey Cornelius, entertained by Eileen McCabe, awe-stricken by Wendy Ashley, enlightened by Dennis Harness. That's just the beginning. I had the unique opportunity to be a bridge in a software project, and to shoot the astrological breeze with an Aztec astrologer. I learned more than I ever imagined I would have.
In the space of a week I spoke astrology with people from many different states in the US, and Mexico and Canada as well as from Holland, Australia, Japan, Great Britain, Italy, and across Europe to the Balkans. All of us shared a passion for astrology and for knowledge. Many of us hoped and planned to work together in the future. It was truly an international and inspiring event. We had so much fun, my husband and I are now planning a trip to Belgrade. In fact, yesterday he asked me where UAC would be held next year? I told him it would be a few more years, and he said, good, that gives us more time to prepare.
Another mystery of time and space? It was too soon time to say goodbye, but it proved to be a small world after all.
A British Delegate by Judith Levy
UAC 2002 was packed full of excitement.
Great astrologers...fascinating and some not so fascinating lectures.....Panel discussions ...soapboxes... there were a wealth of themes new ideas...old ideas....plenty of controversy and camaraderie.
We had a fancy dress party....and a serious 'oscar' ceremony the Regulus Awards in which our own Nick Campion won the category of best image....well done Nick...glad you were wearing a suit.
The exhibition was good with lovely jewellery... interesting stands and masses of books with many of the illustrious authors available for signing them.
The Brit Pack had their base at Margaret Cahill's Wessex Astrologer stand,
where many delegates stopped by to buy Wessex's books, marvel at Komilla
Sutton, find out more about the AA, or just to get an autograph from John
Frawley..
I went to the fancy dress party as Abu Mashar the medieval arabic astrologer and found that dressing as an Arab in America these days... may not have been the wisest choice. A prize should have gone to our editor Kim who made a very convincing Lara Croft.
The hotel itself was a little bizarre... think of 800 or so spiritually attuned people sharing their space with Micky.. Minnie and of course their fabulous, but somewhat intense, pet Pluto. If you've seen the movie of Roald Dahl's 'The Witches' just think of the scene where they take off their wigs and you'll capture the feeling.
The conference had a bit of everything ...learning...networking...socialising...parties ...dancing...midnight swimming...with swimwear of course.
I had a wonderful time.. although the choice of hotel and location of Downtown Disney did nothing to enhance my experience and a tip for the future would be to take lots of woolly jumpers to combat the intense air conditioning.
Roll on UAC 2005...Wherever it is I hope to be there.
Photograph of Kim Farnell as Lara Croft by Jack Fertig.
A Traders Eye on UAC by Margaret Cahill
UAC 2002 was in a sense an event of great contrasts. Komilla Sutton and I arrived at Orlando airport during a spectacular storm. At least we thought it was spectacular until someone told us it happened every day at that time! The sauna-like atmosphere outside the hotel (with its attendant holiday makers around the pool) was completely different from the icily airconditioned sense of purpose and efficiency that prevailed within. 850 astrologers gathered to honour astrology, and they did so with immense focus and sense of purpose.
Komilla and I were at UAC to run two stands and wear several hats: we were there to promote The Wessex Astrologer in its role as a publisher and distributor of fine astrology books, but also to look after the stand for our good friends at The Mountain Astrologer, who were unable to be there themselves. We also encouraged anyone who came within 50 feet of the stand to join, or at least take away information about the Astrological Association. We worked pretty efficiently through all three levels of products available, and most visitors walked away with big smiles and bulging carrier bags. It was lovely to 'talk astrology' with so many different people, and to feel that, despite our unique differences, we were all there for one reason - to rejoice in our art. I am sure there must have been some disagreements behind the scenes, but it seemed that everyone worked hard at their astrology during the day, then played equally hard after hours, either in the form of pool parties, the AFA, NCGR etc parties, or the frequenting of local restaurants.
I was really impressed by the smooth efficiency with which the whole event was orchestrated. From an exhibitor's point of view, the stand was beautifully set up and ready to roll, and the organisers were obviously aware of the necessity of making food and drink available for the workers at any time of the day. Being on a stand for any length of time is pretty hard work, so we were most appreciative! It was also nice to be in a 5 star hotel with the best possible facilities and attentive staff, but that's probably my Libra Ascendant speaking.
We were aided and abetted in our attempts to spread the word about Wessex, TMA and the AA by the many friends who visited us on the stand and made sure we had a few minutes off. Thanks to you all - you know who you are, and we are deeply grateful for your support. Next stop ISAR!
Working on the Hospitality Desk by Jonathon Clark
The English and the Australians may be sworn enemies on the cricket field but put them together in a sea of Americans and they form a united front demanding access to decent tea. This was just one of the memorable moments your correspondent experienced on the Hospitality Desk at UAC in Orlando in July. Sadly, the conference's daily newspaper censored the petition and so the request went unheeded and the fallout from the Boston Tea Party continues.
The hospitality desk is the first port of call for almost any delegate with a query whether regarding their registration, the supply of a white board for their presentation or the need for a friendly astrological doctor to write a prescription thus saving a $160 charge by the hotel doctor (honestly). The eight of us who manned the desk (inevitably) indulged in a lot of astrological banter during our quieter moments and, unsurprisingly, found much overlap in our charts - loads of Geminian versatility and Cancerian concern with, thank goodness, some Taurean and Capricorn practicality. Not exactly a quiet week's holiday but an unmissable lot of fun. The crew is ready for the next event; whenever, wherever.
A Speakers Stance by Pat Geisler... 
For a speaker, UAC was a wonderful opportunity to participate in the track idea, allowing you to follow the thoughts of colleagues who went at your theme in a different way. How enriching!
This UAC was so rich for me with social events, panels, discussions, organization meetings and goodies in the schedule that it was like being confronted with a dream smorgasbord: What delectable thing would I like to do next? I have been to other conferences where occasionally a slow hour or two arrived. Not in Orlando.
One of the things I think is going to dramatically alter the way we do conferences in the future is the internet. We know whose thoughts we are eager to share and whose ideas we find new and challenging. Before we get there we know who we want to hear.
Additionally, the mailing lists have created such warm friendships among astrologers from around the world that the notion of a group from a particular area being isolated is no more. It was obvious in Orlando, where people from around the world who knew each were busy cementing friendships, whether at meals or breaks or even outdoors for smokes. (A lot of astrologers still seem to smoke. Must not be Geminis).
Astrologers have a world view different from others and in the future will step into a far greater collegiality and solidarity than anything known in the past. How different from the years when astrologers were worked alone, cut off from the cross-fertilization of ideas until a conference came along.
If there are truly "citizens of the world" in the years ahead, I suspect astrologers, and especially those lucky enough to be asked to lecture in faraway places, will be among their ranks.
It's a wonderful --and humbling-- experience.
...and Carolyn Egan
Having attended all UACs since 1989, I can appreciate the work that is involved in trying to select the faculty. From what I understand, a first selection of speakers both national and international takes place by invitation. The second round of speakers is selected from recommendations from committee people who listen to audition tapes and review biographical forms.
Not in my wildest dreams from 1989 did I ever think I would achieve the speaking status for a UAC. However, perseverance and hard work and other kinds of exposure to astrologers plus the specialized area I work in resulted in a speaking slot for the 2002 UAC. Instructions were provided for the speakers on how to proceed with the lecture; they were short and to the point. A room monitor is provided for each speaker. I found mine well informed and helpful for the period of the lecture. Overall, my personal experience as a speaker was enjoyable and rewarding.
Regulus Awards Winners by Kim Farnell
Monday night at UAC was the time for the banquet and the awarding of the Regulus Awards. Marion March's family has taken over the funding for the Regulus Awards and they have been renamed the Marion March Regulus Awards. The awards are voted for by members of AFAN, ISAR and NCGR following nominations made by the public. The winner receive a black marble pyramid and a cheque for $1000.
The winner of the Education award was Joanne Wickenburg of Kepler College. Brian Clark and Glennys Laton, Doris Chase Doane, Bruno and Louise Huber and Joyce Jensen were also nominated.
The winner of the Community Service award was Ronnie Gale Dreyer. Mary Downing, Roxana Muse, Angel Thompson and Donna van Toen were also nominated.
The winner of the Research, Discovery and Innovation award was Robert Zoller. David Cochrane, Alphee Lavoie, Bill Meridian and Diana Rosenberg were also nominated.
The winner of the Professional Image award was Nicholas Campion. Kenneth Irving, Chris McRae, Susan Miller and Georgia Stathis were also nominated.
The winner of the Theory and Understanding award was Demetra George. Geoffrey Cornelius, Dennis Elwell, Lee Lehman and Robert Schmidt were also nominated.
There were other awards also presented at the banquet.
The Lifetime Achievment Award presented by the UAC Board was won by Lois Rodden.
The NCGR Sisyphus Awards were won by Margie Herskovitz (awarded in 2000), Paul Bottigliero, Joanne Castro and Mary Downing.
The AFAN Jim Lewis Community Service Awards were won by Donna Van Toen, Mary Downing and Lorraine Welsh.
The ISAR Service Award was won by Ray Merriman and the ISAR Best Article in The International Astrologer since UAC 98 was won by Ann E. Parker
Award Winner Musings by Nick Campion
It's a bit weird winning the award because it's supposed to be a great moment but then suddenly all eyes are on you. Here's what Kim Farnell imagined was going through my head:
"Ooooh, I was so surprised, didn't realise I had any friends, a bit weird having my face flashed around the room, glad I wore my suit, it's such a lovely pyramid...". Actually, in the state of confusion I was in, that's not so far off the truth. One thing, that got to me though, was that just before the award was announced they had a tribute to astrologers who had died since the last UAC in 1998. They flashed Charles Harvey's picture up and I was suddenly overwhelmed with sadness that he wasn't there and I would never see him again. I dedicated the award to him but it was difficult to do without shedding a tear, and I forgot everything else I wanted to say. One of the great things was that all the other winners are close friends and professional collaborators so it was great to be in such company.
Photograph of Donna Cunningham presenting Nick with the Regulus award by by Maggie Meister.
Just Another Crash?
by Helene Schnitzer
On July 2nd, the late BBC news contained an item about a plane crash near Berlingen in southern Germany earlier that evening. A cargo transporter and a passenger plane had crashed into each other in mid-air, 71 people had died, among them a large number of school children. Although I felt a short pang of sadness, I didn't pay much attention to the story. After all, hardly a week goes by without a plane crash somewhere on this planet.
The next morning saw me finding my way through the London Underground. Rush hour. Someone had left a Metro Magazine on the seat. Leafing through it, I found an article about the crash with a table listing the whole scenario of the accident with times in GMT. I kept the paper and decided to have a look at the charts at home that evening. This is what I found:
The cargo plane, a DHL 757, had started its journey in Sitrah, Bahrain, at 1:16 pm GMT. Chart ruler Jupiter sits in the 8th house, being approached by 12th house ruler Mars. This simple situation already contains three rather negative factors.
Since we are talking about an international flight, we want to look at the 9th house. 6th house ruler Venus in this area seems to describe the service through which the goods were transported from one country to another and apparently does not pertain to the accident, but more about it later. 9th house ruler Sun is situated in the 7th, emphasizing the importance of 'the other' for this flight and indicating that the flight had to cross borders in order to meet this 'other'. The Sun also forms an exact quincunx with the ascendant, while squaring the Moon, ruler of the 8th house (sic!). Whether you look at the Moon as co-significator of the 1st house or simply as the formgiver, she is positioned in the crash-bang sign Aries and in the 4th house, denoting a volatile end of the matter, which may easily materialize, since the Moon is also trining the AC. And, as if all that wasn't enough, Sun and Moon are in reception by elevation!
Motion and communication, basic themes and ingredients of air traffic, would be found in the third house, which doesn't look too promising, either. Uranus in this area denotes sudden interruptions, technical disturbances or accidents. Its ruler Saturn is conjunct Mercury, which rules the houses 7 and 10, indicating that the journey may turn into something important (10th house) involving another party (7th house).
The DHL 757 had a stopover at Bergamo, Italy, from where it continued the flight at 9:05 pm GMT. The main aspects remain the same, although the square between Sun and Moon is now past its point of exactness and the orb between Saturn and Mercury has widened slightly, while the conjunction of Jupiter and Mars has only moved closer to exactness. But of course, we do have a different house situation. With 17 Aquarius rising. Saturn is now the chart ruler and, sitting in the 4th house, again points towards the end of the matter, supported in this by Mercury as ruler of the 4th. In this chart, Mercury is also co-ruler of the 7th house and thus emphasizes the recurring theme of 'the other' yet again. Jupiter, the co-ruler of the 1st house, is now in the 6th and is even closer conjunct Mars, ruler of the 9th: We are still talking about an international cargo flight. I would also place the air traffic controller in the 6th, rather than the 10th house, because he is providing a service, even though his job title contains the word 'control'. As in the first chart, Jupiter and Mars are forming an unaspected duet. This flight will therefore have something really extreme about it, an apt description of the situation the over-worked air traffic controller was in. 8th house ruler Venus is about to set on the horizon, showing that death may come from or be brought to 'the other'. Venus' dispositor and ruler of the 7th is the Sun, which sits in the 5th house and is apex planet of a yod involving the MC and Neptune in the 12th house: 'The other' is busy with his own wishes (the 5th is the 11th house from the 7th) and is about to drive into this flight's parade.
Let us leave the DHL 757 for a moment and take a look at the other plane involved in the crash, a Russian Tupolev coming from Moscow, where it started its journey at 7:48 pm GMT. Because of Moscow's easterly position relative to Bergamo it is possible that the two planes started their final flights an hour and 17 minutes apart, yet with virtually the same charts. In comparison with the Bergamo chart, the situation for the Russian flight has only become more extreme. The AC of this chart is at 19 Aquarius and is on the midpoint between Uranus in the 1st and Neptune in the 12th house, caught between unknown undermining factors (Neptune) and the propensity for unwelcome surprises and accidents (Uranus). The MC of this chart is squashed between Pluto and the South Node. In other words, the North Node, showing the purpose and destination of the whole enterprise, is sitting right on the IC, indicating that there is no escape from 'the end of the matter'. The outer planets being grouped around AC and MC like this seem to hint at something collective taking place. The ascendant ruler Saturn is again found in the 4th house, but in contrast with the Bergamo chart, the conjunction with Mercury is even more exact, producing ever more gravity. Rulership books that care to carry the keyword 'passenger' agree on them being signified by the sign Gemini or by the planet Uranus. A short glance at the Gemini situation immediately reveals that the passengers are not exactly going to be in good shape. And lastly, Venus at 20 of Leo has brought 8th house matters even closer to the descendant.
So at this point both planes are in the air, approaching the Swiss-German border from different directions and entering Swiss airspace within a two-minute interval. Both planes are flying at the same altitude of 36,000 ft. At 9:33 pm, Swiss air controllers ask the captain of the Russian machine to reduce altitude in order to avoid a crash. The captain does not react until two further requests have been made. In the meantime, the TCAS (Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System) onboard the DHL 757 has registered the danger and automatically sets the descent in motion. Both planes start descending at 9:34 pm and at 9:36 pm crash into each other at an altitude of 35,000 ft. The evidence of the accident was confirmed at 9:43 pm.
The chart of the actual crash can only make us gasp. The AC has moved to 28 Aquarius, exactly conjunct retrograde Uranus, while the MC has reached 15 Sagittarius, exactly conjunct retrograde Pluto. The Sun, as ruler of the 7th house (collision = open enmity) and 10th-house ruler Jupiter are in the 5th house, their various aspects describing the horrible fate of the children in the Russian plane. Note that the part of Fortune is found at 26 03' Taurus, conjunct the fixed star Algol: In this instance, more than one person have 'lost their head', the air traffic controller for one.
Venus, representing the 8th house in this chart, has sunk below the horizon and is now in the 6th: Her threat has become practical reality. Her position at 20 Leo was one of the striking features of all four charts to me. I know that some of my respected colleagues will suspect me of being mentally unsound, but I find it rather significant that Venus is again occupying the area of the 1999 eclipse, where she went stationary direct shortly after that same eclipse. In the Twin Tower attack chart of Sept. 11, she had returned to that same spot and thereby instigated heated discussions as to whether the 1999 eclipse chart was still alive or not. I feel that not only does that eclipse chart still work, but the recent solar eclipse at 19 54' Gemini on June 10th 2002 has re-enforced the 19/20 degree area, as it were. If I remember correctly, we had massive air traffic controller strikes in its wake. The Venus position binds this accident into a greater collective context. I wouldn't be surprised to see these degrees emphasized in other disaster charts. When will the collective wake up and learn to use astrology in order to avoid such disasters in the first place?
Request for Research Volunteers
by Robert P Blaschke
With my wife, Sally, I am writing my fourth book, Astrology: A Language of Life; Volume IV - Spiritual Relationships. This book will include requisite discussion of standard astrological technique such as synastry, house overlays, composite charts, and the progressed composite chart. However, more importantly, it will also contain a philosophical basis for understanding the need for marriage and human relationship as a healthy mirroring and completion for the soul.
There has not been much written about 'Antiscia Synastry' or 'Contrascia Synastry' in the existing body of astrological literature. These techniques, very familiar to traditional and horary astrologers, involve the 'mirror degrees' which are equidistant from either the solstitial axis of 0 Cancer - 0 Capricorn, or from the equinoctial axis of 0 Aries - 0 Libra. These are also the degrees wherein the declination of the Sun is identical before or after the cardinal ingresses.
It is quite common to find a spouse having a planet in the mirror degree of the partner's planet. These relationship dynamics would never show up, unless specifically looked for, in the standard synastric techniques typically used. My interest in these methods is personal, as well as technical: my natal Venus is in the 5th degree of Scorpio, and my wife's natal Venus is in the 26th degree of Leo, both Zodiacal positions being 34-35 degrees either side of the autumnal equinox (synastric Contrascia).
Sally and I are requesting the birth data for you and your significant other. If you respond, we will calculate your two natal charts, your two Antiscia charts, and your two Contrascia charts. Then, we will look for any planets occupying the 'mirror degree' in the other's horoscope. In a return e-mail you will be asked some specific questions about this, and any response given will be guaranteed confidentiality.
We may use your response as an anonymous case history in Volume IV, with only 'male' or 'female' references being used next to the charts illustrated. The goal of our research is to differentiate between solstice points and equinox points in synastry, and to fashion a useful body of interpretive language from the results found in your personal stories.
We also wish to include chapters on parent-child relationships, sibling relationships, criminal-victim relationships, and employer-employee relationships. If you are not married, please do not feel excluded from> this research effort. Your birth data, along with your children's data, for example, will also be highly valuable.
I send this request to you with the Moon at 22 Scorpio, conjunct my Sun, and with Venus at 8 Libra, conjunct my Mars. The rarity of this transit alignment for me underscores the important timing of launching this new book project now.
We are hoping to conclude the collection of research data by October 6th, the direct station of Mercury in the 29th degree of Virgo (Sally's natal Mercury). The Sabian Symbol for this stationary degree is 'A scholar has just succeeded in deciphering an archaic manuscript; it holds an idea for which he has long sought' (Lecture~Lessons; Marc Jones; 1931).
Thanking you in advance for participating in the effort behind Volume IV. Please email us at email Robert and Sally Blaschke
Robert Zoller in UK
Robert Zoller is the world's leading proponent of Medieval Astrology. He has studied and taught astrology for nearly thirty years and produced what are now widely regarded as seminal works on astrology. He was recently the winner of the Marion March Regulus Award for Research and Innovation in Astrology awarded at the international United Astrology Congress July 2002.
Chart Readings in UK
During November Robert will be available for personal readings in London and Edinburgh. Each hour long consultation is taped and the tape and a copy of your chart are given to you at the end of the reading. During the reading, you can ask questions and prior to the reading can give an indication of particular areas of interest that you would like Robert to concentrate on. If you would like to book a horoscope consultation in London please contact Susan on +44 (0)1268 745 171 or email contact@new-library.com. If you would like book a horoscope consultation in Scotland please contact Susan on +44 (0)7803 606987 or email contact@new-library.com. Cost: £135:00 with a 20% discount for members of the Scottish Astrological Association. Dates available in central London are 4- 9 November, central Edinburgh 13-15 November.
London Seminar
Sunday 10th November 10:00 am - 4.30 pm, Conway Hall 25 Red Lion Square London WC1R 4RL. Accurate Prediction - the proper use of universal significators in delineation of natal chats and prediction. Predictive Astrology in the Modern World. Is it possible to read a chart using only the significations of the planets without reference to the action of that planet in a given chart? How many kinds of significators are there? How can accurate predictions be made?Cost: £36.50. For bookings and inquiries contact@new-library.com or phone Susan on +44 (0)7803 606987.
Edinburgh Seminar
Saturday 16th November 10:00 am - 4.00 pm The truth about Universal Signification and Local Determination, at the Theosophical Society, 28 Great King Street Edinburgh EH3 6QH Cost: £15.00 for members of the SAA / £20.00 non-members. For bookings and inquries contact@new-library.com or phone Susan on +44 (0)7803 606987.
Edinburgh Lecture
Robert will also be giving a lecture in Edinburgh on Wednesday 13 November commencing at 7.30 pm at the Theosophical Society. The lecture will be on The Predictive Technique of Profections. The cost of the lecture is £3 to members of the SAA/£5 to non-members. For inquiries email Susan Swan.
More details of the above may be found on Robert's website at http://new-library.com/zoller/
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Copyright of signed articles and correspondence remains with the author, except that the Astrological Association retains the right to republish the material in full, on one occasion, without further permission of the author. Any opinions stated are those of the author, not of the Astrological Association.
Transit aims to publish articles of general and specific interest to all astrologers. It is published bi-monthly and available free to all members. Contributors are at liberty to express such opinions or advocate such astrological techniques as they wish. The publication of these does not imply that they are endorsed by the editor or the Council.
The deadline for contributions to the November 2002 issue is 10th October 2002. Genuinely urgent or newsworthy items may be submitted for publication at a later date