This page will have definitions and other astro basic stuff as I progressively add it. Credit to umpteen different references for the information. 

Astro Consults

What can you expect from an astrology reading?

It is probably best to start with what you shouldn’t expect:

• I don’t do your “numbers”
• I don’t do tarot cards
• I don’t do palm reading
• I can’t talk to your dead uncle
• I have no idea who your guides are

There are some brilliant people in the market who do that sort of thing. If you are in Australia, a starting point for these services might be:

• Spellbox in Melbourne (my absolute favourite place)
• New Moon in Sydney, in the Hills district
• The Reading Room in Brisbane

Also, I won’t tell you things like “on the 18^th of April you will be lunching in a Greek Taverna in Santorini and meet a tall, dark & handsome stranger with whom you will fall madly in love and live happily ever after.”

What an astrology reading can do is help you understand yourself better- and that is a huge advantage in dealing with all of the crap that life throws at us from every angle.

Unfortunately most clients wait until they are in the middle of a crisis before reaching out for a consult. Knowing more about yourself won’t avoid that crisis, but it may assist you in your responses and understanding of it. Likewise, I won’t tell you what to do (I may suggest things that you shouldn’t do), but I will provide you with the tools to help you make those decisions for yourself.

In a general birth chart reading (for first time clients) we look at:

• the potentials and challenges presented in your birth-chart
• what makes you feel safe, secure and nurtured
• how you communicate, deal with change and manage stress
• how you love
• how you work
• where your talents lie
• what turns you on and off or scares you silly
• potential health issues

Essentially, astrology helps you make sense of life- it doesn’t give you something to blame and it doesn’t provide you with excuses, but it can and does help you see all the possibilities available to you. It is up to you and your free will to do the rest and make what you will of that potential and work with the challenges…or not.

I have a real passion for workplace and career astrology, and a birth chart reading helps you manage relationships at work, your stress levels, decision-making and helps you choose the job that is right for you.

We also look at the themes that will be coming through for you over the next 12 months and talk about what that might mean.

A general birth chart reading will last for 60 minutes. Feel free to let me know when you book if there is any particular areas of concern which you would like to talk about in more detail. Bring an open mind to the session.

Also available are year ahead readings. These are shorter sessions for repeat clients focusing purely on what themes are coming up over the next 12 months.

You may be interested in a relationship reading. These are also usually around 60 minutes, however focus purely on the relationship needs of each person in the relationship, and any potential points of joy or challenge. These sessions are more expensive as the pre-work is substantially greater.

Other stuff?

I also do horary chart readings. This is a traditional technique for single questions that can be scarily accurate. Responses are 500 words back to your email. Please please please don’t ask the question unless you want to hear the answer.

Types of questions? Anything really, but most common are:

• Will I get the job?
• Should I take the job?
• Should I stay (in this job, relationship, whatever)
• Does he love me?
• Should I buy the house?

Similar to horary is electional or pick a date charts. Ideal for deciding when to book that wedding, start that business, make that move. Again, responses are 500 words back to your email. Remember, no date or moment is absolutely perfect, but we can choose the best from what is available. This process involves me looking at your chart/s, the nature and objectives of the event and then choosing the most appropriate time from that information.

What do I need from you?

When you book your reading, I will need you to send me through your time, date and place of birth. The time of birth can make a huge difference in how and when certain events may occur, so as accurate as possible please.

The cost?

I am a professional, like any other practitioner, so charge by the hour. Please please please don’t ask me for a freebie, to me it is the same as your boss asking you to work for nothing or your hairdresser not charging you.

Expect to pay $150 for a 60 minute birth chart reading and $180 for a relationship session.

Horary questions are $100

Pick a Date charts can be complicated and time thieves, so please email me for a quote.

How to book?

Just send me an email. I am available Monday and Wednesday for readings via the phone or Skype (in Australia) and skype (for overseas clients). For clients in Australia, appointments are available 9-5 Monday to Friday and 10-4 on a Saturday. For clients overseas, we will find a time that suits us both.

How to pay?

I take paypal (to jotracey@bigpond.net.au) or direct deposit to my bank account. For overseas clients, paypal only is accepted.

Some Astro Basics

Each sign is a combination of element, modality and masculine/feminine (introverted, extroverted) energy.

This is what makes each of the signs individual.

Note, all fire and air signs are also expressive masculine energy and all earth or water are the more softer feminine energy.

Elements

Fire is creative and stimulating- think sparks. Fire is motivated by movement, action and creation.

Earth is practical, stable, responsible and goal focused- think structure. Earth is motivated by physical and material security.

Air is perceptive, social and communicative- think headspace and messages. Air is motivated by communication.

Water is emotional, intuitive, empathetic and creative- think feelings. Water is motivated by emotional security and connections.

Want to work out what your elemental composition is? Check out Elementally Speaking…

Check out also Essential Nature…

Modality

Cardinal signs initiate

Fixed signs solidify

Mutable signs adapt

Putting it all together

The Basics

When people talk about their “Star sign” they are actually talking about the sign that the sun was in at the moment of their birth. So in effect, the star sign is actually your Sun sign. This is the most basic astrological fact about you. The Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune & Pluto each occupied their own little space in the sky at the moment you were born & each will affect you in a different way.

Your chart is divided into 12 (usually) uneven sections known as “houses”. Each of the houses represents a different part of life. Where each of the planets fall into the houses in your chart will tell more about how that planet operates in your life.

With all of these factors combined, no two Geminis are the same, no two Pisceans are the same… this is why we can’t simply divide the entire world population into 12 neat packages… there are in fact many possible combinations (although being a Piscean & having little interest in data, I am not going to go into specifics on this…).

The Personal Planets

The Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus & Mars are known as the personal planets. These planets move between signs fairly quickly & for this reason are the planets which form your personality.

They determine such things as:

• Your ego
• Your motivations
• Your Identity
• Your motivations
• Emotions
• Communication
• Primary Challenges
• Relationship style

The sign that these planets falls in describes how they work in your life and the contacts they make to other planets show how easily or challenging they are able to operate.

Whilst your sun sign defines your ego, motivations, needs & approach to life all the other planets have a say in who you are & what your motivations & challenges may be. This is why sometimes you may not behave in the way that your sun sign says you should- particularly if a lot of planets occupy signs other than your sun sign.

The Luminaries

The Sun:  Who YOU are, what motivates you, your ego, self expression, your overall attitude to life.

The Moon: Your instinctive and most basic emotional reactions, what makes you feel safe & what nurtures you.

The Other Personal Planets

Mercury: How you think, how you learn, how you communicate and how you process all the data that hits your brain during a normal lifetime.

Venus: What makes you feel good, how you approach relationships, what you find attractive, how you dress/ decorate yourself. In a mans’ chart Venus also is an indication of qualities (physical & otherwise) that he looks for in a partner.

Mars: Your drive, your energy, what turns you on, what you desire, what you go after, your temper, how you assert yourself. In a womans chart Mars is an indication of the qualities (physical & otherwise) that she looks for in a partner.

Jupiter: your attitude to risk and good fortune, how you expand your boundaries, how you experience life.

Saturn: your fears, your boundaries, how you set goals and accept responsibility.

Outer or Generational Planets

For traditional astrologers, Saturn was as far as they could see- the outer planets have only been discovered relatively recently. Uranus was the 1^st in 1781 to be discovered using a telescope.

Whilst the visible planets influence our behaviour & personalities, Uranus, Neptune & Pluto define generations. The sun swings through all 12 signs in a year, but Uranus takes 84 years, Neptune 165 years & Pluto almost 250 years to complete their trip through the zodiac.

As a result, these planets have little effect on day to day behaviour & don’t distinguish you from people of the same generation. They are, however, the major culprits behind life-changing and transformative shake-ups. Where they fall in the chart & the aspects they form to your other planets, will determine the nature of their effect.

Uranus- independence, freedom, rebellion- where you need space

Neptune- intuition, escapist, dissolution of boundaries- where you may sacrifice yourself, where you may delude yourself & where you may be deluded.

Pluto- transformation, power, control, obsession- where you will obsess, where you will be transformed, and where you will transform others.

Aspects with Planets

I am not even going to try & explain these. Suffice to say, there are essentially 2 types of aspects:

• Harmonious or flowing aspects which show those talents & expression which come fairly easily. Harmonious aspects are trines & sextiles. Sextiles normally need a little more work than trines. Trines are 2^nd nature stuff- as such, we often take these energies for granted rather than actively use them. Conjunctions are also nice- depending on the planets involved.
• Dynamic or challenging aspects usually require some sort of action or challenge. These are squares & oppositions. Not necessarily bad, they indicate areas of life where we can learn & grow.

The Houses

In astrology, there are 10 planets & 12 houses, so not all houses may be “occupied” by planets at the time of birth.

Where there are no planets in a particular house, it usually means that area of life is not of as great an importance to you as those areas where 1 or more planets reside- these houses are a source of vitality to you & represent areas of life where growth can occur.

In terms of importance, always look at the 1^st house, the house where the ruling planet lives & houses where there may be heaps of planets doing their stuff. In your chart, the planets are almost in a see-saw pattern with an emphasis on the 6^th and 11^th house.

House Meanings

Bringing Back the Ommm- The 12th House and the Stuff we don’t Talk About

Zodiacal Longitude

(you will need this to calculate the Parts)

Aries 0-29

Taurus 30-59

Gemini 60-89

Cancer 90-119

Leo 120-149

Virgo 150-179

Libra 180- 209

Scorpio 210-239

Sagittarius 240-269

Capricorn 270-299

Aquarius 300- 329

Pisces 330- 359

Each of your planets gets a number according to this.

eg Jupiter is at 25 cancer (I rounded it up). Cancer starts at 90, so 25 Cancer would be 90+25= 115

My Moon is at 27 Pisces. Pisces begins at 330, so 27 Pisces would be 330+27= 357

My Saturn is at 1 Aries. Aries begins at 0, so 1 Aries is…1. Get it?

Part of Fortune (Lunar Part)

Many astrologers reverse this for night time. Many others don’t and use this formula:

Ascendant + Moon – Sun

Using the latitudes above, this equates to:

347+ 357- 351= 353

Given that Pisces commences at 330, this would then fall at 23 Pisces.

(NB if you end up with a negative number add 360, if result is > 360, subtract 360)

We then look at which house it falls in, the ruler of the Part and the condition of the ruler.

Again in my chart, the Part of Fortune falls in the 1st house and is between my Moon & Sun. It is ruled by Jupiter, who is in the 5th and exalted in Cancer. Nice. A single sentence summary could possibly be:

I have a relatively good chance of landing on my feet- in general- and will be fortunate and profitable in 5th house (creative) Jupiterian type of pursuits…and probably under my own (1st house) steam… maybe that book will get written!

If you want further info on the Arabic Parts (you might be interested in knowing the strength of your barley crop this year and possibly need to calculate the Part of Barley), check out Robert Zoller’s book The Arabic Parts in Astrology, a Lost Key to Prediction.

Solar Returns

Interested in doing your own Solar Returns? Check out the following posts:

Solar Returns Pt 1

Solar Returns Pt 2

Solar Returns Pt 3- Profections: A Different Type of Time Lord