by Marcia Sacks
To know astrology for yourself is like having an open book
to read into the past, present and future
of any individual, relationship, or situation1. BE WILLING TO MEMORIZE
I have taught beginning astrology since 1980, and the most difficult concept to get across to adult learners is memorization of the glyphs. Astrology is a language with the symbols of signs, planets and aspects as its alphabet. We don’t expect children to be able to read without first learning their ABC’s. But if I say to an adult class, after explaining the symbolism of each glyph, "take these home and memorize them" there are moans and groans like I just announced a twenty-mile hike through a leech-filled, mosquito-breeding swamp.
It would probably be rude to mention to them that when my older son was two years old he could identify every symbol of planets and signs off a flash card the same way he could the English alphabet. Or that my younger son when he was 9 decided that he wanted to learn astrology and took the handouts from my class to his room for twenty minutes and came back knowing them all. Sure it takes longer for adults. But it’s worth it. Just do it.
Here are the things I feel must be memorized to move on to further study of astrology:
1. The glyphs for the planets and the basic keyword meanings.
2. The glyphs for the zodiacal signs, their basic keyword meanings, plus
a) the order of the signs;
b) their element and quality;3. The glyphs for the major aspects, their basic keyword meanings, plus
a) their opposite sign; b) the squaring signs; c) the trining signs; d) the sextile signs.
Practice writing the glyphs (it expands your mental patternings).
2. COLLECT CHARTS
I encourage my students to collect horoscopes. The first collections is of folks you can personally observe: you, your family and friends. I have my own collection of family charts inserted into transparent page protectors in a three-ring binder. I take it to every astrology seminar I attend. It makes what I’m learning more meaningful if I can apply it to the people I know. I use it in the same way when I’m studying an astrological principle in a book.
The second collection should be of famous people. If a historic figure or modern superstar fascinates you then research his/her birthdata and compute the horoscope or make a flat chart "in signs" (link to flat chart article) from the ephemeris. Then find a biography or extended interview and see if you can correlate the astrological and biographical information.
3. STUDY YOUR OWN HOROSCOPE IN DEPTH
The most important chart collection is your own. You would be unlikely to apply every minor aspect, converse progression or personal-name asteroid to each chart in your collection. But you would definitely want to try them on your own. Why? Because you know you. You can be sensitive to the subtle psychological states expressed by some of the finer points of astrology.
Knowing your own horoscope in depth, especially as applied to real life experiences (internal and external) will broaden your understanding of astrology.
4. JOURNAL
One of the ways to study your own horoscope in depth and to apply astrology to your life experiences is journaling. Keep track of yourself in a variety of ways (the following are just suggestions, not a regiment):
Notations of daily activities.
Accomplishments and set-backs
People that you’ve met.
New projects started.
Emotions and feelings.
Poetry.
Dreams
Physical, mental, emotional
If you’ve kept a journal in the past, re-read it with your chart and an ephemeris.
Astrology is the study of cycles. You want to know what happened during the last cycle of a major transit because it’s sure to come around again with similar lessons.5. LIFE HISTORY
Create a one page chronological history of your major life events: marriages, births of children (which are of course, your children’s natal charts as well), divorces, deaths of parents, health problems, job changes and transformations of consciousness.
Take major transits, progressions, and eclipses and look for correlations.
Take this document with you to astrology lectures along with your collection of charts. It will help you instantly make connections to new data.
6. BECOME AWARE OF LIFE AROUND YOU
People speak the aspects. "I came out of the chiropractor’s office and just started walking backwards. I don’t know why," said a Gemini friend of mine on a day when Mercury went retrograde. "I’m so depressed. I feel like I’m dragging around a two-ton weight," said a client with Saturn conjunct the sun.
Everything in your life will symbolically show you how astrology manifests.
Get an astrological calendar. Watch the daily transits, the moon through the signs and/or the moon phases. Attune to life rythyms. Don’t go by beliefs. Work with observation and correlation of life in and around you.
7. HANG OUT WITH OTHERS INTERESTED IN ASTROLOGY
Just like speaking a foreign language, there’s a lot of astrology learned by osmosis, by being in the environment. If you want to learn French quickly, go to France where you’ll hear it all around you. The same with astrology. It’s fun to be someplace where everyone’s speaking "astrologese" and it will accelerate your learning process.
Where to go? Below is a listing of astrological organizations. There may be others in your local area. Some of them have monthly meetings with lectures on various aspects of astrology. Some of them have special interest groups or study groups that center on a specific topic.
Don’t forget to bring your own chart and your personal collection of horoscopes of friends and family. It helps to apply what you’re learning directly to people you know. Also many social conversations include passing charts around and you may get some insights from others a little farther along than you.
National Council for Geocosmic Research (NCGR)
American Federation of Astrologers (AFA)
International Society of Astrological Research (ISAR)
Association for Astrological Networking (AFAN)
8. TAKE CLASSES
(in person, by tape, or online)This is sort of obvious but there are many of us who learn faster from listening to a teacher than we could by reading a book. Also, other students may ask the questions we’d like to or didn’t think of. Where to find teachers? Start with the organizations above. They may be able to refer you to someone in your area. Metaphysical/New Age Centers & Bookstores often have astrology classes as part of their educational programs. Also, community colleges & other adult continuing education programs sometimes offer astrology classes.
Some of the organizations listed above have regional and national conferences throughout the year with astrological lectures given by excellent teachers. Many of the conferences are taped, and available to those unable to attend.
The Temple of Kriya Yoga is a center that offers excellent learning opportunities in astrology (as well as other spiritual growth processes). Two of their most popular classes are Astrology from the Beginning and the Professional Astrology Course. Many of these classes are available for home study on audio and videotape. (773) 342-4600.
9. READ AND COLLECT BOOKS
We live in a time of abundance of astrological writing. There are many good books out there. However, the wise astrology student does not just read astrology — try to include history, biography, mythology, and psychology.
An astrological "cookbook" is one that lists descriptions for planets in signs, planets in houses, planets in aspect, etc. Don’t read these straight through. Apply them to your chart collection. The correlation with real people will help you to remember them. Take notes if you like to — the pen is your magic wanted. P.S. — don’t believe everything just because it’s written in a book.
10. READ MAGAZINES & WEBZINES
Astrology magazines, webzines, and email lists are another way of hanging out and spending time with the people who are active in the field today. There are some excellent astrology magazines available in print and on the ‘net. Here’s a few sites to start with:
Sep 16
Advertisements/Anuncios
September 26th, 2008 at 2:37 am
Interested in astrology and the chat that it generates. Thank you, Dave