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Astrology & Work/Employment


Sure enough, you can find occupational talents in a horoscope. That's the easy part. The hard part is turning them into jobs. So here's how to do the easy part. The hard part is still up to you:


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VOCATIONAL ASTROLOGY, A Complete Handbook of Western Astrological Career Selection & Guidance Techniques - Judith Hill, $18.95
Contents:
Introduction; 1. The zodiacal signs & houses; 2. Temperament & profession; 3. Four elements & three modes; 4. Vocational rulerships: The planets & nodes; 5. Vocational "supplements" of the birth chart; 6. Planetary strengths & weaknesses; 7. House rulerships in vocational astrology; 8. The three vocational houses; 9. Reading the vocational chart; 10. The vocational time clocks;

Appendix A: A-Z vocational listings (Planet/sign/house combinations, rulerships); Appendix B: Glossary of vocational terms; Appendix C: Collection of vocational horoscopes (about the data, how to study the collection, vocational chart collection listing, The vocational chart collection); Bibliography.

From the author of Astrological Body Types, her new book on jobs. From the back cover: The usefulness of vocational astrology cannot be understated in our times. Your birht chart can pinpoint talent & also rate your career choices for success, luck & happiness - a service no vocational test can provide. Vocational astrology can help the vocationally undecided through the confusing woods of unlimited career paths.

Appendix C includes more than 110 vocational horoscopes, from Accountant to Welder, chosen from the author's own files. She says they are charts of successful, happy individuals working at full capacity. Hill suggest we compare the charts to the A-Z Vocational listings given in Appendix A. Here is a sample, for a computer programmer: Dominant planets: Mercury, Uranus; Supportive planet: Saturn; Primary signs: Virgo, Aquarius; Secondary sign: Gemini; Primary houses: 3, 6; Seconday house: 11. An excellent new book.

169 pages including bibliography. AFA, paper.


ASTROLOGY AND VOCATIONAL APTITUDE - H. Baron von Klockler, $18.95

Contents:

Translator's preface
Foreward
Introduction
Preliminary remarks

Vocations:

The learned professions:
Natural sciences: The chemist, the physicist, the physician, the engineer
Liberal arts: The philosopher, the teacher, the linguist, the cleric
The fine arts: The writer, the painter, the sculptor, the musician, the actor, the singer, the dancer
The social professions: The administrator, the lawyer, the politician, the soldier & the police officer

Business

Trades

Success and failure in the vocation

Comment:

From 1928, originally in German, the translator's name is not given. (It appears not to be James H. Holden.) The translator's Preface says that Baron von Klockler was a member of a group of intellectuals in Leipzig in the 1920's. This puts him well outside the Raphael/Alan Leo, English/American astrological revival, making von Klockler's text of exceptional interest.

The book starts with a useful overview. So far as work goes, people can be divided into five broad personality types:

  1. Obvious talent
  2. Jack of all trades
  3. Not interested in working
  4. No ability
  5. Too sick to work
Those in the first category - who are few in number - can be expected to take care of themselves. Our quest is to find something for the other four - the vast majority - to do with themselves.

The first section, on Learned Professions, deals with charts with a strong Mercury. The second section, on the Fine Arts, deals with the strongly placed Venus. These distinctions are similar to Lilly's rules for profession (as found in his Book 3), but unlike Lilly, von Klockler does not continue with Mars and its professions. Instead, he consigns Mars to general notes under Trades, in which he puts those with no real ability. It would seem that von Klockler was an intellectual and had little contact with the trades.

I especially liked the last chapter, on Success & Failure.

The writing is nicely clean & crisp. Very "German". A refreshing change from Anglo-American authors. This book will not give you specific guidance, but it will show you how to think about profession from an analytical, astrological point of view.

AFA, 109 pages.


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VOCATIONS: The New Midheaven Extension Process - Noel Tyl, $19.95

Contents:

Preface

Background & the modern premise:
Sociological framework
A modern view: The midheaven extension process
Observations: The analytical considerations

The midheaven extension process in practice:
Practicing and gaining confidence
The communicating channel
The performing channel
The creative (aesthetics) channel
The helping/healing channel
The administrative channel

The art in judgement:
Finesse through experience
Deeper technical understanding

Data appendix
Vocation index
Text index

Comment:

Back in print

Tyl's Midheaven Extension Process - which he says is new - is based on the premise that as the sun shines strongest at mid-day, if we can somehow satisfy our 10th house, and, most particularly, the Midheaven itself, that this will lead to satisfaction in our lives (pg. 5). I confess I overlooked this when I first wrote notes on this book. I merely presumed that Tyl had decided to use dispositors in his work. He is, instead, trying to delineate the MC & came upon dispositors as a means of doing so. Hence its "newness" to him.

Tyl presumes the MC will determine career. To me, this is too broad an interpretation. Yes, the sun shines brightest at noon (ie, conjunct the MC), but at the equator it is too intense to endure (the sun is considered a malefic in Vedic astrology, in India, where it beats down mercilessly), while, on the other hand, in far north latitudes, it is so low in the sky as to be too weak to have much effect. It is similar with people. Some people love the attention they get when in full public view. A few hide & are rarely seen. Most people, in fact, come and go, and most people, in fact, have lives more private than public. Here, Tyl weakens his case by exclusive consideration of the famous (including himself), who, by definition, have MCs that crave the full light of day. As with much of astrology, occupation, job and career is a multi-faceted puzzle and needs more detailed handling, one way or another.

But Tyl does some nice stuff by forcing the reader to follow the chain of dispositors around the chart. He uses modern rulers (Pisces: Neptune. Aquarius: Uranus. Scorpio: Pluto), which, in his own chart, gives a radically different perspective on his own tenth, which is Pisces. Tyl says his MC is ruled by Neptune, which is in Virgo in 4 (dead opposite Saturn in Pisces in 10), which is disposed by Mercury in Capricorn, which is disposed by Saturn in Pisces, which is disposed by - Neptune, a full circle. Tyl cuts this off at Mercury, in part as Mercury has a tight opposition to Pluto and both have a tight square to Mercury, making for a powerful T-square. This is of interest to Tyl, so he considers what he can do with Mercury, which he defines as communication. He immediately goes to the third house, which he says Mercury rules (but not in his chart), where he finds his Moon in Leo. As it happens, the Moon in Leo is the ruler of Tyl's ascendant. This is a backwards way of coming to the Leo Moon (which, in fact, is dominant in Tyl's personality). Using traditional rulers, Tyl's chart is much different. Pisces on 10 is ruled by Jupiter in Capricorn in 7, which, itself, is disposed by Saturn in Pisces. Mutual reception. Which welds the 7th and 10th houses together & should make his wife or partner publicly known. Interestingly, Tyl in fact has always kept his private life private. Can this paradox be explained, or should I throw my lot to the modern rulers, the tradition be damned? Let's see . . .

Whenever I see a chart with an ascendant at the very first, or very last degrees of a sign, I consider the possibility the time might be off enough to slip the ascendant into the nearby sign. If we take Tyl's ascendant, 0 degrees 3 minutes of Cancer, at 3:56 pm EST and make it for one minute prior, an entirely new chart comes into focus.

Interestingly, when I calculated Tyl's chart, with Tyl's own data (December 31, 1936, 3:56 pm, West Chester, PA), I got 29 Gemini rising, using Solar Fire. I got exactly the same result when I calculated in Win*Star. I got Tyl's result - exact to the minute of arc - when I added a minute to his time, which would be 3:57 pm. I am curious where Mr. Tyl got his initial chart, as it, or the time he uses, appears to be in error. (Accuracy matters.) But I digress.

If Tyl had a late degree of Gemini rising (which is what his published birth time insists), then that degree would be in tight sextile to his Moon. It would be trine to his Mars. It would be semi-sextile his Pluto, and inconjunct his Mercury. A Gemini ascendant would be, in other words, a major player in Mr. Tyl's life. (His Cancer ascendant is not.) It would be ruled by the inconjunct Mercury, which, as it's inconjunct, means he would have difficulty determining what he appears to be. Disposed by Saturn in Pisces in the 10th, he might, early on, consider a career in music (ruled by Pisces) and seek the stage, which, any way you look at it, will feed a Leo Moon. (Leo Moons crave attention, regardless of aspect or house placement.) Operatic training, which Mr. Tyl had in his youth, notably produces large chest development (and a big booming voice), which might have misled him into thinking his ascendant could be Cancer. In fact, both the Moon and Mercury would be essential in producing an operatic voice. Mercury for the ability to get the words out, the Moon for drive & stamina. The hard aspects to Mercury, from Mars and Pluto (also aspecting the Moon), would powerfully assist.

Presuming Mr. Tyl has Gemini, not Cancer, rising, eventually the force of Gemini - Mercury - Moon - Mars - Pluto overwhelmed the Pisces midheaven & Mr. Tyl took up his actual career, as determined by his ascendant & its ruler, Gemini and Mercury: Writing, lecturing, teaching. By contrast, most everyone who has ever been in music keeps at least a toe in the water. (Look at me: Music was my last life, yet it has completely overwhelmed this one.) If we posit Tyl's operatic career as a product of his 10th house Saturn in Pisces, fed by a confused Mercury, then we would presume his roles would have been older leading men (Saturn). A career that ended abruptly when Mr. Tyl was suckered by details he had not seen coming (Neptune in Virgo opposed to Saturn in Pisces).

So let's go back to relationships. With Gemini rising, we have Sagittarius on the 7th, ruled by Jupiter. Jupiter is technically in the 7th, but has little affinity with it, not being in the same sign as the cusp. Nor can I comfortably place it in the 8th, even though it shares the same sign (Capricorn), as it is not only far, far away from the 8th, but the Sun is in its way. Jupiter simply floats, without moorings, having, for aspects, only a waning conjunction to the Sun, and a tight trine to Uranus. The final degree of any sign always produces a sense of crisis (see Helen Adams Garrett), so just as we would expect Mercury, ruling the ascendant, to act out via its dispositor & seek a career in opera, we may guess that Tyl once sought a wife, but a weak Jupiter denied him the prize. (Did he seek out a Saturnine partner (Saturn being Jupiter's dispositor), who publicly spurned him (10th house), long, long ago? Could the partner have been connected with his operatic career, such that her refusal effectively ended his singing?)

Denied a wife, we might expect Mr. Tyl to seek comfort elsewhere. After the 7th, the usual place to look is the 5th. Here we find Libra, and in the house, Mars. Mars in Libra wants to be led, one way or another. Both it, and the house itself, are disposed by Venus in Aquarius in the 9th. As Mr. Tyl travels widely, a guess would be that he is often approached while on the road. Libra being a cardinal sign, activity is more important than permanance, but Venus, in a fixed sign, means there will always be another trip, another road. As for children, with the ascendant, ruler of the ascendant, Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars all in signs of dubious fertility, I would hazard there are none, which makes Tyl's appearance, as a single individual, exactly what he is.

Dear Mr. Tyl, such are the hazards of publishing your chart. Are you entirely certain you have Cancer rising? I myself have Gemini rising, Moon in Leo in 3. Look what I do with them. "Out" yourself! Come join the Geminis!

As far as that goes, I myself confess that until I had properly rectified my own chart, there were many things about astrology which I did not quite understand. In all his many books, Mr. Tyl has been grasping for something. It might just be his proper ascending sign.

I confess I have not done much of a job in reviewing this book. Suffice to say that if you work through the many examples and apply what you learn to the other eleven houses, you will learn much about dispositors and, most likely, revolutionize your way of reading a chart. It's a lot of work, but this book is a useful start.

P.S. to Mr. Tyl: In Support Horoscope Data in the back, you give Beethoven a Pisces ascendant. I believe that 15 Leo (or thereabouts), with Saturn conjunct, will give better results, both in appearance (all that hair), as well as temper (the bully). You will also note a packed 5th.

Llewellyn, 188 pages.


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FINDING SUCCESS IN THE HOROSCOPE: The Slevin system of horoscope analysis - Jackie Slevin, $18.95

Contents:

Dedication
Acknowledgements
Introduction to the Slevin System of horoscope analysis

1. Windows on the world: The midheaven
2. Location is everything: The principal planet
3. Dignities, mutual receptions & major configurations
4. The cardinal axis
5. Appearances count
6. It runs in the family
7. Royal fixed stars
8. The critical 29th degree
9. The express lane to the top
10. And for the rest of us

Epilogue
Notes
List of charts
About the author

Comment: The Slevin System, like Tyl's system (above), uses the midheaven to determine career. Slevin's has twelve steps. They are:

1. Find the midheaven. 2. Find the planet that most closely aspects the midheaven (Ptolemaic aspects only). This is the principal planet. 3. Note planets in the 10th. 4. Note the principal planet's sign, strength, if retrograde, etc. 5. Note the house of the principal planet. 6. Note the Principal planet's aspects. 7. Note the house(s) this planet rules. 8. Note if it is conjunct the Cardinal Axis. 9. Note if it is in mutual reception. 10. Note if it is conjunct the Royal Fixed Stars (Aldebaran, 9 Gemini; Regulus 29 Leo; Antares 9 Sagittarius; Formalhaut 3 Pisces). 11. Combine/synthesize these factors. 12. Repeat for the next nearest planet in aspect to the midheaven.

Overall, this is Tyl's method, only instead of using the midheaven's dispositor, it uses the planet in closest aspect.

So, how do these two systems compare? Slevin's seems to be more limited, since not everyone will have a significant Ptolemaic aspect to the midheaven. Slevin's examples are of interest: Sun as Principal Planet: Queen Victoria: Trine, orb under 1 degree. Moon as PP: Julia Child, trine, orb 5 degrees. Mercury PP: W.B. Yeates, opposition, 12 minutes. Venus PP: Billy Joel, sextile, less than one degree. Mars PP: Curtis Sliwa (Guardian Angels), square, 3 degrees. Jupiter: Galileo, square, retrograde, 19 minutes. Saturn: Queen Elizabeth II: conjunct, retrograde, one degree. Uranus: Che Guevare, square, under one degree. Neptune: Raoul Wallenberg, square, 2 degrees. Pluto: Amy Fischer (her "career" seems to have been an attempted murder), square, 2 degrees.

Slevin is aware of her limitations. In the last chapter, And for the Rest of Us, she writes,

Most of the horoscopes of successful people demonstrated throughout this book using the Slevin System are those who rank in the top five percent of their profession. Note that their horoscopes are well-integrated maps of well-aspected angles, prominent degrees, tight orbs & angular planets, often with multiple elements of the Slevin System replicating themselves throughout their charts. (pg. 183)
Integrated charts like that are, frankly, rare. There are many prominent people with quite messy charts. Slevin uses an orb of 8 degrees for angles to the midheaven, as well as between planets generally. This seems to be in conflict with the well-accepted notion that angles & house cusps, lacking "rays", have no orb beyond one degree. As for charts with no planets aspecting the MC within an 8 degree orb, Slevin says,
Occasionally horoscopes present themselves that have no aspects to the Midheaven within eight degrees & thus no Principal Planet. Thus an alternate route to success is created. In these cases the Midheaven Ruler takes precedence, along with its house location & the Ptolemaic aspects it makes. (pg. 184)
When the dispositor is substituted for the aspecting planet, the result is essentially Noel Tyl's system. Slevin continues:
While the Midheaven Ruler may describe the inclination toward a chosen profession, the lack of aspects to the Midheaven can make it difficult for them to access the equipment needed for their public presentation. (pg. 184)
Which brings up the subtext to the book, that your profession is your public persona, the thing you are known for, the abilities that you present to the world. This describes only some professions. It does not describe partnerships, it does not describe those who toil in institutions or work behind the scenes, it does not describe many who work for a wage or salary. Nor does it describe people like Stanley Ann Dunham, Barak Obama's mother. Her key to success, shown by her strong 9th house (I've rectified her chart), was her life outside the US.

Overall, I like Tyl's book & his system better, but even more, I am developing chart interpretation techniques, of houses & their dispositors, that reveals the overall personality, not merely isolated character traits. Once the personality is in hand, it is often a simple matter to determine what one ends up doing with his life. This is also a superior method of rectification. Go Wiki Stanley Ann. In her rectification, the key factor was her parents' placing her in a brand-new high school. This implied severe personal problems the year before. I made the rank guess that Saturn transiting her ascendant was the probable cause & rectified her ascendant to the appropriate degree. The result was a powerful 9th house, which opened her life to me.

Ibis Press, 198 pages.


DYNAMIC ASTROLOGY: Using planetary cycles to make personal & career choices - John Townley, $12.95

Contents:

Preface
Introduction

1. Cycles that control your life
2. Toward a physical basis of astrology
3. The monthly & yearly cycles
4. Mars: The two year work-energy cycle
5. Jupiter: Your productivity & opportunity cycle
6. Saturn: Career perimeters, testing & security
7. Uranus, Neptune & Pluto: The outer planets
8. The career graph
9. Friends & enemies: How to tell the difference
10. Back to basics: Practical career building with the aid of cycles

Epilogue

Appendices:
1. Blank group comparison charts
2. Blank career cycle charts

Comment: This book tells how to use planetary cycles to advance your career.

In chapter 3, the busiest time of the month is when the moon passes over your ascendant, and when it's conjunct your sun. The weakest is when the moon opposes your sun. If you're a full moon baby (like me), John says the two cycles cancel each other out. Which is my experience. He also says the same thing is true of your sun: Best when it's conjunct the ascendant, and on your birthday, weak at the DSC & 6 months from your birthday.

He continues this thread in subsequent chapters. Mars conjunct, oppose itself; Jupiter, Saturn through the houses. Note that the Sun & Moon get both house & sign treatment, Mars get zodiacal treatment, while Jupiter & Saturn get house treatment. Uranus, Neptune & Pluto are shown as interruptions to the Jupiter & Saturn cycle. Uranus, for example, interferes with Jupiter every 14 years, with Saturn every 45.

In chapter 8, Townley shows how to graph Jupiter & Saturn to make a graph of expected annual income. The top line of the graph is your ascendant, the bottom line is your descendant, you mark your age from left to right. You mark the top line whenever Jupiter & Saturn cross your ascendant, mark the bottom line when they cross your descendant, then connect the dots, Jupiter to Jupiter, Saturn to Saturn. The interplay of up & down zig-zags become income when you substitute 2nd house / 8th house for ascendant / descendant. On this master graph you can superimpose transits of Uranus, Neptune & Pluto, and refine timing by adding Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, etc.

Chapter 9, Friends & enemies, is synastry on the job. Which you should be aware of anyway.

Chapter two, Toward a physical basis of astrology is a vague jumble of things. I'm not sure what it's doing in this book, other than it's an interesting idea. If that's what you're after, then my theory, based on resonance, is better. John, are you reading this?

Destiny Books, 182 pages.


IN SEARCH OF A FULFILLING CAREER - Joanne Wickenburg, $24.00
Contents:
Introduction; 1. What's it all about?; 2. Signs, houses & planets; 3. Get the picture? (elements, qualities, types of houses, career rulerships); 4. The Second House (signs on the 2nd house, 2nd house ruler, 2nd house ruler's aspects, planets in the 2nd house, aspects to 2nd house planets, Taurus, the natural ruler); 5. The Sixth House (signs on the 6th house, 6th house ruler, 6th house ruler & its aspects, planets in the 6th house, 6th house planets & their aspects, People of the 6th house, Houses ruled by 6th house planets, Virgo - the natural ruler);

6. The Tenth House (Signs on the 10th house, 10th house ruler, Aspects to the 10th house ruler, Planets in the 10th house, Houses ruled by 10th house planets, 10th house planets & their aspects, Capricorn - the natural ruler); 7. Aspects & phases (Major aspects, minor aspects, phases); 8. Other vocational indicators (larger picture, vacant houses of substance, stelliums, moon's nodes, retrograde planets, intercepted signs, closest aspect); 9. Looking ahead (Transits, solar return, progressions). Appendix.

Comment: From the back cover:

It is difficult to determine from the birth chart alone precisely what career one will follow. The chart, however, clearly outlines the talents & capabilities availablefor vocational application. The chart describes your individual needs in terms of vocational fulfillment & defines the unique skills that can be used as tools for achieving career satisfaction. Once you have a basic understanding of specific needs & talents, it's easier to direct your energies toward finding a meaningful career, one that is compatible with your psychological, physical, emotional & spiritual makeup.

AFA, 231 pages.


ASTROLOGY FOR CAREER AND SUCCESS: How to analyze career choices and timing - Gayle Geffner, $15.95

Contents:

Introduction

1. The "at least three charts" method
2. Three case studies
3. Transit charts
4. Derivitave houses
5. Planets in solar returns and lunar return houses and how they may apply to your career
6. Solar return charts
7. Lunar return charts
8. Advanced methods
Conclusion

Reference books
About the author

Comment:

The author uses three charts to determine career potential (pg. 3): The natal, the current solar return, and the current lunar return. It's the lunar return that makes me think she's focused on immediate topics, such as, will I get a job this month, will I lose my job this month, will I get a raise, will I get a promotion, etc., as lunars can give that level of timing. The author says the two return charts are her preference, but she thinks you should use two additional charts to the natal. Which can be the progressed positions with the solar return, for example.

The first chapter is an introduction to astrology: Signs, houses, planets.

The second chapter, with three case studies, gives an overview of Geffner's technique. She plows her way through the chart, house by house, planet by planet, noting strengths and weaknesses. At the end she summarizes her findings. She does not seem to have any organized framework.

The third chapter gives an analysis of the transits in effect on the day each of the three case studies started new jobs. The author notably does not use a separate chart for the actual start of a new job. She talks instead of transiting planets in natal houses, transiting planets in aspect to natal planets.

The fourth chapter is on derivative houses, which are the 12 houses renumbered from some new starting point. For mysterious reasons, Geffner takes her examples and renumbers the charts, starting with the second house, to determine that what is in the third house (the second from the second) to be of value to the second house. This is not the best use I have seen of derivative charts, which are ordinarily cast from a house symbolizing a person, such as from the 7th, giving the point of view of a partner, or the 5th, a child's viewpoint, or the 10th, the opinion of a boss or supervisor. (Some of these can be useful to know.)

I skipped through the chapters on solar and lunar returns. A good book on solar returns will do much better.

Overall, this was weak. The author seems to be groping. I was disappointed.

Final note: This is the same book as Pathways to Success (below). This book is said to be a revised and expanded edition, but the second edition has only six more pages and nearly identical page layouts, so there was not much that was added. The table of contents, while appearing to be different, is actually identical. Page formatting is slightly better.

ACS, 216 pages.


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PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS: Discover Your Career Potential with Astrology - Gayle Geffner, $14.95
Contents: The "At Least Three Charts" method; Three Case Studies; Transit Charts; Derivative Houses; Planets in Solar Returns Houses & How They May Apply to Your Career; Solar Return Charts; Lunar Returns; Advanced Methods; Bibliography; Reference books.

Comment: The book opens without preamble. Geffner says she uses three charts, but it's actually four: The natal, transit, solar return & lunar return. The same three case studies are used throughout the book: Sarah, a 40-ish woman with young children & a failing marriage, John, a young college graduate looking for work as a children's counselor, and Carole, another 40-something mom with young children, an understanding hubby & a desire to work in film production. All three stories end happily as far as careers are concerned. In between the ongoing narratives, Geffner gives general rules for reading natal charts, transits (she especially likes those of Jupiter & Saturn) & solar & lunar returns. There are worthwhile notes on lunars here, though Geffner somehow does not grasp the idea of looking at a series of lunars, finding a good one & jumping on it. She studies charts for the first day on the job, a critical moment & something astrologers often overlook. This is not the book for specific astrological career signatures. Instead, the book shows how ongoing astrological counseling can bring success. Geffner is based in Los Angeles.

This is the previous edition of the book shown immediately above, Astrology for Career Success. Other than price, I can find no significant differences between old and new editions.

ACS Publications, 210 pages.


VOCATIONAL SELECTION & COUNSELING volume 1 - Doris Chase Doane, $20.00
Overview of potential tensions, planets as aptitudes, houses as environment, signs as motivation, decanates & cosmodynes. Income potential, business success, progressions, retirement, counseling clues, age as a conditioning factor, suggestions on vocational counseling as a business, more. 142 pages. AFA, paper.


VOCATIONAL SELECTION & COUNSELING, volume 2 - Doris Chase Doane, $20.00
A continuation of the first volume. Building the vocational base, self-driven dreamer, power of a T-square, channeling mental potential, more cosmodyne applications, middle years, self-examination, more. Both of these books use cosmodynes extensively. 157 pages including bibliography. AFA, paper.


PATTERNS OF PROFESSIONS - Emma Belle Donath, $14.00
The patterns in question are midpoint structures & include transneptunians & the four major asteroids. Appendices: Use of 90-degree dial; Use of computer midpoints; Transneptunian planetary positions. 100 pages including bibliography and index. AFA, paper.


ASTROLOGY & APTITUDE: How to become what you are meant to be - Kim Falconer, $18.95
Contents: Introduction; What's my line (each of the 12 signs as indicators of aptitude); X Marks the Spot: Aptitude location by house (each of the 12 houses as indicators of aptitude)
    Fool or Magician? The Planets & Other Points:
  • The Sun as a sign of capability: What we are becoming
  • The Moon as sign of intuition: What comes naturally
  • Mercury as a sign of choices: What we think & say
  • Venus as a sign of desire: What we love to attract
  • Mars as a sign of Energy: Where our power lies
  • Jupiter as a sign of Meaning: What gives us purpose]
  • Saturn as a sign of Challenge: What is vital to achieve
  • Chiron as a sign of Inspiration: What is the key?
  • Uranus as a sign of Uniqueness: What do we dare?
  • Neptune as a sign of the Ineffable: Where do we seek the divine?
  • Pluto as a sign of Transformation: What we don't understand
  • South Node: What used to work
  • North Node: What we need to develop
  • Delineation of the North & South Node by sign
  • Delineation of the North & South Lunar Nodes by house
  • Arabic Parts: From Passion to Fortune
  • Part of Passion
  • Part of Increase
  • Part of Sudden Advancement
  • Midpoints that make a difference
  • Fixed stars as a sign of destiny
  • Asteroid 433 Eros as passion & creative inspiration
The Daimon as guiding spirit: Aspects & transits as our ally (aspects to ten planets & Chiron); Standing at the crossroads & making the apt choice: Example charts (Hedy Lamar, Ernest Hemingway)

Appendices: Glossary of terms & symbols; Suggested reading list; Vocational rulerships; Endnotes.

Comment: Reminded me of John Townley's Planets In Love, where the entire natal chart is delineated in terms of the subject at hand, in Townley's case, love & sex, in Falconer's case, work & career. A catalog of the career/job meanings of each planet in each house & each sign, many of them standard natal cookbook fare. As to how to separate the important from the unimportant (because Falconer covers everything indiscriminately), look to pages 29-30, where she offers these indicators of aptitude. These are presumably in order of importance:

First house
Second house
Sixth house
Tenth house
Houses occupied by stelliums, which she classes as four or more planets
Houses of the Sun, Moon & Saturn
Planets 10 to 15 degrees from the angles
Cadent houses (3, 6, 9, 12)
The houses containng the rulers of the ascendant & MC
Houses of the north & south nodes
Empty houses (?)
Houses activated by progressions, transits & returns
The book as a whole is long on delineation, but short on technique. If you've already figured out some sort of technique, you will find this book useful.

AFA, 200 pages.



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