035 | Nick Campion: Pockets Full of Starlight

Join Professor Dr. Nick Campion from the breathtaking port city of Bristol as he shares his favorite books and more with our host Jenn Zahrt! Tune in to hear all about: the origin of Nick’s love of the stars; “living texts”; the importance of cross-citation and astrological lineages; history and mythology; the history of the Faculty of Astrological Studies in London; retrospective chart examples; the implications of time, space, and freedom; whether astrology always works; the idea of assemblages; and the importance of astrology for self-knowledge and personal change. Plus: the astro road show, Perry Como, and… is everything connected? We’re releasing this episode on his birthday, so Happy Birthday, Nick!!

 

 

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Song “Wake Up” used with permission by The E-Block Band.

 

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Episode timestamps (conversation recorded Feb. 2024):

 

00:31 – Dr. Nicholas Campion is one of the world’s leading historians of astrology. He teaches and writes about the history and culture of astronomy, astrology, cosmology, and utopian and millennial beliefs. He is the director of the Sophia Centre’s distance learning master’s program in cultural astronomy and astrology at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Nick has been decorated with countless awards, including the 1994 Marc Edmund Jones Award, the 1994 Prix Georges Antares Award, the 1999 Spica Award, the 2002 Charles Harvey Prize, and two Regulus Awards (2002 and 2012). He’s written multiple books, including the esteemed A History of Western Astrology, Volumes I & II, and our favorite astrological cookbook, Cosmic Cuisine (together with Tom Jaine in 1988).

 

02:32 – Hear Nick’s astrological beginnings, as he shares the first astrology book he ever read, The Origin of the Zodiac by Rupert Gleadow. Nick was 17 years old in 1970 when he found this title at a second-hand shop in Cambridge, England!

 

10:45 – If Nick were stuck in the dark sky park of Sark, the first book he’d pack would be Christian Astrology by William Lilly, because he’s been consulting this one a lot lately! Lilly’s work offers foundational points for modern astrology. It’s also helpful to be able to read it in the original language (English), as opposed to a translation. (Shout out to Sark in the Dark: Wellbeing and Community on the Dark Sky Island of Sark by Ada Blair, and Sky and Purpose in Prehistoric Malta: Sun, Moon, and Stars at the Temples of Mnajdra by Tore Lomsdalen, both “classics” according to Nick!)

 

18:31 – Interlude: Join CAELi as a trial member and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)

 

19:18 – Nick’s second text he’d bring to the island of Sark is The Modern Text-Book of Astrology by Margaret Hone – one of the main teaching books in the English-speaking world from 1951 to the early 1970s, and the book that Nick learned astrology from! Hone’s text is focused on personality and establishes a psychologically oriented character description as important. (Enjoy the side trip to Teach Yourself Astrology by Jeff Mayo!)

 

25:23 – Nick’s third choice is Liz Greene’s seminal work Saturn: A New Look at an Old Devil, because Greene helped to develop the ideas of the planets and zodiac signs as processes. (Greene followed up on Dane Rudhyar’s work, so brush up on your dose of Rudhyar to better understand modern astrology!) Protip: CAELi members can meet with Dr James Dotson (Episode 6) to discuss Rudhyar’s work at CAELi’s new Significant Sources Salon; Rudhyar will be highlighted on November 13, 2024!

 

28:58 – For beginners, Nick recommends The Compleat Astrologer by Derek and Julia Parker (republished as The New Compleat Astrologer). The Parkers were heavily influenced by Hone, and this well-written work is based on a personality approach to natal astrology.

 

30:46 – Thanks for listening to Within Orb! If you love the show, please help support it at no cost to you: Follow or subscribe wherever you listen, rate it five stars, or write a happy review! And if you’d like to become a CAELi member or support our work with a contribution of any amount, we’d be delighted – thanks!

 

Show notes by Jen Braun, JJ Boots Productions LLC.