066 | Frederick Woodruff: The Astrological Matrix

Astrologer, author, and podcaster Frederick Woodruff joins host Jenn Zahrt from Vashon Island in Washington for a comprehensive, buoyant chat that includes must-have astrology (and non-astrology) books, musings on Saturn and writing, and more! Tune in to hear about: working with Ivy Goldstein-Jacobson as a teen; the mystery of unfoldment; questions related to the mechanism of divination; horary astrology; falling in love with “wrong” astrology; pondering the origin of consciousness; consultation styles; quadrant versus whole sign houses; using a psychological lexicon; the hidden prescreening upside of pop astrology; how writing about Saturn is like pulling teeth (Hah! Good one, Saturn!); and posthumous astrology. Plus: Princess Diana’s (incorrect) chart, breaking up with a serial killer, and… did women invent astrology?

 

Want to get in on Time Climb? The “astrology gym for your brain” at CAELi? Check out more info at this link. See you there!

 

Frederick Woodruff joins Episode 66 of Within Orb!

 

Visit CAELi’s Within Orb pod page!

Learn more about the CAELi Institute.

Visit our bookshop.org page to support CAELi and purchase books mentioned on the show!

Become a CAELi member or renew your membership!

Love the show? Support our work with a financial contribution or book donation.

Follow CAELi on FB, IG, and YouTube.

Transcripts available upon request.

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

 

*****

 

Episode timestamps (conversation recorded Aug. 2024):

 

01:23 – Frederick Woodruff uses astrology as next-level psychoanalysis… of the culture, the arts, and the individual. He’s the House astrologer for Corridor Menswear NYC. Frederick’s fictional romance novel on Jeffrey Dahmer will be arriving soon, so stay tuned!

 

02:25 – Frederick’s very first astrology book was Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs, which was available in his house as a kid; the idea of having insight into people because of birth signs intrigued him. Later, the musical Hair captivated him (with “the age of Aquarius”) and led him on an odyssey of tracking down an astrology teacher!

 

06:06 – If Frederick could bring only three books to a deserted island, what would they be? First up would be The Moment of Astrology: Origins in Divination by the late Geoffrey Cornelius, because it offers a “before” and “after” in the ladder of astrological learning.

 

12:25 – Frederick’s second choice would be one that is not specifically focused on astrology! William Irwin Thompson’s Coming Into Being: Artifacts and Texts in the Evolution of Consciousness is a rich text offering fascinating insights into the topic of consciousness.

 

16:12 – The third title Frederick would bring is The Astrology of Transformation: A Multilevel Approach by Dane Rudhyar. This good, solid read is the culmination of Rudhyar’s cosmology. (And enjoy the throwback which is mentioned – Episode 51, Travis Black: On the Least Worst Astrology & More!)

 

19:47 – Interlude: Join CAELi and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)

 

20:33 – For beginners, Frederick recommends Astrology for Lovers by Liz Greene. Why the unusual pick? The first part of Greene’s book encapsulates astrology in a gifted way. Also, the exploration of the signs is unmatched!

 

26:11 – Learn about Frederick’s upcoming romance novel about Jeffrey Dahmer!

 

34:57 – Find Frederick at his website: www.frederickwoodruff.com. Learn about his upcoming Dahmer book on his Substack page. And check out his podcast, The Rage of Aquarius!

 

36:04 – 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.