Within Orb

039 | Jenn Zahrt: For the Love of Astrology (Books)!

Surprise!!! CAELi's executive director Dr. Jenn Zahrt sits down in the hot seat with producer and guest host Jen Braun for an April Fools’ Day episode! In addition to founding the Celestial Arts Education Library, Jenn is an astrologer, author, publisher, poet, translator, and teacher. In this one-of-a-kind, personal interview, Jenn shares the significant life event that had her questioning her spirituality at a tender young age, and the history and mission of CAELi. Join the double Jennns as they chat about: rescuing multiple book collections; granular research into various editions of the same text; astrology as nouns and verbs; herbs, planets, and astrological medicine; how temperament fosters tolerance; writing daily horoscopes; the concept of beginner’s mind when learning astrology; the pencil-thin astrology book you didn’t know you needed; the importance of humanistic astrology; multiplicity in what many think of as “traditional astrology”; Liz Greene’s hidden gem; and fusing medieval astrology with solar arcs and midpoints. All that, plus: anthropological fantasies, eating jalapeños for anger, and… jam with us if you owned a Walkman, too!
 
 
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 Feb. 2024):
 
00:31 – Dr. Jenn Zahrt, PhD is an author, publisher, and teacher of cultural astronomy and astrology. In 2022, she wrapped up a five-year jaunt as an Honorary Research Fellow at the Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. She is an Emerita Trustee of Kepler College and has just joined their faculty! She also serves on the Board of Directors for the International Society for Astrological Research (ISAR). Her publishing company, Revelore Press, has multiple books forthcoming, so stay tuned! Jenn founded the Celestial Arts Education Library in 2021, and curates over 10,000 volumes of astrological books, journals, and newsletters. Learn more about CAELi at: www.caeli.institute.
 
01:15 – Learn about the winding pathway that led Jenn to found CAELi, the rare volumes housed at the library, and discover why becoming a CAELi member is a win-win! (And the book that jumped off the shelf at Jenn back in the day was Der Geist der Astrologie or The Spirit of Astrology by Oscar A. H. Schmitz, which helped to get her book gears turning!)
 
11:13 – Hey, you! Yeah, you there, reading these show notes! Will you please help others find the show? It just takes a sec, so go ahead: rate Within Orb five stars, write a cute little review, follow the show in your favorite podcatcher, engage with us on YouTube, and/or buy that astrology book you’ve been craving over at bookshop.org. And thanks for listening – without you, we wouldn’t have a show! So, you rock. And roll!
 
13:26 – Want to sponsor a show on Within Orb? Let’s connect! Reach out at: podcast(at)withinorb(dot)com
 
14:14 – Jenn’s first astrology book was Alan Oken’s Complete Astrology: The Classic Guide to Modern Astrology. After being grounded as a teen, she headed to the bookstore to buy this title, along with an ephemeris (a now well-worn copy of The American Ephemeris for the 20th Century at Midnight by Neil F. Michelsen to be precise), an atlas for the Americas, an atlas for the rest of the world, and The Koch Book of Tables also by Neil F. Michelsen. Astrology and Alan were answering big questions in a satisfying way! (And thanks to high school teacher Gary Lorentzen for pointing Jenn in this direction; check out Episode 20, Gary Lorentzen: Astro-History, Language, & Measuring Time.) Early on, and before she found classical texts, she dove into Jeff Wolf Green’s Pluto books and anything else she could find second-hand.
 
18:32 – Interlude: Join CAELi as a trial member and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
 
19:19 – If Jenn were wandering lost in the Badlands, which books would she bring? If she trips, falls, needs a poultice, or breaks a leg, she’ll need Jane Ridder-Patrick’s A Handbook of Medical Astrology, 2nd Ed. Also, this one addresses a deeper level of consciousness beyond just the physical.
 
24:19 – Jenn’s second text would be A Handbook for the Humanistic Astrologer by Michael R. Meyer, with a preface by Dane Rudhyar. Jenn would love to go back and study this book more, and it’s a fantastic resource for looking at all elements of astrological practice. For folks who write daily horoscopes, you need this one in your collection!
 
29:33 – Jenn’s third title may be tiny, but it packs a serious punch: The Rules of Chart Interpretation by Rod Suskin. Rod wrote this thin little book for his students; it’s the most distilled, succinct application of traditional astrology anywhere! (And hey, for someone sitting in a room of 10,000 astrology books, that’s saying something!) Listen to Rod on Episode 26, Rod Suskin: On the Textual Nexus of Commanding Space & Time.
 
32:28 – For beginners who have some fluency in astrology, Jenn first recommends Astrologies: Plurality and Diversity in the History of Astrology edited by Nick Campion and Liz Greene. Why? Because by the end, what you think you know astrology is, is not! Next, pick up Sky and Symbol, also edited by Nick Campion and Liz Greene – you don’t want to miss Liz Greene’s article included in this anthology, which will help you understand how astrology entered Jung’s world. It’s also one of the best chapters Liz has ever written! (And it’s a cool bonus that Jenn also has an article in this book!) Finally, Jenn encourages reading Fertility Astrology: A Modern Medieval Textbook by Nicola Smuts-Allsop, because it’s a great tactical intro to medieval astrology in a modern context.
 
41:39 – Find Jenn at her digital lily-pad: https://jennzahrt.com/. And join her ongoing Leaps and Bounds class over at CAELi, when you want to get your hands dirty!
 
42:52 – 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.

038 | Tamaryn: Prisms on a Rogue Supernova

Astrologer and musician Tamaryn joins host Jenn Zahrt from Half Moon Bay, California, to share about books, music, and more! Join the two for a conversation that covers: the heliacal rising star and setting star; locating your place in the universe; lightning bolt moments; the appearance of the new “star” in Cygnus; astrological magic; Uranus in Taurus and Gemini; the chart as (eyeball) art; how the optic nerve connects with the idea of translation of light; humans as fractals of light who are building consciousness; where astrology and the tree of life come together; and the acorn theory. Plus: The Little Prince, tactile immersion and transmission, and… the more you know, the more you know you don’t know!
 
 
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 Feb. 2024):
 
00:31 – Tamaryn, a musical luminary in the dream pop, post-punk, and shoegaze worlds, now directs her gaze toward the stars. As the proprietor of Major Arcana in Half Moon Bay, she has practiced a multitude of divination styles for hundreds of clients over the years and crafts unique handmade magical items, ranging from talismanic jewelry to hand-dyed dresses reflecting the transits of the moment.
 
01:26 – Tamaryn’s first astrology book was the iconic Love Signs by Linda Goodman. Other titles that brought the concept of astrology into her life were The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Palmistry for All by Cheiro, and Predictive Astrology: The Eagle and the Lark by Bernadette Brady.
 
06:22 – If Tamaryn were hovering in the constellation Cygnus and could only bring three books, what would they be? First up: Star and Planet Combinations by Bernadette Brady. This is a must-have; her own copy is tattered because she uses it so much!
 
08:19 – Tamaryn’s second book would be Three Books on Life by Marsilio Ficino. She has started reading this one and wants to finish it! It offers ideas about how to live, and about being part of the great world soul.
 
09:18 – Interlude: Join CAELi as a trial member and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
 
10:05 – Tamaryn’s third text is the Picatrix: A Medieval Treatise on Astral Magic translated by Dan Attrell and David Porreca. She is drawn to the specific astrological info on how to make talismans. Agrippa also gets a shout-out (deets below)!
 
15:35 – For people just starting their astro journey, Tamaryn’s recommends: Timaeus by Plato; Sefer Yetzirah (the W.W. Westcott version is the standard one often referenced in magical texts, but Tamaryn’s first version was an interpretation by famed scholar Manly P. Hall!); Prometheus the Awakener by Richard Tarnas; The Soul's Code: In Search of Character and Calling by James Hillman; for C. G. Jung’s writings on astrology, start with Liz Greene’s overview, Jung’s Studies in Astrology; Three Books of Occult Philosophy by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and translated by Eric Purdue; and last but not least, Brady’s previously mentioned Star and Planet Combinations. Get ready to break your book budget!
 
28:17 – Find Tamaryn’s music wherever you get your tunes! Or schedule a reading at: stargazer.as.me. And on Instagram, Tamaryn’s handles are @tamarynmusic and @shopmajorarcana.
 
28:48 – 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.
Note: This episode’s conversation was edited down to fit the size of the show.

037 | Gabriel Rosas: Astrology, Digestion, & Decipherment

Astrologer Gabriel Rosas sits down with host Jenn Zahrt to chat books and more! Laugh and learn with these two friends as they cover: Project Hindsight; hermetic lots; the concept of time as nonstationary; breaking the modern spell of how the world exists; the lost delineation of the meaning behind each arc minute; how circumstances and conditions can force action; knowing our charts well; finding the teacher within; profections; and being under the beams of the Sun. Plus: true crime astrology, walking versus hiking, and… drink your water, people!
 
 
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 Feb. 2024):
 
00:31 – Gabe Rosas has been studying traditional astrologies for over 20 years. He started with Robert Zoller’s medieval astrology course, and later became a pupil of Robert Schmidt at Project Hindsight. Gabe’s practice of Hellenistic astrology seeks to bring the wisdom and worldview of antiquity to people living in the modern world. Gabe spoke at the Northwest Astrology Conference (NORWAC) in 2023; if you see him at the upcoming NORWAC 2024, get within orb and say hi!
 
01:05 – Gabe’s first astrology book was Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs, which he found in the library as a kid. Later, after taking astrology more seriously, he read Horoscope Symbols by Robert Hand, which he found to be a considered, logical book on a complicated topic! (And a high five to Robert Zoller, one of Gabe’s teachers, and specifically the title The Lost Key to Prediction: The Arabic Parts in Astrology
that Jenn mentioned!)
 
09:50 – If Gabe were trapped in an escape room, which books would he bring? First, Vettius Valens’s The Anthology is a must! Gabe finds much value in the way that Valens teaches through this text.
 
11:50 – Interlude: Join CAELi as a trial member and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
 
12:36 – Gabe’s second title would be Mathesis by Julius Firmicus Maternus, which has been translated into English by James Herschel Holden (AFA) and also Ben Dykes (Cazimi Press). Gabe finds that Firmicus includes pieces that are missing from Valens’s tome; they work well together!
 
21:55 – Gabe’s third book is Robert Schmidt’s out-of-print Definitions and Foundations, which is Schmidt’s reconstruction of fragments of Antiochus’s works scattered throughout other Hellenistic sources. This was Robert Schmidt’s last book, and the collation includes helpful comments related to his reconstruction of the original text.
 
28:05– Start at the beginning! Gabe’s recommendation is that beginners start with traditional astrology, and therefore points to Demetra George’s two-volume set Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice: A Manual of Traditional Techniques. Other titles for folks new to astrology include On the Heavenly Spheres by Helena Avelar and Luis Ribeiro, as well as the previously mentioned works of Valens and Firmicus (but start with Valens). Want to read Schmidt’s Antiochus? Come to CAELi, where this hard-to-find text is waiting just for you!!
 
29:29 – Find Gabe at: https://www.gabrielrosasastrology.com/, and @gimelresh on social (Threads and X).
 
30:06 – 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.

036 | Erica Jones: Plan(e)ting Archetypal Seeds

Astrologer and teacher Erica Jones joins host Jenn Zahrt from Vashon Island, Washington for a conversation about books and more! Take the elevator to meet this duo, and hear about: archetypal astrology; how philosophy and astrology hold hands; the parable of two suitors; responding, not reacting; the thrill of discovery; Moon planting; delicate empiricism; Neptune as a place that’s not literal; how memory is a creative act; starting where what astrologers agree; and Mars-Pluto suggestions. Plus: the numinous, a mic drop moment, and… no mechanical metaphors allowed!
 
 
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 Feb. 2024):
 
00:31 – Erica Jones is an astrologer, a teacher, and an intuitive engaged with metaphysics and consciousness studies since 2006, with a special emphasis on ecopsychology, astrology, and psycho-spiritual growth. The archetypal astrology of Richard Tarnas is her foundational astrological influence, and she enjoys frolicking among the many varieties of astrologies. Her latest work involves using the heart as an organ of perception to gather astrological knowledge from the anima mundi, moving beyond a two-dimensional contemplation of abstract star maps and into a multi-dimensional experience of the cosmos as a wild, living being brimming with intelligence and sentient beauty.
 
01:29 – Erica’s first astrology book was Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View by Richard Tarnas. This tome was an awakening for Erica; she was supposed to read the first 50 pages for a college class, but wound up reading the whole thing!
 
10:45 – If Erica were stuck in an elevator at UAC 2012 (hah!), what three texts would she bring with her? First up: the previously mentioned Cosmos and Psyche, which is a dense gift that keeps on giving.
 
08:39 – Erica’s second title would be Astrological Gardening: The Ancient Wisdom of Successful Planting & Harvesting by the Stars by Louise Riotte (with a hat tip to Louise’s Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening). A well-deserved thanks to CAELi: Erica was a recent visitor and found a treasure trove of books on astrological gardening, which helped her write a professional column on the topic! (Other books mentioned: What Is Biodynamics?: A Way to Heal and Revitalize the Earth by Rudolf Steiner, Planetary Influences upon Plants: Cosmological Botany by Ernst M. Kranich, and The Metamorphosis of Plants by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.)
 
19:11 – Interlude: Join CAELi as a trial member and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
 
19:57 – Erica’s third text is The Astrological Neptune and the Quest for Redemption by Liz Greene; she finds it to be a thoughtful compilation of a visionary, and a text you can push back on when trying to pin down what Neptune means.
 
30:29 – Erica recommends several books for beginners: Aspects in Astrology: A Guide to Understanding Planetary Relationships in the Horoscope by Sue Tompkins; The Combination of Stellar Influences by Reinhold Ebertin (translated by Alfred G. Roosedale); and Astrology, Karma & Transformation by Stephen Arroyo.
 
39:25 – Find Erica at: https://www.realimaginal.com, or @realimaginalastrology on Instagram and Facebook.
 
40:44 – 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.

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!!
 
 
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 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.

034 | Michael J Morris: Emergent Astrologies & Feminist Studies

Astrologer, tarot reader, writer, and educator Michael J Morris joins host Jenn Zahrt from Columbus, Ohio to dive into books, astrology, feminist science studies, and more! Join the PhD duo for a chat that includes: feminist theories; exploring connections not always apparent; the concept of meaning-making; scientific objectivity; the interrelationship between epistemology, ontology, ethics, and politics; quantum physics; how the only lasting truth is change; and emergent strategy. Plus: getting out of our head and into our body, the God trick, and… small is good!!
 
 
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 Feb. 2024):
 
00:31 – Michael is an astrologer, witch, tarot reader, dance artist, writer, and teacher. Michael has a consultation practice, is a teaching assistant for Kelly Surtees’s online courses, and is a guide in AFAN’s mentorship program (Association for Astrological Networking). They also write for the CHANI app, are a contributing artist and facilitator with Livable Futures, and teach in the Foundations in Embodied Ancestral Inquiry course. Michael holds a PhD in Dance Studies from The Ohio State University. Their astrology is rooted in Hellenistic traditions but is also shaped by feminist methods of thought.
 
03:09 – Michael’s first astrology book was Astrology: A Cosmic Science by Isabel M. Hickey. This text helped them begin to understand the complexity of the astrological tradition beyond Sun sign horoscopes in the newspaper!
 
06:24 – If Michael were stuck on a desert island, what books would they bring? Using two schools of thought, Michael’s astrology texts would include triple doses of Demetra George! But aside from Demetra’s Astrology and the Authentic Self: Integrating Traditional and Modern Astrology to Uncover the Essence of the Birth Chart and Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice: A Manual of Traditional Techniques, Volumes I & II), Michael would expand the framework to look at feminist science studies. And in that view, they would first select an essay entitled, “Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective” by Donna Haraway (from the text Simians, Cyborgs, and Women: The Reinvention of Nature).
 
17:14 – Interlude: Join CAELi and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
 
18:02 – Michael’s second text is Meeting the Universe Halfway: Quantum Physics and the Entanglement of Matter and Meaning by Karen Barad. This one offers thoughtful questions – for example, exploring the idea that what something is (ontology) depends upon how we attempt to know it (epistemology).
 
27:05 – Michael’s third choice is Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by adrienne maree brown. Exploring our relationship to change through a study of the more-than-human world, brown’s work is inspired by Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents.
 
32:06 – For beginners, Michael suggests Chani Nicholas’s vibrant You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance. Their next rec is the previously mentioned Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice: A Manual of Traditional Techniques, Volumes I & II by Demetra George. You can build an astrological practice from the ground up, simply using these three texts!
 
34:56 – Find Michael at their website: https://www.michaeljmorris.co/. And on social, their Instagram handle is @cowitchcraftofferings.
 
37:00 – 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.

033 | George Coutts: Coming Out of the Stacks!

Astrologer and researcher George Coutts joins host Jenn Zahrt from Toronto to discuss books and more! Join the hilariously self-named George Quincunx and Jenn Inconjunct for: the Bible and astrology; Sabian astrologers; the five enemies of the scholar; the history of gender and sexuality in astrology; Ficino’s personal life; how astrological writings are married to time and place; and a great tip on how to find the perfect beginner book. Plus: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, rubbing wine on your temples, and the Reagan administration!
 
 
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 Feb. 2024):
 
00:31 – George is an astrological researcher, writer, and occasional playwright from Toronto. He is a grad of UWTSD's MA program in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology where he wrote on the use of gendered language through astrological history. He’s currently en route to his PhD, studying the history of gender and sexuality in astrology! He spends his days delving into astrological, religious, and sociological texts whose myths describe —and create— our sense of what it means to be humans living together on a small planet.
 
00:48 – George’s first astrology book was The Secret Language of Birthdays: Your Complete Personology Guide for Each Day of the Year by Gary Goldschneider and Joost Elffers. Or was it?? George credits growing up in a secular family and learning about a magical, mystical world through Bible stories (hello, Joseph with his flamboyant dreamcoat)! Also mentioned: The Messianic Star: New Light on the Star of Bethlehem (Studies in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology) by Martin Wells.
 
04:01 – If George were stuck in Antarctica, what books would he bring? The first in his satchel is De Vita Libri Tres (Three Books on Life) by Marsilio Ficino, because it would offer important tidbits as a practical manual. (And be sure to check out My Dear Boy: Gay Love Letters Through the Centuries, edited by Rictor Norton.)
 
11:34 – Interlude: Join CAELi and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
 
12:21 – George’s second text is Relating: An Astrological Guide to Living with Others on a Small Planet by Liz Greene. This one lit a fire in George that got him onto his current research path! And become a CAELi member to receive a copy of The CAELi Review and enjoy SJ Anderson’s article!
 
21:21 – Presidential intrigue? Check! Saving the world with astrology? Check! Bringing about world peace? Check! Celebrity drama? Check! George’s third selection is What Does Joan Say?: My Seven Years As White House Astrologer to Nancy and Ronald Reagan by Joan Quigley. Run, don’t walk, for this one, you Real Housewives fans!
 
26:09 – For beginners, George recommends first deciding what you’ll be using astrology for and going from there! History is important, though, so you can’t go wrong with A History of Western Astrology, Volumes I & II by Nicholas Campion. George also offers this advice: Don’t limit yourself to titles with the word “astrology” in them, but rather, investigate general histories of what interests you – which is how he found A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft!
 
30:08 – Connect with George via email: grgcoutts (at) gmail (dot) com.
 
30:39 – 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.

032 | Daniel Norman: Boundless Awareness for the Future

Astrologer and podcaster Daniel Norman slides up the West Coast from LA to join host Jenn Zahrt for a vibrant and fast-paced conversation about books and more! Join them as they discuss: intercepted signs; the lord of the orb; dwar and Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions; the bound ruler of a degree; the hierarchical weighting of essential dignities (or are they equal?); the fantasteroid way; jumping in the deep end of the astrological pool; and thinking about culturally determined significations. All that, plus: Bruce Springsteen, the juicy astrological house debate, and book genies!
 
 
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Transcripts available upon request.
Song “Wake Up” used with permission by The E-Block Band.
 
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Episode timestamps (conversation recorded Jan. 2024):
 
00:31 – Daniel is an astrologer, magical practitioner, artist, and lifelong spiritual seeker. They previously pursued careers in music and film while working for 15 years as a bartender in Los Angeles, where they currently reside with their wife and three children. These experiences are an indelible part of Daniel’s approach to divination which seeks to align the inherent mystery of the cosmos with the practical reality of day-to-day life. Check out Daniel’s new podcast, What Time Is It?
 
02:52 – Daniel’s first astrology book was The Inner Sky by Steven Forrest. They read it years before getting into astrology because they were dating an astrologer at the time! (A bonus book worth noting is Understanding Interceptions: A Key to Unlocking the Door by Chris McRae.)
 
08:30 – If Daniel were stuck on a desert island, which books would they bring? First up: the green book, which has all the stuff you might need in your toolkit, aka Abu Ma'shar Al-Balkhi’s Persian Nativities IV: On the Revolutions of the Years of Nativities, translated by Benjamin Dykes. But they’d also take the helpful notes of Dr. Ali Olomi to provide context! (And to hear more on the lord of the orb, visit Episode 5, Camm Cassidy & the Lord of the Orb!)
 
16:17 – Interlude: Join CAELi and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
 
17:04 – Daniel’s second selection is the useful and magical Inside Degrees: Developing Your Soul Biography Using the Chandra Symbols by Ellias Lonsdale. It’s been fun to ask friends about their Ascendant degree and amaze them with the book’s accuracy! (And learn about fantasteroids here!)
 
25:10 – Daniel’s third choice is Austin Coppock’s 36 Faces: The History, Astrology and Magic of the Decans, because this hard-to-find text highlights the inherently narrative nature of the significations.
 
28:15 – Daniel’s recommendations for beginners are: Temperament: Astrology's Forgotten Key by Dorian Gieseler Greenbaum; Astrology and the Authentic Self: Integrating Traditional and Modern Astrology to Uncover the Essence of the Birth Chart by Demetra George (also, a bonus rec is Demetra’s Mysteries of the Dark Moon: The Healing Power of the Dark Goddess which you can find at CAELi AND hear more about on Episode 7 with Aerin Fogel!); and last but not least, Postcolonial Astrology: Reading the Planets through Capital, Power, and Labor by Alice Sparkly Kat.
 
35:19 – Find Daniel at their website: https://www.everhappening.com/. They are also on most social media @everhappening, except for X, where their handle is @daniel_the_lion!
 
36:08 – 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.