Within Orb

045 | Ko Hashiguchi: The Four Pillars in Chinese Astrology

Astrologer and author Ko Hashiguchi joins host Jenn Zahrt from Tacoma, Washington, sharing his expertise in Chinese astrology along with a mini lesson on the Four Pillars! Ko also offers a unique perspective on desert island books, as the two cover lots of ground: Taoism philosophy; Plato’s concept of same and other; the work of Robert Schmidt and Eudoxus of Cnidus; which planets represent a transcendental Sun, Moon, and Mercury; 518,400 ways to combine a solar year, month, day, and hour; why Western zodiac signs and Chinese animals should be regarded as the same; the five Chinese elements; the time lord system in Jyotish astrology; Ptolemy’s Ages of Man; why physical books will never be obsolete; and the spoken word as the living word. Plus: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, a second childhood, and the beauty of turning 60!
 
 
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!
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Transcripts available upon request.
Song “Wake Up” used with permission by The E-Block Band.
 
*****
 
Episode timestamps (conversation recorded April 2024):
 
00:31 – Ko Hashiguchi has been studying Chinese astrology since 1986, and Western astrology since 1992. Ko programs his own research software, runs the YouTube channel Radical Skies, and has animation credits in the Disney features “Hercules” and “Tarzan.” Ko has lectured at the 2002 UAC and the 2003 NORWAC conferences. Ko has two gender identities: Ko is he/him, and Francine Gee is she/her.
 
03:19 – Ko’s first astrology book was The Way to Chinese Astrology: The Four Pillars of Destiny by Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec and translated by Derek Poulsen. At first, Ko thought astrology was nonsense! But then he entered the world of Chinese astrology and began shifting his view.
 
05:11 – If Ko were stranded on Obstruction Island (in San Juan County, Washington), he’d bring a stack of spiral notebooks and write his own texts! The first one he’d tackle would be an extension of Schmidt’s interpretation of Eudoxus.
 
10:17 – For Ko’s second writing assignment, he’d examine the Four Pillars in Chinese astrology. Specifically, this book would be full of examples of famous people and how the Four Pillars explain why people behave the way they do.
 
12:16 – Tune in for a mini-lesson on the Four Pillars!
 
15:07 – Next, Ko would put pen to paper and turn the Ptolemaic Ages of Man into a four-level timelord system!
 
16:48 – Join the CAELi Institute to attend the next Significant Sources Salon hosted by Dr. James Dotson! Last week we had a blast discussing Ficino’s Three books on Life. Next month we get into medical astrology with Joseph Blagrave’s Astrological Practice of Physick.
 
19:51 – Ko has a fourth book idea, too! Referencing his previously mentioned idea about philosophically extending the planets, Ko’s next text would add a twist, exploring how science doesn’t override history, morality/religion, philosophy, or astrology. (And check out Ko’s two books coming out through Revelore Press – Jenn’s publishing company – in July 2024!)
 
23:12 – For beginners, Ko recommends: listening to the lectures of Robert Schmidt; diving into the Jyotish astrological tome Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (the Girish Chand Sharma edition); and – for learning Chinese astrology – reading Ko’s own upcoming instructional textbook on the Four Pillars.
 
24:49 – Find Ko on his YouTube channel: Radical Skies. And Francine (Ko’s feminine alter ego) will also be at NORWAC in May 2024, so say hello!
 
26:07 – 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.

044 | Sarah L’Hrar: Karma, Kabbalistics, and Learning Astrology in Yr Sleep

Astrologer and teacher Sarah L’Hrar joins host Jenn Zahrt from Montreal, Québec in Canada to cover books, imaginary BFF authors, and more! Tune in to hear all about: astral themes and evolutionary possibility; the roots of karmic astrology; Mars-ing all over someone (oops!); “minor” aspects; humanistic astrology; astrological osmosis and receiving authors’ personality in textual form; words as beautiful access points to something more; the perfect birth chart aspect for an astrologer; Kabbalistic astrology; the coolest Middle Ages rock-and-roll astro dude; the beans and rice of books!; and the Yod formation. Plus: know thyself (then duck!), the Nixon administration, and falling in friendship!
 
 
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 April 2024):
 
00:31 – Sarah L’Hrar is a consulting astrologer, teacher, and counselor who specializes in modern humanistic and psychological astrology. She is a master mentor at Debra Silverman’s Applied Astrology School, as well as the Global Director for ISAR (the International Society for Astrological Research) in Canada. Her nickname “Astro Auntie” was coined by her students and clients as a nod to her supportive, compassionate, and straightforward relating style.
 
00:52 – Sarah began learning astrology by reading the horoscopes in the back of Elle magazine! But the first astrology book she ever purchased was a French title, Les Trois Dimensions de Votre Thème Astral by Patrick Giani. This was a great intro to star stuff, where Giani covers three levels of expression and health. (Sarah and Jenn also chat about Karmic Astrology, Vol. I & II by Martin Schulman!)
 
09:39 – If Sarah were stranded on a desert island, which books would she bring? First up: Michael Meyer’s A Handbook for the Humanistic Astrologer. This text takes the theoretical ideas of Dane Rudhyar and offers them through a practical lens. (Cool that Jenn had selected this title, too, in Episode 39, Jenn Zahrt: For the Love of Astrology (Books)!)
 
13:48 – The author-related Venn diagram between Sarah and Jenn continues: Sarah’s second choice is Alan Oken’s Soul-Centered Astrology: A Key to Your Expanding Self. Sarah likes how this one takes her places she wouldn’t go by herself, flips the script, and keeps her flexible!
 
18:16 – Join the Significant Sources Salon hosted by Dr. James Dotson starting THIS WEEK at the CAELi Institute! Prepare to discuss Ficino’s Three books on Life!
 
19:58 – Sarah’s third book choice is The Beginning of Wisdom by Abraham Ibn Ezra, edited by Robert Hand and translated by Meira Epstein. A lot of Sarah’s personal introduction to the cosmos was via Kabbalistic astrology, and therefore this text makes the list! (She also piles on The Book of Nativities and Revolutions by the same three folks.)
 
26:48 – Pasta, anyone? Sarah’s recommendations for beginners include: Planets in Transit: Life Cycles for Living by Robert Hand; Planetary Symbolism in the Horoscope by Karen Hamaker-Zondag; Chart Interpretation Handbook: Guidelines for Understanding the Essentials of the Birth Chart by Stephen Arroyo (and Astrology Karma & Transformation, also by Arroyo); and last but not least (and adding to the Sarah/Jenn crossover), Alan Oken's Complete Astrology: The Classic Guide to Modern Astrology.
 
35:28 – Find Sarah at: https://www.astroauntie.com/. On social, her handle is @AstroAuntie. She also teaches over at Debra Silverman’s Applied Astrology School!
 
36:03 – 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.

043 | Jean Eon: In the (Virtual) Stars!

Astrologer, musician, artist, and filmmaker Jean Eon beams in from North Carolina to connect with host Jenn Zahrt about the upcoming astrological virtual reality event at the Astrohut on May 12th! The two also chat about books and more, including: getting outside the box; when descriptions of the signs line up accurately; how there is more to reality than we know; nonstandard experiences with spiritual overtones; creating calm out of chaos; contradictions in astrology; intuition versus rationality; footnotes as a map to mini library encounters; Vedic astrology; and vehicles for connection and conversation in 3D. Plus: The Lawnmower Man, falling into the twelfth house, and… what do Ben Franklin and Mary Poppins have in common?
 
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 April 2024):
 
00:31 – Jean Eon is an astrologer, musician, artist, and filmmaker with a history of startup endeavors. His new project is the Astrohut, a virtual reality space for meeting people while exploring astrology. Jean is also fond of architecture – from David Adjaye and Zaha Hadid to Santiago Calatrava and MAD architects – as well as drawing and digitally simulating cities from a “nation” he created as a teen, which landed him a role as a contributor to Harvard’s Graduate School of Design publication New Geographies. Jean enjoys marathon raves, travel, languages (both real and made-up), and experimentation across different mediums.
 
00:50 – Learn about the upcoming virtual reality event at the Astrohut (and join Jenn and CAELi in the virtual courtyard)! Learn more on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X: @TheAstrohut.
 
04:16 – Jean’s first astrology book – Sexstrology: The Astrology of Sex and the Sexes by Stella Starsky and Quinn Cox – arrived while WWOOFing” (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) outside of San Francisco. Fittingly, he was beginning a first house profection year!
 
06:58 – If Jean were stranded in an isolated place, which three books would he bring? Noting that two of them would be astrology-adjacent, his first selection is The Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, because this one showed him there is much more to reality than we know!
 
11:46 – Jean’s second choice is quasi-spiritual; on the surface it’s practical, but really it’s a metaphor for sitting with the self. The title? Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig.
 
17:06 – Join the Significant Sources Salon hosted by Dr. James Dotson at the CAELi Institute!
 
17:54 – Let’s go fly a kite! Jean’s third text is The Astrology Book: The Encyclopedia of Heavenly Influences by James R. Lewis. This tome is one he hasn’t read yet, but thinking ahead, he wonders if perhaps it could help him escape the island!
 
20:41 – Jean recommendations for beginners include two that would help orient newbies to understand history and its significance: Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune by Chris Brennan and both volumes of Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice: A Manual of Traditional Techniques by Demetra George. Also, he’s very curious to read Freedom Cole’s An Introduction to Vedic Astrology; Jenn concurs that this is an accessible textbook worth exploring. (Listen to Freedom in episode 22, Freedom Cole: Learning & Synthesizing!)
 
30:37 – Jean can be found on social media: on Instagram @NowIsTheEon and @TheAstrohut; on Twitter/X @_JeanEon_ and @TheAstrohut; and on TikTok @TheAstrohut.
 
31:10 – 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.

042 | Gray Crawford: A Fiery Altar of Zodiacal Releasing

Astrologer and teacher Gray Crawford is partile to host Jenn Zahrt this week! Join the Olympia, Washington almost-neighbors, as they chat about books and more, including: Kairos time and Chronos time; the Lots of Daimon and Fortune; theurgy and astrological magic; zodiacal releasing; layers of determinism versus cosmic creation as participatory; the idea of astrological transformation; the birth chart as an altar; secondary progressed-to-progressed combinations; archetypal timing structures; how to talk to clients; eclipse families, the Saros cycle, and midpoint theory; and parans and projected degrees. Plus: gateway books, astrological piano scarves, and … which ephemeris would you bring?
 
 
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 March 2024):
 
00:31 – Gray is a natal, horary, and electional astrologer and teacher. He offers a relational approach using techniques drawn from ancient and modern sources, synthesizing influences from Hellenistic, magical, mythic-archetypal, and psychological astrology. Gray has taught at UAC, NORWAC, and ISAR astrology conferences, Kepler College, and various astrology associations around the USA. His astrological writing has been published on Astrology.com, in WellBeing Astrology, and by Ignota Press. Contact Gray at his site and check out his astrology articles, educational offerings, and more!
 
00:51 – It’s the week of dancers and dreamers! Gray’s first astrology text ever was The Secret Language of Birthdays: Your Complete Personology Guide for Each Day of the Year by Gary Goldschneider and Joost Elffers, which fascinated him at the time. Later, he dug into The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need by Joanna Woolfolk.
 
04:39 – If Gray were to be stranded on a desert island, which books would he bring? His first choice is On the Mysteries by Iamblichus, because he’d finally have time to read the whole book cover-to-cover!
 
10:20 – With some natal chart overlap, Gray has always resonated with Dane Rudhyar’s writing. Therefore, his second choice is Rudhyar’s The Astrology of Transformation.
 
15:34 – Join the Significant Sources Salon hosted by Dr. James Dotson at the CAELi Institute!
 
16:21 – Gray’s third title would be Vettius Valens’s The Anthology, because there’s so much in it! But this was a difficult pick, so Gray also gives a hat tip to: Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View by Richard Tarnas; Christian Astrology by William Lilly; and Abu Ma’shar’s Persian Nativities IV: On the Revolutions of the Years of Nativities, translated by Benjamin Dykes. (And the very cool zodiacal releasing research tool that Jenn references can be found at: https://nataltransits.com/timelord.html.)
 
21:04 – For beginners, Gray considered which books he’d buy his daughter. With that in mind, enjoy this wonderful and comprehensive list: Astrology: Using the Wisdom of the Stars in Your Everyday Life by Carole Taylor; Aspects in Astrology: A Guide to Understanding Planetary Relationships in the Horoscope by Sue Tompkins; Soul, Symbol, and Imagination: The Artistry of Astrology by Brian Clark; The Classical Seven Planets: Source Texts and Meaning by Charles Obert; Predictive Astrology: The Eagle and the Lark by Bernadette Brady; A Tiny Universe: Astrology and the Thema Mundi Chart by Joy Usher; and Temperament: Astrology’s Forgotten Key by Dorian Greenbaum.
 
27:10 – Find Gray at: https://graycrawford.net/. And check out his Patreon here!
 
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.

041 | Tara Aal: Living Planets First

Astrologer, teacher, author, artist, and tarot reader Tara Aal joins host Jenn Zahrt from Los Angeles, California to chat books, and shares an incredible mini-lesson on “planets on the first.” In this ep, the duo also offers food for thought on: letting the story come through; the difference between learning together and teaching; spirit versus soul; the gifts to each sign; the way through and tests on our journey; the signs in the natal chart as an apprenticeship; how the season of birth impacts life; getting lost 360 different ways; and astrological magic and planet remediation. Plus: letting the devil out of the cake, a goosebump moment, and… our first must-have book that’s offered thanks to a previous guest’s recommendation!
 
 
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 March 2024):
 
00:31 – Tara Aal is an evolutionary astrologer, writer, educator, artist, and tarot reader. She’s the co-author of Astrology by Moonlight and Natural Astrology. Tara’s been practicing since 2011 and sees clients, teaches, and speaks (including NORWAC, UAC, Kepler College, and ISAR). She’s passionate about experiential astrology, including the practice called Living Planets 1st. Tara currently serves on the International Society for Astrological Research (ISAR) Board as Vice President.
 
01:51 – Tara’s first astrology book – The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need by Joanna Martine Woolfolk – was gifted to her by her boss during a performance review around the time of her first Saturn Return! About ten years later, she signed up for an astrology program and really dug in.
 
05:36 – If Tara accidentally got off the plane on the wrong island in the Bahamas, which books would she bring? First up: The Planets Within: The Astrological Psychology of Marsilio Ficino by Thomas Moore. Tara enjoyed this one so much that she wound up signing up for Moore’s Soul Psychology courses and is a current student of his! And thanks to Adam Sommer, who mentioned this text on episode 10; how cool to have our first must-have book mention based on a previous episode!!
 
10:58 – Tara’s second text would be An Astrological Triptych: Gifts of the Spirit, The Way Through, and The Illumined Road by Dane Rudhyar. This is a much-needed reference book for Tara!
 
17:14 – Join the Significant Sources Salon, hosted by Dr. James Dotson at the CAELi Institute!
 
18:01 – Tara’s third title would be An Astrological Mandala: The Cycle of Transformations and its 360 Symbolic Phases, also by Rudhyar. Tara keeps this one handy during readings, for those intuitive moments when she feels called to look up a degree symbol. (A high five also goes to The Sabian Symbols in Astrology by Marc Edmond Jones.)
 
20:32 – Tune in for Tara’s teaching on “Living Planets 1st,” complete with examples. (Hi, Mars!)
 
29:15 – As a big Rudhyar fan, Tara’s recommendations are two more in the collection: The Pulse of Life: New Dynamics in Astrology and The Astrological Houses: The Spectrum of Individual Experience. To find Rudhyar’s (free!) works, the Rudhyar link that Jenn and Tara reference is here.
 
30:35 – Find Tara at: https://www.taraaal.com/. And her handle on Instagram is @TaraAal.
 
31:22 – 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.

040 | Mark Douglas: Surfing the Energy Curve

Astrologer and coach Mark Douglas joins host Jenn Zahrt from Prince Edward Island in Canada to chat books and more! Tune in for this discussion covering: astrological dream osmosis; the Huber method; the life clock method and a mini-lesson on age progression; the energy curve as accidental dignity; golden mean, balance points, and low points; using natal astrology to look at neighbor relationships; when the age point migrates from the fifth house to the sixth house; how the immovable nature of Pluto forces you to face your prototype; the practicality of horary; and derived houses. Plus: transits as an afterthought, how Pluto and Saturn keep us honest, and when the dog eats your astrology book!
 
 
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 March 2024):
 
00:31 – Mark is from Prince Edward Island, Canada. He is a student of astrology and obtained his diploma in Huber astrological psychology from the APA in 2018 (Dipl. APA). Additionally, he pursued John Frawley’s horary practitioner course from 2019 to 2023. Mark currently serves on the Association Professional Astrologers International (APAI) council and is an active member of the Atlantic Professional Astrologers Association. A practicing psychosynthesis and grief coach, Mark has been operating the Huber Astrological Psychosynthesis school since 2023, offering a comprehensive diploma program in Huber astrology.
 
02:00 – Mark’s first astrology book was The Illustrated Guide to Astrology: The Key to Understanding Human Destiny by Wynne Griffon. As a tween, Mark’s parents gifted him this massive text, which sent him on quite an astrological safari!
 
08:18 – If Mark were stuck on a desert island, which titles would he bring? Mark and Jenn first discuss the upcoming book by Becca Tarnas, The Soul of the Cosmos, because the divinity nature speaks to him. Plus, as a Gemini Mark loves to pick a book he hasn’t read yet!
 
10:23 – Mark’s second text would be Astrological Psychology: The Huber Method, edited by Barry Hopewell. Mark deeply studied Huber astrology, and folks can get tons of mileage out of this one book. (And to see Mark’s video explaining when the age point migrates from the fifth house to the sixth house, visit his YouTube page.
 
17:04 – Join the Significant Sources Salon, hosted by Dr. James Dotson at the CAELi Institute!
 
26:16 – Mark studied under John Frawley, and therefore his third desert island book is Frawley’s The Horary Textbook, because he refers to this one often. It also satisfies his practical, earthy nature!
 
34:56 – Mark’s recommendations for people just starting their astro journey include: The Cosmic Egg Timer by Joyce Susan Hopewell, Richard Llewellyn, and Barry Hopewell (because it’s a great intro to the Huber method), and Frawley’s previously mentioned The Horary Textbook.
 
36:36 – Find Mark at: https://www.theseawithinyou.com/. And on Instagram, Mark’s handle is @theseawithinyou.
 
38:14 – 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.

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!
 
 
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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 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.