Within Orb

050 | Drew Levanti: Life, Death, & the Journey of the Soul

Astrologer and educator Drew Levanti joins host Jenn Zahrt from San Francisco, California to touch base about astrology (and non-astrology) books! The pair cover a lot of ground, including: following Jupiter lines in hindsight; jumping into the deep end of the book pool; the presence of a chorus of ancestors and a loosing of the bond; how elements can mix in different proportions; letting the silence fill us; how 9/11 transformed ideologies around death; coming apart and coming together; death charts as the birth of the afterlife; time twins; termination versus inception; the Orphic Hymns; the importance of remembering the soul discourse; and a bounty of cemetery stories. Plus: tightrope walkers, shell mounds and the Albany Bulb, and… a tender story about organ donation!
 
 
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.
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Transcripts available upon request.
Song “Wake Up” used with permission by The E-Block Band.
 
*****
 
Episode timestamps (conversation recorded May 2024):
 
00:31 – Drew Levanti is a consulting astrologer and mystical educator based in San Francisco. A carrier of the Orphic lineage, he shares the understanding that life infinitely invites us into godly presence. This drives his teaching, spanning astrology fundamentals, elections, and the magic of the Orphic Hymns. In Drew’s client practice, dialogue is collaborative, fueled by astropoetic interpretation that is realistic, strategic, and affirming of a free-will world.
 
02:31 – If Drew could bring only three books to a remote location, his first choice would be Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. This novel holds special meaning for Drew – and the tightrope-walking metaphor is apt for his life path! (And the movie Man on Wire is also recommended!)
 
06:44 – Jenn and Drew put the car in reverse, and take a step back to discuss Drew’s journey into astrology, which included Chris Brennan’s Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune. Drew dove into the deep end with his first astrology book, at a time when he was simultaneously watching YouTube videos on modern astrology.
 
08:23 – Interlude: Join CAELi and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
 
09:09 – The second title that Drew would bring is The Presocratic Philosophers: A Critical History with a Selection of Texts by G. S. Kirk, J. E. Raven, and M. Schofield. This book is important to Drew because it propelled his research into Orphism.
 
17:24 – Drew’s third selection is American Afterlives: Reinventing Death in the Twenty-First Century by Shannon Lee Dawdy. Drew finds this one important because it examines the shifting idea of death in modern times.
 
25:24 – Drew also gives a shout-out to a touching book that covers the concept of the death chart as told from one astrologer’s personal bereavement, Star Sisters: An Astrologer's Memoir of Twin Loss by Linda “Moonrabbit” Zlotnick. (And stay tuned: Zlotnick is writing a new, groundbreaking book on death charts which will be published in the near future!)
 
32:20 – For beginners, Drew recommends 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 (especially Volume 1!) – both are by Demetra George.
 
35:06 – Find Drew at his website: https://archeastrology.com/. Or connect with him on Instagram: @anthrosophist.
 
38:17 – 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.

049 | Heather Roan Robbins: Cracking Star Codes

Astrologer and author Heather Roan Robbins joins host Jenn Zahrt from Ronan, Montana! Lend your ears as these two pals connect about books and more, including: the pattern and rhythm of the natal chart; Llewellyn George, founder of the first Portland School of Astrology; worldwide myths and fairy tales as an intro to the cosmos; choice-based astrology; how you can’t escape your chart, but you can evolve it; planetary handoffs and the relay race of the birth chart; third house struggles; lived, direct planetary experience and learning; the importance of knowing how to draw a chart; the evolution of astrology; myths, repetition, and iterations of the same pattern; and celestial remedies, paths, and lessons. Plus: potato stamps, telephone operators masquerading as astrologers, and... Heather's new book drops on June 11!
 
 
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 May 2024):
 
00:31 – Heather Roan Robbins, M.Th., is a ceremonialist and practical, intuitive, choice-oriented astrologer and palmist with over 40 years' experience. She has an active online astrology practice, writes a weekly astrological column called "Starcodes," and is the author of Moon Wisdom, Everyday Palmistry, Starcodes Astro Oracle: A 56-Card Deck and Guidebook, and the soon-to-be-released Starcodes: Navigate Your Chart with Choice-Based Astrology.
 
01:05 – Heather began reading about astrology at age 14, and her first astrology book was A To Z Horoscope Maker and Delineator by Llewellyn George. Big high-five for the fascinating telephone operator story!
 
04:46 – If Heather were in the middle of nowhere, which three books would she bring? Her first choice is the obscure Planets in Containment: A Study of 990 Combinations by John Sandbach and Ronn Ballard. This text offers delineations of every planet by considering what planet is on either side throughout the chart! This one taught Heather a new way to understand the planetary flow of the birth chart.
 
09:22 – The second title that Heather would bring is Postcolonial Astrology: Reading the Planets through Capital, Power, and Labor by Alice Sparkly Kat. This challenging and delicious perspective pushes Heather’s brain farther – something she often seeks out!
 
10:19 – Heather’s third selection is Secrets of Predictive Astrology: Improve the Scope of Your Forecasts Using William Frankland's Techniques by Anthony Louis. Although she hasn’t read it in full yet, this new-ish text seems intelligent and accessible, and Heather appreciates Louis’s approach.
 
11:24 – Interlude: Join CAELi and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
 
12:11 – The books and authors that have influenced Heather the most (which are different than the books she would bring) include: Liz Greene, Howard, Sasportas, Alan Oken, Arielle Guttman, and texts on evolutionary astrology. One specific title that really pushed Heather is MythAstrology: Exploring Planets & Pantheons by Raven Kaldera; she loves how this one challenged her to think of the position of a planet in a broader, more mythic way!
 
15:04 – Exciting! On June 11, Heather’s latest book will be released: Starcodes: Navigate Your Chart with Choice-Based Astrology. Starcodes is designed to give folks a clear entrance ramp into astrology. (And check out Heather’s card deck, too: Starcodes Astro Oracle: A 56-Card Deck and Guidebook.)
 
18:20 – Heather would also suggest two other books for beginners: The Inner Sky by Steven Forrest, and the previously mentioned A To Z Horoscope Maker and Delineator.
 
24:48 – Find Heather at her website: https://www.roanrobbins.com/.
 
25:03 – 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.

048 | Dana Conner: “In for the Ride of Your Life!”

Astrologer and herbalist Dana Conner joins host Jenn Zahrt from Palm Springs, California to cover books and more! Tune in as Dana and Jenn chat about: being the author of your own destiny; wise words regarding temperament from Dr. Lee Lehman; how our charts are where we start, not where we finish; herbalism and spagyrics; prediction and zodiacal releasing; timelines and publication histories; career changes and cosmic insight; doing research at CAELi, yay!; Thea Anderson on the astrology of convict leasing in Sugar Land, TX; a question about mundane astrology, answered; and “the REAL only astrology book you actually will ever need,” lol! Plus: copious fun facts, Scorpio lore, and… mothers of the astrologers for the win!
 
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 May 2024):
 
00:31 – Dana Conner is an astrology enthusiast, whose professional career started as a production makeup artist and pop-up mystical arts shop in San Diego. Years later, using zodiacal releasing timing, she started a totally new career; today, she is a Director of Contracts at a communications technology firm in San Diego, CA. While her current profession isn’t related to the field of astrology, she applies her occupational craft in the way she reads charts – like a contract. Dana’s current interest is the astrology techniques used in spagyrics, while always watching for patterns to time her next breakthrough.
 
01:00 – Astrology entered Dana’s life through newspaper horoscope columns (#Scorpio)! She then started picking up astrological texts, including Linda Goodman’s Love Signs.
 
04:37 – If Dana were stranded on a deserted island, the first book she would pack would be The Illustrated Picatrix, translated by John Michael Greer and Christopher Warnock. Dana hopes that this one will help get her off the island!
 
06:01 – The second title that Dana would bring is the massive Green Mysteries: An Occult Herbarium by Daniel Schulke. This book would help teach Dana about plant life on the island, and perhaps help pave the way if healing is needed.
 
06:51 – Dana’s third selection is Temperament: Astrology's Forgotten Key by Dorian Gieseler Greenbaum. This text is related to medical astrology and would help Dana understand health aspects and key personality characteristics.
 
10:33 – Sneaking in a fourth book, with a titan from another era! Dana gives a hat tip to The Scope of Astrological Prediction: An Introduction to the Dynamic Horoscopy by Marc Edmund Jones. Will this one help predict when the rescue boat will arrive? One can only hope! (And Jones’s Essentials of Astrological Analysis and Horary Astrology also make the list.)
 
17:43 – As a bonus, Dana also mentions the Celestial Arts Education Library’s new journal, The CAELi Review! This full-color quarterly journal is packed with interesting articles, including Thea Anderson’s excellent “The Imperial 95: An Astrological Excavation of Convict Leasing in Sugar Land, Texas.” And listen to Thea on Episode 1 of Within Orb: Thea Anderson: Making the Mundane Magical! (Note: CAELi members receive The CAELi Review quarterly print journal as part of their membership – woot!)
 
21:45 – Interlude: Join CAELi and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
 
22:31 – For beginners, Dana’s recommendations include: Planets in Transit by Robert Hand, The Essential Guide to Practical Astrology by April Elliott Kent, and The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need by Joanna Martine Woolfolk. Also, as a student in Jenn’s intensive beginners’ class, Dana appreciated Jenn’s suggestions: Tetrabiblos by Claudius Ptolemy, Christian Astrology by William Lilly, and On the Heavenly Spheres by Helena Avelar and Luis Ribeiro.
 
28:37 – Find Dana at her website: www.DanaConner.com. She also hangs out on Facebook and Instagram, too!
 
28:59 – 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.

047 | Hawk Grubb: A Web of Harmony & Attunement

Astrologer and magician Hawk Grubb joins host Jenn Zahrt from Portland, Oregon in a unique not-books book chat! Set your books aside (mostly), and tune in for the punk episode, including: astrology as a harmonizing framework; divination and how music helps absorb star stuff; getting the thinking brain out of the way; learning about others via your own natal chat; being a patron versus being a participant; books as ossified conversations; the friendship lineage; learning together, not top-down; plant alchemy; stories of Apollo and Asclepius; fixed stars; and the Orphic Hymns. Plus: beautiful dandelions, the Myth of Er, and… remember MySpace??
 
 
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 May 2024):
 
00:31 – Hawk Grubb is a magician, diarist, and professional astrologer/magical mentor living in the Pacific Northwest. In another life you’d have found them delivering prophecy, bent over the cracks in the cave floor at Pytho. In this life, you can find them doing the same thing, but like, on the computer.
 
01:07 – How did Hawk get into astrology? Magic, music, and tarot helped on that front; they found astrology a great framework for understanding reality. But also, Hawk lived near Adam Elenbaas and his future wife Ashley’s yoga studio and wound up studying with Adam! (Listen to Adam in Episode 25, Adam Elenbaas: On Daily Practice, Devotion, Divination, & Donation.)
 
10:26 – Hawk shares how to get into astrology as a newbie and Chris Brennan’s advice to them back in the day. Oh, and if you have a 9th house Leo Moon, you’re in good company!
 
15:04 – Interlude: Join CAELi and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
 
15:51 – Hawk explains “the friendship lineage,” and the beauty of teaching and learning while communing with others. Less like a ladder and more like a web – woot!
 
20:40 – Book alert! Yep, the duo snuck a few titles into this no-book book talk: both The Symposium and The Republic by Plato get a mention, as does Utopia by Sir Thomas More.
 
22:41 – Tune in to hear about plant alchemy! (And check out Jenn’s dandelion article, Controversy and Conversion: Astrological Considerations for Potent Herbal Workings.)
 
25:49 – Hawk’s shares a story of Apollo!
 
29:05 – Bernadette Brady’s fixed star tip, and a brief trip to the Orphic Hymns.
 
36:16 – Find Hawk at their website: hawkstrology.com. On Instagram you can find them: @hawkstrology.
 
34:49 – 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.

046 | Issachar Bey: Busting Through the Stars!

Astrologer, author, and podcaster Issachar Bey joins host Jenn Zahrt from San Antonio, Texas to chat books and more! This wide-ranging conversation brings you within orb of oodles of star stuff, including: Uranian astrology; how the glyphs have meaning; the Trans-Neptunian “planets”; geodetic astrology, relocated charts, and making your Jupiter line come to you; significators and dispositorship; the cheat code to life; blending Sabian symbols with various levels of progression; holographic transits and pattern returns; the idea of mapping out the degree-symbol systems; astro-theology; and using the Capricorn ingress. All that, plus: coming out of the star closet, using astrology to win, and… can we bring a Kindle and a charger to the deserted island??
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 May 2024):
 
00:31 – Issachar Bey is the founder and spiritual director of the Temple of Enlightenment International Spiritual Center. The author of four books, Issachar is also a minister, life strategist, and radio and podcast host. Issachar has spent over 20 years advising people around the world with consultations personally designed to assist them in creating their own reality using his Manifestation Methodology. The Temple of Enlightenment International Spiritual Center is a global community dedicated to teaching New Thought Ageless Wisdom – recognizing, honoring, and nurturing the dignity and uniqueness of all people.
 
06:12 – Issachar’s first astrology book was recommended by his teacher: Alan Oken's Complete Astrology: The Classic Guide to Modern Astrology. This one is like a Bible to Issachar; he loves the way Oken breaks everything down from A to Z. And amazingly, both Jenn and Issachar took parallel tracks and were studying the same book in the late 1990s! (To hear Jenn’s episode, check out Episode 39, Jenn Zahrt: For the Love of Astrology (Books)!) The duo also takes a quick side trip to a great beginner book: The Only Way to Learn Astrology by Joan McEvers and Marion March.
 
08:03 – If Issachar were stranded on a deserted island, which texts would he bring? His first pick is The Language of Uranian Astrology by Roger A. Jacobson. This one keeps him sharp, and new readings always bring new insights!
 
11:05 – The second title that Issachar would bring is Geodetic Astrology for Relocating and World Affairs by Chris McRae. He finds this one phenomenal, and loves the world maps. (Nick Campion’s The Book of World Horoscopes also gets a mention!)
 
15:51 – Interlude: Join CAELi and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
 
16:37 – Issachar’s third selection is volume 21 in Jean-Baptiste Morin’s series, Astrologia Gallica: The Morinus System of Horoscope Interpretation, which has been translated many times. The way that Morin breaks down a chart and how to interpret it is incredibly helpful. (The Rules of Chart Interpretation by Rod Suskin also gets a nod by Jenn here, as it’s based on Morin’s work.)
 
20:50 – Issachar has many runners-up, including: Christian Astrology by William Lilly, Vocations: The New Midheaven Extension Process by Noel Tyl, the Dial Detective by Maria Kay Simms, and Abu Ma'shar Al-Balkhi’s Persian Nativities IV: On the Revolutions of the Years of Nativities (translated by Benjamin Dykes). Issachar also likes anything by Alphee Lavoie, Anthony Louis, Stephen Arroyo, or Robert Blaschke. And the casino story highlighting Winning!! Zodiacal Timing by Joyce Wehrman was a winner!
 
30:40 – Find Issachar on Instagram @IssacharBey, or on YouTube @AstroCommission2024. And check out The Astrological Commission Podcast wherever you listen!
 
34:49 – 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.

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!
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 – 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.