Within Orb

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!
 
 
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 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.

031 | Rosanne Finn: Transcended, Transformed & Transported

Astrologer and teacher Rosanne Finn portals over to host Jenn Zahrt for a packed chat about books and so much more! Join the two from Olympia, Washington for: understanding one’s spiritual purpose through the Ascendant; theosophical astrology; the visionaries of the 1860s; Houck’s Law, tertiary progressions, and the dosha sequence; Vedic astrology and death; extreme declination and high declination; the Kuiper Belt as a toroidal field; and Pluto, Hauema, and Makemake. Plus: infusing flower essences into a text, blowing the dandelions around, and Persephone’s Revolution!
 
 
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 Jan. 2024):
 
00:31 – Rosanne has been a practicing astrologer since 1999, combining Western, esoteric, and Vedic astrology. Rosanne’s path to astrology is unusual: She went from a job in engineering, to living in an ashram for four years, to a long road trip that landed her in Massachusetts (where she took an astrology class with Joseph Crane), to finally arriving in Olympia, Washington in 1995. Rosanne holds a Jyotish Visharada certification with the Council of Vedic Astrology, has done readings for thousands of clients, and has also taught hundreds of students. Her book Persephone’s Revolution is being published by Revelore Press and will be available soon!
 
00:54 – Rosanne’s introduction to astrology? When she was living in an ashram, a friend introduced her to The Modern Text-Book of Astrology by Margaret Hone.
 
01:22 – If Rosanne were stranded on the San Juan Islands (keeping her local!) and could only bring three books, what would they be? Her first choice would be Alice Bailey’s dense but deep Esoteric Astrology. Rosanne feels transcended and transformed when reading this one. (Books that helped her assimilate Bailey’s work were Soul Centered Astrology: A Key to Your Expanding Self by Alan Oken and Esoteric Astrology: A New Astrology for a New Millennium by Douglas Baker.)
 
06:58 – Rosanne’s second selection is The Secret Doctrine by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. This book is full of wisdom and Rosanne feels transported to another dimension of reality when she reads it.
 
11:09 – Rosanne’s third choice is the classic Vedic astrology text Brihat Parasara Hora Sastra, which is largely attributed to author Maharishi Parasara. This one is a two-fer for Rosanne: She loves the Sanskrit in here, so could continue her Sanskrit studies while deepening her knowledge of Vedic techniques! (And as a bonus: Hear about James Kelleher’s Path of Light Vedic astrology books and the fascinating, out-of-print The Astrology of Death by Richard Houck.)
 
17:06 – Interlude: Join CAELi  and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
 
17:52 – Hear about Rosanne’s fascinating journey to becoming an astrologer, and her upcoming book Persephone’s Revolution, about Pluto’s extreme declination cycle and the rise and fall of world empires!
 
28:21 – Rosanne’s recommendations for beginners? Buckle up for a wonderful list, including: Predictive Astrology: The Eagle and the Lark by Bernadette Brady; the series The Only Way to Learn Astrology by Marion D. March and Joan McEvers; Astrology and the Authentic Self: Integrating Traditional and Modern Astrology to Uncover the Essence of the Birth Chart by Demetra George; Astrology for Yourself: How to Understand And Interpret Your Own Birth Chart by Demetra George and Douglas Bloch; Complete Astrology: The Classic Guide to Modern Astrology by Alan Oken; Dynamics of Aspect Analysis: New Perceptions in Astrology by Bil Tierney; Navigating by the Stars: Astrology and the Art of Decision-Making by Edith Hathaway; and the previously mentioned Richard Houck book, all available to read when you visit CAELi!
 
31:14 – Find Rosanne at her website: https://www.astrologywithrosiefinn.com/. And stay tuned for an upcoming virtual book talk at CAELi about Persephone’s Revolution!
 
31:50 – 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.

030 | Sam Oakwell: Astrological Magic & Surgery on the Soul

Astrologer Sam Oakwell joins host Jenn Zahrt this week from the heady clime of Ann Arbor, Michigan! Sam and Jenn sit down for a chat about books and more, including: ancient Atlantean astrology; the soul moving through signs; astrological divination; profections, firdaria, and primary directions; a stochastic philosophical approach; astrological magic; planetary rituals; phenomenology; embodiment and lived experience; and a new way to view chart remediation. Plus: hanging with Santa Cruz hippies, a bridge to the future, and… there’s nothing wrong with your chart!
 
 
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 Jan. 2024):
 
00:31 – Sam Oakwell is an astrologer and independent scholar, whose approach combines Hellenistic, medieval, and modern techniques. They view astrology as a form of divination and engage with it as part of their larger spiritual practice, which draws from a variety of sources including Hellenistic paganism, Zen Buddhism, and contemporary occultism. In a (metaphorical) past life, they studied philosophy at the graduate level, focusing especially on phenomenology and metaphysics. Their website is launching soon, so watch this space for a live link when the magic is unleashed!
 
01:49 – Sam’s first astrology book was 2012: Crossing the Bridge to the Future by Mark Borax. They came across this one at a used bookstore, and Sam was intrigued by this strange autobiographical text depicting the author’s experiences with astrologer William (Ellias) Lonsdale.
 
06:40 – If Sam were stranded on a desert island, which books would they take? First up: Abu Ma'shar Al-Balkhi’s Persian Nativities IV: On the Revolutions of the Years of Nativities, translated by Benjamin Dykes. This comprehensive text for predictive timing techniques never disappoints.
 
12:02 – Sam’s second choice is The Celestial Art: Essays on Astrological Magic (Western Esotericism in Context), an out-of-print book edited by Austin Coppock and Daniel A. Schulke. Sam enjoys the wide range of traditions and approaches in this seminal text on situating astrology back into occult and magic discourses. Luminaries such as Demetra George, Austin Coppock himself, John Michael Greer, Jason Miller, Freedom Cole, Benjamin Dykes, Al Cummins, Lee Lehman, and Eric Purdue contributed to the volume. If you can’t find a copy become a CAELi member and read it at the library!
 
18:30 – Interlude: Join CAELi  and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
 
19:17 – Sam’s third selection is Phenomenology of Perception by Maurice Merleau-Ponty. This is a dense but beautifully written tome that emphasizes the role of the living body in philosophy, taking thoughts out of the heady realm of the mind and back into local, lived space. While not an astrology text, the phenomenology presented here will enhance anyone’s astrological practice.
 
31:07 – Sam’s recommendations for beginners? First, they’d suggest Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune by Chris Brennan. Additionally, Sam mentions that the transcripts from Chris’s The Astrology Podcast are a great way to learn. A Scheme of Heaven: The History of Astrology and the Search for our Destiny in Data by Alexander Boxer also gets a nod because it’s so comprehensive and provides context from the realm of data science. Finally, a philosophy book that’s good for astrologers and magicians is Technic and Magic: The Reconstruction of Reality by Federico Campagna.
 
37:12 – Find Sam at their website: https://www.oakwellastrology.com/.
 
37:39 – 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.

029 | Karen Hawkwood: Singing With the Mermaids

Astrologer, author, and teacher Karen Hawkwood joins host Jenn Zahrt this week! The duo takes parallel tracks to arrive at a conversation filled with books and more, including: the history of Kepler College; living conversations in written form; sly Neptune steering the chat to evade description; the drop going back to the ocean; existential yearning; the true medicine of the sixth house; the beauty and necessity of defenses; and Saturn and Chiron. Plus: mermaid wrangling, paradox, and… is building a Neptunian shelter a good choice or a terrible one??
 
 
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 Dec. 2023):
 
00:31 – Karen, aka KJ Sassypants, graduated from Kepler College in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts after a 4-year curriculum that included astrological history and practice. Then in 2013, she completed Martha Beck’s Life Coach Training program. Today, she combines the depth and insight of psychological astrology with effective coaching tools to help clients. KJ is the author of Surviving 30: Waking Up To Your True Self Through Your Saturn Return. She also runs the Paradox School, a 12-month training program for anyone desiring deeper fluency in understanding how people work.
 
04:40 – KJ first encountered astrology in middle school when her best friend’s mom interpreted her chart! She later found Alan Oken’s red-and-gold covered As Above, So Below in a Boulder, CO bookstore. (Extra pod points awarded here, because Jenn and KJ shared the same first astrology text – although Jenn’s had the black, white, and purple cover!)
 
08:39 – If KJ were stranded on a desert island, which books would she take? It’s all about Liz Greene for Ms. Sassypants! Her first selection is Liz’s The Horoscope in Manifestation: Psychology and Prediction, because Liz has an amazing way of teaching the intersection of depth psychology and archetypal astrology.
 
13:04 – Interlude: Join CAELi  and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
 
13:51 – KJ’s second choice is Liz’s brilliant tome The Astrological Neptune and the Quest for Redemption. Neptune is strong in KJ’s chart, and when she reads this book, she feels seen!
 
24:00 – KJ’s third selection is Liz’s Barriers and Boundaries: The Horoscope and the Defences of the Personality. How can our pain shape us? This cloth-covered, hidden gem unfolds the defensive structures that the human psyche puts in place to protect itself.
 
29:19 – Liz just released her first book in 20 years, so hop on the book bus as Jenn and KJ discuss Chiron in Love: The Astrology of Envy, Rage, Compassion and Wisdom.
 
30:31 – KJ’s recommendations for beginners? She once trained with Steven Forrest, so The Inner Sky gets a vote. But her main rec is Liz Greene’s Relating: An Astrological Guide to Living With Others on a Small Planet. This accessible book introduces the collective unconscious and the idea of projection. One caveat that KJ always shares, however, is that because this text was published in the 1970s, it feels a bit dated with its heteronormative and gender-binary language. It’s a rare book to find, though! (Hint: CAELi has a copy – one more perk of becoming a member!)
 
34:55 – Find KJ at her website, http://www.karenhawkwood.com/, where you can learn more about her and the Paradox School. Also, join her on Facebook: @kjsassypants.
 
35:32 – 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.

028 | Bear Ryver: Embodied Empowerment & Grounded Growth

Award-winning astrologer Bear Ryver joins host Jenn Zahrt with tin can phone in hand from Olympia, WA! Together, the CAELi colleagues cover: book terrain, elemental imbalances, fixed stars, firdaria, Jupiter in Taurus, Sabian symbols, observational astronomy, degree theory, the Boomer-Millennial Saturn/Uranus connection, and more. All that, plus: dial-up modems, Battlestar Galactica philosophy, and… learning that dinner doesn’t always have to be an accomplishment!
 
 
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 Oct. 2023):
 
00:31 – Bear won the Organization for Professional Astrology’s Most Promising Astrologer award in 2018! As a queer astrologer with a focus on Intersectionality, Bear uses compassion and humor to help his clients hone strategies for grounded growth and embodied empowerment by bringing them back to the BASICS – bravery, authenticity, sovereignty, courage, and stewardship. Bear has lectured at conferences like NORWAC and ISAR. He holds certifications in Hellenistic, electional, and horary astrology, and was a teacher for the Portland School of Astrology.
 
01:16 – The first astrology book that Bear received was from his grandma! It was a little pocket astrology book about Leos (Bear and Grandma share that sign). Later, as a teen, Bear discovered two books by Stephen Arroyo: Astrology, Psychology, and the Four Elements: An Energy Approach to Astrology and Its Use in the Counseling Arts and Astrology, Karma & Transformation. Here’s to astrology-loving grandmas everywhere! (Bonus side conversation: Check out Temperament: Astrology's Forgotten Key by Dorian Gieseler Greenbaum.)
 
05:27 – If Bear were lost in the Olympic Mountains, what books would he bring? First up (and in order of print date), he would bring his 1911 copy of Star Lore of All Ages by William Tyler Olcott. Bear appreciates Olcott’s approach to cultural astronomy.
 
07:36 – Bear’s second choice is Abu Ma'shar Al-Balkhi’s Persian Nativities IV: On the Revolutions of the Years of Nativities, translated by Benjamin Dykes. This is an essential text on timing techniques; Bear uses it when prepping for clients.
 
15:52 – Enjoy the conversational trip to Georgia Stathis’s Pushing Through Time: Synodic Cycles and Their Developing Phases and Robert P. Blaschke’s Sabian Aspect Orbs (Astrology: A Language of Life, Vol. 2). Both books cover synodic cycles!
 
17:56 – Interlude: Join CAELi  and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
 
18:42 – Bear’s third selection is about lunar mansions and more: Shams al-Ma’arif: The Sun of Knowledge, An Arabic Grimoire: A Selected Translation by Ahmad ibn ‘Ali al-Buni and translated from the Arabic by Amina Inloes, PhD, with commentary and illustrations by J.M. Hamade. (And check out episode 27 from last week, J.M. Hamade: A Starry Tour Guide’s Travelogue!)
 
30:49 – Bear’s recommendations for beginners? For those who want to nerd out on history and do some homework, Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice: A Manual of Traditional Techniques by Demetra George is a wonderfully approachable entry point. For the super-duper newbie, check out Chani Nicholas’s You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance. A favorite of both Bear and Jenn is On the Heavenly Spheres by Helena Avelar and Luis Ribeiro. For the intermediate student, the previously mentioned Persian Nativities IV is a must. Finally, for those interested in history and mundane astrology, Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View by Richard Tarnas is the one to have.
 
34:22 – Find Bear at his website: https://www.bearryver.com/. And his handle on social media is @bearryver.
 
35:05 – 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.

027 | J.M. Hamade: A Starry Tour Guide’s Travelogue

Astrologer, artist, and author J.M. Hamade joins host Jenn Zahrt as they set their sights on a tour through astrology books from cultures around the world! Navigate by the stars, as the two discuss: astrologies (plural!), deep time questions, lunar mansions, stories of the Vedic deities and nakshatras, bibliomancy, embodied stars, the 260-day Mayan calendar, star treading, and more. Plus: the roller coaster of our life, spontaneous mental gymnastics, and a two-Jennifers analogy!
 
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 June 2023):
 
00:31 – J.M. is a talismanic artist, florist, diviner, writer, and teacher who lives in New York City. He approaches astrology in an “imagistic” and imaginative way, while seeking to bridge contemporary aesthetics with time tested magical techniques rooted in astrological magic. J.M. wrote commentary for and illustrated the book Shams al-Ma’arif: The Sun of Knowledge, An Arabic Grimoire: A Selected Translation by Ahmad ibn ‘Ali al-Buni and translated from the Arabic by Amina Inloes, PhD.
 
05:57 – The first books that helped J.M. enter astrology-land were also philosophical texts: The Light of Egypt by Thomas H. Burgoyne and The Holy Science by Sri Yukteswar Giri. Other formative books that got him thinking about deeper cycles of time and lost civilizations were Fingerprints of the Gods: The Evidence of Earth's Lost Civilization by Graham Hancock and The Orion Mystery: Unlocking the Secrets of the Pyramids by Robert Bauval and Adrian Gilbert.
 
13:45 – If J.M. were stuck in a cave in a fjord, what books would he bring along? First up: Nakshatra: The Authentic Heart of Vedic Astrology by Vic DiCara. Lunar mansions are J.M.’s thing, and this text digs into the mythology around the deities associated with the nakshatras.
 
20:46 – J.M’s second choice is Babylonian Star-Lore: An Illustrated Guide to the Star-Lore and Constellations of Ancient Babylonia by Gavin White. Each read brings a new insight!
 
22:23 – Interlude: Join CAELi  and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
 
25:53 – Thirdly, J.M would pack Star Gods of the Maya: Astronomy in Art, Folklore, and Calendars by Susan Milbrath. This one is near and dear to his heart because the Mexican side of J.M.’s family is from Yucatán. He considers this academic text the bible for Mayan astrology.
 
30:59 – J.M. also has two runner-up books! One is Mayan Calendar Astrology: Mapping Your Inner Cosmos by Kenneth Johnson… with the caveat that this is from an outsider’s perspective! But it’s a good book to get into Mesoamerican astrology. The second shout-out book is Pacing the Void: T'ang Approaches to the Stars by Edward H. Schaefer. This one offers info on star stepping and the T’ang dynasty in China; it’s as much a study of poetry as it is a study of stars.
 
40:27 – J.M.’s recommendations for beginners? For Mesoamerican astrology, the previously mentioned Mayan Calendar Astrology and Star Gods of the Maya. Demetra George’s Astrology and the Authentic Self was a great formative book for J.M., so he suggests that one. For Vedic astrology and lunar mansion info, check out the earlier mention of Nakshatra: The Authentic Heart of Vedic Astrology. For lunar mansions, fixed stars, and their magical applications, read Christopher Warnock’s books. And last by not least, check out J.M.’s book: Shams al-Ma’arif: The Sun of Knowledge, An Arabic Grimoire: A Selected Translation by Ahmad ibn ‘Ali al-Buni and translated from the Arabic by Amina Inloes, PhD, with commentary and illustrations by J.M. Hamade.
 
42:22 – 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.