Astrologers Getting Together
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For many years, except perhaps in large cities, astrologers tended to be a rather isolated bunch. If you didn't live in a large urban area, you could mostly find few if any kindred spirits with whom you could share knowledge, questions, and experiences. Even worse, in much of western society at least, astrology was ridiculed at best and outlawed at worst. For some groups of astrologers, more recently than you might imagine, simply getting together to discuss astrology has led to actual arrest and imprisonment.
Although there are still far too many areas where astrologers must fear for their freedom simply because of their interest, the overall situation is fortunately becoming much better for meaningful networking among the astrological community worldwide.
The most dramatic contributor to this new connectivity is, of course, the Internet, which allows those who are interested in astrology to communicate in real-time with others of like mind, regardless of where in the world they are located. Not only can astrologers communicate one-on-one, but the Internet also facilitates group interactions -- whether it be an ongoing message-board or blog discussion, an afternoon live chat, or a full multi-day conference.
But even with all of this virtual connectivity, the rewards and productivity of actual person-to-person, in-the-flesh contact still tend to outweigh them all. And it is local astrology groups that continue to excel at fostering this type of interaction.
Although formal organizations are still mostly confined to larger metropolitan areas, travel has become much easier and cheaper than it was 100 years ago, so that even driving 50 or 100 miles to attend a monthly meeting is not a great burden. And the ease of travel also allows local groups to host more world-class speakers and lecturers, bringing leading astrologers to areas where they might not have been able to visit before.
All of which is to say that the opportunities for astrological networking are better now than they have been for the nearly 5,000-year history of astrology -- hopefully leading to increased cross-fertilization of ideas among astrologers, and increased understanding of astrology among the general public.
[Check out our links to local astrological organizations to find a group in your area.]
--- Ed
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Ed Perrone
Founder/Webmaster
support@myastrology.net
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This Month's Planets: May - June, 2017
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by Ed Perrone
The Sun enters the tropical sign of Gemini on May 20th at 8:31pm GMT. At this point, six out of the ten planets (Sun, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus) will be in either fire or air signs. And they will be joined by the Moon every few days as it scurries around the zodiac.
This emphasis on fire/air combination shows a period that is creative, changeable (perhaps to the point of instability), outwardly expressive, and very mentally and logically oriented. The basic qualities of the fire and air triplicities generally work well together, leading to practical innovation and logical problem-solving. But by the same token, if these qualities are taken to extremes, they can go off into the realm of the completely unrealistic and, at worst, yield a roaring inferno that devours everything in its path.
In world events, these transits likely show a period of increasing instability, especially through the first week of June. Wars of words among nations may escalate, perhaps leading to brief physical skirmishes if the rhetoric becomes too hot. But then the emphasis changes subtly, as Mercury moves into Gemini, while Venus enters Taurus and Mars enters Cancer. Mercury in Gemini is an additional destabilizing indication, but the inherent stability of Venus in Taurus offsets this. Additionally, Venus in Taurus focuses strongly on values. On the positive side, this shows a thoughtfulness that has been missing until now. But on the negative side, it could also show an emerging streak of stubborn dogmatism.
Mars in Cancer is the wildcard here -- emotionally motivated, unpredictable, possibly spiteful and vengeful when negatively expressed, but also empathetic.
In our personal lives, these energies will be expressed similarly, but on a smaller and more-individualized scale. Late May and early June emphasize the fire/air combination, showing a time when we all feel more outgoing, more creative, more interactive. It is in many ways a creative, constructive time, when ideas tend to fall into place and we are able to build on them successfully. A key here, however, is to take things one small step at a time. Moving too far too fast will simply have you tripping over your own feet. An equally important consideration is remaining closely involved with others. This is a very collaborative time, when discussions, correspondence, and all other forms of interaction are both productive and rewarding.
As the tone shifts in early June, the emphasis on moving forward with new ideas remains, but the main focus now is on practical results. You've had a chance to develop the ideas, now is the time to put them into practice in the real world.
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For many people, their first exposure to astrology simply makes them more curious about what's behind the celestial study. So they buy some books, perhaps subscribe to some magazines, look up information on the Internet, maybe even find a local astrology group to participate in or a local astrologer who offers informal classes. After awhile, they've developed a pretty good working knowledge of astrology and its basics.
But sometimes even that is not enough. Maybe they feel there are gaps in their knowledge or areas that they don't understand fully. Maybe they want to learn different branches of astrology, like Vedic, or maybe they want to delve into a specialty like horary or financial astrology. Maybe they are even thinking of becoming a professional astrologer and taking on paying clients.
Whatever the specific motivation, however, the person feels a basic need not only for more information about astrology, but for a more-formalized and more-structured learning environment. This is where astrology schools come into play.
In the days before the Internet, finding a comprehensive astrological education was often a nearly unachievable goal. In general, you could only find qualified programs in the largest cities and, because you had to attend in person, participation was impractical for those who lived elsewhere. Some correspondence courses existed, but they were time-consuming and made it difficult to have anything like a normal "conversation" with your instructor. Additionally, correspondence courses are by definition individual, leaving the student without any type of interaction with classmates.
But in 2017, the maturation of the Internet has changed all that. Students can now complete a comprehensive, multi-year course in astrology from the comfort of their own home or office. Through videoconferencing technology, these courses offer almost all of the intimacy and interaction of physical classes, but they are accessible to anyone who has an Internet connection, regardless of how remote their location might be. Moreover, classmates can be simultaneously located in locations around the world, something that would be impossible in a physical classroom.
The International Academy of Astrology traces its roots back to the mid-1990s when its founder, Ena Stanley, began offering the NCGR certification curriculum on the pre-web GEnie Online Service. In 1997, IAA moved onto the web and began developing its own independent curriculum designed to be recognized by certifying organizations around the world. Today IAA offers a variety of beginner courses, multi-year professional certification courses, Spanish-language programs, and more.
Kepler College for Astrological Education began in the mid-1990s as a brick-and-mortar school in the U.S. designed to grant academic degrees in astrology -- the only such school in the Western Hemisphere at the time. However, the school eventually lost its government accreditation, so it can no longer grant official academic degrees (i.e., bachelors degrees). But it has moved its courses online, and continues to provide comprehensive astrological education that meets the certification requirements of organizations worldwide.
In addition to these two groundbreaking institutions, there are numerous other astrological schools both large and small around the world. Some provide online education, some provide in-person physical education, and many provide some combination of both. If your goal is to learn more about astrology, you couldn't have picked a better time in history.
You can find a list of astrology schools around the world in our links pages to help you find the school that best fits your particular needs and goals. And don't forget that both local and national astrological organizations often offer their own educational programs as well.
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