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National Council for Geocosmic Research, Inc. January-February 2012

memberletter

Building Community Through Research and Education

Mars Retrograde p. 1UAC 2012 p. 1Chair Message p. 2NCGR at UAC p. 3Frank Piechoski Interview p. 3Facts about Mars Retrograde p. 5Slovenia and Eclipses p. 7Neptune Returns to Pisces p.10Uranus-Pluto Square p.12UAC After Hours p.15NCGR News p.19PAA News p.22Book Reviews p.23Celestial Events p.23Transitions p.25Chapter Contacts p.27NCGR Information p.29

In this Issue

Everything you Always Wantedto Know about Mars Retrograde

by Lynn Koiner

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UAC 2012:Make Your Plans

Now

please turn to p. 17

THERE IS STILL TIME TO REGISTER forUAC 2012, which will take place inNew Orleans, May 23-30, 2012, at

discounted rates. When you do register besure you look at all the offerings that gobeyond just the main program at www.uacastrology.com, where you can registerfor them. In the first place there are thefollowing pre- and post-conferenceworkshops presented by some of today’sfinest astrologers:

Pre-Conference WorkshopsThursday, May 24. 9:00 AM-1:00 PM

Nick Campion: The Writing of Heaven.Is the language of astrology universal?This workshop will examine traditions andpractices from around the world—inclu-

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THIS YEAR, THE PLANET MARS IS INretrograde motion in the sign ofVirgo from January 23-April 14.

This period is inappropriate for activitiesrequiring the normal flow of Marsinitiative. Using the constructive aspectsof this transit, it is an excellent time toreinforce some aspect of our lives. Thiswill be shown by the house position ofthe transit. In the 1st house, it is a time to work onone’s self-image with courses or activitiesthat bestow confidence and courage.Renovations can occur in one’s self andin one’s environment. When angered orannoyed, make sure that this is not aprojection of issues within your self thatneed changing! In the 2nd house, it is a time to makecorrections or repairs in your financialsituation. It should be a time of payingoff debts and not a time for spending. In the 3rd house, it is a good time toend those subscriptions for magazinesthat you do not read. It is a good time forcatching up on reading and studies—likethose astrology books that you boughttwo years ago but never read. Thishouse rules transportation so it might bea good time to have those squeakybrakes fixed on your car...or, at least, havean annual tune-up. But, it is NOT a timeto buy a new car. In the 4th house, it is a good time tomake repairs around the house and toreinforce its safety by replacing yoursmoke detector batteries. Activities maygo on in your personal environment of

which you are not readily aware. In the 5th house, it is a good time to be aspectator, take the kids to an amusementpark (vent their pent up energy), giveyourself some relaxation time at themovies or with some home videos, watchsomeone else get tackled on the footballfield. In the 6th house, reinforce your diet.Add nutrients that benefit the kidney-adrenal (adrenal supplement or Chineseenergy herbs) and the iron content of theblood. In the 7th house, work on repressedanger and resentment issues in yourrelationships. Do not get into a fight—talkit out! In the 8th house, reinforce issues thathave to do with investments, businessdealings, etc. If your house is insured forits 1970 value, bring it up-to-date. Pay offthose credit cards. Curb any tendenciestoward obsessive-compulsive behavior oraction. It will only get you into trouble. Ihad surgery during the 1988 Marsretrograde in which my foot was re-attached. The doctor felt it was the bestsurgery of his career! (As an aside, in1988, when Mars was retrograde in my 8thhouse, I obsessed over getting anothercat. I did not need another cat. I haveplenty but I could not leave well enoughalone. So, I got a kitten, fell down a hillbringing it in one night, broke my foot offand spent $7000 getting it re-attached!This cat had a lot of passive-aggressiveissues. I don’t think that she liked her

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Message from the ChairNCGR Board of Directors

Elected Officers John Marchesella, Chair,chair@geocosmic.org Warren Kinsman, Treasurer,treasurer@geocosmic.org Joyce Levine, Clerk, 2353 MassachusettsAve., #91, Cambridge MA 02140, 617-354-7075, clerk@geocosmic.org

Elected Directors Judy Johnson, Elected Director, 7807Eleanor Place, Willowbrook IL 60527,electeddir@geocosmic.org Joseph Polise, Education Director, 14Dennis Court, Schaumburg IL, 60527, 847-352-6929, eduadmin@geocosmic.org Leigh Westin, Chapter Affairs Director andSIGs Coordinator; Editor, Geocosmic Journal,P.O. Box 207, Waskom TX 75692, chapters@geocosmic.org, journal@geocosmic.org. Mark Wolz, Membership Director, 486 NinthAvenue, New York NY 10018, membership@geocosmic.org

Appointed Directors Demetrius Bagley, Media and Communica-tions Director, media@geocosmic.org Priscilla Costello, Advisory Board Chair, 25St. Mary Street, Apt. 1511, Toronto, Ontario,Canada M4Y1R2, 416-929-1810,advisory@geocosmic.org Loretta Lopez, Publications Director,publications@geocosmic.org Jagdish Maheshri, Research Director,researchdirector@geocosmic.org Frank Piechoski, Marketing and PromotionsDirector, pr@geocosmic.org

Staff Liane Thomas Wade, Executive Secre-tary, NCGR Headquarters, 531 Main St.,#1612, New York NY 10044, Ph-Fax, 212-838-NCGR (6247), execsec@geocosmic.org Ronnie Gale Dreyer, memberletter Editor;P.O. Box 8034, FDR Station, New York NY10150-8034, memberletter@geocosmic.org Kenneth Irving, Webmaster,webmaster@geocosmic.org Lynn Koiner, International Liaison Director,737 Easley Street; Silver Spring MD 20910,koiner@starpower.net Arlene Nimark, Advertising Manager, 1242East 8th Street, Brooklyn NY 11230, 718-377-0482, ads@geocosmic.org

Advisory BoardBernadette Brady M.A. (UK), Nicholas CampionPh.D. (UK), Gary Christen, Bradley V. ClarkC.P.A., David Cochrane, Michael Erlewine,Mónica Escalante-Ochoa (Mexico), MadelaEzcurra, Linda Fei, Steven Forrest, Irene E.Goodale, Robert Hand M.A., Charles Hannan,Baris Ilhan (Turkey), Babs Kirby M.A. (UK),Arlene A. Kramer, Alphee Lavoie, Michael Lutin,Vivian B. Martin Ph.D., Michael Munkasey, ArleneNimark, Ingrid Petroff (Austria), Bill Sarubbi (Aus-tria), Maria Kay Simms, Gloria Star, Richard TarnasPh.D., Donna Van Toen (Canada).

Dear Members,

IT MAY BE THE WINTER DOLDRUMS, but it’s anything but dull here at NCGR Central! Of course, our pre-conference events at UAC are already abuzz—the astro-walking tour of NOLA, Frank Piechoski’s presentation on presentational skillsfor astrologers, and the assurance from Bruce Scofield’s workshop on how toaddress the questions of our clients and the media about “the end of the world”in 2012.

If you aren’t aware of them, then you must be living on Eris! So, go to p. 3 for adescription of each workshop and an interview with Frank Piechoski, one of thepresenters. Then, go to our website, www.geocosmic.org, to register!

However, UAC is not just about work and education. It’s also about fun andnetworking and being a part of a community. So, we’re planning our otherevents for Thursday evening through Sunday. We hope you’ll join us. Whenyou arrive, be sure to look for the announcements about the NCGR Suite. Visit usthere at our table at the tradeshow. Here’s our calendar as well as UAC events:

• Wednesday, May 23. NOLA Walking Tour. Meet in the Lobby at 9:45 a.m. (I’llbe wearing a pink carnation). • Wednesday, May 23. 2-5 pm. Frank Piechoski on “Presentational Skills forAstrologers.” • Thursday, May 24. 10 am to 1 pm. Chapter Leadership Meeting. • Thursday, May 24. 2:30-5:30 pm. Bruce Scofield on “2012 and the MayanCalendar.” • Thursday Evening after the Opening Ceremony. A Welcoming Party for All. • Friday Lunchtime. Organizational Meeting. • Friday Evening. May 25. (Time TBA). Lynn Koiner’s International Tea • Friday, May 25. 7- 9:30 pm. Rock n’ Bowl with Music to Follow til midnight • Friday Evening, (Time TBA) – NCGR-PAA Party • Saturday, May 26. 8:30 p.m. Michael Lutin’s “OMG, The Mayans WereRight!” • Saturday Evening, May 26. (Time TBA). AYA Party at the NCGR Suite • Sunday Evening, May 27. (Time TBA). NCGR Party at our Suite • Monday Evening, May 28. 7:30 p.m. Banquet and Regulus Awards

And before we get to UAC, another significant event in our community isInternational Astrology Day on March 20. We hope each chapter will have somefestivity during the month of March, whether it be a lecture, seminar, discussiongroup, or just Q & A, and a social get-together—to celebrate astrology and itswonders. To commemorate the occasion, this year, the Joanna Shannon-JulianArmistead Scholarship for Astrological Education and Community Service is notgoing to a single individual, but instead, each chapter will receive a membershipor renewal to NCGR to offer to a deserving member. Some chapters have alreadymade their selections, and others are waiting for IAD.

Lastly, we wish you a festive Valentine’s Day (belated due to your editor being latewith this issue and NOT due to your chair-Ed) in the style of the ancients, who usedthis holiday as an offering with confections to the fertility gods in the hopes of a

Take time to visit the NCGR Website: www.geocosmic.org

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Interview withFrank Piechoski

Wednesday May 23, 2012. 9:45 AM.The Living History of Astrology in New Orleans A walking tour that will have us visit the astrological sites in ourhosting city, so that we see the astrology alive on the streets ofNew Orleans. Charts of important political and historical figuresand events will be provided along with the horoscope for thecity, itself, for a discussion on the mundane astrology of NewOrleans to follow our tour. The walking tour will take place in themorning, where you will visit the astrological sites of our hostingcity and see astrology come alive on the streets of New Orleans.The tour will be followed by a discussion of the mundaneastrology of The Big Easy.

Wednesday May 23, 2012. 2-5 PM.Presentation Skills for Astrologerswith Frank Piechoski Would you like to lecture at your local group or at regional,national and international conferences? If you already lecture,would you like to improve your presentation skills? Then this isthe workshop for you. This session will walk attendees throughthe process of structuring a cohesive lecture, using visual aidseffectively, and performance tips that will help you get yourmaterial across. If you’d like to speak at a future UAC—or anyother conference—this workshop will help you obtain anddevelop the skills needed to impress those who select speakers.

Thursday May 24, 2012. 2:30-5:30 PM2012 and The Mayan Calendar: Our Clients, The Pressand Our Professional Image with Bruce Scofield. Wondering what to tell clients and friends when they ask aboutthe end of the world in 2012? If the press calls, would you like anintelligent, articulate way to answer their questions? BruceScofield, the foremost astrological authority on Mesoamericanastrology, will enlighten you with the answers and assist us inmaintaining a professional image to the media. And you can besure they are going to ask!

To register for these workshops go to http://bit.ly/eF48w1 orwww. geocosmic.org/conf and click on “Check out our Pre-Conference Workshops Here!”

Last but not least in our series of interviews with the presenters of the three pre-conference workshops that NCGR will sponsor at UAC is my interview with Frank

Piechoski, who will be showing us at his workshop how toimprove your presentation skills for lectures, which includesboth techniques as well as breaking into the “lecture circuit.”Frank has been on the AFAN Steering Committee and the NCGRBoard, and is a seasoned speaker, so if anyone can inform you,it is Frank.

Ronnie Dreyer: What is the exact title of your workshop andcan you tell us a little bit about it? Frank Piechoski: The workshop is called Presentation Skillsfor Astrologers and will focus on public speaking skills, makingpresentations entertaining as well as informative, and gettingyour material across to the audience successfully. Ronnie: Is this workshop helpful to people who are juststarting out as professionals as well as those who have beenprofessionals for many years? Frank: I think it could be useful to just about anyone—eventhose who have been lecturing for some time. Ronnie: Many people think there is nothing more to learn ifthey have been out there in the trenches for a long time but whatcan you tell us about what you have new to offer those whothink they know it all? Frank: There are many who do an excellent job lecturing, butthere are things that even the best can take away from thisworkshop. For example, even I have lost my voice or had otherphysical and logistical issues prior to a lecture. I can showpeople how to avoid problems and quickly solve problems whenthey do pop up. Ronnie: What makes you qualified to teach a workshop on this? Frank: In addition to more than 20 years as lecturer on astrol-ogy topics, I've been engaged in public speaking since my teenyears in the 1970s, and also hold a degree in acting for thetheatre. My acting training included extensive work on not onlyincreasing vocal production, but on how to safeguard your voicefrom physical issues. My training also included hours ofrelaxation and movement techniques that allow one to be freewith one's voice and expression to make a greater impact on one'saudience. I've also work in the wider business world as both aclassroom and a one-on-one trainer. Ronnie: What do you say to people who say that they haveapplied to speak at conferences for years, but fear that it is toopolitical and that you have to know someone to get asked? Frank: Get involved! If you are not a member of any astrologyorganization, join one and volunteer your time and network withother astrologers as much as possible. What some people see as"too political" some would call "paying your dues." This is notlimited to speaker selection for astrology conferences, of course,but to career aspirations in general. Ronnie: Do you think that there is a way to really have a greatlecture recording, and get picked to speak from out of nowhere?

NCGR at UAC

AT EVERY UAC (United Astrology Conference), astrology schools and organizations have always sponsored events and workshops. NCGR is fortunate that at UAC

2012, which will take place May 23-30 in New Orleans, LA, threeworkshops will be presented, which cover a vast cross-section oftopics and interests.

John Marchesella NCGR Chair

fertile planting season, insuring fruitfulness. Thattranslates to chocolate and romance by today’s standards.So, here’s to a fertile May and a productive summer!

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FRANK PIECHOSKI cont’d from p. 3 MARS RETROGRADE cont’d from p. 1

name. Within two years, I changed hername to something that she preferredand, by 1993, she became an affectionate,intelligent companion. In the 9th house, it is a good time tostudy comparative philosophies. Thiswould include history—studying the pastto understand the present. In the 10th house, this is a good time tofind out why activities in your businessare not working and then reinforce thestructures. If and where you are losingbusiness, assess the problem. I traveledto Eastern Europe to visit astrologers. In the 11th house, it might be a bettertime to do things alone and not drainyourself through the energy of groups.Psychologically, it is a good time toassess if your current goals are reallycontributing to your happiness index! In the 12th house, solitude is beneficial.Meditation puts you in touch with yourinner self. Anger can be internalized andcause health problems, often due to highblood acidity. A good alkaline diet isadvised when Mars is retrograde in thesign of Virgo.

How to Handle Mars RetrogradeWhen Mars is retrograde, it depletes thevitality so that it is never a time to initiate.Whoever initiates loses—a new project, agreat love, an argument, a lawsuit, or aninternational war. With a new project, itwill fizzle out and never really go any-where. With a hot romance, it too fizzlesand it rarely gets to the altar. With anargument, the hostility will come back tohaunt you later. In legal matters, stokeyour opponent into initiating the lawsuitfirst. It will be etched in granite that theywill lose. In an international war,whoever fires first will automatically loseor ultimately withdraw.

Matters commenced while Mars isretrograde will be frustrated and plaguedwith disruptions until they finally fizzleout. At this time, people become irritatedwhen activities do not run smoothly. Theanger may disrupt indirectly and inappro-priately—like getting a traffic ticket whenyou feel annoyed with your job.

During this cycle, never buy anythingmechanical unless it is heavily insured!Office machinery and computers easilybreak down. A friend who owned a word

processing service found this period to bea disaster. During one retrograde cycle,the printer, the back-up printer, and therented printer all failed to work. Whenthey finally got one that worked, themailing labels printed—but there was noink! I often notice that the world needs abrake job when Mars is retrograde.

During one cycle, I discovered a waterleak in my new car. Fortunately, this wascovered by the warranty. Anythingmechanical that is hanging on by a threadwill likely break down during this cycle.Get those unstable devices repaired inadvance. Don’t wait until you have abreakdown disaster! My mother evenordered a small treadmill for exercise. Werealized as soon as she got it out of thebox that she would never be able to use it.Since we could not get it back in the box,we just trashed it.

Those who have Aries or Scorpio strongin their horoscopes are dramaticallyaffected by this shift in direction of theirruler. For Arians, they find themselvesbeing less aggressive, less pushy and lessimpatient to have THEIR WAY in a situa-tion. For Scorpios, they find that they areless concerned about being in control,controlling an immediate situation and, ofcourse, running matters THEIR WAY.

Both Mars-ruled types find themselvesmore inclined to sit back and reviewmatters in a more detached or impersonalway. They feel more patient to wait oncircumstances to unfold before they takeaction. These individuals, however, maynot recognize the anger they feel inside.They may express an unusual passivenesswhile under fire because they need toomuch processing time before they canretaliate. Only when Mars turns direct canthey move the Mars energy forward.

For those who are NOT ruled by Mars, itmay feel quite differently. They may feelmore impatient to force matters to aconclusion, to get a project going or totake immediate action. This would be anunwise course of action! Look to thehouse position of your natal Mars to seewhere you might become impatient andact prematurely. Remember, initiating orimpulsively taking action will not work inyour favor.

Frank: I think that it can be verydifficult to get a speaking slot on just agreat recording. Perhaps if one had acompletely unique take on somethingthat has not yet been published, it mightbe possible. Ronnie: What advice would you givepeople who are discouraged? Frank: I would quote Benjamin Franklin,"Energy and persistence conquer allthings." Ronnie: What would you tell seasonedastrologers to do to keep their materialfresh? Frank: Localize, customize, and update.I have a variety of lectures that I amalways prepared to give. But each time Igive them to a different group, I try tomake something in the lecture relate to thegeographic area where I'm giving thelecture. I also customize the lecture to thesort of group I'm speaking to. For localgroups, I tend to make sure of the relativeknowledge level of the group by askingquestions early in the lecture to insure Iwon't be too far above their comprehen-sion level if I start right in on the maintopic. That way I can take my time andexplain the background material and givemore references for further study after-ward. Updating my lecture to take recentor current events into account is a con-stant process. The charts I use in most ofmy lectures change all the time. Ronnie: Do you have any advice in thislecture for people running conferencesand lecture groups? Frank: Listen to people who haveactually seen or heard the people you areconsidering for a slot. Or even better, gosee them in action. Also, check to see ifprospective speakers have anythingpublished—either traditionally or elec-tronically. Often one can tell a great dealabout how someone will lecture based ontheir writing skills—including organiza-tion, style, and attention to detail. Ronnie: This sounds like a great work-shop that will give people practical skills.We look forward to it at UAC. Frank: Thanks, Ronnie. Let me know ifyour need anything else.

For those who wish to find out moreabout Frank, please visit his website atwww.proastrologer.com.

please turn to p. 5

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Some Facts about Mars Retrograde

TO UNDERSTAND THE NATURE and power of a planet’s retrogradecycle, which occurs as a planet slows itsspeed and moves closer to the Earth, it isimportant to recognize its key compo-nents—1) the retrograde station (themoment a planet stops and turns retro-grade); 2) its conjunction or oppositionwith the Sun, which occurs midwaythrough the retrograde cycle when theplanet is closest to the earth; and 3) thedirect station (the moment the planetfinally moves forward or direct).

Mercury and Venus (inferior planets,whose orbits lie between the orbit of theSun and Earth) form conjunctions withthe Sun midway through the retrogradecycle, while Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,Neptune, and Pluto (superior planets thatlie beyond the orbit of the earth) formoppositions to the Sun. After a planetslows, then stops or stations retrograde,it appears to move backwards for a periodof weeks, or months, causing it to lingerlonger than usual in a portion of thezodiac. At some point in the cycle, theplanet slows once more, stations direct,and then moves forward again.

The degrees that fall in between theplanet’s retrograde and direct stations gethit by the planet three times—during theinitial direct motion before it stations,when it retrogrades, and then when itgoes direct again. This period, whichbegins the first time a planet hits thedegree of the eventual direct station, andends the last time it leaves the degree ofthe retrograde station, is known as theretrograde arc, or shadow, and is a timewhen the effects of the retrograde planet

are felt, though not as intensely as duringits actual retrograde cycle. Every planetretrogrades for different periods, and atdifferent frequencies.

Mars retrogrades approximately every 775days (a little more than 25 months) for aperiod of about 70 days. This year, Mars,which is a superior planet, stations retro-grade, or began its retrograde journey, onJanuary 23, 2012 at 7:53 PM EST intropical 23° Virgo 05'-sidereal 29° Leo 9’.It then forms an opposition with the Sun(tropical 13° Pisces 39'-sidereal 19°Aquarius 43’) on March 3, 2012 at 3:10PM EST in tropical 13° Virgo 39-sidereal19° Leo 43’. Finally, it stations direct, ormoves forward again, on April 13, 2012,11:53 PM EDT, in tropical 3° Virgo 40'-sidereal 9° Leo 44’. The retrograde arc, orshadow, however, actually beganNovember 18, 2011, when Mars firsttransited tropical 3° Virgo 40'-sidereal 9°Leo 44’, the degree of the direct station,and will end on June 19, 2012, when Mars,for the final time, transits tropical 23°Virgo 05'-sidereal 29° Leo 9’, the degree ofthe retrograde station.

Take note if you have planets or anglesthat lie between tropical 3° Virgo 40'-23°Virgo 05', or sidereal 9° Leo 44’-29° Leo 9’,since they will be vulnerable to the Marstransit three times, when it first passesover your planet or point in direct motion,when it passes over it during its retro-grade motion, and then a final time whenMars goes direct again. This means thatMars, which normally transits a planet orpoint for 3-4 days, will now extend itsinfluence for seven months. Ronnie Gale Dreyer

In her Good Days Action Planning Guide,astrologer and author Mary Shea de-scribes an ideal way to handle Marsretrograde. She states that there is atendency to be more reserved (when Marsis retrograde). Your hesitation causes youto review your behavior in the past andlook for new way of responding in thefuture. She feels that this is the way welearn to perfect our responses. You goback over situations (either in your mindor in reality), doing things again andagain while making corrections in theway you handle events. While Mars isretrograde, you will be reviewing the wayyou handle anger, self-defense, self-motivation and sexual relationships;outward anger or conflicts may not beappropriate.

She rightfully feels that using passive-aggressive techniques, manipulation,arbitration or subtle power plays may bemore appropriate at this time. If you arenormally non-assertive, you have to beforced to defend yourself. Whatever yourtactics, you must give thought to whatyou are doing. If your tactics do not workor they are inappropriate to the situation,your anger will continue to build whileMars is retrograde. You can expect theanger to manifest full-blown by the timeMars turns direct. If you have seriouslywronged or angered another with...acts ofaggression, you can expect the backlashas Mars turns direct.

Years ago, my first observation was itseffect upon men in general. Their mascu-linity seemed more easily threatened,manifesting mood displays, and they oftenneeded reassurance. I personally feltorganizationally impaired. As hard as Itried to organize my work, the moredisorganized I became. I was over-whelmed by all of the data that has beensubmitted for the political articles and Iseemed to be doing a lot of wheel spin-ning. This is unusual and it began whenMars turned retrograde. This seemedworse while Mars was in Virgo—for themale ego and my disorganization.

Delphine Jay, in Crossroads in Delinea-tion, states that when Mars retrogradesthrough a house, something there needs arenewed effort, a renewal of activity to berevitalized or, at least, strengthened

through reinforcement. It is a time to directyour efforts toward reinforcing mat-ters ora relationship in order to keep it vital oractive. It is a time to lend strength tosomething or someone that you believe in.Work activities supported when Mars isretrograde are those associated withtrouble-shooting, re-evaluating previouslycommenced projects, and shoring up theweak areas, making hard-nosed cuts byeliminating parts of the projects with littlecost-benefit, personnel cutbacks and

possibly re-hiring individuals who mayknow how to make the project succeed.Never start anything new! Work withwhat has been previously commencedand make necessary improvements. MarsRetrograde is similar to Mercury Retro-grade in many respects but Mars isassociated with action, projects and theenergy required to make somethingsucceed. Mars is back-door politicsrather than direct confrontations.

MARS RETROGRADE cont’d from p 4

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Some Historical ObservationsIn the U.S. Presidential election of 1988,Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis, asun-sign Scorpio, was unable to defendhimself against the verbal assaults ofRepublican candidate Vice PresidentGeorge H.W. Bush as soon as Mars turnedretrograde. It was not until Mars turneddirect on October 28—four days before theelection— that he began to assert himself.His meek approach was confusing to bothhis staff of advisors and campaign com-mentators, but not to astrologers whoknew that Mars was transiting retrograde.

When Mars is retrograde, Whoever FiresFirst Loses. It is common to see battlesigniting during the retrograde period butwhoever fires the first shot loses. LittleArgentina never really had a chanceagainst Great Britain but, when they firedthe first shot in the Falklands, they werecondemned to lose in a big way.

The Russians fired the first shot inAfghanistan and, after spending billions,they were ultimately forced to withdraw.

The Israeli wars have always occurredwhen Mars was retrograde so, in thatcountry, there is always a fear of war anddire predictions of such by that country’sastrologers when Mars turns retrograde.

The 1980 Winter Olympics occurred whenMars was retrograde in Virgo. Mishapsplagued this event, especially for theUnited States. If using the Gemini risingchart, Mars would been retrograde in the5th house ruling sporting activities andcompetitive games!

When Mars is transiting retrograde, it willbe closer to the Earth than at any othertime. According to Juan Revilla (astrologerfrom Costa Rica and author of the freewarecalculation program, Riyal), planetarydistances, from the Sun (perihelion-aphelion) or the Earth (perigee-apogee) area rarely-considered dimension in astrology.We gave some attention to the perihelionof Pluto in 1989 because the differencesare very large with respect to Pluto’s dist-ance when farthest (aphelion) from the Sun,and with very eccentric orbits, such as Plutoand the Centaurs, the differences betweenaphelion and perihelion are more significant,more dramatic, more telling.

MARS RETROGRADE cont’d from p 5 In 1909, when Mars was retrograde inPisces-Aries, the pioneering spirit ofAries brought the discovery of the NorthPole but, with Mars Retrograde, there wasa great controversy: Who reached it first,Cook or Perry? In the summer, a Frenchaviator was the first to fly across theEnglish Channel. With the idealistic zealof Pisces, the ladies were protesting assuffragettes and prohibitionists. Steelstrikes in Pittsburgh become violent andtrigger deaths. A new introspectivethought in America was fueled as Freudwent on tour explaining psychoanalysis.

In 1924, Lenin died and Stalin tookcontrol of the USSR, King Tut’s coffinopened after 3300 years, the Teapot DomeScandal occurred, Greece became arepublic, Hitler spends this Mars Retro-grade in prison for the Beer Hall Putsch,and the Leopold and Loeb thrill murdertrial took place. The year 1988 wassignificant for terrorist activities. I find,however, the sign of Leo and alignmentswith fixed stars to be even more signifi-cant.

When a planet aligns with or occults afixed star, it has a very special influence inworld events far more dramatic than anyof the other Mars apparitions. Withregard to Mars retrograde cycles, there isa 79-year cycle of the retrograde-directloops of Mars in the vicinity of the fixedstar Regulus. This occurred in December1915 and January 1916 (direct, May 1916)when Albert Einstein developed his newtheory of relativity, an extension of the1905 publication of the Special Theory ofRelativity, where he challenges the viewof gravity proposed by Sir Isaac Newton.

This alignment occurred again in January1995 (direct in May 1995) when the O.J.Simpson (Leo Ascendant) trial began,gripping the nation in controversy. InApril, the bombing of the federal officebuilding in Oklahoma City killed 168people. And, for the first time in ourspace program, American astronautsentered a Russian space station.

As with any retrograde planet, Mars hasits benefits as well as its problems. Marsretrograde demands a new way of usingMars energy. It is a better time to usestrategy rather than direct confrontation,

To ensure that you continue to getour bimonthly memberletter, which

is now online only, and E-news fromNCGR, please be sure to send your emailaddress to Liane Thomas Wade atexecsec@geocosmic.org, if she does notalready have it. If your email is correctbut you still do not get it, be sure to con-tact your service provider to find outabout your settings. This is especiallytrue if your email address is AOL, Yahoo,or Hotmail, to mention only a few.

If you already receive your E-News fromNCGR and the memberletter link, thenyou do NOT need to do anything unlessyou want information sent to a differentemail address. Remember that regulus bal-lots and all future NCGR voting will takeplace online, and it is most important foryour email address to be current to receiveNCGR correspondence.

If you wish to continue to read hard copy,just print this issue out and staple it to-gether. If you do not have access to aprinter, please ask another NCGR mem-ber to print out a copy for you, or contactyour chapter president. If you are a mem-ber-at-large, you can always contactonline@geocosmic.org and someone onthe Board will assist you.

Lastly if you have technical problems down-loading or printing memberletter, thenplease contact me at memberletter@geocosmic.org.

Ronnie Dreyermemberletter Editor

are you gettinge-news and

memberletter?

to review what has already begun, and toeliminate the inefficient.

LYNN KOINER is the president of theAnnapolis NCGR, International Liaisonfor National NCGR, and she writesarticles on her website for free down-loading at www.lynnkoiner.com, whereyou can find a longer version of thisarticle.

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Slovenia, “My Eclipsed” Country by Ema Kurent

SLOVENIA, A SMALL EUROPEAN

country, bordering on Italy (tothe west), Austria (to the north),

Hungary (to the east) and Croatia (to thesouth), was established as an autono-mous country on June 25, 1991, followinga national referendum of December 23,1990, at which the large majority of voters(95%) expressed their will to separate fromSFRJ (Socialist Federative Republic ofYugoslavia), our then state that we sharedwith Croatians, Serbians, Bosnians,Macedonians, and Montenegrins. Ourlanguage is Slovenian, the capital isLjubljana, and the 2011 populationestimate is just over 2,050,000.

Slovenian independence was proclaimedjust two days prior to the appulse lunareclipse of June 27, 1991, and 16 daysbefore the total solar eclipse of July 11,1991. On the astrolocality map, the lunareclipse ran straight over the ascendant-descendant line for the Yugoslav region—with the exact alignment at Belgrade, thecapital of Yugoslavia—making this regionvery sensitive to the effects of the eclipse.The ensuing solar eclipse had Pluto overthe MC for Slovenia, and the eclipse pointitself went just a few degrees to the west.

So, Slovenia became independent, andcelebrations began. BUT, as astrology hasit, projects that start before an eclipsedon't proceed as planned. Something isbound to go wrong. Bill Meridian speaksat length on this issue in his book ThePredictive Power of Eclipse Paths (NewYork: Cycles Research, 2010). On page 14,he says

The eclipse is a red flag indicating thatthere is hidden knowledge that can upsetone's plans. In the period prior to theeclipse, we are in a shadow, not seeingthe complete situation.

In the same chapter he also cites CharlesJayne, who wrote in 1952:

A good rule to observe is to initiate novital action or decision within a week orten days before an eclipse. Things that

are started shortly before an eclipse havea way of being stillborn, not working outin the manner intended or expected.

And so it was. Our country was attackedby the Yugoslav People's Army immedi-ately after the proclamation of indepen-dence, on the morning of June 26. A 10-day war ensued, which is now remem-bered as the Slovenian IndependenceWar. Slovenian Territorial Defense (underthe command of Janez Janša) successfullydefended the country against YPA, andon July 7 it was agreed that all Yugoslavmilitary units would leave Slovenia.

But Slovenia was not the only Yugoslavrepublic to claim its independence—Croatia did the same thing, on the samedate. Their war for independence lastedmuch longer and their casualties weremuch bigger in numbers. In any event, itseems that we can rightfully say that thesaid lunar eclipse—together with theensuing total solar eclipse—marked thebeginning of the Yugoslav wars which sodevastatingly marked the first half of the1990s.

After 20 volatile years of parliamentarydemocracy, during which those politicalforces that were at the very heart of thestriving and struggling for nationalindependence and democratic constitu-tion (called Slovenska pomlad, or"Slovenian Spring") ruled the state foronly four years from 2004-2008 (asdistinguished from the communist partywhich was the only political option untilclose to 1991), there came a time when“history repeated itself…”

Astrologically, the Nodal cycle is 18.5years, but the Metonic Cycle, in whichsome eclipses repeat over the samezodiacal sign pairs, occurs every 19years,so that the partial lunar eclipse of June 26,2010 and the total solar eclipse of July 11,2010 occurred on the same degrees of theeclipses of June 27, 1991, and July 11,1991. So, it came as no surprise that wehad early elections in 2011—the yearwhen eclipses also hit the Cancer and

Capricorn axis, the same as in 1991.(Incidentally, or not so incidentally,Slovenia's national chart has 0° Capricornas its ascendant!) Regular parliamentaryelections were scheduled for 2012, butsince the citizens rapidly grew dissatisfiedwith the government, which stoppedreceiving all support, early elections tookplace on December 4, 2011. Everybodyexpected that “Slovenian Spring” wouldcome to power again, but…Surprise! Onthe day of the poll, Mercury was retro-grade and the total lunar eclipse ofDecember 11 was just a week off. Com-pletely in line with astro-logic, “things didnot work out in the manner intended orexpected.”

(It should be mentioned that electionsactually took place in the “eclipseseason,” since there was a partial solareclipse shortly before the total lunar one,on November 25, 2011. The chart for thiseclipse is especially relevant (see p. 8).

What happened? The winning party wasPositive Slovenia, founded just a coupleof months before the elections. Its leader,Zoran Jankovic, the mayor of Ljubljana(the capital of Slovenia), succeeded inwhat would seem an impossible task: hewon over SDS (Social Democratic Party)of Janez Janša, an experienced politicianand the “hero” of the Slovenian indepen-dence war.

But the biggest surprise was yet to come:in the weeks following the elections, itturned out that Zoran Jankovic could notget enough parliamentary support to beable to form a government; a stalemateensued, which has, at the time of thewriting, still not been resolved. In themeantime, the country and its people havebecome strongly and passionatelydivided between the advocates of “left”and “right” political options, personifiedby Zoran Jankovic (left) and Janez Janša(right), the leaders of the two strongestparties. At the time of my writing, it lookslike the right wing will finally take overand Janez Janša will become mandator.

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SLOVENIA cont’d from p. 7

(Zoran Jankovic, January 1, 1953, 4:30 AM,Smederevo, Yugoslavia. Source. Un-known, but circulated widely on the net.Janez Jansa, September 17, 1958, 11:46AM, Ljubljana, Slovenia. Source. BirthCertificate.)

As our democracy is still in its “baby”phase, the situation is very volatile, andwith Mars changing from direct to retro-grade motion, causing frustrated attemptsto overcome defeat (on the side of thosewho seem to be “defeated”), let's just hopethat our government will be formedpeacefully and without subversiveattempts to overthrow those who have justrecently come into power.

Solar Eclipse and ElectionLet's take a brief look at the chart of thepartial solar eclipse of November 25, 2011,which preceded the election date. As youcan see, the eclipse is conjunct theascendant for Ljubljana, the capital. What'smore: Janez Janša's natal ascendant is 15°Sagittarius, while the (alleged) ascendantof Zoran Jankovic is 2° Sagittarius, so bothpoliticians were especially sensitive to thisparticular eclipse. It should be noted, too,that Janša's natal Pluto is at 2° Virgo, inexact square to the eclipse point.

Looking at Slovenia's national chart, wecan see that its MC is 28° Libra 48’conjunct the current Saturn position, whichwill changed direction (from direct toretrograde) on February 8, thereby signal-ing change, too.

Update. Since this article was originallywritten in November 2011, there have beenmany changes that relate to the events inthe article. In January, the Slovenianparliament elected Janez Janša for manda-tor. The “left” political forces, which haveruled the country until now, have beenreplaced by the “right” ones. The newgovernment plans many changes, the mostimportant being the reduction of the num-ber of ministries (from 15 to 11), with a clearview to lower national expenses. Janša andhis government have an important task topull the country out of debt, so Saturn inthe 10th house for the moment showsimminent economization and, betweenFebruary 8 and (probably) the end of June,the reorganization of ministries.

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SLOVENIA cont’d from p. 8

As I wrote in November 2011, when this articlewas originally written, and having the presentplanetary influences in mind: “The November 2011solar eclipse is on the ascendant for our country,showing a change in government. TransitingSaturn in the 10th suggests that after the elec-tions, our country will be ruled by strict andeconomical standards.”

As we go to press on February 24, I have onemore update. The new cabinet led by Janez Janšatook office on February 2, 2012, and, since then,his party (SDS) has been getting increasedsupport and has established itself as the strongestparty.

The last Finance (a Slovenian daily paper) pollresults say: “Over 31% of respondents in thelatest Finance poll would vote for the coalitionDemocrats (SDS). The opposition Social Demo-crats (SD) came in second with 17.7%, overtakingthe opposition Positive Slovenia (PS), whichended up third with 14.4% support" (Source:Slovenian Press Agency). Let's remember thatPositive Slovenia was the party which won theofficial polls, on December 4, 2011!

What a change! Astro-logically, it should havebeen expected. As always, heavens were "right.”American readers may be interested to learn thatthe U.S. Ambassador to Slovenia JosephMussomeli has told the latest edition of Mladinaweekly that the U.S. is pleased with the newSlovenian government. And so am I.

EMA KURENT (DFAstrolS, QHP, CMA, ISARCAP) from Ljubljana, Slovenia, has been aprofessional astrologer since 1989, consulting,teaching, and writing. She specializes in tradi-tional and predictive astrology. She is the headof the Slovenian Astrological Academy Stellaand author of the bestselling books, “Sonce inLuna” (“The Moon and the Sun—144 zodiacalcombinations”) and “Lunin vodnik” (“MoonGuide,” a yearly publication), plus nine teachingmanuals (in Slovenian). Her articles haveappeared in journals worldwide; she writesregular astrology columns in the Slovenian pressand has spoken at several international confer-ences. Her lecture on eclipses in natal delinea-tion is scheduled as a free lunchtime lecture atUAC 2012. Her website is www.emakurent. com.Her email is: me@emakurent.com.

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Neptune Returns Home to Pisces by Kaye Shinker

NEPTUNE RULES PISCES AND IS VERY

happy to once again return to hiskingdom. He rules with his trident

in one hand and the reigns for his chariotin the other. He will poke individualsinsisting that they identify and share theirtalents. He is a compassionate ruler mostof the time, however, he has a violenttemper. Neptune is restless and anxious toget things done. He breaks throughconventional rules and slides overboundaries. He will not be told what to do.

Neptune entered tropical Pisces April 4,2011, and stayed for a few months beforeturning retrograde on June 2, 2011. Stillretrograde, Neptune returned to Aquariuson August 11, 2011, before going direct onNovember 9, 2011 at 28° Aquarius andreturns to Pisces on February 4, 2012. Hewill remain in Pisces until April 1, 2025.

Neptune was discovered “with the pointof a pen” on September 23, 1846 at 28°Aquarius. The mathematical prediction ofUrbain Le Verrier was confirmed at theBerlin Observatory by Johann Galle usingLe Verrier’s calculations. It was a dramaticconfirmation of Newton’s law of gravita-tion and a sensational moment in 19thCentury science. The history of Neptune’sdiscovery is fascinating. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_of_Neptune).

Neptune spends 14 years in each sign ofthe zodiac. His synodic cycle is 165 years.NASA’s photograph from space revealshis color as aquamarine blue. He has 13Moons and a very faint ring system. Hehas a great dark spot and a striped patternof clouds.

Neptune’s MythNeptune is the Roman god of the seas andanalogous to the Greek god Poseidon. Hewas a titan and the brother of Jupiter andPluto. When Jupiter, Pluto, and Neptunedefeated their father Saturn they dividedthe world into three parts. Jupiter took thesky, Neptune the sea and Pluto theunderworld. Neptune’s reputation forhaving a violent temper was believed tocause of earthquakes, and violent storms.

In ancient times very little was writtenabout the god Neptune. The Roman holi-day to honor Neptune was in late July atthe end of their harvest season. City folkscelebrated the holiday with gatherings inthe countryside near rivers and lakes.

PiscesAccording to one Greek myth, Aphroditeand her son transformed themselves intofish to escape the monster Typhon. Tomake sure they did not lose each otherthey tied a cord onto their tails. The mythillustrates Pisces unique ability to plan forfuture difficulties and minimize thechances of the problem becoming a biggerchallenge.

Pisces is imaginative, intuitive andcompassionate. Pisces is artistic andeasily adjusts to new circumstances andnew thinking. It is a complex sign thatbreaks down material boundaries. Itthrives on creative endeavors and findsunique solutions to difficult problems.

In financial astrology Pisces representsshipping, trade and travel. It cannot workaccording to conventional office sched-ules. Pisces is an artist, a writer, and amusician. It is tuned into another part ofthe universe that is concealed and totallyunknown until it allows it to materialize inthe form of wondrous new artistic forms.

Neptune rules creativity, design andpublic institutions. He rules music, dance,and films. He rules large animals such ascattle, horses, camels, and deer. Hegoverns the oceans, fish, and ships.Neptune governs storms, chaos,

confusion and deception. He is idealistic,compassionate, and is adept at revealingscandals.

Neptune’s Previous Transits ofPiscesNeptune’s transit of Pisces has broughteveryone thousands of hours of fascinat-ing entertainment. Novels, ballads, poetryand music are filled with the extraordinaryadventures of humans during these timeperiods.

Boundaries are blurred as he movesforward through his sign. He finds plentyof prospectors to provide him with anabundance of precious metals to barter forthe things he needs. Neptune encouragesgroups to organize and colonize vast areasof open lands. This transit could includecolonizing the Moon in search of rareearth metals as well as possible fuel forinterstellar voyages.

A quick look at previous transits ofNeptune through Pisces reveals that hardcurrency in the form of precious metals(silver, gold, platinum) flood the market asa result of the discovery of new sources ormines. Creative innovations are requiredfor the transfer of large amounts of bullionbetween buyers and sellers. The receiptsof deposit become another form ofcurrency forcing changes in the valuationof previous reserve currencies. New typesof banking systems are created whiletraditional banks are forced to change.Many financial institutions do notsurvive.

Innovations in transportation and thedissemination of knowledge create a newclass of workers as well as entrepreneurs.Strong men and leaders emerge fromnontraditional social stratums. Thebusiness of religion and higher educationis forced into a new paradigm. Here is abrief summary of each period in historywhen Neptune transited Pisces. Each 14year segment was a time for great stories,interesting leaders, and magnificentadventures.

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Just before Kaye Shinker passed away,she gave me this article on Neptune,which is adapted from an article on herwebsite, because she thought that themembership would find it both interest-ing and relevant. I agreed and scheduledit for this issue, and even with herpassing, it is obvious that she has left anenduring legacy.

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NEPTUNE IN PISCES cont’d from p.10

1192-1207. It was a time of very fluidnational borders and strong man rulers. Itwas a time for adventure travel with largegroups of people moving across vastterritories.

Richard the Lionhearted was returning toEngland from Israel after his adventureson the 3rd Crusade. He was captured andheld for ransom. The people of Britainraised the ransom in about one year anevent that betrayed the true wealth of theIsland Kingdom. The Knights Templardeveloped the first full service banks inorder to move vast sums of money toenable the European Crusader’s efforts toreclaim Jerusalem and other adventures inthe Near East. The Crusaders capturedand sacked Constantinople. Saladin ofEgypt however made a peace treaty withthe Crusaders. This treaty served to unitethe Arab world. In China, Genghis Kahnwas elected Kahn of the Mongols andbegan the establishment of the Chineseempire.

1356-1370. This was the time of the BlackDeath in Europe and included severalbattles during the Hundred Years War.Depopulation left vast areas of agricul-tural land untilled and untitled. TheOttoman Empire expanded into Europe.The Khans were replaced by the Mingdynasty in China.

1520-1534. Magellan sailed around theworld. Cortez invaded Mexico. He shippedthe Aztec’s gold to Europe. An increasedsupply of gold destroyed the economy ofEurope. Henry VIII was king of England.His break with the Catholic churchreturned monasteries and other pieces ofchurch property to the public tax roles.Martin Luther translated the Bible intoGerman. The Ottoman Empire was at itsZenith and ruled by Suleyman theMagnificent. Copernicus published hispopular theory on currency.Johchimsthaler or ‘thaler was the name ofa popular silver coin from Bohemia. Itsname was Anglicized to ‘dollar.’

1684-1697. Peter the Great expanded theRussian territory. The Ottoman Empire wasdefeated by the Holy League. This wasthe time of the Glorious Revolution inEngland where political power moved tothe moneyed classes.

The Bank of England waschartered. Silver coins inEngland were replacedwith a new issue of silvercoins. There was a goldrush in Brazil and theMassachusetts Baycolony issued papercurrency.

1847-1862. Politicalupheavals abound inEurope. Controversies inthe United States led tothe Civil War. Uncle Tom’sCabin was published aswas Darwin’s Theory ofthe Evolution of theSpecies. Railroads criss-crossed Europe and theAmericas. Banks in theUnited States were forcedto suspend payments,German and French banksfailed because they hadhedged their investmentsin the emerging USA. TheGreenbacks became legaltender in the UnitedStates. Gold was discov-ered in California, Colo-rado, Pikes Peak, andAustralia thus producing ahuge supply of hardmoney.

The transit of Neptunethrough Pisces (2011-2025)will promote innovationand imagination of thosethings related to Pisces.When Neptune began itstransit of Aquarius inFebruary 1998 an explo-sion of innovation hap-pened in the world ofelectronics. Huge TVs, 3Dmovies, the Internet, theIPhone, the Kindle, cloudcomputing and all of thetiny inventions that makethese instruments work.The transit of Neptunewill do the same to thosethings related to energy,pharmaceuticals, water,shoes, music and dance.

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NEPTUNE IN PISCES cont’d from p 11

Neptune TidbitPollywogs are sailors who have nevercrossed the equator. A line crossingceremony is still current in many naviesand merchant fleets. When the shipcrosses the equator subpoenas are issuedto the pollywogs and they must appearbefore King Neptune and his court. TheKing’s first assistant is Davy Jones andsometimes he includes “her highnessAmphitrite.” The ceremony often endswith hazing and the pollywogs receive acertificate proclaiming them Shellbacks, orThe Sons of Neptune.

The ceremony often ends with hazing andthe pollywogs receive a certificateproclaiming them Shellbacks or the Sonsof Neptune.

To read more about Kaye’s extraordinarylife, please turn to p. 26 for JosephPolise’s tribute.

IN AUGUST OF 2010, PLUTO, URANUS, andSaturn briefly formed a t-square incardinal signs (Capricorn, Aries, and

Libra, respectively). In the United States,the Pentagon faced issues with Wikileaksand with its handling of Guantanamo Bayprisoners, while the federal governmentwas being criticized for its handling of thefinancial crisis. Governments around theworld were feeling the crisis in thefinancial area as well as in the people’sconfidence in their governance. Uranusretrograded out of Aries into Pisces, butthen returned to stay in March 2011. Thesquare of Uranus to Pluto will be exact inJune of 2012. We examine here theastrological and historical backgroundleading to that square, and look to somelikely outcomes.

Pluto Enters Capricorn—The Fallto EarthWhen Pluto was in Sagittarius during the13 years preceding its entry intoCapricorn in January, 2008, AlanGreenspan was the Chairman of the

Uranus Square Pluto— The Cardinal Crisis by Bill Priest

Federal Reserve during almost all of thattime. When he left office he claimed thathe had presided over the most lucrativefinancial period of the time. What he failedto say was that the increase of pay for theaverage person, not on Wall Street or in alarge bank, had almost ground to a halt. Itwas a period rife with the notion that freemarkets must remain exactly that, devoidof governmental oversight. The gapbetween the wealthy and the middle classbecame wider than ever.

Gaining true insight into the effects ofPluto in Capricorn requires somebacktracking into its earlier effects as itentered Sagittarius; after all, Pluto hasonly been in our consciousness since1930 when it was discovered. TheInternatioinal Astronomical Union (IAU)downgraded its planetary status (since2006) to “dwarf planet” because of itsinclusion with other masses of rock andice in the Kuiper Belt far out in our solarsystem. The truth is that several otherlarger masses have been discovered sincethen, but none have captured the humanimagination so completely, or been namedafter such a mysterious and centralclassical figure as Pluto, the Roman God ofthe Underworld. Like his namesake,Pluto’s effect on the human condition isdark and deep.

Among its many other attributes, Plutohas come to represent the handling ofother people’s money, whether that be ininvestments, in banks, or investmentbanking. There has always been aPlutonian connection to the highlyemotional issue of trust as it relates to thehandling of money. Sagittarius is noted forits emphasis on freedom, especially thefreedom which keeps on moving forwardand doesn’t take the time to look at thedetails. The Sagittarian enthusiasm forhow the financial world had foundingenious ways to make money with otherpeople’s money was infectious. Payingattention to the details of the transactionswas a mere annoyance. To me, thequintessential symbol of the Pluto in

Sagittarius madness was Bernie Madoff.He couldn’t even admit to himself why hedid what he did in bilking billions ofdollars from investors. It was a matter oftime before the many houses of cards inthe financial world came tumbling to earth,just as Pluto entered the earth signCapricorn.

It’s interesting to note that the previoustime when Pluto went from fire to earth(Leo to Virgo in the late 1950s) therecession of 1958 hit the country.Unemployment in Detroit was over 20%.Soon after, in his inaugural address onJanuary 20, 1961, the new president JohnF. Kennedy made his statement Ask notwhat your country can do for you; askwhat you can do for your country. TheVirgoan attribute of service was in highgear as the Peace Corps was formed.

Our current “fall to earth” involves achallenge to our governance (Capricorn issymbolic of all forms of control includinggovernment and business management.)Now we are revisiting our whole approachto big finance and its relationship togovernment. You can very clearly see thatpeople are fed up with how out-of-touchCongress is with ordinary people. And ofcourse this same discontent can be seen inthe Arab world, Africa and Europe as well.The trend is probably world-wide, but wecan’t always see how it manifests in allcountries.

Uranus Enters Aries.The Call to ActionUranus is a planet strongly connected toour global awareness. Awareness heremeans mostly human consciousness (wedon’t know about the whales and thechimps.) Uranus rules the sign of theBearer of Water, Aquarius, and this beingthe “dawning of the Age of Aquarius,” asthe song says, our intellectual capacitiesare growing broader every day with theintroduction of information via the internetand other sources. The recent PBS Novaprogram entitled, “The Fabric of the

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Cosmos” explained how recentdevelopments in the sciences, especiallyastrophysics, stretches the possibilities ofreality to new levels. From the relativelynew string theory, dark energy theory andinflation theory, emerges the possibility ofmultiple universes. All the principles ofhow our universe works may be similar,but different in other universes that couldexist. This mind-blowing development inexplaining reality contains the possibilityof a scientific explanation for planetaryinfluences, although scientists arecertainly not saying this or looking for it.

The Arian influence shows us that, as thisglobal awareness reaches more and morepeople, they are less satisfied with life asusual. As Uranus entered Aries to stay inthe Spring of 2011, the “Arab Spring”phenomenon began to blossom with itsuse of social media to communicate andorganize. I recently read a list of thecountries that protested (at different levelsof intensity) during this time, and wasstunned to see its length. It includes

URANUS-PLUTO cont’d from p.12 Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Syria,Yemen, Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco,Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritania,Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and WesternSahara. The attitudes expressed remindme of Peter Finch in the movie Network(1976), yelling, “I’m mad as hell, and I’mnot going to take it any more!”

This is the beginning point of thecardinal crisis, where human events thathad been happening during the uneasybut less cardinal Uranus-in-Piscesperiod, come to a boil. The fire of Arieswants to “start something,” so startsomething it has. This angry energy hasbeen apparent around the world,including political dissent of varioussorts in the United States.

As the nature of this dissent begins toevolve towards world financial crisis,bringing the Plutonian influence into play,we can see the global awareness influenceof Uranus more clearly. People are begin-ning to question the relationships betweenthe financial and political worlds.

What’s Happening.The Conscience of the KingSomething is rotten in the State ofDenmark. Hamlet’s uncle, with greed forpower in his heart, has murdered hisbrother, Hamlet’s father, and taken thethrone and the Queen. Hamlet says, “Theplay’s the thing wherein I’ll catch theconscience of the King.” He has decidedto use a dramatic device to let the Kingknow that he, Hamlet, knows what he hasdone. This is the situation the world findsitself in as demonstrations andrevolutions are staged to let those inpower (the power of excess money andthe power of government) know that theless powerful know what they have done(Pluto in Capricorn), and the less powerfulwon’t take it any more (Uranus in Aries).

As the need for this new view solidified,Uranus entered Aries (May 2010) andbegan to formulate the second part of thisdynamic Uranus/Pluto square, which isthe need for action. As is often the case,the seed for dramatic action is sown well

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URANUS-PLUTO cont’d from p.13

before the action takes place. Uranus,backed out of Aries for seven months andreturned with a vengeance during the“Arab Spring” (March 2011). The Hamletsof the world were ready to take on theKing.

The word “conscience” has evolvedsomewhat from Shakespeare’s time.Conscience meant literally “con”, together,and “science”, knowledge—knowing thesame truth together. It had come to mean,by Shakespeare’s time, a broader sense ofknowing as well, and we have since lostthat earlier, more precise definition. Now, aconscience is something shared on a muchbroader level by human beings, and it ispresumed to be inherent in the humancondition. If we can only make people seewhat their actions have done, they will, ingood conscience, see the error of theirways. That, of course, remains to be seenin some cases. I doubt that ColonelQaddafi, as he was taken from his hidingplace in a sewer pipe, ever reached a levelof true conscience, but who knows.

The Coming Square. What’s It AllComing To?One essential book that deals withaspects between outer planets, includingspecifically the Uranus-Pluto aspect, isRichard Tarnas’ Cosmos and Psyche:Intimations of a New World View (NewYork: Viking Press, 2006). It is an epicwork that includes much more than outerplanet aspects, but it has set the tone foranyone who wishes to find meaning inthem.

As it happens, he focused on theconjunction and opposition aspects ofUranus/Pluto and not the squares. Hemakes the important distinction betweensynchronic events (those gaining theirsignificance because they happen at thesame time) and diachronic events (thosewhich change or advance as they recurover time.) The square, then, sets off aslightly different series of events whichtake much of their significance from theprevious conjunction. In his book,Tarnas expresses the diachronic effect onp. 202 as follows:

One feels when looking at these manyhistorical and cultural phenomenathat what is worked out and broughtforth at each moment is never lost,nor is it truly isolated in itsindividual or local context. Ratherat some deeper level it participatesand endures in a much largercollective unfolding.

Pluto is, by its very nature, dramatic,tragic, intense, revolutionary, associatedwith death, with investment, and with thedigging up of old ghosts. As we look deepinto what has gone wrong, the parallels toprevious recessions (or depressions)keeps pointing us to the basics of thesecycles—the “fund”-amentals if you will.We have seen a sharp increase in thefocus on budgetary and fiscalresponsibility. As we get closer to theJune 2012 “peak” point of the Uranus-Pluto square, we look for events whichdeepen our understanding of both theneed to tighten belts and the need to acton conviction.

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URANUS-PLUTO cont’d from p.14

Under the influence of the Uranus-Plutosquare, we are becoming increasinglyaware of the long-term effects of thismisuse of power, and as we go to press,the deaths in Syria brought about bygovernmental force has resulted in worldleaders demanding the fall of the Assadregime. In the United States the OccupyWall Street movement, an example of theclash of needs between corporate Americaand the tax-paying public, has gainedsignificant momentum, and if it does notlose its sense of direction in the wintermonths, we could see significant changesover the next few years in government’srelationship to corporate power.

We can only hope that the Plutonianenergy in Capricorn is strong enough toforce the necessary changes in basicgovernment and business managementstructure, and that the Uranian energythat keeps us aware adds to that change.It seems healthy to me that at least in theUnited States, CEOs, Congresspersonsand people in government oversightpositions are being asked to justifythemselves. How far this energy goestowards actual reform remains to be seen;however, there is no doubt in my mindthat something is shifting.

Believers in the Mayan calendar predict akind of apocalypse for December 21, 2012.They often refer to it as a shift in powerfrom the universal masculine energy to theuniversal feminine. I’m not an apocalyptickind of thinker, but I predict far-reachingramifications coming with the Pluto-Uranus square in June 2012.

BILL PRIEST has a Bachelor’s Degree inEnglish and Philosophy from McGillUniversity in Montreal. He has spentmost of his life in the software develop-ment and application industry in theUnited States where he was born. For fiveyears before that, he taught English atthe high school level. In the same year hebegan his software career, he also tookup astrology and has studied andpracticed that art for thousands ofclients. He has developed a web site forhis business, named The Weather Within,www.weatherwithin.com, and he can bereached at bill@theweatherwithin.com.

UAC NEVER SLEEPS EVEN WHEN THE LAST LECTURE OF THE DAY IS OVER. Here are some ofthe activities that you can indulge in each night. Remember that you can sign up

for each activity at the www.uacastrology.com.

Rock ‘n’ Bowl. Friday, May 25, 7:00 pm-midnight.A favorite of New Orleans locals, the Rock ‘n’ Bowl is a bowling alley known for itsamazing live entertainment. It’s a notable venue for first-rate musicians—with suchluminaries as Kermit Ruffins, Dr. John, Gene Delafose, Nathan and the Zydeco ChaChas, and many others playing the Rock ‘n’ Bowl. Whether you want to bowl, listen tolive music, dance, or mingle in an upbeat and entertaining environment, Friday night’sparty will certainly provide a striking opportunity. It’s a not-to-be-missed gathering, andone that’s really unique to the Crescent City. As astrologer Lynn Bell notes, Rock ‘n’Bowl is “quirky and fun, and quintessentially New Orleans.”

From 7:00-9:30 pm, the Rock ‘n’ Bowl will be all ours. Strike up a game of bowling withyour friends and colleagues on one of the vintage lanes. Enjoy dinner featuring an arrayof party finger foods plus Cajun entrée classics such as Chicken & Andouille Jambalayaand Crawfish Etouffee with Rice. Beer, wine, and non-alcoholic libations will also beserved.

Afterwards, from 9:30 pm through midnight, we’ll rock the night away as locals join usfor vibrant and foot-stomping live music. There will also be a cash bar. Getting to andfrom Rock ‘n’ Bowl is easy, as we’ll have free shuttle buses from 7:00 pm throughmidnight. And if you want to stay later, a cab ride is just a call away. Tickets are $35 ($45after April 15, 2012) and include dinner, bowling, music, and transportation. They alsoinclude wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages during dinnertime. To register go towww.uacastrology.com/rocknbowl2012.shtml. For more about the venue, seewww.rocknbowl.com.

All That Jazz! Silent Auction Cocktail Party. Saturday, May 26, 6:30-8:30 pm.Silent Auction along with cocktail service will be held before Michael Lutin’s showOMG, The Mayans Were Right! Auction items will include readings with prominentastrologers, fine art, professional opportunities, books, and more! All funds raised willgo toward scholarship awards by UAC partner organizations—so snap up a great itemand show your support at the same time! The auction catalog will be on the All TheJazz! website and an online bidding feature will allow you to bid beginning May 12, twoweeks before the live auction. Consider making a tax-deductible item donation. Themore items we feature in the auction the more vibrant, successful, and fun it will be.

Michael Lutin’s OMG, The Mayans Were Right! Saturday, May 26, 8:30 pm.The brainchild of Michael Lutin, OMG, The Mayans Were Right! is being billed as apost-apocalyptic time-travel musical evening. The show will embody all the thought-provoking humor and envelope-pushing creativity for which Michael’s events arefamous. Paying homage to Regulus in Virgo, OMG, The Mayans Were Right! celebratesthe sanctity of femininity and artistry, while also creatively probing aspects of theMayan prophecies, by propelling us through a collective temporal vortex where we willtravel to and fro, having encounters with a cast of characters who are certain to enter-tain and inspire while also challenging us in our perceptions. There will be scores of ori-ginal music, witty banter, and all the offbeat spectacles you’ve come to expect from aMichael Lutin production. Get your tickets early to assure your spot in the fun! Ticketsare $25 for general seating and $40 for premium seating. You can purchase your tickets whenyou register for the conference (www.uacastrology.com/registration/register2012.cg).

We hope you take advantage of everything UAC has to offer. See you all in New Orleansthis coming May.

UAC After Hours

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ding China, Mexico and Polyynesia—toask what ideas are shared and where thedifferences lie. We will include a look attheories of how astrology works andastrological activities such as calendarrituals and sacred architecture. Come andlearn about unfamiliar ways, which mayadd to your understanding of familiarpractices. Jeff Jawer. Transforming the Astrolo-ger to Transform the World. Self-labelingwith astrology, i.e., "I have Venus squarePluto so my relationships are alwaysdifficult," is a trap that inhibits personalgrowth and reduces astrology's effective-ness as a tool for change. This workshopsupplies techniques for transcendingthese limits by exploding planetarysymbolism, deconstructing natal charts,and liberating astrology from its conser-vative roots so it can become a creativecontributor to the next stage of humanevolution rather than a remnant of thepast. Bill Meridian. Working With YourNatal Eclipse and its Path. The Johndro-Jayne techniques for the determination ofthe proper natal eclipse have been lost formany years until they were brought backThe Predictive Power of Eclipse Paths.This workshop will review the conceptsin greater depth including: Determinationof the proper eclipse; What the pathmeans for your life; Timing with the nataleclipse; The path and your A*C*G map. Ray Merriman. Integrating FinancialAstrology Timing Techniques with CycleStudies To Forecast ExceptionalTrading Opportunities. This workshopwill review cycle theories and calculationsas outlined in Merriman on MarketCycles: The Basics. We will then applythe timing insights of Financial astrologyto those principles in order to identifyoptimal trading situations, as well as alonger-term outlook for investors. Theexamples to be used for applying thesemethods will be today's stock andprecious metals markets. Time and priceprojections of each will be discussed. Melanie Reinhart: The Four Angles:Structure, Purpose, and Container ofIncarnation. The four angles anchor themandala of our life and describe ourorientation in time and space, providingthe symbolic material with which toapproach the significant life-questions:"Who am I?", "Where do I come from?",

UAC cont’d from p. 1 and "Who am I in relation to you?", and"What does the world ask of me?" Weconsider the meaning of each angle bysign, aspect, and the transit processinitiated by the outer planets includingChiron. Gayatri Devi Vasudev. Tips on PredictiveVedic Astrology. The Moon in Vedicastrology is considered pivotal in chartinterpretation, as it is an indicator ofconsciousness. Chandra, the Moon, is anindex of free will, in the Fate versus FreeWill dilemma, that is of interest to Vedicastrology with its emphasis on Karma andRebirth. Join one of India's most recog-nized astrologers in learning how Vedicastrologers evaluate and release thepredictive power inherent within theMoon.

Post-Conference Workshops.Wednesday, May 30. 10:00 AM-4:00 PM(includes 2-hour lunch break)

Bernadette Brady. Rethinking Aspects.Are our natal aspects just about ourinternal cosmology, our inner tensions,and personality issues, or can they alsoshow us as members of a community? Arewe in the centre of our own lives or are wea creative part of something larger than theself? This workshop combines medievaland modern aspect theory to present afresh approach to the geometry of ourcharts. Steven Forrest. Lunar Phase. Perhapsthe most obvious lunar phenomenon is themonthly cycle of phases, but it is curiouslymarginalized in astrological practice. Howis a Full Moon in Gemini different from acrescent Moon in the same sign? Whatabout waxing versus waning? Based onSteven's latest work, The Book of theMoon, this lecture introduces an eight-phase interpretation of the lunar cyclebased on the Pagan calendar of solstices,equinoxes, and cross-quarter days. Robert Hand. Dealing with DifficultTransits and Chart Combinations. It isnot enough to tell clients that they canovercome difficult transits and chartcombinations by free will. We need toprovide strategies and concrete behavioralsuggestions as to what to do. Thisworkshop will use the charts of theattendees to demonstrate the methods,which are drawn from modern and tradi-tional astrology.

UAC and RegulusInformation

If you have not received your ballotto vote for the Regulus Awards,please contact Demetrius Bagley,media@geocosmic.org, and hewill make sure that you get one. IfNCGR does not have your emailaddress you should get a ballot inthe mail, but please do check toensure that you can vote.

The complete schedule for classesand free speech lectures arecurrently on our website.

All booths have been rented. Ifyou'd like to be placed on thewaitlist, please contact TimTucker, UAC2012.TradeShow@gmail.com.

If you need a roommate for UAC,contact Linda Fei,uac2012roommates@gmail.com.

Deborah Houlding. The Horary Consul-tation. Horary astrology has a rightfulplace in every astrologer's practice, beingone of the most incisive techniques foroffering guidance through problems andcrises. It has greater scope and flexibilitythan most astrologers realize, with theadded advan-tage that it's easy to masteronce a few core principles are understood.This work-shop demonstrates a system-atic approach to horary judgment, whichis illustrated by a variety of proven casehistories. Suitable for all levels of experi-ence. Richard Tarnas. The History of Rockand Roll. The history of rock and rollrepresents one of the great creativeexplosions of the twentieth century, and acornucopia of illuminating astrologicalparadigm cases. This workshop willsurvey that history and explore manyclassics, from Elvis through Dylan, theBeatles and the Rolling Stones, Clapton,Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and on to JoniMitchell, Bruce Springsteen, U2, andAlanis Morissette. Music examples andvideo clips will be used to illustrate thepresentation.

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NCGR NewsAround the Board

Report on the NCGR NationalBoard of Directors Skype Meeting

January 29, 2012

The meeting was called to order byJohn Marchesella, Chair. The

following NCGR Board members were inattendance: Demetrius Bagley, JudyJohnson, Joyce Levine, Loretta Lopez,Jagdish Maheshri, John Marchesella,Frank Piechoski, Leigh Westin, MarkWolz. Staff in attendance: Ronnie Dreyer,Kenneth Irving. Chair’s Report. John Marchesella.There has been a good turnout forwebinars. Recordings are being sent topeople who signed up but missed theseminars. Sales of recordings from theSeptember seminar are doing well. The2013 NCGR conference is being planned.Stephanie Gailing is doing the hotelnegotiations and will be Treasurer for theconference. Joe Carasso, a lawyer, willoversee the hotel contract. NCGR mem-bers who have not renewed since 2008 willbe contacted about rejoining. Anothernotice to the chapters about JoannaShannon-Julian Armistead Chapterscholarship (one free membership to eachchapter) will be sent out. Clerk’s Report. Joyce Levine. JackieSlevin chaired the Nominating Committeefor elections. This was the first electionwhere the primary part of the voting tookplace online. The results were as follows:Clerk: Joyce Levine. 387 votes. Write ins:1 each. Grace Morris, Tamira McGillvray,Frances McEvoy, Demetrius Bagley.Director: Judy Johnson. 371 votes. Writeins: 1 each–Tad Mann, Frances McEvoy,Demetrius Bagley. Public Relations Director’s Report.Frank Piechoski. Work on the Astrologi-cal News Service (ANS) Editorial Board iscontinuing. A Philadelphia NCGR chapteris in the process of being formed. Publication Director’s Report. LorettaLopez. The Autumn-Winter ResearchJournal is out. The Best of… Journalissue will go to the printer by the firstweek in February. The Spring-SummerGeocosmic Journal is being edited by

Sheri Hartstein. Sheri is planning onhaving all the articles in by early Februaryso that the journal can go to the printer bysecond week in April and be mailed out bythe end of April. This journal should beout before UAC. Memberletter Report. Ronnie Dreyer. Asignificant advertising drive was launchedfor the December issue of memberletter.A discount was given. Five additionalads came in with $500-700 in additionalincome. People were asked to continue fornext three issues, and two renewed. Oldmemberletters will be brought to UAC forgiveaways. A few will be printed out andlaminated so that people will havesomething to look through. The March-April issue of memberletter will have allUAC information in it. Chapter Affairs and SIG Director’sReport. Leigh Westin. There is apotential for new chapters in Philadelphiaand Thailand. A process for contactingmembers who have not renewed is beingset up. Membership Director’s Report. MarkWolz. UAC triple memberships continueto come in. A form for emailing memberswho have not renewed will be created. Aform will be sent to chapter presidents sothat chapter members can renew atmeetings. NCGR materials are beingtranslated into Chinese. Webmaster’s Report. Kenneth Irving.The new member database is working.Progress is being made on interfacing thedatabase with the store and the store withthe bookkeeping-accounting. The Boardpages at geocosmic.org have beenupdated. Media and Communications. DemetriusBagley. All the materials that were storedat Astrolabe have been collected. AnNCGR store has been created on Amazon.To shop, go to: www. amazon.com/shops/aqknight. There are also 400 books thatneed to be sold or donated. An openhouse has been held to sell books. NCGRBoard and defunct chapter records arebeing reviewed and scanned, as appropri-ate. Lectures on MP3 continue to be sold.The NCGR Facebook page now has 1200+likes. The NCGR 2011 elections were heldprimarily by email for the first time andwent well. The Regulus Awards forUAC12 voting will be primarily by email. Research Director’s Report. JagdishMaheshri. The Winter Solstice Research

Journal has been mailed. The next researchjournal will be on the inner planets or theMoon.

Old Business

NCGR Events at UAC. Frank Piechoskiis presenting the Presentation SkillsWorkshop. Kaye Shinker's Walking Tourof New Orleans will be taken over bysomeone else. The Chapter Presidents'Leadership workshop is being put togetherby Leigh Westin and taking place at UACon Thursday morning. NCGR will have awelcoming party in the Hospitality Suiteon Thursday night and another gatheringon Sunday night. Friday lunchtime is theNCGR members meeting. Saturdaylunchtime is the Chapter Presidentsmeeting. Friday after the lectures closeNCGR will host the International Tea,specifically hosted by Lynn Koiner.NCGR-PAA will have use of the NCGRsuite on Friday night after 9:00 pm. AYAwill be using it Saturday night, afterMichael Lutin's show. As to staffing theTrade Show booth, volunteers will bescheduled in two-hour time blocks.Madalyn Hillis-Dineen will be the recipientof the Sisyphus Award at UAC. NCGR Conference 2013. NCGR isworking on a conference for 2013, mostlikely in Philadelphia. The goal is to beable to advertise the conference by UAC.Judy Johnson will serve as co-registrar forthe conference. Stephanie Gailling will bethe conference treasurer and is working onhotel negotiations.

New Business

Advisory Board. The following additionsto the Advisory Board were approved:Christeen Skinner, Darby Costello,Adrian Duncan, Madalyn Hillis-Dineen.The current Advisory Board will also beinvited to the Chapter Presidents lunch atUAC. NCGR will approach PAA to work on ajoint education program that bothorganizations can create together.

submitted by Joyce Levine, Clerk

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Call for Papers for Autumn-Winter 2012Research Journal

FOR THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE NCGR RESEARCH JOURNAL, we are not going torestrict the research objective to a particular theme, and instead, open up the

possibility for researchers to follow their ideas of their research work of interestwith an "Open" topic as long it deals with research.

Since the influence of planets on us manifest in several different ways, thearticles (papers) should attempt to explore the influence of planets on us withrespect to the topics of interest. For quantitative research, using a scientificapproach, the authors are expected to substantiate his or her findings backed bydata as evidence. For qualitative research please provide multiple examples tosupport your findings.

GuidelinesPlease submit your abstracts by May 1, 2012, and subsequently submit your paperby August 1, 2012. The work is expected to be original, research based, and neverpublished anywhere else before. The article must clearly state the research goal(s)and list the assumptions or limitations as clearly as possible. The research shouldbe able to stand on its own. The article may not need to be concluded with asuccessful research finding. It's the process and attempts that have been made tocarry out the research that will be given serious consideration. For the authors ofthe 2011 Research Journal, you can further extend their research work and sharetheir new findings with this paper.

Please send your abstract (80 words maximum) later than May 1, 2012. Theabstract must clearly state the objective of the research. The article (approximately6000 words maximum--not a strict guideline) deadline is August 1, 2012. Pleaseemail your abstract to researchdirector@geocosmic.org.

Submission of articles is open to all including veteran writers as well as newcomers.We encourage everyone to participate and share their research work with others. Ifyou have questions please feel free to write to me at the above address.

Jagdish C. MaheshriNCGR Research Director

NCGR Recordings Available

NCGR Online Lectures:The Outer PlanetsOriginally Presented onSaturday, January 28, 2012

Wendy Ashley. The Four Archetypes ofUranus: The Genius, The Stranger,Separation/Union Polarity. And Eros,That Little Troublemaker.

The “outer planets” carry meanings co-incident with the period of their discovery.For example, Uranus discovered in 1781, isthe planet of revolution, reform, the rightsof man, freedom, electricity and scientificgenius. Astrologer, Richard Tarnas, isconvinced Uranus is, or should be,Prometheus; I believe there are fourarchetypes for Uranus. In ancient Greece,Uranus was the Sky, in union, thenseparation, from Gaia, the Earth. Uranusnow carries their Fusion-SeparationPolarity. Venus, (born from their separa-tion), and Mars had a son, Eros, yetanother manifestation of the archetype ofUranus. And in Babylonia, the infre-quently seen planet was known as “TheStranger.”

Eileen McCabe. Neptune: The InvisibleReality

Neptune inspires us to seek an experienceof transcendence, but it can also wreakhavoc with our sense of self and identity,and has us feel the dissolution of oursense of reality. We seek an experience ofoneness in the area of life where Neptuneis in the natal horoscope, but it is also aplace where we can easily become co-dependent and lose our boundaries.Neptune brings music, beauty andspirituality into our lives, but it can bringconfusion and a gradual disappearance ofall our attachments. We will explore boththe psychological and spiritual archetypalmeanings of Neptune in the natal horo-scope and by transit.

Donna Cuningham in an Interview withJohn Marchesella. Healing Pluto Prob-lems Redux

First published in 1986, when Pluto was inthe heart of Scorpio,“Healing PlutoProblems” was a ground-breaking book,

and it went on to become a favoriteclassic among professional astrologersand students. In it, Donna dared toaddress the guilt, resentment and fear ofPluto, emotional secrets and their contri-bution to self-isolation, incest, abuse anddomestic violence, the need for powerand control, the psychology of being avictim, death, transformation and theconsequences of avoiding grief....as wellas the tools for healing these problems.

Now, many years and two zodiacal signslater, Donna revisits the topic of Pluto in

an interview conducted by JohnMarchesella, and she discusses how ourindividual and collective experiences ofthe archetype of Pluto has, and hasn’t,changed.

Lecture Pricing: $20 for one lecture;$35 for two lectures; $50 for three lectures.

You can purchase these recordings fordownload at our websitewww.geocosmic.org. The link is at the topof the page.

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Around the Community

Astrology and Academia. Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmologyin Culture at the University of Walesoffers the MA in Cultural Astronomy andAstrology. For information about thedistance learning program and theupcoming June conference, contact NickCampion, n.campion@lamp.ac.uk,www.lamp.ac.uk/sophia.edu. Informationabout the exciting June conference can befound on their website. The Institute for the Study of the AncientWorld, part of New York University, is agraduate program dedicated to the studyof the ancient world (including astrology).For information about upcoming lecturesand events: www.nyu.edu/isaw.com.

Astrology and the Media. AstrologyNews Service (ANS). Would you like

to put some polish on the answers yougive to skeptics and critics of astrology?Go to AstrologyNews Service.com andyou’ll find articles on the history of astro-logy, contributions of astrology to scienceand society, studies that validate astro-logical factors, and controversies thatkeep popping up around astrology. Themission of Astrology News Service (ANS)is to educate the public about astrologyand demonstrate the value of astrology toindividuals and society. The ANS websitecarries current articles, and you can sub-scribe to receive notification when newarticles are posted. ANS disseminates itsarticles to various media through publicrelations channels. NCGR is one of fourmajor astrological associations that sup-port the mission of ANS. We hope you’llvisit AstrologyNewsService.com and letthe light of astrology shine. Mark Wolz, ANS Rep for NCGR

AYA at UAC. Once again, UAC will have an AYA (Association for Young

Astrologers) suite for those who wish tostay in it. At UAC 2008, Kirk Kahn puttogether the very awesome and superaffordable room share for AYA membersand friends. That suite housed some 20+people over the conference on airbeds,beds, at least one couch and some othercurious spots! This great achievementbegan many many friendships betweenastrologers–silly and serious, West Coastand East Coast, of foreign and familiar

Around the Chapters-SIGS

The following chapters are celebratingInternational Astrology Day (IAD) withthe following events. As more chaptersprovide information, events will be listedin Around the World with NCGR e-newsletter. Watch for it.

New York City Chapter will celebrateIAD on Friday March 23, 2012, 6:30-

9:00 PM at the Source of Life Center, 352Seventh Avenue (W. 30th St.), 16th Floor,New York City. The evening’s theme is ThePower of Revolution: The Uranus-PlutoSquare. Speakers: Shelley Ackerman onMundane Astrology, John Marchesellaon the Transit to the Natal Horoscope,and Eileen McCabe on the Astrology ofRelationships. Members: $10. Non-members: $20. Information:www.astrologynyc.org.

San Francisco Chapter. Our chapter isworking with San Francisco Astrologi-

cal Society and AFAN to build a daylongevent for International Astrology Day.The event will be held on March 17, 2012and is entitled Beyond 2012. Dawn of aNew Era. (March 17th 2012) KeynoteSpeaker: Rob Hand, also featuring RioOlesky, Don Cerow, Laura Nalbandianand Angel Thompson. The event will takeplace at the First Unitarian UniversalistChurch at 1187 Franklin Street at Geary inSan Francisco. Rob will also be teaching aFull Day Post Conference Workshop onSunday March 18th, 2012, An Introduc-tion to Medieval Natal Chart Analysis atFort Mason Center, Building C, RoomC370. For more details go towww.ncgrsanfrancisco.org. A portion ofthe proceeds from the IAD-San Franciscoevent will be donated to AFAN.

Please turn to our back pages for moreinformation about chapters,includingmonthly meetings, special events, andtheir website listings. If you wish toattend a meeting, or speak at a meeting,be sure to check our back pages.

If your email address has changedplease be sure to let us know atexecsec@geocosmic.org. If youhave not received your e-publications,that could be the reason why.

shores, smilers throughout. Personally, Ifind it amazing and fun to keep watchingthose connections light up Facebookwalls, faces in-person and otherwise. Sowith UAC 2012 barely six months away,we want to repeat the success again.Beginning November 15, you canpurchase a full room share for $200 OR putdown a refundable deposit of $50. Eachroom share could be as low as $120depending on the overall number ofroommates. Our aim is for 18 suitemates.This will be first come, first serve. RSVPon Facebook to begin meeting, greetingand bonding with other astrologers goingto UAC12 and those living in the NewOrleans AYA suite. You can buy or reserveyour share at http://ayauac12-efbevent.eventbrite. com. (This is to give folks afew days to think about if they’re going,gather some dollars, etc.) To be on thewaiting list, please make a deposit throughthe previous link (starting November15th). Deposits will only be refunded forcancellations made on or before April 15,2012, 11:59 pm PST. Demetrius Bagley

SOTA (State of the Art) 2012 Confer-ence. October 18-21, 2012, Sheraton at

the Falls, Niagara Falls, NY. Speakers:Demetrius Bagley, Dr. Patricia Bell,Dean Bensics, Nick Dagan Best, EllenBourn, Bill Buchan, Cassandra JoanButler, Candace Caprow, Judy Conkel,Paula Dare, Joan Ann Evelyn, MauriceFernandez, Jacqueline Janes, Joan Kendig,Brad Kochunas, Janet Markham, FrancoMinatel, Wendy Nemeth, Deirdre Norman,Jeanne Parisi, Chantal Paenaude, VickyPeltz, Alison Price, Samuel Reynolds, BevRostant, Debra Rozek, Nadiya Shah, JulieSimmons, Juliet Stephenson, KellySurtees, Kay Taylor, Donna Van Toen, JJWarner, and Peter White. Pre-ConferenceWorkshops: Susie Cox, Andrew Morton.For information, dvantoen@rogers.com,www.donnavantoen.com.

We were saddened to hear about thepassing of astrologer Jeanne Avery,author of the best-selling books TheRising Sign and Astrology and YourHealth.

Send tidbits about NCGR members, mediareports, news about births, marriages,promitions, passings, recognition, etc. to:memberletter @geocosmic.org.

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Sign up now for the NCGR-PAAworkshop at UAC on All-Org Day,

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 on ThePractice and Profession of Astrology.Topics covered include: the human aspectof astrology (consulting, etc.); businesspractices (marketing, publicity, etc.);professional development (mentoring,etc.) and professional certification. Thepanel will be comprised of Madalyn Hillis-Dineen, Joyce Levine, John Marchesella,Maria Kay Simms, and Shirley Soffer.Info and registration, visit www. astrolo-gers alliance. org. Fee: $60.00.

Get tested at UAC 2012It's not too early to be prepared. There willbe NCGR-PAA certification testing onWednesday, May 30, 2012 at UAC, NewOrleans. Testing will begin promptly at

NCGR-PAA at UAC.

tenure on our Education Committee. Wewill miss her.

On a much happier note, I am pleased towelcome Leigh Westin, C.A., NCGR-PAAand D.F.Astrol S., as a new member of ourBoard of Examiners. Leigh serves asDirector of Chapters on the NCGR Boardand as Editor of the GeocosmicJournal. She is also the author of Beyondthe Solstice by Declination and the editorof The Other Dimension,the journalpublished by NCGR’s Declination SIG. She holds a Masters both in Counselingand in Management. It is an honor tohave her on our Education Committee.

Education and Certification News. Congratulations to the followingNCGR-PAA test-taker NCGR member(including her Chapter) who has attainedproficiency in a Level of NCGR-PAAtesting:

Level III: Istanbul, Turkey Chapter:Aysem Aksoy

Shirley Soffer, C.A., NCGR-PAADirector of Education

11:00 AM on that day, and will beproctored by Joseph Polise, adistinguished teacher from theChicago area. You will be required topre-register if you wish to take anyone of the proctored tests (I, II, III).To do so, you should contact me atShirleySoffer@aol.com to receiveyour application and for any furtherpertinent information.

NCGR-PAA Testing Fees (forproctored exams) are as follows: Level I: $ 60. for NCGR members $115. for non-members Level II: $ 70 for NCGR members $125. for non-members Level III: $ 80. for NCGR members $135. for non-members

Around NCGR-PAA

NCGR-PAA is an organization committed to supporting Professional Ast-

rologers in all aspects of their professionldevelopment, and promoting and improvingthe status of the profession of astrology.Visit astrologersalliance.org and Facebookpage www.facebook. com/pages/NCGR-Professional-Astrologers- Alliance/113651922001991 for updates on profes-sional workshops and certification testingdates being offered around the world!

We would like to welcome two newmembers to its Board: Liane ThomasWade, Advisor; and Ron Akanowicz,Director. Liane has been President of TheUranian Society since 2004, and hasstudied astrology for over 20 years,specializing in American politics andpoliticians, and has has lectured world-wide using the Uranian system ofastrology. She is NCGR’s ExecutiveSecretary, and was previously ExecutiveDirector of the Antiquarian BooksellersAssociation of America. Ron Akanowiczis an astrologer living in Miami, FL. Heuses astrology to help clients in times ofchoice, challenge and change. Ron holdsa Level II certification from NCGR, andblogs on www.miamiastrology.com.

Please note that NCGR-PAA will no longerbe hosting Find a Professional Astrolo-ger, or Speaker’s Bureau on our website.We will instead, for a one time/lifetime feeof $25.00, feature a list of anyone passingNCGR-PAA certification exams (Levels I,II, III, and IV) along with a link to eachmember’s personal website or emailaddress; and with a designation of thetesting level accomplished. The site willbe updated to reflect this change by theend of January/ early February. Noticeswill be going out to anyone who iscurrently using the PAA website Profilesection, and anyone who has paid/ orrenewed their listing since June 2011 (andhas passed at least the Level I certificationexam) will be credited with the lifetimelisting on our site.

Loretta Lopez, NCGR-PAA Webmaster and Outreach Director

webmaster@astrologersalliance.org

NCGR-PAA Board of Examiners News.It is with great sorrow that I must

report that Kaye Shinker, an esteemedmember of NCGR-PAA’s Board of Examin-ers, has passed away on November 18,2011. Kaye was instrumental in revisingour tests, was my right-hand person at ourgraduation ceremonies, and was helpful inso many ways during her long and valued

page 23

Book Reviews by Donna Van Toen

January 8, 2012. Mercury entersCapricorn. 1:33 AM. January 9, 2012. Full Moon. 2:30 AM.18° Cancer 25'. January 14, 2012. Venus enters Pisces.0:47 AM. January 20, 2012. Sun enters Aquarius.11:09 AM. January 23, 2012. New Moon. 2:39 AM.2° Aquarius 41' January 23, 2012. Mars stationsretrograde. 7:53 PM. 23° Virgo 5'. January 27, 2012. Mercury entersAquarius. 1:11 PM. February 3, 2012. Neptune entersPisces. 2:03 PM. February 7, 2012. Saturn stationsretrograde. 9:03 AM. 29° Libra 30' February 7, 2012. Full Moon. 4:53 PM.18° Leo 31'. February 8, 2012. Venus enters Aries.1:00 AM. February 13, 2012. Mercury entersPisces. 8:57 PM. February 19, 2012. Sun enters Pisces.1:17 AM. February 21, 2012. New Moon. 5:34 PM.2° Pisces 42' March 2, 2012. Mercury enters Aries.6:40 AM March 5, 2012. Venus enters Taurus.5:24 AM. March 8, 2012. Full Moon. 4:39 AM. 18°Virgo13' March 22, 2012. 10:36 AM. 2° Aries 22'. March 23, 2012. Retrograde Mercuryenters Pisces. 9:22 AM. March 12, 2012. Mercury stationsretrograde. 3:48 AM. 6°Aries 49'. March 20, 2012. Sun enters Aries. 1:14AM. March 23, 2012. Retrograde Mercuryenters Pisces. 9:22 AM.

Listings calculated according to thetropical zodiac. For Vedic (sidereal)positions with Lahiri ayanamsa, subtract24°01’ from tropical positions. Time islisted according to the Eastern time zone.

Celestial EventsJanuary-March 2012

The Spirit of Numbers: A New Explora-tion of Harmonic Astrology, by DavidHamblin, The Wessex Astrologer,www.wessex astrologer.com, 2011. Paper.320 pp. £21.99 Br.

In 1983, David Hamblin's book HarmonicCharts was published. It was a break-

through book, and one I frequentlyreferred to—and still refer to today.Harmonics was then a very new—andvery promising concept—and this bookwas one of the few that brought it to liferather than leaving it at the technical andtheoretical levels. I hoped for a sequel, butit never happened, and at one point Iheard that Hamblin had left astrologybecause he no longer believed in itsveracity. I was disappointed, and sincethat time harmonics has pretty muchlanguished with very little work appearing,and even less of that truly accessible.

I was therefore delighted to hear of thisnew book from Wessex Astrologer, thoughmy first thought was that it was probablysimply a reprint of his earlier work. Itwasn't. This is a brand-new, ground-breaking book that picks up whereHamblin's earlier pioneering work left offand takes it to new levels. Hamblinstresses the continuous interplay ofplanetary relationships and covers thewhole range of number symbolism, bothas it applies to traditional aspects, and insome instances as it applies to things thatat first glance may not even appear to beaspect relationships.

In the first section of the book, you willfind a discussion of the most familiar ofthe prime-number harmonics—first,second, third, fifth, and seventh. There isalso a chapter on the sixth harmonic as asynthesis or combination of the secondand third harmonics. The remainder of thebook discusses the higher prime num-bers—11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, and 31.

Numerous case studies illustrate eachchapter. Data is included for these, but nocharts. Instead you will get listings ofharmonic aspects. I found these a bit

disconcerting at first, but quickly learnedto read them, and since the data is inclu-ded you can easily set up the accompa-nying charts if that helps you digest thematerial (which it did in my case). Amongthose discussed are Jerry Lewis, PhyllisDiller, and Benny Hill for threeness, FredAstaire, Richard Pryor, and Donald Trumpfor elevenness (a passion for perfection),Margaret Mead, Gertrude Stein, EdithSitwell, and Elizabeth Taylor for twenty-nineness (being proud of being differentand having unusual forms of sexualexpression, and more. While at firstglance it's hard to see what some of thesecharts have in common, one look at theharmonics is all you need to understandthe points being made.

Appendices set out all the informationyou need to work with Hamblin's system.Be forewarned—this is tedious and time-consuming, but it's also fairly easy onceyou get the hang of it. It's also verydefinitely worth the effort. I practiced onsome of the case studies in this book andthen went on to guinea-pig my own chartand four or five others that piqued mycuriosity in terms of whether or not theyfit the descriptions of the variousharmonics. Results were fascinating. Andfor those of you who take one look atthese tables and decide this is just toomuch like hard work, I would mention thatI've heard through the gravevine thatsoftware is being developed to do thiswork for you. So buy the book anywayand stay tuned.

The final chapter includes Hamblin'sthoughts on latitude and parallax correction,two areas he feels are worthy of furtherresearch. All data is sourced; much comesfrom either AstroDataBank or FrankClifford. There is a thorough index and anextensive list of notes and references.

If you are interested in aspects, if you areinterested in harmonics, or if you simplywant to explore some of the deeper layersof the psyche that can be illuminated bythis technique, this book is a keeper andworth every penny. Highly recommended.

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Astrology of Sustainability, by J. LeeLehman, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.,Info@schifferbooks.com, 2011. Paper. 304pp. $29.99 US.

Many astrologers are very concernedwith environmental issues. Very few

deal with them from an astrologicalperspective. So in many respects, this is aground-breaking work. It presents a fullhistory of outer planet cycles and includesover 70 ingress charts (in tropicalRegiomontanus) as well as thoroughdiscussion of themes that have occurredin these cycles and might again occur infuture. Among the many issues discussedare population dynamics, oil prices andthe recession, nuclear energy and radioac-tive waste, and the decline of agriculturalproductivity among other things.

While all of the outer planet transits havea role to play, Lehman has divided herchapters on Pluto through the elements,and contrasted events during its stay ineach sign, contrasting the similarities anddifferences. So for Pluto in earth signs, wesee things like the exploitation of oil, env-ironmental movements, civil rights issuesand civil unrest, unpopular wars in intrac-table places such as Vietnam and Afghani-stan, technological advances such as thespace race (Pluto in Virgo) and more.

She notes that there is a certain amount ofreacting against the preceding sign whenPluto changes signs in the form ofcleaning up messes from the previoussign. She also notes that issues relating tothe next Pluto sign generally becomeapparent before the sign change, much asis the case of the last month of a solarreturn being a harbinger of events for thenext solar return. Neptune cycles, Jupiter-Saturn cycles, Uranus transits and moreare then added into the mix.

Lehman is best known as a classicalastrologer; however no knowledge ofclassical astrology is really needed. Aglossary and table of essential dignities isincluded. Likewise, no particular knowl-edge of mundane astrology is needed,though it would probably be helpful. Agood bibliography and a concise index isincluded. As someone with aging eyes, Iwould have appreciated bigger print forthe index; the rest of the book is fine.

This book is not for everyone, but forthose interested in history, ecology, andthe future of life on this planet—and cometo think of it, that's probably a lot ofyou—this book is well worth looking at.It's clear, readable, and very definitely nota rehash of the same old stuff.

Scorpio Rising, by Alan Annand,www.sextile.com, 2011. Paper. 348 pp.$12.99 US.

And now for something completelydifferent...It's not common to see a

novel where astrology plays a major role,but that's exactly what we've got here.

The protagonist, Alex Crowe, is a criminalprofiler, finder of missing people andthings, damned fine detective, and just forgood measure a Vedic astrologer and anexcellent palmist as well. When we meethim early on, he is also a follower of aguru, known only as Guruji. Gurujidismisses Crowe early on, but his pithycomments appear throughout the story—which is definitely not the story of anaesthete living in an ashram. There aremurders, there is mayhem, and there areplenty of women.

The action takes place all over the map—in Toronto, in New York, in California, andelsewhere. Annand has a good eye forsetting tone, a good ear for dialogue, andexcellent ability to whip up a fast-pacedplot. And he throws in just enoughastrology and palmistry to pique ourinterest. Not gratuitous astrology orpalmistry either—it's an integral part ofCrowe's bag of tricks and definitely a partof the story.

Annand is a seasoned writer of detectivestories and this one doesn't disappoint.It's fast-paced and has enough twists andturns—as well as enough astrology andpalmistry—to keep you turning thosepages and distract you from your moremundane chores. I enjoyed it immensely. Idid wonder though, how someone of non-astrological bent might relate to it. So Ipassed it along to a non-astrologicalfriend. The verdict—he liked it too. "But,"he asked, "is all that stuff about palmistryfor real?" I assured him it was, and thatthe author—in addition to being a good

writer, was a pretty fine astrologer andpalmist as well.

If you like thrillers and detective stories,this one is a terrific read. You may even beable to justify reading it as "study"because chances are that you WILL learna few tidbits here and there. My onecaution would be: Don't loan it until you'rereally ready to let go of it. When I went totrack down my copy, it had already beenlent to a second person and it took me twoweeks to get it back so I could do thisreview. The borrower DID, however, giveme a pound of cashews by way of anapology. Guruji would not have beenpleased, but I'm pretty sure Crowe wouldhave smiled. He'd know that just likecashews, this is a book to indulge in.

DONNA VAN TOEN is an astrologicalconsultant, teacher, and author of “TheAstrologer’s Node Book” and “The MarsBook.” She coordinates the annual State ofthe Art (SOTA) Conference, and speaks forgroups and conferences throughout theworld. Donna has served on AFAN’sSteering Committee in a variety of capaci-ties, most recently as its Presiding Officer.She serves on NCGR’s Advisory Board, andwas co-coordinator of UAC 2008. Donnacan be reached for consultations at 416-466-2258, dvantoen@ rogers.com,www.donnavantoen.com.

If you have a book you would like reviewed,email memberletter@ geocosmic.org, andwe will provide the mailing address. Wecannot guarantee if and when a review willappear. If a review is not published, it will bementioned in our Books Received column.You can also send a description of yourbook for Book Nook in E-News from NCGRto execsec@ geocosmic.org.

Don’t forget to register for one orall of NCGR’s exciting pre-conference workshops at UAC bygoing to http://bit.ly/eF48w1 orour website www.geocosmic.org/conf and click on “Check out ourPre-Conference Workshops Here!”

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Transitions

Kaye Shinker, NCGR-PAA IV, ISARCAP, was widely known and loved

in the astrological community for somany contributions. She was an accom-plished teacher and practitioner offinancial astrology, part owner of theAstrological Investing website, and theauthor of two textbooks on the subject:Textbook of Financial Astrology I andII. With her Pisces Sun, Virgo Risingcombination, Kaye also devoted a greatdeal of service time to NCGR as a chapterofficer for the Chicago NCGR from 1990-97, and stood as a longtime member ofthe NCGR-PAA Board of Examiners. As amember of the Examining Board, Kayeproctored and graded many certificationexams and helped to spearhead acomplete revision of the NCGR-PAAcurriculum. For these accomplishments,and many other less public acts ofgenerous volunteerism, Kaye was giventhe NCGR Sisyphus Award at UAC 98 inAtlanta.

Kaye was elected to the NCGR Board ofDirectors in 2009, where she served as its

Kaye Shinker (March 18, 1940-November 17,2011)

Director of Education. This was the idealposition for her, as she never tired ofsharing her astrological knowledge, alwaysexpressed in humorous and unpretentiouslanguage, with clients and studentsworldwide. As a matter of fact, along withEna Stanley, Kaye was an original founderof Online College of Astrology, which wasone of the first astrology schools on theinternet. Kaye’s interests by no meansstopped in the field of astrology.

As parents of three (Kathy, Bill, andChris), Kaye and her husband Steveowned and operated a printing brokeragebusiness for over two decades from theirhome in Wilmette, Illinois. During thistime, Kaye graduated from RooseveltUniversity, briefly attended law school , andwent on a series of amateur archeologicalexpeditions in places as far flung as Majorcaand Easter Island, fantastically realizing thepotential of her 9th house Taurus stellium,and 29° Saturn in Aries.

Immediately after their 2nd Saturn returnaround 1998, Kaye and Steve sold the

business and suburban home, bought anRV, and began a lengthy period of cross-country travel pursuing a new businessinvolving the breeding, maintenance, andracing of thoroughbred horses, an activityshe continued with her son Christopherafter Steve’s passing.

As a matter of fact, I will sometimes shareKaye’s 2nd Saturn return journey withothers approaching this milestone to givethem an idea of how liberating and creativethis time can be. She certainly lived her lifeto the fullest, and whether visiting theworld’s sacred sites, attending astrologyconferences and conclaves, or taking hergrandkids to England on a Harry Pottertour, Kaye was the embodiment of amodern day Renaissance Woman. Person-ally, she was my mentor, “astrologicalmother,” and good “buddy,” and I, alongwith many others in our astro-world, willsurely remember her fondly for the livesshe touched with her special brand ofhomespun, eminently practical wisdom.

Joseph Polise

Michele McKee (April 6, 1940-December 23, 2011)

Michele McKee was one of my verybest friends—my buddy, my pal,

and a co-devotee of all things astrologi-cal. Tall, imposing and elegant—anyonelooking at her would not have muchtrouble guessing that her first career hadbeen that of a top fashion model. In herearly 20s she married, had two children,and still continued modeling clothes forfamous designers Pauline Trigere.However, Michele was an Aries withmany planets at the top of her astrologi-cal chart and this propelled her into manyprofessions.

By the mid-80s, having fiddled aroundwith astrology charts, she startedworking for a brief time at the New YorkAstrology Center. not only was (and is) itan astrological and occult bookstore, butone of the early bastions of just-then-

appearing computers. Michele was soondrawn away to the Carl Jung/KristineMann Library and first worked as anassistant while earning a Master's degreein Library Science, After becoming HeadLibrarian at the Kristine Mann Library shestayed for a wonderful 20 years until herretirement on May 30, 2008. She had a giftto work effectively, skillfully and coopera-tively with the staffs of several Jungianentities at the C. G. Jung Center, includingthe Bookstore, the Institute for Training,the Foundation, ARAS and APC duringan era of considerable change. This verybeautiful, warm, professional womaneffectively contributed to the smoothfunctioning of the Kristine Mann Library,and is to be applauded for her efforts.

My own remembrances of Michele goback to the 1980s and the great times

Michele and Bob Zoller and I had, discuss-ing astrology, arguing about our view-points, eating pizza, and drinking wine atPapa Johns or in my apartment. I alsoremember get-togethers with JoannaShannon and Julian Armistead, usually attheir apartment, where we enjoyed spiritedastrological discussions, delicious meals,martinis for Julian and I, scotch forMichele, and by George, I can't rememberwhat Joanna and Bob drank. Anyway, therewas much laughter, lots of love, and afeeling of family that I haven't experiencedelsewhere in a long, long time. Michele, Iknow, enjoyed those evenings as much as Idid.

There is one time in our lives that I willnever forget. Michele and I had flowndown to Florida to visit our mutual friendDon Papon. Michele and I had decided to

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do a little vacationing and a little exploringto check out the possibility of retiring to awarmer climate. Don, whom the astrologi-cal world knows as Zolar, had been livingin Tarpon Springs for some time and hadbeen extolling the virtues of Florida andenvirons.

One morning, I saw a TV newscast whichshowed a burning building emittingbillows of smoke. The day was September11. I burst into Michele's room where shewas practicing some sort of low-impact,done-in-bed sort of yoga.and I turned onher TV. What Michele and I were seeingwas the catastrophe of the twin towers. Inmuch distress we tried to call New YorkCity, Michele to see if her daughters Jilland Elizabeth were okay, and me to try tocontact my daughter, Gregg, who workedin a high-rise office building near the twintowers. My daughter finally was able toget through to me and Michele talked toher daughters. Everyone was okay butthey wanted us home. Stymied as to howto get back to New York - planes weren'tallowed to land in La Guardia - we finally,in desperation, decided to drive the 1000miles in our rental car. We arrived homesafely - to a city shaken to its core by anunimaginable catastrophe.

September 11 stands in my mind the sameway as the Kennedy assassination. Younever forget where you were or who youwere with, and the people you were withbecome nearer and dearer to you. Michelewas a very spiritual person with a mysticalbent. If you will allow me to wax poetic, Ibelieve that angels sang to her in thewind, or called to from her dreams. I like tothink, when she left this realm, thatspiritual beings walked beside her,whispering in her ear messages of peace,well-being and love, as she was drawn tothe white light of the dying and resurrect-ing entity I call the Great Mother.

A PRAYER for Michele and all of us.Blessed be, Mother of All life,Blessed be the life that comes from you

and returns to you,You charge everything you touch and

everything you touch changes.You are the High Priestess and the

Empress of 3 worlds, theheavens, the earth and theunderworld,

Keven Barrett (1929-2011)

I had the pleasure of meeting Keven Barrett during my first visits to Austra-

lia in the early 1990s. I was presenting atthe Sydney Mind-Body-Spirit Fair when Iwas introduced to Keven, and he invitedme to lunch with his good friend RayWebb. After an obligatory micro beer anda brief interrogation on the principles andpractice of Vedic astrology, Keven turnedto Ray and said: “This bloke’s alright.”Keven never stood on ceremony, or madepretenses. He was Leo rising (Maghanaksatra), with the Moon in Virgo and theSun in Scorpio. He either liked you, andcontinued to like you, or not. I wasfortunate to fall into the former category.

Keven was the national President of theFederation of Australian Astrologers(FAA) from 1980 to 1994. He wasAustralia’s representative for Astrolabestarting in 1986. He singlehandedlyhelped to popularize Vedic astrology inAustralia by inviting myself, DennisHarness, Hart de Fouw, and Dharma Dattato present at the 1994 FAA Conference atthe Sydney Hilton in January of 1994.After leaving the FAA, Keven founded,and became the first President of, theAustralian Council of Vedic Astrology.

Keven frequently visited India, where hewas known for his predictions regardingthe political Gandhi dynasty. He was wellknown among Indian astrologers and wastreated with great respect whenever hevisited his beloved India. The locals inhis home town of Wentworth Falls, NewSouth Wales, Australia affectionatelygave him the nickname “astro.” Keven

was a regular and popular speaker at theInternational Symposiums on Vedicastrology here in the United States andspoke at those conferences in 1994 and1997. He published the first book of hisAncient Astrological Vedic WisdomSeries, entitled Understanding theMoon’s Nodes Rahu and Ketu in Decem-ber of 1996 by Astrolabe Australia.

Keven was a featured speaker at UAC1989 in New Orleans, and again at UAC2008 in Denver Colorado. Afterwards, herented a car and drove cross county togive a series of classes and presentationsthat culminated in his last visit with me inthe Northwest. He was close to 80 thatyear, but you would never guess it withhis boundless energy and enthusiasm.

Keven’s astrological specialty was hisinterest and research in twins. It pleasedhim to no great end, that many years afterwe met, I became the father of identicaltwin girls. Keven quickly learned to tellthem apart!

Those in the astrological community wholearned of his passing had this to sayabout Keven. “He inspired many people and com-manded great respect.” David Frawley. “His death is a great loss to the astro-logical world.” Gayatri Devi Vasudev. “He was a great soul and did so muchfor the promotion and educational work insupport of astrology.” Dennis Harness. “He did a lot to promote Jyotish inAustralia.” Komilla Sutton.

Keven passed away from a heart attackon December 27, 2011 at the age of 83. Heleaves behind his wife, Carol Whyte, hischildren and his devoted students. Hemaintained his great sense of humor rightup to the end. He had contacted me inAugust of last year as he was facing thepotential loss of one of his eyes: “I mightlose my right eye Dennis….oh well, I willhave to get an eye patch and parrot formy shoulder.” Dennis Flaherty

Born: November 26, 1929, 12:05 AM AEST, Lismore NSW, Australia.Died: December 27, 2011

You make the sun to shine,The light to come again,You are the alpha and the omega,Blessed be Great Mother Goddess,Blessed Be!

Carol Jepson

Born. April 6, 1940, 11:34 AM, in Lewiston, Maine.Died: December 23, 2011, 4:35 PM, Brooklyn, NY.

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;

CHAPTER CONTACTSwww.geocosmic.org/chapters

The following events occur January-April. Manychapters and SIGS have their own websites thatare listed below, while others can be found on ourwebsite as listed above.

CALIFORNIA. Los Angeles County Chapter. Jack Taube,President, 6333 Canoga Ave. #391, WoodlandHills CA 91367,818-716-1765, Ed Helin,eandlhelin@aol.com, www.ncgrla.com. Mtgs. 3rdThurs. Dinner, 6:30 pm, Carrow's Restaurant,18355 Ventura Blvd., Encino CA. Lecture starts7:45 PM. No fee for members. Visitors: $3. Sacramento Area Chapter. Joyce Mason,President, 2351 Sunset Blvd., #170-404, Rocklin,CA 95765, 916-276-1858, Fax: 916-315-9210iinfo@ncgrsacramento.org, www.ncgrsacramento.org; Mtgs. 3rd Sunday, 1:00-3:00PM at Planet Earth Rising, 625 Sutter Street,Folsom, CA. Schedule subject to change. Con-tact to confirm. Door fee $5 NCGR members/$8for non-members unless noted. Special events$25/30 NCGR members/nonmembers, $20 ad-vance registration discount (members only).1/15.Linda Kaye and Joyce Mason. AstrologyGadgets an Gismos. Using tools like Astro Diceand Astro Deck. 2/26. Experiential chart inter-pretation workshop. Group analysis and dis-cussion of one mundane chart and/or members'charts; 3/25. David Kincaid, Tools of WesternTradition including Astrology, Tarot and Kaballah;4/22. Special Event: Don Cerow, The Dawn ofthe Age of Aquarius. Special time, 10:00 am -1:00 pm. An Earth Day Potluck Brunch will pre-cede Don's lecture. San Francisco Bay Area Chapter. StevePincus, President, P.O. Box 4834, Mountain View,CA 94040; 415-558-9614, Fax: 408 962-0709;stardial@earthlink.net;www.ncgrsan francisco.org. Meetings TBA Weekday evenings, 7:30-9:30PM; Workshops 10:30-5:30 PM; Fort Mason Cen-ter, Building C. San Francisco. Advance Reg.$12 NCGR Members/$15 non-members. Day:$15Members/$18 non-members. Workshops: Ad-vance $50 Members, $60 non-members. Day:$60 Members, $70 non-members. 1/12. LineaVan Horm. The Galactic Embrace; 2/1. AndyGehrz. Ancient Astrology: Beyond theTetrabiblos. 3/17. International Astrology DayAll-Day Event. Beyond 2012: Dawn of a NewEra Keynote Speaker: Rob Hand, also featuringRio Olesky, Don Cerow, Laura Nalbandian andAngel Thompson. The event will take place atthe First Unitarian Universalist Church at 1187Franklin Street at Geary. Sun. 3/18. 10:30 AM-5:30 PM.Rob Hand. An Introduction to MedievalNatal Chart Analysis. thurs. 4/12. JessicaMurray. Pluto and Oil. San Diego Chapter. Tamira McGillivray, Presi-dent, president@ncgrsandiego.org, Jil lEstensen, Publicity Director, intuvision@roadrunner.com, www.ncgrsandiego.org.Mtgs.Sat. several times per year. Mira Costa Col-lege at the San Elijo Campus in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA.

COLORADO. Rocky Mountain (Denver)Chapter. Karen Anderson, Presdent, P.O. Box328, Rollinsville, CO 80474; DistantStarkA@cs.com; 303-258-7258; Mtgs. Generally1st Fri.

7:00 PM, Nic Nac Nook, 4280 Morrison Road,Denver, 303-922-9063.

CONNECTICUT. Berkshire-Fairfield Chapter.Pamela Vitko, pamsstars@aol.com, and SharonMcNeal, mac813@charter.net,www.ct astrolo-gers. org. Study groups 2nd Sun, 2-5:00 PM. $5.Check website for dates of monthly studygroups. Our eight monthly study-groups Study-group locations will be announced via e-mail priorto each meeting, or contact group for location.

FLORIDA. Florida Atlantic Chapter. MimiAlonso, Acting President, Parkland FL, 954-575-9991, mysticmimi@gmail.com; Scott Silverman,Acting Vice-President, Miami FL, 305-531-9448,symbolmonger@ gmail.com, www.ncgrsouthflorida. org. Enthusiatic Astrologers groupat www.meetup.com/astrologers. Mtgs & Work-shops held Oct-May. Fort Lauderdale AirportHilton, 1870 Griffin Road, Ft. Lauderdale, DaniaFL 33004. 3rd Saturdays. Socialize and register:10:30 AM; Lecture only. 11 AM-1 PM. $15. Con-tinue with the Workshop and examples with at-tendees’ charts. 11 AM-5 PM (or later) $40 Cur-rent NCGR Members, $45 Non-members andguests.Send your chart info to Mimi early if youwant it used as an example. 2/18. Eric Meyers.Elements and Evolution: A New Classifiation ofth Elements. Workshop: The Moon and Sun:From Darkness to Light. 3/17. Priscilla Costello.Mastering the Art of Prediction-Putting it all to-gether; 4/21. Kathy Allan. The Nodes and Lati-tude

ILLINOIS. Northern Illinois Chapter. Judy Johnson,President, 7807 Eleanor Place, Willowbrook, IL60527, judyjohnson7807 @yahoo.com, 630-303-3187, Janet Berres, VP, janetberres@sbcglobal.net. www.chicagolandastrology.com. Mtgs from March through December, 2ndTuesday 7:30 PM at the Dance Building, 1330Webford Avenue, Des Plaines, IL 60010. $8members and $10 non-members. 3/13. Chris-tine Arens. 2012 Eclipses; 4/10. Jon Parks. TheAstrological Stages Of Life.

Southwest Suburban Chicago Chapter.Pat Hanus-Dussman, President, 6501 PatriciaAvenue, Tinley Park, IL 60477, 708-444-8323,patriciahanus@aol.com. Mtgs. held 1st Friday.7-9 PM. Palos Heights Recreation Center, 6601W. 127th St. Palos Heights. Members $5.00; Non-Members:$10.00. 3/2. Patricia M. Hanus-Dussman. It's A Mad, Mad World: TransitingNeptune Squares Gemini by Sign and It's Rul-ing Planet Mercury; 4/6. Alan Salmi. The FourElements.

MARYLAND. Annapolis Chapter. Lynn Koiner, President,301-589-2074, koiner@starpower.net. RoseO’Hara, 410-768-1404. Mtgs. 2nd Sat. 10:30 AM-12:30 PM. The Country Inn and Suites, Annapo-lis. Members. $5/Non-Members. $8. After themeeting enjoy lunch with the speaker at TheItalian Market, 26 Defense Highway, Annapolis21401. 3/10. Misty Kuceris. Money and Self-Worth: The Link Between Spiritual and Mate-rial Needs; 4/14. Andrea Gehrz. Aspects: AConversation on Geometry, Personality andPrediction.

Baltimore Astrological Society. LuckySweeny, President, luckysweeny@gmail.com,410-433-1520. www.basastrology.org, www.meetup.com/Baltimore-Astrological-Society/.Mtgs. 3rd Friday each month, 7:00-9:00 PM.Community Room at Ruscombe CommunityHealth Center, 4801 Yellowwood Rd., Balt., MD21209. $5/members, $10/non-members. Sat. 1/21. 11-1 pm. Jeanne Mozier. Oracles 2012 ;Friday 2/17. Shari Sernberger. Healing withPlanteary Vibrations. 3/16. A.T. Mann. WhyTime Flies-Astrology, Chaos and Time; Sat. 3/17. 12:00 -4:30 pm . A.T. Mann. Astrology, Re-incarnation and the Akashic Record4/13. Andrea Gehrz. Is it a Honeymoon Phaseor is it True Love?

MASSACHUSETTS. Boston Chapter. JoyceLevine, President, joycel@ joycelevine.com,617-354-7075; www.ncgrboston astrology.org. Registration and Networking. 12-12:30 PM.Lecture. 12:30-4:30 PM. Meeting in 2012 atBeech Street Center. Wed. 1/11. Reg. 6:30. Lec-ture. 7-9 pm. Christeen Skinner. Weavingthrough the Financial Universe in 2012; Sun. 2/12. Local Astrologers Presentations. LindaClave. Astrology Tong Ren, Suzanne Keating.From “Astrology” To English for Clients, Or Howto Avoid Getting Lost in Translation; 3/11. DebraStotler. How to Use Astrology in Financial Mar-kets; Jackie Slevin. Pre-natal Eclipses and Lu-nations: The Soul's Path to Destiny

MICHIGAN. Southeast Michigan Astrolo-gers' Round Table. (SMART). Pam Wenzel,President. 734-788-0186; smartmich2010@gmail.com. Astrologers & Friends WeeklyGathering, a casual get-together Thurs., 6:30-9:00 p.m., Cafe Luwak, 42 E. Cross Stt., Ypsilanti.Sunday lectures, 2-4:30 pm, $15 members/$18non-members. Location: Contact Pam Wenzel.SMART Facebook page or contact Pam Wenzel,smartmich2010 @gmail.com, 734-788-0186. 2/19. Geoff Hoebbel and Phl Meade. PythagoreanAstrology and Harmonics; 3/18. Annual SMARTSpring Sampler. Our popular mini-lectures onassorted topics feature local and regional as-trologers. This annual lecture series is in honorof InternNational Astrology Day. Members of thepublic are welcome to attend. 4/1. Sandra-LeighSerio. Solar and Lunar clipses.

MINNESOTA. STARS Chapter. Carmen Freire,President, 5635 Xerxes Ave. S, #201, Minne-apolis MN 55410-2606; 612-242-4093,starsinmn@gmail.com www.mnstars. com.Mtgs. Usually 4th Sunday. 2:30-5:30 pm. Lund’sCommunity Room, 1450 W. Lake St; or Twin Cit-ies Friends Meeting House, 1725 and Ave., St.Paul. $6 members, $8 non-members. Saturday3/10. 10:30 am-4:30 pm. 8th Annual STARSMetaphysical Faire and Book Sale. Astrologers,Tarot Readers, Artisans and Healers as well aslarge collection of new and used metaphysicalbooks for sale. Free Mini lectures, Free Admis-sion. Sun. 3/25. Dwynn Criss. Figuring out So-lar Returns, A birthday presentation. Bring yourchartsand your questions. Location: UptownLund’s Community Room 1450 W. Lake St. Mpls.MN. Cost: $8 non-members/ $5.00 NCGR mem-bers; 4/20-21. Arielle Guttman. Venus Star Ris-ing: A Weekend Workshop.

NEVADA. Las Vegas Stargazers Chapter.

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Gayle Kirk, President. lasvegasstargazers@yahoo.com, 702-565-0957, Gayle Parker, 702-221-6275. Learn more here: http://astrology.meetup.com/163/calendar/9501474/. Interestedin speaking? Contact Gayle.

NEW JERSEY. Northern New Jersey Chaper.Joanne Castro,President, PO Box 244, Leba-non, NJ 08833, 908-418-0365, Jocat0413@aol.com, Jackie Slevin, 973-7445347,jcslevin@verizon.net. Mtgs. Friday evenings7:30 PM at various locations. Fees: Members$15, Seniors $10, Non-members $20.

NEW MEXICO. New Mexico “Enchantment”Chapter. Sandy Bryan, President. 505-255-5001; nmncgr@swcp.com, www. swcp.com/~nmncgr. Mtgs. 1st Wed. at 7 PM. 721 JeffersonNE, Albuquerque, NM. In October the Chapterwill celebrate its Silver Anniversary.

NEW YORK. Long Island Chapter. Bonnie Simms, Presi-dent, 302 Sycamore Ave, Merrick, NY 11566,bringlite@aol.com, Angelita De Christopher,Secretary, Astro1Angel@aol.com, www.lincgr.com. Mtgs. 2nd Thurs. or Friday. 7:30-9:30 PM,302 Sycamore Ave, Merrick, NY; Members $10,Non-members $15. Fri. 1/13. Chris King. TheHorary of Relationships and Partnerships; Fri.2/10. Anne Ortelee. Let’s Examine Mars Retro-grade. 3/9. Arlene Nimark. Introduction to theMethod of Uranian Astrology; 4/13. JohnMarchesella. How to Prepare the Forecast forthe Reading. Mid-Hudson-Upstate Chapter. SusanCampbell, President, 48 Elm Street, Saugerties,NY 12477, campbellsusan077@gmail.com, 845-246-2062, www.midhudsonupstatencgr.net.Mtgs. Mondays. Home of Susan Campbell,Saugerties NY. New York City Chapter. Eileen McCabe,President, 212-431-9834, eileenmccabe@msn.com; John Marchesella (classes and work-shops), astrojohn@ earthlink.net; NCGR Hotline:212-255-3236. www.astrologynyc.org, Mtgs.Monday 6:30 PM, Joanna Shannon Library, 395th Avenue, New York City. $5 members/$10non-members. Fri. 3/16. 6:30-9:00 pm. ShelleyAckerman, John Marchesella, Eileen McCabe.International Astrology Day Event. Power ofRevolution. The Uranus-Pluto Square in Action.Source of LIfe Center, 352 Seventh Avenue atWest 30th Street, 16th Floor.

NORTH CAROLINA. Queen Charlotte Chapter. Co-Presidents.Hazel Isaac, President. 704-795-5890,HazelHIsaac@yahoo.com, Sarah Dorenfeld,704-544-8374, sdorenfeld@gmail.com. Mtgsheld 3rd Sunday 2-5 PM at Earth Fare, Pineville,NC. One hour of basic natal instruction and onehour of current transit discussion. Fees:$ 5 formembers; $10 for non-members.Out to dinnerafterwards. Raleigh-Durham. Network of Triangle As-trologers. Elizabeth Wilson, President, 919-602-6507, TWilson851@aol.com, Nancy Dimitrios,VP & Membership Director, www.ntastrology.org. Mtgs. 3rd Thurs. Sept.-May, 7 PM. The Danc-ing Moon Bookstore, 1840 Wake Forest Road,Ralegh NC, 919-833-8081. 3/15. Bernie Ashman.Marketing Your Skills through Astrology; 4/19.Lee Lehman. Introduction to Medical Astrology,

6:30 pm Pre-Lecture Book Signing!

OHIO. Ohio Valley Chapter. Victoria Rogers,President. 3029 Marshall Avenue, Cincinnati OH45220-2511, 513-861-8103, victory@cinci.rr.com, Norma Palazzolo, Secretary, normap@cinci.rr.com. www.ncgr-ohiovalley.org. Mtgs.4th Thursday 7-9 PM, Maderia Municipal Build-ing (corner of Euclid and Miami Roads) unlessotherwise noted. Free for NCGR members; $5/non-members. 1/27. Roundtable Discussion.Aspects in 2012. Fri. 2/24. Join us on a road tripto Louisville to hear Laura Nalbandian lecture atthe Astrolgical Society of Kentucky. Get detailsto create a carpool at our regular meetins, orcontact Vicki Rogers.

OREGON. Southern Oregon Chapter(SONCGR). Mary Plumb, President, 141 CrockerSt., Ashland OR 97520, 541-488-3048,mary@maryplumb.com, www.astrologyinashland.org; Mtgs. 3rd Monday, Sept.-May, 7- 9PM, Rogue Valley Metaphysical Library, 258 AStreet, Ashland; $6 General, $5 Seniors 62+, $4NCGR Members. To get on email list of announce-ments send message to soncgr@netscape.net.

TEXAS. Gulf Coast Chapter. Cinda Johnson, Presi-dent, astrotraveler@ymail.com, 713-664-9781Mtgs. 4th Friday, 7-9 pm, Body, Mind and SoulBookstore, 4344 Westheimer on Mid Ln.,Westheimer Oaks Village, Houston, TX 77027.www.bmshouston.com.

VIRGINIA. Richmond Chapter. Edna Matthews, Presi-dent, PO Box 8412, Richmond VA 23226,edna.matthews@doe.virginia.gov, or RuthBarrett, planetwise@verizon.net, 804-740-1133. Mtgs. Sat. 2:00 PM. at the WeinsteinJewish Community Center, 5403 Monument Ave.,Richmond. Dates and times subject to change.

WISCONSIN. Milwaukee Chapter. Nancy Simpson, Presi-dent. 940 W. Heritage Ct #208 Mequon WI 53092-6070,414-339-5428 nksimpson@wi.rr.com.Mtgs. 4th Monday, 7:00 pm. Fritz’s Pub, 3086 S.20th Street, Milwaukee, WI. Fee: Members $7,Non-members $10. 3/21. Joe Polise. Chiron andNeptune in Pisces.

INTERNATIONAL CHAPTERS

JAPAN. Tokyo Chapter. Terumi Kondo, Presi-dent. JANet Inc./JANet School of Astrology, 2-2-6-1101, Minami-Aoyama, Minato-Ward, Tokyo,107-0062: kondo@astrology. tel. 81-90-7823-6159. Fax:03-3406-8608; www.astrology.jp; dis-cussion group:http://groups.yahoo.co.jp/group/ncgr_tokyo. blog: http://blog.goo.ne.jp/ncgrtokyo/. 1st Saturday. Monthly Astrology Cluster,2:00-4:00 PM at Café Tapiros. Members: \2,000(JPY) / Non-Members: \2,500 (JPY); Includes Tea/Coffee with Sweets. Participation is open toeveryone, so feel free to join us. Coordinator:Terumi Kondo, M.A. 1/7. Sun and Moon in a birthchart. What is the purpose of your life voyage,and how could you embody them in your dailylife? 3/3. Four Major Asteroids -Ceres, Pallas,Vesta, Juno; 4/7. Retrograde Planets in Astrology.

MEXICO. AstroMéxico Chapter. Mónica Escalante-Ochoa, President, Cerrada de Miguel Noreña #23 casa 2, Col. San José Insurgentes, CP 03900México DF, México, Tel. 525 651-6598,astromonica@yahoo.com; www.astromexico.com. 3/4. John Marchesella. Trabajo y Amor:Potencial para la profesión y para el amor en lacarta natal. Work & Love: Career and Relation-ship potential in the Natal Cart. Mexico City Chapter. José Manuel Redondo,President. San Francisco # 1212, Col. Del ValleC.P. 03100, (55) 5536 6196, gukumatz@prodigy.net.mx, www.cmig-astro.org.

TURKEY. Turkey Chapter. Baris Ilhan, Av.Sureyya Agaoglu Sok. 12/5 Tesvikiye, Istanbul8 0 2 0 0 , b a r i s i l h a n @ s u p e r o n l i n e . c o m ,www.ncgr-turkey.com.

SIGS (Special Interest Groups) AST SIG (Asteroids). For information, con-tributions to newsletter (GAIA) and sample cop-ies for $1.50: Nona Gwynn Press, 77-35 113thSt. Apt.4A, Forest Hills, NY 11375; 718-263-8084,synona@ earthlink.net; www. geocosmic. org/astsig. Membership send dues $15; $24 over-seas to: Richard Wright, 16 Deerfield St., Norwalk,CT 06854, phoenyx_us5@hotmail. com, 203-982-1653, For asteroid positions or ephemeri-des: Dave Campbell, Vice President,astrologystore@ aol.com, 623-463-6286.

DECL SIG (Declination). Nelda L. Tanner,President, PO Box 153, Chino Valley, AZ 86323.r_l_graphics@hotmail.com, or Lois Hannan, Cor-responding Secretary, CHannan844@ aol.com,www.declination.org. Dedicated to declinationapplication and research, it publishes The OtherDimension, a 16-page quarterly journal. To sub-scribe, send check or money order made out toDeclination SIG, $18 U.S.,$20 Canada andMexico, $25 elsewhere (all in US$) to Treasurer,Martha Ramsey, 400 Avenue D, Roswell NM88203. Send author contributions to LeighWestin, Editor, declsig@sbcglobal.net.

SIDEREAL SIG. The Mission of the SiderealSIG and its Skies Above publication is to under-stand and explore effective uses in our west-ern practice of astrology of sidereal calculationof our current sky orientation into the Milky WayGalaxy. For membership information, contactMaryFrances Clinton, President, P.O.Box 99,Palominas AZ 85615 or clintonx@theriver.com.Annual dues are $25 for one year, or $65 forthree years. Additional information is availableon the Sidereal SIG page ofwww.geocosmic.org/chapters.

URANIAN SOCIETY SIG. (Uranian/Cosmobiology). For information, backissues and contributions to the UraniaJournal, Liane Thomas Wade, President andEditor, 531Main St., #1612, New York, NY10044. 917-855-8824, liane@panix.com,www.uraniansociety.com. For membership,send $25 U.S./$35 others to ChiemiMatsumoto, 68 Garden St., #7L, Brooklyn, NY11206. Annual public meeting.

page 29

PUBLICATIONS ANDADVERTISING DEADLINES

Deadlines for article submissions andadvertising copy:

December 15. Jan.-February issue February 15. March-April issue April 15. May-June issue June 15. July-August issue August 15. Sept.-October issue October 15. Nov.-December issue

To submit an article, please query beforethe deadline to Ronnie Dreyer, Editor.Please see left for publications guidelines,and topics of interest.

Classified Ads. You can take out a classi-fied ad of 30 words for $55.00.

To place an ad, please contact ArleneNimark to inquire about rates and reservespace by the above deadlines: 718-377-0482, ads@geocosmic.org.

NCGR PUBLICATIONS

• Research Compendium (from Geo-cosmic Alchemy Conference). $20.00• Essentials of Intermediate Astrol-ogy. $15.00.• Back issues of NCGR Journal $7.00and $10.00

To order: Add $5.00 S&H domestic,$3.00 for each additional, and $8.00foreign in U.S. funds. Visa andMastercard accepted. Mail to: NCGRPublications, 531 Main St., #1612, NewYork NY 10044, Ph-Fax, 212-838-NCGR,execsec@geocosmic.org. Order onlineat www.geocosmic.org. Checks payableto NCGR Publications.

NCGR Conference MP3sAvailable Now

NCGR STATEMENT OF PURPOSEThe purpose of NCGR shall be to provide anenvironment to foster and publish research of ageocosmic nature and to pursue educational pro-grams in various interdisciplinary fields relatedto geocosmic studies with a view to grantingcertification recognizing individual achievementin such fields. The term "geocosmic" is definedas "of or pertaining to the study of correspon-dences and cycles involving earthly phenomenaand cosmic (celestial) events." This purpose isimplemented by • disseminating information through NCGRpublications, including journals, newsletters,books, monographs, and website; • providing financial and technical assistance,guidance, or professional help to individualsor groups for approved research projects; • formulating a curriculum and the essentialsof a course of study leading to competency ingeocosmic studies, sponsoring appropriateeducational programs; • educating students and researchers to vari-ous levels of competency, chartering regional,semi-autonomous chapters of NCGR havingthe same goals and purposes; • promoting and encouraging the highest pro-fessional standard and ethical behavior amongits membership.

NCGR memberletter is a bimonthly publicationof the National Council for Geocosmic Research,Inc., a nonprofit, tax-exempt, education and re-search organization. Copyright by NCGR, Inc.All rights reserved. Authors retain copyrightto their own material. All articles reflect theviews of the authors. Publisher assumes noresponsibility for articles or material containedtherein, or for goods and services advertised.Publication Guidelines: Please query withoutline or article proposal by emailing editor,memberletter@geocosmic.org. Once accepted,articles must be sent electronically in MS Word,or text file according to writer’s guidelines, whichwill be provided. No hard copy or CDs. Sendcomplete references, bibliography, and birth data(no actual charts) with data source. We reservethe right to edit all material for sense and space.

NCGR DUES STRUCTURE

• Basic Membership: $55/year; $150/3-year• Couples Membership (one set ofpublications): $75/year; $210/3-year• Canada/Mexico Membership: $60/year;$165/3-year; Couples: $80/year; $225/3-year• International Membership: (except Canadaand Mexico) $65/year; $180/3-year;Couples: $85/year; $240/3-year• Lifetime Membership: $900/$1300 cou-ples; Canada/Mexico: $1000/$1400 couples;Rest of world: $1100/$1500 couples.To join or renew NCGR membership go towww.geocosmic.org., or send check or creditcard information to Liane Thomas Wade.

Do you want to write for NCGR?Our bimonthly memberletter needs ar-

ticles of about 2000 words that range fromcurrent events to interpreting the horoscopeof a famous person to illustrating a technique.All astrological systems, techniques, and re-search results are welcome, especially goodchart profiles. We invite all NCGR members tocontribute articles, and let us know whichtopics you want to see covered in future is-sues. Please query first before sending a full-length article. Short pieces, letters to the edi-tor, and interesting facts are also welcome. Ifyou are interested contact memberletter@geocosmic.org. See left for submission guide-lines. Leigh Westin, Editor of the GeocosmicJournal, is always looking for longer contri-butions to the bi-annual publication that maybe too lengthy for memberletter. Articles cantackle any astrological or related subject, in-cluding chart analysis, techniques, research,or anything that suits a magazine format. Con-tact us for submission guidelines atjournal@geocosmic. org. Remember, NCGRpublications reach over 2000 astrologers. It’sa great way to get exposure. To advertise in the Geocosmic Journal,contact Arlene Nimark at 718-377-0482,arlenima@aol.com.

Over 300 lectures from past NCGR confe-rences (including Planetary Revolution,

Boston 2010, , , , , and Geocosmic Alchemy, Balti-more 2007) are now available as downloadableMP3 recordings in our website store. You canorder online at www.geocosmic.org/lectureswhere you will find complete catalogue. If youwish to order a CD, they are $12 each. Ship-ping and handling: add $5 for the 1st CD, $2for each additional CD. For delivery outside ofUS, S & H charges vary. Visa, Mastercard, andAmerican Express accepted. Allow 3 weeks fordelivery of CDs within the U.S. Make checkspayable to NCGR Publications, and mail toLiane Thomas Wade, 531 Main St. #1612,New York, NY 10044, 212-838-NCGR,execsec@ geocosmic.org.

Have you moved recently? Has youremail address changed? Are youge t t ing your “E-News f romNCGR?” Please send address, tele-phone, and email corrections toLiane Thomas Wade, ExecutiveSecretary (see p. 4). You can get ourweekly “E-News from NCGR” if wehave your email.

Charts used are generated by Solar Fire 6,and used courtesy of Astrolabe, Inc. Eachchart is drawn to the author’s specifica-tions.