Comment

Comment by Jordan Simon on October 13, 2010 at 6:10pm

David, I think the more specificity the better when you're discussing astrology as it applies to trips. And there, really, for basic monthly or weekly horoscopes you're casting a chart based perhaps a bit more on the traveler than the destination. Doing personal charts, which is hours of work, does attempt to combine the two.

Catalonia is a great example (or for that matter almost any Spanish province that had an independent history, such as the Pais Vasco or Navarra). I would probably try to find a city charter for Barcelona, and work with that, as well as Spain because despite the separate language, culture, customs it IS still intertwined with Spain.

You could, for argument's sake, take the formation of a political separatist party, even an, ahem, questionable entity like the ETA for the Basque Country. If you believe that most people would prefer to form their own country, or attain greater autonomy, then that could well be a valid point of origin or birthdate.

Comment by Kat Morgenstern on October 13, 2010 at 6:10pm

Interesting question David Paul. Personally, for casting horoscopes I would only use charts that are relevant at the state level and look for the different ethnic groups within that. The state is an entity made up of different ethnicities and groupings and I feel that these can be reflected by one or the other planet and their placement within the nations chart. Political independence = selfhood/identity.

Comment by Jordan Simon on October 13, 2010 at 6:02pm

LOL (well, not funny, but the idea of avoiding one's fate---though astrology does allow for free will---is after all the stuff of Greek tragedy). My own true story. I co-wrote a book combining Astrology and Numerology with a numerologist. Believe it or not, I didn't cast our synastry or composite charts. It was a disastrous working relationship. The synastry was eh. The problem was the composite: you know it's almost impossible to have virtually all tense (or harmonious) aspects. This was ALL tense. I had to shrug and laugh in retrospect (and okay, cry over spilled royalties)

Comment by Kat Morgenstern on October 13, 2010 at 5:58pm

I always remember a story that my astrology teacher told us when we were doing solar return charts, and progressions. The story was about a guy who had a terrible solar return chart for a particular year cast for the place where he lived and had also been born in. So, he decided to go somewhere else for his birthday to avoid having a terrible year. But the poor guy was killed on the journey...

Comment by David Paul Appell on October 13, 2010 at 5:54pm

That's an interesting point you raise about regions, actually, about which I'd sort of been wondering when you mentioned the concept of "birthdates" or beginning points for geographic entities. If I were going to Catalonia, for example (much of which was covered by a kingdom, later became a part of unitary Spain, and is now again a distinct political entity but not at the state level, how would this come into play? Or Andalusia? Or the U.S. Southwest (if I wanted to visit Arizona and New Mexico -- would each of those states have to be calculated separately or could there be said to be a kind of "regional vibe" (especially since they were both part of New Spain at one point)?

Comment by Kat Morgenstern on October 13, 2010 at 5:53pm

Yes, I think I would agree with that too. But personally, for travelling I mostly consider general aspects that are going on - e.g. is mercury retrograde or will Mars be conjunct Uranus on the day I fly? What are my transit at the time of travel?
That sort of thing. The astrology of the place is a little bit secondary as my experience of the place is what matters most to me and that will be coloured by the general cosmic dance.

Comment by Jordan Simon on October 13, 2010 at 5:46pm

Great point. Would be interesting, academically at least, to compare enclaves within established destinations. For one simple example near the US, "Maroon Country" within Jamaica, though as a practical application for travelers it would probably only be helpful if you planned to spend a significant amount of time with the Maroons.

Comment by Kat Morgenstern on October 13, 2010 at 5:45pm

To me astrocartography or travel astrology, or horary astrology or traditional astrology are all equally valid tools and if there is truth in their message you can read it or perceive it no matter which one you use. They might just illuminate different aspects of the same crystal ball, so to speak.

Comment by Kat Morgenstern on October 13, 2010 at 5:41pm

mundane astrology does involve a huge amount of research and 'testing', which is probably a great pastime for an historian. It gets very complicated because the idea of statehood or nationhood is not as old as the sense of clanship or ethnic identity, but I would consider these as different matters.

Comment by Jordan Simon on October 13, 2010 at 5:40pm

I'm also a food/wine writer, and I do know sadly that wine rarely tastes the same after traveling, for many reasons. On the other hand, I wouldn't risk taking one of my older bottles back to its birthplace, so I'll have to make do.... Absolutely, always go local---especially when pairing food and wine. I was just being cute earlier re: sense of place. :)

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