Astrology’s Professional Ethics

A planispheric astrolabe from the Paris workshop of Jean Fusoris (c. 1400) which

is now housed in the Putnam Gallery at the Harvard Science Center

(photo credit: Sage Ross, Nov 2009)

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Granting that it’s Venus retrograde and everyone is feeling a bit ragged, I’ve received an unusually large (digital) pile of emails over the past couple of weeks, all of which prompt me to post information about professional ethics when it comes to astrology.

I recognize that these ethics will vary according to national laws and the rules of various organizations, but for astrologers who receive accreditation through United States organizations, basically the same principles of confidentiality which apply in the field of medicine apply. That means your information is private, apart from whatever data YOU make public. So if you post your birth date and place online (or if your birth data becomes public through your being in the public eye or through a published biography or something of that ilk), any professional astrologer is allowed to talk about it online, in public or to a client who might be coming to them wanting to work with you.

On the other hand, if that information isn’t posted anywhere in the public sector, the astrologer shouldn’t say a word even if they (personally) have your chart in their files mental, paper or computerized. 

Moreover, unless you (yourself) give that astrologer either face-to-face, ear-to-ear (telephonic) or written permission to share your data or information, the professional astrologer shouldn’t be sharing it. They can make observations on anything you make public, but anything known beyond that cannot be told to your mother, brother, lover, child or BFF without very specific permission.

My personal training in this began being shaped by a couple of decades spent at the production money end of the film industry. As key accountant on a film (a role which caused me to be known for a while as the Bank of Boots) one of my roles was to be paymaster. And if you and your Significant Other were working on the same movie it didn’t matter if you had been married 500 years - unless you had personally told me that it was okay to hand your paycheck to your spouse, I couldn’t do it. The Internal Revenue Service (the Big Dog in U.S. payroll operations)...the IRS said no. And their logic is simple: no one outside of a relationship really knows the full text of what’s going on inside. Nor should they be asking, as it’s not for them to judge. So the rule is that the person who earns the money gets the money.

And that's just how astrology works: s/he whose data it is ‘owns’ that data and they have all rights to privacy with regards to same until and unless that right is voluntarily surrendered.

Astrologers should neither be hackers nor pillagers. As I have freely admitted, by now I’m someone who is attracted by the mere sight of a date (this is when you know your hobby has become a mind-style)...but I’m not ‘after’ anyone’s data. About the most fervent hunt for astrological information I’ve done in the last year or so was a several-week hunt for when Google’s purchase of Blogger became official.

Yes, I’m going to give Google something to Google itself about. (I’ve also now officially read more online articles about the tech biz than I had ever planned to.) It's slated for February, but since I'm still having a bit of a hard time with typing it may have to wait until I get a book through editing.

Speaking of Google (and therefore business), things are not quite as black-and-white in the business realm - which is to say in business astrology. Basically the  separation there is between public versus privately held companies for the simple reason that in the United States, incorporation records (the ‘birth’ data for a corporation) are a matter of public record searchable online through any state’s Office of the Secretary of State. (You just have to find which state.)

There are a few other curlicues in the personal and relationship arena, the most important of which can be summarized as follows:
 
1. Parents are allowed to request consultations with regards to minor children. That right ends when the child reaches the legal age of adulthood.

2. Any kind of relationship question or consultation (I mostly use Davison time/space relationship charts) will require data (time of birth, place of birth, date of birth) for both parties. However, in any situation where the other party is not part of the conversation (or privy to the consultation), while the relationship chart (Davison or otherwise) CAN be discussed, the astrologer cannot ethically talk to you about how ‘the other person’ feels about the relationship…or what they’re going to do or not do about anything.

We can tell you what upcoming transit passages (say a Venus retrograde or eclipse) are slated to stir in your life, however that plays out and whatever that will mean, given your natal chart. That’s really what you should want to know, as any change (positive or negative) worth noting will be shown in or on your chart.

3. There are astrologers who have learned the very ancient rules for prophesying death. By American standards it is considered unethical to deliver this information to anyone. I recognize this rather tramples the 'it's your data' concept but in this one area the 'do no harm' quotient laid down in medicine trumps all other considerations as astrologers - no matter what area of astrology they are practicing in - are considered personal confidential consultants akin in many ways to psychologists.

So you know, I refused to take the course which would have included death calculations as I knew full well they would stick in my computer brain and get run through the numbers module whether I wanted it to happen or not.

I don't want to know. I tend to think only those who haven't stared death in the face would want to know such a thing...and that would not include me. The course in question here (this was some years ago) was being taught by a top astrologer - and yes, we got into it.

He was adamant and so was I. In spite of this we parted on good terms.

I remain of the opinion that the ban is a good idea.    

Lastly, please don’t ask an astrologer what’s ‘wrong’ with someone else you’ve had a bad time with. The metaphysics here is all about how people come into our lives to evoke our life lessons, no matter who they are and what that interaction means to them. So don’t worry about what they should or shouldn’t learn or do - focus on what you’re learning about yourself through having chosen to interact/not interact with them.

Are there astrologers out there who will ignore these standards? Yes. One of the reasons I have now and again suggested that you know who your astrologer is – whether they have professional credentials, what organizations they are or aren’t associated with, their general body of work – is exactly because of this. Though credentials don’t guarantee any astrologer is up to date with regards to cutting-edge data in the area of your interest, just as with a doctor, lawyer, engineer or other technical professional, credentials do indicate an accepted level of proficiency.

And beyond all that lies ethics. There is the ability to do the work…and the willingness to do it ethically.

Not all astrological organizations require ethics courses or that an ethics oath be signed potential candidates. When in doubt, check with the organization - they're all online. My credentials are issued by ISAR, the International Society for Astrological Research.

Yes, I took the class and signed the oath.

More importantly, I live by it. 

As I say all this, I know it’s hard to meet up with someone on the internet and feel you know who they are. I encourage you to be wary, as at present time there are no restrictions that I know of saying astrologers must have credentials or even any specific level of education to call themselves an astrological practitioner. When in doubt, if you’re interested in astrology or an astrological consultation from a qualified practitioner, try requesting names from one of the national or international organizations for a reference. (I've posted a list of them in the sidebar here at the blog). Many such organizations are now listing names of their credentialed astrologers online.
 
People still tend to think of astrology as a toy – which it’s not. A horoscope is literally a map of the energetics you were born with…and as. A well-trained, experienced astrologer can look at your chart and tell you that your aunt called last May on the second Tuesday of the month. 

(Seriously, I saw someone do that once.)

That once you hand an astrologer your birth data they can pretty much know anything about you that they want to (yes, right down to those things…) that may delight you. It could also feel very disturbing.
 
Astrology is a sacred science – a topic to be treated scientifically with a sacred regard for the trust being granted you by those you work with or assist. Holding and protecting that trust means everything to me, so I ask that you understand: I don’t ask questions if I don’t need to and I will protect any third party I don’t know as zealously as I protect you.

I’m hoping this post will help clarify these issues not just for those who have written to me over the past couple of weeks but for everyone else, too. I’m not unsympathetic to your frustrations, puzzles and desire to know, I just understand how the ethic which you may find annoying or inconvenient in the moment ultimately protects you.

Sorry...but thanks, too.

The next thing to discuss is Venus retrograde…so stand by. There is light ahead.
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William and Kate: A Marriage Royal, A Human Relationship

 William placing the ring on Kate's finger

photo source: CNN

Anyone and everyone who cared about the grand affair which was the wedding of William and Kate got their chance to watch…once, twice...many times. The whole event was broadcast live, then re-broadcast over and over and over again.

Astrologically, the marriage is one chart – a chart timed for the moment when the vows are sealed.

 April 29, 2011 - 'Let No Man Put Asunder'

But the relationship which underlies that wedding? 

That’s a whole other thing. And when we talk about that 'whole other thing,' you'll even hear two versions talked about there.

One version is the astrological 'composite' chart. We take the Sun of one chart, the Sun of another, we translate the zodiacal positions into 360 (numerical) notation and divde that by two.

The composite chart is a great picture of what one person 'thinks' of the other.


What it isn't is the 'living' chart of the relationship...as in, "honey, we have to go away for the sake of the relationship." Instinctively we seem to recognize that when there are two people in the room there are three entities present: person one, person two, and the relationship which lies between them.


That relationship is a dynamic thing. A composite chart isn't. You can't look up its "date" in an ephemeris because it doesn't have one. Not even computer software will let you calculate with a composite chart because it's 'midpoint' construct does not reflect an actual point in time.

The 'actual point in relationship time' chart is called a "Davison chart." It's a chart erected for a midpoint in time, space and birth location between the two people involved.

I'll spare you the rest of this recitation...but trust me, I've done my homework here and Davison charts are for real.

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 William and Kate, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Davison Relationship/Aries Chart (No Time Known for Kate's Chart)

So we have one chart which is the chart for the sealing of the wedding vows. That's a regular, everyday  real-time chart which, given modern satellite technology and my watching the wedding in real time can only be mere seconds off the actual moment of sealing the marriage vows with the traditional ...let no man put asunder speech.

Against this we have the chart for William and Kate as a couple – the relationship chart. There we have a bit of a problem as there has as yet been no time confirmed for (as she’s now known) the Duchess of Cambridge’s birth. All we know is that Catherine was born on January 9, 1982 in Reading, UK.

For William, there's exact data – of course! But given that we don't have Kate's time, we do well to cast the Davison in Aries Wheel format.

The other thing we have an issue with because we don't have Kate's birth time is how we need to own that while the Moon of this relationship is more than likely in  Cancer, we can't swear to that.

But it is likely - and that's an interesting item to note seeing as we know William’s Moon is in Cancer and it's very highly mostly really likely Kate’s is too.

(And in case you're thinking that would be "automatic," it isn't. It's easy enough to have two people with Moon in Virgo and have the Davison Moon come out in any sign but!)

However! As we say this we do have a whole bunch of 'absolutes' and 'givens.' And that list starts with the lunar nodes of the Davison being positioned at 18 Cancer (North) and Capricorn (South)...which makes an  interesting statement.

How's that? Well, the North Node is what we should do. And this North Node being in Cancer speaks to how important it is for this relationship to be about family, heritage, one’s personal life and - since this is a royal couple - 'the people’: one’s native population and homeland.

Against this we have a South Node - the 'easy thing' - in Capricorn. Especially with Capricorn’s ruling Saturn strongly positioned in Libra, it's 'easy' for this couple of follow the rules. They will find things easier if they 'color inside the lines' - royal and otherwise.

This also suggests that when the day comes that William becomes King, his work will easily come first even though they know as a couple that in order to be figureheads for their nation they need to keep working on their relationship.

It's something of a dichotomy...and no, not at all easy.

Sitting at 19 Libra and the apex of a t-square with the lunar nodes, this Saturn is not quite conjunct Pluto at 25 Libra...and it's a couple of degrees out of strict Ptolemaic (5-degree) conjunction orb with Pallas at 12 Libra.

It's something of a picture of being between the rock and the hard place. And since in this picture the 'hard place' is pictured most immediately by the lunar nodes, the issue is social and societal obligation.

Then we add in Eris - aka Eris Discord. Conjunct Sabine (entrapment, slavery) in emotionally expressive degrees of Aries, Eris is in opposition to Saturn and square to the nodes, making this not a t-square but a grand square (also known as a grand cross).

Since all astrology is a two-way swinging door, this tells us that there will be times when the 'public call' is simply a pain in the low back and very frustrating. But there will also be times when discord strikes in the world and in response this couple of will react as a matter of course.

In other words, they're really very human.

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 Westminster Abbey witnesses yet another royal marriage

photo source: CNN

And this Eris/Saturn 'inconvenient timing’ issue doesn't end there. Though at 19 Libra Saturn isn't strictly conjunct a 12 Libra Pallas (wisdom) which is itself conjunct a 10 Libra Mars and Eros/passion, Eris IS positioned to be in opposition to Saturn and - SEPARATELY - opposition Eris...which is conjunct the couple's strong 10 Aries Sun.

Sun in Aries is very strong. Conjunct Eris and Sabine and in opposition to Pallas-Mars-Eros (and let's be reminded: Mars in Libra is hardly Mars at its most assertive!) this suggests that as a couple, William and Kate will defend their right to have a personal life.

It also suggests that the 'being apart' we saw in their dating life may yet happen again. That may be all about necessity, that may be because they need a bit of a break, that may be simply because William's work - whether in the military or elsewhere - that may take him away.


If this couple learns to handle the 'unevenness' of schedule to their advantage, they'll thrive. Is this likely? Well, Saturn's strength in Libra and the Sun's resilience in Aries says they have better than the average chance.


It also suggests this is a couple which knows how to disagree. And that life isn't all cupcakes and rose petals.

Another aspect of this is how the Mars-Eros-Pallas speaks to their understanding that they represent something to literally millions of people they will never meet. And how this couple is aware of the difference between the way they live and the lives of non-royals - which will like as not become far more evident and/or important William comes to the throne.

Even before that, one suspects.

Leaving that for a moment, let’s consider the Davison Juno at 7 Capricorn. This is Juno positioned as the apex of another t-square which might be a grand cross, though we can't know without having a birth time for Kate.

As it is, Juno sits at the half-way point between Sun in Aries and Mars-Pallas, which is clearly (among other things) the overhanging, omni-present fact that William is a member of "the Firm"...British royalty. Learning how to manage that? That's a huge piece in the relationship puzzle.

But without that Moon....?

The difference between t-squares (which are solvable) and grand squares (which are eternal challenges in one's life) is huge.

A grand square (or grand cross) is a figure of being pulled from all sides. In an individual’s natal chart, grand squares ask that we ‘pull all the corners together’ (symbolically) before we do any “heavy lifting” - or at least have any success with same. About the best image here I could give you is collecting everything off a table by pulling all four corners of the tablecloth together before you hoist; in a chart, the one ‘corner’ you miss will be the place where all sorts of havoc spills out, ruining your effort to get ahead.

Against this, the t-square is a hurdle. You have to understand where you're coming from, where you're headed and what about yourself (the 't' is part of your chart, right?) you have to get past or "over" in order to reach your goal.

In pragmatic terms, the difference between the t-square and grand square is one of degree of complexity…the number of details one must ‘pull together,’ as it were. In real world terms however...t-squares are often found in the charts of great achievers where grand squares are found more often in those who rise and fall at least a few times before figuring life out.

Still....whether or not the Moon is in aspect to Juno or anything else in this chart, by sign the Moon and Sun are in square. This is a classic indication of problems with timing. We saw some of this (or at least thought we did) with Kate’s having appeared to ‘decide’ William was her guy before he decided she was the woman he wanted to marry. Another form will like as not be a clashing of schedules we will never see – and perhaps never even hear about.

That Pluto (symbol of emotionally transformative experiences) had gone on station and retrograde at 7 Capricorn – the degree of Juno – is exactly what we would expect to see in the chart of a royal couple about to get married. Capricorn is traditionally the sign of ‘head of government’ and Juno a symbol of domestic leadership. With the wedding having happened with the Sun moving across first Sedna at 6 Taurus (the maturation process) on April 26 before ‘triggering’ Pluto’s 7 Capricorn station (and the Davison chart Juno) on the 27th…we get a real picture of this couple recognizing the enormity of the event their wedding would be.

Conversely, this also signals the wedding as an enormous public moment.

 Crowds lining the street, enjoying the moment

outside Westminster Abbey, London

photo source: CNN

For those who are dedicated royal watchers, there’s also the contemplation that in having gone into retrograde, Pluto will return to 7 Capricorn 39 on January 9th with the Sun doing a ‘lesser' trigger to this Pluto cycle on December 28/29 – which will be an interesting moment to watch. Will we be hearing more news from the Duke and Duchess as either of these dates roll by?

Yes or no, this is something interesting to watch for and very much how astrological research is done.

Meanwhile, the marriage chart…with it’s regal 15 Leo rising…it’s a lovely picture of a public royal wedding. Leo has always been known as a sign of royalty even though governance is a Capricorn attribute. The difference…rulership versus governance is one of perspective. But here we have the Sun which rules that 15 degrees Leo rising intercepted in the 10th house – a signal which on one hand speaks to the marriage being a matter of duty (interception) to the not just the (10th house/MC) nation.

And with 28 Aries on the MC/Midheaven of this wedding chart, with the Mars which rules that 10th house cusp in a triple conjunction (Jupiter, Mars, Eris all at 21 Aries) …all four of these points in degrees between 20 and 29 degrees (that being the 3rd decanate of the sign) we know…for absolute sure that everything which comes of and from this marriage will be reacted to by the public and ultimately ruled and regulated by that same public – and the world.

So much for a private union between two people, right?

As for 15 degrees of Leo, like 15 degrees of any fixed sign (there being for fixed signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius) we are speaking of a ‘moving into the next phase’ or ‘taking a step’ in life – which marriage truly is.

 A lovely photograph of Queen Elizabeth II being greeted by

the Dean of Westminster as she arrives at Westminster Abbey

to attend her grandson's wedding.

photo source: CNN

The Ascendant being conjunct Photographica at 11 Leo puts the marriage in the public eye and tells us that it was carried out with an eye to (and on) the public.

But then things get…a bit less candid. That intercepted Sun is positioned in a difficult degree: 8 Taurus is known for sensitivity to teasing – which we know will come from the tabloids, never mind the public and possibly (?) the royal court. This degree is known for ‘fighting shadows’ and a general defensiveness which suggests an internal frailty which develops as demand outstrips ability to comfortably comply.

Added to this is fixed star Hamal plus Byblis, a more than difficult commentary. Hamal equals  independence and is known to take on the coloring of whatever else is present. Considering that the Sun itself is often an image of males and that Sun in Taurus is security and/or privilege of wealth, this can well speak to William’s already-demonstrated ability to eschew the trappings of royalty.

Then we add in Byblis. Byblis is an asteroid which is all about defending the indefensible. And thus we ask: will this couple run afoul of their very caring for common people and/or a ‘regular’ way of life? Will they prove sufficiently ‘independent’ as to offend those still ‘married’ to an older and more traditional role for royalty?

Phaeton/Hera speaks to the 'impulsiveness’ and ‘headstrong’ quality of ‘the mate’ – Hera usually being the wife. Does this mean that William will ultimately decide he chose a bride too early? Or will we end up seeing yet another example of a couple which in becoming entrenched in the duties of royalties rebels against it?

With Bali (paradise) and Deucalion (finding the moral path) in direct opposition to the Sun of this chart (and thus intercepted in the chart’s 4th house) we do understand that the marriage will always be understood to be of import to the public. Positioned at 9 Scorpio the underlying dynamic is emotional commonalty or agreement – that being the Scorpio part. With 9 Scorpio being a 1st decan degree (between 0 and 9) we know what this pair does is ‘the proof of the pudding.’

That this Bali/Deucalion is intercepted in the 4th says a lot about this marriage being founded in a (Scorpio) inheritance of native…and yes royal…tradition. And for those who wonder whether this royal couple will continue in what is seen by some as ‘a life of excess’ which has so typified so many royal households, that answer is ‘maybe not.’

Why not? Because fixed star Arcturus is exactly conjunct Spica as the objects closest to the 4th house cusp with Saturn (retrograde) at 12 Libra farther back in the 3rd house and in opposition to Venus at 10 Aries, Pelion at 11 Aries and Mercury at 14 Aries in the 9th.

Saturn retrograde in the 3rd either makes one pessimistic or says you think before you choose to do or what you do. In Libra, there’s a built in concern about what others think or how they’ll react.

Meanwhile, that Aries Venus-Pelion-Mercury in the 9th is something we already have heard about – the British Royal Family’s concern about how to hold a royal wedding during a period of financial struggle. Pelion is the ‘great mountain’…it can either be something you climb or that thing you’re sitting atop looking down at everyone else from. Add in Venus in Aries (the appearance) and Mercury in Aries (what I say, what people think of me) and you have a royal couple who is “saddled” with being emotionally aware of others.

Yes…its just William and Kate in this marriage. Plus the rest of the royal family. Plus the press. Plus the citizens of the UK and anyone else who cares to watch.

Neptune – pictured at 0 Pisces in this chart - is at this moment about to go station/retrograde. Come next June (2012) it will go retrograde at 3 Pisces, right atop the 8th house cusp of this chart. Since this 3 Pisces is also the position of Damocles (the dangers we don’t recognize until we take the job on) in the Davison relationship spot, it’s very likely this is a moment when a soft spot in the royal relationship is found, resulting in at least a bit of bruising.

 With festivities having begun inside Buckingham Palace,

people linger in the streets, still celebrating

photo source: CNN

Speaking of the Davison chart, June’s 24 Sagittarius Lunar Eclipse bisects the split between Black Moon Lilith/Ascendant at 21 Sagittarius (plus Ras Alhague at 22 Sagittarius) and Neptune at 27 Sagittarius conjunct fixed star Acumen at 28.

Acumen being ‘all we’ve learned’ in conjunction with Neptune is likely to be what some call ‘fuzzy math.’ With Black Moon Lilith (what you don’t want to admit about the world and what the world doesn’t or shouldn’t know about you) conjunct Ras Alhague…?

Ras Alhague is the really iffy coin toss here. Sometimes it’s a healing force and sometimes it’s the ripper (or ripping) which creates the need for healing. Given that this is about the Ascendant, IF William and Kate determine at this point to do something for others (or even issue a delightingly sensitive statement of some kind) …then can could count this for a plus.

But with Black Moon Lilith on the Ascendant/Ras Alhague of this chart virtually guarantees some sort of ‘paparazzi war’ at some point…if not consistently.

And let’s remember: the 11 Gemini solar eclipse happens June 1st. Occurring in that emotionally challenging 12th house, it’s in trine to Pallas/Mars and sextile Sun/Eris/Sabine…so something’s going on which is of an evolving/evolutionary nature. Keep your royal ears tuned in and take whatever happens during June/July seriously – take it as the start of a  process.

 The happy couple...happy (probably among other reasons) for

having gotten through the ceremony without any giant faux pas!

photo source: CNN

This is underscored certainly by the July solar eclipse (at 9 Cancer) being in opposition to the Davison Juno and maybe conjunct the chart’s Moon, though without an exact birth time for Kate we can’t be sure. Certainly in square to the Sun/Eris and Mars/Pallas, this becomes a testing time for the relationship.

What’s it about? Call it this: now that they’re married, now what?