Cosmic Genealogy
"We are born at a given moment, in a given place, and like vintage years of wine,
we have the qualities of the year and of the season in which we were born."
--Carl Gustav Jung
It has been estimated that astrology may be at least 40,000 years old. We have been attempting to understand what we see in the stars and what we feel within ourselves for far longer than that. Astrology, like Genealogy, is not as exact as we may want it to be, but like the pursuit of one's ancestry, it helps give us a deeper sense of self and a greater understanding of our environment. I believe Astrology and Genealogy go hand in hand, and knowing your loved ones' cosmic selves can add a depth to a family's history that would simply not be accessable otherwise. It can strengthen bonds especially with those loved ones who have "gone on ahead". In many ways, it 'completes the picture'.
Look at the Fourth House in a Natal Chart. If Genealogy has a cosmic home it's there. The Fourth House represents your home, your personal environment, the nurturing parent, your family life and domestic affairs, and real estate. It also represents your roots and native land. In her book Your Intuitive Moon, Trish MacGregor says in her discussion of the Fourth House, "In doing family charts, it's not unusual to find one of the parent's sun or moon signs on the cusp of the fourth. This sometimes works for several generations, too, and is one of the confirmations I use when rectifying a chart if the person doesn't have the exact birth time. In my own chart, for instance, I have Capricorn on the cusp of the fourth house; my mother is a Capricorn. My daughter has Gemini on the cusp; I'm a Gemini."
She also talks about synchronicities, and her comments truly resonated for me. In my family there are many synchronicities. There are four months that have a greater signifigants as far as deaths; February (my 2x great grandmother Victoria Stewart Ludvigsen died 22 Feb 1958; my brother, Michael George Smith died 3 Feb 1970; my grandmother [who was Victoria's grand daughter] Fern Irene Elmer died 25 Feb 1978; my grandfather George Smit died 5 Feb 2001), April, September, and December. My paternal great grandmother Fijke Boekweg was Scorpio, born October 29th. My Mother's mother, Betty Lou Cobb, was also Scorpio, also born October 29th. Both women faced great adversity in their lives. My Mother's father, Paul Gordon Neil, was born October 19, 1921. He died October 26, 1979 and was buried on October 29th, Betty's birthday. He died of alcoholic liver disease at the age of 58. Fern died one day short of four months after him, at 58, of alcoholic liver disease. She was born on the 9th of December; Betty died on the 9th of December. My granduncle William Wilke Smith, a son of Fijke Boekweg, was born December 13, 1907; Fijke died December 13, 1960 and her brother, Uuldrik, died December 13, 1989. Ellen Grace Edmondson, my 2nd great grandmother (Paul's grandmother), was 9 years old when her father, John, a fisherman, was lost at sea. John himself was 9 years old when two of his brothers drowned in Morcambe Bay. And there are a surprising number of Ancestors and relatives who share my Mother's death day of April 23rd.
Not all of the synchronicities are sad, in fact most of them are very heartwarming. One of my favorites: I have an uncle, Independence Taylor, who was born July 4, 1854. Exactly 100 years to the day, one of my Mom's brothers was born on that celebrated day, and as a child he thought the fireworks were for him.
But it is when I start doing charts for my family members that the synchronicities really hit home. Now, I realize that not everyone believes in Astrology, and some even think it is evil (which makes me laugh), but it works for me (and millions of other folks all over the world). If you are new to Astrology, I highly recommend Trish MacGregor's Your Intuitive Moon and Johanna Martine Woolfolk's The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need. There are some very, very good Astrology books out there, but these two are my current favorites. Johanna's book actually isn't the only one I need (*giggle*), but it's very helpful, and a lot of fun. As for Internet Astrology sources, I have found a few that I really love. Alabe.com is a great site; Achernar is also a great site, and it even offers helpful software for free. One of my favorite Astrology sites was Widget's Astrology World; I had a lot of fun there, but it has unfortunately closed. Check out Sigil also if you're interested in tarot and I Ching; he also offers free (fun!) software.
You may read (or hear) from time to time folks talking about using an ephemeris to assist in casting natal charts. Ephemeris readings indicate where the planets appear to be at a particular moment; to correctly divine one's Moon Sign and Ascendant you really need the exact longitude and latitude of your birthplace (and of course, your exact birth time) to produce an accurate one (as opposed to an approximate one). The Moon travels fast, spending roughly only two days in each sign. So if you're not careful, you could spend a lot of time suffering with something that just isn't right. Trust me. I speak from experience. Still though, I enjoy looking at an ephemeris, and this particular site includes readings for Chiron, Quaoar and Sedna, three of the other planetary bodies who orbit our Sun with us. He has quite a lot there, most of it makes for very good reading, and I recommend it.
