Under One Sky & Heading Out

Under One Sky, (2004) brainchild of Rafael Nasser, contains the biography of a woman, completely unknown to 12 different, well-respected astrologers. In its pages each astrologer gives their "blind" interpretation of the woman's personality and life history, with only her birth data for guidance. Each used their own specialised system. Systems include Vedic, Western, Mediaeval, Hellenistic, Mythological, Evolutionary, Archetypal, Uranian, Psychological, Western Sidereal, and Light-hearted. The astrologers specify how and why they reached the concusions they did.

The subject's biography is stated in detail, by the woman herself - a little wordy, lots of detail. I picked out a few key points which, in my opinion, ought to come through loud and clear in an accurate interpretation. These were: world travel; academic ability; spirituality; health problems/accidents; relationship with her father.

It wasn't as easy as I imagined it'd be to see clearly which astrologer had come closest to describing the anonymous woman. Some astrologers were overly wordy, somewhat woolly too in places! Finally I concluded that one astrologer who used the sidereal zodiac, and one who used the tropical, delivered the best, clearest, and most accurate reports. No names, no pack drill (don't want to get into trouble!)

For astrology-minded readers this is a fascinating book, I definitely learned one or two things from reading it:

1. Both tropical and sidereal zodiacs work, in the right hands.

2. Too many words muddy the waters, even when the writer obviously has style and flair.

3. A light touch is best.

4. Not everything is shown in a birth chart, even when experts translate.

5. Basic tropical astrology can be as accurate as the most complicated specialised type, or using a variety of different celestial bodies, or myths.

HEADING OUT

Tomorrow we'll be heading west and to higher, cooler ground for a few days, so the blog will be quiet 'til we return. Where are we going? Clue below but, as John Steinbeck said:

"A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it."

John - still and always sadly missed.