At the Lodge - 27 January 2003

Lodge Lecture | Members' Classes | Charts Discussion

Lodge Lecture

As you know Mercury went direct in time for the second week of our term so this time everything went like clockwork. The lecture could not have been more different than last week's. Although we stayed on the theme of ancient Astrology this week we were treated to Magic Squares.

The talk was given by Paul Newman. It was a fascinating look at Grids of numbers which add up the to the same amount whether it be down, across or diagonally and which represent the planets and invoke the energy of the planets. The seven planets were said to represent the seven wonders of the world.

These squares are also used in other areas of divination, for instance the 9 numbered square, representing Saturn, is also used in Feng Shui as the I Ching numbers placed on the back of a tortoise. Eventually these squares were used as amulets. Although they were introduced as the Ptolemaic order, Prashun Dutt was able to point out that these grids had been used in antiquity in many different areas of astrology.

Paul then went on to demonstrate how some of the planets were odd and some were even order squares. He also illustrated how to put together a square and gave out a handout of the grids and the patterns they made when the numbers were joined together.

Paul Newman is a member of the Faculty and is a practising Astrologer who writes for astrological magazines and also does the cartoons for the magazine, Mountain Astrologer. He has been involved in declination interest groups since inception in 1995. His latest project has been the setting up of the Charles Carter Memorial Website. His interest began when he hosted an astrology group in Parkstone, Poole, Carter's birthplace. We thank Paul for his contribution to the Lodge this evening.

Carole West

Members' Classes

Helene Schnitzer gave the second of her three Members' Classes on Geodetics:

'a fixed zodiac grid, in contrast with earlier systems of astrological analogies for different locations. Starting at O° Greenwich and going eastward, the zodiac is put around our planet, so that every thirty degrees another sign rules over the area in question. Some people use other starting points, but 0° Greenwich is a global reference point for navigation and cartography and seems to work best. Every meridian derived from this method goes with certain ascendants and thus gives us chart angles we can use if we don't have a birthtime. Putting the personal planets between these earth-related angles provides an image of how the person interacts with their environment.

This method is also used in relocational astrology and can produce the so-called 'resonant chart', as advocated by Martin Davis in his book 'Astrolocality Astrology.'

Helene Schnitzer

Next week is the last in this series and will cover Astro*Carto*Graphy

Charts Discussion

Chart discussion was very eventful this week with Bernard Eccles in fine form. He presented the chart of the American astrologer Sydney Omarr, who was the sun sign astrologer in the US and who died 3 weeks ago. Here is his write-upon Sydney Omarr :

'Sydney Omarr, the leading sunsign columnist in the U.S., died on January 2, 2003 at the age of 76 in Santa Monica, California. Born Sidney Kimmelman on August 5th 1926 at 10:27 am in Philadelphia, he chose his pseudonym - and its spelling - because it was more favourable numerologically. He started selling his own booklets on numerology when just 15 years old. During his wartime Army service he presented a radio program in Okinawa, in which he predicted the outcomes of sporting events. After the war he became an astrologer in newspapers and on television, and also wrote year-ahead forecast books. His columns appeared in over 200 newspapers and magazines across the U.S. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1971, which eventually left him paralysed and blind. He dictated his column to his assistants. Astrologically, his chart features Libra rising with the Sun, Mercury and Neptune all fairly close in Leo in the eleventh, and another stellium of the Moon, Venus and Pluto in Cancer in the 10th; this last seems a good indicator of his widespread popularity. It is unusual to find a chart where both lights are in their rulership, and yet the native loses his sight.

A longer obituary can be found on the New York Times website.

Bernard Eccles

Gill showed the charts of Queen Mary and Prince John, our interest being raised by the recent TV mini series The Lost Prince. Both fascinating charts within themselves and the interactions between the Moon and Saturn in both their charts shows their difficult relationship. We also looked at the transits at the time of his death. Neptune was rising at the time and it is so apt with Neptune rising in his own chart. Neptune also opposed Uranus which had just descended into the 6th house and Gill believed this represented his illness of both epilepsy and autism.

That is all we had time for so next week will be the earthquake in Mexico and details of the recent Tube crash on the Central Line.

Gill Dorren

Lodge Lecture | Members' Classes | Charts Discussion