What sign do we become when we get drunk?

Since we are now under the influence of the "crazy", liberating and unorthodox sign of Aquarius and the Carnival is just around the corner I think it fits to ask:

What sign do we become when we get drunk?

Astrology is a universal and all encompassing language, so any kind of question - even the weirdest one - can be astrologically phrased and answered through the correct synthesis and interpretation of the corresponding astrological symbols and concepts.

There is now a rather unexpected source that can give us the answer to our "booze" riddle: Ancient Greek Mythology! It is not by chance that leading Astrologers like Liz Greene have developed a very advanced and meaningfull Astrology based mainly on ancient Greek Mythology.

First, let us ask ourselves: who was the god of wine and drunkenness in ancient Greece? Dionysus -
Bacchus! A very characteristic adjective of Dionysus now is: the "liberator". He was the god that was liberating humans from their "normal" selves, from their worries and sufferings, from their inhibitions and taboos - through the wine, through drunkenness, through the "orgiastic" ceremonies and ecstasy in general.

Does this description ring a bell to you? Is your mind going to a certain "extra sociable, extra free and liberated" sign? Yes, exactly! Aquarius is the great liberator of the zodiac, the sign associated with collective ceremonies, frenzy etc. In modern astrology Dionysus is associated with the sign of Aquarius. And not by chance, Aquarius is the sign diametrically opposed to Leo (who symbolizes our ordinary Self - while Aquarius our transcendental Self). Aquarius is also the first sign that comes after Capricorn - the great guardian of the social conventions, of the limits, barriers etc. Being the first sign after Capricorn, Aquarius symbolizes the breakdown of barriers and conventions.

And since the 12 signs of the zodiac function in pairs, Aquarius is the masculine (+) phase of drunkenness and Pisces the female (-) one. The sign of Pisces represents something even more advanced: the total escape from our everyday routine (which is symbolized by the diametrically opposite to Pisces sign of Virgo). Pisces actually represents a stage where (either through a substance - such as wine - either through a ritual, a ceremony etc.) man is led to absolute ecstasy, the stage where a certain Union with the divine is produced!

And to answer our original question, under the influence of alcohol we do become certain signs or at least we adopt their behavior: we somehow become "Aquariuses" (more open, sociable and friendly to the others) and more "Pisces" (we discover a new, embellished dimension to the people around us, we might unexpectedly get up and dance while we usually feel ashamed, we might do crazy things, we might even fall for the stranger s/he stands beside us  - something we usually regret the next morning).

You will ask me then, if we become Aquariuses and Pisces when we get drunk then what about those people who already are Aquariuses and Pisces? Actually they become Aquariuses and Pisces to the highest degree. Or (on the other hand) when these people are drunk - a situation rather familiar to them - they behave relatively normal in respect to the others.

So there is a priceless treasure in Greek Mythology that can be connected with the archetypes of Astrology and deliver us some very rich and advanced astrological interpretations.

Thomas Gazis
Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis

A brief history of Greek Astrology - Modern period

We all know that astrology flourished in ancient Greece, particularly in the so called Hellenistic period. The legacy of the ancient Greeks was subsequently passed to the Byzantines (whom we could define as "the Middle Ages Greeks"). Although the church was fiercely opposing the astrology then, the celestial art survived for a thousand years in Byzantium. And not only survived but bred some excellent astrologers too, like Rhetorius or Stephen the philosopher. Even certain prominent Byzantine politicians (like Prime-Minister Michael Psellos) were actually astrologers!

In 1453 Byzantium fell to the Turks. For almost 4 centuries Greece remained under Turkish rule. Astrology was not practiced much during this period. And when Greece was liberated in 1821 astrology was long forgotten. Consider the fact that in the early 1930's some Greek newspapers were reporting astrology as "a magic art practiced by natives in Africa"!

In 1936 the German-raised Greek engineer Peter Gravinger wrote a book entitled "Praktikon Enchiridion Astrologias" ("Practical Handbook of Astrology"), much advanced for those days and largely unnoticed. It would be in the early 1950's before we began to see Sun-sign forecasts appearing in some popular magazines and newspapers.

But the true revival of astrology in Greece came about through the efforts of a lady named Maria Metallinou (1928 - 1974). In her youth she had become interested in astrology and maintained that interest through her polytechnic studies in northern Europe. She and her collaborator Theodora Dakou (b. 1942) took lessons with the Faculty of Astrological Studies, having as their tutor the legendary Charles. E.O. Carter.

As Metallinou and Dakou possessed no ephemeris on those days (middle 60's) they contacted the director of the Athens Astronomical Observatory, Konstantinos S. Chasapes. Doctor Chasapes (1914 -1972), who had a secret flair for astrology, assisted them much with their astrological calculations and interpretations!

In 1969 Metallinou founded "Oroskopio", the first astrological magazine in Greece. However, her untimely death caused the magazine's demise. Subsequently, Theodora Dakou founded the "Ouranos Astrological Society" and in 1975 she published a quality astrology magazine named "Ouranos", that lasted until 1982. In 1980 she organized a pan-Mediterranean (F.I.M.A.) astrology conference in Athens.

In recent years astrologers Thomas Gazis and Maro Ioannidou organized two international conferences in Greece (Astromykonos 2000, featuring Robert Hand, and Astromykonos 2001, feauturing Noel Tyl and Elizabeth Teissier). They also originated the idea (together with the Spanish astrologer Ernesto Cordero) for the formation of the F.A.E.S. (South European Astrology Confederation), which they promoted with other South-European colleagues. Thomas Gazis has written two astrology books and has extensively lectured in Europe.

Another key figure in modern Greek astrology is a lady, Despina Giannakopoulou. She has substantially supported quality astrology in Greece and is actually doing an excellent job on ancient Greek astrology. She has authored five quality astrology books.

Today there are many "light" astrology magazines being published in Greece but none of quality. Commercial astrologers - psychics are over-dominating the scene, leaving very little room for quality astrology. The fact that no formal Federation of Greek astrologers has yet been established says it all!

(This excerpt was written by Thomas Gazis. It has been included - in a shorter and edited version - in Jame's H. Holden book “A History of Horoscopic Astrology”).

The first English astrologers were Greek - Byzantines (and oddly enough Saints)!

The story I am going to tell you is true, but it might very well have been just another Canterbury tale. It is a story that connects in strange ways England and Byzantium. It started in medieval England, in the year 667 CE. The city of Canterbury was then one of the most prominent Anglo - Saxon cities in Britain. Its people had been converted from pagans to Christians just 2 generations before (in 597 CE, by Saint Augustine). The Episcopal See of the city though - founded by St. Augustine - was left vacant in that specific year. And that was serious, because the Canterbury See was (and still is) considered England's primary See.

To fill the gap, the king of Kent sent emissaries to the Pope in Rome, asking him to appoint a new Archbishop to Canterbury. Back then not very many people were eligible for such a place - most of the people could not even read, let alone debate on religious matters. Not to mention that to the high ranked priests in Rome the idea of moving to a distant, misty and (still) barbaric land was not promising at all. With limited choices available Pope Vitalian's mind went to certain monasteries in Italy run by Byzantine monks - the Byzantines considered then the most erudite scholars in Europe.

You may read the whole article here

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This is an original article written by Thomas Gazis. Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis. In order to republish it - parts or all of it - please contact first the author at: ifestion@gmail.com
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Byzantium's vital contribution to Astrology

Since my early childhood Byzantium enchanted me with its glorious and mystical aura! I think I have to blame the Sunday church for this kick. Of course as a kid I didn't like at all the forced awaking on early Sunday mornings (Sunday was the only day off school and I just wanted to sleep long). Not to mention that when in church I couldn't understand much, because the Christian Orthodox Mass was said (and still is) in ancient Greek! But the chant of the priests and of the chorus coming to me through the mist of inebriating incenses, oh yes that was something! New worlds were opening to me, like the ones depicted in the frescoes I was contemplating on the walls and on the dome of the church over me: austere saints, agonizing martyrs, lavishly dressed emperors, scenes of parables and life situations I could not decipher back then - all in a pure Byzantine esoteric manner. Byzantium had fallen some 5 centuries ago to the Turks, but I was still immersed in it, into its divine melody and fascinating iconography, into the exotic names of long forgotten Byzantine cities and provinces that the priest was occasionally mentioning as he was reading the Gospel. Although irrevocably perished Byzantium was all alive to me, I could experience its mysticism and ecstasy!

The Byzantine empire lasted more than a thousand years (324 - 1453 CE), it was culturally prominet in its times, it enlightened the otherwise plunging into Dark Ages Europe and it comprised the largest, brimming with lofty buildings and monuments, most cosmopolitan city of the western hemisphere: Constantinople (today's Istanbul)!

But how can it be an empire so great - heir of the Hellenistic empire - not to have impacted Astrology at all? How comes we never see in the usual "Astrology Time lines" any entry on some Byzantine astrologer or any other kind of byzantine contribution? Actually if you take a closer look to these "Timelines" you will  notice a gap: they start by mentioning several ancient astrologers and achievements and then abruptly shift into the late Middle Ages, mentioning Arab and European astrologers of the time, then they move to Renaissance, to Northern European astrologers and so on. But you will not find a single entry on Byzantium!

I think the best argument to make you realize how important Byzantium has been astrologically is to stress the fact that even William Lilly was studying books of byzantine astrologers! Specifically, Lilly owned the books: "In centum Ptolomei Aphorismos" by Georgius Trapezuntius, a prominent Greek - Byzantine scholar / astrologer. Plus, the "Paraphrasis in 4 libros Ptolemei" by Leo Allatius, who was Greek - Byzantine too. He mentions both in ηισ "Christian Astrology".

Lilly mentions as well the book "De mutatione Aeris" by Petrus de Abano. Although Italian by nature, Peter of Abano was byzantine by education (he went to study in Constantinople and stayed there for 20 whole years)! And you would be surprised to know that even Gerolamo Cardano, although a prominent astrologer himself, revered much the aforementioned Greek - Byzantine astrologer Georgius Trapezuntius - insinuating to the fact that he might have been given lessons by Trapezuntius himself or by some other Byzantine scholars who fled to Italy in the 15th century, a little before or after Byzantium's fall to the Turks.  Lilly acknowledges both Abano and Cardanus in his famous "Christian Astrology" book. So, directly or indirectly Byzantine astrologers influenced enormously William Lilly! And since I mentioned Trapezuntius, it is plausible that the very Regiomontanus was instructed by Georgius Trapezuntius - during the Regiomontanus' stay in Rome.

How could it be otherwise? Byzantine astrology is the direct heir of the Hellenistic one. Major astrological figures like Paulus Alexandrinus, Olympiodorus and Stephanus Alexandrinus belong - at least chronologically - to the Byzantine Era. Byzantium managed  - in times of darkness, hardships, wars and religious fanatism - to breed even its own astrological schools, like the superb one of Rhetorius (late sixth century), and the innovating one of John Abramius (14th century). A Byzantine astrologer (Theophylus of Edessa) was invited  by the Caliph al-Mansur to Bagdad (around 765 CE) and he introduced to the arabs the much advanced by then Byzantine astrology. And how serepiditious was the fact that among Theophylus' audience stood the illustrious Masha' allah, the man that set the paradigm for Arab astrology!

But the Byzantine astrology saga does not end here. Surprisingly - as you will see in my next post - two Byzantine scholars were actually the very first Astrologers in Anglo-Saxon Britain!

Thomas D. Gazis
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This is an original article written by Thomas Gazis. Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis. If you wish to republish it - parts or all of it - please do mention the author and link to this page.
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The Polarization effect in the natal chart! (case studies)

A rather unsuccessful (as I thought at the time) consultation with a client of mine, some 20years ago,  prompted me to dig deeper in his chart and gradually reach the conclusions I am presenting here. The aforementioned client had called me back then to arrange an appointment with me, providing me in advance his data. As soon as I cast his chart I was impressed, because all his personal planets were in the regal sign of Leo (forming a "Stellium" there), with his Moon residing in ultra masculine Aries! Thus, I was anticipating back then to meet a person with a radiant, strong, self asserting personality. When the bell of my office rang on the day of our appointment, I opened the door expecting to see a sort of "Alexander the Great" stepping in! And in fact he had the "Al Pacino" facial features (a strong, radiant face, with prominent angular jaws).

To my utter amazement though, I gradually realized - as the consultation was going on - that he was a rather insecure and fragile individual! Surely he was receiving by then some hard planetary aspects, but by no means were these aspects so disruptive as to justify his actual state. His case puzzled me profoundly and when he left I immediately started re-analyzing his chart, trying to figure out where I was wrong - as the reality of my customer apparently did not match his chart.

It took me a lot of researching and questioning, but suddenly I had an epiphany! This guy had a Libra Ascendant and that meant that all his Leo planets were actually "falling" in his Eleventh House! And likewise, his Aries Moon was "falling" in his Seventh House!

So what (you are about to tell me)? Well, think about it: the sign of Leo is somehow the reverse of the Eleventh House (at least on an archetypal level)! And the sign of Aries is somehow the reverse of the Eleventh House! There was too much "reversing", "distorting" in this chart, causing a huge expenditure of energies!

You see, the "bestial" Leonine energies of this man were struggling to cope with the absolutely opposite “Aquarian” - Eleventh House "anthropomorphic" energies (and in an analogous mode, his Aries energies were struggling to cope with those of his Seventh House)! There was a major battle there since this “sign vs. house” polarization in his chart was turning the everyday reality of this man (expressed by his houses) against the very Universal archetypes imprinted in him (expressed by the  positions of his planets in the zodiac)! Thus, a huge amount of his abundant fiery energies was consumed and “dissipated”, as this person was constantly struggling to bridge in himself two diametrically opposite worlds!

I have personally coined a term for this phenomenon: I call it the "Polarization Effect"! Intimidating as it might sound, it actually describes a very simple condition: a planet in a given sign that happens to reside in the "archetypally opposite" to that sign House!

Of course there isn't such a thing as a House “opposite” to a sign. For the sake of simplicity though, by the term "a House opposite to a sign" we mean here: "the House that corresponds to the diametrically opposite sign of the one we are referring to"! To give you an example, if somebody has his/her Sun in Aries and simultaneously in his/her Seventh House (the Seventh House corresponds to the sign of Libra, the sign diametrically opposite to Aries in the zodiac cycle), then in such a case we get a "polarized" Sun! The Sun in Taurus in the Eight House is “polarized” too, the Sun in Gemini in the Ninth House is polarized, the Sun in Cancer in the Tenth House is polarized and so forth…

- Britney Spears: not exactly a lucky beggar!

Few people will deny the fact that the well known pop idol Britney Spears has been through some kind of ordeal in her life. Although young, rich and famous she does not seem to be very happy, going through continuous stages of psychological breakdowns, addictive behavior etc. Allegedly she suffers from “Bipolar Disorder”, which is a major mental disorder, sending the patient to extremes ranging from (depressive) immobility and “mutism” to (manic) over-mobility and garrulity. Apparently Britney is having a certain difficulty in pulling herself together and getting a grip on life. She got married twice and divorced, she gave birth to 2 children but lost the custody of both, plus she lost (by a juridical decision) the control of her assets!

A fundamental astrological axiom claims that the chart should reflect its owner's reality. So, with all these heavy conditions that Britney Spears is facing in her life it would be natural to presume that she has a "heavy" chart. We might have anticipated i.e. discordant aspects on her Luminaries (Sun, Moon), eventually a pivotal Neptune, an 8th or 12th House emphasis etc. Nope, not at all! Britney Spears chart seems to be one of the "smoothest"! You can see it for yourself (born December 2nd,  1981, 1:30 am, McComb Mississippi):

Her Sun is in the so called "lucky" sign of Sagittarius and receives no major hard aspects at all. Her Moon in Aquarius not only is not receiving any hard aspects but it even forms an harmonic aspect to Saturn. In addition, her Sun and Moon form a Sextile aspect (her “Lights” are 60 degrees apart and this in astrology is considered a positive agent). Not to mention that her Moon is in the warm, vivacious, "solid" and powerfully self-asserting Fifth House. This chart seems to belong to a happy person, having a rather easy life. But it does not reflect Britney Spears' tormented life. Apparently we are missing something here!

There must be some crucial element in this chart that we apparently overlook. Indeed if we search better we will encounter some hard configurations. First of all, she has a Libra Ascendant (which apparently partakes to the overall "easy going" chart pattern of hers). The planet ruling her Ascendant is Venus. And as you probably know, the planet ruling the Ascendant is of uttermost importance in the chart! So, it doesn’t surprise us much the fact that her chart's ruler (Venus, in the 25th degree of Capricorn) is forming a PERFECT (partile) square aspect to Pluto (in the 25th degree of Libra)! Pluto is well known in Astrology for causing (when adversely triggered) huge existential crises, frequent psychological breakdowns, extreme events in life, loss of assets and any kind of ordeals. And in Britney's case Pluto is pivotal, both because it is in her First House (in conjunction to her neighboring Saturn) and because it forms an aspect to her Sun.

And there are other configurations we did not pay enough attention to previously, as they are considered "secondary" ones (not to mention difficult to spot by the eye). We are talking here about her two characteristic semi-square aspects (a semi-square is a 45 degrees angle formed between 2 planets in the chart). Actually, Britney's Sun stands in the very middle of her Venus - Pluto aforementioned square (right on her Venus/Pluto midpoint - to use the proper astrological term). To make it simpler, her Sun forms a perfect semi-square aspect to her Pluto, while at the same time it forms a perfect semi-square to her Venus. There is some strange geometry going on here, as all these planets (Pluto, Sun, Venus) are positioned in perfect angular distances in the zodiac cycle. That is why - although the semi-square aspect is considered a secondary one - we have to pay particular attention to it. Semi-squares are considered difficult aspects, bringing conflict and stress to people.

So, the rare delineation we just examined partially explains Britney's ordeal. Add to it the fact of her 12th House Mars forming a square to her Neptune. As Mars is the ruler of her Seventh house, we can see her dismal relations clearly depicted in this "double whammy" aspect (Mars in the 12thHouse and at the same time in square to her Neptune, the ruler of the 12th House).

But there is still something amiss here! If we thoroughly study any given person's chart we might find similar or even heavier planetary configurations. The average person though seems to cope far better under such aspects than Britney Spears does, not getting immersed in such a gloomy and unhappy situation, not leading such a precariously balanced life style. Definitely there must be some other element in her chart bringing forth major personality disorders. And indeed there is one! The “polarization effect” we mentioned before!

There is a particular Ascendant that is mostly causing the "polarization effect" in a chart: Libra! Mysteriously, the sign of harmony and balance causes - when it is the Ascendant of the individual - the strongest imbalances. Chances are that an Aries with a Libra Ascendant will have his/her Sun in the Seventh House, a Taurus with a Libra Ascendant will have his/her Sun in the Eight House, a Gemini in the Ninth and so on! And the fact is that when somebody has a Libra Ascendant not only his/her Sun but most of his/her planets will be probably "polarized".

There are of course cases where an Aries individual has a Libra Ascendant but his Sun lies in the Sixth House instead of the Seventh - and this of course does not make his/her Sun “polarized”. On the other hand, an Aries with a Virgo Ascendant might have his/her Sun in his Seventh House. Thus, not ALL Libra Ascendants produce a strong "polarization effect" while some Virgo Ascendants might produce one (the Virgo Ascendant is the second best “polarizing” Ascendant). It always depends on the interaction between the House cusps and the specific degrees each planet is in.

Now, all these years that I have been studying people's charts I realized that this "polarization effect" is CRUCIAL and it can produce huge tensions, inner conflicts, imbalances, confusion and even mental disorders to individuals otherwise having very energetic and balanced charts, eventually leading them to a certain degree of of “existential tension” and even to existential "paralysis".

In Britney's case we are astonished by the many "polarization effect" elements she has in her chart! Her Sun is in Sagittarius but in the "opposite" to Sagittarius Third House! Her Moon is in Aquarius but in the “opposite” Fifth House. Her Mercury is in Sagittarius but in the Third House. Her Venus is in Capricorn but in the "opposite" Fourth House. Her Mars is in Virgo but in the "opposite" Twelfth House. And the same goes for her Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto! In fact THE ENTIRE CHART of Britney Spears is "polarized". This amazingly rare configuration produces a huge split in her personality and explains very satisfactorily Britney's behavior, life style and general ordeal. And it does this so effectively that no other method comes even close to it!

- Kurt Cobain and a schizophrenic patient

Let’s study another - rather tragic - case: the one of the singer with the “angelic” face Kurt Cobain - the leading guitarist and singer of the very popular group back in the ‘90’s “Nirvana”. Cobain allegedly suffered from bipolar disorder as well. For years he was addicted to heroin. He was a shy and reserved person (his Sun was in Pisces, in the Sixth House. His Moon was in Cancer). He took his life at the age of 27 by shooting himself with a gun he pointed at his head.

Cobain has a largely “polarized” chart (his Sun, Moon, Mercury, Mars and Pluto are all polarized as you can see below):

Our next case has a «spaghetti» flavor. In an interesting article entitled "Astrological research on Schizophrenia", the prominent Italian astrologer Ciro Discepolo analyzes what he considers to be a typical chart of a person suffering from a schizophrenic disorder. Although Discepolo pinpoints and describes accurately all the significant aspects on the chart of this patient he totally misses the "Polarization pattern" which is evident in it (you may read his article - in English - here: http://www.cirodiscepolo.it/english_corner/schizophrenia.htm)

The chart of the schizophrenic patient:

As you can see, a powerful polarization effect is created in this chart, as both his Luminaries and all the other planets (except Mercury and Jupiter) are polarized. In addition, his Sun is "double-whammy" polarized, being in Taurus but at the same time in the "opposite" to Taurus Eight House - and in a partile conjunction to Uranus, a planet totally alien to Taurus and related (by the Argentinean school of Psychological Astrology) to schizophrenia!

IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you - or someone you know - has a strong "Polarization Effect" in his/her chart it does not necessarily mean that s/he is going to get suicidal or schizophrenic. It rather means that s/he has to skillfully bridge two opposite forces in himself/herself. And ultimately this process might transform him totally and enrich him/her enormously!

- Franco and Caligula

Keeping now in mind this "polarization effect" it gets easier to explain certain charts that do not make much sense otherwise. Take the case of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco for example. We couldn't otherwise understand why a benevolent Sagittarius with an inconspicuous Moon in Gemini and a Virgo Ascendant became such a cruel dictator.

 
Pluto is aspecting both his "Lights" alright (and Plutonian people may display fascist behavior piece of cake) but I don't think this element - on its own - explains why this person ultimately became dictator Franco. We understand far better his nature though when we realize that his chart is highly polarized.


Last but not least, the chart of a notorious Roman emperor often described as "insane". I am referring to Caligula. You may see his chart below (according to "Astrotheme" his time of birth is 6 AM). Both his Luminaries (his Sun and Moon) and additionally his natal planets Mercury, Mars and Saturn are polarized!

From my own experience, I can attest that I have encountered rather often this "polarization effect" in the charts of people with mental disorders. It seems that when someone is bounded in his/her life by many aggravating factors then this configuration somehow takes a major hold on him/her. Then the task of "transmuting" this configuration might get beyond the individual's means. And if “unharnessed” and brought to such a critical level, the polarization effect unleashes certain very corrosive and disintegrating to the personality energies.

There is a certain "gradation" to this polarization effect. The strongest polarization occurs when both the Luminaries and a certain number of planets are polarized. If only one Luminary and some planets are polarized then we have a relatively minor polarization - but still we are worried about the polarized Luminary. When none of the Luminaries is polarized then the individual might not suffer a major "disruption" in his life but only in certain areas of his life. A minor polarization effects occurs when only just a couple of planets (but no Luminary) are polarized.

Sometimes I encounter this "effect" under a different form. In Hitler's case i.e. I noticed that his Capricorn Moon is tightly conjuncting his natal Jupiter. But this Saturnian - Jupiterian "coniunctio" is a sort of “polarization” too (Jupiter’s and Saturn’s energies are considered “opposite”). Thus, while almost everybody else (outside Germany) saw Hitler as an utterly cruel person he probably perceived himself as a rather "nice guy"! This is the polarization’s weird results!

So, the “polarization effect” may act in some powerful and even disruptive ways, in a chart. But it might as well positively "catapult" the individual in his/her life (helping him/her to achive great things)! It all depends on what "frequency" the individual  chooses to "operate" this rather unique chart! If the chart is constantly "operated" on a low frequency. then the results might be very disruptive! In such a case, a "polarization effected" chart is reminiscent of the other infamous "personality disrupting agent", the Sun - Moon tight square. Of course, if operated on a higher level the "polarization effect" might produce miracles! As I said, it all depends on the will and the actions of the individual. In any case, I firmly believe that we Astrologers should place this "polarization" method in the kit of our favorite astrological tools!

Thomas Gazis

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This is an original article written by Thomas Gazis. Copyright: Thomas D.Gazis. In order to republish it - parts or all of it - please contact first the author at: ifestion@gmail.com

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All charts made by the "Solarfire" astrology software.

Why has quality Astrology grown unpopular? The Greek grim case!

I would like to share with you some thoughts on a burning to many of us issue: why has quality Astrology grown unpopular in the last few years in our societies, the very moment that the "light", commercial astrology is enjoying an unprecedented popularity?

I will draw my conclusions out of my Greek experience - but I think the same paradigm applies to other countries as well. Modern Greece is strongly influenced by the sign of Capricorn, so it is a very pragmatic, down to earth country. But on the contrary to what someone would expect out of a Capricorn country, the "light" popular astrology is wide spread today in Greece, while the quality Astrology is totally marginalized (maybe not that much an element of surprise this, as the sign of Capricorn favors the commercial aspect of any given situation). Think now that Greece is the country that actually laid the foundations of the horoscopic astrology. And in this country Astrology is under-developed today! Even in our neighboring countries like Serbia and Turkey (supposedly less advanced than Greece) Astrology is doing better than here.

The fact is that 25 years ago quality Astrology was going through a huge development phase in our country (with schools brimming of students, a couple of good magazines etc.). It was really promising well then, but instead it took a reverse course and went through an abrupt decline - particularily in the last decade. So, the question is: what lies in the root of such a decadence (apart the fact that Uranus in Pisces and Neptune in Aquarius are mutually exerting their decadent power onto astrology - I am actually writing an article on this)?

I believe that in the root of this situation lies astrology's dual nature and peculiar relation to society, money and powerful peoples' interests! In Greece it all started some 18 years ago, when the first private TV channels went on air. These channels were all broadcasting then - for the first time - the classic morning shows, which included astrology predictions for the day. In those days there were a couple of good astrologers in Greece, but as often happens in mediterranean etc. countries not the qualified but the "connected" and "recommended" people got the TV privileged jobs. Meaning that certain connected housewives (no offense, my mom has been one), ex "Tupperware dealers" etc. pretending to be astrologers secured these TV "fortunetelling" jobs. In a single night these ladies (mainly) were baptized "astrologers" and the very next morning they were giving "astrology" predictions on national TV!

You can read the whole article here

Debunking the astrological - astronomical lies about 2012. How important is this date after all?

You will be surprised to know that you and I (and everybody actually) have somehow “co-created” the 2012 hype! We are somehow responsible for it (albeit on an unconscious level). That’s something that I will explain you later on. The burning issue now is the “daunting” date that lies ahead of us (21 December 2012), a date that each new day is bringing us excruciatingly closer to it!

For the last two - three years we have been bombarded by a whole literature of signs and wonders that supposedly are going to manifest on the December 21 “apocalyptic” date. We are told we will witness amazing planetary and galactic alignments, colossal earthquakes will tear apart the Earth, an entire planet will fall upon our heads, the Poles will be reversed, we humans will evaporate, become beams of light, pass over to other dimensions, you name it! Can we stand aside for a while and make some sense out of all this frenzy?

I will never forget the summer of 2003 when people from my neighborhood - who knew that I was into astronomy - were coming over to tell me how much concerned they were, because somebody had told them that planet Mars was about to come so close to Earth that it would ultimately appear on the sky as big as the Full Moon! I patiently explained to them that this wasn't the case and they relieved, turned back home. I was puzzled though. How could the people of the 21st century believe in such things? I realized then that some kind of primal, collective "sky - phobia" resides in the people's souls. People become very susceptible when they face larger than life issues they don't know much about, like i.e. any mysterious (and thus potentially threatening) event taking place in the sky, literally above their heads. Furthermore, in that summer I realized that the popular beliefs, the rumors and the “hearsay” can dramatically alter the shape of reality in people’s minds!

But what do we actually know about the 2012 "apocalypse"? Supposedly our world is going to end. The crucial question though is how? Not to mention, why? Is there a good reason for this happen? Is there something wrong i.e. with the Earth? Is it about to crack and break up in peaces? The answer is negative, as far as we know. Still very many people believe that our world is going to end on December 21, 2012 because the Maya “foretold it”. But in reality these amazing people never explicitly mentioned the definite and irrevocable end of the word in 2012! In any case, our cultural background is so different that we cannot easily understand what the Maya were referring to when they were writing about the “end” of this world. It’s like i.e. the confusion produced by the Greek surname “Blessas” to the English speaking people. If a Greek would come over to you shouting “Blessas” - “Blessas” (meaning he is urgently looking for a man called “Blessas”) all you would be hearing is “Bless us!”, “Bless us!”. It would make no sense to you…

1) On December 21st, 2012 there will be a major alignment of the planets and then all hell will break loose on Earth!

This scenario can be very easily busted! Actually, everybody can debunk it in just a few seconds, as long as s/he runs a simple astronomical or astrological program of his own or of some internet site! The term “major alignment of the planets” alludes to a very rare, unique planetary conjunction that will occur on 21th of December 2012. Supposedly on that date all the planets will be clustered in a single zodiacal sign - just a few degrees apart! The fact is that such a clustering has repeatedly occurred in human history. But as far as we know never a biblical proportions event occurred on Earth - at least not in the last 2.500 years that we possess written documents. We might have had events like “Pompeii” or “Tunguska” but these were rather local events which on the planet’s scale produced a rather negligible effect.

In reality, no planetary alignment at all will take place on the 21st of December 2011! The Sun will be in the sign of Capricorn, the Moon in Aries, Mercury in Sagittarius and so on. The planets will be scattered across many signs of the zodiac and thus not “aligned” at all (see the astrological chart for that date below):




2) On that fateful date all the planets (except Jupiter) will be clustered in the same part of the sky (same hemisphere). Such an event is unique and has never occurred in human history!
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NOTE: This is just an excerpt. You may purchase the full article here

   Chapters of the full pdf article (34 pages with explanatory illustrations):
- The Mayan cosmology
- The cyclical nature of the Long Count calendar
- A whole new discovery of Thomas Gazis on the Mayan calendar
- The deeper psychological meaning of the 2012 hype
- The scenario of the planetary alignment
- The scenario of the planetary clustering
- The Galactic Alignment for dummies 
- The Earth crossing the galactic mid-plane scenario
- The Nibiru - Sedna - planet X scenario
- Interpreting properly the famous "Deluge" Mayan illustration

Thomas Gazis

This is an original article written by Thomas Gazis. Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis. thomas_gazis@yahoo.gr