This is just a quick announcement to let subscribers to Traditional Astrology Radio know that the show has moved, and I’m now recording new episodes for another podcast I started called The Astrology Podcast.

The reason for the move is that the domain name TheAstrologyPodcast.com became available suddenly in June of 2012, and I purchased it and set up a new show in hopes of appealing to a wider audience than just traditional astrologers.

While traditional astrology is still my main focus and interest, and many of the episodes of the new podcast have focused on themes related to it, I sometimes felt a bit restrained by the need to only talk about traditional concepts within the context of this show, due to the name.

Additionally, I felt like with Traditional Astrology Radio I ran the risk of just “preaching to the choir,” whereas if I had more of a general astrology-themed show then my potential audience would be much broader. The idea was that once I developed a broader audience that I could slip in some traditional topics and discussions from time to time, in a way that makes it so that more modern astrologers would become interested in learning about the tradition in the long run.

So far the new podcast is going really well, and I’m up to the 20th episode. That isn’t a lot of episodes since I’ve been doing it for 2 years now, but I’ve been getting better at releasing one or two a month, which is a pretty reasonable pace that may increase as the number of listeners continues to grow.

One thing that you will notice is that the production value of the new show has increased substantially compared to episodes of Traditional Astrology Radio, since I got some better equipment, as well as more experience in recording techniques. The end result is a significantly improved listening experience.

So, please visit the website of the new show and listen to some of the episodes at TheAstrologyPodcast.com. If you would like to subscribe to receive an email each time a new episode is available you can do so on the subscription page. Or you can subscribe to the show through our page on iTunes. You can also follow our pages on Facebook or on Twitter in order to get notifications about the show there as well.

The post The Show Has Moved to TheAstrologyPodcast.com appeared first on Traditional Astrology Radio.

The topic of this month’s show is the issue of house division in Hellenistic astrology, and specifically the question of the role that whole sign houses and quadrant houses played in the early western astrological tradition.

This podcast was motivated by a recent discussion on the topic of house division on the Skyscript forum where I outlined my views on the development of the doctrine of house division.  The main question there was the extent to which whole sign houses was the primary system of house division in the early Hellenistic tradition, and what role quadrant houses played in delineations.

During the course of the show I outline my views on how quadrant houses evolved into a distinct form of topical house division by the late Hellenistic tradition, which was a departure from what was originally primarily a whole sign framework.

I think that quadrant houses were originally first introduced within the context of the length of life technique, as explicated by Nechepso and Petosiris, but this eventually led to astrologers experimenting with using the degree of the MC for topical purposes.  Eventually by the late Hellenistic tradition the astrologers appear to have been using quadrant houses as a secondary topical overlay on top of whole sign houses.

First Podcast Exclusively on TraditionalAstrologyRadio.com

This is the first show that has been recorded since leaving our old page on BlogTalkRadio and setting up the show exclusively on TraditionalAstrologyRadio.com.   I will no longer be posting shows on our old page on BlogTalkRadio, so if you would like to subscribe to the show please sign up to our new RSS feed, or subscribe via email, or subscribe via iTunes.

I’m still experimenting with the sound quality and different recording devices, and I learned a few things while editing this show that should make the sound quality during future shows much better.   If you have any problems with the sound during this month’s show please let me know.

Traditional Astrology News

I begin the show with a new segment on recent news in traditional astrology.  There I mention the following topics:

• The release of Benjamin Dykes’ latest translation, The Book of the Nine Judges, which is a Medieval compilation of texts on horary astrology.
• Demetra George is doing a retreat titled Traditional Astrology and Modern Practice in March with the South Texas Astrology Retreat group.  Please note that during the show I misspoke when I mentioned the URL for their website, which is actually: TexasAstrologyRetreat.org.
• Ben, Demetra and I released the recording from our conference on traditional astrology in September.  You can purchase the Traditional Astrology in the 21st Century CD on my website.

If you have heard any other news in the world of traditional astrology that you think that I should mention during the next show then please send me an email and let me know.

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The post House Division in Hellenistic Astrology appeared first on Traditional Astrology Radio.

During this podcast I reflect on some areas of the tradition that I’ve been researching over the course of the past year, and I provide some news and updates about important developments that have taken place in the field of traditional astrology in the past few months.

This is a solo show with no guests.

I touch on the following topics during the course of the 75 minute show:

• The death of astrologer Alan White.  For the previous interview I did with Alan last year see this page. There is also a memorial page set up on the Solsticepoint website.
• The AFA conference on traditional astrology that took place in September.
• My work in reconstructing the original Hellenistic aspect doctrine.
• Some issues with the four elements and the temperament theory.
• A research project I did this summer on the Ruler or Master of the Nativity.
• A lecture on the history of astrology that I’m giving in San Francisco next week.
• Thinking about moving off of BlogTalkRadio and soliciting advice from listeners regarding podcasting.

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The post Recent Developments in Traditional Astrology appeared first on Traditional Astrology Radio.

During this show astrologers Demetra George and Benjamin Dykes join me to talk about the upcoming conference that we are organizing with the American Federation of Astrologers on traditional astrology.

The conference is titled Traditional Astrology in the 21st Century, In Honor of James H. Holden.   It will take place September 22-24, 2011 in Tempe, Arizona.

During the course of the show we cover topics such as our plans for the structure of the conference, what James Holden’s contribution to traditional astrology has been, and where we think traditional astrology is headed in the future as an up-and-coming movement within the astrological community.

This show was recorded on Wednesday, July 6, 2011.

Press release for the conference:

The AFA presents a two-and-a-half day conference on traditional astrology, featuring Demetra George, Chris Brennan, and Benjamin Dykes, honoring the lifetime achievements of James Holden and the translation and recovery of the astrological tradition.

Don’t miss this historic gathering with both a beginner’s introduction and many in-depth presentations on history and techniques, where you will have the opportunity to:

• Become familiar with basic terminology and concepts in traditional astrology.
• Gain confidence in using traditional techniques: make more accurate natal interpretations and predictions.
• Be able to read and study more advanced material.
• Understand our heritage, and the reasons for many techniques and ideas used today.
• Learn ancient wisdom teachings for a modern context.

For more information visit the American Federation of Astrologers’ website.

Update (12/9/11):  the conference was a great success!   A complete audio recording of Traditional Astrology in the 21st Century is available for purchase on Chris’ website.

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The post Demetra George and Ben Dykes on Upcoming Traditional Astrology Conference appeared first on Traditional Astrology Radio.

During this show I interview one of the leading scholars on Medieval astrology in the world today, Dr. Benjamin Dykes.

Last month Dr. Dykes published a translation of a Medieval astrological treatise on horary and electional astrology by al-Kindi titled The Forty Chapters.  Al-Kindi was an important source for a number of later horary astrologers such as William Lilly, and Dykes’ translation has showed that Lilly’s use of material from al-Kindi was even more extensive than previously thought.

This show was recorded live on Thursday, May 5, 2011 through our now defunct page on BlogTalkRadio.

This week Dr. Dykes has released another important translation, this time of a work by a 12th century author named Hermann of Carinthia.  The treatise is titled The Search of the Heart, and it contains a wealth of new information the use of consultation charts and the divination of thoughts in early Medieval astrology.

During the interview I ask Ben some questions about what new information he has found during the course of translating these texts, and what the implications are for our understanding of the history and practice of horary astrology.

For more information about Benjamin Dykes please see his website at www.bendykes.com

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The post Interview with Benjamin Dykes on Search of the Heart and al-Kindi appeared first on Traditional Astrology Radio.

During this show I interview Medieval astrologer Robert Zoller.

Zoller is widely recognized as the leading practitioner of Medieval astrology in the world today.

He is renowned for being one of the first leading astrologers to advocate a return to traditional astrological techniques and methods, starting in the early 1980’s with his book The Arabic Parts in Astrology: A Lost Key to Prediction.

He also has the distinction of being on of the few astrologers who issued predictions about 9/11 prior to the attacks.  He was interviewed by the History Chanel in 2005 in order to discuss these predictions:

During the show I ask Zoller about his 9/11 predictions and their aftermath, as well as about his thoughts on fate, astrological techniques, and how he got into astrology.

The interview was recorded live on January 9, 2011 through our now defunct page on BlogTalkRadio.

More information about Zoller’s work can be found on his website: www.virginastrology.com

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The post Robert Zoller Interview appeared first on Traditional Astrology Radio.

This is the new website for Traditional Astrology Radio.

Here I will post additional information about the show, such as transcripts, information about upcoming interviews, and a full archive of previous interviews.

If you want to received a notice when there is a new post here then you should subscribe for email notifications.

The post Traditional Astrology Radio Website Launched appeared first on Traditional Astrology Radio.

During this podcast I discuss the recent release of a full English translation of the Anthology of Vettius Valens by Mark Riley.

Riley, who is a retired classics scholar from California, unexpectedly released a full preliminary translation of the entire Anthology online for free in early December.

He had completed the translation in the mid-90’s when he was still doing work on ancient astrology, but has since moved on, and never got around to publishing the text, until now.

During this impromptu show I discuss the importance of the release of this text, and I provide an overview of the life and work of Valens.

You can read more about the release of the Anthology and find a link to the translation in an article I wrote on the Hellenistic astrology website.

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The post New Translation of the Anthology of Vettius Valens appeared first on Traditional Astrology Radio.

During this show I interviewed astrologer Alan White, a hard talking ex-special forces Vietnam veteran, who has brought his unique perspective to the field of astrology for several decades now.

In the mid-90’s Alan became interested in Hellenistic astrology, and subsequently became an associate of Project Hindsight.  Since then he has shared his no-nonsense approach to astrology with a variety of different audiences, including speaking positions at the Northwest Astrological Conference and the United Astrological Conference.

During the show I asked Alan some questions about how he got into astrology, what he thinks some of his most important personal insights into the subject are, and there was also some discussion about how to view certain facets of modern astrology within a traditional context.

One of the most interesting highlights of the show was a discussion about Alan’s views about the outer planets and their significations, starting about 20 minutes into the interview.   Alan argues that the outer planets only become relevant in astrological charts after their discovery, and he argues that some of their significations are determined by which signs they were in when they were discovered.   Specifically he said that each outer planet

…takes after the lord of the sign in which it is discovered.”

He also points to a number of events that took place around the time of the discovery of each outer planet which provide insight into their astrological meaning.

He associates Neptune with deceptive imagery, and the advent of photography in the 19th century.   He says that during this time photographs from the American civil war were printed in newspapers, and people would point to the images of dead soldiers and exclaim ‘look at all of those dead soldiers.’

Chris and Alan talking at Project Hindsight c. 2006

He points out that what they were actually looking at were not in fact the dead soldiers themselves, but rather ink that had been smeared on paper in such a way so as to give the impression that one was actually looking at the dead soldiers, when in fact they were not.

Insights about the other outer planets were shared later in the interview.

The show was recorded live on December 7, 2010 through our now defunct page on BlogTalkRadio.

Update (12/18/11):  Alan passed away on August 18, 2011.  I talked a bit about his life and his contributions to the field of astrology at the beginning of the show in November.   Click here to visit the page for that show.

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The post Interview with Alan White appeared first on Traditional Astrology Radio.