In today’s post, Helene Schnitzer introduces us to locational astrology. Wherever you are, I hope you enjoy it! ~Pat

Usually, when reading a horoscope with a view to prediction, the question we ask is when things are going to happen. In addition, Locational Astrology is asking where they are going to take place.

[headline h=”5″]Early Techniques[/headline]

Locational Astrology is really a very old branch of our art. Ptolemy, who lived ca. 150 AD, established the first list of correspondences between certain places and astrological signs. These lists were expanded and refined during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Still, they would not go much further than, for example, “Italy is a Leo country, so being an Aries, you should have a lot of fun there,” or “London is a Gemini city, so as a writer or merchant, you should be doing well.”

Horary Astrology also makes use of the locational descriptions attached to the signs. However, this also doesn’t go much further than, “The planet signifying your lost cat is in Scorpio. It’s probably stuck in a murky swamp nearby.”

Eventually, the directions of the wind were attached to the various signs as well. For example, Taurus would be connected to the South, Scorpio to the North, and so forth. But there was no consensus; one astrologer might tell you to look for your lost cat in the North, whereas another would send you in a completely different direction.

[headline h=”5″]Local Space [/headline]

This lack of consensus was remedied with the development of so-called Local Space. This technique works with the astronomical reality behind the horoscope. For example, the Midheaven in the chart indicates the highest point in the sky, which the Sun reaches at noon. Therefore, the Midheaven is always pointing to the South. The Ascendant in the horoscope signifies the point on the horizon where the Sun would rise, i.e. the East. If a planet was situated in the eleventh house of the chart, i.e. between Ascendant and Midheaven, it would consequently be pointing towards the South-East. On the basis of this simple reasoning one can erect a Local Space map that shows in which directions the planets were pointing at the time of someone’s birth.

The theory, having been proven correct many times over, is that one evokes a planet’s energy by going into its original direction. For example, buying your groceries under your personal Moon line will likely give you exactly the nutrition you want (unless the Moon was strongly afflicted at birth). If you do the same under your Saturn line, you may find that your “fresh” vegetables are wilting and your bread is stale or sold out altogether when you arrive at the bakery.

A Local Space map is very useful within your home and local community. You can also take it with you when traveling, to help orientate yourself in a foreign city. However, your map loses its potency after about fifty miles from where you are at the time, due to the curved surface of our planet.

[headline h=”5″]AstroCartoGraphy
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In the 1970s, Locational Astrology was revolutionized when American astrologer Jim Lewis developed AstroCartoGraphy. His genial realization was that, had you been born at the same date and time but in a different place, certain planets would have been positioned on one of the four angles of your horoscope.

The so-called angles are the Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant and Immum Coeli (lowest point of the horoscope, bottom of the chart). They are “incidental,” which means they depend on time and location, due to the rotation and tilted axis of the Earth. Any planet situated on one of these points has prominence and tends to strongly express itself in the life of an individual.

Lewis’s theory was that a person could emphasize a planet’s effect by relocating to a place where this planet would have been on an angle at birth. Calculating where this would be, he found that each planet/angle combination forms a line circling the whole planet more or less vertically. At some points, these lines cross each other, forming a so-called paran, a line where two or more angular planets are at work and which circles the Earth horizontally.

Since Jim Lewis developed this technique and called it AstroCartoGraphy, it has helped many thousands of people to find the right location for their specific purpose – be it a career move or simply a relaxing holiday. However, should you consult an astrocartographer, please do not expect miracles. Remember, if it’s not in the natal chart, it won’t happen!

Helene

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Helene Schnitzer is an astrologer living in Glastonbury, England. Her specialities include Traditional, Horary and Hellenistic Astrology, and Astro*Carto*Graphy. Click HERE to read her full bio.