Synthesis: How to Begin the Art

One of the major difficulties keeping students from growing in astrology is the lack of know-how and experience in synthesizing measurements, bringing measurement ideas and occurrences together into a meaningful, reasonable group, as a guideline to the developmental behavior and history in the client’s life. [Please see, this month, the companion article on this theme under “Notebook”, entitled Appreciating AstroChords.]

The objective is to take multiple measurements and organize them as simply as possible. The key to doing this is within what I call “the premise of homogeneity”: the initial impression of the horoscope will be repeated over and over and over again as measurements accumulate. –Human beings (except in rare instances) develop in life in a “together” way. Our language even betrays the necessity of this natural way, “Don’t lose it! Get it together”, or “Boy! She really has it all together!”

Here in the Forum, I try very hard to share information in the most practical way –some 80,000 words already, all archived for you!– without giving away ALL the secrets we study and practice intensely in the Master’s Degree Certification Course ().

Here, I’m almost crossing the line!: here is an exercise that I hope you will study to feel the pattern of thinking and apply that pattern to one of your own horoscopes –force yourself to think in this 1, 2, 3, 4 … way—and I promise you, you will experience how to begin the art of synthesis.

You must have this horoscope in front of you, the wheel and the aspect grid to benefit from what follows. Male, born December 17, 1930 at 2:30 AM, in Brooklyn (Kings County) NY. The Ascendant is 26 Libra 43.

Give yourself a few moments to get familiar with the lay of the heavens here. [I like to brag about my students, that they learn eventually to do this in 20-30 seconds!]. Now, Let me take you through a way of thinking into this horoscope, in terms of PROFESSION, more specifically, in what professional way, doing WHAT, will fulfill this man. What orientation within this man will be served best by what professional outlet?

–Please don’t race ahead. Just follow me as if I were teaching you a foreign language.

1. Most obvious is VenusA, 8 conjunct Moon9 . [The subscripts refer to the House(s) ruled by the particular planet –this is where the magic of synthesis really happens.] FeelVenus-Moon in Scorpio: the reigning need to do his own thing (Moon in the 1st House) to control the mysteries of emotions, sexuality, and magnetic personal drama. Dealing with the inexplicable; with Venus, emotion-swamped judgement, sexuality, dealing with intense attachments. This is what you will feel from this man since Venus rules the Ascendant. [Note that Venus also rules the 8th, part of the sexual profile.]

Now, just hold that Moon-Venus conjunction in the Ascendant strongly. FEEL it.

2. See that Mars7 in Leo (a theatrical, getting-away-with-murder way of energy expression) squares (intensifies) the Moon-Venus unit of the emerging synthesis. This is strong, and it could suggest public confrontation, even struggle and combat since Mars rules the 7th. –This is particularly important since Mars is in the professional 10th and is in creative quintile to the Ascendant. –This man is [needs to be] creatively promotional in terms of things deep, off-beat, emotional, sexual; taking them public.

3. Because of the intensified Scorpio focus, you must check further the sexual profile (Houses 8 and 5 to begin with). Venus rules the 8th, and you have covered that. Neptune5 rules the 5th and is peregrine, i.e., it will surely run away with the whole system, in development, through art, aesthetics, photography, television, or even decadence and self-delusion.

So, you know that sexuality (sensuality) is rampant here. It may be artistic, surely public in projection (the Mars vector). We must check for the mind-set, the communication values, especially in the powerful 3rd-9th axis strongly articulated here.

4. Mercury9 is opposed Jupiter3:The communication axis is extremely highly focused within this man. The axis is squared by Uranus; we expect the avant garde; it MUST be avant garde. –Our accumulating synthesis is showing the law of homogeneity, or continuance, whatever you want to call it.

5. The Saturn-Uranus square is the closest aspect in the horoscope, along with Uranus quindecile the Ascendant: here is the rebel, the eccentric perhaps, winning the battle between old and new, conservative and liberal, old-fashioned and, yes, that word again, the avant garde.

You know this man is highly caught up [needs to be] with the theatrical dimensions of sexuality, with a touch of art, with a public vector, with intense, rebellious communication; possibly publishing.

6. Mercury and Jupiter are intensified (the 3rd-9th axis) by the Pluto conjunction with Jupiter in the 9th and the Saturn conjunction with Mercury in the 3rd. This is completely obvious. Believe it. –Publicity, writing, photography, publishing, all this ideas are going through your mind –believe them!—and the focus must be from the world of sexuality, the sensual. –With a dose of depressive loneliness within it all (the Saturn-Mercury conjunction).

7. Lastly, you study the SunMC, the ruler of the MC. It is peregrine!. A peregrine Sun can not get plugged in easily. –Now think: with a peregrine Sun and his Uranus quindecile the Ascendant, isn’t that the rebel freely on his merry way!!!!??? This man is onto his own thing. Remember: the Moon in Scorpio center of this is in the Ascendant!

This man is exaggeratedly independent, a renegade in opinionation (Sagittarius), perhaps in legal battles, publicity, etc.

8. And finally, note that Pluto is almost precisely square the Nodal axis, suggesting an enormous public outreach, a competitive outreach, a far-ranging power thrust involving much money (Pluto rules the 2nd). AND this is echoed by the Moon-Pluto mutual reception and trine, a very grand, well-working alliance about money, publicity, power.

To get a bit fancy, you would further see MC=Venus/Uranus “success in artistic endeavors”; and Jupiter=Uranus/Asc “working feverishly to gain recognition.” –Whoooooooooommmh! This is quite the dynamo. It is the horoscope of Bob Guccione the baroquely self-fashioned artist-photographer Publisher/President of Penthouse Magazine, long the competitor (and some think racier and more artistic) to Playboy.

Now, may I suggest that you go over this three or four times. REALIZE how very clear and simple the procedure is. You advanced with the synthesis artistically, resting on my self-confidence and your confidence in me. Now, try this style with one of your horoscopes. Even write down the capsules BUT relate one observation with the next” in a developmental scenario. –Viewing “this”, and then that, and then that over there and then looking up this over here will not create synthesis. The reasonable, developmental-scenario thinking conducted above will.

 See the most obvious feature. Feel the deduction you make.

 Frame this deduction as an open door to the next most significant measurement; invite it into early synthesis. Start making creative connections; build a reality, much as a playwright does.

 Continue this process in confidence, led by the repeatedly strengthening feel you have within the analysis.

Indeed, with some horoscopes this crystallizing process can be elusive, but it is all in relation to your level of experience and skill, which comes, climbs, blooms only with practice with understanding.

I hope this has been helpful.