Demetra George Astrology News

April 2016 Newsletter

Enclosure by Malefics and Benefics - Clinton and Trump

Hillary Clinton astrology The Hellenistic aspect doctrine contains a section on maltreatment by aspect, where a planet can be severely injured by another planet so that it has difficulty in bringing forth its positive significations. I will spend a full day teaching these methods during the Hellenistic Astrology Applied Summer Retreat in July. You'll find an introduction to the concepts in this month's newsletter as we look at examples in Hillary Clinton's and Donald Trump's charts.

Hillary’s Maltreated Venus

Let's start with an example of one of these maltreatment conditions, called "enclosure by malefics," in the chart of Hillary Clinton. I use the 8:02 am chart because the newspaper announcement of her birth quoted her mother saying that Hillary was "born in time for breakfast." The chart is set in whole sign houses, which give a strong angular signature with Sun, Venus, and Mercury in the 1st house and Mars and Saturn (along with Pluto) in the 10th house. [Oct 26, 1947; 8:02 am CST; Chicago, IL]

Hellenistic aspects are understood as the seven visual rays that are emitted by each planet and are directed along the 60, 90, 120, 180 degrees angular slopes. Similar to modern astrology, the trine and sextile rays are sympathetic and the square and opposition rays are harsh. When the malefic planets - Mars or Saturn - are one of the planets involved in the square, opposition (and even conjunction), there is the potential for pain, harm, and injury. We are going to look at one of the seven conditions of maltreatment called enclosure by malefics, which the medieval astrologers referred to as besiegement.

March 2016 Newsletter

The 2016 U.S. Presidential Candidates and Mercury Phases

Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton debate 2016 In the 116 days of Mercury’s synodic cycle, Donald and Bernie share the very same day when Mercury first makes its evening rising appearance, while Hillary and Ted both were born when Mercury made its heliacal set disappearance. What did the ancient astrologers have to say about the unique qualities of planets appearances and disappearances relative to their phase? And what does this suggest about each of the candidate’s ability to sell their message to the American people?

Mercury, the fleet-footed messenger of the gods, was the patron of travelers and merchants who frequented the roads and byways buying and selling their wares. He was also the patron of liars and thieves ever on the alert to con and swindle the gullible. The fast-talking salesman is one essential component of the Mercury archetype. The synodic cycle of Mercury, also known as its solar phase cycle, contains four critical moments when Mercury shifts from one phase to another as it alternately appears after having been hidden and disappears after having been visible. These are the heliacal morning rise and the morning set in the eastern sky, and the evening rise and heliacal evening set in the western sky.

December 2015 Newsletter

Making Pizza at Fondo Galetea

Postcards from a Spiritual Journey in Siren Land

We have all returned safely home from another wonderful Starlotus Sacred Sites Tour immersing ourselves in the mythical landscape of the sirens, sibyls, and ancient seers in Southern Italy.

Tiberius’ Palace atop Capri

Astrology at Villa Jovis

On one of the two peaks of the island of Capri, Emperor Tiberius passed the last decade of his life with his life-long friend, advisor and astrologer Thrasyllus. Thrasyllus was one of the key figures in the transmission of Hellenistic astrology to Rome, via Alexandria and Rhodes and most likely was a direct source for Manilius’ Astronomica. Our group made a circle at the end of the ambulatio near the Specularium, the astronomical observatory where Tiberius and Thrasyllus would observe the stars and then cast and discuss the charts.

Walking on the footseps of Thrasyllus

We read aloud Thrasyllus’ Pinax as a word offering to one of the ancient seers of the astrological lineage in gratitude for inspiring the current renaissance of traditional astrology.

In an upcoming webinar, I will share the teachings from this day revealing the scope of Thrasyllus’ influence in the power and politics of the early Roman Empire.

September 2015 Newsletter

Donald Trump Batters His Enemies – A Medieval Perspective

In July, I was preparing my 12th House webinar, and looking for example charts for the topic of enemies. Throughout the Hellenistic and Medieval eras, the main concerns of 12th House inquiries were, “Will I have many enemies or few?” and “Will I be victorious over my enemies or will they destroy me?”

While scrolling through my Facebook news feed, I came across a quote by Donald Trump that began, “Over the years I’ve participated in many battles and have really almost come out very, very victorious every single time. I’ve beaten many people and companies, and I’ve won many wars…”. These words seemed to promise an interesting chart to work the medieval methods of analysis.

In the 12th House webinar, I go through many more details than what I will present here, but I wanted to give you the basic approach to delineating this topic, so we can all watch the campaign events that are unfolding in a classic Roman spectacle style.

July 2015 Newsletter

Astrologer King Celebrates Venus Jupiter in Leo in 62 BCE

Today (June 30, 2015) we are blessed with a conjoining of the two benefics, the Venusian goddess of love, beauty, and desire with lordly amorous Jupiter and his far-reaching wisdom and justice. In 2015 this conjunction marks the legalization of same-sex marriage. In ancient astrology, fortunate fertile prosperous noble marriages that give birth to good children are among the significations of the co-mingling of these two planetary deities.

The astrological community is no doubt initiating all sorts of auspicious events today under this fortuitous electional day, including many long-awaited marriages around the nation. But I want to tell you about another Venus-Jupiter conjunction in Leo that occurred over two thousand years ago whose marital blessings showered upon the lives of several illustrious ancient astrologers who are the ancestors of our tradition.

January 2015 Newsletter

Is This Archeological Artifact the First Astrology Computer?

Freeth Model of Antikythera Mechanism Discovered at the start of the 1900s as part of the Antikythera shipwreck, the so-called Antikythera mechanism could be the first world's first astrological "computer." New research sheds light on the inner workings of the mechanism, which is now known to be used to calculate planetary positions and eclipses. This month, Demetra is pleased to offer you an extensive article about the device's history, and its importance in filling in some of our knowledge gaps about the formation of astrology during the Hellenistic period.

This exciting discovery gets us a little closer to understanding the "quantum leap" astrological theory took at the time, as well as insight into some of the great thinkers who may have invented and/or used the device.

November 2014 Newsletter

Ebola in the U.S. and Hellenistic Maltreatment Aspects

The nation has been gripped with concern for the well-being of the American public over the arrival of the Ebola virus to our homeland. On September 20th Thomas Eric Duncan came to the United States from Liberia to visit family. On September 24th Duncan went to Texas Presbyterian Health Hospital in Dallas with a fever and told a nurse he has been to Liberia. But he was sent home with antibiotics and Tylenol. On September 28th he returned to the hospital in an ambulance and was isolated; two days later on September 30 the CDC confirmed that the first patient on U.S. soil had been diagnosed with Ebola. In the days following his hospitalization and eventual death, two nurses involved in his direct care were diagnosed as also having contracted the virus.

July 2014 Newsletter

Maleficient, Angelina Jolie, and the Winged Goddess Asteroids

When films, or any piece of theater or art, reflect archetypal themes derived from myth or fairy tales, they can have a universal appeal and evoke a catharsis in the observer. Arising from Jung’s ‘collective unconscious,’ these motifs speak to the resolutions of the dramas of the human condition. Many Asclepian healing sanctuaries in antiquity contained Theatres of Dionysos, which suggests that viewing the timeless Greek tragedies was part of the healing cure.

Maleficient, starring Angelina Jolie in a critically acclaimed performance, is “the untold story of Disney's most iconic villain from the 1959 classic Sleeping Beauty." A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman with stunning black wings, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army of humans threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal - an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the king of the humans and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom - and to Maleficent's true happiness as well.

June 2014 Newsletter

Amazing Asteroid Tales

This coming Saturday on the Summer Solstice, I will present the next webinar in the ongoing series on each of the twelve astrological houses. The Seventh House illuminates the relationships that we have with the ‘other’ – whether that person is our mate, business partner, opponent, or even our open enemy.

The symbolism of the Summer Solstice, which marks the culmination of the growth of the light force from its awakening at the Winter Solstice, is an apt metaphor for a discussion of the seventh house which likewise marks the polarity point of the growth of the individual’s awareness of self from its emergence in the first house. Deeper reflection about this sector brings us to consider how love and marriage can easily turn into strife and enmity – the dynamic dance of Venus and Mars.

June 2014 New Release Update

New Webinar Date and New Audio Releases!

We're pleased to announce the date for Demetra's next webinar on the 7th House. Join us Saturday, June 21. Details below.

This month we're also releasing three new audio programs, including the recent lecture Demetra gave to the New York NCGR chapter on Teresa of Avila.

In this very special program, Demetra does a wonderful job sifting through the remarkable details of Teresa's life to uncover the footprint of the asteroids Vesta, Juno and Psyche. She take an extensive look at her transits and secondary progressions in what proves to be an engaging and illuminating lecture. More details below.

March 2014 Newsletter

The Underwater Realm of Malaysia Flight 370

One week after the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370, its fate remains unknown. Our prayers are with the passengers and their families in the midst of their tragic grief and unanswered questions. What clues can be found in the chart of the take-off time that might point to where it is and whether the passengers are dead or alive? (March 8, 2104, 0:41 am, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

With each passing day, our hopes for their survival are lessened. Looking to the traditional approach, there are three places in a chart that are the significators of death – the eighth, seventh, and fourth houses.

The first place to look is the eighth house of death and fears. Here we see the presence of Jupiter, the ruler of Ascendant which indicates that the life of the event chart (1st house) is intimately connected with death and immersed in fear of death. While a general rule of thumb is that a benefic planet in good condition (Jupiter is exalted in Cancer) can suppress or prevent the difficult events of an unfortunate house (8th is in aversion to the Asc.), in this case Jupiter does not belong to the sect in favor (this is a nocturnal chart as the Sun is below the horizon), so its benefic power is lessened. In addition, an especially malefic Mars (detriment and retrograde) is applying to a square with Jupiter that will become exact during the Cardinal Cross of April 20-23. Around this time more information, disturbing and frightening in nature, may be revealed to the public about what really happened. Jupiter’s exaltation in Cancer speaks to the prominence of the event captivating the attention of the entire world and the passengers being honored after death or lauded for their courage if alive. Jupiter’s exaltation points to the continued hopes that the passengers have survived and the matter will turn out well in the end.