All Are Wonders

Primary Directions in Traditional Astrology

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:08:00 +0000

Primary directions are a time-tested prediction and timing technique used in traditional astrology. They are similar to secondary progressions, but use degrees of what is called right ascension instead of degrees of the Zodiac. Right ascension degrees are different from Zodiac degrees in that they take into account the different amounts of time that Zodiac signs take to rise above the horizon. The differences arise from the fact that the Earth's orbit is elliptical, while the Zodiac is a circle by convention. In secondary progressions, one day's activity in the ephemeris after the birth time is taken to correspond to one year in the native's life (the native is the person whose birth chart is being examined); in primary directions, the planets move by one degree, more or less (there are different methods), per year of the native's life. The interaction between the adjusted (or directed) positions and the natal positions can mark events in the native's life.

Here's my chart. The house cusps are not shown because I use whole sign houses, where the entire sign where the Ascendant falls is the first house, the next sign the second house, and so forth. The arrow pointing to the left is the Ascendant; the upward-pointing arrow is the Midheaven. How it works is that the planets move clockwise through the chart as they would during the course of the day; a quarter of the way through will cover the native's entire life.

The first event I'd like to point out happened in September 1989 and was marked by Pluto advancing upward to meet the Midheaven. At the time I was starting my senior year of college, but I had to leave due to finances. That event completely transformed my career as Microsoft was recruiting heavily on campus at the time and I could very well have ended up working there had I graduated. So you can see that the event worked similarly to a Pluto transit of the Midheaven.

The next event also involves the Midheaven, this time with Uranus as the directed planet. This was in late 1993. At the time, I was working at an investment bank in Boston, in a department that managed stocks for pension plans. I developed stomach problems due to the stress levels, and in February of the next year, one day decided I couldn't do that job any more and gave notice. So the event was similar to a Uranus-Midheaven transit.

The last event I'll cover involves Venus, which was directed to the Midheaven in the summer of 1998. The major event was a trip to Russia to meet my future wife. I came back engaged and got married a year latter. The subsequent divorce ten years later was marked by an aspect between the Midheaven and what's called the antiscion (a shadow spot) of Mars.

If you'd like to try working with primary directions, I recommend using the program Pymorinus. Book Three of William Lilly's Chrisitan Astrology gives instruction on how to use primary directions.

Disclaimer: the first rule of predictive astrology is that no event can happen unless it is indicated in the natal chart. The technique given here is used to determine when events will happen, not if they will happen.

Free Astrology/Tarot E-book

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 22:05:00 +0000

It's time for a publicity stunt!

From now until the end of 2011, I will make the e-book version of my new book, Better Living with Astrology and Tarot, available absolutely free to anyone who requests it. To request it, send an email to all DOT are DOT wonders AT gmail DOT com.

Work in progress: Traditional Astrology for Beginners

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 20:38:00 +0000

I'm working on a new book. It's about traditional astrology, and differs from the other books on the subject by being targeted at beginners. All of the other books I've seen so far on the subject assume the reader is a practicing astrologer and familiar with all of the basic concepts.

My book will explore traditional techniques as used by William Lilly and the Arabic astrologers. I'll explain each technique from the ground up, starting with the basic concepts. Some of these techniques are no longer in use, but can provide unique insights into a chart.

I'll keep you posted about my progress.

Better Living with Astrology and Tarot

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Sun, 22 May 2011 13:30:00 +0000

My new book, Better Living with Astrology and Tarot, is now available at lulu.com. The book explains astrology and Tarot starting with basic concepts, and shows you how to use both for planning personal development.

What is Divination?

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Sat, 21 May 2011 12:10:00 +0000

For the purposes of this article, we will assume that the universe was not the result of a random incident, but was instead designed. We will also assume that the design is holographic; that is, information about each item and event also exists at other times and places. We will assume further that events in the universe are not all the result of random chance, that at least some of them were planned by the designer to provide learning opportunities.

Divination, then, is the art of using tools that work with the interconnected nature of the universe to get information about events and any lessons those events may have been intended to teach. Two popular examples of divination tools are astrology and Tarot cards.

Divination is useful because by getting information about future events, we can decide to learn the lessons those events are intended to teach up front, therefore mitigating the effects of those events, or in some cases, rendering the events unnecessary.

As an example, let's say that John Doe goes to see an astrologer. The astrologer notices that the planets Saturn and Pluto will soon be in a stressful alignment to where the planet Venus was at John's birth. In astrology, the planet Saturn signifies restriction, selectivity and focus, and sometimes fear, while Pluto signifies transformation, and Venus signifies how we value things and people. The astrologer tells John that he should examine his attitudes about what he owns and the people in his life. He tells John this because the alignment mentioned above is known to cause financial stress and changes in relationships.

Now John had been in the habit of making unnecessary purchases using credit cards. John has a choice at this point: he can take the astrologer's advice or ignore it. If he takes the astrologer's advice, he would probably think things over and conclude that it's more important to have nice people in his life than nice things. He could then decide to put away his credit cards and spend more time cultivating friendships. If he ignores the advice, he will end up in bankruptcy court around the time the alignment happens, and eventually reach the same conclusion, but he will have learned the hard way.

What's important to note about this example is that the astrologer didn't simply tell John what was going to happen. He told John something better: what to do about it. Most importantly, he gave John the opportunity to learn a needed lesson the easy way instead of the hard way. This is how astrology and other divination tools are meant to be used.

The Twelve Houses

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:36:00 +0000

Learning about the houses in astrology can be overwhelming for beginners. I hope that what follows will provide a good foundation for further study.

Let's start with the four angular houses. The first house can be described in one word: "Me." Similarly, the seventh house can be described in one word: "You." The fourth house: "Inside". The tenth house: "Outside". This is a gross oversimplification, but it's a good starting point.

The other eight houses provide support to the four listed above. For each angular house above, we want to count four houses counterclockwise from the angular house, and we want to count four houses clockwise from the angular house. I'll explain why later. The counterclockwise house describes what the angular house needs to operate, and the clockwise house describes what the result of the angular house's operation will be.

I'll use the seventh house as an example. The seventh house describes interaction with others. A prerequisite of interaction with others is communication, which is governed by the third house, the counterclockwise house from the seventh. Results of interaction with others include friendship and group activities, which are governed by the eleventh house, the clockwise house from the seventh.

Now, let's take the houses in order. The first house has a base meaning of "Me." Other first house topics include personality and the body.

The second house is the clockwise house of the tenth house ("Outside"), so it will describe results of what you do outside the home, which for most people is work. So the second house describes resources and possessions.

The third house is the counterclockwise house of the seventh house ("You"), so it will describe prerequisites for interaction with others. Thus, communication and moving around in the immediate environment.

The fourth house has a base meaning of "Inside"; specific topics are emotions (inside you) and the home.

The fifth house is the clockwise house of the first house ("Me"), and describes things that come out of you, for example, creative work and children.

The sixth house is the counterclockwise house of the tenth house ("Outside") and describes prerequisites for activities outside the home: daily work habits and health.

The seventh house has a base meaning of "You" and describes significant relationships, including enemies as well as life partners.

The eight house is the clockwise house of the fourth house. Results of activities inside can include sex and death. The traditional other meanings of shared resources derive from a composite of the seventh and second houses, which I'll discuss briefly later.

The ninth house is the counterclockwise house of the first house, and provides support for you in the form of philosophy, religion, and higher education.

The tenth house has a base meaning of "Outside". The main outside activity for most people is work and career, but the tenth house also describes reputation.

The eleventh house is the clockwise house of the seventh house ("You"), and describes the results of interactions with others: friendship and group activities.

The twelfth house is the counterclockwise house of the fourth house ("Inside") and describes prerequisites for harmony inside: fulfilling karma, and getting past limitations.

There are supplemental meanings given to the houses by combining the house relationships. For example, if you were to use the second house as a starting point, the eighth house is directly opposite and therefore has the same relation to it as the seventh house would have to the first. So a common meaning given to the eighth house is the resources (second house) of others (seventh house).

Finally, I'd like to thank Robert Corre for the idea of using the angular houses as a base.

Traditional Astrology: Planetary Rulerships

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 15:16:00 +0000

I've been studying Hellenistic and Medieval astrology for about a year, and I've found some of the discarded concepts to still be useful today. One of those concepts is the set of traditional planetary rulers. This is a little different from modern rulers in that the traditional rulers not only gave their nature to the sign they ruled, but were also responsible for the activities of the house(s) where that sign was present in the chart.

Let's say, for example, that we are looking at a chart with a Scorpio Ascendant. Using the Whole Sign house system, that would place Leo in the Tenth House. In this case the Sun, or the native's basic identity, would be responsible for career and reputation. My special advice (it actually applies to everyone) for the native would be that he needs to decide who he is, and have all of his actions reflect that chosen identity.

The other difference, and this partially follows from the first, is that I don't assign rulerships to the outer planets: Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. My belief and experience is that these planets have far-reaching effects as opposed to being restricted to one or two areas of life. They change whatever needs to be changed.

There's also a basic logic to the way the Zodiac signs were assigned to planets. Each of the Planets, except the Sun and Moon, were assigned two signs, one active (Fire or Air) and one passive (Water or Earth). There's a good reason for the exception: since the Sun represents identity, ego, and self-consciousness, there is no passive side; similarly, since the Moon represents the subconscious and emotions, among other things, there is no active side.

The Sun and Moon, the two luminaries, or brightest objects in the sky, are assigned Leo and Cancer, which correspond to two of the summer months, when there is a maximum amount of daylight. The other planets are assigned one sign on each side, in order of their distance from the Sun. Mercury is assigned Gemini and Virgo; Venus is assigned Taurus and Libra; Mars is assigned Aries and Scorpio; Jupiter gets Pisces and Sagittarius; finally Saturn is assigned Aquarius and Capricorn, the signs corresponding to two of the winter months where there is the minimum amount of daylight.

The exaltation signs have a similar logic, but to understand it requires the concept of day and night planets. The ancients say that the Sun, Jupiter and Saturn are day planets; the Moon, Venus, and Mars are night planets; Mercury can be either depending on whether it rises before or after the Sun. The day planets have exaltation signs that are in a trine relationship to one of the home signs: Jupiter, for example, is exalted in Cancer, which is in a trine relationship to Pisces. The night planets have exaltation signs that are in a sextile relationship to one of their home signs: Mars, for example, is exalted in Capricorn, which is in a sextile relationship to Scorpio. Mercury is neither a day or night planet, so it is exalted in one of its home signs, namely Virgo.

Whether you use the traditional rulerships is of course up to you, but it may add some depth to your readings to at least consider the concepts above in addition to the modern rulerships.

Update on Proposed Q&A Site

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 13:40:00 +0000

I renamed the Astrology Q&A proposal to Divination, and included Tarot and Numerology. There's a lot of synergy between the three, and all three will be used in the book I'm working on. If you're interested in having a nice place on-line to discuss any of these topics, I encourage you to visit the site and sign up.

EDIT: The stackexchange site didn't happen, but it turns out that there's a new site devoted to astrology questions and answers: astroknowlogy.com.

New StackExchange Astrology Site

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 22:03:00 +0000

I've proposed a new site on stackexchange.com. If enough people sign up, they'll host the site free. Please visit and become a follower.

Work in Progress: Better Living through Mythology

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 23:11:00 +0000

Last Sunday, I was at a local Tarot group meeting. We were discussing correspondences between the Zodiac signs and the Court cards. Someone at the meeting asked for recommendations for a book covering the correspondences in detail, and none of us could think of any, so I decided to write my own. The correspondences will be the core of the book, but the book as a whole will be about the use of astrology and tarot to plan your personal development and spiritual path. At some point in the future, I'll have a draft on line. I'll keep you posted.

Easy World: A Spiritual Path for the New Millenium

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 21:46:00 +0000

One evening after work a few years ago, I was driving home in the middle of rush hour, and suddenly noticed that there were very few other cars around, and that I was getting a lot more green lights than usual. At the time, I wondered if I had unwittingly entered a parallel universe. It turns out that I did, and that the parallel universe even has a name: Easy World.

Getting to Easy World seems easy enough at first glance: "I choose to live in Easy World, where everything is easy." Just say that, breathe, relax, allow and enjoy. There's a catch: you have to leave a few things behind in order to stay in Easy World. No, not your money or possessions, it's actually a lot worse than that. You have to leave behind your fears, worries, anger, and (this is the one most of us will have a problem with) negative judgements.

Those of you who are fans of A Course in Miracles or who study Taoism will find yourselves in familiar territory here. So is the book a waste of time? Why not just buy, for example, the Tao Te Ching?

Here's why: the Tao Te Ching is a great book, but it was written a very long time ago, for people of a different culture, in a different language. I'm sure a Westerner could understand it to a degree after years of study, but I'm even more sure that it wouldn't be to the same level as someone who lived in China when it was originally written. The great books and myths of the past have to be restated periodically in current language and culture. Choosing Easy World is a perfect example of why: anyone can read this book and get the basic point right way, and they are automatically on the path just by trying to stay in Easy World for as long and as often as possible.

Modern Astrology and Hellenistic Astrology

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 21:12:00 +0000

For the past year, I've been studying Hellenistic astrology intensively with a long-term goal of determining how much of it is applicable to modern-day people and concerns. Hellenistic astrology is astrology as practiced by Greek-speaking people around the Mediterranean Sea between 1400 and 2000 years ago. Fate is much more emphasized than in modern astrology, but that is most likely a reflection of the philosophy (Stoicism) current at the time. Modern astrology, on the other hand, is very much about psychological issues and avenues for personal development. This suggests a synergy which I'll discuss shortly.

The cornerstone of stoicism, as I understand it, is the concept of the universe and the events that take place within it as being an orderly, interconnected system. In fact, some of the Stoic writings go so far as to say that the universe is the body of God. Events in this paradigm are not seen as random, but instead as planned by something much bigger than all of us. This brings to mind a modern saying: "Everything happens for a reason." The fact that we still say this even though we officially have free will and independent lives indicates to me that we're still (in America, at least) Stoics at heart. Because Hellenistic astrology is based on that philosophy, I think it essential that it be integrated into common practice.

That brings me to the synergy that I alluded to earlier. Hellenistic astrology is descriptive; it describes the native and a roadmap of the native's life. Modern astrology is prescriptive; it offers suggestions about issues that need to be addressed, and needs of the native that may need more attention. My contention is that the two styles of astrology are complementary. More on this later as I work out more of the details.

Book Review: Predictive Astrology

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 23:45:00 +0000

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the things astrology can do for us is predict coming influences and their possible effects. If you are interested in learning how to do that for yourself and possibly others, Predictive Astrology: The Eagle and the Lark by Bernadette Brady is required reading. I've been following my own transits (the interactions between the current positions of the planets and their positions in the birth chart) for the past year and a half. With the aid of this book, I now have a solid understanding of how transits work and some familiarity with progressions, which model the continuing development of the planets in the birth chart.

The eagle and lark in the title are from a parable given at the beginning of the book. According to the parable, the lark wants to sing to the gods, but can't fly high enough, so he enlists the help of the eagle, who can fly higher than any bird, and together they visit the gods and the lark sings to them. The eagle represents reason, the lark intuition, and both are essential in the practice of astrology. The book, of course, can only help with the reason and technique part; on the other hand, you probably don't need help with intuition, though you may think you do.

The book gives solid explanations of both transits and progressions, how they operate, and how to predict their effects. A powerful tool given in the book is called a time map, and is a graph of transits and progressions during a time period. The time map uses another tool called the transit grid, which lists the transit type and the houses (which represent areas of life) that will show the causes of the related events, the place where the main action occurs, and the areas that will be affected as a final result.

This book isn't for beginners (they should read Astrology for Yourself: How to Understand And Interpret Your Own Birth Chart first), but I recommend it for anyone who seriously wants to learn astrology.

What Can Astrology Do For You?

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Wed, 12 May 2010 00:23:00 +0000

Astrology is the study of cycles. You are familiar with the yearly cycle of the Sun, and the roughly monthly cycle of the moon, but there are other cycles that have been known for thousands of years, and they all can have profound effects on our lives.

The foundation of astrology is the natal chart, which records the positions of all of the cycles at the time of your birth. These positions are not only the starting point of your life, but they also outline your basic characteristics, and the issues you will have to address. Some of these issues are very deep-seated, and could take years of therapy to uncover, but a good astrologer can sometimes identify them within minutes.

In astrology, each of these cycles is assigned to a "planet." I use the word in quotes because in astrology, the sun and moon are also considered to be planets, according to the ancient definition, which is simply objects that change their relative positions in the sky. Each planet, and the cycle corresponding to it, represents a part of us. The sun, for example, represents our basic identity, while the moon represents our emotional needs. The Greeks gave the names of their gods to the planets, which is important because it shows that we should give attention and respect to all of the different facets of ourselves. Doing this allows what Karl Jung referred to as "individuation," which is realizing our true natures. Astrology can help us do that.

Your natal chart is based on the positions of each planet at the time of your birth. At this point, you are essentially given your own personal copy of the planets, which continue to move at slower rates. These slower movements are called progressions. Meanwhile, in the outside world, the continuing movements of the planets will at times interact with the positions given in your natal chart; these interactions are called transits. Both transits and progressions can cause changes in mood, and serve as catalysts for life changes. Advance knowledge of these events can help you prepare for them so that you can take advantage of favorable events, and minimize the disruption unfavorable events could cause.

In order to give you an accurate reading, you will need to have available the date, time and place of your birth. Ideally, all three of these items should come from your birth certificate. Relying on memory doesn't work well for this. If you can also provide a list of ten or so significant events in your life along with the dates on which they occurred, that list can be used to derive a more exact time of birth. This process is called rectification. Types of significant events for this purpose include births, deaths, accidents, job changes, marriages, divorces, and pretty much anything that had an impact on your life.

So what can be done with your birth chart? Two things: the first is tracking the continuing cycles of your transits and progressions to monitor and prepare for celestial events that will affect you; the second is to prepare a game plan for your future development. We are all gods and goddesses in training, and with astrology, your training can be conscious and planned.

So have your chart done, and change your life into a magical journey.

Astrological Consultations Now Available

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Wed, 05 May 2010 22:23:00 +0000

Over the next few weeks, I'll be working on a website, new business cards and brochures. If you're interested in having a reading in the meantime, you can contact me at the e-mail address listed in my profile.

Book Review: Classical Medical Astrology

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 21:09:00 +0000

Warning: Don't try anything in this book at home. The medical establishment (or more accurately, its government representatives) may come to your house and confiscate your astrology books and throw you in jail. If this happens, it's not my fault. Ha, ha, only serious.

Now that the disclaimer's out of the way, I've posted a bit on my other blog about the health care industry in America, it's problems, and the purported attempts to fix it. I say "purported" because I haven't seen anything in the recent health care reform debate to indicate that the root of the problem is even known. Yes, there is waste, and it's also true that prescription drugs and hospital visits are appallingly expensive. But here's the thing: the prescription drugs and hospital visits would be worth every penny if they worked. By "worked," I mean that if you take a prescription or visit the hospital, the problem that induced you to seek help is gone, permanently, at some point in the near future. If you have to keep taking the drugs, the treatment didn't work; the problem is still there, it's just being masked by the drugs. If you have to go back to the hospital because your cancer came back somewhere else, the treatment didn't work.

Now, hospital visits and prescriptions work well for things like a broken arm, or strep throat. For other conditions like high blood pressure and acid reflux, treatment (not a cure) is the best we can hope for. But what if there are alternative methods that would work better and cost less? Should we really refuse to consider them just because they don't conform to our scientific model?

The alternative option I want to talk about today is outlined in Classical Medical Astrology: Healing with the Elements by Oscar Hofman. This book is not for beginners, but astrologers will find the basic concepts of medical astrology here and pointers to other sources. Non-astrologers may want to read the book anyway for a new perspective on what is possible using this method, and what was done in the past. The book starts with some background history, then goes on to explain the classical medical model, including the four humors, which correspond to the four classical elements. After describing how astrology fits in to this model, the book has some case studies that serve to illustrate the different concepts. There is also information about using herbs and crystals to help in treatment.

Now, none of this will ever be FDA-approved. Medical astrology just doesn't fit the model. Double-blind testing doesn't work if different people respond differently to treatments, which for that reason have to be customized. But please remember that the current scientific medical model got us where we are today. For better results, we may have to expand the model.

Book Review: Natural Born Soulmates

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 23:35:00 +0000

Yes, I'm reviewing another "Law of Attraction" book about finding a soulmate. I'm still recommending The Soulmate Path: Find the Love You Want and Strengthen the Love You Have, but Natural Born Soulmates: Follow Your Inner Wisdom to Lasting Love by Lauren Thibodeau has a slightly different target audience and covers a different set of issues.

The first key concept that sets this book apart is the division of soulmates into three categories: "Karmic Connections" who present you with unfinished business that needs to be cleaned up, "Balance Partners" who offer support and lessons (but not necessarily pleasant lessons), and "Heartmates"who are people to we can build happy, healthy and growing passionate relationships with.

The second key concept is a list of five attitudes that commonly block us from finding Heartmates, and keep us stuck with Karmic Connections or Balance Partners. I'll just list them, as they basically speak for themselves:

I'd rather be anything but alone.
But I see such potential.
It's just that I love you so much.
I won't be hurt like that again.
All of the good ones are gone.

If at least one of the above five statements sounds familiar, then this book will have something helpful for you. The book does claim to be written for women, but the advice and concepts pretty much apply to everyone. And I promise this will be the last soulmate book I talk about at least for a few months.

Book Review: The Vibrational Universe

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:04:00 +0000

I should probably start off with a warning: this review is going to be about yet another "Law of Attraction" book. The Vibrational Universe: Harnessing the Power of Thought to Consciously Create Your Life by Kenneth James Michael MacLean definitely falls into that category. But please bear with me, and don't say "Been there, done that, got the T-shirt" just yet. The book actually raises an important point which, in my opinion, is worth the price of admission. We tend to think of emotion and reason as two separate things. This book says that your ability to reason is affected by your emotional state, and that sufficiently negative emotional states can inhibit the ability to reason entirely. The corollary is that we're better able to deal with problems that come up if we can find something to feel better about first.

To that end, the book includes a scale of emotions, ranging from apathy at the extreme negative end, to serene bliss at the extreme positive end. This is important because changing our emotional state only works well a couple of steps at a time. It's hard to go from apathy to enthusiasm, but taking a couple of steps up through grief and anger works better. This also means that you can't lift someone else's mood if you're too far above them on the scale without approaching them, at least temporarily, from a lower spot.

The rest of the book won't have many surprises for those of you who have been following this blog for any length of time, but the book is a very good introduction to the Law of Attraction and related concepts.

Divination and the F-word

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 23:22:00 +0000

I'm going to start this article with the f-word, just to prove a point. Here goes: fortune-telling. There, I said it. Those of you who do Tarot and/or astrology readings are most likely chuckling silently (or laughing out loud) right now, while the rest of you are wondering if you missed a joke. Well, you did. The joke is that tarot and astrology would be nothing more than slightly more effective psychoanalysis if they had nothing to do with fate and the future, but we as readers do everything we can to hide from that fact.

Let's start with an admission. All of us who do readings, if we are any good, at least at times know what is going to happen. We can argue about whether it's fated by the planets or our intuition is looking at a possible future, and we can hide behind archetypes and psychological complexes, but the basic fact that foreknowledge does occur is still there. And it's not going away.

Now that we've acknowledged the elephant in the living room, I'm going to tell you that it's not really an elephant. Here's what an old-school philosopher (Ptolemy) had to say on the subject:

For, first of all, it is necessary to consider that even for events that will necessarily result, the unexpected is apt to cause delirious confusion and mad joy, while foreknowing habituates and trains the soul to attend to distant events as though they were present, and prepares it to accept each of the arriving events with peace and tranquility.

This is true as far as it goes, but it leads to something we all as readers should consider: our clients worry about the future. That's why they come to us. If we can tell them what's in (or could be in) their future, they can stop worrying about it, and instead think about something more useful and important: what to do about it.

2012: An Alternate Prediction

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:40:00 +0000

I'm sure you've heard about the predictions around 2012. Most predict either a violent cataclysm or universal enlightenment. I have a prediction of my own, which is in some ways not so bad, but even more frightening in others.

Here goes: All of the books on psychic development I've read say that everyone has psychic abilities. With Neptune entering Pisces in February 2012, it's quite possible that these psychic abilities will awaken on a large scale, and there's some anecdotal evidence that the process has already begun. There are books in every Borders and Barnes and Noble that I've been to that have methods of awakening these capacities that are known to work.

Not so bad on the surface, but think about it. There would be people all around you who know what you're thinking, your dirtiest fantasies, and your most shameful deeds. It could usher in a new era of peace based on understanding and compassion if handled correctly, or all hell could break loose. My money's on the latter, followed by the former. In any case, you can help by investigating the matter yourself. It will definitely be better to develop these abilities in a conscious, controlled manner. I recommend You Are Psychic: The Art of Clairvoyant Reading & Healing for you High Priestesses, and You Are Psychic!: The Free Soul Method for the Magicians.

Book Review: The Soulmate Path

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:46:00 +0000

I have a theory developed while reading The Soulmate Path: Find the Love you Want and Strengthen the Love You Have by Monte Farber and Amy Zerner. The authors don't explicitly state this theory in their book, but it seems to be implied by what they've written. So here goes: soulmates are not born, they are grown. A soulmate relationship is not necessarily predetermined before birth, but is definitely a result of a process in which two people acquire a deep understanding of each other, and a closeness that results in the two preferring each other's company to anyone else's.

The authors have a method of finding a soulmate that I haven't seen anywhere else:

...if you put your efforts into becoming yourself fully and do your best to realize your potential and find out who you are and what you are capable of, you will become the kind of person your Soulmate will want to meet and stay with.

Well, that sounds like a well-defined, workable plan to me, so I'm trying it. The book also has very helpful advice for how to deal with issues such as children, abuse and commitment, and some delightful stories about how the authors found each other, and a set of affirmations toward the end for those of you who are into that sort of thing. I highly recommend the book for anyone who wants to find a new relationship or improve an existing one.

My Online Readings: an Update

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:07:00 +0000

I've been doing free readings online at The Free Tarot Network for a little over a month. The readings have gone well, and I've gotten some positive feedback. It still amazes me (though I know it shouldn't) that I can do a reading for someone thousands of miles away and have a relevant card come up.

I've also noticed that the reading requests tend to cluster around themes that are also active in my life. A couple of books that I've read said that would happen, so maybe that's a self-fulfilling prophecy, but it is what it is. In any case, I'm learning as much from the readings as the people I'm doing the readings for.

The most important thing I've learned so far is that sometimes having the right answer isn't as important as asking the right question.

George Carlin and Christian Athletes

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 14:14:00 +0000

George Carlin used to complain in one of his routines about Christian athletes "who thank Jesus whenever they win, never mention his name when they lose." It's a valid complaint if you're a fundamentalist materialist, but if you know about the Law of Attraction, what these athletes are doing makes perfect sense. Being thankful for good things that happen on the playing field attracts more things to be thankful for. I don't know if these athletes know that, but it works anyway. So, the bottom line is, Jesus may not need our gratitude, but we do.

Book Review: You are Psychic!: The Free Soul Method

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:00:00 +0000

I recently reviewed You Are Psychic: The Art of Clairvoyant Reading & Healingby Debra Lynne Katz. You are Psychic! The Free Soul Method by Pete A. Sanders, Jr., also addresses psychic development, but the approach is different. It's more scientific, if that word makes any sense when talking about something most scientists would vehemently deny. However, the author describes some experiments he performed, and his working process. Forming a hypothesis, testing it with experiments, and confirming or revising the theory based on the results is exactly what the scientific method is about. If mainstream science refuses to accept the results because of the subject matter, well, so much the worse for mainstream science.

The book deals primarily with four basic psychic senses: intuition, psychic hearing, psychic vision and psychic feeling. The author says that anyone can develop any or all of these four senses, but that each of us will have one sense that has more strength than the others, depending on a person's temperament and general approach to life. (In my case, the stronger sense is intuition.) Each of the senses is matched to a part of the body where the sense is said to be centered, and instructions are given for activating that sense. The book also describes sensing auras, healing through biofeedback, and some of the implications of psychic development.

There's one implication that I want to talk about today. It is my feeling that as more of us explore our psychic abilities, as a result we will have a better understanding of each other, and will lead more peaceful and happy lives as a result. I'm not saying that it will all be a bed of roses, as quite a bit of dirty laundry will have to be aired in the process, but that laundry needed to be aired anyway.

Book Review: Partnering

noreply@blogger.com (Larry Coleman) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:41:00 +0000

You can go to any bookstore and find a set of shelves full of books on relationships. If the divorce rate is any indication, the vast majority of these books just don't work. I found one in the "New Age" section that has a different approach. Partnering: A New Kind of Relationship by Hal and Sidra Stone, has a couple of concepts that I haven't seen in any other relationship book (and I've read a few).

The first key concept is that what is said doesn't matter as much as who says it. The authors mean that we tend to fall into parent/child type roles in the course of the relationship, which is fine if you're raising children, but not so much for romantic partnerships. They're not necessarily bad in themselves, but we get into the scolding parent or approval-seeking child role without realizing it. What the book recommends instead is consciously choosing which role is best to play at the time.

The other key concept is energy exchange, and there's a related concept of the relationship as an independent entity (O.K., that one's not so new). The relationship has its own energy needs, and keeping the exchange going keeps the relationship healthy.

This has been a brief review, but the authors tell the story much better than I can. The book has certainly explained why things have gone wrong for me in the past, and it should prove very helpful in making things go right in the future.