I was recently talking to someone about the history of “grunge” rock and I found myself interested in the Kurt Cobain story, especially in relation to “The Five Pillars of Fate” and our ongoing discussion of fate, fortune and fame. Join discussion...

The death of Paul Newman provides the ancient sky with a compelling and powerful story of fate for examination using Five Pillars techniques. In this video illustration I continue my discussion of the the Part of Fortune’s function as an ascendant. This, and the usage of a whole sign chart, provides the foundational outline of the Five Pillars of Fate technique. Don’t forget to register and download chapter one of the book, if you haven’t already at http://ancientsky.com Join discussion...

The Five Hidden Pillars of Fate, Excerpt from the first chapter: Fate & Fortune The distinction between fate and fortune are intertwined, often sharing the same definition. If fate represents “binding apportionment,” then fate could be the binding aspect and fortune, the portion received. A person's fortune is dictated by fate. Robert Schmidt confirms this by saying that the planets are the instruments of Moira. Even the vastly powerful Olympian gods fear the Three Fates. Even the gods! Our modern astrological focus has traveled along the trajectory of Marc Edmund Jones, in which “character is destiny” and possibly one of the wisest things Jones ever wrote. Through this particular technique, we can show how character is destiny. Jones was trying to step away from the deterministic view, and taking astrology into a more psychological direction, by using astrology to reveal inner motivations. Yet, at this point, we astrologers have as resources, the required psychological knowledge and foundations. We have Freud and Jung to provide the insights from the point of view of analysis. But, we haven't really been looking at how the chart can show us the fate, or the portion that we must bear in each part of our life, which may then beg the question: "Who is fortunate?" I once worked in an upscale gym where membership dues were a monthly $1200. It was high class. All the paying members received an evaluation and were set up with a special trainer. It was their questionnaire that was memorable. One of the questions was: "How would you rate your support system? Would you say you have a strong support system?" When taking the questionnaire I answered without hesitation, "Absolutely yes, I have a fantastic support system." I couldn't even believe that it was a question. And then I asked the resident expert, "Does anyone ever say no?" She responded by explaining that a majority of the clients declared for themselves a sorry support system. So then followed the question again: "Who is fortunate?" Was it I, the poor, struggling artist working there at the front desk for eleven dollars an hour handing out towels, at these people's disposal for eight hours, then going home to a fabulous support system? Or, was it the wealthy, influential people who could use their power, wealth and influence at their whim and disposal but without a support system and nobody upon whom they could depend or consider an ally? I clearly felt that I was the more fortunate in that comparison. They were more fortunate than I for their disposable wealth, but I was more fortunate in the "good will towards men" department of life. That was an instructive moment. Join discussion...

I have always been interested in magic of all kinds: charms,spells,talisman,etc. In the mid-90’s I discovered electional astrology and the power of choosing an auspicious time to create planetary talismans. I was fascinated by many of the talisman designs that I saw and decided,at 36,to get my first tattoo. My first tatto was a Mercury talisman(Mercury is on my ascendant)and I elected a time when Virgo was rising and Mercury was in Gemini in the 10th house with Venus,Saturn,and Mars. I lived in Thailand for two years and heard often about Buddhist magic tattoos that were performed by monks and holy men with special powers. These tattoos are called “Sak Yant” and can be found all over Southeast Asia. I returned to Thailand after a two year absence, during which time I had been reading a very interesting website called www.sak-yant.com for about a year. I was ready for my next tattoo. I’m going to write more about my sak yant experience on travel.ancientsky.com, so be watching for that, but I wanted to talk a little about the astrological synchronicity on that day. The chart information is below. March 1 2008 3:30 pm Bangkok, Thailand What was amazing about March 1 is that the Moon was approaching my ascendant all day long. In traditional astrology both the ascendant and the Moon represent the body. The Moon was approaching an opposition to Mars. Mars rules sharp objects,stabbings,piercings and the pain that results. Jupiter, my natal chart ruler is at the end of Gemini where Mars was transiting. Gemini rules the shoulders,arms and hands. I should mention that I was originally going to have the sak yant done on Monday March 3,but the Ajarn(teacher)agreed to do a special session for me. If the tattoo had been done that day, the abovementioned transits would no longer have been in effect. As you can see from the above image,sak yant tattoos are performed with a long metal rod into which is inserted a sharp bamboo point. The person receiving the tattoo is repeatedly poked,prodded and jabbed with this instrument. It is much more painful than the tattoo artists’ machine. The first tattoo for all who receive sak yant is called “Gao Yod” or nine peaks. It acts as a beacon to attract the deities and spirits. The Gao Yod tradtionally goes between the shoulder blades. So, we have the Moon(the body) on my Sagittarius ascendant(the body) opposed by Mars(sharp objects)in Gemini(the shoulders). I can’t think of an experience that is more descriptive of the planetary indicators. I must admit that I was worried about what the Moon/Mars opposition would bring, being right on my ascendat/descendant axis. Another point of interest: All of the classical planets in this chart except Saturn are within 5 degrees of my natal placements. The Sun is on my natal Saturn. Jupiter is on my natal Sun. Mercury and Venus are on my natal Venus. And Saturn? He’s actually exactly on the ascendant of the chart for my first tattoo!. I couldn’t have planned things better if I had sat for hours trying to find an election. You can see some of the pictures of the sak yant process at my Flickr account. You’ll also be able to see pics of the rest of my travels so far. http://flickr.com/photos/24081049@N07 Join discussion...