Western Astrology: Modern
Signs, planets, houses and aspects, through to transits, synastry and professional practice.
Course names, family names and outlines are shown in English. Lessons use English when a published translation is unavailable; the lesson shows a notice when this happens.
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Level 1Units: 10
Level 1 · Unit 1
The sky above
What astrology is and isn't, the ecliptic and zodiac belt, the tropical zodiac, and how to read a chart wheel.
- What astrology is (and isn't)
- The ecliptic and the zodiac belt
- The tropical zodiac and the March equinox
- Reading the chart wheel
- Checkpoint: The sky above
Level 1 · Unit 2
The 12 signs
The order and glyphs of the signs, the four elements, polarity, the three modalities, and each sign's ruling planet.
- Order and glyphs
- Elements and polarity
- Modalities
- Sign rulers
- Checkpoint: The 12 signs
Level 1 · Unit 3
The planets
The luminaries, personal, social and outer planets: their glyphs, keywords and speeds, plus an introduction to your Big Three.
- The luminaries: Sun and Moon
- Personal planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars
- Social and outer planets
- Your Big Three
- Checkpoint: The planets
Level 1 · Unit 4
The 12 houses
What houses are, the meaning of each of the 12, angular, succedent and cadent houses, the angles and the four halves, using Whole Sign houses.
- What houses are
- Houses 1 to 6
- Houses 7 to 12
- Angles, house types and halves
- Checkpoint: The 12 houses
Level 1 · Unit 5
Reading a whole wheel
Find a planet's sign and house, name the chart ruler, and take a step-by-step first look at a chart: Big Three, elements and house emphasis.
- A planet's sign and house
- The chart ruler
- A first-look routine
- Balance and emphasis
- Checkpoint: Reading a whole wheel
Level 1 · Unit 6
The first six signs up close
Portraits of Aries to Virgo: each sign's symbol, element and modality, ruler and keywords, and the easy and overdone sides of its style.
- Aries and Taurus
- Gemini and Cancer
- Leo and Virgo
- Two sides of a sign
- Checkpoint: The first six signs
Level 1 · Unit 7
The last six signs up close
Portraits of Libra to Pisces, with symbols, rulers, keywords and overdone sides, plus the six pairs of opposite signs read as partner axes.
- Libra and Scorpio
- Sagittarius and Capricorn
- Aquarius and Pisces
- Opposite signs as partners
- Checkpoint: The last six signs
Level 1 · Unit 8
Getting your birth chart
What a chart needs: date, time and place; converting clock time to Universal Time; rough or missing times; and reading degrees and minutes.
- Date, time and place
- Clocks and time zones
- When the time is rough or missing
- Reading the data list
- Checkpoint: Getting your birth chart
Level 1 · Unit 9
Sun signs and cusps
Cusp birthdays, the Sun's step of about a degree a day, how horoscope columns use solar houses, and why a Sun sign is only a starting point.
- Born on the cusp
- The Sun's daily step
- Horoscope columns and solar houses
- More than a Sun sign
- Checkpoint: Sun signs and cusps
Level 1 · Unit 10
The Moon and the rising sign
A closer look at two of the Big Three: what the Moon describes, how fast it moves, what the rising sign is and how to blend Sun, Moon and rising.
- What the Moon describes
- The Moon on the move
- What the rising sign is
- Blending the Big Three
- Checkpoint: The Moon and the rising sign
Level 2Units: 10
Level 2 · Unit 1
Planet in sign
Combine planet keywords (what) with sign keywords (how), with worked examples for the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars, without cookbook verdicts.
- What and how
- Sun and Moon in sign
- Mercury and Venus in sign
- Mars, and beyond the cookbook
- Checkpoint: Planet in sign
Level 2 · Unit 2
Planet in house
Planet = what, house = where in life: reading planets in houses, why empty houses are fine, and following house rulers in Whole Sign houses.
- What and where
- Planets across the houses
- Empty houses
- House rulers
- Checkpoint: Planet in house
Level 2 · Unit 3
Rulerships and the chart ruler
Domicile rulers in the traditional and modern schemes, the chart ruler, following rulers through dispositors, and mutual reception.
- Domicile rulers revisited
- The chart ruler
- Following the ruler: dispositors
- Mutual reception
- Checkpoint: Rulerships and the chart ruler
Level 2 · Unit 4
The major aspects
Conjunction, sextile, square, trine and opposition: their angles, orbs, the sign patterns behind them and how astrologers read them.
- Angles between planets
- Orbs: how close is close enough?
- Aspects by sign
- Easy and dynamic aspects
- Checkpoint: The major aspects
Level 2 · Unit 5
Aspect patterns
Applying and separating aspects, stelliums, T-squares and grand trines, and a simple routine for spotting aspect patterns in a chart.
- Applying and separating
- Stelliums up close
- The T-square
- The grand trine and spotting patterns
- Checkpoint: Aspect patterns
Level 2 · Unit 6
Essential dignity basics
Domicile, detriment, exaltation and fall for the seven traditional planets, read as styles of expression, and where the outer planets fit.
- Domicile and detriment
- Exaltation and fall
- Reading dignity as style
- Outer planets and modern practice
- Checkpoint: Essential dignity basics
Level 2 · Unit 7
Angles, nodes and Chiron
The angles as house cusps in different house systems, the lunar nodes and their 18.6-year backward cycle, and Chiron, a modern addition.
- The angles as house cusps
- The lunar nodes
- Reading the nodes
- Chiron
- Checkpoint: Angles, nodes and Chiron
Level 2 · Unit 8
Chart balance
Count elements, modalities and polarity, read the four hemispheres, and turn a tally into a careful first impression.
- Counting the elements
- Modalities and polarity
- Hemispheres
- Reading the balance
- Checkpoint: Chart balance
Level 2 · Unit 9
Jupiter and Saturn in sign and house
The two social planets by element and dignity, by house and the houses they rule, and in aspect to personal planets, read as styles rather than luck.
- Jupiter in sign
- Saturn in sign
- Jupiter and Saturn in the houses
- Jupiter and Saturn in aspect
- Checkpoint: Jupiter and Saturn
Level 2 · Unit 10
Delineating one planet
A five-question routine for reading one planet fully: sign, dignity, house, aspects and the houses it rules, practised on one invented teaching chart.
- Five questions for one planet
- Teaching chart: Venus
- Teaching chart: the Moon
- Teaching chart: the chart ruler
- Checkpoint: Delineating one planet
Level 3Units: 10
Level 3 · Unit 1
A step-by-step synthesis method
A repeatable order for reading a natal chart, weighing themes that repeat, blending contradictions and phrasing readings as tendencies.
- An order of work
- Weighing testimonies
- Contradictions and the cookbook
- A worked chart, carefully phrased
- Checkpoint: A step-by-step synthesis method
Level 3 · Unit 2
House systems
Placidus, Koch, Porphyry, Equal and Whole Sign houses: how each divides the chart, where the MC falls and why planets change house.
- Many ways to divide the sky
- Equal and Whole Sign houses
- Placidus, Koch and Porphyry
- Why planets change houses
- Checkpoint: House systems
Level 3 · Unit 3
Minor aspects and configurations
The semi-sextile, semi-square, sesquiquadrate, quincunx, quintile and bi-quintile, plus the yod, grand cross and kite.
- Beyond the five majors
- Eighths and fifths
- The yod
- Grand cross and kite
- Checkpoint: Minor aspects and configurations
Level 3 · Unit 4
Retrograde planets and intercepted signs
Stations and shadow periods, how often each planet turns retrograde, reading natal retrogrades, and intercepted and duplicated signs.
- Stations
- Shadow periods
- Natal retrogrades
- Intercepted signs
- Checkpoint: Retrogrades and interceptions
Level 3 · Unit 5
The lunation cycle and eclipses
Rudhyar's eight lunar phases and how to find them, eclipse seasons, the Saros, eclipse sign pairs and calm ways to read eclipses.
- The eight lunar phases
- Reading the lunation cycle
- Eclipses and eclipse seasons
- Eclipses in the chart
- Checkpoint: The lunation cycle and eclipses
Level 3 · Unit 6
Transits
Transits as the moving sky aspecting the natal chart: tight orbs, three passes, and the approximate Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and nodal cycles.
- What a transit is
- Working out a transit
- Three passes
- Returns and life cycles
- Checkpoint: Transits
Level 3 · Unit 7
Secondary progressions and solar arc directions
The day-for-a-year rule, the progressed Moon and Sun, the progressed lunation cycle and solar arc directions, with simple calculations.
- A day for a year
- The progressed Moon and Sun
- The progressed lunation cycle
- Solar arc directions
- Checkpoint: Progressions and solar arc
Level 3 · Unit 8
Solar and lunar returns
Solar returns on the birthday, the debate over location, lunar returns every 27.3 days, and common first steps for reading a return chart.
- The solar return chart
- Where to cast the return
- Reading a solar return
- The lunar return
- Checkpoint: Solar and lunar returns
Level 3 · Unit 9
Consultation basics
Consent, confidentiality, third-party charts, referring out, language that empowers, unknown birth times and a simple session structure.
- Consent and confidentiality
- Knowing the limits
- Language that empowers
- Running a session
- Checkpoint: Consultation basics
Level 3 · Unit 10
Using an ephemeris
Reading an ephemeris by hand: midnight and noon tables, interpolating the Moon to the hour, spotting ingresses and stations, and timing transits.
- Reading an ephemeris page
- Interpolating to the hour
- Ingresses and stations
- Timing transits from the tables
- Checkpoint: Using an ephemeris
Level 4Units: 10
Level 4 · Unit 1
Synastry
Comparing two charts: inter-aspects with modest orbs, house overlays using cusps, commonly emphasised contacts, and consent and ethics.
- Two charts side by side
- House overlays
- Contacts astrologers emphasise
- Reading synastry ethically
- Checkpoint: Synastry
Level 4 · Unit 2
Composite and Davison charts
Composite charts from nearer midpoints, the short-arc rule and 0° Aries, composite house methods, and Davison's midpoint in time and space.
- The composite chart
- Short arcs and 0° Aries
- Composite houses
- The Davison chart
- Checkpoint: Composite and Davison
Level 4 · Unit 3
Outer-planet cycles
Generational sign placements, the midlife Uranus, Neptune and Pluto transits, and the Jupiter–Saturn and Uranus–Pluto cycles, read as themes rather than predictions.
- Generational placements
- Midlife transits: Uranus and Neptune
- The Pluto square and the midlife cluster
- Cycles between planets
- Checkpoint: Outer-planet cycles
Level 4 · Unit 4
Profections and time-lords
Annual profections from the rising sign, the profected house, the lord of the year as a time-lord, and a bridge to Hellenistic timing techniques.
- One sign per year
- Ages and houses
- The lord of the year
- A bridge to Hellenistic astrology
- Checkpoint: Profections and time-lords
Level 4 · Unit 5
Asteroids and sensitive points
Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta, Black Moon Lilith (mean and true), other 'Liliths', and a Part of Fortune recap, with modern meanings labelled as modern.
- The first four asteroids
- Four goddesses, modern meanings
- Black Moon Lilith
- The Part of Fortune and minor points
- Checkpoint: Asteroids and sensitive points
Level 4 · Unit 6
Declination, parallels and out-of-bounds
Declination and the obliquity, parallels and contraparallels, out-of-bounds planets and the Moon's major standstill, with worked declination practice.
- What declination is
- Parallels and contraparallels
- Out of bounds
- Working with declinations
- Checkpoint: Declination, parallels and out-of-bounds
Level 4 · Unit 7
Introduction to astrocartography
Planetary lines on the world map, why MC and IC lines are straight and ASC and DSC lines curve, relocated charts and using maps without promises.
- Planetary lines on a map
- Straight lines and curves
- Relocated charts
- Reading maps responsibly
- Checkpoint: Astrocartography
Level 4 · Unit 8
Rectification basics
Why birth times are uncertain, how fast the angles move, testing candidate times against dated events, and stating confidence honestly.
- Why birth times are uncertain
- How fast the angles move
- Testing candidate times
- Confidence and honesty
- Checkpoint: Rectification basics
Level 4 · Unit 9
Antiscia and contra-antiscia
Solstice mirror points: finding antiscia and contra-antiscia, why they share declination, and reading them with tight orbs in an invented chart.
- The solstice mirror
- Calculating antiscia
- Contra-antiscia
- Antiscia in a chart
- Checkpoint: Antiscia and contra-antiscia
Level 4 · Unit 10
Planets and the Sun
Solar phase: planets rising before or after the Sun, combust, under the beams and cazimi, the Mercury and Venus cycle, and reading it all without verdicts.
- Rising before or after the Sun
- Combust, under the beams and cazimi
- The inner-planet cycle
- Reading solar phase
- Checkpoint: Planets and the Sun
Level 5Units: 10
Level 5 · Unit 1
Midpoints and harmonics
Midpoints in one chart, Ebertin's cosmobiology and planetary pictures, the 90° dial and John Addey's harmonic charts.
- Midpoints as sensitive points
- Midpoint trees and planetary pictures
- The 90° dial
- Harmonic charts
- Checkpoint: Midpoints and harmonics
Level 5 · Unit 2
Fixed stars
Precession and star longitudes, seven bright stars and their meanings, the four royal stars, tight orbs and parans.
- Fixed stars and precession
- Seven bright stars
- The four royal stars
- Stars in a chart
- Checkpoint: Fixed stars
Level 5 · Unit 3
Mundane cycles
Aries ingress charts, disputed national charts, and Jupiter–Saturn and Saturn–Neptune cycles by element, studied as method, never as forecasts.
- The Aries ingress chart
- Which ingresses to read
- National charts
- Great cycles by element
- Checkpoint: Mundane cycles
Level 5 · Unit 4
Electional basics
Choosing a time: the Moon, the Ascendant ruler, angular benefics and the void-of-course Moon, with practical and ethical limits.
- Choosing a time
- The Moon and the Ascendant ruler
- The void-of-course Moon
- Practical limits
- Checkpoint: Electional basics
Level 5 · Unit 5
Horary basics
A chart for a question: querent and quesited, turning the chart, Lilly's considerations before judgement and yes/no by perfection.
- A chart for a question
- Turning the chart
- Considerations before judgement
- Yes or no by perfection
- Checkpoint: Horary basics
Level 5 · Unit 6
Case studies
Full syntheses of invented teaching charts, layering the natal chart with profections, transits and progressions, weighing repeated testimony.
- Case chart 1: the natal layer
- Case chart 1: the timing layers
- Weighing and phrasing
- Case chart 2: split testimony
- Checkpoint: Case studies
Level 5 · Unit 7
Professional practice
Written reports, clear pricing, records and data privacy, laws and consumer protection, insurance and disclaimers, boundaries, referrals, supervision and continuing education.
- Written reports
- Prices, records and privacy
- Law, insurance and disclaimers
- Boundaries, support and growth
- Checkpoint: Professional practice
Level 5 · Unit 8
Capstone: a full reading
An assessed, step-by-step reading of one invented teaching chart, from balance to timing, with each finding phrased responsibly.
- The teaching chart
- Angles, aspects and dignity
- The current year
- An ethical, useful reading
- Checkpoint: Capstone reading
Level 5 · Unit 9
Degrees and sign subdivisions
Counting degrees, 0° and 29°, decans, dwads and the Sabian symbols, with each scheme's rules named and degree images used with care.
- Counting degrees
- Decans
- Dwads
- Sabian symbols
- Checkpoint: Degrees and sign subdivisions
Level 5 · Unit 10
Draconic and heliocentric charts
Other frames beside the tropical, Earth-centred chart: the draconic chart measured from the Moon's node, the Sun-centred chart, and comparing frames honestly.
- Changing the frame
- The draconic chart
- The heliocentric chart
- Comparing frames
- Checkpoint: Draconic and heliocentric charts