It really can make a difference
where on the globe you live! The important point is that the placement of the planets in the houses of a
horoscope is dependent on both time and location (or space). Locational Astrology (also referred to as AstroCartoGraphy, specifically in
reference to the work of astrologer, Jim Lewis, in this area)
concerns itself specifically with the issue of space, asking where it is
that planetary patterns found in the natal birth chart might best actualize
themselves. When a chart is relocated, The time of birth remains constant, relative
to Greenwich Mean Time. Only the location changes. WHERE the planets will find
an arena for their expression changes as we move about the globe. The
geographic location on earth where the planets will be in position to most fully
actualize themselves is in locations where the planets are angular in the
horoscope. The angles of the horoscope are represented by the 1st, 4th,
7th, and 10th houses or near the Ascendant, IC (Immun Coeli), Descendant and MC
(commonly referred to as the Midheaven). Planets which are positioned in these
four angles of one's birth chart are given more power than if they were placed in
the other houses of the horoscope. This is because the four angles of the
chart are the most sensitive houses in the horoscope. Why?
The Ascendant, IC, Descendant, and MC are indicators of the key
stages during the course of a day's cycle. In the course of any day, at a
particular time, and at a particular place, each planet will rise on the horizon
(1st house or Ascendant), culminate at the MC (reach their highest position in
the sky, like the sun will at noon), set at the point of the Descendant (such as
the sun sets and moves below the horizon) and anticulminate (or reach the lowest
point beneath the horizon) at the IC.
At the time and location of your birth, each of the planets were captured at a
specific point in this daily cycle. Some of the planets in your birth chart may
have been rising, others culminating, others setting, etc. Maybe you have many
planets on these angles natally, given your location of birth, or maybe you have
a few, or maybe you have none. It makes a difference to your
expression of those planetary energies though. A planet becomes
particularly strong during and just after it rises, culminates, sets, or
anticulminates. While you may not have Venus angular
at your birth location, there is a place somewhere on the globe where Venus was
angular at the time you were born. And if you are interested in going to
a location that would emphasize Venus' energy in your chart, all you have
to do is go to a location on the globe where the Venus line was angular at the
time of your birth.
The idea behind locational astrology is that you have the power to
strengthen planets in your natal chart, or weaken them, by moving around the
globe. Using the technique of AstroCartoGraphy developed by
astrologer Jim Lewis, an astrologer can look at a map of the world on the day
and at the time you were born, and by plotting the planetary lines, discover
where each planet was rising, culminating, setting and anticulminating. You want
to improve relationships? Then a relocation to your Venus line might be a good choice.
If you are seeking education it might be best to choose a Mercury or Jupiter
line. When one moves to a location where Mars is prominent (a location on a Mars
line) this will be a location where one's courage and the ability to be master
of one's own destiny can be tested. However, the Mars line can be challenging
and a thorough analysis of your birth chart would be wise before choosing such a
line.
History always provides us with an abundance of examples to support
locational astrology theory, so let's take a look at one of them. John F. Kennedy was brutally murdered in Dallas, Texas where Pluto (the planet
whose energies seem to be that of a 'higher octave' of Mars' energies), was on
the MC, or culminating, at the time of his birth. For this reason, Pluto
lines have the reputation for being even harsher than Mars lines, (Pluto linked
to transformation, death and rebirth), and the Pluto culminating line has the potential to indicate a location where powerful forces
might come into play. Going to a location which puts your natal sun on the Ascendant indicates that
the very essence of you (the Sun) will shine through your personality. On the
Sun line you might feel better able to express you unique self with confidence
and leadership. If you go to a location which has your natal Sun on the MC,
then this is a location where you might be in the public eye more and have a
greater awareness of your life purpose. Remember, a planet is always
energized when it's near an angle and in some manner it is likely to express
itself more prominently. What arena of life experience you are likely to see the
planet's energy manifest more directly will depend on which angle is involved.
If you are in a location where a planet is rising, or on the Ascendant, the
planet's energy will show itself in your outer personality. If it's
culminating, or on the MC, its energy will manifest in terms of your life
direction, career public identity or reputation. When it's
setting, or on the Descendant, the planet's energy is experienced in your
interactions with significant others. And lastly, if a
planet is anticulminating, or at the IC, you will experience its energies most
profoundly in your home, domestic situation or at the deepest roots of your inner self. The
bottom line is, it really CAN make a difference where you live!
A horoscope is
like a map, it shows you the planetary placements as they were captured at a
particular moment in time. Your natal horoscope is made up of planets in the
particular signs and at the particular degrees that they were at the moment of
your birth. The placement of the planets in the houses of your natal horoscope
is dependent upon the physical location in space where you were born. Think of
this as freezing the planets at that moment. Your birth chart is a snapshot of
the sky when you were born.
© 1998 Terri McCartney