BLUE EARTH HEALING, SANTA FE
505-316-1881
We offer a unique blend of ancient wisdom and practical guidance – including Evolutionary Astrology, Tarot, Energy Healing, and mindful connection with animal companions – to foster well-being and deeper bonds for individuals, their beloved pets, and the community in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The Journey Starts Here!
- Feeling Anxious or Stuck? Discover clarity and peace through Astrology & Energy Healing.
- Seeking Deeper Connection with Your Beloved Pet? Enhance your bond and bring peace to your animal companion through intuitive healing and mindful practices.
- Seeking Deeper Connection? Enhance your relationships with yourself and others.
- Navigate Life's Challenges: Gain insight and healing for personal growth and stronger relationships.
505-316-1881
ASTROLOGY
CREDIT TO GEMINI AI
Interesting Ways Professional Astrologers Approach Reading a Chart
1. Chart Ruler Analysis (Traditional/Hellenistic)
This is often the first step in traditional chart delineation.
- Approach: Identify the planet ruling the Ascendant (the chart ruler). Analyze its sign, house, and major aspects.
- Purpose: The chart ruler is the CEO of the chart. Its condition dictates the individual's personality, life path, and how they execute their will. A strong, well-placed chart ruler suggests an easier life path; a challenged one suggests more difficult but potentially more rewarding lessons.
- Source: Originated in Hellenistic astrology (Ptolemy, Vettius Valens) and foundational to modern classical approaches (Robert Hand).
2. Planetary Dominants / Signature (General/Modern)
This method assesses which planet or element is most prominent, regardless of Ascendant.
- Approach: Determine which planet or element/modality (Cardinal, Fixed, Mutable; Fire, Earth, Air, Water) is most highly aspected, placed on angles (Ascendant, MC, etc.), or in its domicile.
- Purpose: The dominant planet/element reveals the core energy or temperament that defines the person's character and drives their life. For example, a "Mars-dominant" person will lead with action and assertion.
- Source: Popularized by psychological astrologers (André Barbault, Rudhyar).
3. Final Dispositor Chain (Traditional/Delineation)
This technique traces the dignity and rulership of planets back to a single, most independent planet.
- Approach: Start with any planet and trace its ruler, then that planet's ruler, and so on, until the chain ends (the final dispositor is a planet in its own sign or exaltation).
- Purpose: The Final Dispositor acts as the inner authority figure or the ultimate engine of the personality. All other planets serve its theme. If the chain loops, the person may feel pulled in circles and lack a single, clear driving purpose.
- Source: Foundational technique used in Medieval and Renaissance astrology (William Lilly).
4. Outer Planets in the Angles (Psychological/Modern)
This focuses on life-changing periods and generational themes.
- Approach: Examine the natal placement of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto when they are conjunct the angles (Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven, or IC).
- Purpose: These planets highlight areas of intense crisis, fated change, or unique psychic sensitivity that will define the individual's life. A person with Pluto on the Ascendant, for example, is destined for profound transformation and projects immense power.
- Source: Key technique in depth psychology and humanist astrology (Liz Greene).
5. Nodes as the Karmic Axis (Evolutionary Astrology)
This method focuses the reading entirely on the soul's journey, separating past habits from future growth.
- Approach: The South Node describes the easy, comfortable (often past-life) patterns the soul relies on. The North Node describes the necessary, challenging, but ultimately fulfilling direction for growth.
- Purpose: An evolutionary reading focuses on why the person is here and what they must consciously work toward to evolve. The South Node is what needs to be mastered and released, and the North Node is the direction of the soul's destiny.
- Source: Central to the work of Jeffrey Wolf Green and Steven Forrest.
6. Temperament and Sect (Hellenistic)
This is a deep dive into the light and darkness of the chart.
- Approach: Determine the chart's Sect: Day (Sun above horizon) or Night (Sun below horizon). Identify the malefic planets (Mars and Saturn) and see if they are in Sect (in their favored light condition).
- Purpose: A chart with the benefics (Venus and Jupiter) and malefic in the right Sect is generally considered easier or more fortunate. If the malefic planets are "out of Sect," their challenges are more pronounced. This helps an astrologer gauge the overall ease or difficulty of the person's life experience.
- Source: Foundational technique in Hellenistic astrology.
7. House System Comparison (Technical)
This is a way to test which life areas are most active.
- Approach: Run the chart in different house systems (e.g., Placidus, Whole Sign, Koch).
- Purpose: Seeing where a key planet lands in different systems can highlight ambiguity in that life area, suggesting that the person experiences that planet's energy in two different domains. This is often true for people on the cusp of a major transition. (As you experienced with your own chart analysis).
- Source: Modern technical and delineation practice.
8. Aspect Patterns (The Psychological Engine)
This looks at how the chart's energies are linked structurally.
- Approach: Identify major aspect configurations like T-Squares, Grand Trines, Grand Crosses, Yods (Finger of God), and Kites.
- Purpose: These patterns describe the engine of the personality. A T-Square shows a constant internal pressure point demanding action (often through the empty focus point). A Grand Trine shows a self-contained flow of talent or energy that may be too comfortable to be motivating.
- Source: General and modern psychological astrology.
9. Rulers of the Houses (Traditional/Predictive)
This method shows how life themes intertwine.
- Approach: Identify the planet that rules the cusp of each house. Where is that ruling planet placed?
- Purpose: This shows which area of life provides the resources for another. For example, if the ruler of the 2nd House (money) is in the 7th House (partnerships), the person's money is tied up in or comes through relationships.
- Source: Foundational technique in Horary and Natal astrology.
10. Planetary Cylinders / Needs (Humanist/Psychological)
This organizes the chart by fundamental human needs.
- Approach: Organize the planets into fundamental needs: Existence (Sun/Mars/Asc), Security (Moon/Venus/2nd/4th), Relatedness (Mercury/Jupiter/7th/9th), and Transformation (Uranus/Neptune/Pluto/8th/12th).
- Purpose: This approach immediately identifies where the person's core needs are in harmony or in conflict. A person with a conflicted Security cylinder will experience constant friction in home life and financial stability.
- Source: Used by psychological and humanistic astrologers (Rudhyar).
11. Elemental and Modal Balance (The Foundational Temperament)
This is one of the most fundamental and immediate ways to assess a person's core nature, drives, and challenges. Astrologers calculate the distribution of planets across the twelve signs according to their element (quality) and modality (action).
Elements (Triplicities)
The four elements describe the core temperament and life energy.
Element
Signs
Quality
Needs/Drives
Challenge of Excess
Challenge of Deficiency
Fire
Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Intuitive, Energetic
Action, Inspiration, Faith. Needs freedom and excitement.
Impatience, Arrogance, Burnout. Too much ego drive.
Lack of passion, motivation, or vision.
Earth
Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Sensual, Practical
Security, Tangibility, Structure. Needs comfort and results.
Stubbornness, Materialism, Rigidity. Resistant to change.
Lack of grounding, practicality, or consistency.
Air
Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Mental, Social
Communication, Objectivity, Ideas. Needs interaction and fairness.
Detachment, Over-thinking, Restlessness. Disconnected from feelings.
Lack of perspective, social awkwardness, or clarity.
Water
Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Emotional, Nurturing
Feeling, Empathy, Intimacy. Needs safety and connection.
Moodiness, Overwhelm, Permeability. Poor emotional boundaries.
Lack of sensitivity, intuition, or compassion.
Modalities (Quadruplicities)
The three modalities describe the mode of action and approach to initiating or sustaining tasks.
Modality
Signs
Mode of Action
Drives
Challenge
Cardinal
Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn
Initiation
Starting projects, leadership, change, and action.
Impulsiveness, bossiness, difficulty finishing.
Fixed
Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius
Sustaining
Stability, endurance, perseverance, and consistency.
Stubbornness, resistance to change, stagnation.
Mutable
Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces
Adaptation
Flexibility, diffusion, communication, and synthesis.
Restlessness, scattering energy, lacking focus.
The Approach: A professional astrologer identifies the dominant element and modality to quickly gauge the client's internal factory. For example, a dominance of Fixed Water (Scorpio) indicates intense emotional focus and unwavering determination.
12. Chart Shapes and Configurations (The Overall Design)
This method, often taught by humanist astrologers (like Marc Edmund Jones's Seven Chart Patterns) and used in psychological delineation, looks at the overall geometric arrangement of the planets. This reveals how the person's energies are dispersed and channeled.
Key Chart Configurations
Configuration
Description
Psychological Effect
T-Square
Two planets in opposition, both squaring a third planet (the apex).
Creates intense tension and drive. The apex planet is the point of release and the necessary action that must be taken to resolve the tension.
Grand Trine
Three planets separated by $120^\circ$.
Harmony, talent, and ease. Often leads to inherent ability but lacks motivation or drive for change.
Grand Cross
Two sets of oppositions, all squaring each other (four planets forming a cross).
Constant internal tension and challenge. Forces the native to achieve mastery and balance across four distinct areas of life simultaneously.
Kite
A Grand Trine with one of the trine planets sextiling two other planets, which then form an opposition to the fourth planet.
A very fortunate pattern that shows a natural, powerful flow (the trine) being easily and successfully directed (the string of the kite) toward a specific goal (the planet opposite the anchor).
Yod (Finger of God)
Two planets sextile ($60^\circ$) each other, both inconjunct ($150^\circ$) a third planet (the apex).
Indicates a fated, persistent tension or destiny. The individual feels an intense, urgent, but difficult-to-articulate need to resolve the pressure at the apex planet.
The Approach: By recognizing the overall pattern, the astrologer immediately identifies the person's default strategy for handling life. For example, a person with a Bundle shape focuses intensely on a small area of life, while a person with a Splay shape (planets scattered) is multi-talented but lacks focus.
