North Coast Astrology Group, California

Three years ago I went to a gathering of astrologers in Mendocino County. It was called Planet Camp. I had just returned from living in Japan, where I studied experiential astrology. I enjoyed Planet Camp because it gave me an opportunity to meet other astrologers and learn more about astrology. During the week of the camp we met together in small groups to informally discuss various astrological topics. There was a facilitator to lead each discussion group who encouraged input from the participants. One of the astrologers I met there was Kira Ivory. She has recently started the North Coast Astrologers Group which was inspired by Planet Camp and is conducted in a similar manner. The North Coast Astrologers Group first met on Sunday, Oct. 13th, 1996. The topic of that meeting was electional astrology. The function of electional astrology is choosing a positive date for a planned event. We discussed the factors to look for in a chart when choosing a date such as the ruler of the ascentdant and placement of the planets in the signs and houses. Then we looked at the chart for that meeting as well as several other charts for possible future meetings. Based on the qualities of those charts we debated whether to officially consider the Oct. 13th date the first meeting or to choose one of the other proposed dates as the birthday of the group. It was unannomously decided by the 9 astrologers present that the Oct. 13th chart, with Jupiter (symbolizing the curious seekers of knowlegde with a drive to learn) ruling the ascendant, Jupiter in the first house, and Jupiter ruling the midheavcen supported NCAG being a group that promotes the quest for knowledge and truth through the educationals process in an honest way. And so we began. The following month nine astrologers (not all the same from the first gathering) met to discuss the ancient doctrine of sect. Early astrologers noticed that planetary energies functioning through the individual are profoundly different in the two opposite hemishperes. The concepts in the doctrine of sect describe a weighting of emphasis based on the hemisphere location, quadrant, house and sign placement of planets. Each planet that can be seen with the naked eye that was known to ancient astrologers has a sect. The sun is considered to be in sect if above the ascendant/descendant axis which is the dividing line between day and night. It is considered to be a more strongly emphasized energy in the person's life than if it appears below the horizon or out of sect. The December topic was Transpluto and the Uranian planets. What they all have in common is that no one has seen any of these planets as yet, but hundreds of astrologers worldwide interpret their presence in charts. North Coast Astrologers Group welcomes anyone (from beginner to professional) who has an interest in learning more about and discussing astrology. Future ideas for topics include; Relationship & Composites, Family Dynamics, Medical Astrology, Experiential Astrology, Retrograde Effects, Client Counseling and Arabic Parts just to name a few. I plan to take advantage of the wisdom and experience present in NCAG. Each month a different astrologer will choose an area of expertise to talk about. Next month's article will be about the nodes and written by Kira Ivory. She is an astrological consultant and teaches classes and workshops on Medical Astrology, Asteroids, Arabic Parts and The Astrology of Weight Loss & Gain.