AP: Creating the Nodal Story
The very heart of practical evolutionary astrology lies in the collision between the psychological and the metaphysical (past-life) interpretation of the birthchart. To make the past life story come alive for the client, we need to present it in a lively, engaging fashion. We know the story is "made up," and we express that fact clearly to the client - but we also know that, if we do it right, the story we tell will parallel an actual unresolved drama from at least one prior lifetime. Success here depends on two skills. First, we must have a solid grounding in the methodology of nodal analysis, the kind of material we have often covered in class and which is explored thoroughly in Steven's book, Yesterday's Sky.
Second, we need to come up with a good, compelling tale, one that rivets clients' attention and pulls them right back into that cathartic space of emotional "remembering." In this class our focus will be on honing that second set of skills - the actual weaving of the story. Success here makes the difference between a wooden chart reading that leaves clients slightly glassy-eyed with its abstraction or clunkiness, versus one that leaves them feeling as if their guardian angels have just given them a spiritual booster shot. The art here is one of a controlled flight of creative imagination on the part of the astrologer. We look for evocative metaphor, engaging imagery, and edge-of-the-seat drama, all the while being scrupulously careful that nothing significant in the story we weave is unsupported in the technical analysis.
In these four days, we will briefly review the theory, but mostly we will be developing the more "literary" dimensions of this critical piece of our art. As ever, the Sorting Hat will reign - we will pull the names of class members who volunteer out of the hat, and apply ourselves to creating a past-life tale that resonates with those deep, forgotten mysteries from long ago.
20 hours | mp3 audio download | Includes charts and handouts | Recorded at the Calistoga AP
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Description
The very heart of practical evolutionary astrology lies in the collision between the psychological and the metaphysical (past-life) interpretation of the birthchart. To make the past life story come alive for the client, we need to present it in a lively, engaging fashion. We know the story is "made up," and we express that fact clearly to the client - but we also know that, if we do it right, the story we tell will parallel an actual unresolved drama from at least one prior lifetime. Success here depends on two skills. First, we must have a solid grounding in the methodology of nodal analysis, the kind of material we have often covered in class and which is explored thoroughly in Steven's book, Yesterday's Sky.
Second, we need to come up with a good, compelling tale, one that rivets clients' attention and pulls them right back into that cathartic space of emotional "remembering." In this class our focus will be on honing that second set of skills - the actual weaving of the story. Success here makes the difference between a wooden chart reading that leaves clients slightly glassy-eyed with its abstraction or clunkiness, versus one that leaves them feeling as if their guardian angels have just given them a spiritual booster shot. The art here is one of a controlled flight of creative imagination on the part of the astrologer. We look for evocative metaphor, engaging imagery, and edge-of-the-seat drama, all the while being scrupulously careful that nothing significant in the story we weave is unsupported in the technical analysis.
In these four days, we will briefly review the theory, but mostly we will be developing the more "literary" dimensions of this critical piece of our art. As ever, the Sorting Hat will reign - we will pull the names of class members who volunteer out of the hat, and apply ourselves to creating a past-life tale that resonates with those deep, forgotten mysteries from long ago.
20 hours | mp3 audio download | Includes charts and handouts | Recorded at the Calistoga AP
Preview this recording:
