Astrological titan Baris Ilhan joins host Jenn Zahrt from Bodrum, Turkey for a fascinating, one-of-a-kind chat! Baris is an astrologer, author, publisher, translator, researcher, teacher, and founder of the Ilhan Astrology Institute. This not-to-be-missed episode covers: the 8th house, self-actualization, blending modern and traditional astrology, Ottoman astrological research, the intersection of mysticism and philosophy, and more. Plus: learning from each other, using the planets while alive, and finding the symbolism of the planets within the field of ethics!

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Song “Wake Up” used with permission by The E-Block Band.

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Episode timestamps (conversation recorded Oct. 2023):

00:31 – Baris has been a professional astrologer since 1993. In 1997, she founded her publishing house, helping to translate and bring to bookstores about two dozen texts. She is also the author of two books: The Puberty Age of Adults: Planetary Cycles and Astrology Lessons, which is a textbook for her students.

00:54 – Baris’s first astrology text is a bit of a mystery! She remembers buying astrology books from American soldiers at a military base near her home; the almanacs offered interesting info about the signs. Then there was a book printed in Turkey, perhaps called something like Astrology: Your Future. Linda Goodman’s books made a brief entrance, too, but the one that caught her attention the most was The Astrologer's Handbook by Frances Sakoian and Louis Acker.

05:52 – Which books have influenced Baris’s practice the most? Two of Stephen Arroyo’s books make the list: Astrology, Psychology, and the Four Elements: An Energy Approach to Astrology and Its Use in the Counseling Arts and Astrology, Karma, & Transformation: The Inner Dimensions of the Birth Chart. Howard Sasportas’s The Twelve Houses also earns a spot on the roll. Astrologer Michael Lutin gets a nod for his lectures (not a book, but good stuff nonetheless). Finally, Jeff Green’s Pluto: The Evolutionary Journey of the Soul and Steven Forrest’s The Inner Sky make the cut.

07:50 – Tune in to hear Baris’s instrumental role in the transmission of astrological knowledge into Turkey, and her journey in opening her own publishing house!

13:24 – Interlude: Join CAELi’s inaugural annual support campaign and snag yourself a Saturn stress ball. (Yes, you read that right!)

14:11 – Baris explains how a 1998 conference with Rick Tarnas and Stanislav Grof led her to look at her own culture. She then began a period of research into the Ottoman Empire and studied 13th-century astrologer and author Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, translating his books (and others!) from Persian into Turkish and English over many years. This is an ongoing project, as she’s currently translating a horary book into Turkish, and then plans to translate it into English. Wow, and thank you, Baris!

21:36 – For beginners, Baris invites you to learn the basics through her previously mentioned textbook, as well as via her planetary cycles book.

21:59 – Find Baris on her popular Instagram channel, and via her website.

23:16 – Thanks for listening to Within Orb! If you love the show, please help support it at no cost to you: Follow or subscribe wherever you listen, rate it five stars, or write a happy review! And if you’d like to become a CAELi member or support our work with a contribution of any amount, we’d be delighted – thanks!

Show notes by Jen Braun, JJ Boots Productions LLC.