Astrologer and educator Drew Levanti joins host Jenn Zahrt from San Francisco, California to touch base about astrology (and non-astrology) books! The pair cover a lot of ground, including: following Jupiter lines in hindsight; jumping into the deep end of the book pool; the presence of a chorus of ancestors and a loosing of the bond; how elements can mix in different proportions; letting the silence fill us; how 9/11 transformed ideologies around death; coming apart and coming together; death charts as the birth of the afterlife; time twins; termination versus inception; the Orphic Hymns; the importance of remembering the soul discourse; and a bounty of cemetery stories. Plus: tightrope walkers, shell mounds and the Albany Bulb, and… a tender story about organ donation!

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Transcripts available upon request.

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

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Episode timestamps (conversation recorded May 2024):

00:31 – Drew Levanti is a consulting astrologer and mystical educator based in San Francisco. A carrier of the Orphic lineage, he shares the understanding that life infinitely invites us into godly presence. This drives his teaching, spanning astrology fundamentals, elections, and the magic of the Orphic Hymns. In Drew’s client practice, dialogue is collaborative, fueled by astropoetic interpretation that is realistic, strategic, and affirming of a free-will world.

02:31 – If Drew could bring only three books to a remote location, his first choice would be Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. This novel holds special meaning for Drew – and the tightrope-walking metaphor is apt for his life path! (And the movie Man on Wire is also recommended!)

06:44 – Jenn and Drew put the car in reverse, and take a step back to discuss Drew’s journey into astrology, which included Chris Brennan’s Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune. Drew dove into the deep end with his first astrology book, at a time when he was simultaneously watching YouTube videos on modern astrology.

08:23 – Interlude: Join CAELi and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)

09:09 – The second title that Drew would bring is The Presocratic Philosophers: A Critical History with a Selection of Texts by G. S. Kirk, J. E. Raven, and M. Schofield. This book is important to Drew because it propelled his research into Orphism.

17:24 – Drew’s third selection is American Afterlives: Reinventing Death in the Twenty-First Century by Shannon Lee Dawdy. Drew finds this one important because it examines the shifting idea of death in modern times.

25:24 – Drew also gives a shout-out to a touching book that covers the concept of the death chart as told from one astrologer’s personal bereavement, Star Sisters: An Astrologer's Memoir of Twin Loss by Linda “Moonrabbit” Zlotnick. (And stay tuned: Zlotnick is writing a new, groundbreaking book on death charts which will be published in the near future!)

32:20 – For beginners, Drew recommends Astrology and the Authentic Self: Integrating Traditional and Modern Astrology to Uncover the Essence of the Birth Chart and Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice: A Manual of Traditional Techniques (especially Volume 1!) – both are by Demetra George.

35:06 – Find Drew at his website: https://archeastrology.com/. Or connect with him on Instagram: @anthrosophist.

38:17 – 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.