Astrologer, musician, and podcaster Rose Blakelock joins host Jenn Zahrt from New Mexico to wrestle with fate versus choice and chat about astrology books! Join them for a lively discussion, which includes: growth through the midlife transits; feeling seen through reading; digging into planetary aspects; Grünewald's triptych panels; the Jupiterian buoyancy of making it through the second Saturn return; talking to a client about Moon-Pluto, Mars-Pluto, or Saturn-Pluto aspects; teaching on Zoom; the concept of inverting the houses; hearing the voice of the author; and a blueprint to follow the houses. Plus: hippie parents, curmudgeons, and…Houlding a Hand, lol!

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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 July 2024):

01:23 – Rose Blakelock is a queer astrologer, musician, and podcaster currently living in so-called New Mexico. She believes astrology is a powerful symbolic language that can help us discover our true potential and cultivate a greater understanding of the rhythms and cycles unfolding around us. She is the host of the podcasts Mutual Reception and Big Dyke Energy and publishes bimonthly forecasts and horoscopes. She is currently taking new clients and is available for individual consultations, readings for couples, and more.

01:50 – Rose’s very first astrology book was Sextrology: The Astrology of Sex and the Sexes by Stella Starsky and Quinn Cox. But her parents also had Linda Goodman’s Love Signs at her house while growing up!

04:33 – If Rose could bring only three books to a deserted island, what would they be? Dane Rudhyar’s An Astrological Triptych is first on the list, because it’s succinct and satisfying. Also, this text was the one that first helped her make sense of the houses. (And to hear more on Rudhyar, lend your ears to Episode 15, Lars Panaro: Scattering Karmic Stardust!)

08:29 – Rose’s second choice would be The Astrology of Midlife and Aging by Erin Sullivan, who recently passed away. Rose likes this one because she’ll be getting older on the island and will need the info – plus, it offers a wonderful, pragmatic breakdown of midlife! (And a shout-out also goes to Sullivan’s Saturn in Transit.)

14:42 – Interlude: Join CAELi and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)

15:29 – The third title Rose would bring is Aspects in Astrology: A Guide to Understanding Planetary Relationships in the Horoscope by Sue Tompkins. Rose still goes back to this one; it helped her learn how the planets talk to each other.

22:03 – For beginners, Rose recommends: Horoscope Symbols by Robert Hand; The Astrological Houses: The Spectrum of Individual Experience by Dane Rudhyar (yes, it’s out-of-print… but it’s at CAELi, so become a member for access!); The Astrology of Fate by Liz Greene; and The Gods of Change: Pain, Crisis and the Transits of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto by Howard Sasportas. Honorable mentions go to The Art of Chart Interpretation: A Step-By-Step Method of Analyzing, Synthesizing and Understanding the Birth Chart by Tracy Marks and the previously mentioned Aspects in Astrology by Sue Tompkins.

33:58 – Find Rose at her website: https://roseblakelock.com/. She’s also on Substack. On Instagram, her handle is @mutable_cross.

34:32 – 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.