Astrologer and podcaster Elly Higgins joins host Jenn Zahrt from Western Massachusetts to chat astrology (and non-astrology) books and more! Join them as they cover lots of territory, including: an Orphic hymns relational moment; astrology and the Islamicate tradition; and queer time versus straight time. Plus: a soul massage, the Hellenistic revival, and looking for patterns!

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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 August 2024):

00:31 – Elly Higgins is a consulting astrologer, massage therapist, and podcast host based in Western Massachusetts. He is the host of Star Gays: The Queer Astrology Archives Podcast, which examines the lives of important queer artists and activists through their astrology. His astrological lineage is primarily Hellenistic, but he is guided by queer liberation struggles and queer lineage building.

01:23 – Elly’s very first astrology book was You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance by Chani Nicholas. Early on, he also read Astrology and the Authentic Self: Integrating Traditional and Modern Astrology to Uncover the Essence of the Birth Chart by Demetra George.

05:47 – If Elly could bring only three books to a deserted island, his first choice would be a collection of the Orphic Hymns.

10:34 – Elly’s second choice would be Abu Ma'shar Al-Balkhi’s Persian Nativities IV: On the Revolutions of the Years of Nativities, translated by Benjamin Dykes.

18:05 – Interlude: Join CAELi and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)

18:52 – The third title Elly would bring is Cruising Utopia by José Esteban Muñoz.

30:51 – For beginners, Elly recommends the previously mentioned books You Were Born for This by Chani Nicholas and Astrology and the Authentic Self by Demetra George. Additionally, he recommends Astrology for Yourself: How to Understand and Interpret Your Own Birth Chart by Demetra George and Douglas Bloch. In the non-text world, Elly also suggests Chris Brennan’s The Astrology Podcast.

33:03 – Find Elly at his website: https://ellyhiggins.com/. And check out his show, Star Gays: The Queer Astrology Archives Podcast!

34:34 – 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.