Contents

THE MOUNTAIN ASTROLOGER } APRIL / MAY 2019 } ISSUE 204

21 } Astrology and a World in Transition:

A Conversation with Maurice Fernandez
40 } A Mystic Looks at Astrology:
Conversations with Shelly Trimmer
by Tem Tarriktar by Ray Grasse
Evolutionary astrologer Maurice Fernandez discusses the What is the key to understanding the chart? Are past lives
current state of astrology and how it can improve; he also important? How do the planets relate to the chakras?
looks at the world-altering cycles of Uranus–Neptune and You will find intriguing answers to these questions and more
Saturn–Pluto. The times they are a-changin’! in this interview.

29 } AIDS: An Astrological Review

of a Modern Pandemic
46 } The Doomed Royal Romance of
Princess Margaret
by Christopher Renstrom by Sally DuCharme
A “birth” chart for this tragic disease tells us a lot — This royal love story, which captures our romantic
about how AIDS developed, how it was misunderstood, imagination, is told through the synastry and transits
and how the response of the gay community has leading to the fated meeting — and parting — of Princess
enlightened the wider world. Margaret and Peter Townsend.

36 } The Sun and Its Aspects:

What We Signed Up to Do
by Frank C. Clifford
“Your mission, should you choose to accept it” … is written
in the placement of your natal Sun and the aspects it
makes to other factors in your chart. Know your Sun, know
yourself!
52} Secondary Progressions:
Stepping into the Mystery
by Anne Whitaker
Why does a purely symbolic technique like secondary
progressions seem to work? Can quantum science provide
useful clues? Prepare to be “awestruck” by the examples in
this article and the essential Mystery of it all!
Additional Feature
®

61 } #dearMoon: Reconnecting Humanity

to the Moon through Artistry Volume 32, No. 3
by Deborah McMahon
P.O. Box 970, Cedar Ridge, CA 95924
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10 Astro-Assistance: Reader Questions Answered
Publisher Tem Tarriktar
by Moon Zlotnick Senior Editor Nan Geary
Editor Linda Kaye
12 Moments in Time: The Birth of Ryan White Web & Book Editor Mary Plumb
by Frank C. Clifford Special Projects Editor Kate Sholly
Theme Section Editor Frank C. Clifford
Associate Editor Ray Grasse
14 Charts in the News Editor Emerita Janette deProsse
commentary by Elisabeth Grace Layout & Illustration Sara Fisk
Advertising Sales Linda Byrd
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16 The Eastern Window Assistant Publisher Ann Meigs
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18 TMA Professional Directory or send an e-mail to LindaB@mountainastrologer.com

76 Where’s That Moon? NOTE: The opinions and philosophies expressed by the
56 SoftStar Muse writers published in The Mountain Astrologer are not nec-
essarily a reflection of the opinions and philosophies of the
77 April/May Forecast Calendar by Hank Friedman Publisher or the staff. Diversity is welcomed in the spirit
of catalyzing discussion. TMA’s role is to be a resource and
by Pam Younghans to provide a forum for the global astrological community.
57 AstroSoftware Marketplace In addition, readers should exercise good judgment
when purchasing a product or service advertised in these
79 New and Full Moon Reports pages, as we do not investigate each product or service.
• Aries New Moon 59 Astrology News
• Libra Full Moon and Conference Calendar © 2019 The Mountain Astrologer LLC - all rights reserved
Manufactured and printed in the United States
• Taurus New Moon by Gloria Star (Wisconsin), using soy-based inks.

• Scorpio Full Moon The Mountain Astrologer (ISSN 1079-1345) April/May

by Diana McMahon Collis 60 Remembering 2019, Vol. 32, No. 3, is published six times per year (bi-
monthly) by The Mountain Astrologer LLC, 436 Colfax
Robert Schmidt Ave., Grass Valley, CA 95945-6840. PERIODICALS post-

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APRIL/MAY 2019 — 7
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18 — THE MOUNTAIN ASTROLOGER

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 Education
Charts in the News
continued from p. 15

California, September 9, 1850; 9:41 a.m. PST (rectified time);

San Jose, CA, USA (37°N20', 121W°53'). (Chart is on p. 15.)
California is designed for disruption. Look at that Uranus–Pluto
conjunction at 29° Aries. In 2018, this volatile pair was hit twice
by transiting Uranus. On November 8, two days after the second hit,
deadly wildfires broke out. The town of Paradise literally burned to the
ground.8 Reflecting the anguished losses of these fiery upsets are tran-
sits and a solar arc (SA) between Pluto and Saturn in 2018 and 2019:
Squares from Pluto to California’s Saturn were exact in 2018 on Janu-
ary 31, July 20, and December 7; SA Pluto will hit Saturn on December
19, 2019. A hard aspect to Saturn by Pluto is a surefire suggestion of
intense effort in the face of potential destruction.
Disruption can also be liberating. With Uranus now opposing
JOIN THE WORLD’S LARGEST INTERNATIONAL California’s Venus and with SA Mars at 0° Aries, California’s pioneering
ORGANIZATION WITH LOCAL CHAPTERS initiatives are making news. Examples include boldly planning to moni-
Regular Local Meetings | Study & Discussion Groups tor climate change with the launch of its own satellite, banning for-profit
Social Events | Lectures & Workshops at reduced prices
charter schools, eliminating the cash bail system, and defying the Federal
PUBLICATIONS Communications Commission’s (FCC) anti–Net neutrality ruling.9
E-News & Calendar The third and final hit of Uranus to California’s Uranus–Pluto
Qtrly Memberletter Magazine
Annual NCGR Research Journal
conjunction happens February 23 – March 2. The third hit of Uranus
Annual Geocosmic Journal opposing California’s Venus occurs on April 2. Watch the headlines for
continued upsets, for better or worse.

more info at: Kevin Spacey, July 26, 1959; 12:00 p.m. EDT; South Orange,
geocosmic.org NJ, USA (40°N45', 74°W15'). (Chart is on p. 15.)
Kevin Spacey chose a stage name that aptly reflects his horoscope,
with its square between his regal Leo Sun and spacey Neptune. Who he
really is and the illusions surrounding him have been a prominent focus
since late 2017, when the first of dozens of men came forward to accuse
the two-time Oscar winner of sexual assault. In December 2018, actual
Vedic Astrology felony charges were filed against him by a man who says he was only 18
Education when he was groped by Spacey in a Nantucket bar.
4 Level Vedic Astrology Study Where do we see the potential for dramatic “wipeout” in the horo-
Programme via Webinars scope? Spacey’s second Saturn return was in January 2018 — definitely
I. Foundation a reality check. Since 2017, SA Sun (who he is) and SA Neptune
II. Rules of Interpretation (illusions) have been at the Aries Point (within 2° of 0° cardinal signs).
III. Prediction Techniques
IV. Advanced His Sun was eclipsed at the end of July 2018, echoing the potential for
Webinars Begin in March Annually a curtain falling (in August, the total weekend box office for his film Bil-
Komilla Academy of Vedic Sciences lionaire Boys Club was $618.00).10 Meanwhile, SA Neptune has just
www.Komilla.com info@Komilla.com conjoined his Saturn, adding to the surreal potential. If his Aries Moon
is being squared by Pluto, we see the potential for emotional catharsis.
That’s assuming he even has an Aries Moon, as it’s not entirely clear
whether he was born on July 26 or July 27.11 Seriously, who is this guy?
In response to the felony charges filed against him, Spacey broke a
yearlong silence with a bizarre defense posted on social media, in char-
acter as Frank Underwood, his killed-off persona from the series House
of Cards.12 However he is judged in the trial (the next stage is sched-
uled for March 4, 2019), this video is undisputed evidence of a grand
eccentric genius (Mercury conjunct Uranus in Leo and square Jupiter in
Scorpio), acting out — literally — with compelling, disciplined perfection
(Mars conjunct Pluto in Virgo, trine Saturn in Capricorn). Perhaps we’ll
see the real Kevin Spacey later this year, under the potentially liberating
transit of Uranus square his Leo Sun.
continued on p. 35

20 — THE MOUNTAIN ASTROLOGER

 SoftStar Muse
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR ASTROLOGY SOFTWARE
by Hank Friedman
Author’s Note: Underlined words in the article are links
to graphics that you can see at: https://www.soulhealing.
com/tma.htm
Astro Gold for the Mac version 3.0
Esoteric Technologies, Inc.
$179.99
Since Macintosh computers were first released, there
have been only a very few astrology programs written to run
on them. For years, many astrologers were forced to install
Windows (and Parallels) on their Macs in order to run the as-
trology software that met their needs.
But a change is in the wind, and Esoteric Technologies,
the creators of Solar Fire, has released a new Mac-native pro-
gram called Astro Gold for the Mac, with capabilities that
many astrologers are looking for, as well as the ease of use
of a true Mac program.
There are already versions of Astro Gold for iOS
(iPhones and iPads) and for Android devices. All versions, for
premium accuracy, use the ACS atlas and the Swiss Ephem-
eris in their calculations (with the ability to create charts from
1200 BC to 2400 AD).
I have already reviewed Astro Gold for iOS and Android
in my article, “Astrology Apps for Mobile Devices,” in the
Aug./Sept. 2015 issue of The Mountain Astrologer, but the
version for the Mac has many added features and deserves a
review of its own.
The Mac and iOS versions of Astro Gold can share chart
files with each other using the iCloud, which makes using the
apps on many devices a breeze. They can also read files from
and share files with Solar Fire — a great boon. As one might
expect, all of the basic astrology features are present in As-
tro Gold for the Mac, including single chart wheels, bi-wheels,
tri-wheels, and quad-wheels (and dials, bi-dials, tri-dials, and
quad-dials, too), with a choice of many lovely styles for each.
You can choose from a very wide selection of natal and
moving points: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, North Node, South Node;
Chiron, Ceres, Pallas, Juno, Vesta, Hygeia, Astraea, Sedna,
Eris; Vulcan, Lilith, Selena, Transpluto, Cupido, Hades, Zeus,
Kronos, Apollo, Admetos, Vulcanus, Poseidon; Ascendant,
Midheaven, Vertex, East Point, Part of Fortune, CoAscen-
56 — THE MOUNTAIN ASTROLOGER
dant, Polar Ascendant, Aries Point, and Libra Point. When
you click on any point in a chart, the program gives you
interpretations for its sign, house, and aspects.
Astro Gold for the Mac calculates natal, transit, second-
ary progressed, solar arc directed, composite, Davidson, and
solar and lunar return charts, and gives a choice of 11 differ-
ent customizable aspect sets. And, as a real boon to Modern
Western, Traditional, and Vedic astrologers, Astro Gold for the
Mac offers a very wide range of house systems: Campanus,
Koch, Meridian, Morinus, Placidus, Porphyry, Regiomon-
tanus, Topocentric, Equal, Zero Aries, Solar Sign, Whole
Sign, Bhava, Alcabitius, Part of Fortune on 1st, Vertex on
7th, and Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
Neptune, Pluto, and Node on 1st.
The program also has a Graphic Ephemeris, with many
customizable options, including degree span (harmonic 1 to
12); time span; transiting, progressed, or directed planets; sign
ingresses; radix planet lines and aspects; and lunation points.
It also provides remarkably easy-to-use chart animation, where
selecting the duration of each time step is simple to do.
Perhaps the most valuable module in Astro Gold for the
Mac is called Astro Sheets, which are a large set of pages
that can be viewed, printed, e-mailed, and shared and have
a wide range of styles, graphics, and information. Among
the Astro Sheets are Midpoints, Essential Dignities/Horary,
Firdaria (a predictive technique from Traditional astrology),
a superb Synastry page, Wheel & Basics, Fixed Star As-
pects, and Fixed Star Parans (using up to 513 Fixed Stars).
There’s even a Beginners/Client page showing all of the as-
trological factors in English (something many astrologers are
asked to provide for their clients).
The program can generate dynamic hit listings, using any
or all of its predictive tools: transits, secondary progressions,
and solar arc directions, with entering and leaving orbs, and
also show when stations and ingresses by sign and house oc-
cur. You can create (and save to reuse) many sets of search
criteria, which is very thoughtful, and sort the listings in sev-
eral ways (e.g., date, entering, moving point, natal point).
Astro Gold for the Mac is rock solid and continues to be
improved. A recent addition is the astromapping module,
continued on p. 58
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SoftStar Muse
continued from p. 56
which can display both regular astromaps and satellite
images, and draw both Astro*Carto*Graphy and Local Space
lines on them. You can measure the distance between cities,
zoom in to specific areas on the map, pop up interpretations,
and even generate complete relocation reports.
Finally, there are both natal and transit interpretations
included — and for those who want more extensive reports,
add-ons for Natal, Child, Synastry, Predictive, Solar Re-
turn, and Pet.
Because of its lovely design, its compatibility with its
mobile sister apps and Solar Fire files, and its wide range of
features, Astro Gold for the Mac is a very welcome Mac-native
program that both beginners and advanced astrologers will be
thankful to have.
Weblog News
The latest articles in my online blog at https://www.soul
healing.com/softstar.htm include my new tutorial “Everything
in a chart influences each planet’s expression,” the 2018
Moon Phases including Libration from NASA, and the new
enhancements in Janus 5.1.
© 2019 Hank Friedman – all rights reserved
Hank Friedman is a professional Vedic and Western astrologer, author,
and teacher. Visit his http://www.soulhealing.com website for astrology
software guidance and his http://www.learnastrologyfree.com website for
free in-depth astrology tutorials. You may contact him at stars@soulheal
ing.com for help in choosing the right astrology software for your needs.

Michael Bartlett
Personal &
Soul Centered
Astrology
Facilitating the change you seek
Readings for individual & couples
Relationship Career Life Path
www.CoreMichael.com Teaching Webinars Mentorship

michael@coremichael.com (505) 690.3860

58 — THE MOUNTAIN ASTROLOGER

 Libra Full Moon — April 19
by Diana McMahon Collis

The Libra Moon is at the critical 29th degree, right at really have. Or, conversely, we feel disempowered through
the sign’s end, marking a strong urge to get something fin- a situation that overwhelms us. Either way, the dynamic,
ished. In a Full Moon chart, this is a double whammy, as cardinal nature of this t-square represents taking action.
there is already an emphasis on completion, with a sense Pluto pulls the South Node and Saturn into the
of “do or die” or reaching a breaking point. Libra is all t-square, simply by being close by in Capricorn, and the
about equality, harmony, and balance, and anything stand- South Node between both planets indicates that power and
ing in the way of that goal’s fulfillment may now need to be control issues are rooted in patterns of the past. Some-
addressed. times, there is an abusive situation that has been hidden
This could push some of us to the brink, if we realise under the shadows of Pluto. This kind of scenario may con-
that it is no longer workable to continue pretending that an tinue because other people are not able to witness these in-
imbalance is acceptable or even tolerable. Whether or not cidents in the light of day or because they are so far from
we can speak that truth externally is probably less vital than the expectations and norms of most people that no one
knowing for ourselves that untenable differences exist and would even have imagined them. Still, some insight into the
that they have simply become too much. In a relationship, circumstances could well come to light, finally, under the
we may experience being too far apart from the other per- current Full Moon — perhaps not a minute too soon, given
son. With work ethics, committees, or mentoring setups, we the late degree of that Moon.
might observe a lack of sufficient common ground. There is a sense of good fortune and blessings abound-
Despite the Libra Moon’s love of agreement, it could ing, since the Moon is sextile Jupiter in Sagittarius. For in-
be easier to feel different now, since the Sun is conjunct dividuals, the Uranian and Jupiterian message here is to
Uranus, reminding us that each individual is unique. Ura- not ignore something vital and potentially life-giving — it
Lib FM 419-2could be a suddenly open door, an opportunity to see more
nus is the planet of the outsider, often in the minority. Yet
our uniqueness also reflects individual value, and therein
Natal Chart
Apr 19 2019, Fri
clearly or speak the truth, or any special chance to escape
lies a contradiction: Who decides where value lies? We 4:12live
am PDT +7:00a limiting, imprisoning, unfair, or otherwise disempowering
Fresno, CA
in societies that emphasise popularity through the affirma- situation. Therein lies a route to freedom!
36°N44'52'' 119°W46'17''
Geocentric
tion of large numbers of people. Ultimately, however, we
Tropical
0° Aries
must each decide what and whom we value. And nobody True Node
can instill a stronger sense of worth in us than we ourselves. 00° ‰ 00'
Therefore, even if others stand opposed to us now, we can 00' 00°
know that we represent something special that has its own Š ¾ ½ Æ ˆ 00'
00° Ê
Á 20° 24° 13°
merit. 21°
23° ˆ
The outsider theme of Uranus conjunct the Sun is ‰
‰ ‰ ˆ
13' 55'
25'
even more highlighted because the conjunction is dis- 00' 08'
21'
Œ
Œ Œ 00°
sociate, or out of sign: Uranus, transiting a different ‹ Ù 10 9 ‡
zodiac sign from the Sun in Aries, is in the neigh- 00° 28°
Š
24' 11 8 29°
¶ 00'
bouring sign of Taurus. Sometimes, we have a good 06'
†
motive for working to get along with our neigh- ’
á †17°
Ä
bours. Other times, though, we feel like the misfit À 17° ‹ 41'
Œ01'
12 – 7
00° – 00°
among those who have a different set of habits or » 28° ‹ 32'
beliefs. Whilst we may seem to be outnumbered, Ü ’ àà
à †
00'
º 02° Ü 47' 00'
what we hold is precious in its own way and, in Ü 26'
 03° Ü 28' 1
á
á
á 6

true Taurus style, should be carefully protected. Ã 07° 42' ‘

One way of providing such protection could be to 23°Ü 06'
ò 29° 19'Ü 2 ’
’ 5
move away from the environment that’s making ¸ Ý
00° 02° 00'
us feel “odd” and head, instead, towards something
Ý ¿
3 4
…
more nurturing for our specific lifestyle values. This 00'
Œ
00°
39' 21'
may involve a different community, or it might revolve ‚
24' ƒ
around a particular building, or even getting closer to na- ‚ 21°
12°
29°
ture, considering that Taurus is a sign that is often linked 00° É
‚ 00' ¼
00'
with earthy structures. Perhaps it is in this different place Å 00°
„
that we find our true peace and inner harmony. 00° ƒ 00'
The Libra Full Moon, in a sticky t-square with Pluto,
speaks to an issue around power — or the lack of it. Some-
one may want to attribute power to us that we don’t feel we April 19, 2019 — 4:12 a.m. PDT
April 19, 2019 — 11:12 a.m. GMT
83