It’s the perfect throwback for winding down the year: Astrologer, author, and teacher Adam Elenbaas joined host Jenn Zahrt to chat books, astrology, ayahuasca, and more! In this episode: Sun signs as the astrology gateway; horary and conditions against judgment; serial reading to understand a text anew; astrology as a form of divination; and leaning into Hellenistic with a modern twist. Plus: wrong charts that work, Saturn in your ears, and the Lord of the Rings!

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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 September 2023):

00:01 – Jenn shares some super cool news about upcoming labs at CAELi, so check them out! (And here’s Adam’s Kickstarter page!)

02:01 – As an astrologer, author, and yoga instructor, Adam’s style of astrology stems from a deeply grounded, spiritual, and devotional approach to everyday life. He began practicing in 2010 and has completed more than 12,000 birth chart readings and led hundreds of students through his natal and horary astrology instruction programs. He also shares regular content on his popular YouTube and Instagram channels!

02:14 – The first astrology book Adam ever read was in 2006 or so: Your Sun Sign as a Spiritual Guide by Swami Kriyananda. He’d just been on an ayahuasca journey, and this archetypal exploration of the 12 Sun signs was deeply impactful. Tune in to hear about Adam’s intriguing path from ayahuasca to astrology, and how NYC astrologer Rebecca Gordon pushed him out of the nest!

11:56 – If Adam were stranded on a desert island, what three books would he take? First up: Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View. Author Richard Tarnas’s fascinating mapping of mundane transits through such a wide arc of history stems from deep roots in psychedelic, holotropic breathwork – literally “breathtaking in its scope” – mirroring part of Adam’s own journey into being a professional astrologer and public figure.

15:43 – Interlude: Join CAELi and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)

16:30 – Adam’s second selection is The Moment of Astrology: Origins in Divination by Geoffrey Cornelius. This philosophically meaningful work offers the worldview of astrology as a form of divination rather than simply empirical science.

21:56 – Finally, Adam would bring along William Lilly’s famous text on horary astrology, Christian Astrology. Every time he reads this one, he sees what Lilly is saying in new ways.

26:38 – Adam’s recommendations for beginners are many! Two massive texts for folks studying Hellenistic astrology are Demetra George’s Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice: A Manual of Traditional Techniques (Volumes I and II), and Chris Brennan’s Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune. To study archetypes, Adam offers Liz Greene’s works, and mentions the Center for Psychological Astrology. For modern astrology, no one can tell a story like Steven Forrest, so Adam suggests Forrest’s books – but especially The Book of the Moon: Discovering Astrology’s Lost Dimension. A good intro to traditional astrology is On the Heavenly Spheres by the late Helena Avelar and the still-living Luis Ribeiro. For those interested in horary, check out Derek Appleby’s Horary Astrology: An Introduction to the Astrology of Time and John Frawley’s The Horary Textbook – Revised Edition. Last but not least, for mundane astrology, the previously mentioned Cosmos and Psyche is a keeper.

29:32 – Learn more about Adam at https://nightlightastrology.com/. And if you like his work, here’s his Kickstarter!

30:09 – 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.