INTRODUCTION
Charting Your Course In Life
It has often been said that what matters in life is the journey, not the goal. That may be true, but is it not more inclusive, and perhaps more true, that both the journey and the goal matter? That they both can matter? If that is so, it is worth asking if there could be a map for the journey, custom-made for your individual path in life, and perhaps even presenting a view ahead to the destination, the goal.
Astrology has survived through the ages in many lands and cultures. This enduring popularity is due to the belief that it is a unique tool for understanding one’s destiny. The astrologer who reads a horoscope must interpret a set of patterns derived from complex permutations of houses, signs, planets, and aspects. Ideally, if the astrologer is competent and correct, these patterns can be resolved into a unitary design that describes, not only personality traits and complexes, but also a direction toward ultimate purpose. That unitary design is a tool for orientation in life, and like a compass it enables the client to navigate through life in a clear and purposeful way. Ideally, an astrological reading can reveal the destiny of an individual, presumed to be written in the stars. After all, destiny derives from the Latin de-sidere, “from the stars.”
Astrology can work on its own terms. It can serve as a tool for guidance in personal growth and direction, but it has its limits. And it has nothing to do with the stars.
The Horoscope Contains No Stars
Except the Sun!
The belief that human destiny is somehow written in the stars is perennial. Its historical origin cannot be dated. From the earliest accounts on record, found in Babylonian star lists from 3400 BCE, astronomy and astrology were joined at the hip like Siamese twins; but over time they separated. Few people in the world today, including most professional astrologers, do not know that conventional Western astrology has parted from astronomy and no longer involves the stars. The typical horoscope (below) shows positions of the Sun, Moon, and planets in twelve regions of the sky, the signs, and distributed across twelve spatial divisions around the birthplace, the houses. But both signs and houses are geometrical sectors that ignore the actual panorama of visible stars.
Horoscope of Don Mclean, American singer and song-writer,
known for “Vincent” and “American Pie”
In the outer circle you see the twelve uniform 30-degree divisions of the sign zodiac indicated by their symbols. In the inner circle you see the interfacing twelve non-equal divisions of the houses, numbered counter-clockwise. 1 – 12. On the left is the AC, the ascendant or rising sign, @ 20 Virgo. Notice the planet Venus in 10 Virgo in the 12th house, just above the AC. The lines show angular relations between pairs of planets, called aspects. Every horoscope comprises these four basic components: 12 signs, 12 houses, 10 planets (including the luminaries, Sun and Moon, which are not planets), 9 principal aspects, plus other minor features. Do the math: (12 X 12) X 10 X (9 X 10 planets in 45 pairs). The total possible unique permutations of these four components in a single horoscope runs into over 100,000. A horoscope is a very complicated affair.
The event of any birth is recorded first in a calendric notation. For Don McLean, born on October 2, 1945 at 4:15 AM in New Rochelle, New York, USA, the notation is 10/2/45/4:15 at the birth locale (American style places the month before the day). This calendric notation is an exact match to astronomical data. Anyone using an on-line tool such as Stellarium.org can enter the birth information and visually see the astronomical data that matches it. Thus, every birth is recorded in a precise array of positions of Sun, Moon, and planets in the sky. But that is not what you see in the horoscope above. Why not?
Because the horoscope format does not show real-sky locations! Instead, it shows locations relative to the birthplace situated stereometrically in the two circles of signs and houses. The horoscopic display of the calendric notation 10/2/45/4:15 AM entirely ignores positions relative to the actual, observable star-patterns in the sky. The twelve astrological signs do not and have never represented star-patterns. A sign is a starless, invisible sector of the sky, like a time zone pictured without the landscape it covers.
A constellation is a visible pattern of stars. Signs are invisible. Very few people who take interest in astrology know this, and even those who practice it cannot explain the difference. In Quest for the Zodiac (1999), I stated that astrology is not wrong on its own terms — indeed, I practised it professionally for over three decades — but it is wrongly defined as “the language or science of the stars.” The only star in the typical horoscope is the Sun. In reality, there are two zodiacs: the starless format used by astrologers, and the format of observable star-patterns, variously called the constellational, stellar, or real-sky zodiac.
The real-sky panorama is the format of Celestics. It is called forensic astronomy because it investigates the evidence encoded in the pattern of celestial bodies located in the real-sky constellations.
Conversion to StarBase
StarBase, the software custom-designed for Celestics, converts the calendric data directly into a graphic format with all celestial bodies in the horoscope projected into their actual locations in the zodiac — the real-sky zodiac, not the starless astrological zodiac. To make this conversion, StarBase generates the Rimsite. This is a graphic model of the set of constellations surrounding the earth located (sited/sighted) on the rim of the ecliptic. In all there are 88 named constellations in the total celestial sphere, but most of them are located above or below the defining line of the ecliptic which is a circular grid of 360 degrees, like a protractor.
Read more about the ecliptic and longitude here [ADD link to DD page Ecliptic from MP Need to Know].
The Rimsite shows both the accurate positions of stars and the graphics or visualisations associated with the star-patterns they form.
The term manifold tells you that the astronomical factors on view comprise more than Sun, Moon, and planets. The total of entires in this data display is:
1 Sun (a star, central body of the solar system)
2 Earth (the home planet)
3 Moon (satellite orbiting Earth)
4 & 5 the lunar nodes (features of the lunar orbit intersecting the ecliptic line)
6 & 7 the lunar apsides (far and near points of the Moon on its orbit)
8 & 9 Mercury and Venus (inner planets between Earth and Sun)
10 & 11 & 12 Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn (outer planets beyond the orbit of Earth)
13 & 14 & 15 Uranus, Neptune, Pluto (outermost planets beyond Saturn)
16 Chiron (a cometary body that orbits between Uranus and Jupiter)
That is a complete and correct description of the solar system, something that can be taught, and should be taught, to children in grade school. Clearly, this is a manifold of factors, not merely planets. (McLean’s Rimsite also shows the projection of the AC, rising sign, and Mc, midheaven. These are orientations relative to the birthplace that can be set aside for the moment.
See more HERE: Manifold DD under need to Know)
So, what you are looking at here is crystal clear. But what are you seeing? Pictured graphically, the real-sky zodiac comprises three animal forms, four human forms, as well as other creatures such as a crab, a scorpion, two fishes, a couple of hybrid figures, the centaur or horseman and the goatfish or seagoat, and one mechanical object, the scales. Is this a “circle of animals,” as the Greek zodiakos kyklos is routinely translated? Clearly not. The only animals are the ram, bull, and lion. The meme from Alice in Wonderland applies here: Upon introduction to the real-sky zodiac, the topic gets “curiouser and curiouser.”
One outstanding feature of the Rimsite that excites curiosity is the inclusion of the male figure that looms over it. It stands center and uppermost in the graphic display. (The reason why is a little secret to be revealed in due time!) Traditionally named Ophiuchus, this star-pattern is called the Snaketamer of Celestics. Yes, you may have the Sun, Moon or any other factor of the manifold in the Snaketamer! With that figure included, there are 13 principal constellations on the Rimsite. But hold on, the complete display includes three other minor constellations (not shown here), making a total of 16 star-formations positioned on the rim of the ecliptic. Again, do the math: 16 entries in the manifold and 16 real-sky celestial locales where they can occur. 16 X 16 = 256. This is the magic number of Celestics. How so? The magic resides in something like an algorithmic iteration, a line of source code:
calendric notation > astronomical data > manifold : Rimsite >
= 16 entries in 16 locales > a selection 16 lines of code
256 lines is the total of all possible permutations that match the manifold entries and constellations, but it is not the number of “lines of code” generated from the birth data. The calendric data in the manifolds of Don McLean, 10/2/45/4:15 AM, and everyone else!, selects only 16 lines out of the total 256 permutations. At each minute of every day of every year, the cosmos deals out a sequence of 16 unique code-lines like a lottery ticket with 16 figures. That is the readout of your “destiny” written in the celestial source code.
All that being understood at the outset, the big question is: How do you read what’s written in the code?
The Celestial Source Code
As explained above, the astrologer must make sense of many permutations of the four basic components of the horoscope: sign, house, planet, and aspect. The total unique permutations in a single horoscope can run to more than 100,000. Obviously, if you want to learn how to read your own birth chart, you face quite a challenge. Celestics is a huge advance over astrology in several ways, but especially in the reduction of the permutations of the natal pattern down to 256 permutations. This figure is within the range a determined person can manage, and, even better, you only need to consider a discrete selection of 16 code-lines in your manifold to interpret the cosmic design of your individual destiny. Those 16 lines are like the 16 numbers on your lottery ticket. But what makes it a winning ticket?
I remind you, Celestics does not negate astrology. Taken on its own terms, your sign-based horoscope still works as a tool for psychological profiling, and perhaps in some manner it can serve to guide you in charting your course in life (depending on the competence of the astrologer). But it will tell you nothing about the locations of celestial bodies in the real-sky perspective. For instance, McLean was born with the Sun in Libra, as well as three planets in proximity, Mercury, Jupiter, and Neptune. In the horoscope above you see these planets tightly grouped in the first house, numbered 1 (nine o’clock position). Celestics does not contradict that picture, but it offers a new perspective on the same data. The Rimsite shows the Sun and three planets located in the constellation of the upper body of the Virgin (upside down, three o’clock position). However, this does not mean that McLean was a Virgin-type personality, and not actually a Libran. There are no personality-types in Celestics. Sun-in-sign and Sun-in-constellation present two distinct fields of information.
The 256-base source code of StarBase carries a range of information that cannot be found in the horoscope. Celestics is not about WHO you are personally in the social drama, an actor limited by conditions of necessity and adaptation to the culture, time, and setting of your birth. Instead, it shows but WHAT you CAN BE as a freely expressive individual leading a voluntary, self-directed life that draws upon your innate gifts, motives and passions. and fulfils an ultimate purpose. With Celestics, you delve into the deep dimensions of myth, moral incentive, creative passion, and imagination. It treats the dynamics of motivation and inspiration that have universally driven every achievement of humankind, be it great and uncommon or small and commonplace. It uses precise solar, lunar, planetary and stellar data to investigate the far reach of human aspiration and shows how you can achieve the optimal expression of your innate gifts and fulfil your ultimate purpose in life.
Sounds great, but do note closely: Celestics shows how you can do all that, but it does not guarantee that you will do that. Only you can play the lottery ticket into a winning number. Celestics is a participatory discipline of self-knowledge and self-actualization. It does not make you what you are. It does not offer a psychological interpretation of how you behave. It guides you to how you can behave. This discipline is elective. You make of it as you choose, and ideally you make the best of it, if you have the incentive to do so and the will to learn what it takes.
Celestics is so novel that it requires new terms or revised definitions of conventional, time-worn concepts. It can be said that this method is actional, rather than psychological. It does not address the psychological patterns and syndromes of your personality and social ego. These do exist for all of us, of course, and you manage them as you will. You might even consult an astrologer on those issues! But instead of interpreting the complex design of personal syndromes and attitudes, Celestics directs you to what you can actually do with your innate gifts to achieve an ultimate purpose in life, and shows you how to define that purpose.
To say the same thing in another way, Celestics is a forensic tool for investigation of biographical dynamics, rather than psychological patterns. Your trajectory in life runs on a biographic narrative, the story you tell yourself about why you are here and what you want to accomplish based on your inner potential, gifts, aspirations, motives, aspirations, dreams, and enduring drives. This crucial distinction between biographic and psychological perspectives on life may not be clear at first sight, but it becomes so as you delve into how Celestics works and what it can offer you.
The Prime Algorithm
How can you learn to read the celestial source code? It is actually easier than it may appear at first encounter. In the special vocabulary of Celestics, each entry in the manifold is called an asset, and each constellation represents a task to be undertaken using that asset. Everyone is born with a set of 16 assets, inherent skills to be developed and proven by acting on different tasks or projects. Look again at the formula of conversion above and insert both terms to expand the iteration:
The calendric notation > astronomical data > manifold: Rimsite >
16 entries in 16 locales /
reduced to 16 lines in binomial algorithms: asset /> task
The source code of StarBase is binomial, consisting of two factors. Each combination of one manifold entry (asset) with one real-sky constellation forms a binomial unit, like an algorithm. Everyone knows how algorithms work on the internet: they select from your use of apps, social media, and searches certain key terms and topics of interest and then direct you to related material, such as people, products, or information. Analogies to IT can be gruesome, I know, and the way that algorithms direct your use of IT is, of course, not neutral, useful, or benevolent. It is extremely biased and can even be nefarious. Nevertheless, the analogy works here given that you know that each binomial algorithm in the 16 lines of your natal code has a directive function. Each line of code directs you, and even instructs you, how to actualize your deepest, innermost potential.
In Celestics, each zodiacal locale represents a task, a sort of assignment. The prime algorithm of asset > constellation can be written asset > task, shown above. Nothing esoteric here. This algorithm is a simple notation of common sense. In fact, your everyday behavior runs on that algorithm, doesn’t it? You have certain assets, such as practical talents, communication skills, creative abilities, etc., that you routinely apply to certain tasks. The asset > task algorithm is nothing arcane or mysterious. You run it constantly in diverse ways each and every day. Everyone does. But how does it run in the long-term course of your life?
I realize that the term task can sound rather harsh, but I am talking about self-assigned tasks, projects and ventures, dreams and desires, undertaken for the love of the challenge. Every day of life consists of tasks to be accomplished; likewise for the long-term trajectory of life. The right tasks for you in life are whatever you enjoy and love to do, even though they can involve struggle and the risk of opposition or failure. Ideally, your long-term tasks in life are labours of love. The voluntary life thrives on pleasure.
Certainly, this introduction raises many questions that cannot be addressed within the limits assigned to it. This is only the introductary page, the portal to Celestics. Consult the free-access pages on this platform for clarification and elaboration. Especially the material in Need to Know (including Vocabulary) and Zodiac, where you will find ample content that complements and expands what you find here. .
The Question of Discovery
Needless to say, if Celestics looks interesting to you, you want to see how a code-line translates into actional terms. You want biographic examples to learn from and apply to your own manifold. Take Venus > LION in McLean’s manifold. His Venusian gifts can be developed and proven by mastering the task of the LION. I noted above that assignment is another word that equates with task. We are all born with assignments for our innate capacities, running across the the full range of our creative potential and moral incentives, the causes we embrace, the codes we follow, all that we deem worth doing and expressing in life, and the constellations encode these assignments. Venus > LION is a binomial algorithm in StarBase source code, which you might also have in your manifold — plus 15 others!
So, finally, I appeal to your patience and determination. I count on your understanding that the method of decoding your manifold has to be explained and elaborated in other pages, many of which are set on free-access. But don’t put the cart before the horse. There is still an issue to consider before delving into the tools and techniques of forensic astronomy. Coming to Celestics for the first time, or even after exploring this platform for a while, you will find that single issue at the forefront: How to chart your own course in life. If it is true that this method does reveal how destiny is written in a star-based source code. Once informed that such a tool exists, you face the question of discovery. If you are intrigued by how to use Celestics to chart your course in life, it is advisable to consider that question closely. I stated it at the top of this introduction, and it is worth repeating, like this:
To know your innate gifts and express them to achieve your purpose in life,
would you rather be told about all that by someone else,
or would you rather discover it for yourself?
This question faces everyone who approaches the threshold of Celestics. I strongly advise that you be ruthlessly honest with yourself as you reflect on it. How much does it really matter to you to realize your destiny in this life? Is it something you would like to hear about from someone else, spoon-fed to you for its entertainment value or narcissistic satisfaction? If it is your course in life to discover, wouldn’t you prefer to discover it in your own way rather than receive it second-hand from someone else? If that is your preference, Celestics may be the right option for you.
Be sure to be clear at the outset: this method does not spell out the course of your life-trajectory, like a ready-made interpretation of the horoscope delivered by an astrologer. Similar to a DIY kit, it provides the directive codes, tools, and techniques for a journey in self-discovery with you in the lead role. It is an excellent navigational guide, but you are always at the helm of the journey.
Peruse the free-access pages on this platform to learn about how Celestics works and how it can work for you.
Thanks for taking a moment to look this way!
John Lamb Lash, author, mythologist, and visionary teacher, originator of StarBase, the source code of Celestics
contact: mail@celestics.org