When asked a question about relationships or love, most astrologers take a look at connections with the Moon, Venus or Mars. Yet, there is an asteroid, Eros, that gives us a fascinating glimpse into the world of erotic love in the native's chart.

How do we use the astrology to marry the 5 element system of Traditional Chinese Medicine with its Traditional Western counterpart? A skillful integration of concepts from both sides of the Oriental/Occidental divide can help us.

When I first became an astrologer, I learned many 'tricks' in order to pull off an on-the-spot 'reading' under almost any circumstance. In bars, on street-corners, and in many living rooms I learned that I could give an accurate account of a person's life-path armed with only an ephemeris.

Astrology is not just an intellectual enterprise (although it does depend on concepts); rather, it is a training ground for intuition, or what one might call "direct knowing". This is why a beginner astrologer with psychic ability will generally give more correct information to a client than a non-psychic astrologer who has been studying the subject for a lifetime.

Contemporary, client-based astrological practice appears, by its very nature, to be an art [i] of the individual. But Andre argues that no man is an island, and the social context within which the person operates has a marked influence on the accuracy with which an astrologer can interpret a natal chart in isolation.

Often while exploring the charts of significant people in our lives, we overlook one generality that has more of an impact than many suspect. Few authors and teachers, as far as I can see, take time to consider the gender of the person in the chart.

Survival issues keep us from making changes in our careers and lifestyles. When we're frozen in fear, we are kept from making the changes we need to make. Because Saturn is the farthest planet we see with the naked eye, its position is simultaneously significant and symbolic.

When asked to delineate the chart on a missing brooch during a Horary workshop, there was some confusion around what the likely scenario was - was it merely mislaid or had there been foul play. As Muqita shows, delineating a horary chart after the fact is easy.

Having closely been observing the approach of Pluto to the super-sensitive Aries Point in the horoscopes of many of those around me lately, I started thinking ... Then suddenly, it dawned on me; millions of people either have a planet, angle or Sun/Moon midpoint at the Aries Point and transiting Pluto will aspect it either by conjunction, square or opposition for ALL of them between December 2008 and December 2009 (with the general acceptance of a 2 degree orb).

You have to have both feet on the ground if you want to be of help to your fellow human beings. Being an astrologer is like holding up a mirror - and you better be sure that you've dealt with your own issues before you do that.