But the lessons have never stopped. Twenty-seven years later, I still learn something with almost every chart I do. And I find, astrology is always right; it’s me that has to catch up.

A few examples:

I was reading a woman’s chart, and there were signs all over it suggesting that writing was very important to her. I stressed it a couple of times, and she insisted she did not write. She did not try to write fiction. Her job had nothing to do with writing. She didn’t even do very much writing on her job. Fortunately I was doing the reading in her apartment, and I glanced about a little confused, but then I spotted her bookcase, and there was a shelf of assorted hardcover books with no titles. “What are those?” I asked. They were her journals. She has been keeping them since high school and wrote in them every evening before bed for about an hour or so. Aha!

Once I was working on a woman’s chart and found oddly conflicting information. The chart suggested she had a very vague mother, perhaps even a missing mother, and yet she also had indications of a very strong mother. Baffled, I described these traits to her and asked her if it made any sense to her. It did. She had been given up at birth and was adopted and raised by a mother with a strong hand, who instilled her with self-respect and integrity. When she became an adult, she tracked down her birth mother. They met only once. The woman was happy to see she had turned out so well, but insisted, due to family and societal reasons, she could have nothing to do with her. So she had a missing mom and a strong mom.

And one last amusing story… I was doing joint readings for a husband and wife. His chart said he was argumentative. So I told him that. He said he wasn’t. I said it was in the chart. He said he wasn’t. And I was being too pig-headed to see what was going on. I started to try to explain it one more time. This was promising to turn into a Monty Python routine, but his wife spoke up and said, “Dear, you are argumentative.” Saved.

These are the kinds of things that still keep me on my toes after all these years, and keep me learning. It never gets dull.

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Every other Tuesday evening, I am on Dawn Tevý’s Angels & Warriors BlogTalkRadio network, doing “Practical Astrology with Anthony Picco” at 8:30 pm Eastern Standard Time, 7:30 CST, 6:30 MST, and 5:30 pm PST. It runs roughly 90 minutes, with an opening chat about astrology, and then we open the phone lines for a few quick spontaneous readings given to callers with questions about their charts & their lives.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/angelsandwarriors

I offer my personal apologies for the long delay between podcasts. The ongoing goal is one per month, but I had techie issues prepping this one. I now know what I am doing.

Enjoy. It is 48 minutes long.
Click & listen and tell us what you think.

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Every other Tuesday evening, I am on Dawn Tevý’s Angels & Warriors BlogTalkRadio network, doing “Practical Astrology with Anthony Picco” at 8:30 pm Eastern Standard Time, 7:30 CST, 6:30 MST, and 5:30 pm PST. It runs roughly 90 minutes, with an opening chat about astrology, and then we open the phone lines for a few quick spontaneous readings given to callers with questions about their charts & their lives.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/angelsandwarriors

Saturn often represents structure, focus and restriction in a person’s chart. Saturn will encourage you to cut out anything non-essential and get to the point, to be responsible. Anything frivolous and time wasting is of no interest here. And Saturn is how we structure our view of the world & universe. When transiting Saturn returns to the natal position of Saturn in a person’s chart, it is often time to cut out all the crap in your life, and focus on what remains, what really matters. And in my chart, Saturn is on my Descendant, which is the cusp of my 7th house, the house of one-to-one relationships. Whatever my Saturn Return inspires, it will involve dealing with people on a one-to-one basis. It could also suggest a cold-eyed reassessment of my marriage (because I am married. If I wasn’t, it could imply an effect on any major one-to-one relationship in my life.)

Jupiter is, in some ways, the other side of this type of energy. Jupiter is about growth, expansion, and opening up to new ideas, optimism, and faith, luck… the planet is the word root for “jovial.” And on a more evolved level, Jupiter is about higher education, higher justice, and the idea of fairness. Often when a person experiences a Jupiter Return, something occurs that opens a person up. Perhaps going back to school. Perhaps examining a new philosophy. Perhaps embarking on a long journey, either physical or spiritual. If you travel across the world, you open up. If you travel spiritually, you also open up.

As it turns out, last week I started my first of four weeks on Grand Jury Duty. As I found out, Grand Jury Duty differs from regular jury duty. A grand Jury examines evidence presented by an Assistant District Attorney, and decides whether or not to indict the case, and move it further along, possibly going to trial.

How oddly perfect. I get to assess and sort through the evidence, getting to the point, or core, of a case (Saturn) and then vote with all the other jurors, deciding if the case has merit. So I am using Saturn’s ability to cut through the crap, to serve the concepts of justice and fairness (Jupiter). Would I have “predicted” this? Probably not, but it certainly suits the situation.

Sadly, I also had another event in my life that fits Saturn affecting my one-to-one relationships. I lost a dear friend to illness 10 days ago. Saturn symbolized the removal of him from my life. I would certainly not predict the death of a friend if Saturn crosses your Descendant, as it is not a typical response, but it is a suitable, and upsetting, fit in this situation.

My next and last direct hit of my second Saturn Return is due this coming September. I will see what happens, and let you all know.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Every other Tuesday evening, I am on Dawn Tevý’s Angels & Warriors BlogTalkRadio network, doing “Practical Astrology with Anthony Picco” at 8:30 pm Eastern Standard Time, 7:30 CST, 6:30 MST, and 5:30 pm PST. It runs roughly 90 minutes, with an opening chat about astrology, and then we open the phone lines for a few quick spontaneous readings given to callers with questions about their charts & their lives. The next show is tonight, April 30th.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/angelsandwarriors/2013/05/01/practical-astrology-with-anthony-picco-dawn-tevy

Recently a person asked, “What are the planetary positions of a rapist?” I certainly understand the desire to find a way to ID and protect oneself against a potential threat. What if all the dangers in life wore a sign? “I Am A Rapist” or “I Am A Thief” or “I Kill People.”

Recently I did some research with a friend of mine. Looking to find any common astrological qualities, we looked at several birth charts of known serial killers. (It will be the topic of an upcoming audio podcast.) What we found interesting was, yes, they all had charts with difficult stuff in them, but we also found they all had some very positive stuff in their charts too; planetary aspects and indicators that suggested they had positive helpful options and skills available to them. So, along the way, they made poor choices, choices perhaps affected by a lack of experience or knowledge. They did not have to be serial killers. And in a way, we were both kind of relieved to find this, because I would hate to see astrology getting used as different form of racial profiling. Can you imagine? A baby is born; “they” look at his or her astrology chart and decide “OK, put this one to death now before he/she becomes a problem.” No thank you.

And the same can be said for rapists. I look at a chart and maybe see a person with a very strong sexual drive, and maybe a tendency to dominate, but that does not make a person a rapist. They could be a strong-willed person who either has a lot of sex, or many sexual partners, or both.

And then there is the belief (to which I agree) that rape is not as much a sexual crime as it is a violent crime, using sex as a weapon. But the same astrological things that could indicate a violent, dominating nature could also indicate a very active physical person, such as an athlete (professional or amateur), or a dancer or a bicycling enthusiast or a mountain climber, etc.

So there is no clear cut “rapist” sign in any chart… free will and choice is always involved. There are ALWAYS options. And this is true of all aspects of a chart. Old-time astrology believed that trines were harmonious “good” aspects and squares and oppositions were “bad.” Yet over the years, after talking with a lot of clients, I have found people with a chart full of harmonious “good” aspects have sometimes coasted and did little with their potentials. And I have seen charts that traditional astrology would categorize as bad, and some of these clients have used the adversity throughout their lives as a way to sharpen, grow and evolve, and become more fulfilled.

So what is the answer to “What makes a person ____?”

It is what you do, not what you have.

I will, of course, continue to post my ongoing written blog.

The first podcast is available here 01 The Pope Resigns.

Click & listen… tell us what you think.

One of the tricks I use is saying Yes to as many suggestions as possible, barring impossibilities. The rewards are unexpected. There is a great Kurt Vonnegut quote that embodies this idea: “Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.”

Years ago, when I was in my senior year in college, a friend of my brother’s wanted to drive to Ohio to have a reunion with her sister at OSU in Columbus during Spring Break. She had the car; she needed a second driver. I barely knew her. I already had loose plans for the week, but I went anyway. It was not a typical choice for me at that time. And after a week of watching a joyous family gathering (we drove out with their younger brother & sister, too), they decided on Friday to stay another week. I, however, had class on Monday, and no money for bus or train or plane. She was willing to drive back if I insisted, but I wouldn’t do that. They were all so happy together. So I decided to try to hitchhike to NYC in 48 hours or so. I couldn’t. Took me 60+ and I missed my class… but I had been in the throes of post-romantic breakup depression, fairly miserable and full of self-pity. Being “forced” to take action and hitchhike back completely changed my emotional state. I had been on the verge of quitting college. I didn’t.

Another trick is listening to my irrational urges. This was a little trickier for me to learn. I had to sort out the urges manifested by my so-called personal demons, and the ones that came from intuition. My urge to overeat is not an example of intuition. My urge to punch that annoying guy on the subway? Probably not my intuition. Sometimes genuinely intuitive urges are sort of goofy, and my logical mind tries to talk me out of them, usually adding “what’s the matter with you?”

Late last Friday evening I was waiting for the bus at 2nd Avenue, and I could see the bus down to 1st Avenue, where the bus was parked at the start of the line, waiting to leave when on schedule. And I had an urge to walk down to the bus. I tried to talk myself out of it (What if it departs before you get to 1st? You’ll miss it. What’s the rush?) but after a moment I was compelled, and launched myself across 2nd. I got no further than 50 feet down the block when I saw a credit card wallet on the sidewalk, so I swooped down to grab it, flipping through the cards to figure out how to locate the owner… and I thought to myself “Aha! So THIS is why I ‘had to’ cross the street.”

The driver’s license yields me no phone number. His other ID cards indicate he is a doctor. So I call my wife at home and ask her to Google his name. She locates his webpage, and 24-hour phone service. I call and ask them to page him. And as I stand there waiting for a call back, a guy starts coming down the block, talking on a cell phone and slowly walking in the gutter, staring down. I recognize his face from his driver’s license and call out his name. I hand over the wallet. He is truly and genuinely joyful. I am happy. He asks, “Is there anything I can do for you?” We chat. Turns out his medical specialty matches the needs of a friend of mine seeking a second opinion, and he agrees to see her, and consult, for free. He hugs me, and I grab the next bus home. Imagine if I had talked myself out of walking down to 1st?

As my wife has said to me, stuff like this “always” happens to me, but I believe it happens to all of us, all the time, but many of us are looking the other way when intuition taps us on the shoulder.

Listen for that tap. The rewards are fascinating.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Every other Tuesday evening, I am on Dawn Tevý’s Angels & Warriors BlogTalkRadio network, doing “Practical Astrology with Anthony Picco” at 8:30 pm Eastern Standard Time, 7:30 CST, 6:30 MST, and 5:30 pm PST. It runs roughly 90 minutes, with an opening chat about astrology, and then we open the phone lines for a few quick spontaneous readings given to callers with questions about their charts & their lives. Yesterday’s show was cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, but the next show is February 26th.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/angelsandwarriors/2013/02/06/practical-astrology-with-tony-picco-1

Eventually, after I became fascinated with astrology and taught myself how to do simple natal chart readings, it was almost as good as having superpowers. People would be stunned and amazed by my mysterious abilities to know who they were, and what had happened to them, merely by knowing their birth info. I had a bag of wonderful tricks to dazzle them. I didn’t get to wear a cape or drive an Astro-mobile, but it was as close as I was going to get.

But eventually I began to realize, this wasn’t supposed to be about me. It wasn’t supposed to be “See how amazing I am?” even if, by chance, I actually was amazing. For the first year or so, I didn’t even offer to record the readings I did for clients, even though when I got my first reading from Dr. Lilan Laishley, she thoughtfully taped our talk, and I frequently referred to it as I wrestled with my studies in astrology. I realized the need to record astrology sessions when I bumped into previous clients and they understandably mis-remembered some of the things I had told them. One person even said I compared her to Hitler. (I did not!) I realized that a 60 to 90 minute astrology reading can be a lot of information to absorb and recall without some outside help. So I bought a tape recorder and stocked up on audiocassettes.

It was also about this time that I took some steps to come down from the mountain. I have a Capricorn Sun, and our symbol is the mountain goat with the fish’s tail. It is one of our natural tendencies to hold ourselves a little aloof and above-it-all. And we love to act like we know-it-all. And various events in my life at the time had humbled me. Turns out I didn’t know it all. I spent a few years in therapy and continued to do astrology readings, but I was more cautious, did less “stunting,” worked at being more empathetic and focused more on my client.

And it helped immensely that I got married. I am not claiming that suddenly I was able to open up and be a good partner. That has taken years, and is, as it should be, still a work in progress. My wife is an excellent foil.

I still work to hone and improve my astrological skills, but now I do it to be of better service to my clients. That’s what it is all about. It has taken me years to understand that yes, we are all one, but each one of us is uniquely important to the universe. And the better I make myself, the better the world is. We all have unique gifts to offer. Every “ordinary” person has some superpowers. And superpowers would be a very limited gift if we didn’t each use our unique abilities in service to others, too.

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I have started up once again, every other Tuesday evening, appearing on Dawn Tevý’s Angels & Warriors BlogTalkRadio Show “Practical Astrology with Anthony Picco” at 8:30 pm Eastern Standard Time, 7:30 CST, 6:30 MST, and 5:30 pm PST. It runs roughly 90 minutes, with an opening chat about some astrological topic, and then we open the phone lines for a few quick spontaneous readings from callers with questions about their charts & lives. The next show is February 19th.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/angelsandwarriors/2013/02/06/practical-astrology-with-tony-picco-1

Everyone gets a Saturn Return at roughly ages 29-30, 59-60 and even 89-90. Live long enough and you can get one at 120. In the sky, at these times, the planet Saturn has circled the solar system and returned to where it was the moment you were born. As I posted two weeks ago (http://wp.me/pJ9hq-bR), I feel anytime any planet returns to its original position in a person’s chart, it is an opportunity for some kind of personal renewal, a chance to reexamine & recharge the issues symbolized by that particular planet in your chart, a time to take stock, and refuel.

Saturn is about responsibility. It is the planet that wants to know “What is real? What do you really really need?” It symbolizes the beliefs we hold that structure our view of reality. And it is about a sense of personal authority.

The first Saturn Return, in our late 20s, is often bandied about in astrological circles as a very significant turning point in a person’s life, and it is. It is, in a sense of speaking, the time when we finally become adults, when we are supposed to start taking full responsibility for our lives. If you have been avoiding things in your life up until now, avoiding the things that deep down inside you know truly matter to you, a Saturn Return will be a challenging time. What’s so scary about a Saturn Return? It represents a time to take inventory in your life, examine it in the cold light of day, and get rid of all the dead weight. It’s about sitting down and charting a course, and separating the wheat from the chaff. And sometimes, what we think we need, and what we really need, are different.

As a personal example, at my first Saturn Return, I was working as a commercial graphic artist (and still am) and as a lark, I decided to have an astrology reading done. A woman I was dating had hers done, and said it was interesting and fun. After the dust settled, I was so startled and surprised, I had to figure out how astrology was done. And here I am today, a professional astrologer with 29 years’ experience. That was what my first Saturn Return symbolized for me.

Now I am at the start of my second Saturn Return, and this will be interesting for me. Much is written about the first Saturn Return, but not so much about this one. I am taking inventory in my life, and getting rid of all the dead weight. My first direct hit was just this past December 18th  and by the time it had arrived, my wife helped me clean out a storage locker we had maintained for years, and we sorted through a lot of accumulated crap (mostly yours! she said, with that look in her eyes) and ditched a ton of it. I had been dragging around useless stuff. Out with it! And for me, the fact that I worked with my wife on this project is also significant, as my Saturn is on the cusp of my 7th house: relationships, partnerships, and marriage.

What else will I do with this second Saturn Return? I’m not quite sure yet. I will throw out more useless crap from my life, literally, emotionally & symbolically. I will start Act II of my life. I have two more direct hits of my Saturn Return this year, so I will continue to report on this as the situation progresses.

Then I am free and clear until I am 90… (at least from another Saturn Return, anyway)

But, the question remains to be answered. Is astrology just another form of prejudice?

No.
(Did you think I was going to answer any other way?)

To start with, people are much more than just their sun signs. In every personalized natal chart, there is, in addition, at least the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and the Rising Sign. Some astrologers include a few asteroids, too. And each of those planets is in its own sign. No one is “all” one sign. We are a blend.

But the goal with astrology is to understand someone, not to pass judgment on them. As a matter of fact, once I became a professional astrologer I dropped a lot of my judgmental attitudes. I began to respect that people are different, are supposed to be different and are all walking different paths. I couldn’t expect a Gemini with a Cancer Moon and Virgo Rising to act like a Libra with a Capricorn Moon and Aries Rising.

And studying astrology made me more interested in other people. Thinking of people as a blend of all these traits helped me understand how multi-faceted we all are. And I began to think, “What were they going through?” “How are they coping with it?” And there is free will involved, too. So then I wonder, “Will they take the high road, or the low road, in that situation?” I know how I would handle any given situation, but I learn so much when I see how someone else tackles it.

And anyway, we categorize things. It’s something humans naturally do. We notice if people are male or female. We notice their weight, height, skin color and age. After awhile, we note if they are chatty or withdrawn, wealthy or poor, upbeat or downbeat. We assess their clothes, car, and living conditions. That is not judgment. That is information gathering.

Now, if noticing someone’s sex or weight or age or skin color automatically creates an attitude in the observer, this is where the prejudice begins. Not in the basic information, but in the attitude about that information.

I think the more information someone has about any person or situation, the less excuses that person has to be prejudiced, because that person can see the big picture and understand why things are the way they are.

There is a big difference between information and attitude.

But this particular blog post is not about the returns of specific planets and what they might symbolize in your chart & life. This is about cycles.

All around us, nature and the universe pulse in cycles. Day after day the sun rises. The tides rise and fall daily. Month after month the moon cycles through its phases. Year after year we celebrate another birthday and rotate through spring, summer, fall and winter. Every cell in our body is replaced roughly every 7 years, and yet we go on. Certain insects (like cicadas and scabies) have decade-plus years of population increases and decreases. In the 1970s, the concept of biorhythms became popular, setting cycles for the physical (23 days), the emotional (28 days) and the intellectual (33 days), suggesting we all ebbed and flowed. And science measures energy in terms of cycles and waves

And many religions and people believe in reincarnation, another form of cycling. And Christianity promotes the idea of being forgiven, redeemed and reborn.

I believe this particular universe we are currently living in is a closed system. Although I believe there is much more to all of reality than just this universe, I do believe this system is closed. And science tells us, in the First Law of Thermodynamics: “Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It can only change form.” And according to E = mc2, matter is just a different form of energy. Matter is converted to energy and back into matter all the time. In a way, all of us are examples of cosmic recycling. The molecules composing your body could have been, at one time, part of anyone or anything in history.

So I like this idea of planetary returns in astrology, because it means we are constantly returning to our sources, and given another shot at it, given another chance to renew ourselves. It can happen many times in our lives. I like it when I look around me and see the confirmation everywhere. There’s another chance to get it right, or at least closer to right, this time around. In a way, it is a little like the brass ring on a carousel. There is always another chance, the next time the merry-go-round.