new light on those areas, and I could give
you a whole list of aha! moments like that
I’ve had in lectures by great speakers. I’m
not sure I’ve radically altered my basic
method of chart reading, but it’s certainly
gone through a great many fine tunings
over the years thanks to the insights I’ve
gained from other astrologers, and also
from the feedback of clients.
The inspiration to do a PhD came from
discussions with Nick Campion. I agreed
with him about the importance of the
astrological community having some
members with unassailable scholarly
credentials, and therefore making it less
easy for mainstream commentators to
dismiss them in discussions about
astrology. I had long wanted to investigate
the history of astrology in Scotland,
something that had never been done
before, and I wanted too to engage in
hard-core research on Latin manuscripts -
and where better than at Edinburgh
University, a world-class university right
on my doorstep. Well, be careful of what
you wish for! It was a steep learning curve,
but a deeply satisfying experience. I
researched the period between the
Reformation and early Enlightenment,
and discovered how and why astrology lost
its respectability during the seventeenth
century, with repercussions that are still
very much with us today.
I used to pre-PhD and I now feel a great
need for networking. It’s easy to become
isolated and rather dry without contact
with other professionals and I think OPA
is doing a wonderful job of making
connections and stimulating discussion.
I’m certainly planning to take part in its
activities much more in the years to come.
O P A
I think the best role is in individual
contributions. There are so many different
fields and levels that astrologers work in
and I think we each have a niche area of
influence. By using astrology to become
better people ourselves and to help our
clients understand themselves and their
connection with the cosmos, we are
deepening and intensifying that positive
influence. I think - at the moment - that
astrology is at its most useful on the edges
of the mainstream, free of official sanction
with its vested interests and mechanistic
worldview, with loose networks of
practitioners committed to best practice.
I do, and teaching astrology is where I feel
most fully alive. The main group I have
now has been ongoing for almost twenty
years and it’s a bit like having our own
private alchemical laboratory where we can
road test new ideas, share experiences,
flesh out the bones of charts and
experiment with lots of experiential
techniques that make astrology more
immediate and deepen understanding.
Dr Jane Ridder-Patrick gained her PhD
researching astrology in early modern
Scotland at the University of Edinburgh. She
is trained in pharmacy, naturopathy, herbal
medicine and Rogerian and Transpersonal
psyc hotherapies and lectures and gives
workshops in Scotland and internationally.
Her specialities are medical, experiential and
proactive astrology. Jane is author of A
H ANDBOOK OF M EDICAL A STROLOGY as
well as the 12-volume Z ODIAC C ODE series.
I’m impressed by how much more
tolerance there is now between different
schools of thought. To me this implies a
greater maturity of vision. Also, with the
internet, emails and social networking,
exchanging data and reflections can be
almost instantaneous and it allows many
more people to link up and take part.
I’d say we’re in the era of the ‘global
astrological brain’.
The Organization for Professional Astrology
5
THE CAREER ASTROLOGER
SPRING 2013