the-astrology-book

Planetary Moons
Room, Adrian. Dictionary of Astronomical Names. London: Routledge,1988.
PLANETARY MOONS
The planetary moons are the focus of a branch of astrology devoted to the satellites of
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. In the past, the principal objection to
planetary moon astrology was that, even if these satellites had distinct astrological meanings,
such meanings were so blended with their primaries (an astronomical term for the
planets around which moons orbit) that their separate influences could not be distinguished.
The implication was that the meanings of the moons had already been integrated
into existing interpretations of the planets. This objection made logical sense and prevented
the emergence of planetary moon studies until relatively recently; however,
recent studies have demostrated that this traditional objection is empirically untrue.
Planetary moon studies was significantly influenced by asteroid studies: For several
decades, astrologers have been exploring the astrological meaning of the asteroids,
and at this stage the idea that asteroids have astrological significance is accepted by the
majority of mainstream astrologers. The notion advanced by astronomers that some of
the planetary moons may be “captured asteroids” prompted astrologers with asteroid
interests to begin investigating the possible independent influence of the planetary
satellites. Such research was further prompted by consideration of the mass of some of
the moons. Four of the 16 satellites of Jupiter, for example, are larger than the planet
Pluto (which is 1,457 miles in diameter, at latest estimate). The Big Four Jovian moons
are Ganymede (3,270 miles in diameter), Callisto (2,980 miles), Io (2,260 miles), and
Europa (1,950 miles). Europa, the smallest of these four, has a diameter more than three
times the diameter of Ceres, the largest asteroid. Thus, four significant celestial bodies
larger than Pluto are in conjunction with Jupiter. Jupiter, in other words, constitutes a
sort of de facto stellium (multiple conjunction) wherever it is placed in a horoscope.
The importance of the planetary moons has already been convincingly
demonstrated. At this stage in the development of the field, planetary moon studies
has shown how consideration of the satellites provides insight into the complementary
principles of the planet involved (e.g., Mars, the planet of courage, is orbited by
Phobos and Deimos, moons whose names mean, respectively, fear and panic). Other
lines of research could be explored, such as the constantly alternating direction of the
moons (which are retrograde with respect to Earth half the time), as well as use of
planet-centered positions of the moons in a geocentric chart.
Sources:
Davis, T. Patrick. Revolutionizing Astrology with Heliocentric. Windermere, FL: David Research
Reports, 1980.
Lewis, James R. Martian Astrology. Goleta, CA: Jupiter’s Ink, 1992.
PLANET-CENTERED ASTROLOGY
While traditional astrologers, both eastern and western, use a geocentric chart,
research has been undertaken to consider charts centered on other objects within our
solar system, notably the Sun and planets. The premise for such a relocation of the
[534] THE ASTROLOGY BOOK