“Astrology is the algebra of life” (Dane Rudhyar).
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people around the world change their place of residence. This may be connected with various reasons and circumstances. Some are transferred for work. Others are offered more favorable employment. Some hope to find family happiness in a new place, while others are fleeing political persecution. As sung in a once-popular song, some move “for money,” while others go “for dreams and the scent of taiga.”
Why do some people’s hopes come true, while others soon realize that, despite the move, their old problems have not disappeared at all? And that’s in the best-case scenario!
An answer to this question is provided by one branch of mundane astrology—astrocartography—the astrology of spatial relocation. Astrocartography is a relatively new astrological method developed by American astrologer Jim Lewis in the 1920s. In recent times, especially with the emergence of specialized astrological computer programs that greatly simplify calculations, this technique has gained increasing popularity among both Western and Russian astrologers. Among the most well-known are Emma Bella Donat and Bruce Hammerslough in the USA, S.V. Shestopalov and A. Kolesnikov in Russia.
Classical astrology considers the development of a person’s life and destiny only within the time dimension, ignoring human movement through space. Can it really be that place of residence does not affect our fate? Research conducted by astrologers over the last century has convincingly proven that it certainly does. To study changes in a person’s destiny depending on a place of residence different from the birthplace, one of the techniques of astrocartography is used, known as relocation. Relocation (from English “relocation”—moving) is a method in which a local space map is constructed for the same date and time as the natal chart (birth chart), but using the geographical coordinates of the place to which the person has moved or intends to move.
Some astrologers, especially beginners, tend to idealize the relocation chart. They believe that upon moving to a new location, the birth horoscope ceases to function and only the relocation chart should be considered. This, of course, is not true! First of all, we must recall another term used in astrology for the natal chart (birth chart)—radix. The word “radix” has Latin origins and means “root.” Can a person truly detach from their roots? Everything given to us at birth remains with us, no matter where we go. All our inclinations, talents, character traits, appearance, and ultimately the events that may occur in our lives with varying degrees of probability—all are inscribed in the natal chart. The natal chart is a kind of multidimensional matrix containing everything that can happen in our life. What is not present in our birth chart can never happen, while whether or not indications in the radix manifest depends largely on the individual. This is where free will and choice come into play. Relocation does not cancel the goals and tasks set before us, but merely shifts the emphasis, making previously insignificant matters more important, and vice versa. Nevertheless, the significance of the local chart should not be underestimated, but it must be studied together with the natal chart.
What is the subject of relocation astrology? Suppose you changed your apartment for another one within the same or even a different district of the city. Obviously, your life circumstances have changed. But should this event be considered a “relocation” from an astrological perspective? Probably not. A different matter is moving to another city, country, or continent. This situation should undoubtedly be analyzed using relocation techniques.
When calculating a relocation horoscope and constructing the local chart, we see that the planetary configuration and their aspects to each other remain unchanged, just as in the natal chart. However, the positions of the house cusps and, accordingly, the placement of planets and zodiac signs within the houses have changed. When studying changes in the positions of house cusps, we should primarily pay attention to the following points:
When analyzing a relocation horoscope, it is important to examine the changed positions of all planets, but especially the positions of the Sun and Moon. The Sun represents the goals and tasks life sets before us, while the Moon reflects the life circumstances in which we will address these tasks.
Also highly significant is a change in the zodiac sign of the Ascendant in the relocation horoscope. As noted by the well-known Russian astrologer A. Podvodnyy, the Ascendant is a kind of interface of the person—how they are perceived by those around them. Of course, your physical appearance will not radically change. You may gain or lose weight if indicated in your local chart. You might change your clothing style, hairstyle, etc. But people around you will perceive you in an entirely new way. This is especially noticeable when meeting people from, let’s say, your past life—”You’ve changed so much!”
It is impossible to fully cover the topic of relocation and all the nuances of this technique in a single article. Next time, we will examine in greater detail the impact of planetary shifts between houses, as well as changes in the zodiac sign of the Ascendant.
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