The Astrology Podcast

In part 2 of our series on the 5th house in astrology we look at examples of famous people that have the ruler of the Ascendant in the fifth house in their birth chart, with astrologers Chris Brennan and Leisa Schaim. The fifth house is traditionally associated with a wide range of topics in astrology such as children, creativity, pleasure, romance, sex and sexuality, games, and good fortune. In ancient astrology, the Ascendant was sometimes called the helm of the ship of the native’s life, and the ruler of the Ascendant was said to be the captain. The house where the captain of the chart is located can tell you a lot about where the life is being directed, and in this episode we explore what happens when the life is directed towards the topics of the fifth house. Over the course of the episode, we explore more than 50 example charts of famous people who have the ruler of the Ascendant in the fifth house in order to demonstrate how this placement can play out in a number of different ways. Some of the chart

In episode 506 of The Astrology Podcast astrologers Chris Brennan and Leisa Schaim do a deep dive into the meaning and significations of the fifth house in astrology. This is the fifth installment in our ongoing series on the significations of the 12 houses, where we explore the meanings of each house in detail, going back to the earliest sources and conceptualizations in the astrological tradition. Our discussion on the fifth house will be broken into three parts, and in this initial episode, we focus on providing a comprehensive overview of its core significations and meanings. We begin by establishing the conceptual foundations for the meaning of the fifth house, which was known in ancient astrology as the Place of Good Fortune. Some of the principles we use to derive its meaning are the fact that it is a succedent house that follows the fourth, its positive trine aspect to the Ascendant, and the fact that Venus has her joy there. These concepts establish the fifth house as a place of bodily pleasures,

In episode 505 astrologers Chris Brennan and Austin Coppock look at the astrological forecast for September of 2025! We spend the first hour of the episode talking about the astrology behind news and events that occurred since last month's forecast, and then in the second hour we transition into talking about the astrology of September, starting at 53 minutes. This month's news discussion focuses heavily on the themes of peak reality distortion and bubbles popping, which manifested over the summer during the peak of the Saturn-Neptune conjunction, and then was accentuated in August when Mars opposed Saturn and Neptune. On a more positive note, we also discuss the auspicious Venus-Jupiter conjunction in August and its connection to the engagement of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. The forecast for September is dominated by eclipse season, which is just getting started as the month begins, with a lunar eclipse in Pisces and a solar eclipse in Virgo. The most difficult alignment this month is a Mars-Pluto sq

In episode 504 I talk with a group of people about their charts and discussing the astrological signatures that correlate with unique life events and circumstances. The purpose of the discussion is to answer the question, "what in the birth chart indicates that?" when something truly characteristic or uncommon happens in a person's life. We explore how specific natal placements, as well as transits from the outer planets, can describe some of the most pivotal and defining personal stories. Some of the topics covered include the astrology of being a gestational carrier, having a large number of siblings, a major friendship falling apart and then being repaired by a later transit, and a partner coming out as transgender. Throughout the episode, we identify key placements in the 3rd house for siblings, the 5th house for children, and the 11th house for friends, paying special attention to the power of mutual receptions to link the topics of two houses together in a prominent way. Timestamps 00:00:00 Introd

In episode 503 of The Astrology Podcast astrologer Rod Chang joins me to discuss the long and fascinating history of comets in astrology, how astrologers viewed them as omens in ancient times, and creating a new foundation for interpreting them today. While comets are a notable astronomical phenomenon and are famous in legends from ancient times as powerful omens, there has been very little discussion about their meaning or use in modern astrology. Part of the reason for this is that they appear so infrequently, are difficult to calculate, and are not included in most astrology software, which has led to them being largely overlooked by contemporary astrologers. We begin the discussion by exploring the long history of comets in astrology, noting the contrast between the Western tradition and the Chinese tradition. In the West, research into comets was set back for centuries by Aristotle's mistaken belief that they were merely atmospheric phenomena. In the Chinese tradition, however, comets were meticulously

In episode 502 of the podcast, I'm joined by astrologer and historian Philip Graves to talk about his work as an astrological librarian and the publication of his new book, Technical and Planetary Developments in Astrology. This is the first volume in a new series, Graves' Studies in the History of Astrology, which showcases the fruits of his decades-long project to build one of the largest and most comprehensive private astrological libraries in the world. Technical and Planetary Developments in Astrology and is available now on Amazon and from other booksellers. The Life of an Astrological Librarian We begin the episode by discussing Philip’s journey into astrology and how he began amassing his vast collection of astrological texts. His library includes not only modern books but also rare original editions from as early as the 16th century, alongside an extensive collection of astrological journals, periodicals, and almanacs. We delve into the fascinating world of antiquarian book collecting, touching on

In episode 501 astrologers Chris Brennan and Austin Coppock look at the astrological forecast for August of 2025! We spend the first hour of the episode talking about the astrology of news and events that have occurred since our last forecast, and then in the second hour we transition into talking about the astrology of August, starting at 1 hour and 12 minutes into the episode. The three main alignments this month are a Mars-Saturn opposition, Venus-Jupiter conjunction, and Mercury stationing direct opposite Pluto. Then in the final days of the month we begin to head into eclipse season. Since this is the episode after the 500th episode we also spend some time reflecting on that, and on 10 years of doing forecast episodes together. Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:54 August quick overview 00:03:35 News segment 01:07:21 UAC 2026 01:12:02 August forecast 01:23:46 Election for August 01:29:29 August forecast continued 02:25:59 Wrapping up 02:33:04 Credits United Astrology Conferenc

Celebrating the 500th episode of The Astrology Podcast, and reflecting on how the podcast got started and what I learned from doing the past 100 episodes! In the first part of this episode I talk a bit about how the podcast got started, I look at the founding charts for the podcast, and discuss the outline of what I said that I wanted to accomplish with the show in the very first episode back in 2012. I reflect on how ambitious my original outline for the podcast was, and that I've actually ended up accomplishing quite a bit of what I originally set out to do at this point. Later in the episode I reflect on some of the things I've learned in the process of doing the past 100 episodes in particular, especially over the past couple of years, mainly from a technical standpoint. Finally I conclude by thanking some people, and talking a bit about the future. Thanks for watching or listening to the podcast for the past 500 episodes! Watch the Video Version of This Episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJbFI8

In episode 499 of The Astrology Podcast I interview a group of people about how the transit of Uranus in Taurus went for them over the past eight years based on the whole sign house it was transiting in their chart. With Uranus having just made its first ingress into Gemini, now is an excellent opportunity to review the last seven to eight years and understand the types of changes and themes that came up in our lives. The focus of this episode is to explore how the transit of Uranus through a specific whole sign house in your birth chart manifested. To do this, I'll be interviewing several people who will share their personal stories of what happened when Uranus transited through various houses in their charts—from sudden changes in their living situations and relationships to radical shifts in career and personal philosophy. We'll examine how these real-life events connect directly to the astrological symbolism. By looking back at these examples, the goal is to better understand the principles of a Uranus

In episode 498 I discuss how the filming of the movie Back to the Future started during a Mercury retrograde period, and the production experienced notorious delays, including firing the lead actor after 6 weeks of filming. By examining the challenges and ultimate success of the film, we can gain a deeper understanding of what Mercury retrograde truly means in astrology. The story begins with the filmmakers, Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, who, after years of developing the script, had their hearts set on Michael J. Fox for the lead role of Marty McFly. When Fox was unavailable, they moved forward with another actor, Eric Stoltz. Filming commenced in late November 1984, precisely as Mercury was slowing down to station retrograde. Mercury retrogrades are often associated with delays, revisions, and the need to redo things. The initial weeks of filming with Stoltz proved to be a prime example of these themes, as his more serious interpretation of the role clashed with the comedic vision of the filmmakers. This

In episode 497 astrologer Chris Brennan analyzes predictions made about Iran on The Astrology Podcast over the past year, and discusses what we can learn from those predictions in terms of mundane astrology. Starting with the eclipse season that happened last year in April 2024, I began seeing seeing astrological indications that implied a conflict with Iran would escalate over the course of the next year, and we ended up making a number of predictions to that effect in from mid-2024 to early 2025. After those predictions were fulfilled in June of 2025 when Israel and the United States launched a surprise attack on Iran, I went back and looked at the statements we made over the past year in order to see how we did, and ended up making a clip compilation from different episodes. During the course of this episode I present 10 clips from different episodes of The Astrology Podcast over the past year where we talked about Iran and made different predictions based on the astrological alignments we were seeing,

In episode 496 astrologer Chris Brennan talks about the transit of Uranus in Gemini, and how astrologers came to associate it with major wars in United States history. The first part of the episode discusses how the astrologer Luke Broughton (1828-1899) seems to have been the first astrologer to have observed the correlation between Uranus in Gemini and major wars in US history, and he used this in order to make predictions in the early 1860s about the start of the Civil War. Later I discuss the astrologer Evangeline Adams (1868-1932), who used the Uranus in Gemini transit to predict the start of US involvement in World War II, in a book that she published in 1931. Later I reflect on one of the earliest episodes of The Astrology Podcast, episode 11 titled The Astrology of Uranus and the United States, where I discussed this transit with Nick Dagan Best and the implication that it predicted another major war after Uranus enters Gemini again in 2025. This is also a followup to episode 376, titled The Uranus

In episode 495 astrologers Chris Brennan and Austin Coppock look at the astrological forecast for July of 2025! We spend the first hour of the episode talking about the astrology of news and events that have occurred since our last forecast, and then in the second hour we transition into talking about the astrology of July, starting at 1 hour and 3 minutes into the episode. July opens with Uranus entering the sign of Gemini on July 7, which it hasn't visited since the 1940s, and beginning the long-anticipated Uranus return of the United states. In the first half of the month Saturn and Neptune both make their first retrograde station in Aries, and move into a very close conjunction with each other in the sky, coming within less than a degree of orb for the first time since the late 1980s. There is also a Mercury retrograde period in Leo that begins in the middle of the month, and then doesn't conclude until early August. In this episode we also celebrate our 10th anniversary of doing forecasts together!

In episode 494 I share several Venus retrograde repetitions that have happened in the news recently, and summarize what I learned from closely tracking the Venus retrograde recently. Since Venus finally departed from Aries and completed the extended retrograde period earlier this month I wanted to do one final episode to wrap up some lingering 8-year repetition stories that I had found, and also to share some conclusions I drew from this research over the past 6 months. I needed to do this episode in order to bring this series to completion that I started back in January, and this is the third and final installment in the news series. Some repetitions I covered include: Star Wars, Nintendo, the Oscars/Conan, the Rose Garden, and Iran. Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:07:31 Star Wars 00:16:01 Oscars & Conan 00:26:06 Nintendo 00:44:40 Rose Garden 00:47:41 Iran 01:00:49 Miscellaneous Stories 01:18:58 What I've Learned 01:55:37 Credits Watch the Video Version of This Episode https://www.

In episode 493 I interview some patrons and students talk about how the recent Venus and Mars retrograde periods went for them, and to demonstrate a principle I discovered about how retrogrades can describe the unfolding of a sequence of events over an extended period of time. One of my unique perspectives on Venus and Mars retrogrades is that they are not just the period when the planet is moving backwards, but instead represent an extended stay in one or two signs of the zodiac. This long transit often coincides with the unfolding of a sequence of events over several months, frequently centered on the topics of the whole sign houses the retrograde occupies. Now that the extended retrograde period ranges have been completed this month, with Venus finally departing from its retrograde sign of Aries and Mars departing from its retrograde sign of Leo, I wanted to document and demonstrate this principle by sharing some real-life stories. I'm joined by several students from my courses and patrons of the podcast

In episode 492 Professor A. Tunç Şen joins the podcast to discuss his book, Forgotten Experts: Astrologers, Science, and Authority in the Ottoman Empire, 1450-1600, which is on astrologers working in the Ottoman court in the 15th and 16th centuries. The conversation offers a detailed picture of the lives and social dynamics of astrologers who operated at the highest levels of power in the Ottoman court. A significant focus is the establishment of a formal unit for court astrologers, or munajjim, within the Ottoman bureaucracy, which paralleled other expert fields like physicians and architects. This unit, which could consist of one to six astrologers, was created in the 15th century and remarkably lasted until the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century. The episode delves into the various duties performed by these court astrologers. A primary function was the practice of electional astrology, where they would determine auspicious moments for a wide range of state affairs, including mili

In episode 491 astrologers Chris Brennan and Leisa Schaim look at the astrological forecast for June of 2025! We spend the first hour of the episode talking about the astrology of news and events that have occurred since our last forecast, and then in the second hour we transition into talking about the astrology of June, starting at 1 hour and 3 minutes into the episode. June opens with Venus and Mars wrapping up their extended retrograde periods by moving into new signs finally, with Venus moving into her home sign of Taurus and Mars moving into Virgo. A major shift this month is Jupiter moving into Cancer, which is the traditional sign of its exaltation, where it will stay for the next year. There are some tense alignments in the middle of the month, with an explosive Mars-Uranus square around June 15, and restrictive Jupiter-Saturn square going exact on the same day. By the end of the month Saturn has moved within 1 degree of a conjunction with Neptune, making that alignment peak in intensity, blurri

In episode 490 professor M. Willis Monroe joins the podcast to discuss the history of astrology in ancient Mesopotamia. Willis is a historian of the ancient Near East and scholar of Cuneiform Studies with a focus on the science and scholarship of first millennium Mesopotamia, and he did his doctoral thesis on the use of zodiacal subdivisions in cuneiform sources. During the course of the episode we give an overview of the origins of western astrology in ancient Mesopotamia, starting with the earliest surviving sources around 2000 BCE, and then working our way forward until cuneiform writing died out around the 1st century CE. We end up discussing the earliest evidence for astrology in eclipse omens from the 2nd millennium BCE, the high point of state supported astrology under the Neo-Assyrian kings in the 7th century BCE, and eventually the development of the zodiac and natal astrology in the 5th century BCE. This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Watch the Video Version of This

In episode 489 astrologers Chris Brennan and Leisa Schaim discuss their views on astrology, fate, and destiny. This is part of a new series exploring our personal view on the philosophy of astrology, and in particular exploring the relevance of some ancient Stoic concepts related to fate and determinism. While most of the episodes of the podcast are usually more technically oriented, the purpose of this series is to begin to articulate some of the philosophical and spiritual views that we have developed based on our practice of astrology. This episode is available in both audio and video versions below. Leisa's website with info on her upcoming zodiacal releasing workshop: https://www.leisaschaim.com Chris' ancient astrology course: https://courses.theastrologyschool.com Timestamps 00:00:00 Exploring Astrology's Philosophical Foundations 00:03:53 Fate, Free Will, and the Stoic Perspective 00:09:26 Astrology vs. Scientific Materialism 00:11:16 The Role of Fate in Personal Growth 00:17:34 Understanding Pre

In episode 488 astrologers Chris Brennan and Austin Coppock look at the astrological forecast for May of 2025! May opens with the tense Mars-Pluto opposition separating but still in close alignment, and this gets reactivated when Pluto stations in Aquarius and the Moon swings in and acts as a trigger at various points. Venus returns to Aries where it retraces its steps and begins the process of fully winding down its long retrograde period, and Mars is similarly finishing up its broader retrograde cycle as it makes its way through Leo. The most important transits this month is that Saturn moves into the sign of Aries on May 24, and this marks the beginning of a three year transit through this sign, where it will meet up with Neptune this summer and early next year. The month ends with an auspicious stellium of planets all meeting up in Gemini, which provides us with one of the best electional charts of the year. We spend the first hour of the episode talking about the astrology of news and events that ha