Ambrosia Academy of Astrology & Palmistry

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Learn traditional astrology. Learn the basics and get it right. In these courses are included ancient methods and techniques that are missing from modern astrological practice. Work from the convenience of your home at your own pace. A variety of Astrology classes are offered at both the Certificate and Diploma levels. You'll receive personal mentoring by Peter Burns with every lesson.
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17 June 2013 0 Comments

Learn Astrology: Email Correspondence

CLICK HERE to go to the Horary Astrology Correspondence Course Page

Horary is an ancient and very effective form of predictive astrology.
Horary contains the foundation principles for natal and modern astrology.  

  • Work at your own pace from your own home
  • Learn from a highly qualified and experienced teacher
  • Save on travel/relocation time and expenses
  • Manage your existing commitments without interruption
  • Receive all lessons & support by email & Skype
  • Set yourself up with a solid knowledge foundation
  • Receive recognition (Certificate or Diploma) for your time and effort

You’ll have all the support you need to successfully complete your course, including ongoing contact with your tutor Peter Burns throughout the duration of your studies.

Online Courses include:

9 important advantages
of studying with Ambrosia Academy of Astrology:

  • Your teacher, Peter G Burns, is highly qualified, with a Diploma of Astrology (FAA) and a Horary Craftsman Certificate.
  • Your teacher, Peter G Burns, has extensive experience, consulting and teaching palmistry and astrology since 1984.
  • Each astrology course and palmistry course is thorough and detailed.
  • All required reading material is included within each course.
  • You receive personal guidance and assistance every step of the way. Your questions are answered with care, respect and personal attention.
  • You can contact Peter G Burns at any time with your concerns or questions.
  • Peter G Burns offers a personal guarantee to provide you with all the care and assistance you need to become the best astrologer that you can be.
  • All graduates receive a Certificate signed personally by Peter G Burns.
  • Graduates receive a 20% discount on further courses/products.

Click on the course which interests you and email me if you have more questions:
Horary (Predictive) Astrology Certificate
Palmistry Diploma

If you have any questions please send me an email.

Your tutor is Peter Burns, who has been practicing, teaching and lecturing for over 20 years, has a Diploma of Astrology (FAA) and has been awarded a Horary Craftsman Certificate by John Frawley. Read more about Peter Burns »

27 May 2013 0 Comments

Chaldean Order on the Hands

It is interesting that the Chaldean order of the planets can also be applied to the hands. The study of the hands has been variously named palmistry, hand analysis and chirology.

Chaldean orderThe application results in a figure 8. Only one hand is shown here but the same principle applies to both hands.

Notice that in this scheme the lights are place at the base of the hand – the base of the palm  is the power source in the hands and the Sun has its natural place here beside the thumb and the Moon beside him. Unfortunately most palmistry books describe the region beside the thumb  as the mount of Venus which is quite misleading.

Venus also has its natural place on the ring finger as this is the finger which represents beauty, presentation, the arts and pleasure. That it is the finger of love is also shown by the placement of a ring here to show marriage.

For details on my Palmistry (hand analysis) Diploma Course click here.
For details on my Horary Astrology Certificate Course click here.

26 May 2013 0 Comments

Natural House Rulers

This is an extract of a lesson from my Horary Astrology Certificate correspondence Course
The Chaldean order of the planets 
Planets - Chaldean order squareThe houses of the horoscope are ruled in sequential order according to the Chaldean order of the planets.
The ancients listed the planets in the order of their apparent orbital speed around the earth. This is often referred to as ‘The Chaldean Order’.
This order begins with Saturn which has the slowest speed of approximately 29 years to the fastest planet which is the Moon which takes about one month to orbit the earth.
If you are new to astrology please note that the lights (the Sun and the Moon) are referred to as ‘planets’ – the word planet comes from the Greek meaning moving star. Astrologers do of course understand that the Sun is a star and the Moon a satelite of the earth.
It is interesting that the Sun is placed in the centre – astrologers have understand for a very long time that the Sun is the centre of the solar system.
While the natural planetary rulers of the houses are mentioned here for teaching purposes, they are not normally employed in answering horary astrology questions. For that we look at the planetary ruler of the sign of the relevant cusp.  
 
The numbering of the houses 
The other point is that the houses are numbered 1-12 because planets in the 1st house rise first, planets in the 2nd house rise second and so on. 
The numbering of the houses has no relationship with psychological stages of development. This modern psychological theory does not make sense when one considers breaks how the 5th house of children can precede the 7th house of marriage, and how the 8th house of death could precede the 10th house of career.
 
The 1st house
Saturn rules the first house as it is here that the soul incarnates into the body, and following the same Chaldean order of planets beginning with the first house, Saturn rules the eighth house of death. Saturn is the natural ruler of doorways and is the portal for the entry of the soul into the body (1st house) and out of our body (8th house). 
In the 1st house the soul is trapped within the physical body, enclosed by the parameters of the body, within the skin, and supported by the body through the skeleton.
Both the skin and the skeleton are ruled by Saturn. *Just as Saturn describes the entry of the soul into our physical universe in the ancient cosmological model, where Saturn is the first planet in the line of descent of the soul through the planetary spheres, so it also rules the the place where the soul enters into our physical body in the 1st house of the horoscope.
The 1st house is often described as the ‘house of life’ as it describes our physical vitality.
 
The 2nd house
Following the Chaldean order of the planets, Jupiter comes after Saturn. As the planet of growth and prosperity it is the natural ruler of the 2nd house. 
Jupiter rules rules wealth, gains, and largesse, confidence, credit as well as support and assistance. 
As a succedent house the second house provides support for the 1st 
house.
Some astrologers erroneously associate Venus with the 2nd house of ‘ABC’ astrology where Taurus is seen as as the sign which naturally rules the 2nd house. Yes if Taurus is on the cusp then Venus will rule the 2nd house, but only then. Otherwise we use the ruler of whichever sign is on the cusp.  There has been a misinterpretation of traditional works where the houses are associated with parts of the body and unfortunately this has been extrapolated to the application of signs as natural rulers of the houses resulting in extensive confusion and the birth of ABC astrology. 
 
The 3rd house 
It is Mars which is the natural ruler of the third house, following the order of the traditional planets: 
SRQNPOM. 
The more negative characteristics of Mars are mollified by its presence in the third house as its energy is expended with all the busy communications and short routine journeys required in this domain. This is the house of siblings and sibling rivalry has a definite Martian flavour.
It is in the 3rd house that we find the hustle and bustle of our daily life and community activity, the daily round, and in  the market place where we expend effort on a regular basis to obtain our daily needs
 
The 4th house 
It is the Sun which is the natural ruler of this house. Counting from the 1st house which is ruled by Saturn, next comes Jupiter as ruler of the 2nd house, then Mars as ruler of the 3rd house, then the Sun as ruler of the 4th house. 
The Sun is the natural ruler of fathers and it is to the 4th house we look to for questions about the father.
Note that the Moon has no natural rulership over the 4th house. That concept is a modern invention associated with the ‘ABC method of astrology’ mentioned above which equates house with sign and with planet. This adoption of this ABC system has led to enormous confusion amongst astrologers. It was taught though the 1970′s 80′s and 90′s and is used predominately by the so-called ‘baby boomers’ generation, who mostly follow this system.
 
The 5th house 
Venus which is the natural ruler of this house. 
Counting from the 1st house which is ruled by Saturn, next comes Jupiter as ruler of the 2nd house, then Mars as ruler of the 3rd house, then the Sun as ruler of the 4th house, then Venus as ruler of the 5th house. 
Note that the Sun has no natural rulership over the 5th house. This is another concept ssociated with the ‘ABC method of astrology’.
Venus is the planet of pleasure and the 5th house is the place of pleasure, associated with comfort, creativity, fun, parties, theatre, games, entertainment and sex.
Venus has a natural affinity with these associations.
 
The 6th house 
Mercury is the natural ruler of this house. 
This is not because Mercury is the ruler of Virgo but because if we follow the natural order of the traditional planets we come to Mercury as the ruler of the sixth house: Saturn rules the 1st house, Jupiter the 2nd house, Mars the 3rd, the Sun the 4th, Venus the 5th, and next comes Mercury as the natural ruler of the 6th house. 
The 6th house is the house of servants, which in the modern Western world equates to employees and sub-contractors. 
By the way I should mention that this is not the house of work that one performs – this idea comes from a misreading of Lilly.
As John Frawley points out in his publication The Real Astrology Applied, Mercury is the ruler of servants because “….he (Mercury) rules the reasoning mind and the role of reason is to be a servant to the heart.” *It is interesting that Mercury as Asclepius is also the god of medicine and even today the caduceus is still used by the medical profession as its symbol. The 6th house is associated with ill-health.
 
The 7th house 
Following the Chaldean order of the planets the 7th house is the last in this order and it is the Moon which rules this house. 
The 7th house rules relationships and it is the Moon who is the beloved partner of the Sun and has a natural role here. *She soaks up his love and light each month until she is filled and delirious with his  love. 
Then she empties out, only to begin the process anew as the desire for his love drives her once again to drink of his glory.
 
The 8th house 
The natural ruler of the 8th house is Saturn, the planet of doorways. The 8th house represents the exit doorway from this world to the next.
Saturn rules the entry of the soul into the body in the 1st house and its exit through the 8th house.
Pluto has no relationship with this house. This idea comes from the replacement of the nocturnal rulership of Mars over Scorpio and the confused association of Scorpio with the 8th house. As the old saying goes: ‘Two wrongs don’t make a right!’
This is the house of death and Saturn is the natural ruler of death. These concepts are basic to good astrology and have been used for hundreds of years by astrologers.
 
The 9th house 
Jupiter is the natural ruler of this house as it follows from Saturn in the natural Chaldean order of the planets.
This is the second case where there is a coincidence of planets ruling the same house as those in the ABC system of astrology, the other being Mercury and the 6th house. 
However the reason why Jupiter rules the 9th is because of its sequence in the Chaldean order of planets: it follows Saturn, and because it has a natural association with travel, religion and far away places.
 
The 10th house 
Mars is the natural ruler of the tenth house as it follows Jupiter in the Chaldean order of the planets.
Mars in the 10th house represents our efforts to ‘make our way’ in the world, the struggles we make in order to forge a career and establish ourselves in a career or profession, and also the battles we fight to maintain our position and defend and promote our reputation.
In the 10th Mars is ‘out there’, working hard, fighting battles and expending effort. Although the association of Mars with the 10th seems strange at first to those familiar only with ABC astrology, it does make a lot of sense.
 
The 11th house 
The Sun which follows next in the Chaldean order of the planets after Mars, is the natural ruler of the eleventh house. The Sun is the traditional symbol of God’s endless bounty and inexhaustible blessings pouring down to Earth in immeasurable quantities. 
As John Frawley mentions in The Real Astrology Applied: “So, as shown for example in the prayer ‘give us this day our daily bread’, the concepts of Sun and Jupiter are reconciled in the significance of this most fortunate of houses.” The Sun has rulership over life-giving staple foods.
One of the reasons why the 11th house is considered to be fortunate is that the Sun in its primary motion through the horoscope rises up through the 11th house on its way to the 10th house. It the process it gains power and light. *By the way the mention of Jupiter above in the quote John Frawley has to do with the joys of the planets. Jupiter has its joy in the 11th house. This is the subject of a different lesson.
 
The 12th house 
Venus is the natural ruler of the twelfth house as it is through the temptations of the flesh and our desire nature that we are led into excessive indulgence and the imprisonment of addiction.
The 12th house is associated with addiction as it is the house of entrapment and misery.
It is also called ‘the house of self-undoing’ which means it is associated with all those things we do which cause us harm – our faults and liabilities. It may having those few extra drinks we didn’t really need, sleeping in when we should off to work or being productive, eating that extra slice of cake when we are trying to lose weight.
Venus is the planet which represents love, beauty, comfort, and physical satisfaction, sex and the good things that money can buy.
It is the inability to resist the desire for things associated with Venus which entraps us and prevents us from advancing our higher goals.
For details of my horary astrology email correspondence course click here.
9 May 2013 2 Comments

Horary question: Sales Meeting

The results for the ‘live’ horary question featured on my Facebook page are now in. The chart is shown again here.

Business meetingBackground: The client is a salesperson for the Australian branch of an overseas company. The client had been summoned to a meeting on Wednesday morning May 8 and told that all the owners of the meeting will be there and that there are changes to be announced, but the nature of these changes have not been revealed. The company has been doing moderately well in recent months but not as well as the owners want.
1. What are the changes that the management is going to announce and;
2. How will these changes affect my position within the company?

There were various interpretations offered by a number of people on the Facebook page. The client has now reported back and the results are outlined below.

Sales manager reassigned

The most important outcome of the meeting was that the querent’s sales manager had been assigned to a territory in a different state. This was big news for the querent and a bit of a shock – the querent had formed a close relationship with the sales manager who had been responsible for the querent’s introduction into the company and subsequent support.

Also the sales manager’s boss was replaced with someone new, and some departments were amalgamated.

I think that together these changes reflect Uranus on the Midheaven.

Commit or leave

At the meeting the sales agents were warned that those who were working on a part time basis should consider working full time or find a job elsewhere. And those whose sales figures were low were advised to make greater efforts to improve results or seek employment elsewhere.
No-one was sacked but clear warnings were given.

I think that these challenges presented by management to the querent were represented by Mercury’s opposition to Saturn.

Face your fears

Sales agents were also encouraged to confront their fears or reservations about selling product and making a full commitment to the company. The company offered to support them in this process.

I think that these challenges were reflected by Mercury’s opposition to Saturn.

The opposition itself represents a challenge or confrontation. Mercury represents the querent. Saturn represents fears and reservations.

Some reduction in commission

The commission offered to the querent on a particular product range was reduced. However to balance this out this line of product was also made easier to sell. It is difficult to say whether this is a plus or minus for the querent.

The surprise

However the unexpected surprise was that the querent, who had lost a valuable pair of sunglasses some months previously, was presented with the sunglasses. They had been sitting on a shelf and forgotten. The querent was delighted with their return.

Sunglasses are of course ruled by Saturn, the planet which rules darkness and the reduction of light – its rulership of Aquarius, the sign  opposite Leo which is ruled by the Sun which represents sunlight, reinforces its meaning.

While the return of a pair of sunglasses was not part of the question it is so precise and unexpected that it validates this horary chart. As they say in the old text books: This chart is ‘radical’.

What about the Moon  squaring Jupiter on the Ascendant?

The management team had traveled 1600 kms to be at the meeting. While technically they came from the same country the distance is great enough to be considered distant, therefore qualifying as 9th house.

The Moon represents both the querent’s emotions and the course of events.

Jupiter in Gemini (in its detriment) on the Ascendant promises a lot but delivers little.

Jupiter is the ruler of the 10th from the 10th house and therefore represents its rulers (management). Jupiter is in a double-bodied sign, and there is more than one boss. Gemini is in the sign of the twins and the 2 bosses who came to the meeting were siblings – not twins but the duality of the symbolism is obvious.

Resulting position within the company

While the client was not sacked and was made welcome to remain with the company the client was ‘on notice’ to improve sales results or seek alternative employment.

Summary

Clearly this chart is valid for the question and answered the question accurately.

For details of my horary astrology email correspondence course click here.

28 April 2013 0 Comments

Icons of Change

From my Facebook page: “The Sun, Moon, and planets are the only bodies that we see moving in the heavens. Each night their movements change the appearance of the sky. Every day the Sun sets in a different place from the night before, and every night, the Moon waxes and wanes and the planets shift ever so slightly.
Because of this mobility, which contrasts with the apparent stillness of the stars, these bodies become grand icons of change. Incidentally, this system was conceived of in order to predict and interpret those very same movement
s.” …..quote from “On the Heavenly Spheres” by Helena Avelar & Luis Ribeiro, page 1.

For details of my horary astrology email correspondence course click here.

28 April 2013 0 Comments

The Delirious Moon

Moon 1My guess before starting the astro quiz on intoxication on my Facebook page was that most people would choose Neptune – this is of course understandable considering the way astrology is taught nowadays, how are we to know otherwise?
Yet for many hundreds of years astrologers understood the Moon to represent intoxication. Now many immediately select far off Neptune. This is big shift, but is it in the right direction?
It is easy to see why the visual process the Moon goes through each month suggests intoxication: Every month she fills with his light and love, satisfying her desires to the full until she is delirious and glowing with intoxication. Then she empties out, sobers up, gets darker,……. then the hunger, the longing for another taste of divine light, starts again….
My purpose here is to bring us back to some of the basics which seem to be forgotten. The basics often present a deeper meaning and clarity of insight. The visual picture presented in the skies is the very basis of astrology. Perhaps it is time to reconsider what is obvious and clear and close to home.
I realise that I am sometimes presenting a minority view, even on my own FB page, but I know from my own experience that the re-discovery of astro basics is well worth the journey. And while I am also realistic enough to know that most will stick to their present beliefs (astrologers can be as set in their ways as any group of people), there will be some who are prepared to explore the question further.

For details of my horary astrology email correspondence course click here.

28 April 2013 0 Comments

Getting back to basics: Light

Some have asked why I say that light is the very basis of astrology.
Below is a translated quote from De Sole (The Book of the Sun) by Light 1It radiates easily and widely in an instant. It gently penetrates everything without causing harm. It is warm, nourishing, life giving, cherishing, and activating. While it can exist within everything it neither harms or mixes with anything.
In a similar way goodness stands above everything in this universe, is widely spread, caressing and is attractive to everything. It forces nothing and emanates love which is its constant companion, towards which everything is drawn. It penetrates to the heart of everything without mixing with anything.
Just as goodness cannot be measured and has an ineffable quality, so is light.”

For details of my horary astrology email correspondence course click here

1 April 2013 0 Comments

Mission statement

The SunThis site is dedicated to the study of valid astrological principles and clarifying what is astrology and what is not. The guiding principles here include “As above so below…” and the importance of the visibility of light.

In recent decades various spiritual and metaphysical beliefs and techniques have been superimposed onto astrology. In some circles and organisations these beliefs have become accepted as being a natural part of astrology and it has become fashionable and politically correct to express agreement.

While I have no comment on these beliefs my focus is about clarifying what is essential to astrology and getting back to the basics of our art.

For details of my horary astrology email correspondence course click here

31 March 2013 1 Comment

Which planet represents enlightenment?

One of the foundation principles of astrology is ‘As above so below, as below so above‘. When we look to the sky the answer to the above question should be self evident. At the heart of astrology we have the issue of light and its visibility.

Terminology: In case you are new to astrology I should mention that by convention the Sun and the Moon are referred to as planets by astrologers – the word ‘planet’ comes from the Greek meaning moving star – the planets are the moving points of light against the backdrop of the fixed staSun rs.  

This question was discussed on my facebook page as a quiz. Following are some excerpts from this discussion.

It is the Sun which is the source of all light in our universe. It has long been regarded as the most physical reflection of divinity in our world. Its light is everlasting and life giving. Since ancient times it has represented truth, divine love and power. No other planet or cosmic body comes near it in terms of awesome power and majesty. The other planets only reflect its light, some more dimly than others. It is the source. It is the Sun which enlightens our world.

It is the actual source of light; the others merely reflecting the light from this source. The Sun therefore most represents enlightenment in this world – the others are at best a pale reflection of its power and majesty. And it is the Sun which represents truth and light in its purest form in physical manifestation.

One interesting result from this quiz is that while astrologers have various beliefs about which planet is associated with enlightenment, few are able to provide a supporting reason. In the case of those who said Neptune represented enlightenment, none made a connection with the basic premise of astrology: ‘As above so below….’

Poseidon was proposed by a couple of of astrologers. This is a hypothetical planet which is used as part of the Uranian system, and some claim it is specifically associated with enlightenment, particularly where enlightenment is brought into one’s life on a practical level.

However this hypothetical planet has no confirmed physical existence, emits no light that we can discern, and does not relate to the ‘As above, so below’ principle, which is fundamental to astrology.

Once we resort to the use of imaginary planets to explain events in the real world there is a disconnect between what is witnessed in the heavens and what is experienced on earth. In my experience the visible planets reflect very well events on earth.

The classical system of rulerships, joys and sect, has an internal congruency and harmony which is more than the sum of its parts. Any attempt to adjust this by incorporating a newly discovered planet suggests a lack of understanding. For example by giving Scorpio to Pluto you take away the night domicile of Mars which destroys the internal balance, something that seems to be ignored.

A number of people mentioned planets other than the Sun in reference to enlightenment. Yet the Sun is the primary source of light in our universe and light is the essential component of enlightenment. No other planet comes near the Sun in terms of brightness and the other bodies do not generate their own light – the only light they have is a reflection the Sun’s light. There is no question that life could not exist without the Sun’s light. The Sun is the only body in the solar system without a shadow side – every other body is dark on one side – the side facing away from the Sun.

The Sun is the source of all light in our universe and is in everything – everything is to some extent enlightened, even if only in a minuscule amount. Pure light from the Sun, a material reflection of divine essence, is refracted through the prism of the visible planets. Everything in existence consists of varying amounts of this refracted light, in different proportions. In every creature and thing on the planet the light fills out (Jupiter) and is contained (Saturn) – the result is an independent entity.

If we believe in astrology we follow the principle: As in the heavens, so on earth (as above so below). When we look to the heavens we see the immense and awe-inspiring Sun, providing life and light to the world. This tells us that there is something out there which is the source of everything and so much bigger than us. Our ego might like us to believe that we are exceptionally powerful, but the heavens are saying something different. Either we are astrologers or we are not. If you do not follow the ‘as above so below’ principle you are doing something other than astrology.

Enlightenment = to fill with the light of truth. The Sun is the ultimate physical symbol of the divine and since ancient times has represented truth and clarity – it fills the world with light and is therefore enlightening. Its awesome power and majesty is such that any planet within 8 degrees is obscured from our vision. We ourselves can only glance at it for a moment without being blinded.

If you don’t follow the ‘as above so below…’ principle (which is basic to astrology) then you are doing something other than astrology, at least in those areas where beliefs are not related to real world observations. This principle and the observance of light are the building blocks on which astrology is founded.

For details of my horary astrology email correspondence course click here

12 March 2013 5 Comments

Mercury rx in Pisces in mutual reception with Jupiter

Last November I wrote about Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius in mutual reception with Jupiter. Again Mercury is retrograde and again it is mutual reception with Jupiter. The difference at this time is that Mercury is in Pisces.

Mercury, the one who loves small detail is swimming in the big Piscean ocean, and Jupiter, the big picture man is in the small picture domain of Gemini. They are each on foreign soil and in each other’s territory. Neither is comfortable and both have difficulty fulfilling their tasks. In this weakened condition each is relying on the other for support.

During Mercury’s travels through the sign of the fish he gets a bit ‘wet’ and he is not his normal rational self. You might have noticed that he is the only planet with wings, the wings of reason that normally lift him into the intellectual stratosphere. In Pisces his wings are wet and he is not flying anywhere soon.

So getting back to the mention of enemy territory, Mercury and Jupiter have been opposing each other since time immemorial. They reign over territories that oppose each other: Virgo – Pisces, Gemini – Sagittarius. Each values what the other despises. For example Mercury in Virgo regards Venus as a fallen woman while Jupiter in Pisces simply adores her.

I thought that Neptune rules Pisces? Each of the classical planets rules a pair of signs, one diurnal or ‘masculine’, and one nocturnal or ‘feminine’. The exceptions are of course the lights with the Sun ruling a diurnal sign and the Moon ruling a nocturnal sign. While it has become very fashionable to say that Neptune rules Pisces, no-one has yet presented a good reason why Jupiter’s rule of this nocturnal sign is faulty or should be replaced.

Seriously the little picture man does not handle the big picture very well and the big picture guy loses perspective in the land of small details. This is why they are both said to be ‘in their detriment’ in these signs.

Surely we should not label the planets that way as it suggests a quality of good and bad. Words such as ‘detriment’ are meant as a description of a planet’s capacity to perform its natural role. This is not an assessment of morality but rather one of function. In Pisces Mercury is seriously challenged in its capacity to articulate the finer details in a rational manner, and in Gemini Jupiter loses the big picture and is awash in small detail. We need a word for this challenged condition and the word that we have is detriment.

In their weakened condition neither Mercury or Jupiter has much capacity to offer the other much support. In a horary chart we would see them as friends, each somewhat weakened, trying to assist each other. In a natal chart they would represent other people in one’s life (assuming neither rules the Ascendant) who are friends offering to support one another.

For details of my horary astrology email correspondence course click here