What brought you to astrology?
Former WSAA President Gary Lorentzen, who was my high school German teacher in Vancouver, WA! Gary taught me astrology after school in the late ‘90s. He was in the thick of designing the curriculum for Kepler College—Maggie Nalbandian’s brainchild—and explained to me the historical significance of that project. I immediately knew my life path, and I also knew that there was no set of instructions or steps to get me there. I simply followed the truth I felt when I first started learning this amazing art, and I landed exactly where my young heart knew I was meant to be.
Why do you practice astrology? What makes it juicy for you?
Astrology chose me. I’ve tried my hand at giving it up, especially when I was embedded deep in my PhD program at UC Berkeley, and it was frowned upon to “be an astrologer.” Nothing I did helped. I kept returning to astrology, or, rather, it kept returning to me.
Astrology is sassy. Learning how to play with its rules and how it continually reveals more and more of itself (and thereby ourselves), is so refreshing. Treat it like a great friend, and it will be a steady companion for life.
What is your specialty, or focus?
As a consultant, beyond offering natal consults from a traditional lens, I specialize in locational astrology. It’s possibly ironic that the Earth takes up so much of my consult space because I do not have any planets in earth signs in my chart. The late astrologer Shirley Lyons Meier wrote a cool book in 1983 called Elemental Voids that suggests that having a lack of planets in an element is not a deficit, but a sign of mastery… I rather enjoy her take on this, and I’ve written about it for The Mountain Astrologer (Feb./Mar. 2021). You can read the article for free here.
As a researcher, I am interested in the history of astrology in early twentieth century Germany, as well as the cosmology of the Hamburg School astrologer Alfred Witte (1878–1941). I am still working on creating a source book of translations of primary sources from that period for Sophia Centre Press as a part of my postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
Is there a planet, sign, or aspect you’ve been exploring lately that represents an archetype or energy that feels important to you right now?
Converse (secondary) progressions! The idea that time moves both backward and forward from the moment of birth totally enthralls me. Even Alan Leo talks about converse progressions in his epic book, The Progressed Horoscope. I’m currently finding everything at the Celestial Arts Education Library that has anything to say about this astrological technique.
What is your picture of astrology in the future?
People will make regular pilgrimages to the Celestial Arts Education Library in Olympia, WA. The library will become a source of the best astrological research in the country (or world!) and may even make people move to Olympia to be closer to it. Youth from the nearby high school will start to come here after school and begin their journey with astrology before they even go to college, and we’ll start to see astrology’s reputation restored across society.
Are there any additional comments you would like to make about your lecture and workshop?
It’s always wise to get a leg up on the astrological weather of the year ahead!
If you discovered a new planet, or asteroid, what would you name it and why?
Last time you asked me this, I chose the name Radar, but this time, I think I’d probably call it CAELi, so that everyone could find where the Celestial Arts Education Library belongs in their chart!
Jenn Zahrt PhD is an author, publisher, and teacher of cultural astronomy and astrology. In 2017 she was appointed as an Honorary Research Fellow at the Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. She researches the many forms of astrology emergent across human cultures past and present, with a special focus on early twentieth century German culture. She has taught and lectured domestically and internationally in places such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany. She is the founder of Revelore Press, creative director of the Sophia Centre Press and the deputy editor of the peer-reviewed journal Culture and Cosmos. In 2020 she became the Senior Editor of The Mountain Astrologer, and in 2021 she founded the Celestial Arts Education Library Institute in Olympia, WA, where she currently lives. Discover more of her work: www.jennzahrt.com