What brought you to astrology?
My birth was actually predicted by an astrologer! I began observing the stars since a young age, and inherited some of my older sister’s astrological and magical books around the age of 8. At 9 I was printing out tables of eclipses and begging my parents to take me to Easter Island to see the great solar eclipse. I began doing readings for all my classmates at my Catholic elementary school and got into some trouble… My interest kept growing every year from there.
Why do you practice astrology? What makes it juicy for you?
My astrological practice is deeply tied to my philosophical and spiritual views, much along the lines of what the great Rob Hand once said, that astrology is applied mysticism. It keeps my pulse on the collective consciousness and ties me to the greater ocean of being that guides us all.
What is your specialty, or focus?
I specialize in ancient sidereal astrology, so the observational and starry origins of Babylonian and Egyptian astrology. I’m really into myth-making and re-making through all of the beautiful celestial images in the sphere beyond those of the zodiac.
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?
The energy of Saturn moving into sidereal Pisces into his own Decan, that is, in the first 10 degrees, which he governs. I have referred to this Decan for years as “the tears of the prophet”. Even the ancient Egyptian texts talk about this Decan, saying it brings “the sorrow of the priests”. This is also the Decan where the spring equinox is in our era, as it inches closer and closer backwards to the first degree of the Fish, and soon into the Water Pourer, marking an epochal reset that is also to come. I think our community has a lot of grounding and energy clearing, and space holding to do for the collective in the times to come, many of us will be greatly called to serve our communities, emphasizing the importance of daily meditation and prayer.
What is your picture of astrology in the future?
I see an astrological community without boundaries, united in the variety and multiplicity of our practice. Embracing paradoxes and each other, removing the boundaries that origin, lineage, experience, knowledge and preference bring to cause rifts or separation in our community. I want to see a blending of the most ancient Babylonian wisdom with the most futuristic Uranian harmonic dials, as if it made no difference when any technique or perspective came about, and who it came from. Every technique is an aspect of consciousness, and to deny or repudiate an astrological perspective or technique is to deny an aspect of consciousness.
Are there any additional comments you would like to make about your lecture?
I’m so excited to speak about declination, this is a topic that is under discussed, though extremely powerful when taken into account. Once we get into the framework of the equator, measuring declination, and finding the list of fixed stars by declination, we can apply it to transits, natal charts, progressed charts, horary charts- or anything!
If you discovered a new planet, or asteroid, what would you name it and why?
That’s hard! I’m sure many have been named… I would go with lighthouse!
Cameron Cassidy is an astrologer & yoga teacher from Salem, MA. He is also an instructor for Kepler College, as well as the editor for the CAELi Review astrological journal. Centered in the eyes of ancient Babylonian & Egyptian astrology, Cameron blends old & new traditions, seeing where intersections create avenues for eye-opening awareness of the heavens. With his background in both traditional and modern schools of astrology, he speaks for astrology groups around the country, sharing his insights on weaving a more holistic and grounded approach to ancient astrology.