What brought you to astrology?
I think every time I think of this question, the answer changes — not because the facts of the past change, of course, but how I interpret them does. I was raised in a fairly rigid Christian household (Southern Baptist with my dad, more evangelical with my mom), and in my teens began to pull away from the faith(s) of my parents. It was around this time that I started to explore astrology in earnest, probably because I was searching for a cosmology that helped me to understand what it could look like to find purpose and meaning in the natural world around me.
Why do you practice astrology? What makes it juicy for you?
When you find something that’s real, true and tangible, it’s hard to walk away from it. I think I practice astrology now because I must — it’s far too integral to who I am, how I understand the world, and I don’t exactly know what I’d be doing without this part of me active and engaged. I love the inevitability of astrology, that we can’t get too far in any one direction before the underlying patterns and structures of a thing begin to emerge. Astrology feeds my curiosity, and invites us to be a better version of ourselves today than we were yesterday, and it does this by encouraging us to be ourselves in the first place.
What is your specialty, or focus?
Right now I spend most of my time in horary and electional astrology, and mundane (global/political) astrology. I certainly enjoy natal astrology, but I tend to jump into it less as most clients come to me with something quite specific and pressing. I would really like to get into astrological weather forecasting: that’s a world I’ve not even begun to touch but am quite drawn to.
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?
For most of 2018, all the superior planets (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars) were in feminine (earth/water) signs. I’ve been particularly interested in the growth of the #MeToo movement, and how the voice of women is finally being given the platform it should’ve always had. But I’m also keeping a keen eye on the movement of Mars into Aquarius, Jupiter in Sagittarius. Pendulums have a tendency to swing, so I will be watching for what changes as two of the superiors move into masculine (fire/air) signs — do men join this in a more marked way? Is there pushback? The delicate tensions we feel in the western world right now — the result of ideologies and powers in a state of decline — suggest to me that anything’s on the table. Attention and swift, measured response when things move in a more aggressive direction is needed all around us.
What is your picture of astrology in the future?
If I’m being entirely transparent, I’m not sure how to feel about where we’re headed. Some days I’m quite hopeful, some days I’m exasperated by the dominance of social media and the impact that is already having on and informed approach to astrology. The internet connects us, but like all broadcasting it can bolster the conflation of charisma with experience, talent and skill, especially with channels like YouTube or Twitter which skews very young (both in terms of speaker and audience) and often lacks the much-needed voice of our elders. I also worry about the efforts to ‘codify’ astrology (e.g., for the sake of a computer program), and an excessive appeal to scientism. But at the same time, there does appear to be quite a counter movement looking to protect the enigmatic mystery of astrology, to keep its study connected to the union of earth and sky, and to welcome new people (including today’s youth) into our world. That has to be a good thing; but as in all things, it’s equally about how we do it as it is about what we do.
Are there any additional comments you would like to make about your lecture and workshop?
These topics I’m bringing forward — healing with horary, and traditional natal astrology — are great thinking grounds for the curious mind. Using a collection of historical and modern charts, the lecture is designed to dispel the myth that horary was and is a mechanical, soulless, fatalistic tool used to predict. In the workshop, we’ll have the opportunity to explore the fundamental differences between modern psychological astrology and traditional approaches to nativities. If you’ve ever wondered what ‘personality’ meant to astrologers, how it was assessed and weighed, what things were and weren’t considered, and how you might have a deeper, fuller understanding of yourself through applying the answers to these questions in new ways, this workshop is for you. (Definitely bring your own chart.)
If you discovered a new planet, or asteroid, what would you name it and why?
Oh, I don’t think I would name it and would perhaps refer to it as ‘the unnamed planet’, or ‘the asteroid which cannot be named’. Wouldn’t that be fun? ]
Wade Caves is an astrological consultant and educator specialising in horary, electional and classical astrological technique. He was certified with honours from the Mayo School of Astrology and has expert knowledge of traditional and modern psychological methods of chart delineation. Wade’s passion is in understanding the origins of astrological symbolism, and finding reliable ways to put this information to practical use in consultation. He is the editor and annotator of the 300th anniversary edition of William Lilly’s History of His Life and Times (Rubedo Press, 2015), and teaches for the School of Traditional Astrology (STA). Website: http://wadecaves.com. Email: hello@wadecaves.com.