Basic Astrology: The Astroclock™ By: J.

Basic Astrology: The Astroclock™ By: J.-­‐D. Cogmon ©Copyright 2010 1 1 Basic Astrology
Introducing the “Astroclock”
The word “AstroClock” is the word
that will be used whenever we are
discussing the picture to the left.
As you can see, the Earth is in the
middle because this clock is
supposed to represent the
spinning of the earth once on it’s
axis every 24 hours.
The 9 O’clock position is just the
line where the Zodiac starts. It also
matches up with the first house of
the Zodiac, ruled by Aries : ”The
Ram.”
As you can see, each clock
number matches with a house
number. The line that each number
is on is called a “Transit Line.”
When the sun crosses the transit
line, then the earth is in the house
of that particular zodiac sign
Basic Astrology
Introducing the “Astroclock”
Outside
Circle has
the Unique
Zodiac
name.
Inside the
house is
the symbol
for that
sign
The outside numbers represent
real clock time
The 9 O’clock position is the
transit line that the zodiac begins
with Aries. This is considered the
first house of the Zodiac.
The inside numbers represent
Zodiac “houses”
House
numbers
go up in
the
direction
that the
sun moves
around this
imaginary
line.
Basic Astrology
The AstroClock starts at 9 O’clock
clock time and the first house and
appears to go backwards through
the houses and hours.
1unique
Each Sign is Unique (This is what
the number 1 stands for.)
You can see the name of the sign
on the inside of the outer circle
and the corresponding symbol that
represents the given sign on a
Natal Chart.
1
4
Basic Astrology The AstroClock starts at 9 O’clock
clock time at the first house and
appears to go backwards through
the houses and hours.
2 duality
Each Sign is either a positive or
negative sign. “Positive” (day sign)
or “Negative” (night) refers to the
positive and negative charges of
the north and south poles that run
through the Earth’s Axis. It is much
like two different ends of a battery.
1 5 Positive and negative are also
synonymous with masculine (day
sign) or Feminine (night sign). It is
like the Tao symbol in the center,
light contains a seed of dark and
dark contains a seed of light.
Basic Astrology Cardinal = Initiation
Fixed = stabilization
Mutable = changeability
3 quality
The number 3 represents how all
Zodiac signs have the quality of
being Cardinal (Initiation), Fixed
(stabilization), or Mutable
(changeability).
1 6 These changes also take place in
a pattern of three. Each Set is
referred to as A QUADRANT
because there are four sets of
three, one for each season.
If you look in the center you will
see the three pronged Tao symbol
called a Mitsudomoe.
Basic Astrology Elements Key
Red = FirewYellow/Gold= Air w
Green = Earth w Blue = Water
4 elements
Each Sign is one of four elements.
• 
• 
• 
• 
Fire
Earth
Air
Water
Using the clock as a metaphor for
a year, start at the 9 O’clock time
position and move counterclockwise through each of the 4
elements: Aries Taurus, Gemini,
and Cancer. The process starts
again with Leo, Virgo, Libra and
1 7 Scorpio.
Basic Astrology The First 1/3 of the Zodiac
contains the first four elements
and is the initiating force of the
AstroClock.
4
(continued)
Each Sign is one of four elements
occurring in order every fourth
Zodiac sign.
•  Fire ---Aries
•  Earth ---Taurus
•  Air -----------Gemini
•  Water-----------Cancer
• 
1 8 The first group would be
considered the Cardinal group
because both Aries and Cancer
are Cardinal Signs.
Basic Astrology At this point in the year in the
Northern Hemisphere we have
passed the summer solstice and
daylight hours become shorter.
4
(continued)
The second grouping of elements
begins with Fixed Leo and Ends
with Fixed Scorpio.
•  Fire ---Leo
•  Earth ---Virgo
•  Air -----------Libra
•  Water-----------Scorpio
1 9 The second group would be
considered the Fixed group
because both Leo and Scorpio are
Fixed signs. Please note the name
and the symbol for each Zodiac
sign.
Basic Astrology The third grouping of elements
begins with Mutable Sagittarius
and ends with Mutable Pisces.
As you can observe, fire like all of
the element contained 1 of each
quality. I. E. Aries Cardinal Fire,
Leo Fixed Fire, Sagittarius Mutable
Fire.
4
• 
• 
• 
• 
1 10 (continued)
Fire ---Sagittarius
Earth ---Capricorn
Air -----------Aquarius
Water-----------Pisces
The third sector is the Mutable
group because both Sagittarius
and Pisces are Mutable signs.
Please note the unique name and
the symbol for each Zodiac sign.
Basic Astrology 4 (conclusion)
The Only One?
More advanced Western Tropical Astrology can discuss how all of the 1's represent the unique
aspects of the individual Zodiac Sun Signs.
Duality: The pendulum of life?
Going back between positive and negatives in the 2's represents the cycle of night and day, light
and dark, yin and yang, masculine and feminine and so on.
Some even equate the first half of the Zodiac as being the day featuring Spring and Summer,
While the Fall and Winter are considered the night. Is it really a coincidence that Libra, the scales
of balance begin the fall at the equinox (Equal day/night).
Three's Company?
The pattern of three (3) Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable that create the "Qualities" show more than
one pattern.
The most useful way to look at quality is liquid, gas and solid. Water in its Cardinal state is deep,
emotional flowing like the sea or a waterfall, it is in action. When water is frozen it is in a "fixed"
state, solid inflexible and just a little bit brittle. When it is heated into its gaseous state that can
show all of its mutable properties: it can clean, distill, burn, rain etc showing the versatility of its
essence.
Basic Astrology 4 (conclusion)
Lets continue with the water signs as the Example, Cancer would be Cardinal or the "Fire" of water,
Scorpio with its cold plutonium tendencies can be the Air of water, the solid frozen state while Pisces
being the most mutable of the water signs is "Water of water." So in essence you can see that within each
element, Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable identify the fire, air and water aspect that create the material world.
The first pattern of three (3) shows a complete season in each of its cycles. Example: "Cardinal" Aries
starts at the spring equinox, follows by "Fixed" Taurus and all the flowers that define Spring, while
"Mutable" Gemini's versatile energy regulates. The Gemini frequency is like an eddy current in
preparation for the next "Cardinal" Cancer to begin the summer sequence. This is followed by "Fixed"
Leo's defining and consistent summer sun and ending with Virgo's Mutable versatility in preparation for
the fall equinox.
The seasons are also considered to be "Quadrants of the Zodiac." East, North, West, South and back to
East at 9 am. Counter clock-wise is the key.
Remember, from the celestial perspective above, the Sun appears to travel counter clockwise through the
"houses" of the Zodiac.
9 O'clock would be the sunrise, going 8-7-6-5-4-3 which would be the sunset (depending on how close
we are to the equinox.) At night, the sun would APPEAR to continue moving through the rest of the
Houses until it rises again at the 9 O'clock position on the AstroClock.
Remember, The earth takes 365 days to travel around the sun but we get days and nights because the
Earth Spins on its axis once roughly every 24 hours. (23 hours and 56 minutes to be specific.) This is why
the reading the AstroClock may be counter-intuitive.
Basic Astrology (wrap-up!)
All of the 4s represent the frequency of elements as they appear throughout the zodiac. Fire, Earth, Air and Water. All of the 1s are the unique names of the zodiac signs. All of the 2s represent the duality of the zodiac: night and day, positive and negative and so on. All of the 3s represent the Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable division of the zodiac usually called seasons.