Each spring Atlanta Astrologer and MAAS member, Alan Gordon, has a booth at the Georgia Renaissance Festival, where he and his staff do on-the-spot readings for Festival goers. They don’t use computer programs or technology, and have no time to prep before reading for each client or couple.
Alan submitted this summery of his 2024 Georgia Renaissance Readings to MAAS.
Alan Gordon’s Summery
During the festival, we saw 377 clients, with many return readings. I saw about half of those folks, and I worked with 2 other astrologers and 2 Tarot readers.
As usual, there were definite themes dealt with responding to the current transits. I saw the most important transits as the current Saturn in Pisces, the recent Uranus Jupiter conjunction in Taurus, and during the festival, the Mars transit through Aries triggering the folks whose charts were hit by the April eclipse @ 19*. My coworkers also added…
The Taurus group was looked at for any Taurus planet, but counted for Mars and Saturn, (as the theory would be that the Uranus/Jupiter would upset the homeostasis of those set points.)
The Aries were looked at from any planet or degree in the sign, looking of course, for any perceived triggers from the eclipse or the Mars return.
The first group was Mars in Taurus. The theory would be that the Jupiter/Uranus may have triggered them to face new opportunities, and to come in for a reading. This did not seem to be the case. Out of 377 readings only 23 had Mars in Taurus. Out of those there were 2 groups with 6 each; in 1996 and 2000. However, those are most likely not the Mars influence alone.
In ’96, the N node was opposite the current April N Node (with the eclipse,) and Mercury was retrograde in Taurus with Mars there as well. In the year 2000 case, Jupiter and Saturn were in Taurus, with Mars there, as well as the N Node was at 2* Leo with current transiting Pluto on their S Node.
So, of course that brings up the significant findings of the number of Saturn in Taurus folks, from March, 1999 to April 2001, with the Jupiter there as well for part of it. This turned out to be 43 with 2 1968-71 Saturn in Taurus, so 45 altogether. This turns out to be 12%, perhaps a significant %.
Jupiter was in Taurus from late June 1999 to October 2000, so many would have been on their Jupiter return, not their Saturn Return. The Jupiter Returns also were 45 people, overlapping of course.
So, a significant number of Taurus influences, but what about change and insight from the Jupiter Uranus conjunction @ 21* Taurus. Not surprisingly, not so much…
My technique in reading was first to mention the theory of the transit on their planets, especially possibly upsetting their “status quo” on those with Saturn there. Then, if they had no recognition of that, I would do a little probing of possibilities of change. This would bring a little more recognition of possibilities of change, but only with the caveat of many of them readjusting to a status quo.
Did this surprise me? Not in the least. Why?
1: Taurus doesn’t like change. I don’t know how many times I have suggested change to Taurus and have been met with a brick wall.
2: Nor anyone hit with the Jupiter Return, (including me), this is the beginning of a cycle. I have to tell myself that, and Taurus’ as well. It will unfold in its own time
3: Uranus is unpredictable. It is hitting Israel’s sun right now. Are they responding? Yes; like a Taurus… Not going to change our direction even if the International Court has condemned our actions… As Uranus hit Israel’s Sun @ 23* 39” Taurus on May 22, we see a serious peace settlement promoted. On June 8, Israel’s Mercury return made this publicly very clear. I would expect that Jupiter on that Mercury will bring some sort of agreement. However, with Jupiter in Gemini and the rest of Israel’s chart, I would not bet on it, or for it to last.
The other 2 main influences looked at were any indicators of the April 8th Solar Eclipse affecting charts, and an effect I had not anticipated; that of clients having planets or node in early degrees Leo, with Pluto opposing, of course.
I counted the Mars in Aries; this was 19 clients, not a significant amount; around 5%, and not surprising for a sign that does not necessarily look outside for assistance.
I should have counted the Nodes in Aries/Libra, and I did see quite a few with the nodal opposite, N Node in Libra. These are the folks with the 1996-7 Saturn S Node in Aries, which I do think got triggered with the eclipse.
However, true to what I have experienced over the years, there was not a lot of insight into “what” the eclipse might have meant to those natives that it affected, and a varied response of whether they felt it at all, contrary to what many astrologers want to believe about eclipses. Inasmuch as I cannot do a follow up until next spring, we will have to leave this sample survey at that.
The count for early degrees Mars in Leo did not turn out to be significant. There were 8 that had this placement. I spoke with a few of them and there was a significant effect of Plutonian power struggles in their life, however I don’t believe that the transit brought more in for readings. (Actually, if I ran the stats, I think that men with Mars in Leo would fall low on the count of readings. I can guess, with some accuracy, when a strong Mars in Leo male figure comes in, usually by his wife getting a couples reading, they are defensive and want to overpower the reader at first but when they hear accurate information about “them” they sort of become the beneficent people that they can be…)
I counted 15 people with the nodes between 28* Cancer/Capricorn, and 5* Leo. The most were the S Node in Leo in ’99-2000, however, this may not be significant as this group also had the Jupiter/Saturn transiting Taurus.
I did have some “destiny” sorts of discussions, but those were a bit premature for 24-year-olds. Finally, I modified my Saturn Return count, counting as well 3-4 month post Saturn Returns. (I would actually extend that for a couple of years, since the decisions put into place often take that long to manifest, but I did not @ this time).
- For the December 1964- March 1967: 8 readings
- For the Jan 28, 1994 to April 1996: 19 readings
- For the post Saturn Returns: 15 readings
The 1st Saturn returns would be about 5%. Less significant than I would think, however if all are added together would be 42, right up there with the Saturn/Jupiter in Taurus readings; 12%.
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