In those fascinating books, Gary applies his theory of "personology" to people born on particular days. Here he applies it to the days themselves. Personology is oriented to the cycles of nature, the seasons, the earth, and in all three books, Gary combines it with astrology to arrive at astute insights. As Gary says, "Personology incorporates the human aspects of astrology into a system based on many other systems: biography, psychology, numerology, tarot, medicine, and even music." These are all subjects which Gary has studied, and he integrates them brilliantly in his books.
Personology, says Gary, has formed its own set of basic parameters by structuring the year in a cross formed by the solstices and the equinoxes. The basic facts of our existence here on earth are the seasonal cycles and the lengthening and shortening of the days. Gary says this rhythm is bound up in our biological structures. (This book is biased towards the Northern Hemisphere, as is astrology, and I’d like to see both an astrology and a personology which fit both hemispheres. Yes, we can simply reverse dates, but there is a difference.)
The start of each of the four seasons is a new beginning. Thus Gary says that it is those seasonal cusps which have the most relevance to our lives, and he structures his theory around those cusps. He has a name for each cusp, based on the natures of the people born during those times. It is my experience, as well, that people born around cusps have a special quality. Gary’s names are
Pisces-Aries—The Cusp of Rebirth,
Gemini-Cancer—The Cusp of Magic,
Virgo-Libra—The Cusp of Beauty, and
Sagittarius-Capricorn—The Cusp of Prophecy.
Gary gives six days to a cuspal period for each of the 12 cusps, and then splits up the time from one cusp to another into three periods—i.e.,Aries I, Aries II, Aries III—which he calls "weeks." He gives each week a descriptive name.
Let us look at the two December birthdays. Wesley Clark was born on December 23 (view chart), and Karl Rove was born on December 25.
The Cusp of Prophecy is from December 19-25, so it includes them both. Gary talks about the character of each of the cusps and each of the weeks in terms of the year’s cycle. For instance, he says, "The Cusp of Prophecy can be seen as a beacon of hope, while at the same time representing the ultimate death of things growing in nature. He says that this is the most important turning point in the year, and we now look toward the future. "The expression of positive prophecy asserts our strength to triumph over the powers of darkness." His description is really beautiful, and just what we would say about Solstice.
Gary goes on to talk about the personology of people born on this cusp, and he mentions some annual events at this time of year, some historical events, famous people born on this cusp, and types of relationships to other cusps.
He does the same thing for each of the "weeks" in January, in February, and in March, as well as the other cusps of the winter season. At the end of each quarter, he gives a "personology snapshot" for each day of that quarter. E.g.,
December 23. Visionaries who enjoy using their knowledge and intuition to plan for the future and break new ground. Confident and self-assured, they may also be stubborn and authoritarian due to their commitment to ideals.
December 25. An interest in supernatural things…always striving to reach a higher state of being, they often become restless due to their unusual interests.
Gary has an Appendix telling us about the six karmic paths from October 2002 until February 2005, with extensive descriptions of each.
He says that from December 8, 2003 until April 27, 2004, our karmic path is the Way of Emergence. The Way of Emergence allows our fullest potential to blossom. We need to be in the right place at the right time, and to be open to miracles.
The primary area of life lessons is the social arena. He says that we can leave our worries behind, and develop our leadership skills. Work is important, also service, and identification with a larger group. We should notice and encourage the emergence of life in all of the life around us.
The Astrology of Time is another of Gary Goldschneider’s endlessly rich and fascinating books. It is written for the layperson, but any astrologer could develop a richer appreciation of the zodiacal year by reading and studying this book.
Here is a fine gift for anyone interested in time, to be treasured and reread over time.
