Written in the Sky* Rise of the Wadjet Witch (2 page)

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Authors: Juliet C. Obodo

BOOK: Written in the Sky* Rise of the Wadjet Witch
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“
So this is a spiritual belief system?” Memphis inquired. She was a fan of facts and having the data to support them.
“
No, it’s not just a belief. It’s true. When your consciousness is affected, you feel it in the chakra associated with that part of your consciousness. You also feel it in the parts of the physical body associated with that chakra. Where you are affected depends on what is affecting you. If it is long and strong, then it can manifest on the physical level.” Her long lashes nearly touched her eyebrows as she expressed wonder at the thought that such a thing was possible.
Memphis continued to listen intently. Jill never took this much interest in something that didn’t have a designer label.
“
So, when you feel any tension in your consciousness, you feel it in the chakra that’s associated with the part of your consciousness experiencing the stress. But it depends on where and why you feel the stress.”
“
Does that mean the victim’s stress manifested itself on her forehead?” Memphis asked innocently.
Jill rolled her eyes before throwing a piece of naan at her.
“
No, but really, poor girl.” Memphis sighed.
“
I know,” Jill agreed. “To have to die in Brooklyn.”
This time Memphis rolled her eyes.
“
So, enough talk of death; I have a bunch of interviews tomorrow. Speaking of, would you be interested in writing horoscopes, or maybe a few articles? It would be great to have a real astronomer on staff. No other newspaper has one.”
“
I don’t know anything about horoscopes; I didn’t even know what a chakra was. And I’m not an astronomer yet. Still in school, remember? With a full schedule.”
“
But aren’t you doing research on the zodiac?”
“
No, my research is on constellations. There’s a huge difference between the zodiac and the constellations. People always make that mistake. That is exactly why I had such difficulty getting the academic board to approve my research. Thank goodness I had Jonathan behind me. They love him.”
“
Aren’t they both star systems?”
Now it was her turn to babble. “Yes, but they deal with different areas. The zodiac is just scratching the surface when it comes to what’s out there. It’s like comparing a bicycle to a motorcycle. I’m focusing on elliptical rotation. Look.” Memphis grabbed two slices of naan to use as props. “The zodiac is composed of twelve thirty-degree angles. It’s seasonal and follows the four cardinal points of the Sun. Constellations are ever-changing star groupings.”
“
Oh, I didn’t know there was a difference,” Jill mumbled through a piece of seasoned tofu.
“
Yup.” Memphis laid the down the larger piece of naan and placed a smaller piece in its center. “This big piece is where the constellations lie, which are more than just twelve, by the way. This inner circle, the smaller piece of naan, is where the twelve signs of the zodiac were organized into thirty-degree angles two thousand years ago. At that time, these two areas were aligned. The constellation Aries and Aries in the zodiac were in perfect alignment. Now these two pieces are headed in opposite directions.” She pushed one naan toward Jill’s plate and one toward her own.
“
Thank you very much.” Jill grabbed the naan and dipped it into her curry sauce.
Memphis ignored her. “The pieces won’t realign again for another twenty-six thousand years. It’s the twenty-six thousand year cycle that has been divided into twelve astrological ages containing two thousand years. That is what the Age of Aquarius is referring to.”
“
Oh, it’s not just a musical number from
Hair
?”
“
Anyway, my research will focus on the constellations, particularly Ophiuchus, a large
constellation
located around the
celestial equator
. It’s one of fourteen constellations that cross the
ecliptic
. It’s been called a missing zodiac sign, but that’s because people are mixing up the terms. The signs of the zodiac are a twelve-fold division of the ecliptic so that each sign spans thirty degrees of celestial longitude, approximately the distance the Sun travels in a month. Constellations are unequal in size and are based on the positions of the stars. The
constellations of the zodiac
have only a loose association with the signs of the zodiac and generally do not coincide with them. In astrology, the constellation of Aquarius, for example, actually corresponds to Pisces. The constellation of Ophiuchus occupies most of the sign of Sagittarius.”
Memphis could have spent all night talking about the stars, but Jill changed the topic to another mystery of the universe: men.
“
All this talk of men reminds me of the fact that I’m not having sex, which leads to the fact that I’ve started smoking again, which leads to the fact that I need a cigarette.” Memphis said after a few minutes’ discussion.
“
You’re still having those cravings?”
“
Cravings for sex or for cigarettes?” Memphis raised an eyebrow.
“
You really need to kick this habit, Em.”
“
Again, sex or cigs?”
“
Cigs, and I know just how you can quit smoking for good. We recently published a story about hypnosis. I was a guinea pig and volunteered to go for weight loss.”
“
To lose weight? Where? Your head?” Memphis envied Jill’s svelte figure.
“
Well, I have really bad eating habits. No more sugar or late night snacking since. I enjoy three square meals a day, and I no longer feel the need to clean my plate.”
Memphis eyed Jill’s plate, which still had sauce and rice. At this point Memphis was usually smacking her hand away from her own dish.
“
Wow! That
is
impressive.”
“
And I’ve lost two pounds, I’m sure you noticed.” She looked into her purse and handed Memphis the hypnotherapist’s business card.
“
Oh, yes, of course I did. You look great, but I don’t think smoking and giving up dessert are the same type of problem.” Memphis still accepted the card.
“
They most certainly are related. They are both addictions and tied to our minds. The mind is quite powerful. The brain is a muscle, you know.”
“
Yes, I know. I was a biology major.”
“
Well, you have her card—just make an appointment. You’ll be cured after just one session, I guarantee it. If you’re not, I’ll never bring it up again.”
“
Well, in that case, we have a deal.”
Chapter 2

 

Jill walked Memphis to her subway line and then hopped in a cab. Memphis spent the rest of her trip home thinking about cigarettes and girls with holes in their heads. By the time she arrived home, she was so wired she couldn’t sleep. She took a hot shower and settled in for a marathon of trash television on the new sofa that she and her roommate Gemma purchased. It was the first item in their apartment on which they had actually spent money; they’d been curbside decorators for way too long. Gemma was still out and would most likely spend the night at her latest guy’s apartment. She was the perfect roommate—there just often enough so Memphis felt neither lonely nor smothered.
After some channel surfing, she caught a wave on the local public access television network; in New York it was better than reality television. A new show called
The Universe Now
was on; she loved watching new hosts make clumsy production mistakes.
.

 

Oh, this should be interesting,
she thought. And it actually was. The host was very smooth and well spoken. He announced that he would discuss a new area of science each night—areas that were new and cutting edge, and didn’t fall in line with the mainstream beliefs of both astrologers and astronomers. Now he really had her attention. He would be crossing the lines and mixing the sciences of astrology, astronomy, and archeology. This reminded her of Jonathan’s work; his research was comprised of both biology and astronomy. He hoped to discover new life forms.
“
Today’s show focuses on an astronomical belief system called Astronography,” the host said, “which is based on the fact that mankind is influenced by the state of the solar system at the moment of birth.”
He explained that he would use it to create natal charts because the planets are essential to life. “They are our life source,” he said. “Planetary influence comes in different forms, and the forms are based on their aerial position and their interplanetary relationships. The aspects formed between the planets describe these relationships. The planetary positions in relation to the place of birth tell how one expresses themselves in life situations, and is depicted by the astrological houses.
“
Astronography is different from astrology; it’s a more evolved system. Astrology is a belief system of the relationship between visible astronomical phenomena and events in the human world. It is a system of horoscopes that claim to predict aspects of an individual’s personality or life history based on the positions of the Sun, Moon, and planetary aspects at the time of birth. People have attached importance to astronomical events, developing elaborate systems for predicting terrestrial events from celestial observations.”
Memphis agreed with him. She knew girls in college who wouldn’t step out of their dorm rooms before checking their daily horoscopes.
The host continued. “For a long time, astrology was considered a respected area of study. Its ideas were even included in other areas of study such as astronomy, alchemy, and medicine. At the end of the seventeenth century, new scientific ideas in astrology, particularly heliocentrism—the Sun as a center of reference—affected the credibility of astrology. It then lost its academic and theoretical standing. Astrology became relegated to spiritualism and New Age philosophy. It is now a pseudoscience because it doesn’t develop solutions to its problems or complete theories. In fact, astrology literally means ‘star theory.’
“
Astronography is more evolved astrology; there is actual evidence behind its theories. It isn’t as technical and unenlightened as astronomy.”
Memphis sat through her share of lectures regarding the stars, but this had to be the most interesting one she’s heard. His ideas had basis, but they were so radical.
“
Today’s show will instruct you on how to build an astronographical natal chart. The natal horoscope portrait is drawn from the planetary positions at the time of your birth. By interpreting the roles of the planets, their qualities and constellations in the sky at the moment of birth, an astronographical chart will be able to reflect a true overview of a person. Mental and emotional tendencies of your personality are shown, and your areas of weakness are described. The chart gives many insights into the finer nuances of your character, your spiritual and psychological modes—even your future potential. With a chart reading, you will have a better understanding of self and be able to choose what path you want to follow.”
Memphis scoffed at the idea that a diagram on a sheet of paper could lead her to her destiny, but she continued to listen to the host.
“
The decisions you make will largely determine the level at which cosmic energies influence your life path. The higher your energy level, the more you are the creator of your life and can use these energies coming from the planets to fulfill your mission here on Earth.”
The host was a bit melodramatic, but he seemed so sure of his promise. He proceeded to list what viewers would need to create a chart.
“
One, birth date; two, time of birth; three, place of birth. If you don’t know your birth time, use twelve o’clock midday so the horoscope won’t be off by more than twelve hours. You won’t be able to calculate the Ascendant or AC, Medium Coeli or MC, or the House Cusps.”
Memphis knew what the aspects were, but she didn’t know they had any influence over one’s character.
As the show progressed, so did her level of surprise. The host went over what should be included in a chart; it’s comprised of planets and points, such as the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Ascendant and Medium Coeli—even the lunar nodes Dragon’s Head and Tail.
The host explained that a birth chart can be regarded as a complex geometrical formula establishing relations between a number of points determined by astronomical observations. “There are ten planets, including the Sun and the Moon. Twelve cusps and the moon’s nodes equal twenty-four factors. A birth chart is simply a formula relating these twenty-four factors in terms of their zodiacal longitude. To interpret a birth chart is to extract out of these twenty-four factors all the significance they contain, or rather, what the astrologer is able to perceive. The first task is to study the twenty-four primary factors. These factors are significant in terms of their sign position, their house position, and their degree position.
“
The first stage of interpretation is an analysis of position in which each factor is considered independently of others. This is followed by an analysis between these factors so one can see the planetary pattern as a whole. This is analyzing aspects between every two isolated factors.
“
Another type of analysis that isn’t usually used is two factors being related to a third factor: the line of horizon or the meridian. This is a higher degree of analysis, and it reveals important factors of man’s social nature and his being as a whole—the formation of his spiritual body and mind. In this last type of analysis, we no longer deal solely with the human personality, as it is archetypal or in blueprint. We deal with the use to which this personality or any group of factors within the total personality can be put. We are now considering not only being and its structure, but also purpose and its axis of formation.”

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