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Welcome to the Traditional Astrology Forum. I'm Michael Sternbach, the moderator of this particular topic. In order to form a more perfect place for discussion, we are going to outline the purpose of this department and some guidelines.

General

This particular forum exists to learn, apply, and exchange techniques and ideas regarding traditional and ancient astrology and astrologers. Traditional astrology is a pretty broad topic, so we'll offer a rough definition as follows: the type of astrology practiced prior to 1700 and anytime between 1700 and Alan Leo is close enough to count as traditional (with a few exceptions, perhaps).

What do we talk about? Pretty much the same stuff that has always been on this forum, but hey, let's not limit ourselves. Everything that concerns traditional astrology belongs here; as does anything contemporary that is written by and about traditional astrology by contemporary authors as well as those in the past. Although there are mundane and natal forums, these topics will be covered here as well, but from clearly a traditional viewpoint. Along the same lines, this is not an appropriate place for, which one is better traditional or modern debates. We would rather discuss the subject than defend it.

The Outer Planets et al

While the outer planets naturally do not form a part of ancient astrology, this forum acknowledges the efforts of some progressive minds to integrate them into the traditional framework. Although this may actually not be the case very often at the current stage of that development anyway, if you do include the outers in discussions and sample charts here, make sure you do so in a way that adheres to classical rules and principles.

Skyscript offers a multitude of different forums for good reasons, and if any particular topic seems misplaced in a particular forum, moderation reserves the right to move it into another, more appropriate one.

That being said, any modern seriously interested in learning the tradition should feel free to ask questions that compare one method to the other in order to clarify the differences.

Conduct

Lets make mistakes. No one ever learned anything by being right. Passion is fine. People who hold strong opinions tend to be more interesting than people who are wishy-washy, but there is a difference between strong beliefs and self-absorption.

Lets be helpful. The last thing I want is a novice fleeing the site chased by the twin dragons of arcane terminology and jargon. People who ask legitimate questions at any level are entitled to answers. Help them; dont confuse them.

Use sources judiciously. If we are stating an idea that is unusual or radical, then a source is helpful because opinions without facts are often useless. But this is a forum - not a place reserved for scholarly publication. Therefore, extensive footnotes aren't necessary for every claim.

Manners

Lets be civil. Skyscript members are generally well behaved; lets keep it that way. We were all novices once and none of us, not even your intrepid moderator knows everything there is to know about astrology or even traditional astrology. Ideas are fair game; people are not. People from all over the world come to this site. There are going to be many differences in outlook. Respect that. Also respect the fact that we have members for whom English is not their first language. As Deb says, they make an honest effort to write in their second or third language, therefore we owe them the obligation to make the effort to understand and help them.

This is not a free chart service. While it is understandable that someone would want to understand his or her own chart in the traditional manner, the best way to do that is through effort. It takes no effort to write, I spent all night thinking about this and I cant figure it out: what does Jupiter in the 4th house mean? A little better is: All the books I lpve to read say that Jupiter in the 4th house indicates a happy family life, but my parents marriage fell apart the week after the honeymoon and now Dad rarely comes home and Mom has more boyfriends than I do. Whats wrong with my chart? At least that person read a little bit.

When referring to a specific chart, please post the data. If the chart is of another person, it is not necessary to identify the individual other than by gender; in fact with identity theft on the rise, it is probably best not to identify beyond a false name and gender. Generally, it would be appropriate to ask the individual for permission to post the data. Also, unless the chart is being displayed, it is a big help to add the MC and/or ASC sign and degree so we can check our chart against the one under discussion for accuracy. Typos are common and can throw off a chart by hours.

Finally, and most importantly, let's have fun. There is no purpose served in putting time, effort, not to mention money into this craft and not taking pleasure from it. Astrology has so much to give. It can provide endless hours of satisfaction even if we never earn a dime from it. That spirit should be reflected in our work, our posts, and our responses. Relax and enjoy, and be grateful for this endlessly fascinating subject and the marvelous technology that makes all of this possible.

Michael Sternbach
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