EAA Publications

More than 30 years have passed since the untimely death (1995) of Jim Lewis, the pioneer of Astro*Carto*Graphy (A*C*G), and the first generation of his students has now reached an age where many are gradually retiring from consulting and teaching. These astrologers, who were personally taught and certified by the master, were primarily Americans who, in turn, passed on their knowledge and expertise mainly in the USA and Canada.

Initially, the calculation of planetary projections onto maps could only be performed by a few professional providers (e.g. Astrodienst and Astrodata) with powerful computers. With the increasing availability of computer-generated A*C*G charts in various widely available astrology programs or freeware on the internet, this technique has gained increasingly worldwide interest and widespread use, even among astrologers not specifically trained in it, and indeed even among hobby astrologers. However, this has also led to a certain simplification and decoupling of interpretation from the strict rules established by Jim Lewis and his early colleagues such as Arielle Guttman, Kenneth Irving, and Erin Sullivan. Particularly in non-English-speaking countries, the growing interest among astrologers in various European countries has simultaneously resulted in fragmentation and divergent developments. Here, sometimes independent national astrocartographic traditions and schools have also become interwoven.

Although some writings by Jim Lewis and Steve Cozzi, for example, have been translated into German, practicing astrologers also drew on other models and approaches in the fields of astrocartography and astrogeography.

A genuinely German technique for astrocarto-graphy was “invented” by Hans J. Andersen (1922-2004), who, however, was something of an outsider in the astro community. With his death and the passing of his generation, there are perhaps only a dozen people left today who work with his planetary grid technique.

Another German astrologer with a different system of astrogeography is the Berlin astrologer Georg Stockhorst. He developed astrogeographical city maps by measuring the distances between streets and overlaying them with the zodiac. Even on a larger scale, entire countries can be mapped in this way.

In Italy, Ciro Discepolo is the most prominent proponent of the relocation of solar and lunar horoscopes and has published dozens of books on the subject, most of which have been translated into all major languages. Although the A*C*G* lines form the basis of his reasoning, this terminology is not mentioned. He developed rules for planning a so-called “targeted solar returns”, which allow specific purposes, such as health, relationships, career, etc., to be pursued within an annual horoscope. Typically, the A*C*G* map is not created; instead, a fully calculated relocated solar horoscope is drawn looking for positive angular planetary placements.

Incidentally, the technique of relocated solar horoscopes can be traced back to the 17th century: The French astrologer Jean Baptiste Morin wrote a book on the subject (Astrologia gallica, Volume XXIII: Revolutions). Although he didn’t send any client to remote locations for solar optimization, he recognized that the annual forecast calculated for the place of residence provided more accurate predictions than the one calculated for the place of birth.

In addition to these differing national astrogeo- and astrocartographic techniques and methods, another difficulty in mutual understanding arises: the inconsistent use of terminology. Since there is no uniform framework for the content of astrocartography in Europe, or even within individual countries, different terms have become established in different languages for the same subject matter, making it difficult to identify factual and methodological differences.

As a recognized authority in the field of astrocartography, Jim Lewis trained and certified astrologers for over 20 years to analyze and explain the close connection between a person and their place on earth.

After his death, the organization “Continuum” offers training in astrocartography and reserves the sole right to administer examinations and issue certificates in order to uphold Jim Lewis’s high standards in the science and practice of astrocartography and cyclocartography (the projection of prognostic methods such as transits, progressions, or solar arc directions onto a map).

In the USA, other training programs in this field exist, for example, a 40 week course at the renowned Kepler College in Seattle; however, the qualification there is labelled differently (Astro Mapping Certificate) for copyright reasons.

In Europe, the situation regarding training and certification is unclear. For example, an internet search for astrocartography courses in Germany yields only few relevant offerings, typically lasting for some hours only, which are presented in a very vague manner. Sometimes teachers introduce themselves only by their first name, and nowhere do they refer to a recognized educational programme and certification or a tradition as proof of their qualifications.

In this grey area, the founders of the EAA, who are graduates of Kepler College, have set themselves the goal of supporting and extending in Europe the standards maintained by Continuum in the USA: namely, to contribute to the development of a high-quality training process in the medium term, followed later by pathways preparing candidates for examination and certification.

Training in European languages will prepare students whose primary language is not English to access and successfully undertake Certification as an Astro*Carto*Graphy (A*C*G) practitioner, ensuring that they have mastered the principles of Astro*Carto*Graphy as taught by Jim Lewis (Astro Locality by Martin Davis) and that they adhere to established ethical standards in their astrological practice.

Furthermore, the EAA aims to create a space for dialogue, research, professional exchange, and knowledge transfer across national borders, and to develop and document the field of astrocartography in the long term. The Association actively addresses the linguistic barriers within Europe by supporting practitioners and students working in multiple languages, including French, German, Italian, and Danish, with this network expanding as the Association grows.