Michael Conneely - the Astrology and Tantra Teaching Course 1

Modules Nos. 14 - 26 cover the 12 Signs of the Zodiac. These Modules provide full technical astrological knowledge of how to interpret the Signs of the Zodiac and how to interpret the energies of planets placed in the various signs. All three focus charts are used.

Additionally, the spiritual dimension of your studies grows further: the sign a planet is placed in, greatly modifies the energy of each planet, thus it greatly modifies how each planet may be perceived as a deity, as a Face of God, as a gateway to the deep spiritual understanding of your life. We bring in these newly-deeper-understood Gods and Goddesses by rituals, meditation, Deity-tantra, vision-work and journeying. Again, if you wish to have a ritual container for this aspect of your work: the creation of ritual sacred space, you can divert to study modules within the Paganism course such as PA28, Casting the Circle, PA 30 Calling the Quarters and PA 2 – 6 The Elements. This means that even for the quite experienced astrologer, there is much new and valuable on offer in the Level 1 course.

This work builds on the experiences you gained in Modules 2 to 13. It can be undertaken solo or with your friends or fellow course members. Again, you record the experiences you have of these visionary experiences in written or taped form, and include them with your more traditional written astrological module submissions.

Further to these two technical and spiritual focuses, you are also offered, if you wish, at no additional charge, study and experiential work of how the planets in your chart are modified by the sign they are placed in, by psychological explorations such as sub-personality work (putting these into a divine, ritual and meditation/visualization context) and by therapeutic applications such as herbs and spices, Bach flower remedies, colour therapy, aromatherapy, vitamins and minerals – examples of these are given in the section on The Sun, below. This parallels the section in the Hindu astrology courses on Remedies.

Aries (sign 1, the ram, March 21st – April 19th) Aries is willful, pioneering, action-orientated, adventurous, competitive, selfish, enthusiastic, courageous, argumentative, hot-tempered and dominant – and easily bored. They need scope, challenge and freedom. Back-stabbing and meanness are beneath them; disloyalty bewilders and wounds them; under-currents, veiled barbs, or sly, subtle emotional pressures disorientate them. They can start out naïve, innocent and wholehearted but end up the battered, world-weary cynic. Aries often think they know what’s best for everyone, displaying conviction, fanaticism and vision. They love battle and need adventure; otherwise they grow lifeless. They don’t really operate in ordinary life: they are locked into the archaic mind-set of the lone hero or the warrior, tending to mythologize themselves and idealize others and relationships. They need to learn co-operation. Shadow Aries is the illusory demeanor of noblesse oblige, quarrelsomeness, lust for power, hastiness and cruelty. The Aries lover revels in romanticized pursuit and often prefers a passive, frail, submissive partner. Physiologically, Aries signifies head, face, skull, and consciousness. The Glyph is the Ram. Aries is cardinal fire, ruled by Mars and is the ruler of the first house. Deity: In terms of understanding the planets in your chart as deities, as gateways to the divine, and gaining deep spiritual understanding of your life, we look at how those of your planets falling within the sign Aries are affected by their sign placement. Deities expressing Aries include Mars. We study all three focus charts this way. As with each of the twelve signs of the Zodiac, we bring in these Gods and Goddesses by rituals and meditation, Deity-tantra, vision-work and journeying. There are also sub-personality work and therapeutic applications.

Taurus (sign 2, the bull, 20th April - 20th May) Taurus values comfort and beauty and Taureans are tactile, pleasure-loving, practical, construction-orientated and determined, even stubborn. They finish what they start and have their own way of doing things. Taurus is loyal and usually gets very badly stuck (STUCK) in situations; is steady, reliable, sturdy and domesticated, lazy and patient. Taureans are materialistic and may be bereft of mystical understandings of spirit, and dismiss self-analysis, therefore problems can grow beneath the surface. They love colour, design, texture and taste. They are patient with children and animals and are green-fingered. They values good food, so are prone to weight gain. In friendship, Taurus often feels burdened. Taurus so dreads needed change, that he can court a breakdown situation just to provide shock. The Taurean lover has a strong, tender, intense desire nature, values satisfying sex and wants security and conventional stability. Taureans are home-loving and can remain in dead relationships, but the dam can break if pushed. Taureans are often attracted to fiery or Uranian temperaments who show qualities which Taurus dare not express – and which they often find to their cost they can not cope with! Physiologically, Taurus signifies neck, throat, tonsils, thyroid, Eustachian tubes and middle ear – also tumour formation. The Glyph is the Bull. Taurus is fixed earth, is ruled by Venus and is ruler of the second house. Taurean Deities include phases of The Goddess and Venus.

Gemni (sign 3, the twins, 21st May - 21st June) Gemini is independent, restless, curious, hyper-talkative, fickle, superficial, witty and risks burnout. Gemini is the mimic, lacking in self-discipline and scattered; inconsistent, changeable and unsympathetic. Gemini is capable of having several distinct personalities, and of being unaware of it; the chart will frequently show sub-personalities. Gemini is the eternal child - a stranger to him/herself. He can’t bear to explore the realities of his own personality, he is terrified of feelings. Pseudo-psychological clap-trap is fine, but not self-knowledge. He’s into systems and intellectual maps. Geminis will impose a theoretical, psychological, social, religious or educational model on anyone - but perhaps never really feel and empathize. The Gemini individual is interested in many subjects, but can be superficial and shallow and easily distracted, yet nevertheless, can end up with a broad and comprehensive spectrum of knowledge. In relationship, Gemini is chatter, charm and unpredictability, and won’t be tied down. There’s a risk of heartlessness, inhuman behaviour, and being the liar, yet he likes to have a strong ethical code. Gemini needs to learn what it is to be human. The Glyph is the Twins. Physiologically, Gemini signifies shoulders, lungs, arms and hands. Gemini is mutable air, is ruled by Mercury and is ruler of the third house. Deities include Mercury, Thoth, The Trickster, Loki and Coyote.

Cancer (sign 4, the crab, 22 June to 22 July) Cancer needs to be needed, needs to love, nurture, cherish and play mother and needs creative outlets. Cancer is clinging, home-loving, sensitive, probing, nurturing, sentimental, moody, security-loving, possessive, persistent in love and a cruel enemy, ambiguous and intolerant. Psychic. Can be a day-dreamer, lost in wishful thinking, vague longings and subtle emotions. Mother is a big issue with Cancerians: ideally, the Great Goddess, but often the Terrible Mother, so Cancer’s life is the battle to free the self from the domination of the Mother. This emotional sign is characterized by avoidance and by inconsistent, unconscious instinctive drives, and by difficult fluctuating, dominant emotions. They are sweet and charming one moment; melancholic, introverted and distant the next. They can’t let go. Hoarders. Collectors. Cancerians are moody, sensitive, timid, vulnerable and indecisive. They are egoistical and vain and fear ridicule. They are cautious, risk-aversive and defensive. When hurt, they can be childish and stubborn, or protect themselves by withdrawing, even though this conflicts with their innate need to nurture a family, for their ideal is to be kind and understanding. Cancerians don’t easily joke about themselves! If forced, they become excessive, exaggerated or immovable – masters of passive resistance, and they hate discord. Cancerians are creative, and this may be fuelled by dreams, fantasies and visions. Home is very important to them as a retreat and a centre point, a secure base, and a place where they need to feel appreciated. The Glyph is the Crab. Physiologically, Cancer signifies stomach, mucous membranes; body fluids such as breast milk, digestive juices, saliva, ovaries, pregnancy and some pituitary function. Cancer is cardinal water, is ruled by the Moon and is ruler of the fourth house. Deities include the Great Goddess and Diana.

Leo (sign 5, the Lion, 23 July to 22 August) Leo at its best is the generous, enlightened personality: with qualities of sincerity, loyalty and moral decency. Traditionally Leo shows qualities that are kindly, if arrogant, demanding and often unrealistic. Leo is an interesting talker - and just possibly, also a good listener. Leo is fussy in his choice of friends. He can be snobby, egocentric, showy and proud, but he is also very insecure and will do almost anything to earn love and acceptance, and he distorts his expression of himself because of his craving for approval. He is social, ambitious and ever-driving, rarely content, idealistic, dignified, loud, bombastic, theatrical, warm, generous, straight-forwardly honest, loyal, romantic, temperamental, domineering, fun-loving, child-orientated and affectionate. At work he’s an excellent organizer and prefers stability, but he’s also very prone to be naturally lazy. Leo gets very moody if not gratified. He hates to be criticized and get depressed if his confidence is knocked. If his hope and optimism goes, he is totally bereft. Leo insists on leading, even when least qualified to do so! He will push forward to be the centre of attention. He is fond of company and enjoys good-natured competition and dispute with friends. Leos have a terrible tendency to dominate and ‘hold court’, and treat other people as an audience. They can be outspoken and frank and can loose friends through this. Seriously, there can be a terrible failure to respect the integrity of others’ boundaries and a great need to perceive other people more objectively. Leos love dramatic action and they confront and tackle problems which arise. They are dominant in the home. They can be highly-strung and quick to anger, but they are also very forgiving. They have a firm need for solitary periods. Leo is the inspiring teacher or the member of a humanitarian group, but he can be far too individualistic to stay, unless he’s made the leader! Leo can leap headstrong into impossible, noble situations - which is inspirational to others, but wearing to family. Leos need a distinct purpose and life-direction, which they will serve nobly. The Glyph is the Lion. Physiologically, Leo signifies heart and spine. Leo is fixed fire, is ruled by the Sun and is the ruler of the fifth house. Deities include the Sun God, the Horned God as Lord of the Greenwood lusting free and Apollo.

Virgo (sign 6, the Goddess with sheaves of grain her arms, 23 August - 22 September) Virgo is purist, touchy, controlling of emotions, intolerant of chaos or wooliness, modest, practical, efficient, conscious of detail, critical, discriminating and mental (even picky or judgmental), neat, health-conscious, reliable, conscientious (even worrying), methodical (draws up lists), industrious, work-addicted, cool, fussy, conservative, cautious, self-contained, shy and retiring and security-seeking. Virgo is dedicated to service and often medical work. Virgos are compulsive and self-perfecting and often over-tax themselves. They are realistic and deft. Virgo seeks to bring order out of confusion, and seeks knowledge to bring matter under the control of mind, by classifying, applying and using it. Virgo is the generous and altruistic teacher. There is also a connection with agriculture and pets. Negative Virgo is unbearable, know-it-all, it is ‘I know better’, destructive, inhuman, carping and it is damaging. It’s perfectionism, pickiness and fussiness and ‘I told you so’. Negative Virgo can be so immersed in detail, that they lose sight of the big picture. They worry a lot and this can undermine health. Negative Virgo can have a life of drudgery and destroy beauty and can be very mean with money (yet also quixotically spendthrift at times). Negative Virgo tries to kill off the spontaneous or the unpredictable. The Glyph of the Virgin is the woman who is sufficient to herself and the sign-name stems from the Harvest Goddess, Demeter. Physiologically,Virgo signifies the intestines and bowel, sympathetic nervous system, digestive enzymes, spleen, pancreas, diaphragm and liver. The harvest includes wisdom. Virgo is mutable earth and is ruled by Mercury and is ruler of the 6th House. Deities include Mercury, Hestia and Demeter.

Libra (Sign 7, The Scales, September 23rd – October 22nd) Libra is ruled by Venus, Aphrodite the Goddess of Love and seeks order, balance and harmony and has respect for Tradition. Libra loves beauty and needs relationship but can lose themselves in it. Librans try to be agreeable and will be the glove that fits the other’s hand, but this masks the fact that actually a Libran will manipulate people by using charm that can amount to ‘ethical blackmail’: “If I am beautiful and fair and just, I expect the rest of the world to be the same. All I want to do is make the world a better place.” Librans are the clinging vine. The risk is that the Libran may be misunderstood and mistrusted, although in fact all he is doing is seeking the ideal. Librans can be very two-faced, and flatter those they hate and agree for the sake of harmony, but a Libran does care and he is interested in the other’s ideas (well, up to a point). Because Librans try to please everyone through diplomacy, they can shift ground a lot and lie and be indecisive. They are mentally adaptable. They always give the benefit of the doubt and they seek to see the rationale of every personality, situation or culture - even to the point of losing what they themselves really feel about these, and becoming ungrounded. They have a very intuitive perceptiveness, and can weigh up people and situations in a flash, as they develop a repertoire of mentalistic paradigms about personal or social situations, but they can lack empathy. They are impressionable, sensitive and easily wounded, and can feel very misunderstood - after all, all they were trying to do was to please! Reality is, of course, ultimately distasteful and lowering to the Libran: the world should conform to their beautiful romantic fantasy, and anyway Librans are humanitarian and they are sympathetic and they do have a passionate belief in fairness - in relationships, in money transactions, in social issues, &c, so people ought to conform to their beautiful ideal. ‘Can’t you see it’s simply absolutely fabulous, darling?’ Libra women tend to be mannish and Libra men seem effeminate (it’s because the sign seeks balance and ‘the other’). They over-consult. They talk through issues too much. They lose touch with the instinctual. Shadow Libra includes the deceitful charmer, the ‘coy maiden’ playing ‘hard to get’ and the feelingless lover. They habitually play people off against each other. The Glyph is the Scales. Physiologically, Libra signifies kidneys and ovaries, lumbar region and loins. Libra is cardinal air, is ruled by Venus and is the ruler of the 7th House. Deities include Venus.

Scorpio (Sign 8, The Scorpion, October 23rd to November 21st) It is important to note that there is a Higher and a Lower Scorpio - and then there is the Shadow Scorpio! Higher Scorpio’s glyph is the eagle (or the phoenix) and what is signified in higher Scorpio is ethical transcendence of selfish passions and spiritual, psychological, magical transformation. This is Kali, Shiva and Tantra. Scorpio is heroic, spiritual, strong-willed, emotional, smouldering, magnetic, suspicious, investigative, intense, secretive, possessive, passionate, psychic, highly-sexed, penetrating, sharp, observant, determined, dedicated, resourceful, unshakeable; generous or stringent to a fault, proud, ambitious, shrewd and enterprising. Lower Scorpio’s glyph is the Scorpion and they are often masked or enigmatic, mistrustful, suspicious, hyper-sensitive and afraid of being hurt and they hide their feelings and behave unyieldingly. They can be brooding, neurotic or egotistical, over-subjective or fanatical, and this can spur them to unpleasant even evil actions and to biased, distorted judgment. They are intuitively attuned to the shadow side. They thirst for relationship, but are often lonely due to fear of hurt. They are controlling and manipulative and implacably power-seeking. They are often emotionally or sexually wounded and can seek retaliation rather than do justice. They can create crises and pit themselves against enemies and even be self-destructive, power-seeking, vengeful, vindictive, jealous, coercive, ruthless, merciless, determined and highly involved with sex and money (for power), is blunt, provocative and confrontational. Shadow Scorpios will even sting themselves to death: ‘Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven’. Eaten-up with resentfulness and jealousy, they are power-crazed, scheming, control-freaks, driving workaholics, unleashing fighting, power-games, win-win agendas, cruelty and masochism, fanaticism and control, possessing or re-making their lover, manifesting vicious and implacable resentment and revenge, and double-standards, driven by paranoia, revenge is an art form. Others’ sexuality is sabotaged and guilt-trips are created. Sex is used for punishment. Shadow Scorpios systematically and protractedly ravage a marriage. Physiologically, Scorpio signifies sex organs, eliminative channels (nose, sweat glands), adenoids, urinary system, colon. Scorpio is fixed water. It is ruled by Pluto and is the ruler of the eighth house. Deities include Pluto-Persephone and Jaguar

Sagittarius (sign 9, The Archer, November 22nd - December 21st) Positively, Sagittarius is idealistic, honest, blunt and outspoken, chatty, freedom-loving, spiritual (though often in a dogmatic or even fanatical way), good-humoured, optimistic, given to hunches, drawn to things ‘foreign’, philosophical or spiritual, idealistic, quick-tempered, loves irony and has an intuitive, speculative, intelligence. He is a dashing wandering soul, stimulating, exciting, dynamic, a tease. Sagittarian defects are restlessness and changeability, narrow-mindedness and bigotry, spiritual or ideological dictatorship, religious fanaticism, blind adherence to the dogmas of established religions or ideological groups, a stubborn tendency to deal with people ideologically rather than with love, a cruel tendency to soar above feelings and emotions - even to the point of persecution of self or those near and dear. Sagittarians can avoid and ride rough-shod over feelings and hurt others remorselessly through bluntness, an unsubtle approach to life and a lack of tact. They can be chronically upsetting to sensitive people around them and unmerciful to enemies, or to those who don’t match their ideological/religious criteria. The Glyph is the Arrow. Physiologically, Sagittarius signifies hips and thighs, muscles and sciatica. Sagittarius is mutable fire, is ruled by Jupiter and is the ruler of the ninth house. Deities include Zeus and Chiron.

Capricorn (sign 10, Glyph: the goat, December 22nd to January 19th): Capricorn is very much about ‘the sins of the father’, or rather ‘of the parents’. Capricorn is serious, ethical, respectful, reliable, ploddingly ambitious, materialistic, shrewd, patient, suspicious, calculating, neat and methodical, slave-driving, conventional, practical, insecure, prudent, frugal and traditional. They are the worldly and careful pillars of society. Capricorns are guarded, cautious, mistrustful, shy, reserved, private, insecure, serious, thoughtful, reserved, persistent, extremely hard-working, economical and sensitive. They tend to be melancholic and lonely and withdraw from social contacts. They tend to judge others. They have a concentrated powerful will and are status-seeking in a down-to-earth yet intuitive way and they like to be in charge. Capricorns are not particularly physically or emotionally demonstrative, which can leave their partners feeling rejected, hurt and misunderstood. They need to be thawed. The Glyph is the Goat. Physiologically,Capricorn signifies skin and bones, joints, gall bladder, the anterior pituitary gland, calcium metabolism, anti-peristaltic movement, arteriosclerosis, bile production. Capricorn is cardinal earth and is ruled by Saturn. It is the ruler of the tenth sign. Deities include Saturn.

Aquarius (sign 11, the water bearer, 20th January to 18th February) is impersonal, original, determined, unemotional, independent, humanitarian, honest, but detached, community/group-loving, and broad-minded. Aquarius defends the underdog and shows integrity. He has distinct likes and dislikes and is ferociously civilizing and gets irate indeed if others curtail his intellectual freedom. Aquarius can be argumentative and know-it-all and stir up hostility towards himself. He is often eccentric with loads of foibles. Aquarius is about ideas, science and knowledge and has a gift for logic, intellectual analysis, reasonableness, rationality, even brilliance, and defines both the problem and the solution instantly. Aquarius has an intellectual bias. He is the thinker, the dreamer, the philosopher, the scientist. Aquarius is motivated by strong ideas and is good at dealing with facts, with a retentive memory and a quick-thinking mind, and can over-flow with ideas, but can fail to see projects through and have problems with application. Aquarius is frightened of feelings and embarrassed by romance, but has implicit hope and faith in human potential, yet displays a touchy perfectionism to people. Aquarians usually have a large circle of friends and are loyal until they have to discard them on intellectual grounds. The Glyph is the water bearer. Physiologically, Aquarius signifies legs and ankles, blood circulation, corticospinal tract, rods and cones of the retina, coordination of cellular rhythms. Aquarius is fixed air, ruled by Uranus and the ruler of the eleventh house. Deities include Uranus, Prometheus and Saturn.

Pisces (sign 12, two fishes swimming in opposite directions, February 19th to March 20th) At its best, Pisces is the mahatma, the renunciate, the self-abnegating saint, genius, poetic & musical inspiration, visionariness and mysticism. Piscean unity with the cosmos can manifest orgiastically, pantheistically, meditationally or tantrically. Pisces points to unity with the transcendent or immanent via bliss, ecstasy, mania or savage cathartic dissolution. Pisces is sensitive, moody, compassionate, prone to martyrdom, shy, psychic, artistic, careless, muddled, stubborn, adaptable, dreamy, dependent and loyal in love. Pisces is not sporty or combative, but can be unreasonably stubborn and can tend to irresponsibility, drifting, ‘immorality’, fraud or addiction. Pisceans embody self-sacrificial love and may suffer rather than assert their rights. They are very compassionate, sensitive, sentimental and responsive to the feelings of others and can seem weak-willed, self-doubting and drifting and changeable and find it hard to make up their own minds, therefore can be dominated by others. Pisceans are governed by emotions, harmony, imagination and idealistic causes. They can be emotionally hurt or disappointed and accept much misfortune. Pisceans can be quite critical of their partner, or alternatively are blind to a fault. They are prone to deception, denial, escapism and evasion and can be into alcohol or drugs. Psychically, they can receive information ‘out of no-where’ and they have the power to transmit states of consciousness. They will desire an ‘ideal home and family’ but can ruin this by illusion, escapism or addiction. Pisceans can be creative and certainly they are attuned to soul realities and mysticism and the development of surpassing wisdom. They tend to be impractical and can be seen as childishly irresponsible or incurably romantic. Negatively, Pisces is dereliction, hopelessness, waste, despair, abjection and addiction. Some Pisceans try to become Virgoan super-rational intellectuals because the irrational terrifies them too much. Other Pisceans go for the saviour/nurse/victim roles - or seek the redeemer in others. Drug addiction destroys the bodily prison in an illusionary search of spirit, and a hatred of confining flesh can make Pisces very cruel, tormenting and bloody. The glyph of two fishes swimming in opposite directions signifies the dilemma of operating in two dimensions: the pragmatic and the transcendent. Pisceans have to somehow balance both worlds. Physiologically, Pisces signifies the feet and toes, lymph, mucus and phlegm, duodenum. Pisces is mutable water and is ruled by Neptune and is the ruler of the twelfth house. Deities include Neptune, Dionysus and Poseidon. Shamanic journeying and visualization contacts the Neptunian face of the Divine.

The Michael Conneely School of Astrology	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3
The Michael Conneely School of Astrology	Star Mates	Foundation Vedic	Tantric Vedic

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