Psychology of Astro*Carto*Graphy by Jim Lewis with Ken Irving
Foreward by Erin Sullivan
(Editor of the Penguin Arkana Series)
Price: UK£12 US$13.95 Aus$17.95 Can$17.99
The prodigious talent of the late, great Jim Lewis has finally been bottled. This book is a
condensation of the best part of Jim's lifework.
How it ever got to print is an achievement in itself - largely
down to the persistence and vision of Erin Sullivan and the painstaking and meticulous work of
Ken Irving.
What the book captures is Jim's Plutonian (Pluto rising) powerful message in his Geminian (Gemini Sun)
guise of light humour. Early on we come to a key point entitled Shadowed Planets.
Forget telling someone about their lines until you know what's going on in the Natal Chart.
Moving on to the "Zen and the Art of (Not) Cookbooking" section - every variation of
A*C*G line is delineated with a punchy heading followed by a colourful description of
possible experiences.
As an astrologer I had the rare experience of finding that many of outlines provided some
new insight or turn-of-phrase that
added to my conscious perception of the planetary position or combination.
The word games in the headings range from the I-Ching:
Mercury/Venus The Taming Power of the Small,
to Shakespeare: Mercury/Mars Trippingly over Your Tongue,
but the best and most acute are pure Jim Lewis originals.
Sun/Uranus Idealists know best - just ask one.
Mercury/Saturn The Alchemy of Drudgery,
Mars on the Ascendant Your best friends won't tell you,
Mars on the Descendant It's all their fault,
Uranus on the IC Even Black Sheep have fun.
I'd recommend buying the book for the headings alone. However don't let me leave with the
impression that this is a light-weight tome. It's superb, practical astrology in an appealing
package.
While the Jim Lewis A*C*G Handbook (that comes with the maps) published 20 years previously,
remains an excellent basic manual enabling anyone without any expertise in astrology to read their
A*C*G map. The Psychology of Astro*Carto*Graphy more than just fills a critical gap
in the library of all astrologers and astrology students, it will become the 'bible' for anyone
who wishes to study locational astrology.
Orbs
Since Jim died, there has been some confusion about orbs for A*C*G lines.
One reason is that it appears that Jim revised his orbs from 300-400 miles [480 - 640 kms]
(which he equated to about 1/4 inch* on a standard A*C*G map) either side of an ACG line
to anything up to 700 miles [1,120 km] (which Jim claimed was about 1/2 inch* either side).
On page 8 of the original brown Astro*Carto*Graphy handbook [1976] and page 5 in the updated [Equinox 1976-2009] version, Jim writes:
"If a place you want to go has no lines near it, what then? First, you should understand the "near" means about 1/4 inch on this map, on either side of the line. ... "
Six years later on page 6-7 of Jim's Cyclo*Carto*Graphy handbook [1982], he wrote:
"The natal lines on the ASTRO*CARTO*GRAPHY map were given an "orb" or area of influence of about 1/4 inch - subsequent experience has suggested this to be conservative. These natal lines seem to affect almost a half inch - up to 700 miles each side of where they pass. ... "
This wider orb of 700 miles equates to about 15 degrees*. I discussed this with Ken Irving who confirmed that the standard orb was around 300 miles, though in certain situations a
maximum orb of 700 miles should be considered.
My experience is that wider orbs should be considered when there are no other closer lines in the zone. A line within 350 miles will have a predominant effect on the area, even though another line 700 miles away will have a weak, but hard to discern, effect.
The limitation with Jim's rule of thumb (Jim, literally would place his thumb on a line to show an orb) is that it is inconsistent. Due the projection of the globe onto a flat map, distances appear wider in the higher latitudes. With natal charts and transits, astrologers work with orbs based on zodiacal longitude. However, constantly calculating orbs of planets to angles in each location even with sophisticated mapping software is more for the astrologer involved in empirical research or just in love with the technique of astrology than one who seeks to make it of value to a client.
In most astrological techniques, the planetary energy fields do not appear to switch on and off, but gradually rise to a peak. So the orb is more subject to the astrologer's style, technique and the objective of the analysis than any hard rules.
Robert Currey, [Cert. A.C.G. Consultant]
* Converting a distance into zodiacal degrees or distance on an Astro*Carto*Graphy map varies greatly according to latitude. Due to signs of long and short ascension the zodiacal position will affect the degrees over the distance. Measuring distance from a Sun MC line at the Autumnal Equinox 700 miles equates to:
11°01' at the Equator 00°N. 7/16" 11mm on ACG map
19°01 at 56°N latitude. 3/4" 18mm on ACG map
The distances in inches and millimetres are based on an official Astro*Carto*Graphy Map
Nov. 18 2009 - Video [4mins 25s] of astrologer, Karen Chiarello (Equinox) interviewed on Channel 7 on Australian Television. How Astro*Carto*Graphy affects the lives of celebrities.Main Astrology News Page. Information, stories, theories and facts. Index to past articles Equinox Character Portrait - a full interpretation of your natal chart (personal horoscope) by Robert Currey. This synthesized analysis is more than who you are, it is about who you can become.
Your Personal Year Forecast gets the inside track. This booklet is like a map, but set out with dates - you can use to make the coming year successful & fulfilling.
The prodigious talent of the late, great Jim Lewis has finally been bottled. This book is a
condensation of the best part of Jim's lifework.
How it ever got to print is an achievement in itself - largely
down to the persistence and vision of 
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