Where in the World? - Astro*Carto*Graphy and Relocation Charts
Erin Sullivan

Review by Mike Harding
Astrological Journal 1999  

As inhabitants of the so-called Global Village we live in a rapidly shrinking world. Many of us can routinely visit places our parents could only dream about, and as we are increasingly able to experience life in different parts of the world so do techniques such as Astro*Carto*Graphy become evermore relevant.

But where to start learning? Anyone whose mind has ever boggled at the sight of an ACG map now has a personal tutor to help make sense of it all. Starting with the natal chart itself, Erin Sullivan unravels the theory and practice of mapping our birth onto the surface of the world. And what an experience ti turns out to be, for Astro*Carto*Graphy is one of astrology's most challenging, and rewarding techniques. Using ACG with which we can located areas of the world which have particular affinities with our own chart, in fact those areas where -- at the moment of our birth -- planets were rising and setting, culminating or on the IC, all creating a picture which demonstrates (conclusively for this reviewer) that we and our world are one.

This book, like other CPA titles, is a transcript of a day's workshop, and herein lies much of its strength. The questions you would like to put to Erin are placed by members of her audience, and answered clearly in a non-technical and highly readable manner. The spontaneous observations and personal anecdotes of both Erin and her students strengthen the text with valuable every-day examples, all helping to cement one's understanding of the approach, and flesh out the ideas presented.

For many years Erin worked closely with Jim Lewis, the originator of the computer ACG map, and her experience is very much in evidence. Although her humour is very present on the page, she takes us methodically through interpretations of all the planets, and the issues of interpreting locations East or West of an ACG line, something many more experienced astrologers will welcome. We explore the significance of planets' latitude, and are given examples of working with progressed and transiting bodies, as well as charts for eclipses and ingresses.

Of course, the ACG map is also a way of looking at locational astrology. Here the birth chart is re-set for a new location, where the planets will invariably find themselves in different houses. With different interpretations now called for, Erin gives clear examples of this approach when used in addition to the overall ACG map. Many students provide telling examples which do help give a deeper understanding of how old and modern approaches overlap and reinforce their findings.

There seems little doubt that certain parts of our planets bring literal aspects of ourselves to life, and we may wish (or need!) to know where on Earth these might be. I have only fainted once in my life: within 15 minutes of arriving at the one point on the planet where my Uranus rose and my Neptune set (Ebertin gives "the elimination of the waking consciousness" for the UR/NE midpoint.) What more proof do you need?!

This book is rich and full of wisdom. When we finish the last page we recognise we have spent a day with a highly gifted astrologer, giving generously of her skills. This is a must for anyone new to Astro*Carto*Graphy, and probably a must for many others besides.  
 

Back to Book