Astrology Story Telling

Why You Should Take This Class: Astrology includes a language for change & its

archetypes can be used as framework for storytelling. This class asks you to re-examine these

western archetypes while remixing or destroying their meanings through fiction. We won’t tell

you that some stories are better than others & we won’t provide institutional credentials-- you

don’t need to be a writer to be a storyteller. This class seeks to encourage attendees to tell their

stories more frequently, reclaiming time & energy by holding space for our own narratives. Take

this class if you need the time & space to hear yourself again.

Course Description: In this five session workshop, we will discuss why we are interested in

astrology, follow a brief history of astrological practices, & examine how astrology was formed,

appropriated, and spread. We will look at astrology in relation to geographic space, culture,

globalization, & relocation. Students will create works of fiction based on their birth charts, using

astrology as the language & framework for their stories. Students are encouraged to use this

workshop as a space to express & validate their own narratives while challenging oppressive

systems such as white supremacy, patriarchy, & capitalism.

History of Astrology: The Cultural Alien

This first class is the most lecture based class, in which we split definitions of time into

ecological and cultural. When unpacking the history of the twelve signs of the western zodiac,

we look at cultural appropriation, mythology, colonization, and the role of the cultural alien.

Planets in Signs: People in Places

We come to understand the twelve signs through the cycle, discussing and fleshing out the

archetypes relationally and through rulerships, debilitations, exaltations, and falls. To make the

learn process an experiential one, we play a character building writing game using the planets in

the signs as archetypes.

Houses and Relocation: for Diaspora

The house systems of astrology are unpacked through a diasporic lens in this class, in which a

house system is discussed as the orientation (social, political, and economic) we have to the

world. As a group, we play a world building game based on learning the astrological house

systems.

Formation: Aspects, Shapes, Relationships, and Community

Using planetary aspects, we better understand the relational nature of the zodiac as a wheel, as

well as how different planets may interact with one another. Using shape as formation, we

reflect on aspects of our own experiences within community to discuss what dialogue we

fantasize about having.

The Moving Sky: Change and Development

By learning about astrological transits and progressions, we discuss the transitory nature of

living as well as the changing nature of a birth chart. Using transits and progressions, we create

plot for our the stories we are working on.

Fixed Stars, Recurring Themes, and ETC

The fixed stars represent recurring themes that arise in our lives and charts. By understanding

the constellations, we return to the gap between sidereal astrology and the tropical zodiac. In

this class, we also discuss asteroids, retrograde, and the procession of the equinoxes.

Final Sharing

As a celebration of the end of the course, participants are invited to bring food and share their

stories with one another in a storytelling circle.