American Astrology REVIEW April 2000

Cosmic patterns has long been the source of the finest astrological reports in the world. For over thirteen years, astrologers have been able to create their own natal, synastry, and forecast reports easily and effectively using the calculation program using the calculation program Kepler. Many astrologers have used it to produce reports that Cosmic Patterns later made available to the public, thus creating the largest body of interpretive reports available anywhere.

To run any report, one must  have  the Kepler ($295) calculation program. For those who already owned a professional charting program, or who are on a tight budget, there is Pegasus ($100), a much simpler calculation program that will run any of the report programs, and will produce natal composite, Solar and Lunar Return, Progressed, and relocated charts and transit-to-natal and progressed -to-natal hit lists. Pegasus also includes the Cosmo Natal, Cosmo Compatibility, Cosmo Forecast, and Major Life Themes reports shortened versions of Gina Ronco's professional reports. One can even edit these and create new reports from within Pegasus. Unlike Kepler, however, the electronic atlas included with Pegasus only has listings for only two or three major cities per state, and like Kepler cannot access the ACS Electroni Atlas.

Many astrologers have wanted astro-mapping information than is available in most software. After all, one never live in or travel to a city on an Astro*Carto*Graphy rising or culminating in line (I never have). Kepler goes further and can show you all of the planetary aspects lines (e.g., trines, squares, even minor aspect lines), plus lines for planetary midpoints. This reveals much more information about every city you examine. Another pioneering feature is the ability to see the orb for each line. The program surrounds each line with beautiful shading to help you tell if a city is within orb of a line. Finally, Kepler adds specific maps for Love and Romance, Vocation and Career, Friendship and Family, Imagination and Inspiration, and Excitement and Instability, so that novices can easily determine where to travel to enhance any of these themes.

The new version of Kepler is also an incredibly advanced research program. You can search for individual factors, of course, like a planet in a sign (or stationary, which most programs do not find), or create your own complex signatures. You can also analyze a group of charts for what factors appear most frequently, because Kepler will show, in a sorted list, all of the angles between the planets that you select in the chart group.

The new Time Line graph is the only transit/progressed tool available that will find transits that are past entering orb and do not reach exact aspect during the scan. All other software misses these events, which are often very major ones (e.g, Pluto square Sun). It also graphically depicts the gradually growing strength of each transit or progressed even beautifully.

Kepler is a fun-fledged calculation program with all of the basic and advanced features most astrologers need and want, including a large choice of birth chart forms, with new beautiful color chart wheels and bi- and tri-wheels; and a wide range of calculations, such as , returns, transits, progressions, composite charts, heliocentric and altitude/azimuth charts, Vedic charts and dasa listings, eclipses, fixed stars, harmonic charts, midpoint trees and sorts, 90 degree dials, astro-clock, transneptunians, 45 asteroids, and Arabic Parts. Kepler also has a complete astrological encyclopedia with both a glossary of terms and many well-written articles, a library of beautiful graphics, the same mini-reports as Pegasus, plus a live audio mini-reading and a comprehensive set of 27 lessons to help you leam astrology.

There are many new report programs, several of which are outstanding. Among the best is the Psyche and Eros Relationship Analysis Report ($200) by Lenore Canter. This synastry report has four sections: the first two explore how each person relates to others based on their 7th house planets and rulers, and the planetary aspects with in the two person?s charts. The second two sections explore the relationship from each person?s point of view, based on the aspects each planet makes to the planets of the other person?s chart, and the house each occupies in the other person?s chart. The report even carefully interprets the absence of contact between factors both in each chart (e.g., Sun not aspecting the Ascendant) and between both parties.

I found the quality of the interpretations in both sections of the report quite outstanding. Here is a report that truly shows both each individual's relationship patterns and how they will relate to the other person. The delineations are clear, direct, accurate, and insightful, and provide the groundwork for both facing oneself and for understanding many of the issues that will arise in the relationship. Here's a sample for John and Yoko:

Your Sun Quincunx John's Pluto (orb 1-5 deg)

You may feel an excessively strong need to assert yourself as your ego feels very threatened by John?s subtle power over you. Your fascination with John makes it difficult for you to sever the tie even if you feel the relationship is wrong for you.

Yoko's Moon Quincunx John's Jupiter (orb 1-5 deg)

There is something about John's basic philosophy or world view which throws you somewhat off-center emotionally. You may often find your self caught up by John's enthusiasm or going along with things which are not truly representative of your own feelings.

Like all reports, it is up to the reader to synthesize each delineation into a larger whole, but with the Psyche and Eros Relationship Analysis, the effort will be well worth it. I suspect that if more people read reports of this quality, there would be many fewer surprises, and much more consciousness, in relating to their partners. I highly recommend it.

For an analysis of relationships that is more balanced instead of just positive, and also quite thought provoking and accurate, The Composite Report ($150) by Art Poppe is a fine choice and the best composite chart report I have seen. This report interprets the composite rising sign and its decanate, the Composite Midheaven, and each of the planets by house (not sign), and their aspects to other planets. It then delineates the midpoints in the composite chart, and finally the signs on each of the house cusps. I found the midpoint delineations of exceptional value, offering a look at additional facets of the interaction. Look at the depth in this sample for Yoko and John:

Sun Square Saturn

This aspect is an indication that by being together you will share very powerful learning experiences which should not be taken lightly. Yours may very well be a fated and unavoidable relationship as well. Your relationship may be shortened or long, but understand that Sun/Saturn bounds are not easily broken and they tend to bind you together for good or ill.

Your relationship together will expose facets of your personalities that you were unaware of and that you may not want to face. If you can take this opportunity to learn and grow, then you will discover a great deal about your faults and weaknesses. And the only way to overcome your weaknesses is to squarely face theme and resolve to correct what needs correcting.

The composite report will get couples to really examine their relationship - their expectations, differences, and compatibility - more than many other synastry reports, and it is therefore of great value.

The Life Path Report ($75) by Anne Mogul is a new birth chart report that does a great job of interpreting the Ascendant (and its aspects), the planets by sign, house, and aspects, retrogrades, elemental weights, the nodes by sign and house, and the ruler is in). About a dozen pages long, it shares its delineations with sparkling insights and great clarity, and is one of the best birth chart reports available.

Finally the Cities and Towns Report ($100) by Gina Ronco is my favorite relocation report program. While the interpretation for each city is short, this analysis of planetary aspects and midpoint structures to angles is very well done.

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 ASPECTS MAGAZINE WINTER 1998 ISSUE COMPUTER CORNER

By Kelley Miles Essoe

Kelley Miles Essoe is a screenwriter, actor, restorter of Ehpemera, and has been a professional Astrologer since 1977. She is a graduate of UCLA and did graduate work at both UCLA film department and RADA in London. The mother of two boys, she has been married to her husband Gabe, also a writer, since 1974. She last wrote the Computer Comer for Aspects Magazine from 1985-1988. Kelley is a double Scorpio with an 8th house Gemini Moon.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor, would you be mine... Oh. Sorry. Wrong neighborhood.

We're gonna be neighborly and drop in on a few here and there that sport that unmistakable "Astro" signature. You know, rams and bulls grazing on the crabgrass, the goat on the roof and the lion at the door.

First up, door number one. Watch the scorpions. Nice kitty. Knock-knock. Who's there. Cosmic Patterns. The happy home of the magnificent 32- bit based Windows astrological calculation system that comes complete with a number of built-in interpretive reports, and is the engine host for over 35 more.

In this respect, Kepler is more akin to an astrological suite than a mere stand alone program.

Say, more like Microsoft Office than Word.

So, just as an anticipatory preview, here is a mere sampling of what's new: Hi-resolution astro map printouts, live mini reading, Astro Encyclopedia, enhanced Help section, Data collection of 5,000 famous people, planetary and asteroid return charts, conjunctions to fixed star point, harmonic triangle with midpoint printouts, astro clock, rectification module adjusting planetary movement minute to minute, expanded search module, resizing of chartwheels.

I know, I know. Lust. But wait. You ain't seen nothin' yet. Just look at the all the tails that wag that dawg. The add-on Report Writers available for Kepler are bound to leave you reeling, not to mention filling out order forms.

Choose from up to six different general natal reports alone. Two of the six reports, COSMO NATAL and the MAJOR LIFE THEMES, are already included with the Kepler system gratis. But the remaining four reports in this category are well worth a good look as well. The MERLIN REPORT uses a sophisticated technique that smoothes the transition from one idea to the next so that the report is fluid and contains far fewer contradictions than many other computer generated astrological interpretations. INDRA is an in-depth look at the birth chart with unrivaled specificity in its interpretations. For example, in the interpretation of a planet conjunct the Ascendant, Indra uses a different interpretation if the planet is on the 12th house or 1st house side of the Ascendant, and also whether the planet is afflicted with hard aspects or not. ASTRO INSIGHT NATAL REPORT, by the colorful and prolific Adze Mixxe, is a comprehensive natal report that utilizes many sophisticated and unique astrological techniques in a delightfully entertaining and positive report which highlights issues that are important to the reader. ALPHA IMPRINTS by veteran astrologer Riley Goodwin provides not only the interpretation, but clear explanation of the astrological basis to the interpretation. This report is excellent for people who not only like the ride, but want to know how the plane stays up too. Riley's approach is inspirational and philosophical as well as practical and down-to-earth.

What other report writers are available for Kepler? I'm glad you asked. It's one of my favorite lists w hen I'm dreaming about what I'd spend lotto money on. In predictive astrology, the BASIC FORECAST REPORT and ADVANCED FORECAST REPORT by Gina Ronco are Cosmic Patterns two most popular transit/progression forecast reports. The latter, an expansion of the former, has the option to include interpretations of the four major asteroids and Chiron to the report. THE POPPE FORECAST REPORT highlights suggestions on how to best deal with the astrological influences present in your chart, and the FUTURE TRENDS REPORT by Adze Mixxe offers both mini or detailed transit interpretations, both of which capture Adze's flavorful skill of writing.Then there is Art Poppe's MINI-MINDER FORECAST REPORT that provides very brief though concise interpretations of transits and includes the option to include midpoint interpretations, and THE DESTINY AND DECISIONS TRANSIT REPORT which gives suggestions on how to best handle the astrological influences that are coming up. The KARMIC FORECAST REPORT focuses only on issues of a karmic and more inner nature, while BUSINESS FORECAST gives future trends for people engaged in making business decisions, and LOVE AND ROMANCE FORECAST focuses on... well, love and romance. The SOLAR RETURN, SECONDARY PROGRESSED, and LUNAR RETURN reports are pretty self descriptive, while the ASTROQUEST HORARY PROGRAM provides likely outcomes based on the planetary positions of the time and place of a question and combines this with natal chart aspects of the individual doing the questioning.

You don't think that's all, do you? No way. Cause there's COMPATIBILITY REPORT that analyzes the relationship of two people in either romantic or non-romantic affiliation, the COMPOSITE REPORT which analyzes romantic relationships through a detailed look at the composite chart, the LOVE-HONOR-CHERISH REPORT by Adze that is bound to provokepositive insight and entertain you simultaneously, and Maxine Taylor's HEAVEN-SENT REPORT which examines which of your planets and natal houses are triggered by his/her planets and natal houses and vise versa.

Then there's the CHILD REPORT which focuses on issues that parents are concerned about for their children, and the VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE REPORT which is a wonderful tool forthose who are seeking their true vocations or professions. If you're longing to look way back, KARMIC PAST LIFE REPORT includes interpretations of many factors in the natal chart while focusing on the Moon's nodes and Saturn, while KARMIC INSIGHT REPORT concentrates on aspects of the fights along with other aspects to give an in-depth esoteric point of view at the soul's intentions and lessons to be learned in this lifetime based on reverberations from past lifetimes. CAYCE PAST LIFE REPORT is based on Ry Redd's study of the Edgar Cayce readings and is thus very esoteric and inspiring.