I was recently pondering how very visual astrology is. And for a lark tried to imagine an astrology where the other senses come into more focus. It is not that hard to imagine an audible astrology, considering the notion of the Harmony of the Spheres that has existed since antiquity. But what about an olfactory astrology, where a horoscope is smelled? Or a gustatory astrology where the chart is savoured? Or a tactile astrology?
Of course when done literally one would probably have already gone across the borderline that divides us from strangeness to extreme weirdness! Just imagine an astrologer sniffing a chart that he has just printed by means of an ‘olfactory’ printer loaded with innumerable essences!! But what about in a figurative sense? We for example use such expressions as: “to taste victory”, or “to savour an experience”. What do we do when we taste something? We are engaged in a very intimate exploration of the nature of the substance we have just consumed, which will also shortly be incorporated into ourselves. This experience is many-faceted and is accompanied by a whole vocabulary of description. Something is sharp, or piquant. It may be sweet or savoury. It could also be bitter or salty or even bland. It is not a very great step to see (oops I mean sniff 😉 ) which planet is associated with a particular taste. Saturn is definitely bitter, Jupiter savoury, Mars sharp, and so on. That means the position of Saturn in a chart may be associated to those areas of life that are bitter. But bitter isn’t always something to be avoided. Just think what a relief stomach bitters can be when one has an upset stomach! The Moon may bring blandness but then all the more to carry the flavour of another planet, either to enhance it or to make it more digestible. So dear reader I would like to invite you to taste your chart. The first course should begin with your Ascendant…
Altair Astrology 
LOL! What a delicious concept Thomas! A horoscope that is a cross between haute-cuisine and the Karma Sutra by the sounds of it :0)
If we are starting with our Ascendants then no prizes for guessing what rules my cool, moist, soft, fat, fragrant, sensual and sweet-tasting rising degree! (Al Biruni is an excellent fellow and knows a good thing when he sees one bless him :0)
So what is your excuse eh?
🙂
CarO
Hello CarO,
Well anyone can tell that Venus has something to do with your Ascendant (I’m not saying more…)
As for my Ascendant, it is well toasted, something like ship’s biscuits! Light, just a tiny bit of moisture, and as there is another planet present it is spread with sweetness with a slightly burnt aftertaste. Al Biruni, says that there is also some pungency and some a certain astringency. (I’m not telling either! 😉 )
Love,
Thomas
Hi Thomas,
Nice post! It reminds me of a concept in ayurvedic medicine, whereby we need all of the tastes in our diet. As Westerners, we have too little of the bitter and astringent tastes in the diet. I’m not sure what planet is astringent, but agree that bitter = Saturn!
Best wishes,
Nina
Good Morning Thomas :0)
Yes there is a lot to be said for the audible fine-tuning of charts!
I wonder if the august members of the Club Peregrinus could raise the tone of their charts by playing them in a different key?
Under a Zodiacal twelve-tone equal temperament, B sharp, for instance sounds the same as, or is enharmonically equivalent to, C natural, and so anyone with a peregrine C natural chart could put on airs and graces by adopting a hash sign after each planet thus #.
Sir Arthyr put me in mind of this recently whilst musing aloud in Double D Sharp thereby raising his chart by a whole two semi-tones much to his surprise and my delight.
And perhaps my own egregiously detrimented counsel stems from my use of the descant dissenting opinions of the Triple Sharp ‘outer’ planets currently only found in modern classical charts? 😉
The music of the spheres is indeed contained within our charts!
Mel-odiously yours,
Detrimentia (Dame C.E.)
Thomas said: As for my Ascendant, it is well toasted, something like ship’s biscuits!
~~ CarO ~~ An Ascendant toasted by the Sun?
Thomas: Light, just a tiny bit of moisture,
~~ CarO ~~ Ascendant in an Air sign? In a Day chart?
Thomas: and as there is another planet present it is spread with sweetness with a slightly burnt aftertaste.
~~ CarO ~~ Venus or Jupiter combust or under the Sunbeams? Hummmm ‘spread’! As in Jupiterian ‘spreading’?
Thomas: Al Biruni, says that there is also some pungency and some a certain astringency. (I’m not telling either! )
~~ Car~~ Then I will LOL!! Al Biruni says the Sun is pungent and the word “astringent” derives from the Latin adstringere, meaning “to bind fast” as in “to shrink”. So Perhaps your Ascendant is in a fixed Saturnian Sign?
So: Sun on the Ascendant in Aquarius aspected by Jupiter?
:O)
CarO
Hello CarO,
Looking at a chart as if it were a set table does put things in another light doesn’t it?
Libra Ascendant wouldn’t be as dry as ships bisquits. It might be described as something more like meringue. LOL
😉
Thomas
Most honoured Dame Detrimentia!
That certainly would provide a key to a chart. In future astrology programmes will provide a musical transposition of every chart.
Yours is sure to generate a whole cycle of symphonies.
harmoniously yours,
Thomas
Hello Nina!
It is actually quite fun transposing a chart in terms of one of the senses. It even provides some surprising insights!
Nice to hear 😉 from you.
Thomas
LOL Yes! A meringue describes me perfectly: light, airy, frothy and gooey! :0)
(My Libran ascendant lies between the antiscia of the Sun and Mercury and has Neptune emplaced upon it).
Delectably yours,
CarO 🙂
Hi All,
May I join in?
Depending on the Modal tones, Leo would probably be the most straight-forward tone to begin the diatonic scale if we start with the Aeolian mode of c-Maj 7.
Beginning with the key of “C” (the more natural western tonal scale) we could successively adjust each sign by a half-step to reach the full half-step12-tone scale.
Using the solar energy as prime, and as we count the seven planets from the Sun, the associative sign of Leo becomes the central position and as such, the key of “C” would be the natural association to Leo as it has no sharps or flats to alter its tonal mode.
With this idea in mind, we can associate the 12-half-tone Western scale to the zodiac signs.
Leo = “C” – Virgo becomes C sharp, Libra the key of “D”
Scorpio D-sharp, Sagittarius “E”, Capricorn “F,” Aquarius F-sharp, Pisces “G” and so on.
Note that the note for Sagittarius is “E” the natural third from “C” a harmonious chordal tone (by trine). Of course if we play E-flat in the key of C we create a whole new scale, that of the C-minor scale; giving Sagittarius (Jupiter) a great deal of power for change.
The natural fifth from “C” is “G,” another Jupiter ruled sign, that of Pisces; but to change the note “G” to G-sharp only augments the chord of C, doesn’t make the distinctive change the Sagittarian tone of “E” does.
So, using the signs as a scale for tonal qualities, may I suggest we start with Leo using the Key of “C” major and produce our musical charts from there?
More on the musical scale can be found in my book.
“Ancient Whispers” on PP409-c.
Yours in conductor-ship,
Sir Arthyr
Golly Gosh, thanks Arthyr! Listening to one’s chart eh? Who’d have thunk it !
No wonder I always liked Bach’s “Air On A G-String”
Love
CarO-the-G Scaley-Pisces
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