• MODULE 4: INTERPRETATION METHODS

Lesson Icon 1d - CopyDay 2: Zodiacal Trails

 Zodiacal trails are one of my favorite methods for interpretation technique. With zodiacal trails we are able to look deeper and discover more of the charts hidden secrets. Unlike a theme which stands out at first look of the chart a zodiac trail is an investigation process which leads to discovery of key energies and focal points in which the whole charts energies are funneled through.

The main Zodiacal trail can shed much light and really help to understand straight away what the chart is about and what the different elements and energies the person has that can be the mainstream of their experiences and means to achieve goals or achievements whatever it may be in terms of the trail and where it ends up.

Zodiacal trails especially the main one is like following the ore seam in a goldmine and coming across the main ore body and then the mother lode at the end. Zodiacal trails are the keys to uncovering more of what the plot and theme are about. In another sense, especially the main zodiac trail shows what the person’s main purposes and experiences are in which all the other experiences revolve around in their life. Zodiacal trails lead to all sorts of revelations about areas of life and planets which correspond naturally with events, and people, and can show the different things we do, and desires, and goals we have and the experiences we go through and much more. So they provide very useful and important information in many ways

Some uses of Zodiacal trails are:

For motivation, or accomplishing feats, or following the path of an area of life. They can be spiritual, soul or personality trails, wealth trails and all types relating to the area of life and the theme of the chart. For example, it may be a relationship trail in a wealth chart which means the trail is about the wealth of the relationship but also perhaps maybe how the relationship can benefit earning wealth, such as income or wealth depending on another area of life, wealth and career for example.

For zodiacal trails it can be handy to ask yourself some important questions regarding their meaning in terms of what each part of it means in connection with those areas of life and the planets involved. These can be simple such as:

  • What’s this zodiacal trail about?
  • What’s the main theme of it?
  • What part is the gold?
  • What do the roots tell me?
  • How does each house connect?
  • What’s the common thread running through each part?
  • What type of events from each house would match this particular trail?
  • If my aim is to achieve.........then which trails would be the most useful to employ?
  • What does each trail tell me about the main areas of focus in my life?

Asking questions like these will help to yield good information about each part of the trail and firmly establish a good connection with your charts esoteric energies.

Planets in a Zodiacal Trail

Following a zodiac trail from start to finish can take you all over the chart. The main trail is determined by the planet which the different trails keep leading back to, with its sign and house and planetary ruler. There may be two or three other secondary zodiacal planetary rulers with each one signifying a different trail so you may have to decide which one is the main one. That is which one stands out the most out of all of them. It may for example be one that supports the charts theme strongly or play an important part in the plot by highlighting an area of life, or a particular location in the chart however there more often than not is one main trail that is composed of the most sub-trails leading.

Each planet on the zodiac trail signifies certain qualities that describe in a sequence how the trails parts can be utilized and virtually shows the type of things and experiences as indicated by the houses, and aspects, and signs, and their rulers, which are all the trails features and to some degree are linked to the planetary ruler.

You may be surprised where you end up but rest assured it’s a most sure way of staying on track and attracting the right energies and alignment with a purpose or any number of aims you have in an area of life. Each planet is a signpost indicating the direction to take. See where it takes you and check it against experiences in the past you have had, or in the future want to have. When you reach the end of the trail it means you have the whole code and all you need to achieve an aim and all that’s left to do then is an interpretation of each part of the trail to work out the details.

This can be very important for any outstanding success, and accomplishment. It gives you the information you need and the path to follow. The key to interpretation is to note each planets meaning in order from the starting point which is the house it’s in and to see through what events or avenue its energy operates in its area of life and how it links to the planets and area of life and sign in the next part of the trail. To do that choose each planet one at a time and draw a line to the sign it’s in first, then draw another line from the sign to its natural ruling planet wherever it is in the chart, and then from that planet repeat the same process again by going to the sign it’s in and so on, until you arrive at the final planet, which is the last one before the circuit keeps repeating itself. (see chart example below of how the trails link)

The zodiacal ruling planet being the strongest and indicates the expression manifested. The end goal or aim and final point or result. The other end of the trail indicates the roots of that expression. The very deepest roots which hold the hidden values for the growth and realization, and purpose that underlines each part of the trail. They are an important part of the trail which can give added support to the whole trail and especially their connection with the zodiacal trails ruling planet regarding information about extra energies and activities that can be developed and utilized from the area of life where the trails roots are in your chart.

A Zodiacal Trail Houses

Each house has numerous activities allotted it which can all vary. In the zodiacal trail each house represents particular areas where those type of things to do with that area can be explored and acted upon. You’d have to narrow it down as to what type of things they are that best suit. Meaning you would need to take a look in terms of the things in your life your working on say, or want to improve, or perhaps are simply curious about, or have an important question regarding some part of your life that your seeking information and answers to.

Each house in the zodiacal trail has information for you to discover. Each one needs to be studied and from what you learn focused on so that you build the trails energies up until it becomes well known and veritable strong and prominent flow of beneficial energy in your life whose currents of power is serving your life’s interests well, and supports you in its challenges, and keeps keeping you alive and vitally active in fulfillment of your life purpose and the meaningful experiences that go with it.

The main area of life in which the zodiacal trails planetary ruler is, along with the sign on its cusp, indicate where the most important things to do with that house out of the rest of the trail’s houses are highlighted, and find their best expression. They alone are worth extra attention if you’re out to achieve some special purpose in that area. Sometimes it can be quite interesting to note the zodiacal trails pattern and geometrical design that arises after having traced it out—again this can provide useful information regarding a clear path and direction to take.

Example of Zodiacal Trails

Here is an example of a fiction writer's chart with the zodiac trails marked out in different colours in order to distinguish where they lead to. As you can see the main trail is the area of the 12th house of hidden resources and behind the scenes activities such as her work of being a writer behind closed doors when creating her novels,with the areas and planets that make up that particular trail have very much to do with her writing abilities and basically define her life purpose very clearly.

These are her Zodiacal spiritual trail’s so the zodiacal ruling planet for her main trail is Jupiter (spiritual ruler of Virgo) and you can see its links to her Earth and her spiritual path of service to humanity in the 5th house of children and creative expression, however Mercury which is very strong in the chart is the ruler in relation to her personality expression and manifestation on the material plane, which in this case it’s to do with her avocation and it rules communication and writing and as we can see also because its the natural spiritual ruling planet of Scorpio which is on the cusp of her third house of communications and writing, shows in part where her spiritual input and motivations for her work come from.

Another prominent trail and I would say equally as important, is her sun in Leo representing her creative self- expression and in the 11th symbolizing humanitarian and philanthropic values which she is well known for as well and I might add is utilizing those energies expression at one of the highest potentials her charts signature denotes.

Another trail which is a secondary supportive one, is to do with her second house, and Neptune, and her part of fortune—all which refer to her values and how she earns her income through her love and skills in writing fiction and manifesting otherworldly concepts and abstract ideas which are all things that come under Neptune’s higher nature being the spiritual ruler of the sign of Cancer and her MC.

There is a lot more in this chart which really shows she is utilizing those energies well and its by breaking the chart down into zodiacal trails we can see clearly how each one supports and fits in nicely with her chart's theme.

Astro ActivityModule Four/Day 2 - Activity

 Go to http://www.astro.com/horoscope  and print out a new chart of your natal chart and the draw up all zodiac trails you find. Start with finding out what the main zodiacal trail is and its planetary ruler and what the planetary ruler of its roots is, and then go onto doing each of the other trails with their areas of life and the signs and each ones “natural ruling planet.”

Use different colours if you like to help distinguish one type of trail from another as it can get confusing as sometimes one planet can belong to more than one trail. Start with a planet in the chart and then draw to the ruling sign on the cusp of that house that it’s in, and then go from that sign to its natural ruling planet wherever it may be in the chart, and then from that planet go to the sign on the cusp of the house it’s in, and keep doing that with each planet until you arrive at the end of the trial which is the last house, and sign and planet you arrive at before it starts to repeat itself. You will notice as you go along that the zodiacal trails planetary ruler, and main area of life will end up with the most links to it as shown by where the increase in colours is in specific areas of the chart.

 

Next: Module Four: Day 3