Aeclectic Tarot

Minderwiz

Location

The last bit of information we need is the location to cast the chart. For the original publishing of the Website that would seem to be Solandia's location at the time.

Now I'm running into a Virgo streak, with logical quibbles, so perhaps Astraea could help me out here. We could take the push of the 'publish' button as the moment of birth and that seems sensible enough. However for the first post in the Resurrection thread I'm not sure -

Do we take:

Solandia's location?

the location of the first person to post (Strange2 in Flossmoor Illinois)?

or use the location of the Server on which Aeclectic lives?

Indeed just to complicate matters in the Resurrection thread, Solandia mentions a 'new' server - so if there was a change of server did the main site 'die' as well and was later reborn (new server) at a later date - Solandia's registration information says she joined on August 1st 2001.

Following the ruler of 'keep it simple' I would perhaps keep to Solandia's date and time given above for the main site and ignore the break - this date is at least in keeping with the birth of the 'idea'

The first forum post we have a date and time for - but I'm not sure of the location
 

Astraea

Yes, Minderwiz, I agree that two charts would be best.

There are a couple of ways to think about the location to use for the chart of the first post.

Personally, for the chart of the first post I would use Solandia's location to derive the latitude and longitude. This issue strikes me as being related to the issue of whether to use the querent's, or the astrologer's, location for horary questions. I always use my own location for those, because that is where the question is received -- my hearing it provides the context of relationship, in which the question is understood (two hands clapping, so to speak). In the case of the first Aeclectic post, the first post would have been received at Solandia's site, an analogous situation. Other astrologers use the querent's location and get good results.

One might also view the first post as an event, akin to the baby's first breath. In that case, one rationale might be that the first post represents independent life springing from the Aeclectic matrix, and therefore the poster's location ought to be used; but a case can also be made for continuing to use Solandia's location, precisely since Aeclectic is the context for all posts.

This situation represents the borderland at which astrology passes from science (in terms of its mathematics and geometry) to art. The usual practice in such instances is to cast charts using both locations, and decide which seems to fit the situation best; alternatively, one can retain both charts and view them from different perspectives -- one from the viewpoint of the poster, and another with respect to the collective body of the forum (its membership). One might also opt for the elegance of simplicity, and use Solandia's location for both charts, precisely because it is a focal point and the reason for being of the first post, and this would be my personal choice.
 

Minderwiz

Astraea,

Thanks for that exceptionally clear reply.

I am certain in my own mind that the 'birth' of the Aeclectic website is Solandia's location (at the time and date given by her).

I can see a case for using the server as the location for the first post but given the real problem of finding where in the world the server is, I think that is rather a futile course of action.

Therefore I think I will try two charts dor the first post, one for Solandia's location, which seems the better bet but out of pure curiosity, I will also do a chart for the poster's location.

There is a 'snail mail' address for Aeclectic on the main site. This gives a 'home' of Coorparoo DC, which is a suburb of Brisbane. This seems to be a sensible location to use for the chart.

Edited to Add that wherever the location , at the time of the first post there was a conjunction of Venus, Jupiter and the North Node, all within an arc of 1 degree 12 minutes - all three benefic influences in conjunction. In the Flossmoor chart they also lie in the ninth house - spirituality, philosophy and long distance travel so that bit fits.
 

Astraea

Minderwiz, thank you for providing the Coorparoo DC location. Even if Solandia had been traveling when she created her member account, I believe that her main fixed location would be the one to use.

It will really be fascinating to peruse these charts, and I'm grateful to Lou for starting this thread!

(Edited to add that I, too, consider the location of the server to represent a needless complication, especially since the contents of Aeclectic reside there as potentiality, but Solandia's is the originating mind.)
 

MeeWah

Sorry I could not get here sooner, but I thank Minderwiz for alerting me to this thread :)

I recall at least 2 major crashes with the last the 3rd or possibly the 4th.

The 1st crash was attributed to the growth of the forums. Though only a fraction of what they are now (included Talking Tarot, Chat, Spirituality), the existing program was unable to support the forums. All of the data was lost then.

The second time it crashed was apparently also due to a technical glitch, but I recall at least a part of the data was retrievible.

Not sure when Solandia began pruning threads from the forums to avoid a similar loss, but could have been utilized after the first crash.

There was also a technology update that led to the loss of some threads, including the original Sanctorum Arcanum posted by AmounrA, which may represent the third "crash".

The forums as they are now, not including the revisions & updates of technology (on-going since the first crash) represent the reformation of the forums from its last crash. In effect, the prior forums were lost in toto or the data was so damaged that attempting to retrieve them was not feasible. So, not only were threads lost but also membership records, member profiles, post levels. Members re-registered & reposted profiles. Solandia left it up to members to indicate or estimate their last post level.

During the 10-day period after the last forums crash, the mainsite was also down. Those members who remembered the previous crashes & had each other's private e-mails, e-mailed each other in an effort to determine what happened & to keep in touch. Tarotbear started sending around a newsletter-type e-mail for this purpose. We were all confident AT would live again, but were not sure about the forum data (which we subsequently discovered was gone).

Unfortunately, I lost all my computer data during my original PC's first crash, so do not have as reference the correspondence with some members nor any of some of the threads I copied (from before crash to March, 2002). My PC data is only from March, 2002, which represents what I had backed up after my PC's first crash & prior to a second PC crash.

The thread by Strange2 is the first thread in the resurrected forums.

Speaking as a layman & not as one knowledgeable about the astrological implications--As the forums are such an integral part of AT, I would tend to see the August, 2001 date as more significant where the forums are concerned; the actual date for the mainsite also for consideration for a more wholistic view.

Edited to correct typo.
 

Astraea

MeeWah, what a helpful post! This information does, indeed, underscore the need for two charts, one for Strange2's first post on the resurrected forum and one for Aeclectic as a whole. I agree with you and Minderwiz that the necessity of an entire rebuilding process of the forums (as opposed to a "tweaking"), complete with members signing up again, does signify a new birth.

Thank you so much for sharing all of this valuable information!
 

Minderwiz

I've been at work for the last few hours (evening class) but I have cast three charts - one for the founding based on Solandia's details and using Brisbane as a location (If anyone can be more exact on Coorparoo's longitude and latitude please post !).

I'd also like to thank MeeWah for her post - it does provide, along with Maan's PM clear evidence of a break. I would therefore tend to treat the Resurrection charts as perhaps the most important and the April 2000 chart as supporting.

However, I will start with the latter chart.

The April 2000 Chart gives a birth time of 4 pm at Brisbane on 14 April

The planet positions are:

Sun 24°Aries36' (7)
Moon 29°Leo15' (12)
Mercury 01°Aries 54' (7)
Venus 09°Aries14' (7)
Mars 6°Taurus 08' (8)
Jupiter 12°Taurus13' (8)
Saturn 17°Taurus 04' (8)
Uranus 20°Aquarius 09' (6)
Neptune 06°Aquarius 25' (5)
Pluto 12°Sagittarius 40' (3)
Asc 24°Virgo 02' (1)
MC 26°Gemini 06' (10)
N. Node 29°Cancer 33' (11)
South Node 29°Capricorn 33' (5)
Fortuna 28°Capricorn 41' (5)

House positions are in brackets - Ive used Placidus Cusps

The first thing that struck me was the heavily Western orientation of the chart - looking out to others.
Unfortunately the second thing that struck me was the Mars/Saturn conjunction in the 8th - the House of Death. This is perhaps fortelling the crashes and ultimate death of the first version of the site.

The chart is ruled by Mercury, which I take as far more the planet of computers than Uranus, Mercury also rules the MC through Gemini. Oddly enough for such a feminine and intuitive art as Tarot, there's no planet in the Water signs.

The chart also has a 'bucket' shape with the Moon as the handle in the twelfth, which does give a focus on the individual/universe theme and perhaps shows the site is one way in which the individual can merge with the transcendant, through Tarot and the Western orientation brings this knowledge to the outer world.
 

MeeWah

Astraea: My pleasure.

Whence I think of all the superlative discussions lost--! I have fond memories of those & of the many memorable members then.

Most reassuring & inspiring to see Aeclectic arise from its "ashes" much as like the legendary phoenix:reborn, stronger & brighter.

Looking forward to the astrological revelations, indeedy!!
 

MeeWah

I forgot something that may be pertinent.

I recall a mention a long time ago that the mainsite was separate from the Forums. Not maintained by the same program or server or something to that effect. I do not know if this was true throughout AT's history, but it would explain why the mainsite did not go down during all of the crashes--I think it remained online at least during one of the crashes, which may have been the smaller one involving the technical upgrade. Or the mainsite may have been temporarily shut down to facilitate the process. I think during normal upgrades involving the Forums, only that part is closed for maintenance but not the mainsite.

May want to check with Solandia on this if it matters.
 

Minderwiz

First post - sender's location

Before I go to bed for the night I'll post the first of the two 'first post' chart details. This one is for Strange2's location of Flossmoor Illinois and is timed at 11:21 CDT



Sun 12°Leo 21' (10)
Moon 17°Aquarius 05' (4)
Mercury 10°Leo 59' (10)
Venus 03°Cancer 39' (9)
Mars 16°Sagittarius 45' (3)
Jupiter 04°Cancer 51' (9)
Saturn 12°Gemini 33' (8)
Uranus 23°Aquarius 18' (5)
Neptune 07°Aquarius 15' (4)
Pluto 12°Sagittarius 38' (2)
Asc 16°Libra 24' (1)
MC 19°Cancer 16' (10)
North Node 04°Cancer 16' (9)
South Node 04°Capricorn 16' (3)
Fortuna 20°Aries 56' (7)

This chart is ruled by Venus, which was also the Planetary Hour Ruler and has weak dignity by Face but is in close conjunction with Jupiter which is in exaltation.

First impressions were of the three benefics (including the North Node) in the ninth house of travel and sprituality - an appropriate placing given the nature of the site. The Sun in its dignity of Leo is in the Tenth a great placing for the Sun.

Well I'll let you have a think about these two charts and get back with the third tomorrow. :)