The "essence" of a study group
The "essence" of a study group is not the skill level of the individual, it is not the diversity of interests and/or skill levels of its members.
It is the individual commitment to participate in every chart, every topical area of learning, every study assignment, in every response or feedback on a chart that has been presented. If you aren't 100% involved in the whole process, than you both cheat yourself and defeat the purpose and success of the group.
In the past, some members have raised questions and then either not given any feedback or offered just a perfunctory answer that did not enlighten the astrologer who offered information or the other list members. This is an example of not doing yourself or others any good. We know this is primarily a tarot-focused group. While Tarot can be learned and practiced fairly quickly at a functional level (not that deeper study and more experience doesn't make one a much better tarot reader), astrology requires a bit of preparatory work.
Some of the basics to acquire before you can start to understand a natal chart include, but are not limited to:
** Planet meanings.
** Aspects between planets and their meanings.
** The basics of chart calculation (even if you use a computer service or have your own software) such as understanding global measuring systems, longitude and latitude effects on chart orientation, time-time zones-daylight adjustments to "time", Sun's mean-average-actual daily motion, etc.
** House calculation and house meanings.
** Signs within the zodiac and their meanings.
** Synthesis of all of the above.
** Calculating 10, 20, 100 charts.
So, this might be what a basic introduction would include in terms of topical areas. As part of these learning steps, you should expect that example charts will be presented to illustrate each subject area, that an open discussion about those charts will ensue, that the views of one person may conflict with those of another (this is OK) but that the group as a whole and its primary members will keep the overall direction focused.
At the completion of the above basics, I would expect that a deeper view of the natal chart would be undertaken in terms of very classical stages and views over the past few hundred years, plus the newer directions that have emerged in the past century. Rulerships, Arabian Parts, Symbolic Symbols, Uranian astrology, mid-points, etc. will need to be introduced and perhaps incorporated in the basic skill sets.
Later, various techniques for progressing, directing and returning charts to meet cyclic conditions could all be explored for the purpose of prediction and greater study. One would also want to know about the many astrological associations, the on-line resources for finding chart data and reviewing the work and comments of others, the reading media that can be subscribed to, etc. I'm not trying to discourage anyone but to show that there is a reason to require a commitment to participate. You can't "follow along" and then expect to understand what others have learned-by-doing --- it doesn't work.
It is possible to deeply learn all of the above, and more, within a two year period---but that is a bit intense. Taking a year or so just to learn the basics that were first noted would be a good goal to achieve, and might take a bit longer on the Internet. Dave